Spa Day for my 2 girls

Well, not a Spa Day for real but I did give them a royal treatment. The farrier tag team came out and trimmed all hooves and visited with Rich at the same time. [No photos guys, I was busy handling the critters]

One trimmed, the other chatted with Rich. They had a little fold out step stool they set in the shade so he could sit and they could talk 'men' talk while I held each mule.

It is always pleasant to have Dan and Danny out to trim. They also like trimming our critters as they are well behaved.

After they left, Rich was tired. While he slept I gave Sunshine [the red Molly] and Siera [the bay Molly] baths.

They each then got some time in the yard for some munching on fresh grass. Yes, I can walk away and leave them in the yard unattended for a little bit and they won't go anywhere.

With the rain we had last week, we might have to mow the yard soon!

Last night, I called out to the gals and Sunshine came up to the gate as if to say "Pick ME!".  The disappointment on her face when I led her over to the trailer and saddled her up was obvious.

Pictured below is her 'necklance' of small bells that my mules wear while we are riding solo. Some say that the noise is comforting to the equine, some say that they can hear their cadence, and I say that it is a great sound to warn off the deer ahead of us.

A friend introduced me to the idea of a bell necklace when I was riding endurance rides with Badger. I found that the little bell really worked. I rarely walk up on slumbering deer.

I really dislike riding in the wide open spaces. Sunshine's mom used to look for Monsters along the edges of fields. If a turkey or doe walked out of the corn or woods even up to a quarter mile away, she'd be sideways in a second.

Sunshine watches as the deer that were ravaging the field corn run back into the woods. We counted 10 deer.

We rode out to the end of this newly planted alfalfa field and looked down towards the valley where we generally ride. I wanted to explore this field that in 20+ years has always been in corn or soybeans. The folks that rent the cropland generally plant right through the snowmobile trail which makes access to the valley impossible during the summer.

It was shocking to see how sparse the new growth was. Rain is definitely needed.

We didn't go all the way to the woods. We sat and watched 6 Tom Turkeys eating in the far field. The tops of the corn in this end of the field have been chewed off by deer. I've never seen anything like it and assume that it is due to the lack of food in the forest.

I took this shot with my cell phone and then put it away. Two fawns popped up from the corn field just a few feet from us and crashed through the corn sounding like Godzilla.

Sunshine did her 180 degree leap and stopped. She looked around as if embarrassed. We took a few moments to talk about it. Sunshine sighed and we turned towards home. Funny how the fawns laid there when we walked up but decided to bolt when we were standing still.

Note. When startled like that Sunshine will move like lightening. Siera? She just locks her legs up. 

Our ride back home was quiet. We saw two bucks in the distance and just before we left the hay field, a coyote came bounding out of the corn about 50 feet away and bounded across the field into the forest.

Sunshine didn't miss a beat. I don't think she was surprised. I know the mules can usually detect most anything before we humans can.

When we got home my sweet little red mule got some more yard time.

This was another evening well spent. As long as the weather holds, I'll be alternating between the two girls each night. They are still separated from the other girls but not stressed out anymore.

There was no screaming out or calling when I left with my little red mule last night. 

25 Years together

Sunshine and I have been together for 25 years now. Her mom was a grade Arab/Quarter mix that I was riding when I met my husband. At that time I'd never seen a mule until I met hubby and his mule Fred.

Cheyanne was with us until she crossed the Rainbow bridge at 28 years old.

I took Sunshine out last night because for the first time in a while, the weather was nice and not insanely hot or smokey.

Rich told me that I needed to work with her and I have done so for all of her years. Last night she thought that perhaps she'd creep away while I was mounting her. I told her she was naughty so we did some practice walks, stops, and back up until she recalled her manners.

Then it was time to ride about the yard and driveway to make sure her brakes and turn signals still worked.

They did.

She felt so comfortable and relaxed that we went off for a short jaunt to watch deer on the ridge and collect the mail.

She detected a hen turkey and we watched them scurry out of the corn field and across the road in front of us. The little ones were so cute.

Her reaction was a big sigh and then we moved on. 

I just wanted a short ride to see where her mind was at. She was with me and not worried about the calls from her sister at home. The funny thing about most mules is that they generally don't like leaving their herd mates. Sunshine has always been a bit more independent that way. As long as she has a human with her, she is relaxed.

We saw three bunches of deer who came running out of the cornfield and bounded into the woods. It was too late in the day to go down into the woods for us, it would have been too dark. So we just walked out to the open ridge and scoped out the fields.

I figured that was good enough for our first jaunt this year.

A view from the saddle on a long eared mule. [20 seconds]

The woods were getting dark.

When we got home I see that Sundance [Sunshine's sister] had been having an absolute fit that her sister had left the property.

Siera on the other hand was peeved because she was separated from the bay horse we call 15.  Or perhaps they were both pissed because they had hot wires between them.

In a few more days they will get used to this arrangement and I won't have to walk all the way to the back woods to grab either Sunshine or Siera.

I did take Siera out and ask her to recall her manners on a lead line. At first she wanted to look for her pals and then she decided that she'd follow my directions. Walk, turn in hand, back up, and stand for inspection.

Here she is after grooming. Her attention is on the other mules.

Siera used to be give me a very hard time about leaving on her own. I do miss the days of going to Wildcat or Duck Egg to ride. There was never any 'home' drama. But since hubby can't drive and the old truck is Kaput, I make do with woodland trails and open fields and back roads.

Meanwhile, Sunshine trotted up to the fence and had a talk with her sister, Sundance. At home in the pasture she can be a real goof. 

I turned Siera back out and the rest of the evening was rather undramatic. They all took turns rolling in the dust to get the flies off them.

I look back and am amazed. One mule for 25 years? We've certainly become good friends. There won't be any more after Sunshine and Siera. 

It is Siera's turn under saddle on Sunday. 

 

Deer Stories

There was Homer, Jethro, and Zelda.

Oh but there were so many more, but those were the three out of about a dozen Sunday morning that caught my eye and the focus of my camera.

While sitting in a tiny blind in the dark and waiting for the deer to may---beee show up and maybe NOT show up can be boring.

However I listened to the birdsong and peeked out as the day went slowly from dark to dim, to sunrise. I heard and saw both Robins and Bluebirds along with the constant cry from the pack of Crows that live nearby. 

A rabbit slowly came out of the brush and nibbled on some plants not far from me. 

Slowly some young deer came out of the woods and entered the meadow. It was a surprise as I'd just looked and they were not there and...then they were.

Pretty quickly there were about 6 deer in the meadow. Some obviously still not yearlings and some does. A couple of young ones played chase and then settled in to nibble in the meadow.

They all turned when a spike buck walked out of the woods. He ignored them and walked over to the neighbor's fence line and jumped it to graze I suppose on the fallen apples.

Soon the another spike buck appeared. I've been seeing them with regularity so I named one Homer and one Jethro.

Homer thinks he is a real stud.

When he started chasing the girls around he did this....

So some gals watched and others just ran off.

Zelda said, NO Way!

Eventually Homer decided to follow.

All in the pursuit of love, right?

Monday morning was a bit of a dud, but I did get to watch a squirrel do some interesting things. We all know they bury nuts right? They do, but this guy did something different.

I know squirrels bury their nuts, but I didn't know that they hid them too!

Here he is burying his nut

and then covering it up with oak leaves.

Isn't nature just amazing?