Mules of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Harrowfield, D. L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1991
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Indian; New Zealand; Cape Evans; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Record; Scott's Hut
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400019823; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400019823

Abstract Horses were first used in Antarctica when eight Manchurian ponies provided support for Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition (1907–09). Scott's British Antarctic ‘Terra Nova’ Expedition (1910–13) used 17 ponies during its first year, and seven Indian mules in the following season. This paper presents new information on the mules, which suffered severely from the effects of an unbalanced diet and low temperatures. They were the last horses ever used to support an Antarctic expedition. In January 1989 when the stables of Scott's hut at Cape Evans were reclad and cleared of ice by a working party from the Antarctic Heritage Trust (New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme), artefacts relating to their occupancy by Manchurian ponies and Indian mules were located.