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.

Kids and Equine

Yesterday I did...  another 'Thing'.

I brought home 2 youngsters for a visit. Remember my visit with my coach's kids and their little pony in July?

Ponies and little girls...

Well today I got to have them for a few hours after CrossFit and Mobility Class. 

The girls are 7 and 9. They wanted to meet my mules and ride.

I will let this video speak for itself.

It is 2:39 long. The older sister has some experience and the younger sister is gaining confidence with her sisters help.

Both girls did very well!

The girls had a great time and even enjoyed visiting with Rich. Rich watched from the house and complimented them on their riding.

After a late lunch, we went for a hike in the woods to check the mule's forest fence and the girl's spent some time on my home made swing.

The youngest one fell sound asleep on our ride back to town where I returned them to their mom.

I'd forgotten how fun it is to have younguns around to 'play' with.

We'll probably arrange for another visit soon or make it a once a month thing. I could really enjoy that and these kids were polite, sweet, engaging, kind, and very well behaved. Kudos to mom!

Another rambling mule post

Darn, I feel so tall when my shadow is like this!

Those LONG ears. Siera has super duper long ears. She is pointing out a young buck to me...

She is actually listening to me here when I tell her to 'walk on' and stop being stupid.

We walked by a trail that she knows goes towards home and thought she should turn there....

After our evening trail rides, I am ready to tackle the longer route and sent a message to my neighbor, Justin, to see if he'd like to go with.

It has been almost a year since I went on this long trail, so on Saturday afternoon, I will walk it to make sure it is passable.

Then I'll take each of the girls on a solo ride through it. They know this route too as they have done it since they were trained under saddle.

Disclaimer. I did training. They will 'neck' rein on trails as they see the path ahead of them. If they disagree with your choice of trail they will resist. 

Mules often resist because:

They sense the trail in front of them is not in their best interest.

Or it is dangerous in some way.

Or...they just don't see the point.

Following a mule's instinct is sometimes the best option. Unless they are bluffing.

Mules test your humor and your patience. If they do not feel the need to repeat a lesson over and over, they will just stand and refuse to do anything.

Last year I invited a person to ride with me and all the way along she complained that Sunshine was not what she expected. She wasn't polished like the horses all of her friends had. 

Her friends had show quarter horses, and she rode in their arenas. I imagine that compared to them, Sunshine was a bit of a brut. 

The only training I have done is giving them ground manners and riding manners. We need to get from point A to B safely and the rest is just noise. They go right and left when asked, unless they don't feel like it. They back up and step forward on verbal commands. They are polite with their ground manners and allow me to pick their feet while they are loose in the pasture. 
They come when called.

And their Whoa is impeccable.

These girls are not perfect, but they are reliable. Siera and Sunshine have taught kids to learn to ride. Fred, who died last winter at 38 yrs old also taught kids and grand kids to ride. He even took care of  adult riders who had no idea of what they were doing.

Once Fred thought you should know your stuff, he'd challenge you. The perfect pony mule!

I guess we have been so very lucky with our mules. Below is a photo from the last time hubby rode. The kids convinced him that he could just go with them once. He never rode again, but this was a memorable moment. [He could still move around outside without oxygen.]

He is on Mica, the grey mule, grandson Dennis is on Fred, Ariel is on Siera, and I am on Sunshine. This was 5 years ago this month. 

I do miss having the grands here to ride, however, I only have Siera and Sunshine as riding mules now. The grands have jobs and come to visit maybe once a year.

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. 

Something changed

 Last week my coach and friend Angie asked me to her house for lunch and some time to hang out with her kids.

She had an agenda of course and a good one at that. She knows I love equine of all kinds, and that I sometimes prefer kids over adults. Kids are kids when they are not teens. They are not complicated, they have demands but those too are not complicated.

She also figured out that as a caregiver with constant issues to deal with, I could use a distraction. 

Two things resulted from that 'lunch' date. I decided to get back to messing with my two girls who have had months off from anything except eating and pooping. I changed my evening routines. After supper I go out and 'play' with my girls. Each one gets a turn at a little halter work or a little riding.

[Hubby wants me to sit and watch the boob tube with him until bed time. I decided to change that up. I just am tired of sitting staring at a TV]

I took some shots earlier this week when I rode with my girls but since then I left the pocket camera inside and the cellphone inside. I didn't want distractions. I wanted quiet time.

Basically, it was boring. I sat in the yard where there was green grass with both of them on lead lines and let them graze. Or we rode to the ridge and watched deer in the different fields. Both girls were great. 

The gals were willing and cooperative. In truth, it was like watching paint dry. 

So what was the second thing? Well, maybe it was even more than just two things. Second thing is, I told Angie that I'd love to have her kids over to meet the mules. Of course the girls want to meet them and get on them. 

