Bob... you are gone! We saw you a week ago and now you have ridden off into that great trailride in the sky. You loved your animals. You understood your animals.... and they were your life. We know you wanted to take them all with you. Still, we are blessed with Pecos and Yoyo and will take care of them.
To all who read this... Bob was a friend of ours who visited on Thursday a week ago and was feeling fine. He unexpectedly passed Thursday night. Remember, tell everyone you love that you love them while you have the time. We never know when we will be riding our last ride.
Ride like the Wind, Bob
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
There is many roads to Rome!
Ok, so what does that mean?? Well, of course I'm going to tell you! haha. I've been busy training mules and catching up from Winterhaven work in December so I just didn't have anything to talk about. Now, however, I have a topic of concern, and let's face it, that is actually what inspires our most passionate blogging!
There are many roads to Rome, meaning, there are many ways to accomplish success. One method isn't necessarily the "only" correct way to a finished product. Now, relating this to mules... Mules are smart and sensitive creatures (horses too ie: Khuster!). When we have them come here, they take some time to transition into our environment and our demands. They take some time to get used to us as handlers. When we finish with them, there is a period of transition for the owner to take over the continued training. This means that when you take your mule from us, you can expect about 3 weeks of them not quite trusting your judgement. After this transition period, providing you make trustworthy choices that warrent your mules trust, your mule will start to show a change in their personality towards you. For example, you may notice they won't stand easily to mount for a week or two, and then it will mysteriously resolve. Or, they may not leave your property easily under saddle and it too will suddenly change. This is due to their transition to YOUR choices. Now, if your choices don't appear trustworthy to your mule, this may take a little longer. Every little success you have with them builds their trust in you.
Now, when you take your mule/horse home after training from ANY trainer, ask the trainer what you should be doing? We suggest a regimen of riding in 60foot circles every day working on bending, flexing, and rapport with your mule. If you go home with your animal and follow this suggestion, you will find your animal will respond quicker to your requests. After this transition period, you can begin to apply your own personal techniques. However, if you skip this transition period, you are only asking for trouble. Maybe you may not want to do things quite the way your trainer may suggest, however, you must transition your animal to another method over time... thus, many roads lead to Rome. It doesn't mean your methods are not good, it just means you should follow the methods taught to your mule until you have the time to add your own techniques in their routine so that the mule can understand them!
That said, it is in your best interest to put your invested training to work for you. Continue the work when you get your animal from any trainer as it ultimately is a relationship between you and your mule that will make them do whatever you want!
Ride with the wind my friends, as it is Spring!!
Julie
There are many roads to Rome, meaning, there are many ways to accomplish success. One method isn't necessarily the "only" correct way to a finished product. Now, relating this to mules... Mules are smart and sensitive creatures (horses too ie: Khuster!). When we have them come here, they take some time to transition into our environment and our demands. They take some time to get used to us as handlers. When we finish with them, there is a period of transition for the owner to take over the continued training. This means that when you take your mule from us, you can expect about 3 weeks of them not quite trusting your judgement. After this transition period, providing you make trustworthy choices that warrent your mules trust, your mule will start to show a change in their personality towards you. For example, you may notice they won't stand easily to mount for a week or two, and then it will mysteriously resolve. Or, they may not leave your property easily under saddle and it too will suddenly change. This is due to their transition to YOUR choices. Now, if your choices don't appear trustworthy to your mule, this may take a little longer. Every little success you have with them builds their trust in you.
Now, when you take your mule/horse home after training from ANY trainer, ask the trainer what you should be doing? We suggest a regimen of riding in 60foot circles every day working on bending, flexing, and rapport with your mule. If you go home with your animal and follow this suggestion, you will find your animal will respond quicker to your requests. After this transition period, you can begin to apply your own personal techniques. However, if you skip this transition period, you are only asking for trouble. Maybe you may not want to do things quite the way your trainer may suggest, however, you must transition your animal to another method over time... thus, many roads lead to Rome. It doesn't mean your methods are not good, it just means you should follow the methods taught to your mule until you have the time to add your own techniques in their routine so that the mule can understand them!
That said, it is in your best interest to put your invested training to work for you. Continue the work when you get your animal from any trainer as it ultimately is a relationship between you and your mule that will make them do whatever you want!
Ride with the wind my friends, as it is Spring!!
Julie
Monday, January 24, 2011
Ceasar update! Hold on and shut your eyes!
