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CHASITY’S CHALLENGES: Introduction
CHASITY is a Large Standard, 13 year old spotted jennet that we bought in 2020 to be a companion for our Large Standard gelding donkey, Wrangler, after he lost his mule friend in March of 2020. She came to us with lots of challenging health issues, but we are no strangers to that with our past rescues. When we have a case like this, we like to share our approach and the solutions we discover while consulting with our professional team of experts. We hope these LTR website diaries can help you to find solutions to the problems that you might face with your own Longears!
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MULE CROSSING: Conduct and Good Sportsmanship
By Meredith Hodges
Welcome to the wonderful world of mules! The mule is a product of the successful breeding of a male donkey, called a jack, and a female horse, called a mare. Mules can either be male or female, but they are unable to reproduce because of an odd number of chromosomes in their genetic makeup. When training mules, one needs to take into account the donkey half of the mule as well as the horse half. Horses can often be trained without the benefit of a personal relationship, but mules are different. The donkey is inherently a warm, affectionate and loving creature that thrives on close relationships with their humans. When this closeness is absent, the donkey or mule can seem stubborn and uncooperative. Thus, there is the old saying, “Stubborn as a mule!”
It is important when dealing with donkeys and mules to begin by establishing a bond with your animal. Think of it as cultivating a friendship. When you and your animal are introduced, give him time to get to know you and his surroundings by keeping things simple. Close friendships are best developed when positive assets are recognized and any negativity is kept to a minimum. Cultivate good feelings with positive action.
Mules and donkeys respond best when you take the time to be considerate and understanding of their needs. Before they can launch into a training program, they need to feel comfortable about their surroundings and their trainer. Feeding time is a good time to spend with your mule. This is the beginning of a long-lasting friendship with your mule. You can stroke him all over his body, talk to him, brush him and clean his feet while he is eating provided he is in an enclosure by himself, or just with his dam.
Raising mules and donkeys is much the same as raising children. They need love, guidance and understanding, coupled with a learning program that has a natural step-by-step progression and a reward system that they can easily follow. Doing too much too soon will only lead to confusion and resistance. Be patient and willing to take the time to enjoy the day-today victories that you both will achieve to make life more fun and enjoyable.
Competition is fun and exciting but can easily become a devastating experience for both of you if the focus is winning against others. Rather, the focus should be to compete against yourself. If you are doing better than the time before, then you are doing well. You don’t need a blue ribbon to mark your improvement. When you go to a show with this attitude, you gain more open communication and friendships with others who have the same interests as you do. You are able to learn from those who are more experienced; judges and officials can help you to improve. This makes the whole showing experience more enjoyable and mutually beneficial to all.
One mule-loving family wrote to me about a show they had just attended. The mother wrote that her three boys expressed devout confidence when asked how they felt about their readiness to show. They went into the show expecting to win everything they entered. They had practiced at home until there were no flaws in their performance. The show day arrived. The eldest boy was entered in a pleasure driving class and had no reason to believe that his mule would be anything but the steady mule he was. To the boy’s horror, the mule went to the rail, put his head over the rail and froze. Needless to say, they didn’t place and the boy’s pride was crushed.
The second son was in the trail class with his mule. They, too, had practiced until their performance was flawless. Strangely enough, the gate in the trail class just didn’t appear to his mule to be like the gate at home, and the mule would go nowhere near it! He, too, was humbled and left the class with nothing.
The youngest by took his mule into his class and the mule was the same steady animal he had been at home. They finished as High-Point Champion of the show for their division.
What do you suppose was the difference in these three cases? I told the mother that I believed that a mule first needs to bond to his handler. She told me that made perfect sense. The other two boys rode and drove their mules, and practiced all the patterns and movements they would find in the show. The youngest boy spent a good part of his time just hanging out with his mule, taking him for walks, feeding carrots, doing very simple and pleasurable things with his mule, as well as practicing the exercises they needed for their classes. They were buddies, they were a team – and they won the Championship because this is how to build a friendship and what good sportsmanship is all about.
A good trainer will train himself, or herself, as well as the mule with subtle direction coming from the mule. Develop respect for your mule, responsibility in caring for your mule and self-discipline in the way you handle the mule. You will develop patience and consistency in training, neatness in you and your mule’s appearance, and pride in yourself and your mule.
Although this sounds easy enough, it really isn’t. Human nature is to be protective of ourselves and selfish about what we want and what we do. Learning to be of service to others, including our animals, requires a lot of thought and consideration. How easy it is to criticize others and blame them for the things that go awry. It’s easy to be that “Monday Morning Quarterback” and point out what’s wrong which is often followed by blame. Blame is no fun for the scapegoat and often causes severely hurt feelings. As if WE could do any better? Could you? Wouldn’t it be better if we recognized people’s assets and complimented them instead of honing in on their mistakes and criticizing them for what they do? If one ceased to criticize, wouldn’t we learn more and become more intelligent about our own choices?
When our focus becomes solely on what our Longears can do for us and when we spend hours “drilling” them to make things perfect, is that really a way to get the best from them? How about keeping the lessons short and rewarding every success along the way…AND, know when to quit and begin another day. My Grandmother used to say, “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.” I used to think in my head, “I don’t really want to catch flies and I don’t even like honey,” but I got her point and she was right. When I got frustrated that my mules were not doing exactly what I wanted them to do, I began to ask myself, “Why not?” I thought I knew everything, until I realized how much I had yet to learn. That is when I stopped trying to force things and became grateful for everything good that happened, every day! People told me that my Longears and my other equines needed a job to be worthy of my respect and support. I thought about it for awhile. Then I realized…my equines never told me they needed a job!
At that time, I began to think about what it might be like for my mules. Yes, God gave us “dominion” over the animals, but that doesn’t make me a King (or a Queen) over them! As I opened my mind to new meaning about it all, I realized it meant that I was their “keeper.” Now, was I going to be a responsible “keeper” and do right by them? Was I going to be the same way toward others? When I opened my heart and my mind to my animals and others…that was when I really discovered how little I knew and how much I had yet to learn. I realized at that time that this would be an endless endeavor, but a lot of time to share and enjoy life!
As I began to share the experiences in my career with others instead of trying to sell everything, I was made aware of how so many others shared with me and how much smarter and compassionate I was becoming. The way I treated my Longears evolved and the responses I got from them were amazing o say the very least. Then I had an epiphany about what it really was…I was no longer USING my mules and donkeys, I appreciated what they gave to me…and the gifts they gave just kept coming. They were now true companions, partners, friends and our experiences together were quite literally becoming joyful!
The American Donkey and Mule Society was founded in 1967 at which time mules and donkeys began to make their debut in America as recreational animals instead of merely working and farm animals. Their presence in exhibitions, parades and new Longears shows made quite an impression on the general public. They added a new dimension to equine shows that people found both entertaining and exciting. It didn’t take long before children began asking their parents if they could have a mule as a 4-H Club project. Well, this set 4-H leaders back on their heels! The horse manual really did not address the differences between mules and horses (and there were distinct differences!), so in a lot of cases, the request from the kids was denied. In response to this denial from 4-H Club Leaders, I wrote my book, A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES…for kids and beginners. No longer could the 4-H Leaders use this excuse and mules began cropping up in equine performance throughout the country!
I knew that my approach to training was going to really annoy a lot of Old Timers that were of the persuasion that mules were stubborn, hard to handle, one had to get their attention with a two-by-four, were dangerous and other really negative ideas. I knew that my attempt to offer a better and humane way to train them would be met with skepticism and contempt. I was right. I had embarked on a journey that would define my entire career, but with my own stubbornness and conviction, I have been able to show folks a better approach.
The kids discovered an amazing and safer riding companion than they ever could have imagined! Instead of taking on people’s mules to train, I opted to teach them how to train their own equines and it has worked miracles. Lots of the Old Timers that had poo-pooed me in the past, changed their minds about a lot of the beliefs that they had. As they aged, these same Old Timers were grateful for the much safer approach to training than they had been previously offered. They found a lot of places to exhibit their extraordinary abilities with their Longears in shows, parades and on the trail with their friends. We were all able to share in their successes and smiles would abound.
