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.

Promise me

Ugh the tail!

I haven't been doing much with Siera and unfortunately she has gotten into Burdocks. I don't like burdock and I like it less in horse manes and tails.
Siera has cultivated a lovely full length 'horse' tail which not every mule can do.

However, because I've been busy painting, purging out the dressers, moving boxes, and ignoring my best equine friend...she had a mess in her tail.

I hoped that I wouldn't have to cut burrs out as I've had to do in really tangled messes of tails. Last night I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I couldn't recall where I had put my Showsheen, so I grabbed some hair conditioner and put water in a little jug. I worked for a long time. Siera would munch a bit on grass and then stop and turn her head to watch.

A few times she wiggled a bit and stomped her foot. But we talked about her tail and her remarkable beauty. I told her this was in her best interest.

She agreed. Her tail and back end were her best parts. 

Who could not stop and admire her long flowing tail and her well rounded butt?

I had to use the scissors twice to cut knots. But in the end we persisted. I need to find the Showsheen to make the tail easier to maintain.

I asked her if she wanted it braided and wrapped. She turned her head and stared at her tail.

I received what amounted to a mule 'shrug'. As long as her tail remained beautiful, she didn't care.
She swished it to test it.

Much better than that lump of burdock.

Why don't we go for a ride so I can show it off?

Of course. Why did I not think of that? I grabbed her bridle and got a leg up from hubby.

We went for an evening ride and on the way back collected the mail.

We stopped and chatted with the neighbors as they were getting wood from their wood pile. Siera stood quietly and watched the kids as they ran back and forth. They'd stop to pat her on the nose.

See? I am The Good Mule!

Off course you are Siera. You are totally relaxed, even while getting the mail! 

It was a short ride and I led her into the pasture where I took off her bridle and halter. I dropped them on the ground to hook up the gate.

Leave these. We could use them again soon. Please?

I sighed. Maybe tomorrow evening?

Perhaps. When will you braid my tail? And do I get ribbons in it? Pink is nice.

I stood. Siera stood with me. She even stood at the gate after I closed it.

Promise me.

I promise.