What have we learned?

Saddle view from Sunshine's Back

Molly and I went for a 'sunset' ride on Tuesday night. Monday evening we worked with Sundance in the round pen.

Monday night Molly learned an important lesson. While working with Sundance she dropped the dog food bag that made crinkly noises between the back legs of the mule. She immediately bent to pick it up.
Sundance was startled and swatted with a hoof as she darted away.

No real harm had occurred but Molly did get her arm brushed by a hoof edge. We talked about that for a moment and Molly said she understood that she should have just stood for a moment and not tried to grab between Sundance's legs.

I had Molly lunge Sundance around the pen and placed the very very scary dog food bag in a spot that Sundance would have to eventually go over.
I told Molly that she wouldn't mess any training up at all. But since Sundance suddenly had an issue with one thing that was going on, we wouldn't saddle her until she figured out that the dog food bag wouldn't eat her.

Molly worked with Sundance who first jumped the bag, then later trotted over it, and lastly Molly got her to stop with a foot on it.
Lots of praise.
While working, Sundance did show the classic signs of thinking about what she was learning. Molly showed an uncanny ability to work with Sundance.
This young lady had never been in a round pen before.
We ended the session with more grooming and a bit of grazing in the yard. I let Molly handle her for all of that.

See. Sundance had been pretty much handled by Rich for most of her young life. She was to be Rich's mule. And Sundance could be a handful at times so I sort of backed off from handling her until this last fall when I realized that Rich would probably never get back to working with her.
The changes in this young mule have been astounding.

The small herd can be in the forest and all I have to do is start a series of whistles. Sundance comes at a trot or lope to my whistle.

She literally begs to be caught and worked with any time she sees me in the yard or her pasture out back.

 

Sunshine is not quite as attentive, but I must say that the red headed sisters are very people oriented. There was a time when Sunshine [the older sister] didn't want to be caught. However since I have been constantly doing things with all of the mules ... it seems all are eager to be handled.

So Molly and I saddled up Sunshine and Siera for our sunset ride. Off we went along the back roads on the ridge. The biggest challenge for Molly and Siera was to not leave Sunshine and I too far behind. Siera is gaited and walks as fast as Sunshine can jog.
Molly did a great job. A few times I told her to let Siera go ahead and stretch her legs but then turn around and come back or make Siera wait for us.

Molly did...

Not a great shot by any means. But you get the idea.

We sat and watched the sun go down where the gravel road meets blacktop. Then we turned towards home.
I could hear machinery that sounded like a large tractor just over the hill. It sounded as though it were coming towards us.
I asked Molly to bring Siera into a hay field and turn her so she could watch the tractor from a 'safe' distance.
Siera has had issues with loud machinery before and I wanted to avoid any accidents.

I lined Sunshine up next to Siera and sat still. Sunshine glanced up at the huge monstrous tractor and dipped her head to sample the hay under her hooves totally unimpressed by the size of the tractor and the large flatbed of round bales it was pulling.
However, Siera's eyes kept getting rounder and larger, her neck tightened and she started a bolt. I held my hand up and amazingly she collided with my open hand and stopped wide eyed.
Molly sat the bolt perfectly without losing her balance and calmly brought Siera back to watch the tractor move off.

At that moment, I felt that Molly was going to be an amazing rider some day. This was her fourth time on a mule and she'd had no prior experience. I do not believe I've ever seen anyone as talented as her at her age. Yes, I have really good animals for her to learn on, but she never lost her cool or her balance.

The rest of the ride was rather quiet and colorful.
Molly and I unsaddled the mules and treated them with some grass from the yard.

Molly came in the house afterwards to tell Rich what she had learned. The two of them talked about mules/horses/training/riding and skills.

The farriers came out yesterday to trim the herd for me. Sundance used to have a habit of not wanting to stand quietly for them. She also would not put her foot on their stand to allow them to rasp her hoof.

I'd been working on that for a while now. Every day I catch her and clean her feet and have her bring her front legs forward while I pretend to rasp them.

When finished with the red heads the farriers did comment on how nice Sundance had behaved.
What did I learn?
Hoof work pays off.

This month has been a whirlwind of mule riding and training between all of the other things I have going on.

I'm diggin' it. It has been nice to have my interest in working with the animals sparked again.

However leaves on Monday to spend the rest of the summer before she heads off to college at her Grandmother's. Can I say that I am going to miss her?
Oh yes.
I will.

What have I learned?
I still love riding and training.

A Love Affair of Sorts

What happens when you introduce a young lady to equine? What happens when this young lady learns the feeling of self confidence and awe when she learns to ride?

I've always felt Siera had some potential in some sort of fashion.

I recall the power of attraction when I was Ariel's age. I recall the how my heart soared each time my uncle would let us go riding. I recall staying at his place and him telling me that a horse he was keeping called 'Buddy' was mine to ride and care for during my week long stay.

At the begining of the week, I told Ariel that Siera was her mule for the week. Hers to groom, to ride, to hand walk if she felt like it. Hers to handle for her stay.

Imagine suddenly having the confidence to walk into a pasture and gather up the mule you are to take care of.

You can catch her at any time and take her out. You've learned to properly saddle her by yourself.

These are the things Ariel learned this week. She also learned so much more about riding.
Siera has been an excellent mount for Ariel. The mule is calm, relaxed, easy going, and quite attached to her handler.

Experience ... Experience ... Experience. Practice and practice. Riding is a long and gradual learning curve. Each experience builds on another.

But the experience becomes more real and more incredible with each ride. Slowly, each piece of the puzzle that comes together.
Catching Siera,
grooming her,
and then saddling her properly by herself.

These are things Ariel has learned and can now do with confidence.

We took our first extended long ride. I rode Sunshine my little redhead.

We passed along the ridge top and then headed into the valley where the creek is. The snow mobile/camp road has not been used at all this year so we had to make our way slowly. It involved a bit of 'ditch diving' which is mule-speak for dropping off or climbing up ditches that are about 5 feet tall.

I led with Sunshine and for a moment Ariel sat on Siera and said, "Um, that is steep! I don't know."

I smiled and said, "Trust your mule, Siera won't let you get hurt. She likes you."
Actually, mules are self preservationists and normally refuse to do anything dangerous.

Ariel asked Siera to drop down the harsh steep bank. Siera balked and then calmly made her way down.
The realization and the smile of wonder that lit up Ariel's face was worth all the hard work we've done for the past three summers.

We rode down into the forest where I stopped to check saddle girths before we rode down the steep hill.

The trail had suffered some fallen trees so we did a bit of brush busting. We rode into the valley and Ariel was surprised at how different yet same things looked and how much more fun it was to ride to the creek than walk!

We explored for a while and I told her that in the future we'd cross the creek and explore some more amazing places. I lamented too that now that I had a fun riding partner ... she had to go back home.

We rode quietly back towards home as the sun was setting. Our very first sunset ride.

And I leave you with this....a Quote I found while browsing Horse Quotes. I changed the one word to Mule.

Why do I ride mules?
Because I look at my mule and I see
My Hopes and Dreams.
I see my Happiness.
I see my Hopes and Dreams.
I see my Pride and Soul.
I look in a mirror and I see a
Person.
I look at my mule and I see
Myself.

And that I think, says it all.