Today when I went over to the barn there was a lot going on. Every thing was very well plowed out after our blizzard which I was pleased to see, and the horses were all out. Wendy told me that Louie was NOT happy about being in the previous day. Poor boy, he survived it. Guess you can't explain to them about it being a blizzard outside and it being best to stay in for one day.
I went down and got Louie. He led up to the barn like a good boy. Once in the barn he was all bug eyed and snorty at all the activity. I put him on the cross ties and he was not too happy. He wiggled around and pawed if I got out of sight for a second. And he pooped a hundred times I think! I brushed him and saddled him up. Taking my time and letting him settled down on the cross tied. The big outside arena doors were open and Louie eyeballed them pretty hard when we went in. I decided not to ride but just to lounge him once again as he was very distracted. It took a bit to finally get his attention and get him focused on working but he did finally settle in and was a good boy.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Night Before the Storm
I was tired today and had thought I might not go to the barn. But, with the storm coming, which sounded like it was going to be bad, I decided I'd better go as it might be a day or so before I could go again.
When I got there, the horses/mules had just been brought into the barn. Wendy was there and told me that Louie had been a very bad boy when she brought him up. She said he dragged her all the way to the barn. Then when she put him in his stall, she spun around, slamming her into the wall and bolted back out of the stall. She had not expected that kind of behavior so was not prepared for it. I did not expect that kind of behavior from him so of course had given her no warning. Wendy said all the horses had been keyed up and excited though. And this was the first time they had all come in the barn since Louie had been there. So, I'm sure he got nervous or excited or a bit of both about this sudden change and being handled by someone he didn't know, he just didn't pay any attention to Wendy. I can guarantee that won't happen again. Wendy will be prepared next time and will make him behave. I went out to my trailer to get my saddle and other tack. When Wendy saw me come into the barn with the saddle, she asked me if I was going to ride. When I said yes, she told me she thought I was crazy. She said she wouldn't want to ride any of them tonight as keyed up as they all were.
They were just starting to feed everyone and the woman feeding asked me what I wanted to do for feeding Louie. I told her to go ahead and feed Louie and then I would ride. She was very concerned about this. "You are going to wait at least a half hour before working him aren't you?" she asked. "And you aren't going to work him hard are you?". Well, as an endurance rider, so many of the things that I was taught growing up with horses such as: Never feed a horse and then work them. Or never feed a hot horse. Or never let a hot horse drink his fill of water. Or never let a hot horse just stand, you must walk them and cool them out slowly. You know, all the rules that if you break any, will cause a horse to die instantly. Endurance riding has taught me quite differently. (to a point of course, some common sense must be used as in all things) When distance riding, We ride hard, come into the holds with a hot horse, stand them as quietly as possible, saturating them with cold water, let them drink all the water they will and even do all we can to encourage this and feed them. Guess what, horses don't drop dead from this.
Now of course as I mentioned there is common sense to be used with this. I would not work an equine hard in the winter and just put him away wet. Putting them away hot would not worry me so much as putting them away wet in winter. That CAN cause them to get chilled. And I would not work them immediately after eating a large amount of concentrated feed (though I have seen this done in endurance riding often enough with no seeming ill effects) Louie only gets a small amount of concentrated fee. So, nothing to worry about in my opinion. So, I know this woman was a bit worried when I took Louie out into the arena right after eating. But, what could I do, and I appreciated that she cared enough about the welfare of my mule to say something when she thought some harm might be done to him. I did decide not to ride Louie but just to lounge him again.
I took Louie out into the arena and turned him loose. We walked and trotted around for just a bit but that was it. He was very quiet and finally just went to one end of the arena to watch what was going on as Wendy was getting the plow truck ready for the coming storm. So, I put Louie on the lounge line. He was VERY good and quiet. Just once when I asked him to canter, which we haven't done much of on the lounge line, did he decided to canter but NOT make a circle and headed straight down the arena. He dragged me a bit before I got him stopped. He didn't seem to know that he'd done anything wrong. And running straight wasn't the thing he did wrong actually. I was not whoa-ing when I asked him to. But, it was the only time that evening he didn't come to a quick stop when asked to whoa. I did a few more canter, whoa transitions and he did fine. So, that was enough for and I gave him some serious mule love and put him away. He was quiet and relaxed when I put him into his stall and went right to munching hay. Dolly, on the other hand, was NOT happy about being in a stall and unable to see Louie. There are solid walls between the stalls. Now, I just hope the storm isn't as bad as they say it's going to be. But, this will be one time the forecasters will be right most likely.
When I got there, the horses/mules had just been brought into the barn. Wendy was there and told me that Louie had been a very bad boy when she brought him up. She said he dragged her all the way to the barn. Then when she put him in his stall, she spun around, slamming her into the wall and bolted back out of the stall. She had not expected that kind of behavior so was not prepared for it. I did not expect that kind of behavior from him so of course had given her no warning. Wendy said all the horses had been keyed up and excited though. And this was the first time they had all come in the barn since Louie had been there. So, I'm sure he got nervous or excited or a bit of both about this sudden change and being handled by someone he didn't know, he just didn't pay any attention to Wendy. I can guarantee that won't happen again. Wendy will be prepared next time and will make him behave. I went out to my trailer to get my saddle and other tack. When Wendy saw me come into the barn with the saddle, she asked me if I was going to ride. When I said yes, she told me she thought I was crazy. She said she wouldn't want to ride any of them tonight as keyed up as they all were.
They were just starting to feed everyone and the woman feeding asked me what I wanted to do for feeding Louie. I told her to go ahead and feed Louie and then I would ride. She was very concerned about this. "You are going to wait at least a half hour before working him aren't you?" she asked. "And you aren't going to work him hard are you?". Well, as an endurance rider, so many of the things that I was taught growing up with horses such as: Never feed a horse and then work them. Or never feed a hot horse. Or never let a hot horse drink his fill of water. Or never let a hot horse just stand, you must walk them and cool them out slowly. You know, all the rules that if you break any, will cause a horse to die instantly. Endurance riding has taught me quite differently. (to a point of course, some common sense must be used as in all things) When distance riding, We ride hard, come into the holds with a hot horse, stand them as quietly as possible, saturating them with cold water, let them drink all the water they will and even do all we can to encourage this and feed them. Guess what, horses don't drop dead from this.
Now of course as I mentioned there is common sense to be used with this. I would not work an equine hard in the winter and just put him away wet. Putting them away hot would not worry me so much as putting them away wet in winter. That CAN cause them to get chilled. And I would not work them immediately after eating a large amount of concentrated feed (though I have seen this done in endurance riding often enough with no seeming ill effects) Louie only gets a small amount of concentrated fee. So, nothing to worry about in my opinion. So, I know this woman was a bit worried when I took Louie out into the arena right after eating. But, what could I do, and I appreciated that she cared enough about the welfare of my mule to say something when she thought some harm might be done to him. I did decide not to ride Louie but just to lounge him again.
I took Louie out into the arena and turned him loose. We walked and trotted around for just a bit but that was it. He was very quiet and finally just went to one end of the arena to watch what was going on as Wendy was getting the plow truck ready for the coming storm. So, I put Louie on the lounge line. He was VERY good and quiet. Just once when I asked him to canter, which we haven't done much of on the lounge line, did he decided to canter but NOT make a circle and headed straight down the arena. He dragged me a bit before I got him stopped. He didn't seem to know that he'd done anything wrong. And running straight wasn't the thing he did wrong actually. I was not whoa-ing when I asked him to. But, it was the only time that evening he didn't come to a quick stop when asked to whoa. I did a few more canter, whoa transitions and he did fine. So, that was enough for and I gave him some serious mule love and put him away. He was quiet and relaxed when I put him into his stall and went right to munching hay. Dolly, on the other hand, was NOT happy about being in a stall and unable to see Louie. There are solid walls between the stalls. Now, I just hope the storm isn't as bad as they say it's going to be. But, this will be one time the forecasters will be right most likely.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas day visit to the boarding barn
We had a lovely day today. Nice weather. Sunny and just around the freezing mark. My family did the usual of going to each one of our houses to open gifts. My parents, brothers and I all live on 50 acres of property we bought and split between us. So, we are all withing walking distance of each other. We actually skipped my house as I did not put up a tree. Fred and I took our gifts to my parents home and we started there with one of my dads delicious breakfasts then the opening of gifts. We then went to Dennis and Barbara's and ended as usual at Kevin and Angie's where we had a pot luck dinner.
