Proud Mule Mommy!

"I've decided to let some of the youth riders at the barn ride Maxine in the show," I said casually, over dinner.

"Won't that affect her training," asked Dad.

"Maybe, but I think it would be fun to see someone else learn from her," I replied. "At least a youth rider would have the chance to win high point with her. My age group is too competitive."

My dad had a point, but I was more amused by the fact that the man who was skeptic when I bought Maxine after only seven months of riding ("That's a big commitment,") is now showing concern for her well-being.

Fortunately, we didn't have to worry. For the past few months, Blyth and Fianna have been riding Maxine during lessons and Maxine loves every minute of it. The girls ride only during supervised lessons, so I know they're all getting proper instruction, and I don't have to worry about their safety.

This past weekend, the girls had the chance to put Maxine to the test during a local trail clinic. Maxine politely carried them for six hours on Saturday--three hours each. At the end of the day, I took a go at the obstacles with Max and I was impressed with how well they'd tuned her up on the course.

The last day of the clinic offered a practice show. I watched as Blyth, and then Fianna, skillfully steered Maxine through the course.

"She's doing a good job on that gate," said the stranger standing next to me. "Hardly anyone's made it through that gate all day."

"Really," I asked.

"Yep," he replied. "That's a nice little mule."

"Thanks," I beamed. "She's mine. I'm very proud of them both."

Proud, indeed. The scores for the practice show were posted today--Blyth received the highest score from her judge and Fianna received the second highest score from her judge. I can't wait to see how they do in the official trail show next month. Look out youth riders, Maxine's in the house!

Photo: Fianna, Maxine, and Blyth getting ready for their clinic sessions.

A Little Drizzle Won't Dampen My Spirits!

I'd love to say that today was a beautiful day for riding. Alas, the rain continues to plague my barn visits. At least the temperature has finally reached the 50s. so I don't have to bundle up.

The advantage to this wet weather is that when I don't feel like riding in the rain, I get to think of other things to do with my girls.

Lately, I've been going on casual walks with my trainer. Each week we choose an equine and head down the road. Madge is my usual suspect. Since I typically ride Maxine on Saturdays, it makes sense to focus my Friday time on Madge. Today, however, I decided to take Max to practice long lining.

If you've ever driven an equine before, you've probably realized know that it's one of the best way to find the holes in your reining technique. When you're driving, you get to see your animal from ear to tail, and any bend in their body is much easier to see that when riding.

While followed Maxine down the road, I realized that she doesn't walk perfectly straight. Instead, her nose bends slightly to the right, which means that her barrel sticks out to the left. To fix her bend, I had to be firmer with my outside rein. This has long been a weakness of mine.

As we walked, I experimented with rein pressure, doing my best to keep Maxine in between the yellow lines on the road. I can't say that we were completely successful, but we showed major improvement by the end of our walk. I'm excited to translate what I learned today to riding.

After Maxine got a treat, I worked with Madge. We lunged for a while, stood quietly at the mounting block, practiced bridling, and snapped through a few showmanship moves. I'm happy to report that she's entered a mouthy phase (yeah, that's sarcasm), but I know that won't last long. Probably about as long as her kicking phase. *roll eyes*

By the end of the day, I was tired, soaked to the knees, and pleasantly satisfied with the work we'd done. The rain may have dampened my hair, but it didn't dampen my spirits.

Photo: Muddy boots = a productive day!

Even Oregonians Have Their Limits!

A few weeks ago, a friend wished that she had a covered arena at her barn. While I don't deny that a covered arena would be fabulous, I replied that we're better off without one because it keeps us from getting soft.

I have friends who are fair-weather riders, and that's fine for them. As an Oregonian, however, I've learned to adapt. If I didn't, I'd be grounded for up to six months each year!

Besides, there are some major advantages to working in inclement weather:

1. When winter comes, you won't find me hiding in my warm house, longing for summer riding. I may long for summer riding, but it will be from the top of a damp mule.
2. My girls know that they're expected to be polite in rain, snow, or hail. Besides, their ears are so big, they can flatten them out to create tiny umbrellas for their faces.
3. If a rain storm hits while I'm on a trail ride, I don't feel the need to hightail it back to the dry trailer. My fellow rainy-day riders and I just pull out our rain coats and keep on truckin'
4. Group lessons are always smaller during inclement weather. I've learned some of my best lessons on rainy days because no one else bothered to show up.

