Do you ever just bust with pride over your equine companion? Chest swelled up, heart full to overflowing, a big fat smile on your face? Don’t you love it? : )
My gut instincts were right about Ruby – at age 3, she has come into a level of maturity and open-mindedness that wasn’t quite completely there before (there was always promise of it). We’re moving forward beautifully!
We rode in the heat yesterday – about 93 degrees. But, being of donkey blood, mules can withstand the heat well, and there was a wind blowing, so it wasn’t stifling or unbearable heat. Well, we only worked for about 30 or 40 minutes, and she had plenty of energy – good energy. No laziness whatsoever. That was the first good thing (although she always has good energy – not a very lazy mule, in general). Second good thing was that we worked with the arena gate open, and although she made a couple of inclinations toward it, she never offered any tussle, no naughtiness. I would put my gate-side leg on her, and open the inside rein, and we were fine. Third, we have begun to work in circles - walking and trotting. She was not only very responsive to my leg aids and hands (I’m really soft-handed, so have trained her to respond to light aids in the Indian bosal) and weight, but she also trotted some very tight circles with no lack of energy – I smooched to her a couple of times when I could feel a little slow-down, but she picked back up immediately, kept her hind end moving. I was so proud of her! And last, but not least, we worked on backing, and she took about 3-4 steps with ease (this was really only the second or third time we’d worked on it). And she did all of this without breaking a sweat!
She has been trotting more than single-footing lately, which is fine – I’m letting her decide on what is comfortable, and who knows how things will work out with time. Her walk is that great gaited horse walk – fast, smooth, 4 beat (1-2, 1-2), head-bobbing, floppy-eared walk. I love it! She does it best when we just walk around the barn doing nothing in particular.
Today, I hosed her off – she was a little sweaty, and had rolled in the dust (fine, powdery dust)– what a mess! She has been hosed off 2 times before: the first time, Mr. G hosed off her feet in the wash stall when the farrier came (she likes the new farrier – hally-loo-yah!!), and he said she was fine; the second time, I hosed her with warm water in a cross-tie area on cement/rubber matting. She kept her butt up against one wall for security (she is not 100% comfy in the cross-tie area when the outside door is open, and she stands diagonally so that she can keep watch on both ends). She was great when I hosed her feet, then legs, then body, but didn’t want to come off of the wall. Today, I tied her to a fencepost outside, just beyond the indoor wash rack/cross-tie area. She didn’t move at all! I had a gut feeling that if I got her out in the open, she would feel much more comfortable, and I was right. I even hosed her all the way up her neck and jowels! I used a wet rag for her face. Now, being a mule, she loves to roll, and after she was clean, I lead her into the barn (into shade), but before I could use the sweat-scraper on her she rolled in the dirt on the barn floor! Cracked me up!
Another source of pride – she has learned a hand/vocal command from me that works if ever she stops while on the leadrope. If she stops and won’t go further, I step a little in front of her, and make a “come here” motion with my hand, and say “Come on Ruby”, or just cluck/smooch to her (or both). Works 90%-95% of the time. The other times (the other 5-10%) are when I’m asking her to leave a particularly lucious patch of grass, or the grain bin, or other such thing – you know, where in a mule’s mind she’s thinking, “But why in the world would I leave this? Makes no sense!” Another thing to do, in those 5%-10% times, is to use a bribe, or start doing something very interesting (making noises while doing so), so that her mule curiousity kicks in and makes her come see what I’m doing : ) I try to be clever in getting her feet moving. Pulling/pressure releaseworks in some situations, but none of us can out-pull a mule. So finding other foot-unlocking methods is really best. (It’s rare for me to reach back and pop her on the behind, but in a case where she’s being a stinker, I may do that.)
She has become more affectionate as she has gotten older, too – sometimes wiping an itchy eye or ear on me, or gently rubbung her forehead on me (no pushing), or just standing quietly for a good scratching and a hug from me : ) Sometimes she’ll “caress” my hand with her lips – it has become a greeting. I'm sure this has to do with growing trust and a growing bond.
Here’s something funny…I never really noticed that she has “spotted horse” eyes – you can see the white, or sclera. I never paid attention because I was so used to my ol’ Appy mare’s eyes, that I guess my brain just took it for granted. How about that? I don’t know if her TWH mama was spotted, or her donkey dad, but one or both of them was!
I’m really loving my 5-Star pad and mohair cinch. I truly believe they are the very best products you can buy for your equine. A little expensive, but certainly well worth it! (No, I don’t work for them, I just believe in what they make.)
Here’s a company I bought my bridle from (has a snap on the crownpiece so you can fasten it behind long ears). I may be ordering a breast collar and britchen from them once we get rolling in the way of trail riding. These folks make nice products for a good price: http://crestridgesaddlery.com/
Happy horse/mulemanship, everyone! Enjoy the last weeks of summer with your equine buddies : )