Longears have made their way into our society as yet another viable addition for the entertainment of the general population. More people than ever are taking on this challenge and making their mark as Mule Trainers. There is probably nothing as exciting as watching the drivers and their multiple hitches in shows and parades, the least of which is
not the 20-Mule Team that is now being exhibited all over America. What a thrill to behold! People are now truly enjoying the affection and companionship these amazing equines have to offer! A light has been shown on the mules of the past! Those that thought mules could not be controlled, are now enjoying the companionship of their own leading celebrities of the equine community! So reject criticism, reject negativity and become a member of this new world of Longears and experience the joy that they have to offer! It’s quite simply…awesome!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES, TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Equine Industry Trends
By Meredith Hodges
- Military Horsemanship began with Xenophon who was born c. 430 BC, in the deme Erchia of Athens. Xenophon’s father, Gryllus, was a member of a wealthy equestrian family and worked on many of the principles of classical dressage. Xenophon emphasized training the horse through kindness and reward. These principles made their way to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria where Colonel Podhasky rode for General Patton after WWII. This style of riding, Dressage, made its way to the West and was been transformed into Western Dressage.
- The object of Dressage is “the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse. As a result, it makes the horse calm, supple, loose, and flexible, but also confident, attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with his rider.” In Dressage, one is not concerned with time in training. Rather, it is measured in progress from one step to another. Dressage requires a discipline of the mind and body. This slow and methodical way of training lends itself nicely to mules.
“Mules separate crude trainers from artistic trainers.” The mule handled by a crude trainer will generally epitomize the traditional belief that mules are stubborn and ornery. The mule handled by an artistic trainer will not.
- The Indians of America were subtle with their horse training. They would lie across their backs to get them used to being not only ridden, but also so they could hang off the side of the horse and remain hidden while chasing the huge bison herds. In order to be bale to steer the horse, they would attach a strap around the lower jaw or configure a “War Bridle” that also had a loop around the head and jaw.
- Horse training techniques began in America with the cowboys by using blindfolds for mounting, forceful restraints, lying the animal down and put tarps over them to impress human dominance.
- “Breaking” horses and mules was the trend of the early West. The equine was restrained for saddling and bridling instead of using a slow and polite approach. Cowboys would try to ride them out until they gave up and quit bucking.
- Training “secrets” happened “behind the back fence. Lots of trainers used rope tricks to train by leading with a front foot, or by lying them down, or just roping them to catch them. Beware of these sorts of things when buying your equine!
Horse training trends have evolved from Buck Branaman, Pat Parelli, Clinton Anderson, etc. and their Round Pen training techniques using ropes on the equines. Natural Horsemanship rose from these methods, using less restraint on the equine.
- Some mules could tolerate this, but it didn’t always yield the most positive results. Natural Horsemanship was an attractive trend. However, since equines are not born in their ideal posture any more than humans are, it fails to put the equine into an ideal posture. Lordosis (sway back) and Kissing Spine can occur as the animal ages. We have been able to improve some cases of Kissing Spine where the calcification was able to be broken loose, but if it is too solid, it would require a dangerous surgery to correct it.
- With their approach, Monte Roberts and Richard Shrake developed even more humane training techniques with horses. Equines were approached in a more calm and relaxing way with attention to patience, good posture and core strength development.
This gave way to the new trend of teaching them to lie down. Equines do not lie down easily, so it wasn’t always used as an easy way to mount. It really shouldn’t be used that way because of the added stress put on the equine’s body that can cause arthritis and other problems with the hooves, and joints, as they age.
- Having your equine lie down can be an exercise in bonding in a relaxing way. Just be careful to position yourself in a safe spot.
- In order to get the equines to lie down, they were first taken down forcefully with ropes.
- Mules being more easily convinced were compliant to a tap behind the knee and one rope from the offside to suggest lying down.
I saw a horse being exhibited at the WEG that was forced to bow with ropes. I thought it could be beneficial to find out how long it would take for an equine to learn to bow of his accord with his own muscle strength. Lance learned to do it by himself with only slight encouragement from me in 18 months.
- People thought this was good for mounting, but common sense told me that a mounting block would be better. Putting extra weight on the animal and then asking him to get up would only exacerbate the stress on his body as he was rising. Equines are built to carry weight underneath the spine, but not so much on their back.
If the argument is that amounting block can’t be brought along for trail riding, it makes more sense to simply acquire a shorter animal.
- If you do want a taller equine, he can be taught to stretch out and lower his back like a Park Horse with a lot less stress on his body. He can hoist his body up much easier from this position. There are also stirrups available that can be lowered and then reset once you are in the saddle.
- This worked better with mules, but still not as well as Behavior Modification and reward system training. Behavior Modification was abbreviated and gave way to Clicker Training.
- Clicker Training made Trick Training much easier. Trick Training can be fun, but you should still do the postural core strength exercises so he does not hurt his body when engaging in trick training.
- Towing tires in the snow, or people on water skis in a lake might be fun, but consider the amount of resistant weight against the animal’s good posture during these kinds of activities. I opted to tow tires through the snow, or roller blade, from directly behind my mules so as not to offset their balance in a harmful way. The hind quarters can provide even power from behind to pull straight. This can be fun if your animal is properly prepared.
- Learn to think about the consequence of your actions in relationship to the effect it has on your equine’s body and prepare accordingly.
- Restraints are helpful in dealing with mules but must not be applied so they cause pain. Hobbles, leg straps, and scotch ties are generally all that is needed in dealing with difficult mules. Even if the mule has led a life of abuse, their ability to determine just who is responsible for their pain means that with love and kindness, they can be taught to trust again. It just takes a lot of time and patience.
If you find restraints are not sufficient to help with your equine, you may be dealing with an outlaw, in which case it is best to put him out of his misery before he injures someone. Be careful however about blaming the animal for his response to an inhumane trainer. Some can be rehabilitated, some cannot, but you will need to know what you are doing. Kindness alone is not the answer.
- People like to do wild and crazy things with their animals. I am not saying “don’t,” just try to be responsible and think about the consequences of your actions and the effect it has on your equine’s body. Doing preparatory core strength and postural body work can assure that the equine is using his body in the correct way. When he is not prepared, there can be all kinds of damage done to his hooves, joints, ligaments and tendons such as ring bone and side bones.
- Longears do not seek to impress, nor do they have inflated ideas of importance. They are humble, not greedy or selfish, and are content to give freely all that they have to give. There is no limit to their endurance and no end to their trust. Unpleasant moments are undoubtedly remembered, yet forgiven when requested. Owners should be inspired to be more constructive in their management and training approach. Within Longears, there is a hidden hope of happiness, contentment, peace and brotherhood. The inspiration of these noble characteristics does not go unnoticed as they ennoble those around them.
- Mules and Donkeys are very appreciative animals. If a child and Longears are supervised correctly, it can greatly enhance the entire riding experience. The mule, or donkey will protect your child with his excellent judgment and the child will learn to be a patient and understanding person through the interaction with his Longears. The jobs these “kids” are dong with their mules and donkeys are wonderful and their contributions are extensive. The values learned by children when dealing with donkeys and mules will stand them in good stead throughout their lives, not to mention the joy they will discover in having such an interactive companion.
Today good mule trainers apply the basic techniques of Behavior Modification (reward system training) in their programs. That is, getting the desired response through positive reinforcement and ignoring, as much as possible, the undesired behavior. Negative reinforcement, or punishment, is used sparingly, is never severe and is only used to set boundaries to behavior.
- With new and improved training techniques, the mules of today are known for their beauty and outstanding athletic ability, their durability and their intelligence. Their uses are limited only to the imaginations of their owners. It is now commonly known that with proper training, a mule can perform better than the horse it was bred from. Subsequently, mules are not only competing in mule shows, but horse shows as well.
- Although mule racing has just begun to take hold as a national sport, it had its beginnings in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in 1851, when Captain Boling’s cavalry troop was forced to halt for two months in the Yosemite Valley. Horse racing was one of the major sports used to keep up the spirits of the men during this unexpected respite. Army mules were included in these races to add to the entertainment. Much to the chagrin of some of the horse owners, the mules could actually beat some of the cavalry’s favorite mounts.
- Captain Boling purchased one Maltese, Kentucky-blooded mule (known as The Vining Mule). He was particularly impressed and bought him for one thousand dollars in gold from Lee Vining. He then went on to make many more thousands in match races with this mule against horses. To quote from the official racing program: “The Indian war of 1851 was the catalyst that started the first running of mules in California.” The first actual pari-mutuel mule meet was held in Bishop, California in July of 1978. Match races and Western-style races included at county fairs exhibit the true versatility of the mule. With increased interest, mule racing now assumes the professionalism of horse racing with the introduction of jockeys, trainers, and starting gates.
- At Bishop Mule Days, Longears perform in Pleasure classes, Reining classes, Trail, Musical Tires, Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. Also Jumping, Cattle Penning, Steer Stopping, Team Roping, and a Balloon Bust. For the packers: Pack Train classes, Packing contests, Box Hitch and Diamond Hitch packing contests (pro and non-pro), Team Packing and the Team Packing Scramble which you have to see to believe! There are Halter classes, Pulling, Driving classes, and for you race fans: Chariot races, Flat Track races, and even a Backwards race!
