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“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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Hearts & Horses  |  Historical  |  Interviews  |  Jasper

Longears People News  |  Longears Videos  |  Lucky Three Ranch

Military Mules  |  Mule Talk! Podcasts  |  Pack Burro Racing

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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: Why Mules are Exceptional

Why Mules are Exceptional –

Across the United States and around the world, as mules are given more and more opportunities to perform in many diverse situations, they are exhibiting their exceptional beauty, athletic ability, endurance and intelligence. There are definite physical and psychological reasons for these outstanding abilities. It has been proven that the mule not only inherits the mare’s beauty, but is also more athletic than the mare out of which he came. The mule is an exceptional hybrid not only because he inherits these qualities from his dam, the mare, but he also inherits the best qualities from his sire, the jack who is responsible for his muscle structure, thickness of bone, strength and intelligence.

LISTEN NOW

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

The History of the Missouri Mule

The Missouri mule is a well-known symbol of American strength and perseverance, thanks to its significant contributions both within the state and throughout the country. Today, the mule still serves as Missouri's official state animal, so the connection remains strong. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has put together a great photo slideshow about the history of these iconic equines and their role in the Show-Me State—click here to see the full slideshow! (You may need to reload the page when you get there.) ...

Romulus and Remus, A Big Pair of Asses…

(Equus africanus asinus, to be exact!) This is a special entry by Phil Yellott, owner of Romulus, who has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Largest Donkey. Cara and I wanted to get a couple of donkeys for guard animals. We saw a couple of mammoth donkeys on Craigslist, who were very skinny and underfed. We contacted the owner, and were able to negotiate a price so we could get them. We named them Romulus and Remus after the legendary founders of the Roman ...

35 Years of Lucky Three Ranch

It’s hard to believe that I have already spent 35 years in the business with mules, donkeys and a vast array of equine-related activities. I have always loved horses and began riding when I was only two years old. I was about as horsey as a girl could be—when I wasn’t riding, I was reading horse books, drawing horses and engaging in anything that remotely resembled a life with equines. At one point, I even designed a 100-stall barn and vowed to rescue every horse in our country that ...

Lucky Three Ranch From Above

A lot has changed at Lucky Three Ranch since 1980—and sometimes the only way to see all that progress is from the sky! Luckily, aerial photographer Ryan Hofmeister, of Heaven’s View Photography in Sterling, Colorado, has had his camera focused on the ranch since the very beginning, and has captured some truly amazing images from the air throughout that time. Ryan first met Meredith shortly after she moved in to Lucky Three Ranch. He had captured an image of the young ranch on one of his routine fly-bys, and stopped ...

Another Augie and Spuds Adventure: SnowPlay 01-14-22

https://youtu.be/hErCHogYV2k To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. © 2016, 2017 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved ...

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: Gate Training

By Meredith Hodges Learning to go through a gate with respect and consideration for the handler is an important lesson for your equine to learn. Your considerate and consistent approach to retrieving him from his stall, pen or pasture can make all the difference in safety and pleasure for you both. This begins from the time you take him from his stall. Do not go into his area, but rather, ask him to come to you. If you have been consistent rewarding your equine from your fanny pack with the ...

MULE CROSSING: Stubborn As A Mule

By Meredith Hodges “Stubborn as a mule” is hardly an appropriate cliché to describe today's mules who are sweeping the countryside with their remarkable abilities! But why now? Why haven't mules been used successfully as saddle animals before this? My only guess is that in the past, we did not afford ourselves much leisure time out of necessity. Therefore, mules used for packing and farming had to be broke quickly to help with the work. They were generally trained by older and more experienced animals by working in teams ...

Another Augie and Spuds Adventure: A Visit To Asspen 7-4-21

"Hmmmm....this feels REALLY good, Spuds!" "This looks promising...another adventure!" “Now we are both shed out, clean and ready for our adventure, Augie!” “Oh, look, Spuds! It’s Wrangler & Chasity! Oats around...LOL!!” “It’s Mirage and Francis, Augie...more oats...YAY!!!” Francis sure is PURDY, Augie!”   “Still got that crush...eh, Spuds!” “Nice to have Robin with us this time!” “Are we going to get a trim? It looks like Dean, Augie!” “No, Spuds, maybe a bath at this Bath House?” “This boardwalk is kinda tricky, Augie!” ...

Veterans Day and Longeared Soldiers

Today we honor the sacrifices that our brave enlisted men and women have made to protect and serve our country. Throughout history, mules have also played an important part, serving alongside soldiers. One occasion where their value cannot be underestimated was the Burma Offensive of World War II. The 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) or more commonly known as Merrill's Marauders was a US Army long-range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit. In addition to its specially trained soldiers, it also included mules. The mules came from Missouri, Texas and Tennessee and ...

From the SWISS BULLETIN: The Mule Media Archive

 By Josefine Jacksch    History of the Mule Media-Archive   Shortly after the foundation of the «Interessensgemeinschaft für das Maultier» IGM (Mule Association of Switzerland) in 1989, an archive was established. The first part contains association-related documents such as minutes of meetings and assemblies, preparations for association activities, etc.   In addition, newspaper clippings, reports from horse magazines and other magazines, scientific articles and books were collected. VHS video cassettes, DVDs, CDs and individual pictures and photo albums completed the collection.   One of the goals, that the IGM has ...

MULE CROSSING: Benefits of Postural Core Strength Training

By Meredith Hodges Most equines can be taught to carry a rider in a relatively short time. However, just because they are compliant doesn’t mean their body is adequately prepared for what they will be asked to do and that they are truly mentally engaged in your partnership. We can affect our equine’s manners and teach them to do certain movements and in most cases, we will get the response that we want...at least for the moment. Most of us grow up thinking that getting the animal to accept a ...

MULE CROSSING: LTR Training Mules & Donkeys: General Information

By Meredith Hodges Mules and donkeys are very gregarious and affectionate animals and have a need to really bond with their owners. It is important to know the steps involved in this bonding process to get the best from your mule or donkey, and even horses. Routine management and our training process called Behavior Modification (Reward System Training) will make your time together safe and enjoyable. When mules and donkeys are treated with patience and kindness, they can be as capable as horses in all kinds of equine activities. The fun ...

Wrangler’s Donkey Diary: Sarcoid Treatment Again 1-29-20

Wrangler had his first sarcoid removal on 7-20-18, but we found another one just a few weeks ago starting under his right side. It looked like he had been rubbing it as it was a bit crusty. I had a mule that did that to a sarcoid and it eventually disappeared as did the other two that were on his body. He apparently built immunity against the sarcoids. So, we opted to wait and see if this one on Wrangler would also just go away. It didn’t and it was ...

Lucky Three Ranch Profile: Teaser Stallion Kip Dee Beau

When breeding for mules, a teaser stallion is needed to get the mares to show heat, as they will not show heat to the jack. In 1988, Lucky Three Ranch needed a good teaser stallion to use in our breeding program, so we began scanning the Colorado countryside for the right horse. I went out to a huge farm in Haxton that had 50 head of assorted horses on 2000 acres. The owner said I could have any of the 20 two-year-old stallions that I could catch. I strapped on ...

Breeding

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Donkey Training

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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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