All One Mule Parade?

The burning question of this coming weekend. Will the Annual Folsom All One Mule Parade have more than one Mule in it?

Will it?

Um. Why do you think I've been training the kids so hard on riding?

I mean, last year these kids worked very hard at becoming mule riders.

Nearly every waking moment was spent on ... learning to ride and practicing.

We worked hard, so very hard.

This year I can ride with them in the old winter paddock for practice. The kids can ride the mules pictured. Fred and Siera.

I can ride my little red head.
After Badger died I figured the kids wouldn't have a thing to ride. 

I worked for 5 yrs on Siera, I worked hard. I have worked hard with Fred the elder mule and am working with Sunshine too.

Sunshine is proving to be a calm Zen mule just like her half brother Badger!

Because of our chaotic year, I haven't been able to ride Sunshine since last fall. Last night our outing was good. Not a blip in her radar.
Same with Siera the night before.

I do love a good mule. However...I love a great mule and I have 3 of them with one in training.

So...hopefully when the grand-kids arrive we can have a refresher and on Tuesday do a 3 mule parade. We may only go past one neighbor but that will be good enough for me!

The 4th of July events at my farm.

Well, I rode Fred, who was first to the gate.

We had our All One Mule 4th of July Parade in Folsom.

Fred and I rode out to the Folsom Schoolhouse and back.

We waved to 3 vehicles, 12 people, and passed by 5 farms.

At one of the places the kids came out to see us and wanted to pet Fred.

I convinced a 9 yr old to take our photo.

The day was perfect with perfect flawless weather.

When I got back home I went for a hike to check on the wild yellow raspberries.

The numbers are greatly reduced perhaps to winter kill?

Belle, the spook dog came to 'watch my back' for me.  She stayed within 10 feet of me and if someone else would have been anywhere near me in the woods ... she would have alerted and run off to hide.

My day was peaceful and spent the way I love best.  Riding and hiking. Who could ask for a more perfect day?

The Berries are not quite ready...

And the views from Fred's back as we rode the ridge were awesome.

One last note.  All these photos were taken with a crummy point and shoot pink pocket camera.

You don't have to have pro equipment to find nice shots!

The All One Mule 4th of July Parade of Folsom

It began in 2007, but no one took the photos of the first solo parade ride.  
Badger and I continued to do this even when he was ill with Equine COPD in 2009.

2010 was his last year, we did a lot of walking in this 'parade' but still we did it.

In 2011 I took out Badger's little half sister, Sunshine.  She actually did very well, but I had my eye on a younger bay mule in training.

By 2011 I started riding the people challenged mule almost exclusively as my steady ride  Badger was no longer safe to ride.  His daily life was a struggle to breath and he was humanely put down.

Opal then took over, she actually enjoyed it.

Last year we really got decked out for the ride.  Opal loved being 'gussied' up.  She also never minded going away from home solo like Badger.

Last year was one of the most memorable rides as we were waved to and the 5 houses we passed...people wanted to come out and pet her.  Opal ~ so people challenged ~ would only back away and snort while I explained that she really had a hard time trusting people.

So this year, Siera is up.  She still can be a bit of a scatter brain when it comes to certain things, but she needs to fill some BIG hooves.

So in the memory of Opal & Badger, Siera will do her first ....

All One Mule 4th of July Parade in Folsom, WI.

And may you enjoy your holiday also!

Parading by Opal

It started with her calling me to come on over.  Val had the lead rope.
Sometimes the lead rope just means a grooming and brushing along with a bit of sweet feed.

And sometimes it means you get saddled up and ridden.

I guess this was the riding day.  She got me ALL gussied up.  Ribbons in my tail, a fancy necklace to wear with a brass bell, and a pretty colored blanket.

First stop was the neighborhood kids' place.  The whole family came out and that really nice girl came out and petted me on the head.  I don't let adults pet me, or get near me if I can help it.
But this girl is so nice.  I even think I like her as much as ... Val.

The other folks stood back and admired my sparkly blanket and remarked at how pretty I was.
Well isn't that nice, maybe humans aren't as terrible as I think they are.  At 28, I still don't trust strangers.

We had our photo taken by the little girl and off we went.

From what I understand, this was a Parade with only one mule.  Me.  I'd done one before with Fred.  He complained the whole time.
This one was nice as it was only me and her.

Most of the ride was pretty quiet.  We were up on the ridge where there was a nice breeze blowing and it kept the bugs away.

At the place where there is usually barking dogs that like to come out in the road an annoy you,...there were two ponies!

They came running to the fence nickering.  
"What you doing?"  
"You have a horrid human on your back!"
"What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with your ears!"
"They are huuumongous!"

I gave them a glance.

"My ears are for hearing better than you.  My human is not horrid or she wouldn't dress me up special to take this ride.  Besides I am NOT in a fence and you are!  I am on an adventure.
Oh
And what is wrong with your ears?  I can barely see them?"

I snorted at them and walked proudly away.  Some Ponies don't know much.

At the bottom of the hill there was a whole bunch of human people and kid people.  They all called out to Val and asked her to stop so they could come and take pictures.  Val explained that this was the 5th Annual All Mule Parade In Folsom WI.  [Yeah, one mule parade]

They got all excited and wanted to pet me.  
I gave them the stink-eye as Val explained my non-human nature.

We continued on down a steep road and into a shady lane.  Val likes this road to go down...she usually takes the valley... but this was The Parade and we headed up back to the ridge.  
Our ride would take us 6 miles and would pass about 8 houses or farms.

 

Notice how relaxed I am.  Flopping ears tipped back to listen to Val tell me what a pretty girl I was.  What a good mule I was.  She even reached up and rubbed my ears.  Don't tell her I liked it.

 

On top of the ridge I saw some horses.  They looked up at me and whinnied.  The nerve, they didn't even come to the fence and talk.  Instead they took off like the dickens.
Must have thought I was a long eared monster mule.
Silly horses.

The traffic on the roads wasn't too bad, I didn't even have to yield.

 
But we did see two cars on the gravel road.  Talk about eatin' dust!
Soon we got to the Folsom School.  For some reason Val likes to have a photo of the school each year.
Something to prove she was in 'Folsom' I guess.

They put a pretty new red roof on the school since last year!

Then it was down the County Road towards home.  I didn't mind the black top, it was smooth and nice and trotting was easy.
Except.
Except...
....when those Mule Eatin' mailboxes presented themselves.  I simply had to turn and walk sideways past it.

Poor Val, she had no idea how lethal those things can be, she kept telling me it was OKAY.  Little did she know that us long ears know that mailboxes will literally launch themselves at you.
Well, that is, except the one at home where she gets the mail from.  I know that mailbox is friendly.

 
The rest of the trip was pretty quiet.  Nice blue skies and fluffy clouds.  Val even let me stop and graze a bit.
I think I could do this again some time soon!

All in all I think we saw 3 cars, 8 people, 2 dogs, and lots of farms.
It was a good day.
And I definitely looked most excellent in my red, whites, and blues.