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.