- It was Maryster Farm’s Kit who had inspired me to try Combined Training with a mule! We spoke for about twenty minutes and Susan at the Abbe Ranch Horse Trials kindly put my fears to rest. I assured her that we would do anything necessary to keep from interfering with the other competitors. All we wanted to do was to test our skills and to learn all we could from those with similar interests. The next day our ride times came in the mail and we were in! After three years of intensive schooling, we finally won our event against the horses!
- Counties have been taking initiative to include mules and donkeys in the county fairs, and local riding clubs are inviting them to participate in annual All-Breed shows. Increased understanding and appreciation for the positive qualities of Longears brings more and more people together all the time. Their generous ways have positively influenced people toward a genuine pursuit of happiness.
- People agree that the best part of their long journeys with their mules was all the wonderful people they met along the way who did everything they could to help them reach their destination. People extended their hospitality, allowing them to bed down at their ranches along the route. Others met them at strategic points with feed and water and other necessary supplies that would be difficult to carry along with them. Many new friendships have been made on the trail.
- Mules are excellent mountain partners. They are a strong and durable animal. Due to the cupped shape of their hooves, they can cover the rough mountain terrain with much more surefootedness than their cousin, the horse. Mules’ superior intelligence and strong sense of survival helps him to negotiate careful placements of his feet, ensuring the safest possible ride. This is both important and comforting when looking for a relaxing ride in the mountains. The mule’s strength and endurance is sometimes unbelievable, and always incredible.
- The trends of equine training have certainly improved by leaps and bounds through the centuries, but we are still plagued by those who are too naive to really assess how their behavior influences that of their equine and are subsequently influenced by substandard training practices. It is always best to learn from past mistakes and try to do better going forward. Cindy K. Roberts and I hope that we can share our experiences with all of you so you too can experience the same kind of joy and pleasure that we do with our equines! Wishing you all HAPPY TRAILS!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, TRAINING DVD #2 and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Benefit of Organizational Skills
By Meredith Hodges
People have often asked me how on earth can only three people—my daughter, my husband and myself—manage to prepare and show as many as 18 head of mules and donkeys for one show?! They say that we must be crazy, and maybe we are a little crazy, but a few simple rules of organization have made this possible.
The first consideration is the grooming of the animals themselves. Anyone who has had to body clip an animal knows how tedious and time-consuming this can be. Mule and donkey hair does not appear to grow back as quickly, nor as radically, as does horse hair, so you can clip your mule, or donkey, as far as 2-3 weeks in advance of your show and do touch up work just before the show. If you have no shows until summer, you may want to body clip in mid-April anyway. It is at this time that the winter hair begins to shed and the summer hair starts to come in. If you clip off the winter hair and blanket him for the remainder of the spring, the hair that grows in will be much more manageable than the heavy winter hair and will greatly reduce grooming time before the show.
Once the heavier coat is eliminated, a weekly grooming will keep his coat nicely maintained. Daily grooming before a show, or every other day, is even better. Each time you groom him before riding, check and clip as needed the muzzle hairs, around the eyes and ears, and around the coronet bands. Leave the hairs inside the ears to prevent irritation from bugs and flies, but trim the outside edges and backs of the ears. An ounce of corn oil in his feed daily will assure a healthy sheen in his coat on show day without the use of artificial highlighters. Trimming, or shoeing, your mule on a regular six-eight week schedule will assure that his feet will not need attending at the last minute. A routine vaccination, deworming, Coggins testing and a permanent brand inspection will make sure he is ready for transport to any show anywhere at any time. Then, all that remains to be done right before the show is minor clipping, bathing, and polishing hooves.
Each individual mule, or donkey, should have his own personal show halter and bridle for convenience. Driving animals should each have their own set of harness. This will help to reduce the time between tack changes while at the show.
Dress rehearsals before the show at home are quite beneficial. Prepare as if you are about to enter each class, one at a time. First, pick the clothing you will need to wear and store it in a designated place in your house. You do not have to actually wear them for the rehearsal. As you pick out the items, take note of the things that need to be cleaned or polished, and set them to the side of the rest of your other clothes.
Then, tack up your animal, checking each piece of equipment to make sure that it is in working order. Go ahead and practice the class. Then, as you unpack your mule, set the tack aside from the rest in your tack room for cleaning later. Do this for each animal in each class. Your animals will do better at the show if they get plenty of rest before the show, so it is wise to spend the day before the show cleaning your tack, clothes, and equipment. Before you begin to clean, load all the items into your trailer that are all ready to go without cleaning. Then, as you clean the remaining items, load them directly into the trailer as you finish them.
When the basic gear for you and your animal is loaded, make a checklist for feed, buckets, hoses, brushes, forks, brooms, and shovels, etc., that you will need for general care, load them, and check them off. When you have finished, lay out all the items that you will need for transport (i.e. sheets, blankets, shipping boots, etc.), so they are easily available. If you proceed in this manner, the risk of forgetting any important items is minimized. It is best to make sure that your trailer is fully loaded (except the animals) the night before you leave as this gives you overnight to think of anything you might have missed. Items such as your ice chest can be left until morning, or last minute, provided that you put them in a highly visible spot with a list of what is to be put in attached. Do not try to rely on your memory, as it will be clouded by the excitement and anticipation of the show.
If you are taking a number of mules and donkeys to the show, it is wise to bathe with soap at home the day before; then, cover the animal with a sheet or blanket and leg wraps. The day of the show, you would then only need to rinse, or vacuum, any excess dirt. This will minimize grooming time at the show.
Post the show schedule where you will be tacking up for each class and organize your clothing and equipment such that it is ready to go and easily accessible. Once the show actually begins, you will not have time to go hunting for misplaced items. Take note of your clothing changes and wear things that are easily changed. For instance, if your Western classes are before your English classes, you can wear your breeches underneath your Western slacks and chaps. Changing from English attire to Driving and Side Saddle attire is easily done by wearing your English clothing, then, simply change your headgear and add a lap rug for driving, or an apron for Side Saddle. Changes of your boots are pretty much optional, as English boots are easily hidden beneath properly fitting Western chaps and are appropriate footwear for English, Driving and Side Saddle.
If classes are spaced fairly close together and you are using more than one animal, it is wise to tack up the other animals ahead of time so they are ready to go. If you are using only one saddle for more than one animal, the other animals can still be bridled with the halter slipped over it, so they can be tied and waiting. Be sure to tie up the reins so they will not be chewed or stepped on. If you are using the same mule throughout the show, tacking and stripping should not be too time-consuming if your equipment is well organized.
Shows should be fun and exciting, but it can easily turn into a nightmare when things are out of place and chaotic. Make your motel and stabling reservations early and leave for the show well ahead of schedule to allow for breakdowns or other unforeseen emergencies. By all means, bring friends to help you, but give them a briefing and a list of jobs they can do. They won’t be much help if they have to keep asking what to do the day of the show! If you are going any distance at all, have your truck and trailer checked over thoroughly before you leave. There is nothing more frustrating than a major breakdown on the roadside with a trailer full of animals!
In summary, with routine grooming, farrier care, vet care, regular Coggins testing during the show season and permanent brand inspections, you can greatly reduce your show preparation time. Dress rehearsals, individual tack for each animal and organized loading will assure that all your tack and equipment will be readily available. Advanced motel and stabling reservations will afford you and your animals much needed rest when you arrive. Having your truck and trailer checked before you leave will make sure that you arrive in plenty of time. And, organization of tack and equipment when you do arrive will heighten the chances for an enjoyable and relaxing show!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com
© 1991, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Getting Down with Minis, Part 3
By Meredith Hodges
In Part 1, you learned how to begin the relationship with your miniature equine in a positive and natural way that fosters good behavior and a good relationship between you. You also learned the importance of getting down to your mini’s eye level so that he can make eye contact with you, which discourages striking, jumping on you and other bad behaviors that are common when working with miniature equines. In Part 2, I discussed how important it is to successfully complete the tasks in Part 1 before moving on to Part 2, and explained why it is advisable to work minis in groups, as they perform better when they are with their friends. You also learned how to train minis to go over and around various obstacles. Remember that all of this is to be done with no expectations that may overwhelm your mini—it is better if you maintain an attitude of fun and games. Now, in Part 3, it is time to get down to some serious training so your mini can be used for the purpose of driving and showing in hand.