Guess what? Ceasar can pull a wagon!! If you don't know Ceasar yet, scroll down to my first entry and you surely won't forget him! We have been driving him SUCCESSFULLY providing a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE over the course of the last 10 days!!! We are especially pleased with Ceasar's help in this matter. I attribute his entire attitude adjustment to jealousy... Jake (our 10 year old son) has been driving his donkey single and the donkey is Ceasars' best buddy. Ceasar has been watching, green with envy, for 3 weeks or so and has been quite disturbed about not being invited. Well, we hooked him up again with a 3 abreast hitch after leading him behind the wagon with his harness on and he did fabulous. He trotted off straight as an arrow and pulled like a freightrain! I'm so proud of him. Have faith, sometimes patience is the best training technique of all!
Julie!!
Julie!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Discipline... what is the right thing to do?
So, discipline... what do you do to discipline? This is a HUGE question. I have been asked many times as to what is the proper time to discipline and what do you do? Well... discipline should start the moment you go out to catch your mule, donkey, or horse... So, we all know that discipline builds rapport and instills confidence in your mule's opinion of you. Now the question is, what do we do? Well, when we go out to catch a mule, the moment we approach them, we expect good manners. When we put the halter on them,we expect them to be respectful of our space, be respectful of our demands, and trust in our judgement enough to follow us out to work. We achieve this through repitition. Still, what do we do? It's a hard question to answer. Well, I'll tell you exactly what we do. First... when we put the halter on and they try to rub on us, we do not let them. We start everything with a verbal command... a growl (yes a growl, it works with dogs, cats, kids and even husbands!), then we push their head away, and then rub them on our terms. Why? Rubbing shows they love me, right? Well.... we want to show them that the choices as to when things occur are ours. This will transfer later in your training to every other thing you try to do with your mule. The point isn't to deny your mule love, it is to make them do what you want... when you want to... then rub them. Same goes with eating... when you lead them out and they want to stop and eat, it isn't "love" to let them stop and have a snack. We disrupt their plan before it is in motion. We are aware before they even drop their head and verbally warn them with a growl, then bump the leadrope in time with their footing to give them incentive not to stop or eat. (This is timing and we'll get to that another day). We want them to look to us to choose when they are allowed to do things to show them that we are in charge, thus building rapport and trust between you and your mule. Being in charge starts as soon as you lay hands on them and follows through everything you do until you turn them back into their pen.
When we have them at the hitchrail,we expect they stand perpindicular. To achieve this takes lots of time and repitition... again... what do we do? We make them stand correctly in order to make our saddling, grooming, etc. easier. When they move to look at something and get out of position, we stop everything and growl at them, then physically put them back into position. We make it no big deal, then move on with the saddling.
We discipline riding too. How do you do this? First off, we always ride with spurs. If you are not educated with spurs, then you should not use them until you have lots of practice because they can cause lots of troubles for the uneducated rider. Spurs are for both discipline and bending and flexing your mule. Ok, discipline while riding... Well, it is the exact same thing as when you are on the ground. If you are riding your mule and they start to look at something or spook at something on the left, you need to warn them to keep their attention on YOU. How? First we verbally warn them with a growl. If they don't heed our verbal warning, then we must do something to back up what we say. This is followed with snatching of their mouth to redirect their attention back to us. If that doesn't work and they are pointing with their ears and focused on something on the left, we then spur them on the OPPOSITE side as they are looking at. In this case, you would spur on the right side, right in the cinch area. You also want to join this spurring with a growl. This will let them know that you are in charge of looking out for danger. As Red would say... "you are the biggest, baddest thing in the forest and you will protect them". This entire disciplining should last about 2 seconds and should be a smooth action.
Another example would be when you mule is spooking all around, such as in a parade. I have seen people time and time again rub their mule that is spooking all over the place. Well, a rub should be a reward. Why reward your mule for bad behavior? This drives me crazy because it is unfair to send mixed messages to your mule which will lead to more problems and increase anxiety in your mule... and this is the riders fault. Instead, they should growl and show displeasure at the bad behavior. This growl should again be followed with snatching of the mouth and spurring if they don't heed our warning. If we don't show our mules/ horses/ donkeys the proper behavior, how can they ever look to us for confidence? How can you ever build a relationship without discipline, respect, or trust? This goes both ways between you and your mule.
Finally, disipline should be justified and fair. This is especially true with mules and donkeys. Remember, discipline should be used as a building block to improve a relationship. I know many of us get nervous disciplining under saddle, however, it is one of those things you must work through with your mule to achieve a trusting relationship. If you don't discipline under saddle, you don't have the right to discipline on the ground as well. It is a two fold endevour, like it or not. Therefore, when you discipline, you are doing your mule a favor which will translate into confidence in your mules opinion of your judgement... and that, my friends, is why we ride!