Of course, both of my girls are sacked out to umbrellas, cause let's face it--even I have my limits!

Photo: Maxine and I take a lesson in rain, wind, and hail. I think this is why the one-handed rein hold was invented.

Remember the Hula Hoop

Yesterday, I took a hula hoop out to the barn to see how Maxine would react to it. I got the idea last month while watching the Wind Rider Challenge at the NW Horse Fair and Expo in Albany.

It was hilarious to watch the horses react to the hula hoop. Some took it in stride, while others picked up their skirts and ran. Many horses entered the hoop quietly, but were spooked when the hoop popped up between their legs as a hoof stepped on the side.

The hula hoop they used had a rattle in it, so it sounded like a rattlesnake. Makes sense that many of the horses were spooked by it. No intelligent horse is going to ignore a rattler in the dirt, even if it is purple.

Always looking for something new and fun to try with Maxine, I bought my own hula hoop to see how she would react. Maxine wasn’t having it at first. Like the other horses, she stepped in the hoop just fine, but retreated when it rattled due to the nudge of a hoof. Knowing that she's usually okay with these kinds of things after she can "kill" them (it's the donkey half of her brain), I dragged the hoop with my foot so that she could walk behind and "hunt" it. After about ten minutes, she was walking quietly, albeit cautiously, through the hoop.

Once in the saddle, I again asked her to ride through the hoop. She wouldn’t have it. Moving back to square one, I stationed her nose on the hoop and kept her centered on the obstacle as she tried to move away. To a non-riding onlooker it probably looked like we were practicing dance moves.

That's when it hit me--"Hey, I'm actually good at this!"

I remembered my first trail show when Maxine refused nearly every obstacle. There were so few tools in my toolbox that if smart old Maxine decided something was unsafe, I didn't have a chance against her. The experienced wranglers at my barn seemed to get their animals through every challenge so easily. I envied their quiet, persuasive skills, wondering if I'd ever reach their level of experience.

Over the years, I've slowly added tools to my tool box, and yesterday was the first time I realized how far I've come in this regard. My arms and legs were each working independently and naturally to keep Maxine's nose centered on that obstacle. In less than five minutes, Maxine gave in and walked though the hoop. As a reward for both of us, we left the hoop for another day and took a long ride up the road with friends.

The interesting thing about riding is that each time we try a new discipline, obstacle, or skill, we often start from square one. It can be frustrating to be great at one thing but terrible at another. I sometimes think I'll never master a new skill. From now on, when I feel frustration tingling on the back of my neck, I'll remember the hula hoop.

Photo: Max eyes the hula hoop with caution. She's still not convinced that it won't eat her up.

Poor Baby!

Baby Madge had a rough day yesterday--she was drugged, stabbed, and now she's missing two teeth! No, she didn't go on a trip to South America. The friendly neighborhood vet came round for her first dental visit.

I was very proud of my little girl. Madge stood quietly as the vet gave her a shot of tranquilizer. Her eyes drooped as her nose dropped slowly to the ground. "Is there anything cuter than a dopey baby?" I though, as she looked at me with doughy eyes.

The vet skillfully floated her molars and pulled her two wolf teeth.* Then, I learned how to properly administer a vaccination. There's no better time to learn how to give you mule a shot than when she's is happily hopped up on drugs.

The best part? I got to keep the teeth!

Okay, before you call me crazy, let me tell you a story. Mules have opened up a whole new chapter of my family history. After I bought Maxine, relatives started telling me about their history with mules.

Just days before he passed away, I showed my great uncle a photo of me and Maxine. His eyes lit up and he told me stories about driving mules in the plum fields near Salem, Oregon. It was my last visit with him and the one I'll remember most.

When my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, the story he always asked me to tell was the one about how I found Maxine--the mule that no one else wanted.

A few years ago, my mom gave me a small wooden barrel. Inside, I found a large mule tooth wrapped in ancient tin foil, accompanied by this note:

"This tooth belonged to Kit, our young mare that we had when we lived in Molalla on a farm. It was her baby tooth. I found it in her box that she ate oats out of in 1916. That's when we lived there, called Russelville."

Nearly a century later, I get to add a new tooth and note to the barrel.

*For my non-equine friends: Wolf teeth are small premolars. Like wisdom teeth in humans, wolf teeth are unnecessary and can interfere with the bit (sometimes causing pain), so many owners have the teeth removed.

Photo: Madge is ready for her dental work.