Miniature mules and horses settle into their lunging lessons very well, but miniature donkeys (and donkeys in general) really don’t like to be lunged. They just don’t seem to see much purpose in it unless you make it fun for them. If you have a mini donkey, when teaching him to lunge it is helpful if you employ the aid of another type of equine of comparative size (such as a miniature horse or mule) to help “lead” your mini donkey through the lessons. Before I first began lunging my two mini donkeys, Augie and Spuds, I introduced them to Franklin the mini mule, Francis the mini molly mule and Mirage the mini horse by putting them altogether in the larger indoor arena space, and then I put them all in the round pen together. Before I began giving any of them specific instructions, they were all allowed some time to investigate each other and establish their pecking order. Before long all five were lunging cooperatively together, although Spuds did feel the need to kick at Mirage a few times so Mirage would allow him enough space to perform. (Mirage can be a bully sometimes and needed to be put in his place.)
After several months of leading training done in good posture on the flat ground and over obstacles (see “Showmanship,” which is covered in DVDs #1 and #9 of my DVD training series, Training Mules and Donkeys), it is enough at this point in your mini’s training that you teach him to walk, trot and canter on command on the large circle in the round pen.
In the beginning, lessons should be only 15 to 20 minutes long at the most, and only every other day. This helps your mini avoid fatigue and allows him to rest in between each lesson so he can process what he has learned. However, there may be times when things don’t go as planned and you will need slightly more than the suggested 15 to 20 minutes. If you try to rush your mini to finish his lessons, you could end up spending a lot more wasted time in a confrontation with him. Because of this, on lesson days, it is better to make sure that, if necessary, you have the whole day to spend with him. When you approach your mini with this attitude, you will be able to accomplish your goals much more easily and in much less time. Remember, whenever you are working with any breed of equine, you should always make sure you have no pressing appointments that day that might cause you to rush through the training process.
It is important that your tack and other “mini” equipment fit well. Check the harness to make sure the bridle fits and the bit is placed correctly, and be sure to adjust the blinders on your harness bridle so they don’t rub against your mini’s eyes. Fitting miniature donkeys for harness can sometimes be difficult, but I was fortunate to find Chimacum Tack, a tack and harness manufacturing company that does a fantastic job with miniature donkey, mule and horse harness. I suggest that you make the fitting a lesson in itself—you can even introduce your mini to the cart he will be pulling without actually hitching him up to it. Just as you have with all other obstacles, first let him inspect the tack. Then, once you have put it on him, have him stand quietly in the spot in front of the cart where he will eventually stand. Don’t forget to amply reward him and he should be more than willing to comply.
At this stage of training, lessons over obstacles can now be done with more finesse. You can begin lateral work over small rails placed in front of a fence, backing through the walk-through “L” and doing lateral work in the tractor tire. In advanced tractor tire work, if you judge it to be safe, get down on your knees so you are on your mini’s level. Now ask your mini to put all four feet inside the tractor tire, and to then make a turn on the haunches. Direct his head in the direction you choose to go first and ask him to slowly turn while all of his feet are still inside the tire. Do this by poking him in the shoulder with your index finger (just as you did when repositioning him for the farrier) and asking him to move his front end over and around the inside of the tire. Do this in one direction and then in the other direction. Stay low, maintain eye contact and don’t be too forceful in your movements.
In future lessons, ask him to put only his front feet in the middle of the tire and leave his back feet outside of the tire, and then have him pivot on his front feet. Now, instead of poking him on the shoulder to move the front end, you will poke him in the hip to ask him to move his hindquarters around the outside edge of the tire, pivoting on his front feet (that remain inside the tire). In the next lesson, you can ask him to put his hind feet inside of the tire and by poking him in the shoulder again, move his front legs around the outside of the tire, making sure he crosses over in front of and not behind the weight-bearing leg. Note: First make sure that your mini is calm during the picnic in the middle of the tire exercise (as described in Part 1) before you try any of the more advanced maneuvers described here.
By now you have taught your mini to follow on the lead while you both explore and have all kinds of adventures around your property, inspecting new things and having picnics everywhere imaginable. If your mini is to learn to be driven, he now needs to have the confidence to take the lead. When you begin this process, review (with your mini) leading together from the work station to the round pen. If you are training a team and dealing with two minis, tie their halters together at the side rings with about eighteen inches of 3/8-inch nylon rope with small snaps on each end between them, and use one lead rope snapped to the center of the tie rope between them. Begin by taking your position in the lead while carrying a dressage whip. Slowly work your way in beside them on the near (left) side, tap them each once gently on the hindquarters with the whip to let them know you expect them to continue forward and ahead of you (even though you are moving more slowly than they are on an angle to gradually work your way in behind them). Pretty soon, you should be directly behind them, encouraging them both forward if they do stop with a gentle tap of the dressage whip, but only one tap for each balky step.
In subsequent lessons going forward, the next steps are to attach the drive lines and ground-drive your mini in the round pen. Ground-drive around the rail in each direction at the walk and do smaller circles from the rail and back to the rail around the larger circle. Execute an “S” turn through the middle to change directions and do the same going in the opposite direction. End each lesson with a square halt and a back. If he does not do any of these moves with ease, just be happy with what he offers and stop the lesson there. This will give your mini a lesson in communication through the bit. It is imperative that he learns this. You always have the next lesson to continue forward and you want to avoid any confrontation that will cause resistant behavior. It is easier to prevent the behavior from occurring than to have to correct it later. If you are ground-driving two minis, work each mini alone first and then follow this exact same procedure with your team.
Moving to an open arena changes your mini’s perception of space and he will often feel like playing, so set up the cones of the hourglass pattern for him. Ground-driving through the hourglass pattern will help to maintain his attention and give him a point of focus for his lessons. Ground-drive your mini as you did in the round pen, but now he will be driven through the hourglass pattern with random halts. If you have any balking, just stop, reward for stopping, regroup and try again. Remember to go slowly and use frequent halts and backs in order to reward your mini. This helps him to stay attentive to your hands. Remember to do a full halt yourself—in good posture—before you step forward to reward him. If you pay attention to your own posture and the quality of your walk and halts, he will pay attention to his.
People ask what a miniature equine can possibly be good for besides being a pet or pasture ornament. Besides being dear, sweet companions, miniatures are able to do a lot of things.
There are classes at various shows (both open horse shows and miniature shows), where minis are not only driven in harness with a variety of carts and small carriages, but they also do trail courses and jumping on the lead line. Miniatures enjoy performing and have personality-plus, which audiences love! How well-trained your mini is will determine his willingness to do a multitude of fun activities, so make training fun and exciting for your mini. Enjoy the small victories along the way, use your creativity, reward lavishly and look forward to your adventures together.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Meet the Lucky Three Equines 2014!
Trained for Core Strength & Longevity (not for sale)
Little Jack Horner – Foaled: 6-11-80 Large Standard Jack 13.2 hands
Lucky Three Franklin – Foaled: 1976 Miniature John Mule 10.1 hands
Lucky Three Diamond Jubilee – Foaled 9-2-99 Paso Fino/Morgan Molly Mule 16.2 hands
Lucky Three Mirage – Foaled5-15-1996 Miniature Gelding Horse 8.3 hands
Lucky Three Francis – Foaled: 2002 Miniature Molly Mule 9.2 hands
Lucky Three Brandy – Foaled: 1995 Quarter Horse Molly Mule 14 hands
Lucky Three Sundowner – Foaled: 6-2-80 Quarter Horse John Mule 16.2 hands
Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. – Foaled 5-1-82 Appaloosa Molly Mule 15.2 hands
Lucky Three Ciji – Foaled: 5-9-83 Appaloosa Molly Mule 14.3 hands
Lucky Three Cyclone – Foaled: 5-2-83 Arabian/Quarter Horse John Mule 14.3 hands
Lucky Three Firestorm – Foaled: 6-1-84 Arabian/Quarter Horse Molly Mule 14.2 hands
Lucky Three Mister Moon – Foaled: 3-29-88 Quarter Horse John Mule 15.1 hands
Lucky Three Eclipse – Foaled: 6-27-86 Appaloosa John Mule 15.2 hands
Lucky Three Calypso – Foaled: 3-21-88 Quarter Horse John Mule 15.1 hands
Lucky Three Sir Lancelot – Foaled: 4-6-94 Paint John Mule 15.2 hands
Lucky Three Melinda’s Masterpiece – Foaled: 4-30-90 Thoroughbred Molly Mule 15.3 hands
Lucky Three Midnight Victory – Foaled: 6-21-90 Anglo-Trakehner Molly Mule 15 hands
Lucky Three Vindicator – Foaled: 6-21-91 Anglo-Trakehner John Mule 16 hands
Lucky Three Sir Guy – Foaled: 6-9-96 Paint John Mule 15.1 hands
Lucky Three Sangreal – Foaled: 6-17-96 Paint Molly Mule 15.3 hands
Lucky Three My April – Foaled: 4-6-94 Thoroughbred Molly Mule 15 hands
Lucky Three Flossy’s Angel – Foaled4-13-94 Quarter Horse Molly Mule 15.2 hands
Lucky Three Magical Merlin – Foaled: 4-8-94 Paint John Mule 14.2 hands
Lucky Three Roll – Foaled: 1992 Belgian Draft John Mule 18 hands
Lucky Lil’ Ass Augie – Foaled: 8-13-10 Miniature Donkey Gelding 8.2 hands
Lucky Lil’ Ass Spuds – Foaled: 8-28-10 Miniature Donkey Gelding 8.1 hands
Kip Dee Beau – Foaled: 2-17-87 Registered Quarter Horse Stallion 15.3 hands
Vinesse – Foaled: 5-15-85 Registered Anglo-Trakehner Mare 16.3 hands
Sassy’s Shadow – Foaled: 5-20-85 Registered Paint Mare 15.1 hands
Let Er Go Go – Foaled: 6-25-83 Registered Thoroughbred Mare 15.2 hands
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
©2014, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Mule Exhibition
Meredith Hodges riding Lucky Three Eclipse and driving Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T.