Discipline for Confidence and Ride like the Wind! Julie
When we have them at the hitchrail,we expect they stand perpindicular. To achieve this takes lots of time and repitition... again... what do we do? We make them stand correctly in order to make our saddling, grooming, etc. easier. When they move to look at something and get out of position, we stop everything and growl at them, then physically put them back into position. We make it no big deal, then move on with the saddling.
We discipline riding too. How do you do this? First off, we always ride with spurs. If you are not educated with spurs, then you should not use them until you have lots of practice because they can cause lots of troubles for the uneducated rider. Spurs are for both discipline and bending and flexing your mule. Ok, discipline while riding... Well, it is the exact same thing as when you are on the ground. If you are riding your mule and they start to look at something or spook at something on the left, you need to warn them to keep their attention on YOU. How? First we verbally warn them with a growl. If they don't heed our verbal warning, then we must do something to back up what we say. This is followed with snatching of their mouth to redirect their attention back to us. If that doesn't work and they are pointing with their ears and focused on something on the left, we then spur them on the OPPOSITE side as they are looking at. In this case, you would spur on the right side, right in the cinch area. You also want to join this spurring with a growl. This will let them know that you are in charge of looking out for danger. As Red would say... "you are the biggest, baddest thing in the forest and you will protect them". This entire disciplining should last about 2 seconds and should be a smooth action.
Another example would be when you mule is spooking all around, such as in a parade. I have seen people time and time again rub their mule that is spooking all over the place. Well, a rub should be a reward. Why reward your mule for bad behavior? This drives me crazy because it is unfair to send mixed messages to your mule which will lead to more problems and increase anxiety in your mule... and this is the riders fault. Instead, they should growl and show displeasure at the bad behavior. This growl should again be followed with snatching of the mouth and spurring if they don't heed our warning. If we don't show our mules/ horses/ donkeys the proper behavior, how can they ever look to us for confidence? How can you ever build a relationship without discipline, respect, or trust? This goes both ways between you and your mule.
Finally, disipline should be justified and fair. This is especially true with mules and donkeys. Remember, discipline should be used as a building block to improve a relationship. I know many of us get nervous disciplining under saddle, however, it is one of those things you must work through with your mule to achieve a trusting relationship. If you don't discipline under saddle, you don't have the right to discipline on the ground as well. It is a two fold endevour, like it or not. Therefore, when you discipline, you are doing your mule a favor which will translate into confidence in your mules opinion of your judgement... and that, my friends, is why we ride!
Discipline for Confidence and Ride like the Wind! Julie
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Discipline? Do mules hold a grudge?
Today I was talking to a friend of mine and we were discussing her donkeys. She was concerned that if she disciplines them, are they smart enough to hold a grudge? Well.... Of course I have to add my two cents as I have a lot of opinions on this matter. I feel that it is like anything else... what are your credentials? If I were to tell you that you are running your business the wrong way and proceeded to give you advice, your first questions should be "what are your credentials?" Why should you think anything I say is good advice, unless I am an expert on running businesses. Well, equines are the same way. This is even more so with mules and donkeys. When you discipline, you are essentially giving your mule advice on how to act. Discipline is absolutely necessary in training and developing a relationship with your mule. There are many forms of discipline and we can touch on that later, however, discipline is essential to creating a trusting relationship.
When you are catching your mule and you put your halter on your mule... that is when you need to expect that your mule behave properly and lead to the location of your choice. This is done through discipline and it the first step in your training day. When you lead your mule, he should follow you out. If he chooses to stop and eat, or pull away from you, you need to discipline. If he wants to eat on the way to work, it is your responsiblity to make him stop eating and continue on your way. If you allow him to stop and eat on the way to work, you are allowing the mule to be the alpha and in charge of decisions. This may not seem like a big deal, however, it is the BASIS of everything you choose to do with your mule. When you allow him to make the choices, your telling him that the advice on how to act is his choice, not yours! This responsibility on how to act is a big deal to your mule. This puts a lot of stress on your mule because he realizes he is the one who is in charge of not only when he can choose to graze, but staying safe and alive suddenly becomes his responsibility too. Remember, we need to instill confidence in our animals so that they don't spook, run off, or become herd bound. This confidence comes from our discipline in telling our mules that we are in charge... and will protect them. This needs to be consistent in building a trusting relationship. They may want to graze right then, but by stopping them and moving on, you are telling your mule that you are in charge of the choices and we are not eating right now, we are going to work. It is a very simple concept that is the primary most important factor in training and creating trust between you and your mule, donkey or horse. Give your equine good advice and back it up with everything you do with them... and they will thank you for it...