I fed Marie at about 4:30 PM. She is missing the mules but was quiet today. She balled yesterday every time she saw someone. Then I decided to go over to the barn to see how Louie was doing. It was dark by the time I got over there. The horses/mules stay out at night unless the weather is bad. It was nice tonight so they were all out. I went out and got Louie. He was a bit excited when I led him up to the barn and was forgetting his manners. He was getting ahead of me and pulling a bit. I had to remind him that this was not acceptable.
No one else was using the arena so I just turned Louie loose to let him run. And run he did. He ran, bucked and rolled. Once he seemed settled down, I lounged him for a bit. He was pretty good. He was quite distracted but trying. The barn owners mother came into the arena with her horse to lounge him. He was quite freaked out by the presence of a mule in the arena. He would not lounge but rather snorted and reared and tried to stay as far from Louie as possible. Wendy's mom gave up and said that tomorrow she was going to put her horse in the paddock next to Louie so he could get used to the sight of him. She was very nice though. Not at all upset that I was there with my mule, just a bit disgusted with her horse being silly about it. When she took her horse out of the arena, Louie wanted to go with him. I made him work just a little bit longer until he was paying attention to me again. That only took a few minutes.
I then took Louie back to the paddock. Wendy's mom (I think her name is Tina but can't remember for sure.....old age....)was outside and we chatted for a while. She is such a nice lady. She showed me were all the lights were for inside and outside and the fence switch for the electric fencing. I then headed home glad that Louie seemed to be doing just fine.
I fed Marie at about 4:30 PM. She is missing the mules but was quiet today. She balled yesterday every time she saw someone. Then I decided to go over to the barn to see how Louie was doing. It was dark by the time I got over there. The horses/mules stay out at night unless the weather is bad. It was nice tonight so they were all out. I went out and got Louie. He was a bit excited when I led him up to the barn and was forgetting his manners. He was getting ahead of me and pulling a bit. I had to remind him that this was not acceptable.
No one else was using the arena so I just turned Louie loose to let him run. And run he did. He ran, bucked and rolled. Once he seemed settled down, I lounged him for a bit. He was pretty good. He was quite distracted but trying. The barn owners mother came into the arena with her horse to lounge him. He was quite freaked out by the presence of a mule in the arena. He would not lounge but rather snorted and reared and tried to stay as far from Louie as possible. Wendy's mom gave up and said that tomorrow she was going to put her horse in the paddock next to Louie so he could get used to the sight of him. She was very nice though. Not at all upset that I was there with my mule, just a bit disgusted with her horse being silly about it. When she took her horse out of the arena, Louie wanted to go with him. I made him work just a little bit longer until he was paying attention to me again. That only took a few minutes.
I then took Louie back to the paddock. Wendy's mom (I think her name is Tina but can't remember for sure.....old age....)was outside and we chatted for a while. She is such a nice lady. She showed me were all the lights were for inside and outside and the fence switch for the electric fencing. I then headed home glad that Louie seemed to be doing just fine.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Moving day
Today was the day to move the mules. I called the barn owner, Wendy, to let her know we would be coming today. She said all was ready and told us what stalls would be ours and what paddocks to put the mules into. I went out and fed the mules and Marie then went to get my truck to hook up the trailer. A week or so ago, we had picked up some plywood at Home Depot and Fred had put the ball down in my truck. It always come back up hard and you have to pry it with something. We had also had some snow so I jumped in the back of the truck and shoveled out the snow. There wasn't much. I got out my 4 way, slipped it into the slot on the hitch to pull it up, gave it a tromp with my foot as I always do. I hear a snap and the sound of metal hitting the ground under the truck. The flap covering the hitch come up........but not the hitch.......ACK!!!!! I pulled the trick forward to see what hit the ground. Yep, it was the metal piece that springs the hitch up. And of course the hitch is frozen down so I could not budge it. Fred came out and thawed it out with his blow torch and pried the hitch up. So, I was back in business. I badly wanted to get the mules moved today as there was a big storm coming on Sunday and I didn't want to take the chance of not being able to get my trailer out and being unable to move the mule for an undetermined amount of time.
I pulled the truck to the end of the driveway. Then Bonnie and I went and got the mules. They both loaded up very nicely. Louie backed out once after putting just two front feet in but then loaded right up quietly. Dolly was good. When we got to the barn, we unloaded and put them in their designated paddocks. The mules were pretty quiet. A few of the horses around them got excited and ran a bit but not much over all. Bonnie left before I did. But, when I left, Louie and Dolly were quietly munching hay and seemed relaxed. I was glad neither seemed anxious. The good thing is that Louie had been to this barn before as I've brought him here to take lessons a few times. Now, I can't wait to start working with Louie.
I pulled the truck to the end of the driveway. Then Bonnie and I went and got the mules. They both loaded up very nicely. Louie backed out once after putting just two front feet in but then loaded right up quietly. Dolly was good. When we got to the barn, we unloaded and put them in their designated paddocks. The mules were pretty quiet. A few of the horses around them got excited and ran a bit but not much over all. Bonnie left before I did. But, when I left, Louie and Dolly were quietly munching hay and seemed relaxed. I was glad neither seemed anxious. The good thing is that Louie had been to this barn before as I've brought him here to take lessons a few times. Now, I can't wait to start working with Louie.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Sweet Louie
I have never had an equine that seemed to enjoy my company as much as Little Louie. Though he seems to enjoy everyone's company so it is likely not any redeeming quality about myself he is attracted to. Today when I was picking the pasture, Louie was up on the other end of the pasture munching hay, watching me intently as he always does. Then, he comes all the way down to where I am just go get some mule love. Which he knows he'll get 'cause he's so stinkin' cute you can't resist him. He loves it when you wrap your arms around his face and just hug it tight.
He has been stalking me in the morning's though. He's been bored and playful and really is wondering if I'll engage in John mule play with him or not. He'll come sneaking up right behind me and follow me and if I spin around and look, he is making the funniest faces. The same one's he makes at my horse Marie when he tried to get her to play. She drives him off in disguest. I end of sending him off in fear of my life. I don't think he would ever intentionally hurt anyone but boy play can be rough! When he is right behind me like that I keep waiting for him to pounce on me. He sure does keep a smile on my face watching his antics though.
I can't wait to get him moved over to the indoor arena so I can start working on some serious training with him. It is long past time and he is so ready. Just a few more weeks.
He has been stalking me in the morning's though. He's been bored and playful and really is wondering if I'll engage in John mule play with him or not. He'll come sneaking up right behind me and follow me and if I spin around and look, he is making the funniest faces. The same one's he makes at my horse Marie when he tried to get her to play. She drives him off in disguest. I end of sending him off in fear of my life. I don't think he would ever intentionally hurt anyone but boy play can be rough! When he is right behind me like that I keep waiting for him to pounce on me. He sure does keep a smile on my face watching his antics though.
I can't wait to get him moved over to the indoor arena so I can start working on some serious training with him. It is long past time and he is so ready. Just a few more weeks.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Pulling shoes
So, the snow arrives here in Maine as was bound to happen, and my farrier is playing hard to get and I still have regular shoes on all my equines. Not safe with snow and/or ice! So, I know I need to get shoes off right away and decide to pull them myself this morning. Now Louie has only had two sets of shoes in his whole life so has only had shoes pulled once but is fine having his feet handled so I didn't forsee any trouble despite the fact that I am no farrier and take much longer then the farrier to do this simple chore.
Louie got to go first. I started with the front and the first shoe came off fine with him standing nice and still. Second shoe, he is starting to get bored and want's to go out with the others and starts wiggling around a bit but, I get the shoe off without too much ado. By the time I get to foot #3, he is done and no longer want's to play 'pull the shoe with the non-farrier' game. He starts hopping around and getting obnoxious. At one point, he hops forward and I loose my grip on his back foot. I am standing with my back to him and the little squirt lifts that foot and ever so gently gives me the most gentle tiny slow motion kick you ever saw.
Actually, he gently placed his hoof on me and slowly pulled it away. It was actually funny except no lifting of the foot with attitude is allowed to go without concequence in my books. So, Louie still got the 3 seconds of death. And that was the end of that. He stood like the perfect boy while I removed his last 2 shoes after that. He does have a puncture wound on one back hoof that is a little sore so when he made very gentle requests to put that foot down, I did honor those requests to give him short breaks. Silly mule!
My horse Marie was the perfect lady of course. But, she is a seasoned 19 yr. old that's been with me since she was a baby. She knows how things work.
Louie got to go first. I started with the front and the first shoe came off fine with him standing nice and still. Second shoe, he is starting to get bored and want's to go out with the others and starts wiggling around a bit but, I get the shoe off without too much ado. By the time I get to foot #3, he is done and no longer want's to play 'pull the shoe with the non-farrier' game. He starts hopping around and getting obnoxious. At one point, he hops forward and I loose my grip on his back foot. I am standing with my back to him and the little squirt lifts that foot and ever so gently gives me the most gentle tiny slow motion kick you ever saw.