The history of the mule has its roots in the Bible as the mount of kings and even then, their sense of humor was evident. The mule’s contributions have been numerous. He’s been on the battlefields of European and American history, George Washington bred the first mules in America, mules pulled the heavy wagons across the Great Plains and over the rugged Rocky Mountains to open the gateway to the West.
They worked in the coal mines of Kentucky, plowed fields and harvested crops, pulled supply wagons in the cities and packed gold and furs for miners and hunters. None are as famous as the Borax 20-mule team! The military has had many uses for mules that could traverse terrain that no other could. Even the Rose Bowl in Pasadena must credit mules for its construction.
Today, mules are finding their way into every aspect of equine athletics. They are a mount that is strong, athletic, eat less than horses, are more resistant to parasites and disease, are more surefooted, more sensible and thus, cheaper to keep.
Meredith Hodges, author and equine behaviorist from the Lucky Three Ranch, is here today to show you what well-schooled mules can do. She will be riding Lucky Three Eclipse while driving Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. in front to a song from her upcoming animated television series, Jasper: The Story of a Mule. For a lot more information on mules and Meredith’s educational products, go to her website at www.luckythreeranch.com!
*Exhibition Layout
-Will require plating a CD
-Will take place inside 60’ X 180’ space
-Will require volunteers for setup
-Setup includes planters on the four corners of the space, one cavaletti set to one side in the middle of the riding space
-Lighting should be subdued with a spot on Meredith and the two mules as they ride their pattern to music (4 min. 25 sec.)
-Meredith’s cameramen (2) will need places to film from where they will not get interference
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2003, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Lucky Three Ranch – 45th Anniversary
By Meredith Hodges
It’s hard to believe that I have already spent 45 years in the business with not only mules and donkeys, but 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 and when not riding, it was still 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 was being abused. Little did I know then, my 100-stall barn would be terribly inadequate.
I actually founded the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado in 1980 although I had many years with horses and six years with mules before then. I moved to Colorado with the intent of going to Colorado State University to get my veterinarian credentials, so I sought out places to live in Fort Collins. It was a fluke that a contract fell through and this tiny little 10-acre sheep ranch became available. I remember standing in the driveway, my vision crystal clear in my head, and told my mother, “This place HAS LOTS of possibilities.” She gave me a condescending nod and said, “It definitely has lots of possibilities.” I don’t think she had any idea of what was to come! But, after all, the vision was MINE!
Since, I began a journey that has led me from equine breeding and training for mules and donkeys, through showing, then judging and giving clinics. I developed the first ever equine training correspondence course with my videos. I revised them for television and was on numerous channels and RFD-TV for 11 years. After going off television, I adapted my award-winning TV Shows for VIDEO ON DEMAND from my website at www.luckythreeranch.com and expanded our presence on Social Media. I have written 3 hardbound books and 3 manuals on equine management and training that all complement each other. They overlap, but are not duplicated. There is a lot to learn and the learning never ends. The addition of the DVDs provided the most comprehensive management and training series ever to hit the equine industry. Since I have always documented EVERYTHING I learned, I produced numerous TELLY AWARD WINNING documentaries that are also in the VOD section of my website. I decided to go this route because of the lack of continuity in the management and training materials that I had to work with while I was growing up. I saw and personally experienced the therapeutic value of equines and became intimately involved with the HEARTS AND HORSES THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER (www.heartsandhorses.org) located just a few miles from my Lucky Three Ranch. The interaction with this program inspired me to write my children’s series of books and videos, and even a music CD, Jasper the Mule. I launched this fun and educational children’s series by writing a letter from a baby mule named JASPER to myself stating his concerns about training and his perception of trainers from the mule’s point of view.
The Lucky Three Ranch slowly became even more than the vision that had in my mind 45 years ago! My interest and influence in the equine community grew into something much more expansive than my original 100-stall barn. It grew into the LOVELAND LONGEARS MUSEUM & SCULPTURE PARK at LUCKY THREE RANCH! We opened the ranch to tours and each tour is a personalized clinic for those who attend. I can now reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and am now in a position to be able to teach them how to appreciate and enjoy their equines as much as I enjoy mine and share it in a multitude of different ways. It is so incredibly rewarding when I see happy animals with happy owners doing the things that they love together! This is the gift that I have been given in life by my Maker to share with others and their joy is my reward! Thank you to all of my friends and fans for your loyalty and support! I couldn’t have made 45 years without you and the magnificent equines that color my life! The ultimate gift for me is to be able to see all of you enjoying LONGEARS as much as I do, and to see you going forward to accomplish great things and become amazing ambassadors of the breed!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2015, 2016, 2025 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Lucky Three Ranch – 35th Anniversary
By Meredith Hodges
It’s hard to believe that I have already spent 35 years in the business with not only mules and donkeys, but 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 and when not riding, it was still 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 was being abused. Little did I know then, my 100-stall barn would be terribly inadequate.
I actually founded the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado in 1980 although I had many years with horses and six years with mules before then. I had moved to Colorado with the intent of going to Colorado State University to get my veterinarian credentials, so I sought out places to live in Fort Collins. It was a fluke that a contract fell through and this tiny little 10 acre sheep ranch became available. I remember standing in the driveway, my vision crystal clear in my head, and told my mother, “This place HAS LOTS of possibilities.” She gave me a condescending nod and said, “It definitely has lots of possibilities.” I don’t think she had any idea of what was to come! But, after all, the vision was MINE!
Since, I began a journey that has led me from equine breeding and training for mules and donkeys, through showing and then judging and clinics, developing the first ever equine training correspondence course through my videos, on television the internet and Social Media. I have written numerous books on training that all complement each other, but with the addition of the DVDs provide the most comprehensive management and training series ever to hit the equine industry. I decided to go this route because of the lack of continuity in the management and training materials that I had to work with while I was growing up. I saw and personally experienced the therapeutic value of equines and became intimately involved with the Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding facility just a few miles from the Lucky Three Ranch. The interaction with this program inspired me to write my children’s series, Jasper the Mule. I launched it by writing a letter from a baby mule to myself with his concerns about training and his perception of trainers from the mule’s standpoint.
The Lucky Three ranch slowly became the vision that had been in my mind 35 years ago! My interest and influence in the equine community grew into something much larger than my original 100-stall barn. I now reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and am now in a position to be able to teach them how to appreciate and enjoy their equines as much as I enjoy mine in a multitude of different ways. It is so incredibly rewarding when I see happy animals with happy owners doing the things that they love together! This is the gift that I have been given in life by my Maker to share with others and their joy is my reward! Thank you to all of my friends and fans for your loyalty and support! I couldn’t have made 35 years without you and the magnificent equines that color my life!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
© 2015, 2016 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Lucky Three Ranch
By Meredith Hodges
It was a cold October morning in 1979 as we hurriedly bathed the last 12 animals to be sold at Windy Valley Ranch’s dispersal sale. After seven years of quality mule production and training, the mainstay of my life was about to come to a close. A hard sell, I had grown to love these longeared animals and could not imagine a life without them. I begged my mother to let me have at least one mule and the 18-year-old Quarter Horse gelding I had used as my ponying horse to take with me when I moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University vet school and start building my own ranch. But, she told me all the animals had to go through the sale.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched my friends being sold one at a time. I could only hope that they would all go to good homes. As the killer bid $450 for my old gelding, my heart stopped. He may have been 18, but I knew there was still a lot of good years left in that old horse! And, he loved the mules! As the monies were tallied, I stood in the office, stunned by the events of the day – Windy Valley Ranch would be no more. Without a change in expression, my mother looked up at me and said, “O.K… I will give you the old gelding, one pregnant mare, and the pony for Dena. They didn’t really bring enough in the sale anyway, but you’ll have to wait to ship them until the foal is born.” I was ecstatic! It was at that moment I decided that the legacy of the Windy Valley Ranch would never die as long as I was alive to carry on and I eagerly relayed this information to my mother.
