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.

The End of an Era

 Christmas Eve we lost our long time friend and amazing pony mule. 

Fred stood 13 hands and was probably the toughest equine we'd ever had. Rich got Fred 34 years ago. He was part of a driving team of matched small mules. Fred rode and drove and Rich kept Fred and sold Jenny.

A life long journey was started. Fred helped a veteran with his PTSD. Mules became my husband's passion. Every other mule we ever had was compared to the tough little pony mule. 

If you were a novice rider or a child, he'd take care of you. He'd walk as if he were on egg shells. If you were balanced and experienced...he was quick and light. He was a trickster. He was quick and won me a lot of placings in poles and barrels against big horses.

We team penned with him and lent him out to a young girl for a year to ride in competitions.

We hunted at night off from him. He was an expert at finding treeing hound dogs. He could take you home or back to the trailer if you lost your way. 

Fred taught me about mules. He was so much smarter than I was and he outwitted me so many times.

Fred on the water road KVR 1996

Me 1997 Morel Hunting

on Fred.

Fred after taking a novice

on a ride. 

Fred carries my Stepdaughter

on one of our many Mule Parades of two mules.

Rich and his favorite mule.

Little Mule. Tons of Heart.

Fred taught all the grandkids to ride and
many others.

Ride this fall. Fred leads with me.
He was spunky and ready to rumble.

Ariel got the last ride with Fred.

He may have been the smallest, 

however, he was leader of the 

pack until the very end.

I know in the past I've used the Rainbow Bridge Poem. 

I can't bear to even read it right now.

So I will say this.

Fred you stole my heart and are the sole reason I met The Mule Man and fell in love.

You showed me that adversity is something to embrace 

and get through no matter how tough it is.

You taught me that in order to get along with a mule

one had to gain that mule's respect.

You often thought that humans were beneath you

yet you would open your heart to me.

I wish you happy trails and green pastures.

I know you are running with Cheyanne your love mare and 

that she has been waiting for you for a long time.

Long live long ears

you shall always be in my heart

until we meet again...

Farm life

This summer we had a lightening strike that literally exploded a tree that was in Thor's paddock.
Thor seemed fine at the time, just very shook up. When I checked out the wires in his paddock they had been fused together. Thor didn't act much different but he started to lose some weight.

The vet said that he probably had some residual effects from the lightening strike and hadn't been struck directly but since it melted the wires in his paddock, it probably affected him somehow. Otherwise Thor seemed almost normal. The vet said there was really nothing we could do other than just watch and wait.

Thor was born on our place and was a super funny character as a donkey.

I will miss Thor's constant antics. He would take his water bucket and flip it outside the paddock. If he could find a branch...well,...

He'd hold up sticks and present them to you like a dog. Sometimes in the summer he'd stack all sticks he could find in his water tub. He loved attention and would bray at the sound of a vehicle, coyote, owl, or the neighbor's mini jack a mile away on the ridge top.
Thor was vocal. So vocal that one of the guys at CrossFit said "Oh, you are the donkey lady! The one with that loud Donkey!"

Yes, he could heart Thor from 1 mile away on certain days.

Each morning Thor would greet me when I brought him hay. It was generally a series of grunts and groans that precluded a long loud bray.

Yesterday morning, he wasn't there. I dropped his feed and went looking for him. He was laying down but didn't wake up when I approached.

He was still slightly warm but had no pulse.
Gone.

Your voice will echo through this hills for a long time and I will miss you every day.

Goodbye you big goofy donkey.