“The passion that Meredith Hodges feels for the equines that she has fought for all her adult life is still as fresh, inspiring and infectious as it was when she first discovered the world of horses, donkeys and mules. She has never wavered in her devotion to them and in her mission to carve a lasting and honored place for them in our world. They are lucky to have her as their champion, but Meredith actually sees it a bit differently. She feels honored and privileged to be a part of their world.”
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Merry Christmas From Lucky Three Ranch!
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US AT THE LUCKY THREE RANCH TO ALL OF OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & FANS.
Click here https://youtu.be/9rGWCwvw2bs for a special video gift for you. Wishing you all the best now and in the years to come!
Meredith Hodges Interview for the 2024 Hearts and Horses Gala Part 1
Part one of Meredith Hodge’s interview for the Hearts and Horses 2024 Gala. Lucky Three Ranch was a presenting sponsor for the Gala. Meredith talks about the importance of being of service.
Meredith Hodges Interview for the 2024 Hearts and Horses Gala Part 2
Part two of Meredith Hodge’s interview for the Hearts and Horses 2024 Gala. Meredith thanks those who join in supporting Hearts and Horses and talks about the importance of developing the positive in people.
Ground Breaking - Raising the Barn
Hearts and Horses broke ground on a new arena where they will continue to change lives through therapeutic riding. The new arena will be called Lucky Hearts, as much of the funding for the arena was given by Lucky Three Ranch.
Hearts & Horses Virtual Tour
Haven’t made it out to the Hearts & Horses ranch yet? Here’s your chance, thanks to our brand new virtual tour! Discover all of the state-of-the-art facilities designed to heal minds, bodies, and spirits at our 23-acre ranch in Loveland, Colorado.
Latest Podcast
MULE TALK! PODCAST: Breeding for Quality Mules Part 1
Breeding for Quality Mules Part 1 –
Meredith shares her expertise in breeding jacks to horse mares and jennets, selecting the premiere jack for your mule foal, selecting good quality mares for producing excellent mule babies, what to expect, how it all comes together.
Learn more on Mule Talk podcast.
For more training info: www.LuckyThreeRanch.Com and click on the Training tab.
Mule Talk is an Every Cowgirl’s Dream production – www.EveryCowgirlsDream.Com
All Posts
MULE CROSSING: Fitting Tack Equipment
By Meredith Hodges Whether riding or driving, the comfort and fit of your tack and equipment is an important consideration if you wish to get the best performance from your equine. Any piece of equipment that does not correctly fit your equine can cause less than optimum performance. Consider, for instance, the bridle, which is such an important communication device. Do not select a harsh bit for control. Control comes from logical and sequential practices during training and not from force. The bit should be comfortable and be fitted correctly ...
MULE CROSSING: The Round Pen
By Meredith Hodges The Round Pen originated as a useful training aid for Western trainers who were trying to “break” the wild mustangs that were brought in off the range.
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- There has been spirited debate between English and Western trainers as to the real value of the Round Pen as a training aid, since it can produce undue stress on the fragile joints of the equine-in-training.
- Do not BEGIN training your equine in the Round Pen, because an unbalanced and inexperienced equine in uncontrolled flight, in ...
MULE CROSSING: Making History with Mules, Part 3
By Meredith Hodges There was a time before the industrial age when one-third of all fifteen million mules on earth were being utilized by the United States. Mules worked in the fields, carried our packs, pulled heavy barges on the canals, plodded through darkness in the mines, guided supply wagons and streetcars about the cities, carried tourists to exotic places like the Grand Canyon and transported army supplies and light artillery for the government. And to help with all the back-breaking labor he faced, man’s invention of the hybrid mule ...
MULE CROSSING: Making History with Mules, Part 2
By Meredith Hodges As we track mules through history, we find there is a reoccurring theme that paints the mule as both a companion and adversary of man. Those of a certain temperament seem to be able to befriend the mule and those who would be combative suffer at his mercy. Man would rather blame stubbornness on the mule than to claim this stubbornness as his own. Clearly, there is no doubt that the mule is and always has been a hard-working and valuable beast of burden throughout history. His ...
MULE CROSSING: Making History with Mules Part 1
By Meredith Hodges Many people ask me when the first mules appeared on this earth. Historically, mules have their roots in the Bible. Contrary to the popular belief that mules are so lowly and stubborn that they would have to be the mount of serfs, they were—in the beginning—the mount of kings! “So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.” (I Kings ...
MULE CROSSING: Longears Loving Impact
By Meredith Hodges “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” - Zechariah 9:9 These words have been an inspiration to all who have heard them since the time they were written—to those of us who love Longears, the words carry the message of a lifetime and the secrets of a dream. Not only did the Lord Jesus ride into Jerusalem on the back of an ass, but ...
