Definition: Mule (in Valais viticulture)

Without the man who brought together the male donkey (breeding donkey) and the mare, the sterile mule would not exist. This crossbreeding dates back to the dawn of time. For centuries, it was used as a draught animal, pack animal, saddle animal and beast of burden by farmers and armies alike. The mule was particularly valuable to mountain dwellers. It is known for its exceptional stamina and great efficiency in difficult terrain. For this reason, the mule represented a significant part of the livestock population in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, alone:

1806 1886 1906 1926 1936 1941

2,600 2,161 2,608 2,721 2,481 2,097

In 1943, Valais had 2,059 mules, representing nearly 70% of the Swiss population. The presence of mules alongside mountain dwellers has been noted by many authors. In their works, mules appear as an authentic symbol of Alpine heritage. Although today mules are mainly used for tourist trekking, they were once beasts of burden that shared in agricultural work and logging, carrying fodder and manure on their backs, as well as the grape harvest and the bossette.

In the past, mules pulled the bossette across the plains and carried heavy wine barrels, as seen here in the Saint-Nicolas valley.

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