09/10/2026
This is an interesting little piece of Louisiana history/culture that also touches on (a small part) of why we have to stop lessons/activities when it gets to certain temperatures. Being a PATH certified center holds us to certain standards that other places don't have to follow. All of these standards are in place for the health and safety of our participants, horses, and staff. Without all three functioning properly, we cannot give the BEST services and that's what we strive for! Say a little prayer for our herd. These hot days have been rough on them without the extra work. 🥹They are more ready for cooler weather than any of us!!
The animals pulling carriages through the French Quarter are not horses. They are mules, and that is the law's doing. 🐴
New Orleans used to use horses. In the summer heat and the wet Gulf air, horses died. In the 1980s the city, working with carriage operators and a veterinarian, made the change — and set a temperature rule with it. When it hits ninety-five degrees, the animals come off the street. Full stop. Working hours are capped, rests are required, and the city and the Louisiana SPCA both watch.
The reason mules replaced horses is not sentiment; it is physiology. Mules handle heat and humidity far better. They are more surefooted on wet cobbles and streetcar tracks. Their hide is thicker against the insects. They live longer.
And there is one more thing, which every driver in the Quarter will tell you in the same words: a mule will not work himself to death. A horse, asked hard enough by someone he trusts, will keep going until something breaks. A mule simply stops, plants his feet, and looks at you.
The stubbornness people mock in mules is the thing that keeps them alive.
Have you ever worked with a mule?