MULE CROSSING: Living with Longears
By Meredith Hodges In the beginning, my home, Lucky Three Ranch was a 10-acre sheep ranch with a small house and hay barn, an old Quonset hut, a feed barn, four three-sided sheds, and a perimeter fence made from sheep fencing with barbed wire on top. It was crossed-fenced around the sheds with some heavily chewed board fences and anything else the previous owner thought could be used for fencing. I’d already had experience with horses, but it wasn’t until my first mule, Lucky Three Sundowner and my first donkey jack, ...
Another Augie and Spuds Adventure: A Spooky Adventure at Lucky Three Ranch 10-25-21
“Well, this is new, grooming in our pen, Augie!” “Yeah this is different, Spuds. Where are we going now?” “What’s all this in our pen, Augie?” “Hmm, looks like pumpkins, but smells like oats, Spuds!” “Now what’s she doing, Augie?!” “Looks like a sheet to me, Spuds...can you see?!” “I can see better if I just look down, Augie.” “That does work better, Spuds. Now what is she doing?!” “Guess we are supposed to be ghosts in a graveyard, Augie!” “What the heck is SHE supposed to be, Spuds?!” “She is fixing the sheets ...
MULE CROSSING: Introduction to Behavior Modification, Part 2
By Meredith Hodges In Part 1 of Introduction to Behavior Modification, we addressed the steps involved in employing the reward system of training properly whereby desired behaviors are rewarded promptly and negative reinforcement is quick, fair and used sparingly. In Part 2, I will explain how to break down more complex movements into smaller steps that are simple and easy to accomplish, and then how to string them together in order to get the desired response from your equine. Shaping Behaviors Shaping behaviors takes reinforcement to the next level ...
MULE CROSSING: Introduction to Behavior Modification, Part 1
By Meredith Hodges “Throughout history, mules and donkeys have been pegged as being stubborn and therefore stupid, but I have found just the opposite to be true. They are intelligent, sensitive animals, and they have a particularly strong survival instinct. They’ll go to great lengths to avoid danger or what they perceive as danger, and the process of training a mule or donkey is the process of earning their trust.” —Meredith Hodges, internationally recognized mule and donkey training expert When I began working with mules and donkeys, I quickly realized ...
MULE CROSSING: Good Basic Training Includes Common Sense, Part 3
By Meredith Hodges In Part Two of this article, your equine was introduced to the ground rails, cavalletti and bridge obstacles. This helped develop his confidence and trust in you, his handler, while focusing on your animal just getting through each obstacle with true forward movement without hesitation. First, he learned the basics of negotiating these obstacles in Stage One. During Stage Two, when he went back through same the obstacles, he learned to do them in good posture and balance. Now, in order to continue your equine’s mental and ...
MULE CROSSING: Good Basic Training Includes Common Sense, Part 2
By Meredith Hodges Proper training is much more than just teaching your equine to do “movements.” You are conditioning his body so he can do those movements easily, which in turn produces an equine with a happy and healthy working attitude. In order to do this, you need to be prepared to spend plenty of time during the leading stage of training both on flat ground and then over obstacles, conditioning the “core” muscles that support your animal’s skeletal frame. When training any equine for saddle or driving, you will ...
MULE CROSSING: Good Basic Training Includes Common Sense, Part 1
By Meredith Hodges Many times I have been asked, “Is training a mule any different than training horses?” The answer to this is “Yes.” Since a mule is half horse and half donkey, the trainer must learn to appeal to the donkey half of the mule as well as the horse half. Donkeys are very sensitive animals requiring infinite patience and understanding. They possess a natural willingness to please which is evident when their training is approached properly. When training is done incorrectly, they will exhibit resistant behaviors that include ...
Mule Crossing: Moving Beyond Prey vs. Predator
By Meredith Hodges In the past, when equines ran free, they were unencumbered by human interaction and could build and condition their muscles naturally. Today, with increased population but reduced open lands, their activity is often restricted. It then becomes our responsibility to not only train them, but to prepare them physically to perform and keep them happy in their environment. This responsibility becomes even more important when we ask them to exert more energy than normal, in activities like long trail rides, endurance events, showing and equine-related work. Proper ...
Breeding
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Farewells
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General Interest
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Hearts & Horses
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Historical
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Interviews
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Jasper
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Longears People News
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Longears Videos
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Lucky Three Ranch
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Military Mules
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Mule Talk! Podcasts
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Pack Burro Racing
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Showing
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Statues & Exhibits
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Training
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Training Tips
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