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John Stewart, known as “Tennessee,” visited the Florida Carriage Museum and Resort and stayed on as a historic interpreter at the Florida Horse Festival & Carriage Show, held February 20-22, 2009. Dressed in his muleskinner attire, he beguiled visitors. The term “muleskinner” means someone who can “skin” or “outsmart” a mule. Tennessee says, “Mules are known for being stubborn, but really are just smart. So you have to be smarter than a mule in order to train them.”
While in town, Tennessee checked out the horses at the Florida Carriage Museum and Resort. He and his wife were delighted with “Nicolette” the unusual Poitou Donkey. This donkey was historically valued for its long shaggy coat and large size. Nicolette befriended Tennessee just as she does the many school children that come to the Florida Carriage Museum.
Mules and donkeys have played a very valuable role in history. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Mules were used, particularly in the South, for agricultural work. The mule population reached its peak in the U.S. during World War I. 270,000 mules were exported overseas to the battlefields, supply lines, and farms of the allies from 1916 to 1919.
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