Mom had come with us for the final real estate check on our newly acquired property in Colorado. A meager ten acres with a few out buildings, it was verging on resembling a large dump with 100 head of sheep roaming about. There was no grass or fences to speak of, but the sheep manure was plentiful! It was three feet deep over the entire two-acre barn area. In fact, it was so deep that the horses couldn’t even get in under the sheds! Yet when Gary, my mother, and I stood in the drive and surveyed the property one last time before returning to California, all I could see was what could be. “It’s got possibilities,” I said enthusiastically. My mother scowled, then grinned and said, “Yeah, it’s got possibilities all right.”
Gary and I decided to marry before moving to Colorado and one of our friends wanted to make us a sign for our ranch as a wedding gift, so we had to come up with a name. We felt so lucky to be moving to colorful and inspiring Colorado to begin a whole new life together: Gary, Dena and I. When we asked my mother for some suggestions, she came up with the Lucky Three Ranch. It couldn’t have been a more appropriate name and so it came to be! We moved in June of 1980 and a week later, Lucky Three Sundowner was born. The week after that all our animals—three horses, one pony, and one mule—were shipped to their new home in Colorado.
Though my trust fund provided enough to cover basic living costs, it could by no means provide us with an excess to spend, so the first two years we spent digging our way out of the sheep manure and garbage with nothing but shovels! We built fences and sheds out of discarded lumber and made do as best we could. Each day I set aside one hour to spend with the first mule that was ever totally mine!
It was Lucky Three Sundowner who inspired the direction our ranch would take. That first year, he won all his halter classes and gave us more pleasure than had any animal in my life. We decided to try to save and buy a jack eventually so we could revive the quality and standards of the Windy Valley mules. It was on my birthday in 1981 that my mother presented me with the papers on the last donkey born at Windy Valley, Little Jack Horner. After showing Sundowner at Bishop Mule Days, we high-tailed it up to Healdsburg to pick up Little Jack Horner and take him back to Colorado with us. We were just outside of Sparks, Nevada, on our way home when we heard frantic honking behind us. We pulled over and were greeted by a rather large, burly, smiling gentleman who asked, “You got a Windy Valley jack in that trailer?” No one can ever say that Ernie Fanning doesn’t know his Longears! We introduced ourselves and sat there along the highway talking mules for about a half an hour. Afterwards, we were again on our way with our trailer full of hopes and dreams.
Eight years later, the dreams were fulfilled several times over with each new direction we took with our mules. Little Jack Horner proved his value by producing some of the finest mules in the world. Every one claimed a place at Halter and the older ones took their respective places in performance. Lucky Three Sundowner won well over twenty titles to his credit, including National Western Grand Champion Model Mule in 1983 and Bishop Mule Days World Champion Bridle Reined Mule in 1984. Later, he was the first mule to make it to Fourth Level Dressage.
Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T., a molly by Colorado Poncho and out of our Appaloosa mare, Sam’s Nickey (bred before Little Jack Horner was old enough to breed), was foaled in 1982 and had over 40 titles to her credit, including National Western Stock Show Drive & Ride Champion in 1986, Single Hitch Champion in 1987 and 1988 and Bishop Mule Days Reserve World Champion Drive & Ride and Single Hitch Mule in 1986 and 1987. Mae Bea C.T. had won numerous titles in Halter, English & Western Pleasure, Trail, Reining, and Dressage in her short career. She is the first mule I ever trained without any interference from anyone. In my opinion, she was the best mule I ever produced of the 30 or better that I had trained before. Still, there were many more Little Jack Horner offspring to come! Bea’s crowing glory was to beat 56 horses in Combined Training in 1993 at the Novice Level. Given the right start in a carefully planned training program, our mules provided us with the additional finances we needed to expand to the breeding and training operation that we had for twenty years, but it is more than just this for which we stand.
We began as a family of three enthusiastic people, loving and living Longears and that part hasn’t changed. Good hired help is next to impossible to find, so we built up our ranch so that it would be relatively easy to care for it ourselves. In 1984, we added 70 more acres and a hay business to our operation—still managed entirely by our small family and a few friends on occasion. Experience and dedication to Longears caused us to cover a wide spectrum of training with our mules, ranging from Western to English and finally to Dressage and Combined Training. Little Jack Horner became the Sire-Supreme of mules that naturally possessed the athletic ability and conformation to accomplish a wide variety of interests. This further exhibited the true versatility of quality mules. In 1984, we bought a 14.2 HH jennet at the Segelke Dispersal sale in Denver in hopes of developing a Mammoth donkey jack with the refined
characteristics of the Large Standard and Standard donkeys.
We had two jennets by Little Jack Horner who reflect success in this experiment: Lucky Three Pantera, a 15HH jennet and Lucky Three Serendipity, a 14HH jennet. The future provided us with more quality donkeys, particularly our three refined jacks, two Large Standard jacks and one Mammoth jack.
Our ranch was built out of love, respect and loyalty to Longears. We always enjoyed sharing our stories and experiences with others and encourage this good feeling in the industry. We have learned so much over the years and wish to share this success with others. Out of this desire for sharing grew the Colorado Donkey & Mule Society that operated out of our ranch for more than two years. It wasn’t long ago that we were knocking on the doors of horse shows everywhere, begging for acceptance. When we formed the Colorado Donkey and Mule Society, we had horse people knocking on the doors of our learning clinics! At the same time, we had nearly six times the number of Longears shows in Colorado that we had before!
Acceptance by the United States Dressage Federation in 1986 was the most inspiring influence we encountered in our 15 years with Longears. A tradition in equestrian arts, the United States Dressage Federation literally lives by its motto, “A Circle of Friends.” They aided us in putting our mules to the test and allowed us to test their capabilities at numerous schooling shows. We also discovered that Dressage Training (as tradition already has it) only enhances an animal’s performance. It is for this reason that we always start our young mules this way, though each individual may be suited for something different. It was our U.S.D.F. instructor, Melinda Weatherford, who inspired Gary, Dena, and I to go one step farther into Combined Training. The mule’s natural jumping ability lent itself beautifully to this avenue of training—besides, it’s just a lot of fun for both mules and riders! Our daughter, Dena, worked diligently to try to become a United States Equestrian Team rider. She said if she finally made the Olympic team, she hoped they would allow her to exhibit her three-day event mule, Lucky Three Nuggett at the Olympics. Although they never did have this opportunity, it looks like Longears will continue to prosper through a third generation in this family with my granddaughters as they love Longears, too!
I have been writing “MULE CROSSING,” a column that appeared in numerous mule and horse publications throughout the U.S. and Europe for many years. This has been my way of sharing all our wonderful experiences with Longears with others.
Our Longears have given us many memorable moments in our lives, most of them pleasurable and it is my desire to share this knowledge with others that keeps me going. Lucky Three Ranch only produced three to four mules per year because that is all we could handle for training. Our mules proved their quality and value many times over in the show ring.
We had wonderful news from some of our L.T.R. mule owners: Lucky Three Desiree, 1988 Florida State Fair Grand Champion Model Mule at 2 1/2 years old; Lucky Three Stardust, 4th at Halter and 2nd in Green Pleasure at the 1988 Virginia State Fair, then two 1sts and a 2nd in performance and a 4th at Halter at the North Carolina State Fair at four years old! It did my heart good to hear all our clients raving about their fine offspring by Little Jack Horner and the ultimate is when they come and beat us in a show as did Donna Groh’s “L.J.’s Hanna!” Lucky Three Ranch was born of love and friendship, grew with quality and ability, and will continue to prosper with the sharing of all these good things combined!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 1991, 1998, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Press Release: The 20-Mule Team Comes to the Lucky Three Ranch
Lucky Three Ranch sponsored the replication of the old 20-Mule Team Borax Wagons just in time for the New Year’s Day Rose Parade where they made their first debut. Owner of the 20-Mule Team, Bobby Tanner has been exhibiting the 20-Mule Team at Bishop Mule Days for many years with re-makes of the old Borax wagons, but these current wagons are an actual replication done by Dave Engel, Wheelwright, Blacksmith and Carriage Restorer from Montana with help from multiple sponsors like Garon and Donna Stutzman of Maryland, including myself in partnership with the Death Valley Conservancy. Their second appearance was in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington D.C. on the Fourth of July. On the way home back to Bishop, California we had the honor and privilege of their company for two nights and a day here at the Lucky Three Ranch. We all had a wonderful time together and several people from the community were able to come here to view the 20-Mule Team and the new wagons! What fun!