So I want to make sure that they would be on their best behavior. Both mollies have had children ride them under adult supervision. After all, they are big animals, not little ponies.

The third thing that happened was more interesting.

Since my husband fell ill, my responsibilities have changed. I made time for hikes and working out, but I sort of slowed way down on being with my riding mules. [The others are retired and are just pasture ornaments]

I found out that if I kept Sunshine and Siera up near the house, I had time to go out and do some Mind Melding with them. I could just hang out. I could ride them, play with them, tell them my secrets, my worries, and ask them for advice.

Their advice was simple. Pay attention to me and your heart and soul will relax.

And it has. This past week with daily evening doses of mule time, I come in the house with a rested mind. 

All these good things I've known forever, but I put myself last thinking that time with them was time away from hubby.

It really isn't. Most of my time with the girls are close to the house unless I am riding on the ridge. He is pleased that I am doing something with them.

Equine/Mule therapy is a very powerful and free drug.

Speaking of that...

We got an INCH of rain yesterday! Whoo Hoo! It was fantastic! 

As I was making supper I looked out the window and my very steady, reliable, quiet 25 yr old Molly Mule Sunshine was having the 'Feel Goods'.

Part of the issue is that she misses her sister who is not answering her calls? Or? Who knows?

I went out after supper and we had a talk. She wouldn't tell me what her antics were about. So I grabbed her bridle and a bucket and we rode in the yard and driveway then went to the ridge to get the mail.

When I got Siera out she told me: Sunshine was feeling good with the cool rainy weather and had done her Airs Above the Grounds in hopes that you'd leave her alone tonight. 

Siera winked at me and said: You know, I do not condone that behavior at all. I'm a much more Sophisticated Mule. 

Yep. I'm back to talking with my mules. 

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. 

 

Mules and More

Our fuzzy girls.

Sunshine is 25 this year and still going quite strong. We call her our little red mule. She is out of my grade Arab/Quarter mare which was the first and last horse I ever owned. 

Sundance is Sunshine's little half sister. Same mare, different donkey dads. Sundance is 14 this year. I've ridden her under saddle twice but she is retired with Ringbone. I've had two offers on purchasing her but took a pass on it. She makes a good pasture pet.

Oddly enough Sunshine got the flaxen tail from her mom, while Sundance got the flaxen mane from her mom! Both are brilliant red mules. We often refer to them as the Reds.

Here is Siera, our Peruvian Paso mule. She is really quite a nice ride. She hates leaving home, and hates leaving her mates, but will go eventually. On the other hand, she is gaited and fun to ride. Once she relaxes, she is pretty calm. With another mule along she is literally lazy. 

The ones behind Siera are Mica the grey who is 25 and retired due to health problems. She was a reining fool in her day. She can sit and spin with the best of them! 15 is the horse. She is a pain in my arse. I won't even go into her story. Let's say she and I have agreed to dislike each other immensely.

The weather is bizarre, we have Red Flag Warnings, Flood Watches, and a Weather Watch for snow up to 6 inches on Sunday evening to Monday morning along with thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon.

Miss Ariel is here and yesterday afternoon we went out the the two Flea Markets in Readstown. They are both called Crazy Franks. We had fun browsing all the cool junk and other things. One of the places had a 40 foot wall of nothing but Ertl farm equipment and assorted tractors. I found a tiny tea cup and plate that would go nicely with my little teddy bear girls when they have tea together.

Another bluebird came by and gave us a moment of excitement. We hope they come around again this year.

With this streak of hot weather, the trees have been showing off their catkins with leaf buds soon to follow.
The Virginia Bluebells are emerging along with Dutchman's Breeches. 

Virginia Blue Bells

Dutchman's Breeches

Pussy Willow Trees

These plants always show up first in Tainter Hollow along Tainter Creek. I think the Trout Lilies and Wood Anemone will follow quickly.

Fred

Our visit with Kat and Colin was amazing and fun. Kat was fascinated by our mules and I decided to take her riding. She has previous riding experience while Colin really doesn't. He rode our Billy Bob mule when he was 12 around our yard.

Rich suggested I pull Fred out of retirement and saddle him up with my lightweight saddle and take them on a short ride.

Fred was ridden for the last time in 2016 by kids in the pasture. The past winter seemed hard on him and he'd lost condition and weight. All this summer I've been soaking alfalfa pellets and Senior Feed for him twice a day.
His coat is back to glistening and he has gained conditioning. He even gets bossy with the other girls out in the pasture and lopes up to the gate when he sees me coming at any time of day.

His teeth are probably just about worn out, but his attitude is the same little determined pony mule he has always been.

We know he cannot live forever soooooo....I commissioned Kat to do a portrait of Fred for Rich. Here is one she did of our Sundance mule as a gift.

