Winning

I called our farrier because the girls needed trimming and Mica was limping quite badly. Mica is our elderly mule who is 27 years old. She is retired due to her other health issues.

She was a header and heeler in her day, along with team penning. 

As the guys said, 'She's been there, and done that.'

Mica had an abscessed frog, it went up her frog and split up her heel bulb. 

In the shot below, we are soaking Mica's foot in Epsom salts before we wrap it to keep it clean.

They were able to figure out what was wrong with her right away.

Holding Mica is Gracie. Her mom is also one of my CrossFit coaches. Her girls have been to my place to spend the day with me a few times. They were out last month for riding. 

I asked her mom if she could come and help me with catching up the mules and taking them in and out of the gate. I also thought it would be interesting for her to learn a bit about hooves from our farriers. Dan and Danny. Dan is an Licensed farrier and belongs to the International Farriers Association. If I have a hoof, leg problem, I call these guys.

The Diaper Boot. 

We made a diaper hoof boot to keep the wound clean. The guys taught me a new trick of adding a layer of Duct tape to the bottom of the diaper. I'll have to pull this off and soak her foot once a day for about a week until the abscess hole heals.

The diaper offers protection and cushioning for the sore frog. I've used this before with great success.

The guys said that Mica was such a good patient. She never offered to pull away or act up during the time we worked on her. 

When the farriers left, Gracie and I saddled up for a ride off the farm. I suspected Gracie would be just fine riding like this since she has friends that have horses and she goes to ride with them quite often. She tells me that they canter, trot and do all the kid things I used to do on horses.

I try to recall all the crazy stuff we did as kids on my uncle's horses and in some ways, I think we were better riders because we were not supervised most of the time. 

When Siera tossed her head around a little in protest of leaving her pasture mates, Gracie just ignored her antics and told her to behave. 

To Siera's credit, she is a very calm animal who doesn't really spook [unless she sees a bicycle!]. Her normal reaction to the unknown is to freeze and then relax and go on. 

We rode for about 40 minutes and checked out the neighbor's fresh round bales and then headed home. It was a good first ride away from our place for the season. The two mules together act much better than taking one out at a time.

Since it was so hot and humid, we gave the girls a quick little sponge bath so they could go roll in the dirt.

I have to admit, we really enjoy these chances to have Gracie and her sisters visit.
Rich literally lights up like a Christmas Tree when the kids are here.

And that is a win for everyone.

We rode

Molly came out to work with Sundance. When I first met Molly we worked with Sundance and she was ready to start under saddle. I'd mounted her in the round pen and she was very ho hum about the whole thing. Her training was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

However with things changing on our place and my husband's health issues, saddle training with Sundance pretty much just stopped. 

Molly had moved away and started her own life. 

When she came back, she asked if she could work with Sundance again and I said "Go for it!" 

Sundance was not happy about being removed from her sister and confused about working in the open. She didn't want to listen or pay any attention to Molly at first. Molly was persistent and calm. 

They went off to find their groove again. And by the end of their session, Sundance had decided that Molly was just the human she wished to be with and remembered most of her manners. 

She had been used to working in our shed in the round pen. So this was a new experience for the mule. She had  to concentrate on a different human with distractions on the other side of the fence.

We saddled up Sunshine [Sundance's older sister] and Siera and headed out for a ride in the woods. 

I nearly called it off. I started thinking about things like: 

What if Sunshine spooks?
What if I shouldn't do this?
Wait, I have 'bad' bones, is this okay?
What if...what if... 

Hmm. What IF I enjoy it?

I hadn't gone on any long rides in the woods for a couple of years. The trespassing 4 wheelers were always a constant for the past two years. There was this thought that I shouldn't go alone. And then this last 10 months there was this thought that due to my osteoporosis diagnosis, I should never ride again.

All of that was going through my head.

Molly chatted as she saddled up Siera and I just kept quiet. 

I took the lead and headed our through the neighbor's big meadow and off we went. Sunshine walked as if on eggshells. Weird.

We went up the hillside and had to brush bust to get around some fallen trees. We dropped down the steep hill into a hollow and crossed over logs and ducked branches. 

Molly kept up a conversation and I kept thinking Sunshine was behaving strangely.

Then.

I started to laugh and I relaxed. I started reaching up and breaking branches as we ducked under them.

"Mallard!" I yelled over my shoulder and laid over Sunshine's mane [Mallard means DUCK! in our woodsy rides ... something that we started so many years ago]. The branches slid over my helmet and I heard Molly say, "Oh Sh-t!" Molly is 5'8" and was riding the taller mule. She didn't negotiate around the branches and 'ate' some of them. 

We stopped and checked our cinches before entering the valley. I remounted and noticed that Sunshine was flopping her ears as she picked her way through the stream crossings.