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MULE CROSSING: Much Ado About Mules
By Meredith Hodges
In the early sixties, mules were among those animals quickly becoming extinct in this country. Thanks to the formation of clubs such as The American Donkey and Mule Society, founded in 1967, and the British Donkey Breed Society, founded in 1966, the trend was reversed and the animals began to get the recognition they justly deserved.
With renewed interest in mules and donkeys, clubs and events are springing up all over the country and Colorado is no exception. Those of us in Colorado who have become mule lovers are invited to join the Rocky Mountain Longears Association. The meetings are held in Littleton, Colorado and a newsletter is sent out monthly to keep members informed of the club’s activities and to unite members of the club who cannot attend those meetings. The purpose and goals for this organization are as follows: to promote Longears and publicize the activities of our club, to promote well-mannered, usable, working Longeared animals, to provide entertainment and pleasurable activities for Longears, and to provide the opportunity for the members to help and learn from each other.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the breeding of a mule, he is the cross between a male donkey, called a jack, and a female horse, a mare. The reverse of that–a cross between a male horse, a stallion, and a female donkey, a jenny on jennet–is called a hinny, although many still refer to them as mules. Years ago people used low quality mares to breed to jacks to obtain mules, but today we are improving the breed by crossing better quality animals to obtain better and stronger mules.
The Lucky Three Ranch has come a long way since its beginning in 1980. The once 10-acre sheep ranch was successfully converted to a comfortable mule-breeding facility complete with a 14-stall barn, pens, indoor arena, and eight acres left in pasture in its earlier years. We began a breeding program with six broodmares, primarily Quarter Horses, at the ranch, four of which were in foal to Little Jack Horner almost immediately. The Lucky Three Ranch offered the option of obtaining a mule from the ranch, or if you preferred, you were invited to bring in your own mare to be bred to Little Jack Horner. L.J. became a proven sire. Breeding season at the Lucky Three Ranch was from March to August, at which time mares could be booked and brought to the ranch to be bred. Plans for breeding could also be made in advance of the breeding season although no mares were accepted until March. High health standards were maintained for the safety and well-being of the animals. Careful records were kept and a custom made breeding chute insured the safety of mares being bred. Visitors were encouraged to come and tour the facility provided that they called for an appointment first.
Many have asked about the training of mules. Training mules is much like training horses, but sophisticated trainers would probably agree that they are more like teaching young children. A mule is more likely to perform to the best of his ability if he is allowed to build trust in his trainer. This is where mules and horses differ. Horses have a forgiving nature and are able to forget a loss of temper by the trainer; mules do not forget. When a mule is nervous about a trainer, his ability to perform for the trainer is impaired. Pat Parelli, a California mule trainer, put it quite nicely: “Mules separate crude trainers from artistic trainers.” The mule handled by a crude trainer will generally epitomize the traditional belief that mules are stubborn and ornery. The mule handled by an artistic trainer will not. A technique widely used among mule trainers with great success is the psychological science of Behavior Modification, whereby the animal’s natural behaviors are modified to achieve the desired response through the use of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is also used sparingly. When using negative reinforcement, one must remain calm, patient, and just to ensure the success of the temporary discipline. One must remember that negative reinforcement does not build desirable behavior. It is only used to stop a bad behavior long enough to substitute a desirable behavior. A mule trained in this manner will become a more trustworthy, willing, and predictable friend and companion. Let’s dispel the old saying that mules are “stubborn” and “ornery” and say that there are really no bad mules, only bad trainers.
The success of this method of training was reflected in the accomplishments of Lucky Three Sundowner, the first mule I brought to Colorado. He was sired by Windy Valley Adam and out of Candy Etta, a registered Quarter Horse mare. Sundowner stood 16 hands tall as a three year old. He won first place in the halter class for saddle mules, 56” and over at the National Western Stock Show in January of 1983, then went on to take first place in the Mule Reining competition at the Colorado State Fair in August of 1983. He was shown again at the National Western Stock Show January 14, 1984, in Halter, Western Pleasure, and Reining. Then it was on to the Bishop Mule Days World Show over Memorial Day Weekend 1984.
The Mule Days celebration in Bishop, California is the largest mule show in the world. Mule lovers, their friends and family enjoy four days of mule-related fun and entertainment. At this particular show there is a little something for everyone: Western cuisine, games, dancing, and conversation in addition to the mule show itself. In 1984, there were over 70 different classes and events for the competitors such as Pleasure classes, Reining classes, Trail, Musical Tires, Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. Also Jumping, Cattle Penning, Steer Stopping, Team Roping, and a Balloon Bust. For the packers: Pack Train classes, Packing contests, Box Hitch and Diamond Hitch packing contests (pro and non-pro), Team Packing and the Team Packing Scramble which you have to see to believe! There are Halter classes, Pulling, Driving classes, and for you race fans: Chariot races, Flat Track races, and yes, even a Backwards race! To highlight the events, there are featured performances by special people and mules. Almost every year, the 20-mule team makes an appearance and in 1981 Slim Pickens, Grand Marshall of the Mule Days Parade, drove his team to victory in a chariot race! In 1984, Colorado’s own Al Kaly Shrine Temple Mule Train World Champion Drill Team out of Colorado Springs gave a memorable performance on their beautifully matched, black army mules. This mule show brings together so many people with different backgrounds and interests for a perfectly glorious weekend. Each year leaves you looking forward to the next.
Even those who do not ride can enjoy the fun and frolic sponsored by “Longears” clubs. The mules of today have truly given new meaning to the word “mule”. The days of the ornery, stubborn, work mule are gone, and in its place, is a wonderfully entertaining new breed capable of competing in any area of equine athletics, performing for charity benefits, and more. Before dismissing him too hastily, see for yourself what he can do at any of Colorado’s mule events. Event schedules can be obtained from any Rocky Mountain Longears Association member. So ask. Join the millions of people who are discovering mules. He’s an intelligent, surefooted, sensible, and entertaining animal, so why not give him a try?
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 1984, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: Missy’s Mule Twins
By Meredith Hodges
In 1987, the Fourth of July brought more than picnics, rodeos, and fireworks for John Thomas and his family of Berthoud, Colorado. They were blessed with the miracle of twin mules!
The year before, John came down with a mild case of mule fever and decided to breed his red-road, half-Arabian mare, Missy, to Little Jack Horner here at the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland. The breeding went smoothly and the mare was sent home. She returned 15 days later for her ultra-sound pregnancy check, at which time we discovered she had conceived twins. Since the twins posed a life-threatening situation, Kent Knebel, D.V.M., our attending veterinarian and I advised John of his options. We could abort the twins and start over or we could abort one and hope the other survived. The third and most risky choice would be to let nature run its course and hope for the best. John opted for the latter and took Missy home. She would be due to foal in August.
The incidence of twins in equines is rare. If they are conceived, they rarely make it through the birth process. The primary reasons for this are the lack of nutrients to sustain two fetuses and the way the uterus contracts during the birth process. In a dog, cat, or animal given to litters, the uterus contracts in segments, giving each baby an opportunity to “line-up” for birth. In equines, the uterus contracts as a whole, often causing both babies to be pushed into the birth canal together. This usually ends in disaster. Before birth, a stronger twin may horde the larger part of the mother’s nutrients causing the second twin’s growth to be stunted. The degree of deprivation determines whether the smaller twin can survive, provided they both make it through the birth process. Either way, twins in equines are an extremely risky situation.
In early June, I heard from John again. Missy was enlarging rapidly and John was concerned about her welfare. She was on pasture and could not be watched closely. We agreed that she should return to the Lucky Three Ranch for foaling where she could be monitored more carefully. In mid-June, Missy returned to the Lucky Three Ranch. She was positively enormous… bearing a stark resemblance to a rhinoceros! It was inconceivable that she would carry full term.
A pre-partum vet check revealed some doubt about there still being twins. Kent checked Missy and was only able to feel one baby inside. He said there was a possibility that one of the twins may have been absorbed, or was very small and hidden beneath the other. Otherwise, the mare’s condition was excellent. There was nothing to do but wait!