Here are some shots the 'kids' took with their cell phones of our nice little ride.

That's me on Fred. Bad me. I totally forgot to put on my helmet when I was helping my guest riders get ready. 
Oh well.

Kat and her hubby on Sunshine and Siera:

Then Colin took a short video while riding. 

I'm so tickled that Fred seemed so eager to be on the trail and lead the pack as he as always done. He never even broke a sweat while the two Fat Bottom Girls did. 

Here is Fred in the pasture. He is 13 hands and 37 years old. 

One of the reasons this little mule is so special is because he is the reason I met my hubby.

He was riding Fred when he admired my horse. I recalled his mule's name but not his. The little mule impressed me so much 28 years ago, that I had to find out more about him.

And so it goes...

Hired Help?

 

You can't see her. But there is my 'hired' part time farm hand. Her name is Molly and she has spent the last 3 years working and training in show barns along with a second job. She has partially completed her Equine Management Degree and I am going to push her to finish it. 

I taught her to ride in 2018 and she IS a natural. 

[She has a tough backround which I won't go into. But she has a natural ability with animals. She has worked and been on her own for 3 years.  The price of renting an apartment got to be too expensive so she moved back home to get on her feet. LUCKY for me!]

With the extra care it takes me right now to help out hubby, I have not been able to keep up with grooming and working with my fabulous mules. 

Molly has extensive knowledge of each mule and the horse we have. I offered her a part time job-ish to come out and groom them, clean the goat pen, help fence, exercise Sunshine and Siera along with other jobs like worming and clipping. All things I can do, but easier with a second hand to get it done.

She also will work with Sundance to see if we can't finish her off with getting steady under saddle. This she wants to do on her own. She also sees the horse as a good challenge to test her training skills. I'm all good with that.

A real upside to this?

Hubby sits right up and becomes sociable when Molly arrives. Yesterday HE came outside and did some work with the skid steer while Molly helped me with a fencing job. BONUS! 

We put up a temporary paddock. I do this one each summer to lessen the mowing. It generally takes me all day to unravel the wire and set things up. It took less than two hours with Molly. 

I've always felt like I wasn't doing my equine justice the last two years. Is it worth paying someone to help so I can garden, care for hubby, and reap the benefits? 

Is it worth it? Yes.

To see my husband perk up ... to see my animals groomed and slick? To see the equine given the attention they deserve? Oh, heck yes!

Oh yes. One more bonus. I have someone I can go riding with! 

When she gets her full time job, it will be less hours but right now, the extra hand IS fantabulous.

Molly on Siera Monday night. The two of them were getting reacquainted.

Will this be permanent? No. Molly will do as Molly does and she will move on again once she is back on top of her boots. 

It is working for right now and that what I can ask for and it is a good thing.

That old Trunk and other things

That old trunk I moved into the kitchen area happened to end up staying there. Somedays I use it for a laundry folding spot, some days I used it for...well,

this...

 I had a huge list of to-do's and some of it included the 'other' half. But just after his coffee and breakfast he went back to bed. Such can be our routine.

I thought I'd let it warm up a bit outside before I approached installing the large tank heater. If I busied myself with laundry and doing something creative, I could stay in the house and keep an eye on things.

My friend at the Farmer's Market had set aside a couple of neat gourds she thought I might like for me on Saturday. She said, "I thought of you and your pictures!"

So how could I not use them to do a bit of still life?
I admit, I don't have a studio and I don't have the fancy lighting stuff, but this will have to do for right now. I enjoyed picking out some paper to use as foreground and backround and trying to arrange things in a pleasing manner.

According to some Still Life experts, I don't follow the rules of just 3 objects, dramatic lighting, and moving from tall to short.

I have tried and tried to emulate some of those amazing and dramatic photos, but I keep coming back to just having some fun. 

I mean who can keep from smiling at Groot and a tiny wooden deer?

I have a feeling that Groot will keep showing up now and again.

Then of course, I had to clean up and organize things.

But not before just a bit more fun...

toys behaving badly....

Mice in the cupboards? 

Then I had to put things away and make lunch and tend to my mules.

The above is a sample of the odd box I found. The bottom piece is the only drawer our old kitchen had. Yes, you read that correctly. Our old kitchen had one drawer that was long and narrow. 

After tending to hubby and his lunch, I was able to find football highlights on YouTube for him to watch while I changed out the tank heater and did some in hand work with Siera. She seems a bit off in attitude with all the other mules. She is generally bossy and has been hanging out away from the others.

I have a call into the farrier for a trim anyway. He is fantastic at spotting any issues.

Finally, Charlie and I headed for the woods to collect SD cards from the cameras and have some quiet time.

Who can resist a Halloween themed photo....