Quotation for Shabbat 186:1

רבי יוסי אומר הסוס מטמא על ידיו החמור על רגליו שמשענת הסוס על ידיו וחמור על רגליו ואמאי הא קא מסייע בהדי הדדי לאו משום דאמרינן מסייע אין בו ממש אמר רב אשי אף אנן נמי תנינא ר' אליעזר אומר רגלו אחת על הכלי ורגלו אחת על הרצפה רגלו אחת על האבן ורגלו אחת על הרצפה רואין כל שאילו ינטל הכלי ותינטל האבן יכול לעמוד על רגלו אחת עבודתו כשרה ואם לאו עבודתו פסולה

R. Jose said: A horse defiles through its forefeet, an ass through its hindfeet, because a horse rests its weight1 on its forefeet, while an ass rests its upon its hindfeet.2 But why so, seeing that they [the feet] help each other [to bear the animal's weight]? Hence it must surely be because we say, helping is no concrete [act].

Mishnah Zavim

If he sat on a bed and there were four cloaks under the four legs of the bed, all become unclean, since the bed cannot stand on three legs; But Rabbi Shimon declares them clean. If he rode on a beast and there were four cloaks under the legs of the beast, they are clean, since the beast can stand upon three legs. If there was one cloak under its two forelegs or its two hindlegs, or under a foreleg and a hindleg, it becomes unclean. Rabbi Yose says: a horse conveys uncleanness through its hindlegs and a donkey through its forelegs, since a horse leans upon its hindlegs and a donkey upon its forelegs. If he sat on a beam of an olive-press, the vessels in the olive-press receptacle are unclean. [If he sat] on a clothing press, the garments beneath it are clean. Rabbi Nehemiah declares them unclean.

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