In two weeks, Missy dropped some of her weight and began to look more like a pregnant mare again. Apparently the unsupervised pasturing had allowed her to become somewhat obese. She began to wax after two weeks and we were ready for action, but she fooled us. The waxing stage came and went and she began streaming milk wherever she walked. On July 3, Dr. Knebel took another look at her while he was out at the ranch tending to another patient. “Looks like a firecracker birth to me…” he announced, “or maybe the day after.”
Every hour, on the hour, we checked her throughout the night. Finally at the 4:00 A.M. check, I was greeted by two darling new faces, one jet black and the other dark bay…the twins had arrived! Missy apparently had a relatively easy birth. The twins were fine, one only slightly smaller than the other. There were no tears or signs of strain on the mare and the placenta was intact after being expelled. I treated the twins’ umbilical cords with iodine, saw to it that they both nursed and then gave them both enemas to assure that the meconium was passed. The proud mother watched carefully as a multitude of visitors came to view the result of this miraculous birth on the Fourth of July. Conceived on John’s birthday and born on the Fourth of July, the twins gave John a real good dose of Mule Fever! He decided to breed Missy again the same year, though he felt one baby would be sufficient next time. Little Jack Horner’s bray could be heard for miles… braying the victory of a very proud father!
Missy was not the only mare to successfully foal with mule twins this year. In April of 1987, Ron and Marsha Talbot of California had a mare foal with twins and Ann Greer-Rankine of the Thunderbolt Jack Station in Wyoming reported a set of twins by their jack, Scott’s Gallant Eagle.
It seems in Missy’s case, we had all the right things going for us. She is an aged broodmare, stretched out enough from previous births to accommodate the twins. Because the twins are mules, they are stronger and better able to grow on less nourishment than are horse babies. They are also born smaller, so their chances of manipulating into position for birth are better. And lastly, both of Missy’s foals were females, the stronger of the two sexes.
It is interesting to discover that the incidence of twin mules is greater than that of twin horses. The primary reason is that mule foals are typically smaller than horse foals and have a better chance at survival. We can only marvel at these miracles and hold dear the uniqueness of these wonderful long-eared animals! Congratulations to the long-eared twins of 1987!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 1987, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MULE CROSSING: L.T.R Harvest Party
By Meredith Hodges
September 30, 1989, marked another historical event for the mule industry; it was a mule and donkey promotional extravaganza held at the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Hosted by Gary and Meredith Hodges, 250 Colorado Donkey & Mule Society and Rocky Mountain Longears Association members, their families, friends, and business associates gathered for a fun-filled evening of good food, entertainment, dancing, and Longears displays. Even the mules and donkeys had a good time meeting and greeting their numerous guests, some of whom had never before had any personal contact with Longears. By the end of the evening, they were pleasantly hooked on Longears!
Upon arrival for this gala affair, guests knew this was no ordinary ranch. Parking was made available in the midst of an extravagant, well-designed jump course that suggested a first class hunter-jumper operation, but the high-pitched, bray-neighs that echoed over the ranch were clearly not horses! Who would have expected mules and donkeys that were being trained in Dressage and Combined Training?! A short stroll from the parking lot brought guests to the entrance of the Lucky Three Ranch Training Barn where 17 donkeys and mules of all ages were displayed. All the animals were neatly groomed and clipped while stall signs explained their personal histories and accomplishments. As guests read and gazed their way down “Longears Alley,” numerous questions were asked and answered, sparking new interest in these wonderfully talented animals. Children giggled and laughed as the mules and donkeys let them pet them, licked their fingers, and brayed to them, while the adults discussed the finer points of the mules and donkeys in society today. It was clear to everyone that these were indeed very talented and very special equines!
The end of “Longears Alley” marked the entrance to a fantasyland, a beautiful garden accented with photographs and a display showing all the different things that Longears can do! To the right of the entrance was “The Old Waterhole” where our fantastic journey through “Longears Country” began. We filled our “canteen” and started our trek over the bridge that spanned the banks of a small pond, generously dotted with ferns, marigolds, and silk wildflowers. Below a photograph of Lucky Three Sundowner performing Dressage, a little waterfall trickled down through the flowers and shrubs, washing away the sounds of the city and beckoning guests to the heart of this “Longears Country.”
Once on the other side of the bridge, on a wall above carefully stacked hay bales, were displayed portraits of Lucky Three’s “Little Jack Horner” and some of his numerous offspring, all with nicely chiseled, refined and beautiful heads showing that properly bred mules can possess the same true beauty and grace as that of the horse! Continuing down the path through a forest of Aspen trees, we came upon a couple of folks headed for town on Saturday night in their “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” being pulled very discreetly by a “Rocking Pony” from Great Britain’s royal court. The pony seemed to whisper her own part in the scheme of the production of Longears while she gently rocked her way down the forest road. The forest opened into a clearing where the road made a gradual turn into a long, cheery arbor, decorated in multicolored silk flowers, greenery, and hay bale benches. At carefully designated spots, hung pictures of mule babies, their mothers, several different types of mule riding for pleasure and show, and photographs of our own Colorado participants in the A.D.M.S. entry in the 1988 Rose Bowl Parade New Year’s Day. At the end of the arbor, nestled in a cozy mountain valley of hay bales, sat a quaint little dollhouse, cheerfully lit and fully furnished. Peeking through the windows, guests could observe the family inside spending a restful evening at home. Behind the small house, to the right, loomed a mountain range of hay bales, stacked to accommodate a bleacher of spectators while on the left, in the center of the room, sat a large dance floor to provide visual entertainment for the “Mountain” spectators. As we passed the dance floor and mountain bleachers, to our right, we came upon two stuffed donkeys, one large and one small, perched in a rear-entry Meadowbrook cart lavishly decorated in silk flowers and vines. Apparently, neither of the two donkeys could decide who would pull whom, so the shafts stayed rested on a bale of hay for the duration of the evening! Sometimes it takes donkeys a very long time to make up their minds!
Rounding the corner behind the dance floor, on our left, the huge old hay wagon lined in hay bales provided a stage for the band. On the wall behind the stage, the Lucky Three Ranch stall curtains hung with harness collars on both sides, accented with more trees and hay bales. From here, Rod Hodges, Gary’s brother, and his band had the most awesome view of the entire 60′ X 120″ room. Their sensational and inspirational music filled the converted indoor arena for most of the evening to the tunes of a string bass, lead and rhythm guitars, drums, a saxophone, and a fiddle, playing wonderful country western and blues.
The Colorado Donkey & Mule Society greeted guests as they rounded the next corner with a booth full of mule and donkey decals, t-shirts and sweatshirts for sale. “Donkey Power” and “Mules can do…” were the themes of the evening. After making their purchases, guests passed another bleacher of hay bales and took their place in the food line, deliciously welcomed after a rather lengthy walk through “Longears Country.” The Country Caterers provided a feast of Dollar BBQ Beef sandwiches, Chicken Drummets, Cream Cheese Pizza, Amaretto Cream Cheese & Apple Slices, and a wide variety of crackers, chips and dips with the large Guacamole Bean Dip being the favorite; iced tea and coffee were offered in endless supply.
When most of the guests had taken their stroll and heaped their plates with the tasty delicacies, they were seated in the hay-lined Longears picnic area, generously filled with tables and chairs for weary guests. Gary and Meredith graciously welcomed all to the 2nd Annual Lucky Three Ranch Barndance and Longears Convention, reminding everyone that it was the mules and donkeys who inspired this entire fun-filled evening! Kicking off the evening, mule style, was Loveland’s Rockin’ Storm Mountain Cloggers! The melodious voices of the Ladies’ Quartet filled the room and the excitement built as the pair and line dancers performed their various creative and professional routines, taking the guests on yet another fantastic journey guided by the Clogger’s discreet humor and overwhelming talent! The Cloggers sang and danced, the band played, and the guests danced. The Cloggers returned for a second set after which the band played on to the end of the evening. A wonderful time was had by all: young and old, longears lovers and new recruits. Bankers, lawyers, shopkeepers, veterinarians, farriers, electricians, farmers, and equine sanitation experts all found something in common to enjoy this evening together, sparked by the humor and goodwill emanating from the Longears and their friends. Some said it was the “Woodstock of the Midwest,” but, whatever it was, it was apparent that we have humorous, kind-hearted and intelligent people in our industry who are ready, willing, and able to do whatever they can to insure the support and growth of our Longears industry… and in the process, they really know how to have a good time!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© October 1989, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.