George Washington's American Mule Project

In the 1700s mules were rare on American farms, but George Washington believed they worked harder and behaved more calmly than horses or donkeys. He received high-quality breeding animals from Europe, including a Spanish jack from the King of Spain and another from the Marquis de Lafayette. Washington started a mule breeding program at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia to improve American draft animals. Because of that effort, he became known as the father of the American mule.

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