Ride like the wind, my friends!! Julie
When you are catching your mule and you put your halter on your mule... that is when you need to expect that your mule behave properly and lead to the location of your choice. This is done through discipline and it the first step in your training day. When you lead your mule, he should follow you out. If he chooses to stop and eat, or pull away from you, you need to discipline. If he wants to eat on the way to work, it is your responsiblity to make him stop eating and continue on your way. If you allow him to stop and eat on the way to work, you are allowing the mule to be the alpha and in charge of decisions. This may not seem like a big deal, however, it is the BASIS of everything you choose to do with your mule. When you allow him to make the choices, your telling him that the advice on how to act is his choice, not yours! This responsibility on how to act is a big deal to your mule. This puts a lot of stress on your mule because he realizes he is the one who is in charge of not only when he can choose to graze, but staying safe and alive suddenly becomes his responsibility too. Remember, we need to instill confidence in our animals so that they don't spook, run off, or become herd bound. This confidence comes from our discipline in telling our mules that we are in charge... and will protect them. This needs to be consistent in building a trusting relationship. They may want to graze right then, but by stopping them and moving on, you are telling your mule that you are in charge of the choices and we are not eating right now, we are going to work. It is a very simple concept that is the primary most important factor in training and creating trust between you and your mule, donkey or horse. Give your equine good advice and back it up with everything you do with them... and they will thank you for it...
Ride like the wind, my friends!! Julie
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Years... Time to get back to work!
Happy New Years! It is 2011! Well, I suppose it is time to get back to work. After our Winterhaven Event in Decemer 2010, the mules all look exhausted. Then, to boot, it rained and even snowed a little... so they are completely covered in mud as well. They look a little like the rest of us feel after such a big event. Still, we are so glad it was a safe and fun holiday for all involved... the mules included. Everyone came through with very little galling and wear and tear... Pretty good for driving 18 head of mules (let's not forget Moosegoose and Roy, the 2 special horses that get to participate) every night for 13 nights! Time to get them in pasture to relax and get back to trainig. We have Dusty, Sarah, and the big Jack... DuraMaxx to get back working bright and early Monday morning. So... Happy New Year from all of us!
Julie Wycoff
Julie Wycoff
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Winterhaven and Mules!
Winterhaven is an important event to the Tucson Food Bank, as well as the many fabulous patrons who ride with us. There is one part of this festival that does get overlooked... and that is the mules who pull the wagons. We have a herd of mules that we keep on our property to pull wagons for this event. Many of these mules would not have a life today without the opportunity to work at this event. By this we mean that a large percentage of our herd are mules that people no longer wanted. Mules that didn't have a purpose that they were good at. Mules that were not perfect and not what people want for their riding mule. These mules have come to us in many ways. Most of them are mules that their owners have found are simply are too much mule, or are too big, or too young, or too something! With us they have found a life.
We have Blanche... we refer to her as Apache. She is a beautiful 16 hand white paint mule that came to us about 8 years ago. This mule was unruly and generally unhappy. She pretty well disliked everyone and every other mule. After some time and many hours of work, we have turned her into an excellent driving animal. She pulls our 20 person Constoga wagon with Kit, her partner. With this event, Apache has a fabulous life. She lives on 340 acres throughout the year and shares it with the rest of the herd!
We also have Mulie... Mulie is a new mule to our herd. He is 16.2 hands and not the sharpest tool in the shed. This will be his 3rd year in Winterhaven and we have high hopes for him. His personality is that he isn't a mule at all, but one of us. He doesn't understand why he has to stay in his pen?!! Mulie was turned out in a 50 acre pasture with about 8 other mules... and he got lost. Mules don't get lost... he was working a little area of fence all by himself. He is adoreable. We love him.
We just want you all to know that this is a very important event not only to Tucson, but to Apache and Mulie... who without Winterhaven... may not be here today!
Julie Wycoff
We have Blanche... we refer to her as Apache. She is a beautiful 16 hand white paint mule that came to us about 8 years ago. This mule was unruly and generally unhappy. She pretty well disliked everyone and every other mule. After some time and many hours of work, we have turned her into an excellent driving animal. She pulls our 20 person Constoga wagon with Kit, her partner. With this event, Apache has a fabulous life. She lives on 340 acres throughout the year and shares it with the rest of the herd!
We also have Mulie... Mulie is a new mule to our herd. He is 16.2 hands and not the sharpest tool in the shed. This will be his 3rd year in Winterhaven and we have high hopes for him. His personality is that he isn't a mule at all, but one of us. He doesn't understand why he has to stay in his pen?!! Mulie was turned out in a 50 acre pasture with about 8 other mules... and he got lost. Mules don't get lost... he was working a little area of fence all by himself. He is adoreable. We love him.
We just want you all to know that this is a very important event not only to Tucson, but to Apache and Mulie... who without Winterhaven... may not be here today!
Julie Wycoff
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