Mule or donkey?
When I look at this small photograph, I can picture this lady in the wild West of Arizona in the 19th century. She has on a felt hat, straight riding skirts (which are like really large culottes) and a white blouse. The beast of burden is either a mule or a donkey, which has been saddled. You can see her high-heeled boot in the stirrup and she is holding the reins. While the face is indiscernible, the woman is part of the Rudd clan, as that is where the photo came from. The image could be from anytime between 1890-1920 I suppose.
Who Were They? 
The tail of a Mule is like that of a horse, the donkey has a coarse tail that resembles a cow’s tail.
Read more: Difference Between Donkey and Mule | Difference Between | Donkey vs Mule http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-between-donkey-and-mule
This looks like a mule to me.
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Ah yes, I see a horse-like tail there.
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