Actually, he gently placed his hoof on me and slowly pulled it away. It was actually funny except no lifting of the foot with attitude is allowed to go without concequence in my books. So, Louie still got the 3 seconds of death. And that was the end of that. He stood like the perfect boy while I removed his last 2 shoes after that. He does have a puncture wound on one back hoof that is a little sore so when he made very gentle requests to put that foot down, I did honor those requests to give him short breaks. Silly mule!
My horse Marie was the perfect lady of course. But, she is a seasoned 19 yr. old that's been with me since she was a baby. She knows how things work.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
A nice ride from home
Bonnie, Barbara and I had a lovely ride from my horse today. It was a beautiful warm day. Barbara rode my horse Marie. Bonnie's Dolly wasn't too happy about being tied to Bonnie's trailer where she couldn't see the others. She was pawing and dancing. But, with my help, we got her saddled. Louie pretty much took the lead right from the start. We decided to ride the Adams road loop. Louie is still concerned about crossing water but is doing so good with it. He does not make a fuss, just nervous as he's going through. As we were riding up the Adams Rd. a truck and trailer comes up behind us. It was Linda with her horse Gus. She parked and we waited for her to saddle up so she could join us. When we got to the trail for home, we decided to ride a bit farther with Linda. Louie was not thrilled with that idea but it only took a bit of leg to keep him going and in just a moment, he resigned himself to his fate. And when we did turn for home, he was good and did not rush. Just a real nice ride today.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Riding in Yarmouth
Today was going to be such a lovely day I just had to get out for a ride. Hunting season or no hunting season. Now, just to find someone to go with me and a fairly safe place to ride. My first thought was Bradbury Mountain as there is no hunting allowed on the mountain side of the park.
This being Friday and a work day for most, most of my friends would not be available to ride. I called my friend Linda as she is retired but she was busy. After thinking a bit more I thought of Mary Ellen Hesselbacher. I have not ridden with her all year and that is why she didn't come to mind at first. She and her husband own a motel in Yarmouth so quite often one or the other can ride if not both. I called her and much to my delight, she was able to go. We discussed possible safe places to ride and decided on some trails she knows of in Yarmouth. The trails are close to a residential area and she said there is not much hunting there. So, I told her I would pick her up. And I would finally get to meet her new horse Hillbilly. Well, not so new anymore really as she'd gotten him in the spring...or last fall.....or....see, it had been way to long since we'd ridden together.
I went out and got Louie praying he'd load ok. And, he was quite good. He was reluctant to approach the trailer. When I got him to the trailer, I just stopped and gave him a good grooming as he was filthy! That relaxed him some. Then when I asked him to load up, he went right up to the trailer and stopped and made the funniest faces to let me know he did NOT want to load. He drooped his ears over sideways, stuck his lower lip out, turned his head sideways and rolled his eyes. It was quite a display. But then he walked on quietly and went right to his usual pawing. So, he was good and I got some entertainment too!
When I got to Mary Ellen's, she had Hillbilly all ready and saddled. She didn't know if he'd ever seen a mule before or not. And he was not yet a totally reliable loader. He is a nice horse. A big 5 year old Tennessee Walker gelding. He had to think a while about getting on my trailer but no more then 5 minutes or so. We parked at a friends of Mary Ellen's who's place is right on the trails. I quickly tacked up Louie. Or as quick as I could with him bug eyed and prancing back and forth at the new place and new horse etc.
When I mounted up, Louie was nervous. And it took a while for him to settle down. BUT, he didn't do a single wrong thing. We did quite a bit of trotting. Nice easy slow trotting and Louie did great. At one point I asked him to canter. The first time I asked, he immediately started them came right back down with a kind of "are you sure this is what you want me to do" feel to him. (we have not cantered since my fall) When I asked him again with more confidence he immediately picked up a canter and it was LOVELY! Nice and easy with no rushing. When he came up close behind Hillbilly who was trotting, he slowed down but kept a canter. SO smooth and balanced. SO, I very lightly checked him back and he slowed that canter down even more into a very slow 3 beat QH type canter. It was very cool! My QH can't do this!!! I was amazed that he was able to collect like this so easily. We came across a family out walking with 4 dogs. The dogs were not well controlled or obedient so ran around us barking. But, Hillbilly and Louie were good. Louie was more concerned with the young girl wearing the bright orange vest but didn't so more then stare hard at her and hesitate slightly passing. He did prance a bit when we passed but was easy to hold. We met several others out walking also and even came across the family with the dogs a second time. Louie and Hillbilly both loaded up good to go home.
It was a wonderful ride and once again my little mule surprised me. He keeps doing that and I am really thinking there is more to this mule then I originally thought. He sure is a joy to be around and has been a lot of fun to ride so far. I'm glad I didn't sell him and am looking forward to getting to know him under saddle finally.
This being Friday and a work day for most, most of my friends would not be available to ride. I called my friend Linda as she is retired but she was busy. After thinking a bit more I thought of Mary Ellen Hesselbacher. I have not ridden with her all year and that is why she didn't come to mind at first. She and her husband own a motel in Yarmouth so quite often one or the other can ride if not both. I called her and much to my delight, she was able to go. We discussed possible safe places to ride and decided on some trails she knows of in Yarmouth. The trails are close to a residential area and she said there is not much hunting there. So, I told her I would pick her up. And I would finally get to meet her new horse Hillbilly. Well, not so new anymore really as she'd gotten him in the spring...or last fall.....or....see, it had been way to long since we'd ridden together.
I went out and got Louie praying he'd load ok. And, he was quite good. He was reluctant to approach the trailer. When I got him to the trailer, I just stopped and gave him a good grooming as he was filthy! That relaxed him some. Then when I asked him to load up, he went right up to the trailer and stopped and made the funniest faces to let me know he did NOT want to load. He drooped his ears over sideways, stuck his lower lip out, turned his head sideways and rolled his eyes. It was quite a display. But then he walked on quietly and went right to his usual pawing. So, he was good and I got some entertainment too!
When I got to Mary Ellen's, she had Hillbilly all ready and saddled. She didn't know if he'd ever seen a mule before or not. And he was not yet a totally reliable loader. He is a nice horse. A big 5 year old Tennessee Walker gelding. He had to think a while about getting on my trailer but no more then 5 minutes or so. We parked at a friends of Mary Ellen's who's place is right on the trails. I quickly tacked up Louie. Or as quick as I could with him bug eyed and prancing back and forth at the new place and new horse etc.
When I mounted up, Louie was nervous. And it took a while for him to settle down. BUT, he didn't do a single wrong thing. We did quite a bit of trotting. Nice easy slow trotting and Louie did great. At one point I asked him to canter. The first time I asked, he immediately started them came right back down with a kind of "are you sure this is what you want me to do" feel to him. (we have not cantered since my fall) When I asked him again with more confidence he immediately picked up a canter and it was LOVELY! Nice and easy with no rushing. When he came up close behind Hillbilly who was trotting, he slowed down but kept a canter. SO smooth and balanced. SO, I very lightly checked him back and he slowed that canter down even more into a very slow 3 beat QH type canter. It was very cool! My QH can't do this!!! I was amazed that he was able to collect like this so easily. We came across a family out walking with 4 dogs. The dogs were not well controlled or obedient so ran around us barking. But, Hillbilly and Louie were good. Louie was more concerned with the young girl wearing the bright orange vest but didn't so more then stare hard at her and hesitate slightly passing. He did prance a bit when we passed but was easy to hold. We met several others out walking also and even came across the family with the dogs a second time. Louie and Hillbilly both loaded up good to go home.
It was a wonderful ride and once again my little mule surprised me. He keeps doing that and I am really thinking there is more to this mule then I originally thought. He sure is a joy to be around and has been a lot of fun to ride so far. I'm glad I didn't sell him and am looking forward to getting to know him under saddle finally.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Ride in Phippsburg
Bonnie on Dolly at the Basin in Phippsburg, ME (And no, her mule does not have short legs, I was taking the picture from uphill of her and it is the camera angle! LOL)
Today some friends and I went riding in Phippsburg. I called my friend Darragh to see if she was interested in riding my horse, Marie. I was so pleased she was when she accepted the offer. I had not seen Darragh in FAR too long. Bonnie was picking up Linda. And as Darragh lives much closer to Linda then to me, she decided to just drive over to Linda's house and catche a ride with her and Bonnie down to Phippsburg and I'd just meet them down there. Susie and Barbara were also riding in Phippsburg but we weren't sure if we'd get there at the same time to ride with them.