Sunshine had listened to my tense body. Once I stopped thinking of "What IFS" she chilled out and became the excellent riding partner I'd always had. Granted, we hadn't ridden this valley in over two years and ... I hadn't really ridden Sunshine since??? Well, a long time.

Here we were laughing and riding. 

Molly on Siera.

Me on my little Sunshine mule.

Molly said, "Put your ears up Sunshine!"

So I helped her.

If you are wondering what kind of saddle I am on here is a link that shows it. Lucky me that I ended up with this saddle!

Stonewall saddle.

Siera decided that she was not going to cross one part of the tiny stream. I'm sure that the shadows on the grass and water were MULE monsters. The shadows only ate Fat Gaited Mules. After a bit, Molly got her through the Monster Shadows, rocks and water. Phew. The Monsters did not Eat the Fat Mule.

We really had fun making up reasons why after about 10 stream crossings, that one seemed to be so scary.
So we decided to just ride right up the creek for a bit.

Yeah. 
No mule eating monsters appeared and all was good. 
Sorry about the messy manes, we just haven't clipped them yet.

Siera with Molly standing in the Mule Eating Stream.

We headed back up the ridge road which is also an old snow mobile trail. Once we got into the wide open area I turned to Molly and started telling her a story about how Sunshine's mom was a great mare that always rode well in the woods.

"However," I said, "If a deer..."

A doe jumped out in front of us and darted away. Sunshine did a hop quarter turn and stared hard at the disappearing white tail.

"...jumped out of the woods," I continued, "Cheyanne would do a 180 leap and be off at a gallop."

Funny. The worst had just happened and I didn't even react except to sit the little spook and continue on as if nothing had happened.

I didn't hurt.

I didn't fall apart. 

I had a most excellent time.

Just.

Wow.

Siera? What was her reaction? Well, fairly normal for Siera. She is too lazy to spook at wildlife. She would rather spook at Combines and Tractors.

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!

Butt Puckering Ride and Flat Tire

Now you are asking how those two things relate.  Give me a minute or so.

First I saddled up Opal determined to get a ride in.  I wanted to see if the 'mule' trail I had through the woods was damaged or grown over.  I'd walked part of it the day before.

In hindsight.  I should have walked 'the second half' of that little trail to the creek before trying to ride it.

Oh well, hindsight is 20-20 right?

Let's also say thank you to Opal [don't mind the mangled mane, I cut it with scissors...].
Opal the experienced mule.
Opal who knows where the 'short' cut is supposed to be even if it is so overgrown that you cannot see it below her hooves.

Thank you to Opal for soldiering on through the mud, slop, and stuff she encountered.  How she delicately picked her way over fallen branches that were hidden in the undergrowth.

Thank you to Opal for peering over the washout bank and looking down...when my butt puckered in the saddle..
and she just put her hooves on the bank and slid straight down.  Without batting an eye she scrambled up the other side.
Just when I thought all was good we came to the last washout crossing.

She stopped and looked.  She dropped her head and seemed to be peering down.  Where there used to be a trail was a huge dropoff.  I saw it from the saddle and tried to see a way around it.
This was our old trail that led to the creek.  Normally a cake walk.
From the creek we had access to 100's of acres of forest.

She slowly backed away and sighed.  I sighed.
We turned and decided not to give up but go onward up the hill and around the hillside to where it meets the camp road.  Not an easy ride on a dry day.

We ducked tree branches, stepped over logs, followed deer trails, and eventually made our way above the camp road.

Down.
Down through brambles, ferns, limbs, and slippery footing underneath.  I gave her her head and let her pick the way.  It was steep enough that the crouper was tight on her tail.  She concentrated on keeping her feet underneath her and me on top.

Next thing I know the woods literally exploded with noise.  Two hen Turkeys erupted from the underbrush a few feet away.  I felt my insides quiver and my butt pucker once more.

Opal sighed and continued as if my spook was but a mere nuisance.

We safely made it to the camp road and the rest was easy.
Now there are no photos of the butt puckering part.
I think you should know that I was just concentrating on staying calm and collected.

I was concentrating on where we were going and what we were doing.  So many things have changed on the old logging trails.  They are nothing but single foot trails now.  Mother Nature is taking the woods back.
I rode above the 'back valley'.  You could see where the water had blazed through the bottom.
I left that exploration by Mule Back for another time when I had another person with me.
No sense in taking risks alone right?

The rest of our ride was rather uneventful.
How is it that a mule can have horrid terrain and not spook one bit?  Give them an open easy field and a track to follow...and even the weeds begin to look suspicious.
Or maybe it is just Opal.

Anyway. It was a great ride.

When I got home I put the ol' girl away and hopped on the riding mower.  My second ride of the day.  I wanted to help my husband out who was clipping The Merry Meadow.

I made one pass and looked down.
Flat Tire.

Huh.
So ended my day of riding.

But all in all it was a great day.