The Monsters vs. Siera

I went to get Siera and take a nice little ride before my husband and I tackled moving our bedroom from upstairs to downstairs.

Mica was near the gate and Fred was down in the apple trees. I didn't see Siera anywhere.
So I called out.
From behind some brush some long ears appeared. She seemed to tilt her head and think about it for a moment.

Next thing I knew, she was loping towards me. Odd. Siera is pretty lazy and she is gaited so she rarely lopes unless there is a reason.

She stopped at the gate and turned her head to me.

You came! You came!

I showed her the halter and the lead rope. She stood still while I put it on her.  Fred came walking up and tried to push his way in. Siera dropped her ears and bobbed her head.

Fred backed off.

Mine, mine. My person. Go away.

Silly mule. I was happy to see that she hadn't gotten full of burdocks again and in no time at all we were saddled and headed up the driveway.

Heavy shots rang out not far away from our mailbox. Siera tilted her ears towards the noise and kept walking.
I heard a combines to the west and I thought I heard them to the east too on Peterson's. 
Well, that would stink as I wanted to ride down the camp road to the creek.

I dismounted Siera in the hay field on the ridge and decided to check out her saddle cinch and think about things for a moment.

You may notice that Siera is wearing what may appear to be a 'necklace'. It serves more than one purpose. When we are riding solo, it is nice to have a little bell to keep deer from leaping out of the corn in front of us. I used to have that occur on Opal. The result was an airborn 180 degree leap. Opal, Badger, Sunshine, and Fred rarely startled but when they did it was a real quick reaction.
The bell also provides a rather pleasant noise. I used bells on my old mare Cheyanne and found that they distracted her from traffic noise when I rode her on the roadsides in Kenosha.

Siera on the other hand generally freezes when she is startled.

Siera took the opportunity of the equipment check to see if the field contained any good food. 

Yummy! Good! Let's just stay here!

I remounted and we headed up the field and out towards 'PeeWee's' ridge so I could see if they were indeed combining the cropland.

And they were. And now that we were on the driveway it seemed the combine, tractor, and a truck were headed our way. 

The shots behind us kept ringing out. I knew it bothered me more than it bothered Siera.

Monster. Monster. Monster Alert. 

I moved Siera into a field and close enough to the road to get a good look at the equipment, but not too close as to cause her to freak out. One thing she dislikes is machinery. 

Her ears perked forward and she stiffened up hard as a rock as the huge truck and hoppers came by. The jake brake rattled and rumbled. When the driver saw us in the field he eased up. 

I want to bite it. Let me bite it. 

One of Siera's reactions to scary machinery is to want to chase it. However I had her stand still. I could see that one of the combines was headed our way.

Siera stiffened again locking her hooves into the dirt below her. I don't think a logging truck could have moved her.

After all the machinery passed, we settled into a nice pace. Siera's long paso llano strides ate up the ground and we were soon on the trail into the woods.

Siera kept her ears perked for any disturbances in the woods. She did come to a halt and stared intently at the brush. A doe walked out, saw us and bounded back into the woods.

We headed down to the creek. The crossing was ruined in the last flood so Siera and I found another way around it.

Siera has moved into another phase. She trusted me enough to go through the mud sucking creek.

This creek will eat me. The mud will eat me.

"No Siera it is fine. It won't eat you. Honest. It will be fine. Trust me."

We messed around for a bit then headed back towards home.
I stopped in the combined section of the corn field. Siera found some goodies.
And it was all good.

We had a great ride. 
I let Siera go at the gate and she stood next to me.

Are you coming after the sun makes another round? Are you coming back? We can chase machinery monsters if you like.

I rubbed her ears. "Soon."

What is it about riding an equine?

We own them, we train them, we brush them, feed them, and take care of them.
Why do I go out in -10 degree weather and make sure that their water has not frozen and that they have plenty of good hay to eat?

Why do I clean stock tanks with a brush and make sure their hooves are trimmed?

All for a simple ride?

From the website Donegal Equestrain Center, Ireland

Benefits of Horse Riding

To the casual observer it may look like all the rider has to do is just sit there. The horse does all the work, well anyone who has ridden a horse will know how wrong that is. There is far more to riding a horse than one might expect. The benefits of horse riding are immense enjoyment, physically and mental fitness and a chance to enjoy the open countryside.

Physical

Horse riding develops balance and improve coordination and motor function. Other advantages include strengthening of muscles, reflex acceleration, prevention of muscle cramps, increased joint mobility, boosting the cardiovascular system , improving blood circulation, stimulation of sensory integration, improved visual perception of space, the development of responsibility, patience and self-discipline, increasing self-confidence. 


This is what I really would have liked to say myself.
But there is something very spiritual for me when riding.
It isn't about just hopping on the back of a mule and showing her the way to go.
For Siera, it has been a 5 year journey to understand her and to understand myself with her.

In the beginning it was utter hell to try and get Siera away from the farm and her herd mates.  Once away she did rather well.  
One of the things that impressed me right away was her lack of ability to buck.  Either she has no idea how to do it or her half attempts at it were no good and she decided it wasn't worthy of the effort....or maybe she just isn't one to buck.
She tried to rear once too while refusing to cross a creek.  Her front feet made it about 6 inches off the ground.  She's hopeless in that manner.

Siera's ground training is excellent.  
Her attitude has changed while we are out riding from 'NO I AM not going to do IT', to 'okay might as well try it'.
When I started with her she was willing to please.  Unless she thought of course she was in 'danger' or didn't understand what I wanted of her.

Here is a photo of the first time Siera wore a saddle:

Here is the view from yesterday's ride.

Here she is standing in the Big Scary Creek in the back valley.  In fact we had been walking right up the creek when I asked her to stop so I could take a photo.

She is now a calm and confident mule.  She is content to be with me solo.

She'll stand quietly and munch while I stop and dismount to take a photo of something like wildflowers.

We had multiple encounters with deer being spooked up and running.  
Siera simply alerted me and then watched.

So what is it that keeps me riding?
I guess it is the feeling I get inside of me.  Pleasure and peacefulness.
While riding I never think about anything else, it is like going to a place where there are no problems in your life or in the world.

It is all about yourself and the animal you are riding.
For me all the work pays off for a few hours of pure pleasure any time I can get in the saddle and ride.

And that is why
I
ride.

Oh to ride the the sobreandando!

Do you want to ride smoothly?
Do you want to ride fast AND smoothly?

The Purvian Paso has two gaits.

*The paso llano is a broken gait. It consist of a permanent, harmonic, and rhythmic tapping in which the animal makes a gentle and pleasant alternating movement. It is a quick advance in which the center of the horse's gravity stays almost immobile, producing a smooth ride.*

*The second gait, the sobreandando, is faster. Instead of four equal beats, the lateral beats are closer together in a 1-2, 3-4 rhythm, with the pause between the forefoot of one side to the rear of the other side is longer.*

From the site: Peruvian Horses at Fox Creek Homestead




Combine these gaits with a mule who is intelligent and you have something quite special.

This sounds stupid, and to those who don't really 'get' an equine it will make absolutely NO sense.
I looked into Siera's eyes before we rode.
I saw something there, like a window into my own soul.
...and it was free.

While we rode, Siera sought re-assurance from me when we got 'into a scary' place. Where the creek ran hard over the rocks and the footing was soft.
I asked her to step over a downfall which was hidden in the grass.

She did.
She sighed.
She stood quietly.
My hand brushed her neck, my fingers played across her withers.
She was content.

We moved on and explored many of the trails that Badger and I have done over the years.
I had to recall, that these were new to Siera.

We had a great ride.
Her eyes and body language told me this was so.