It was a cold, cloudy, windy and raw day. But, we all decided to ride anyway. With it being hunting season, we hated to miss out on any Sunday riding. Louie was a bit of a stinker about loading into the trailer. But, after only about 5 minutes or so, he finally got on. Marie of course if long past any thoughts of resisting at her age. She is resigned to her lot in life. Actually, she seemed thrilled at not being left behind. I was the last to arrive and Susie and Barbara were just saddling up. So, we all did start out riding together. Louie was pretty light on his feet. He wanted to move out but he listened to me. He did just a tiny bit of jigging but then settled into his big walk. All the horses were a bit excited. I think it was the cool day. We had a really nice ride. Susie and Barbara left us after a while as they wanted to explore some new trails. I led for quite a bit with Louie as he had the fastet walk. He was real good only loosing his courage once due to some scary looking rocks. After all the rocks we rode in, on, through and around in Shawnee, you'd think he'd be cured of his suspicion of rock! But, to give him credit, he doesn't make any big moves when he gets worried, he just stops and is reluctant to go forward. Marie was the most seasoned, brave one in the group but she walks so slow that none of the others can stand to follow her.
Bonnie's new mule Dolly did wonderful. I didn't see her do a wrong thing. I think Bonnie was very pleased with how she did.
Today some friends and I went riding in Phippsburg. I called my friend Darragh to see if she was interested in riding my horse, Marie. I was so pleased she was when she accepted the offer. I had not seen Darragh in FAR too long. Bonnie was picking up Linda. And as Darragh lives much closer to Linda then to me, she decided to just drive over to Linda's house and catche a ride with her and Bonnie down to Phippsburg and I'd just meet them down there. Susie and Barbara were also riding in Phippsburg but we weren't sure if we'd get there at the same time to ride with them.
It was a cold, cloudy, windy and raw day. But, we all decided to ride anyway. With it being hunting season, we hated to miss out on any Sunday riding. Louie was a bit of a stinker about loading into the trailer. But, after only about 5 minutes or so, he finally got on. Marie of course if long past any thoughts of resisting at her age. She is resigned to her lot in life. Actually, she seemed thrilled at not being left behind. I was the last to arrive and Susie and Barbara were just saddling up. So, we all did start out riding together. Louie was pretty light on his feet. He wanted to move out but he listened to me. He did just a tiny bit of jigging but then settled into his big walk. All the horses were a bit excited. I think it was the cool day. We had a really nice ride. Susie and Barbara left us after a while as they wanted to explore some new trails. I led for quite a bit with Louie as he had the fastet walk. He was real good only loosing his courage once due to some scary looking rocks. After all the rocks we rode in, on, through and around in Shawnee, you'd think he'd be cured of his suspicion of rock! But, to give him credit, he doesn't make any big moves when he gets worried, he just stops and is reluctant to go forward. Marie was the most seasoned, brave one in the group but she walks so slow that none of the others can stand to follow her.
Bonnie's new mule Dolly did wonderful. I didn't see her do a wrong thing. I think Bonnie was very pleased with how she did.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Louie got a puncture wound
When I went out to feed this morning, I noticed that Louie's left rear leg was quite swollen though he did not seem to be lame. When I looked, I saw he had a puncture wound on the front of his foot right at the coranet band. It wasn't no longer bleeding and didn't look like it had bled much. I couldn't really tell how deep the puncture was and he didn't really want me messing around with it. His whole lower leg was hot. I hosed his leg with cold water and gave him some bute. I had some paste bute in a tube. He was TOTALLY offended at me making him take that though he didn't resist it. This evening, the swelling was way down. I gave him another dose of bute but this time in the form of a molassas/bute sandwich. I mixed powered bute with molasses, spread it on half a slice of bread, folded it over and presto, medicine becomes a treat. He scoffed that down and asked for more.
What I hate most is not knowing what caused it in case it's something that I need to do something about. I looked around and didn't see anything obvious. It's possible that he was simply stepped on by Dolly mule. She has some serious borium studs on her shoes. I am going to close the run-in shelter up during the day so they can't get in there. It makes me nervous to have 3 going in and out of there. Too small a space if one of them gets a hair across their butt. If the weather is bad, I'll just keep them all separated in their own space with access to their own stalls.
What I hate most is not knowing what caused it in case it's something that I need to do something about. I looked around and didn't see anything obvious. It's possible that he was simply stepped on by Dolly mule. She has some serious borium studs on her shoes. I am going to close the run-in shelter up during the day so they can't get in there. It makes me nervous to have 3 going in and out of there. Too small a space if one of them gets a hair across their butt. If the weather is bad, I'll just keep them all separated in their own space with access to their own stalls.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Shawnee Mule Gathering October 2010
Wednesday October 13, 2010
This was my second big adventure of the year. This time I was heading to a big mule gathering in the Shawnee National Forest in IL. It was a gathering of list members from a Yahoo internet group called MulesOnly. I had originally planned to fly down and ride one of Anthony McAllister's mules. But my friend Bonnie had sold her mule River to a man that was attending the gathering. So, I agreed to haul River to IL. And since I was hauling, I figured I might as well bring my mule Louie along too. I invited my friend Amy Been to join us on this adventure. Much to my delight, she was able and willing to go. With two such good friends along, it was bound to be a fun trip. And with my truck being a single cab, we would soon be very close friends......literally.
My friend Susie Reinheimer offered to take my horse Marie while I was gone. I so appreciated this offer as I would not have to worry about Marie and she would not be alone at my house. I trailered Marie over to Susie's Tuesday afternoon. The mules were heartbroken their horse was taken from them and bellowed for her all night. Amy came to my house on Tuesday night and stayed over so we could head out early Wednesday morning. We stayed up too late talking so only got about 4 hrs. of sleep. We still managed to get up on time. Bonnie arrived at 4:00 am and we loaded up the mules at 4:30 am. Louie was not happy about loading into the trailer but it didn't take long to persuade him. The drive was quite easy and pretty uneventful. Our drive took us about 13 hours with gas and food stops. I also soon discovered that I was traveling with the "texting Queens". They did chat with me occasionally..... between text messages. Amy reprogrammed the GPS to an Australian accent voice and we had to rename the GPS from Martha to Matilda. Matilda got very confused as we neared our destination in PA. Thankfully I had printed Mapquest directions. We ended up having to ignore Matilda and follow the printed directions. The mules traveled very well. They ate plenty of hay and finally drank at our last stop where we had supper at a Cracker Barrel. They were quiet and relaxed. Though by the time we arrived at Hartslong Valley Training Stable, where we were spending the night, they were more than ready to get off the trailer.
What a lovely place the stable turned out to be. Judy Brown, the owner, was absolutely lovely and made us feel so welcome. Truly the vacation fairies were smiling on me when I picked this place by chance off the internet. The barn was lovely. There was also a large turnout available which which the mules thoroughly enjoyed. They ran and rolled and ran and rolled in true mule fashion. We decided to leave the mules outside for the night. We knew they'd be happier outside than in stalls. There was a wonderful little apartment in the barn that we stayed in. There were only two beds but I had my air mattress with me so that worked out perfect. We put out plenty of hay for the mules then quickly got settled into the apartment for the night. Bonnie and I watched a bit of TV though neither of us could figure out how to work the channel changer. Amy wrote in her journal then read for a while.
Thursday October 14th 2010
We were up by 6:15 am. It sounded like it was really raining outside so we decided to get the mules into the barn and feed them there. When Bonnie and I got outside, it was actually only sprinkling so we got the mules in before they got wet. Judy arrived shortly after we brought the mules into the barn. We asked her for a suggestion on where to go for breakfast. She gave us directions to a restaurant not far from the stable. She then told us to take her truck so we wouldn't have to unhook my trailer or take the entire rig. We took her up on that offer and we sure appreciated such generosity. We had a nice breakfast then returned to the stable to finish packing up. It was nearly 9:00 am by the time we loaded the mules and were ready to go. Louie put up some token resistance to loading but once again it only took a moment to persuade him. Today we were heading to Leitchfield, KY and the home of a MulesOnly list member, Doug Farmer. I was excited about finally getting to meet Doug and his family. We had another long drive ahead of us and knew we'd be arriving late. I wanted to call Doug to let him know our approximate time of arrival. He had emailed me his phone number and I knew I'd written it down somewhere, but I could not find it. I had Bonnie call Lee Blake in WY to ask Lee to email Doug to tell him to call us. This worked as eventually Doug sent me a text message. I left the texting correspondence to the texting Queens.
