Not every teamster works humanely with the equines under his or her care. When it comes to respectful treatment, this hand hanging on the bit of a fully harnessed mule is at best ignorant, at worst just plain mean. The tugged lip, exposed mouthpiece and oddly angled noseband all suggest hurtful pressure from the drag of the hand both down and forward. Such a skewed grip could pinch the tender cheek on the unseen side of the head, jam the snaffle joint into the roof of the mouth and gouge the sensitive lower jaw bar. Perplexing is the unused chain hanging from the ring: why reject an available and less aggressive hold? It won’t be the mule’s fault, but its behavior could easily sour from such harsh handling. The memory of face pain could make the mule resist bridling. Yanking could harden the mouth, a good way to make the mule less responsive to line cues. The teamster may walk away from this bit of abuse without consequence. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the mule.