So... Halters in pasture?? Haven't we learned our lesson??

Don't leave halters on when your mule/horse/donkey is out in pasture or turned out anywhere without supervision... THEY HANG THEMSELVES!! Beware!!

Just a thought!

So, they say the cage has to be strong enough to hold the lion, right?

Thought I would comment again on these appaloosas. We have grass everywhere which is amazing for Arizona. The monsoon has been kind to us this year and the rain has brought grass and mesquite beans. Of course, we like our mules to enjoy a little freedom and have multiple pastures for them. Most of our mature animals go out in a 50 or 340 acre pasture. They spend the summer out there. Our new or younger animals stay home. I thought it would be nice to let them out individually to enjoy the goodies around. So... I let Pecos and Yoyo out. Well, after a few hours they disappeared! The entire property is fenced and there is no way out?? After some investigating, we found that they had jumped the fence into the 50 acre pasture to visit the other mules! We decided to leave them out for the night and woke to find them home agan! I put them up for a few days to let others out. Well, let them out this am... it didn't take long for Pecos to start yelling for Yoyo... who again left the property and jumped into the other pasture! If you have been to our place, our fences are very tall. 5-6 foot! How they are managing this is beyond me! Still... I know Bob, their owner who passed, is getting quite a laugh out of this!

Life is short, SMELL THE ROSES!!

Today I am thinking about how short life is. Really, the time seems to go slow and things happen. We work, pay bills, cook dinner, all that good stuff. We always wait for something... What does that mean? I mean that we are always waiting for "this" or "that" to happen, then things will be alright. Well, things are alright TODAY. Right now. We cannot waste the beauty of NOW for things to be perfect. Guess what, they never are. And that is what is perfect. Look outside... if it is sunny... it is BEAUTIFUL. If it is raining... it is BEAUTIFUL. Snow? Well, a little cold but BEAUTIFUL too! Remember, things won't be what we anticipate so cherish right now!!

Riding... well, I'm having a blast with my Pecos... my Appaloosa mule who is relearning everything. He is the fairest, most amazing mule I have worked with in a long time. I am relearning everything which I love. He is challenging and yet, completely fair. Creating a relationship with a mule like this is special and only happens once in a great number of mules. I'm blessed!

Fourth of July Parade

This is a shout out to Jean. I'm so proud of you that you rode your mule in the Fourth of July parade in Benson with us. You are an amazing and accomplished rider and I hope to ride with you again someday, my friend!

Update on Pecos...

I am thrilled. Pecos is GREAT! What a beautiful and outstanding ride. I'm hoping he is having as much fun as I am!

Why do we work in circles?

So, my friend was here and has been working a horse. He has his horse going quite well. After a trail ride, I went to work in circls in the arena for just a few minutes. Our goal was a trot in a 60 foot circle without too much difficulty. At this point, my friend asks why? Surprising, he has never tried to work in circles!

Why do we work in circles? What is the point? Well, we work in circles for multiple reasons. First off, our goal is to strengthen the hind quarters. As you bend in a circle while walking, the inside hind leg steps under the body. At a walk, it should be pretty easy to walk in a fairly round circle. It is good to keep an eye on something central and focus on EVERY step as you go around. Try to bend each step as an individual. Strengthening the hindquarters helps lighten your front end which will aid in creating collection.

A second reason we work in circles is to bend and flex our mule. Every step bends them and this stretches the backstrap. Stretching and flexing will assist in reining.

Finally, we work circles to build rapport between you and your mule.

Remember this though.. the most important part of working circles is that we only work about 10 to 15 minutes. It's important that when you are getting bored, so is your mule. Reward yourself and your mule with a fun ride in the hills!!

Happy Trails!

The Fires of Arizona

We are praying for rain! The fires in Arizona are so sad and we are praying for rain.