We stopped for an early supper at a Cracker Barrel. The mules drank some water there and were quiet and relaxed. We went through Lexington but unfortunately it was dark by then. We would have liked to see the horse capital of the world in daylight as well as Lee Major's "castle". Just as I was driving through the city, Bonnie and Amy were both talking on their phones at the same time. (Their hands must have gotten tired from all the texting so they decided to talk on the phones instead...) So, I couldn't hear Matilda giving directions. I had to get the girls attention so they could help me navigate through the city. Matilda behaved today and got us right to Doug's house. We arrived at about 10:00 pm. Doug came out and showed us where to park and where everything was. He ran an extension cord out to our trailer so we'd have power. We put the mules in Doug's round pen. We fed them and left them with lots of hay for the night. We then went into the house and met Doug's wife Nancy, aka Fluff #1. She is a lovely woman and has an obvious talent for interior decorating as their house looked like it could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens! This was shaping up to be a great vacation for sure! We didn't stay in the house long as it was getting late. We quickly set up the trailer and went to bed.
Friday October 15th 2010
In the morning Doug called us on my phone to see if we liked coffee and muffins. Nancy had to work half a day but had made us some muffins and coffee before she left. We went inside and just sat, talked, drank coffee, and muffins and talked some more. We then went outside and did some buying and bartering, selling and trading of tack. Bonnie and Doug traded saddles. Bonnie traded Doug a set of britchen for a metal mule welcome sign. We9*132 bought a breast collar for Anthony. Amy bought a bridle for her pony. I lost track after that. We went into town for lunch and met Nancy at a Mexican restaurant that was very good. On the way back to Doug's house, we stopped at a convenience store and bought some ice. And if only we had actually taken the ice it would have been great. Well, Amy got her ice, it was Bonnie and me that didn't pick up our ice after paying for it. And they say two head are better than one. Apparently this rule doesn't apply to Bonnie and me.
After we got back to Doug's house, we saddled up the mules to go out for a ride. I rode Louie, Amy rode River, Doug rode Fluff ll and Bonnie rode Doug's little mule Banjo. It took a while for Bonnie and Doug to get ready as they were both using saddles there were new to them. So, Amy and I went out for a short ride while we waited. This was Amy's first ride on a mule. River seemed to like Amy and was very good for her. When we got back from our short pre-ride, Bonnie and Doug were in the round pen with Banjo. Once Bonnie was all set with Banjo, Doug took Fluff into the round pen to warm her up. Fluff was a bit excited at first but quickly settled down and we were soon on our way. Bonnie was in the lead and felt the need to practice her emergency dismount technique when Banjo jumped a ditch. At least that is the story we are telling everyone and we are sticking too it. Bonnie was unhurt other than her pride. Banjo got spooked when Bonnie came off, ummmm, I mean made her emergency dismount and ran back towards our mules. This spooked all our mules when Banjo tried to run by. No one got out of control though and Doug managed to grab Banjo.
Louie did great on the ride and we had a fun time. The trails are very nice from Doug's house. He took us by an old plantation house out in the woods that has long been abandoned. He told us there were still chains on the walls in the outbuilding where the slaves lived. There was something very spooky about the place and even the mules seemed to feel it. Or maybe the mules were just picking up the spooky vibes from us.
This evening Nancy made us a wonderful supper of garden vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We stayed up and chatted until about 10:00 pm then finally headed for bed.
Saturday October 16th 2010
We all got up around 7:00 am and fed the mules. Nancy had cinnamon rolls and coffee for us. We tried to buy a bale of hay from Doug but he would not take any money for it. This saved us from having to unwrap one of the bales in the back of my truck. We stuffed the hay bags as full as we could then packed up the trailer. Amy had gone in the house to take a shower while Bonnie and I finished packing. I got in my truck to pull the trailer forward so we could load the mules. As I started to pull forward, I hear Amy yelling from the house porch. I stopped and looked at her and she is frantically pointing at the back of the truck. That is when I realized our coolers were still sitting between my truck and trailer. Not to mention Doug's extension cord that is still plugged into the trailer. Doug was right outside with Bonnie and me so apparently even three heads are not better than one. It's a good thing Amy has come on this trip with us! She was turning out to be the brains of this operation. So, we then really did finish packing up and loaded the mules. We only had a 3 hour drive to get to High Knob Campground in the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois today.
It was an uneventful drive and Matilda got us there without incident. Kathy Lawless had called us the previous day to tell us there was a spot beside where she was camped for us to park. We had reserved pens for the mules which were not set up when we arrived. So, we unloaded the mules and put them on the high line while the pens were set up. Louie has never been on a high line that I know of. He was good about it other than feeling the need to wrap his lead line around his hay bag. As we were setting up camp, a very nasty chunk of road kill was discovered plastered to the jack handle on my trailer that thoroughly grossed us all out. Amy had told me to be more careful about avoiding driving over road kill, I should have listened to her. When I headed down to the campground office, I met the "Texas Outlaws". They were camped fairly close to us and it was fun to finally meet then. The Texas group consisted of Donna and Jackie Bryant, Lois and John Carroll, John and Dottie Jordan, Sheron and Robert Hollis and Deb Doctor with her daughter Belle. I also met Cindy King and her partner Marshall from PA. Unfortunately they were packing up to leave so we would not get a chance to ride
together.
We made ourselves some lunch and relaxed for a while. Soon Kathy Lawless, Ruth Reynolds and Jackie (from FL riding a horse) came in from riding. There were happy greetings and introductions. Soon Rod Wenger and his family arrived. Rod was buying Bonnie's mule River. He had brought a mule for Bonnie to look at. The mule was a 10 year old molly mule named Dolly. Dolly was taller than Bonnie had expected her to be and she was a little put off by that, not sure she even wanted to try her out. But, Amy and I convinced Bonnie to give Dolly a try before making any decision.
While hanging out at the trailer, the "Texas Outlaws", Lois, John, Donna and Jackie rode up and asked if we wanted to join them for a ride. Though they were already mounted, they said they would be happy to wait for us. Bonnie didn't want to ride and told Amy to take River. So, Amy and I quickly saddled up. While waiting, Jackie decided he didn't really want to ride. Cindy Price took his mule Bobby and joined us. We met up with the main group out on the trail. I quickly spotted Ival McDermott as well as Gail and Bill Dillon. There were happy greetings between old friends and introductions to new ones. The group was heading back to camp. Anthony offered to lead a longer ride which Amy, Cindy, Donna and I joined. Louie was fabulous and we started out in the lead. After a while I put him behind River. Then I let some other mules get between him and River. Louie didn't like this and wanted to be close to River. But, he listened to me and behaved very well. When the riders in front of me sped up, I would check him back and ask him to wait for my cue to change his pace. He quickly learned to wait and I was very pleased with him. The only ride story we heard from today was about Anthony getting bucked of JJ, the kid broke mule. Ival was riding JJ today and saddled her up in the morning. Ival put the rear cinch strap way back and tightened it like she does with her own mules. Anthony got on JJ first and it seems JJ took exception to the rear cinch rigged up this way and proceeded to buck Anthony off. They loosed the strap, Anthony got back on and JJ was fine.
When we got back from our ride, Amy and I quickly whipped up a pot of chili for the potluck supper. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. I figured she was with the Wengers. The food at the potluck was wonderful. JoJo, the camp owner, provided hot dogs and hamburgers. She had also hired a DJ for a dance after the meal. We all had a lot of fun. There were a lot of people, a lot of dancing and a lot of "apple pie" tasting. Doc Leuking attempted to teach me how to dance the two step. He made a valiant effort and I kind of got it after the second dance. This new found skill came in handy later. Ruth was getting all the dances with all the handsome cowboy's so the rest of us hardly stood a chance. But, when you are in the presence of the "Queen of Everything", that is just how it is.
The mule Ival had ridden, JJ, was for sale and Ival wanted to show her to me. So, we went over to Anthony's camp to view mules by the light of our flashlights. After visiting the mules, I went back to the dance and Ival headed for bed. I was feeling bad about leaving Amy in a group of people she didn't know. It was a baseless concern. When I got back to the dance, she was out on the dance floor, somehow having managed to steal a handsome cowboy away from the Queen of Everything and was having a great time. After the dance, I gave our mules more hay and then we went over to Doc's trailer to visit with him, his wife, Jacquie and friends Steve and Connie at their campfire. They told us they only invited us over because they liked listening to our Yankee accents.Amy's mostly as she has that good Maine accent.
We were up about 8:00 am. I had cereal for breakfast then Amy and I went down to Anthony's camp to see who he wanted Amy to ride. Anthony was very busy matching up mules and riders. Amy was to ride Diablo. Ival was riding JJ again. Bonnie decided she would try out Dolly, the mule the Wenger's had brought her to try out Rod's wife was riding River. Louie didn't fuss at all when Rod came up and got River. While we were waiting for Anthony, Amy and I sat on the McAllister's camp porch and looked through the two photo books I'd had made for them. Ival asked me to hold JJ while she mounted. She told me she wasn't sure if the bucking display from the previous day was from the tight rear chinch or JJ just routinely bucked off the first person that mounted her each day. JJ was a perfect lady when Ival mounted. By this time everyone was getting ready so I went up to our camp to saddle Louie. When I tied Louie to the trailer, there were a lot of riders around us. Just as I was heading towards Louie with the saddle, all of the riders rode off and Louie threw a small tantrum. This only consisted of swinging his hind end back and forth for a few minutes. Then he settled down and was good, if not totally happy about being abandoned. I rode down to the McAllister's camp and there we waited, and waited, and waited. I'm not sure who was causing the holdup but it didn't matter and eventually we were on our way. Janelle had Anthony pony her mule Topper. Topper had previously had a habit of spinning and running for home after about an hour on the trail and Janelle was a bit concerned he would try it again. Janelle and Topper did fine that day.
Not too far out of camp. Therese Swift's mule Waylon bucked her off. She was unharmed and got right back on. We decided the group was too big and split up. One group being led by Anthony and another by Tony Lusch. Amy, Bonnie and I went with Tony's group as it was going to be the faster riding group. We had a great ride. In our group was Tony's wife Jean, Ival, Karen and Jesse Wenger and their friend Jim, Bill Dillon and Pam and Charles who are from Texas and riding a pair of paint horses. They were loads of fun to ride with. We stopped for lunch at Lost Lake (Grindstaff Lake) which is a beautiful spot. After lunch we rode back to camp and took a 1/2 hour break. When we went back out, Amy and I switched mules. Karen Wenger stayed in camp and Rod joined us riding River. Switching mules with Amy made me realize what a smooth ride Louie is. I sure was coming to appreciate Louie in a way I had not before. The guys took turns riding River and cowboy-ing him around. And River was sure showing them all what an athletic mule he is. Louie slipped and fell while trying to climb over some slick rocks. Amy skillfully rode it out so Louie was able to get his feet back under him so neither were harmed. Louie did great all day. He handled the terrain with no apparent trouble at all aside from that one spot with the slick rock. When we got back to camp I hosed off Louie and River and put them in their pens with plenty of hay. Amy and I headed straight for the showers. We had supper with the Texas Outlaws that night. It was cheeseburger night and what great cheeseburgers they made. Pete Kriger and I got out our guitars after supper and played for a while. Amy went to bed early and I was too tired to stay up very late myself. Bonnie spent the evening with the Wengers.
Monday October 18th 2010
We were up about 7:30 am to feed the mules. It was another chilly morning that made getting out of our sleeping bags unappealing. But, it turned out to be a lovely day after the morning chill was gone. Kathy made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. After we ate, I washed our dishes then saddled up Louie. Amy was riding Moonshine today. Rod and Karen's son Jesse came with us riding his mule Marley. Bonnie was keeping an eye on him for the day. He was a very pleasant young boy to have along. We rode out with Doc Leuking's group. Doc and Steve got a bit turned around on the trail but not for long. We met up with Anthony's group at NoNo Rock. Amy was the only one to venture onto the rock (that we dubbed wobble rock) We stopped for lunch at Initial Tree. We then split up into smaller groups. Some heading back to camp and others that wanted to ride longer. Later we split up again with some heading back to camp. Amy and I stayed out with the longest riding group and we got back quite late. Once again Louie did fabulous handling the terrain with no trouble. He did not seem to tire either despite his lack of conditioning. And I was finding out he has good 4 wheel drive. That evening for supper Amy made us moose burgers. Steve and Connie were kind enough to let us use their campfire to grill our burgers. After supper we visited the Texas Outlaws for a while then headed to bed fairly early.
Tuesday October 19th 2010
We were up by 8:00 am and fed the mules. Today Amy rode Sheron and Robert Hollis' mule Inca. We rode to Garden of the Gods and had lunch there. It was another lovely day. The Park Service was having a workday at the Garden of the Gods livestock tie up area putting in new tire rails. Ival was leaving for home today but figured she could fit in half the ride before heading to the airport. Ival didn't want to miss a minute of riding time. So, she rode Moonshine on the way out to Garden of the Gods. Jonica, who was helping on the park service workday, drove Ival's rental car to Garden of the Gods. Then Jonica rode Moonshine back to camp. Brilliant plan! Jonica was looking forward to this as it would be her first ride on a mule. Pete had also driven his rental car out to help with the workday. Though it wasn't planned, Pete ended up riding Ruby back to camp after lunch and Bill Dillon drove Pete's rental back to camp. Ruby was a bit naughty for Pete doing her best to take full advantage of him. Pete did a fine job of handling her though. Bonnie's new mule Dolly was in full a blow heat cycle and it was quite a chore for Bonnie to keep her moving at times. Towards the end of the ride, Pete, Bonnie, Amy and I went ahead of the rest of the group so we could travel along a bit faster. At this point we were on the River to River trail and Anthony said it was a straight shot back to camp. This wasn't quite true. We came to an unmarked intersection and of course took the wrong trail. We didn't go all that far before deciding to go back when we passed a sign that indicated a direction "to" the River to River trail. We also stopped quite a few times to take photos. When we got back to the River to River trail, we were still ahead of the main group. Once back to camp, I quickly took care of Louie and headed for a shower. My trailer had a flat tire and Anthony camp up with his semi to put air in it. There was another potluck supper at the community building that evening. We cut up some cheese and took that along with some leftover chili from the previous night as well as a cake that Bonnie had brought. Amy disappeared and was gone for quite a long time. Bonnie and I got a bit worried since Amy had said she was starving but disappeared before eating. It turned out she had gone down to Pam and Charles' camp to visit.
Wednesday October 20th 2010
We were up by 7:30 am. I had cereal for breakfast while Amy and Bonnie joined the Texas Outlaws for biscuits and sausage gravy. They both decided not to ride today and were going to join some others that were going into town. I decided to give Louie the day off and ride Socks, one of the mules Anthony had brought from KY that was for sale. I went down to Anthony's camp and caught Socks and brought him back up to my trailer to saddle him. I did groom him and saddle him but he freaked out at being alone at my trailer and reared up, pulling back hard, several times. So, I made a last minute decision to join those that were heading to town. I quickly unsaddled Socks and brought him back to Anthony who ended up riding him for the day. I joined the Texas Outlaws for breakfast though I only had a biscuit as I'd already had cereal. After breakfast we headed to town. Sheron and Robert Hollis drove one truck with Deb, Becky and Terrie riding with them. Bonnie, Amy and I rode with Pam and Charles in their truck. Our first stop was at MacDonalds where I only got a cup of coffee. Then we went to a McKinney's tack shop in Marion, IL. I was a good girl and only bought a horn bag. Bonnie was an even better girl and didn't buy anything at all. Amy made up for us both. But, she was making purchases for Christmas. At least that was her story and she was sticking to it. We stopped for lunch at the Hideout Steakhouse for lunch. After lunch we stopped at Rural King. Here Amy shopped until she dropped. And it was here that I noticed the Hollis' had bought a couple bales of grass hay at McKinney's Tack Shop. Grass hay is harder to find in this area as alfalfa is more commonly grown. I needed a few bales of grass hay for the trip home. Charles took us back to the tack shop so I could purchase a couple bales and we then headed back to camp. We had so much fun riding with Pam and Charles. We kept comparing, and laughing at each other's accents. Pam and Charles are from Texas. Pam stated that sometimes she just could not understand our Yankee "whine". Once back to camp, Amy went to the packing demo being put on by Pete. I went down to the McAllister's camp to visit for a while. That evening 21 of us went to Elizabethtown to the floating restaurant for a catfish dinner. We had a wonderful evening. Amy and I sat at a table with Pam and Charles. Somehow Bonnie ended up at a larger table next to the Conger family. Pete's friend, Julie, paid for all our meals! WOW! By the time we got back to camp it was dark. My trailer tire was flat again but we did not want to mess with it in the dark. So, we decided to stay one more day. We'd take the tire off in the morning and see about getting it fixed. And, that would give us the chance to squeeze in one more ride. Bonnie, Amy and I went down to the McAllister's camp that evening. Anthony requested that I get my guitar and play. I did but only played a few songs. For some reason I was very hoarse and was having trouble singing. Likely from sitting for quite a while in the campfire smoke. It was quite late when we headed for bed.
Thursday, October 21st 2010
We were up about 7:00 am. Kurt Price got the tire off my trailer. We were told there was a tire shop just a few miles down the road and Kurt told us how to get there. Bonnie and I headed out, got about 6 miles down the road and I realized I did not have my purse. Bonnie did not have her purse either. We turned around and went back to camp, I got my purse and we headed out again. We found the tire store we were given directions to. But, it has been closed for years. DANG! Harbison's gas station was right there so I pulled in and filled up. Bonnie bought us coffee and a breakfast sandwich for herself. The clerk at the store told us we'd have to go into Harrisburg to find a tire store. This was the town we'd been through the previous day. We had no choice so off we went. Bonnie put our coffee's into the cup holders in my truck. When she took her coffee out of the holder to drink it, something was stuck to the bottom of the cup. She pulled it off and it was a hatpin. So, now she had a hole in the bottom of the cup and coffee was leaking out. She at first tried to stick the pin back in but with no success. Well, sticking the pin is was easy enough but it did not slow the leak. She held the cup over her breakfast sandwich and package to contain the leak and not get coffee on my seat. I couldn't pull over right away but did as soon as I could. Bonnie saved what coffee she could by pouring it into a water bottle. In the process she dropped her breakfast sandwich on the ground. By now she was very disgusted and flung the sandwich and hatpin out into the woods followed by a few f-bombs. At this point, good friend that I am, I was laughing so hard I though Bonnie would punch me in the head and fling me out into the woods too. We found the tire store in Harrisburg with no trouble. They looked at the tire and said it was not repairable as there was a hole in the sidewall. They said it looked like it might have been caused by a thorn leaving me to wonder just what kind of monster thorn bushes grow around here!
We got back to camp just in time to join the ride going to Jackson Falls. Anthony loaded 8 mules into his trailer including my Louie. Cindy Price hauled 3 mules in her trailer and Deb Schlabach hauled all our tack in her truck. When we got to the parking area, Anthony realized we were short one mule. He'd forgotten to load a mule for Larry Mills. Anthony felt so bad. He shouldn't have though, he has gone above and beyond all week helping everyone out. We all tacked up our mules and headed out just after noon time. Amy was riding Rhonda's mule Elsie Ann. We weren't on the trail long when we got lost. Then found our way, then got lost again. We stopped for a rest break on top of the train tunnel which is such a neat place. We did make it to Jackson Falls and had lunch there. When we got back on the trail after lunch we got really lost. we went through a tunnel that went under the train tracks. Anthony tried to lead the way on Bucking Betty. There was a deep water hole in front of the tunnel entrance and Betty was having nothing to do with it. Cindy Price on her mule Spec saved the day by leading us through. Louie was not too thrilled with the whole tunnel thing but didn't do anything foolish. I did dismount once in the tunnel just to be on the safe side. Going through the tunnel was both scary and fun. We were still totally lost and by now it was getting late. For a while we thought we were going to be spending the night in the woods. Earlier in the day we had passed some rock climbers. One of the climbers we had passed came up behind us on the trail asking for help. His girlfriend had fallen and injured her ankle and could not hike out. Anthony and Amy went to help her. Amy put her on Elsie Ann and led her out to a parking area that was not too far away at Jackson Falls. Seems we'd been kind of riding in a circle. Eventually Anthony did find the correct trail and we got back to the trailers just before dark. It was late by the time we got back to camp. Kurt put the new tire on my trailer. Tonight supper was a Mexican potluck at the community building. It was too late for us to make anything but we were told there was plenty of food for everyone and to just come down to eat which we happily did. We visited with everyone for a while after eating then I headed for a shower. Before going back to our camp, I squared up with JoJo for our extra night. Before bed Bonnie and I packed up as much as we could and I spent some time on my computer going over the best route home and writing it down as I had no printer available. I had also gone over the route home with Kathy Lawless earlier that day as she had some good suggestions that I was going to take. I sent a text message to Judy in PA to let her know we'd be a day later than planned heading home and that we would likely arrive quite late at her place.
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We were up by 7:00 am. We didn't really have any breakfast. We packed up camp as quickly as we could knowing we had a long drive ahead of us. The packing went well considering what a mess it looked like we had. We got the mules loaded up then drove through camp to say goodbye to Anthony. Then we drove around to Pam and Charles' campsite to say goodbye to them. We had a great time riding with them. We were on our way home sometime around 9:00 am. We stopped at the first MacDonald's we came to for a quick breakfast. We were pleased to see that Dolly was traveling well and seemed relaxed. I received a text message from Judy in PA saying whatever time we arrived was fine. Matilda (the GPS) and my MapQuest directions seemed to be agreeing with each other which is always comforting. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for supper. It was quite late and dark by the time we got to mid-state PA. While on the PA turnpike, we missed a direction I had written down. But, we were still following Matilda's directions so decided to just go with that despite some misgiving I felt about it. Matilda took us off the turnpike onto some secondary roads and through a lot of small towns. Then around midnight, we started up a hill that just got steeper and steeper and steeper..... and soon we were driving on switchbacks. We started to get nervous and knew this was NOT a road we wanted to be on hauling a trailer. But, there was nothing I could do as there was no place to turn around with a drop off on one side of us and a cliff wall on the other. And it's probably just as well it was dark and could not see much because what little we could see was scaring us. As we approached each switchback, Amy was clinging to the door handle with one hand with her other hand was over her mouth and she kept anxiously telling me to, "make the turn, make the turn!" I stuck right to the middle of the road and it just kept climbing for miles. Finally, we reached the top. But you know the saying, what goes up, must come down. And I was terrified of what the down side of the road was going to be like. Then we see a sign that says, "warning, 11.5% grade down for next 3.5 miles" ACK!!!! I just put the truck right down in it's lowest gear and crawled down that mountain. We made it down safely but when we got to the bottom, Matilda announced we had arrived at our destination. Matilda was wrong. There was nothing there and we did not know where we were. As much as we hated calling Judy so late at night, or rather early in the morning, we didn't know what else to do. Thankfully she and her husband had gone to an Eagles concert that night and were on their way home so we did not wake them. The cell service wasn't very good and we weren't able to talk long enough to tell her where we were, as if we knew anyway. We programmed the town of Huntingdon into Matilda and just went into town. By then we had managed to get a good call through to Judy and she told us to just stay there in town and she'd come get us. It was only 20 minutes or so before Judy and her husband arrived. It turned out we were only a few miles from her farm. We sure were happy when we pulled into her driveway.
We quickly unloaded the mules and turned them out in the paddock. They were even happier than we were to have arrived. Louie remembered his previous visit so knew right where the water and hay were. We grabbed only what was essential from the trailer and quickly settled into the apartment to get what sleep we could. That night I was awoken by Amy thrashing me with her hair! She said something about a house fly in it. When Amy got settled back down, she and I suddenly burst into hysterical laughter and we had quite the laughing fit until we were crying and our sides hurt. Bonnie thought we were both nuts. We did finally all get to sleep.
Saturday October 23rd. 2010
We got up around 7:30 am. We packed up and decided to go to breakfast before loading up the mules. There was no sense making them stand on the trailer any longer than necessary and it was not far to the restaurant. We had a nice breakfast and were soon back and had the mules loaded. We thought we might have trouble catching them in such a big turnout but we didn't and they both loaded quite well. We had an uneventful drive home. We stopped at a service area on the MA pike for supper and arrived at my house right around 10:00 pm. It was a wonderful trip, with even more wonderful friends. And we were blessed with absolutely fabulous weather the whole trip. I can't wait until the next mule gathering!
I will end by saying that I took Louie to Shawnee with full intentions of selling him. This trip made me realize just what a good mule he is and how much I really like him. So, I brought Louie home.
Louie exceeded my expectation of him every day on this trip. He spent 5 days on my trailer, four of those days being between 11 and 13 hrs. He was good on the trailer. He ate well and even drank when offered water. I rode him 1 day in Kentucky and six days in the Shawnee National Forest. And I did the long day rides with him there. Each day he was eager to go and handled all that he was asked to do with ease. This was Louie's first camp out and he did fabulous. Did not fuss in his pen even when his pasture mate River left to be with his new owners. There were quite a few times when Louie and I got out in the lead of a group and though he certainly would then look for all the mule eating monsters hiding behind the many rocks, he did what I requested of him with no fuss and never refused anything I asked of him.
Anthony McAllister ...... Diablo
Bucking Betty
JJ (sold to Pete Kriger)
Festus (sold to JoJo)
Big Rosie
Little Rosie
Pepper Ann
Cathy McAllister...........Elwood
Kate McAllister ............Moonshine
Doc Leuking..................Tex
Biscuit (sold to Charles McMichael)
Jacquie Leuking............Ginger
Rod Wenger...................Dolly (sold to Bonnie Hinz)
Karen Wenger
Jesse Wenger .................Marley
Addie Wenger
Jim France......................Gus
Steve Lewlis.................Sis (horse)
Connie Kuhlig..............Camel (horse)
Shawnee Vicky..............?
Tony Lusch...................Alvin
Jean Lusch....................?
From Michigan:
Kathy Lawless................Jackie-O-Asses
July (sold to Rhonda Mills)
From Maine:
Cindy Ross....................Louie
Amy Beem
Bonnie Hinz...................River (sold to Rod Wenger)
From California:
Pete Kriger.....................(bought JJ)
Julie Merrill
From Iowa:
Theresa Swift..................Waylon
Miss Ruth
Sadie
From New Jersey (and Ohio)
Ival McDermott
From Tennessee:
Ruth Reynolds.................Billy Ray
Lisa Conger......................Taco
Tyler Conger
Travis Conger
Jonica Lasiter...................Sweetie (horse)
From Florida (and Tennessee)
Jackie Kirkland ...............Arthur (horse)
From Missouri:
Cindy Price....................Spec
Kurt Price.......................Baby
Janelle Stephanic...........Topper
From Pennsylvania:
Cindy King..................Dickins
Marshall
Bill Dillon....................Ruby
Gail Dillon
From Ohio:
Deb Schlabach..............Issac
Terrie Miller
Becky Emeriche
From North Carolina (and Ohio)
Rhonda Mills ...............Elsie Ann
Larry Mills
The TEXAS OUTLAWS!!
Donna Bryant .................Jab
Jackie Bryant..................Bobbie
John Caroll.....................Burbon
Lois Carroll...................Barney
Dottie Jordan.................Amy
Sheron Hollis.................Judy
Robert Hollis..................Inca
Dottie
Charles McMichael.......Chester (horse)
Pam McMichael............Dixie (horse)
Deb Doktor
Belle Doktor
This was my second big adventure of the year. This time I was heading to a big mule gathering in the Shawnee National Forest in IL. It was a gathering of list members from a Yahoo internet group called MulesOnly. I had originally planned to fly down and ride one of Anthony McAllister's mules. But my friend Bonnie had sold her mule River to a man that was attending the gathering. So, I agreed to haul River to IL. And since I was hauling, I figured I might as well bring my mule Louie along too. I invited my friend Amy Been to join us on this adventure. Much to my delight, she was able and willing to go. With two such good friends along, it was bound to be a fun trip. And with my truck being a single cab, we would soon be very close friends......literally.
My friend Susie Reinheimer offered to take my horse Marie while I was gone. I so appreciated this offer as I would not have to worry about Marie and she would not be alone at my house. I trailered Marie over to Susie's Tuesday afternoon. The mules were heartbroken their horse was taken from them and bellowed for her all night. Amy came to my house on Tuesday night and stayed over so we could head out early Wednesday morning. We stayed up too late talking so only got about 4 hrs. of sleep. We still managed to get up on time. Bonnie arrived at 4:00 am and we loaded up the mules at 4:30 am. Louie was not happy about loading into the trailer but it didn't take long to persuade him. The drive was quite easy and pretty uneventful. Our drive took us about 13 hours with gas and food stops. I also soon discovered that I was traveling with the "texting Queens". They did chat with me occasionally..... between text messages. Amy reprogrammed the GPS to an Australian accent voice and we had to rename the GPS from Martha to Matilda. Matilda got very confused as we neared our destination in PA. Thankfully I had printed Mapquest directions. We ended up having to ignore Matilda and follow the printed directions. The mules traveled very well. They ate plenty of hay and finally drank at our last stop where we had supper at a Cracker Barrel. They were quiet and relaxed. Though by the time we arrived at Hartslong Valley Training Stable, where we were spending the night, they were more than ready to get off the trailer.
What a lovely place the stable turned out to be. Judy Brown, the owner, was absolutely lovely and made us feel so welcome. Truly the vacation fairies were smiling on me when I picked this place by chance off the internet. The barn was lovely. There was also a large turnout available which which the mules thoroughly enjoyed. They ran and rolled and ran and rolled in true mule fashion. We decided to leave the mules outside for the night. We knew they'd be happier outside than in stalls. There was a wonderful little apartment in the barn that we stayed in. There were only two beds but I had my air mattress with me so that worked out perfect. We put out plenty of hay for the mules then quickly got settled into the apartment for the night. Bonnie and I watched a bit of TV though neither of us could figure out how to work the channel changer. Amy wrote in her journal then read for a while.
Hartslog Valley Training Stable in Huntingdon, PA
Louie Running (looks like the roadrunner)
Bonnie cleaning out the trailer
Amy relaxing in the apartment
Bonnie trying to figure out how to change the TV channel
Thursday October 14th 2010
We were up by 6:15 am. It sounded like it was really raining outside so we decided to get the mules into the barn and feed them there. When Bonnie and I got outside, it was actually only sprinkling so we got the mules in before they got wet. Judy arrived shortly after we brought the mules into the barn. We asked her for a suggestion on where to go for breakfast. She gave us directions to a restaurant not far from the stable. She then told us to take her truck so we wouldn't have to unhook my trailer or take the entire rig. We took her up on that offer and we sure appreciated such generosity. We had a nice breakfast then returned to the stable to finish packing up. It was nearly 9:00 am by the time we loaded the mules and were ready to go. Louie put up some token resistance to loading but once again it only took a moment to persuade him. Today we were heading to Leitchfield, KY and the home of a MulesOnly list member, Doug Farmer. I was excited about finally getting to meet Doug and his family. We had another long drive ahead of us and knew we'd be arriving late. I wanted to call Doug to let him know our approximate time of arrival. He had emailed me his phone number and I knew I'd written it down somewhere, but I could not find it. I had Bonnie call Lee Blake in WY to ask Lee to email Doug to tell him to call us. This worked as eventually Doug sent me a text message. I left the texting correspondence to the texting Queens.
We stopped for an early supper at a Cracker Barrel. The mules drank some water there and were quiet and relaxed. We went through Lexington but unfortunately it was dark by then. We would have liked to see the horse capital of the world in daylight as well as Lee Major's "castle". Just as I was driving through the city, Bonnie and Amy were both talking on their phones at the same time. (Their hands must have gotten tired from all the texting so they decided to talk on the phones instead...) So, I couldn't hear Matilda giving directions. I had to get the girls attention so they could help me navigate through the city. Matilda behaved today and got us right to Doug's house. We arrived at about 10:00 pm. Doug came out and showed us where to park and where everything was. He ran an extension cord out to our trailer so we'd have power. We put the mules in Doug's round pen. We fed them and left them with lots of hay for the night. We then went into the house and met Doug's wife Nancy, aka Fluff #1. She is a lovely woman and has an obvious talent for interior decorating as their house looked like it could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens! This was shaping up to be a great vacation for sure! We didn't stay in the house long as it was getting late. We quickly set up the trailer and went to bed.
Friday October 15th 2010
In the morning Doug called us on my phone to see if we liked coffee and muffins. Nancy had to work half a day but had made us some muffins and coffee before she left. We went inside and just sat, talked, drank coffee, and muffins and talked some more. We then went outside and did some buying and bartering, selling and trading of tack. Bonnie and Doug traded saddles. Bonnie traded Doug a set of britchen for a metal mule welcome sign. We9*132 bought a breast collar for Anthony. Amy bought a bridle for her pony. I lost track after that. We went into town for lunch and met Nancy at a Mexican restaurant that was very good. On the way back to Doug's house, we stopped at a convenience store and bought some ice. And if only we had actually taken the ice it would have been great. Well, Amy got her ice, it was Bonnie and me that didn't pick up our ice after paying for it. And they say two head are better than one. Apparently this rule doesn't apply to Bonnie and me.
After we got back to Doug's house, we saddled up the mules to go out for a ride. I rode Louie, Amy rode River, Doug rode Fluff ll and Bonnie rode Doug's little mule Banjo. It took a while for Bonnie and Doug to get ready as they were both using saddles there were new to them. So, Amy and I went out for a short ride while we waited. This was Amy's first ride on a mule. River seemed to like Amy and was very good for her. When we got back from our short pre-ride, Bonnie and Doug were in the round pen with Banjo. Once Bonnie was all set with Banjo, Doug took Fluff into the round pen to warm her up. Fluff was a bit excited at first but quickly settled down and we were soon on our way. Bonnie was in the lead and felt the need to practice her emergency dismount technique when Banjo jumped a ditch. At least that is the story we are telling everyone and we are sticking too it. Bonnie was unhurt other than her pride. Banjo got spooked when Bonnie came off, ummmm, I mean made her emergency dismount and ran back towards our mules. This spooked all our mules when Banjo tried to run by. No one got out of control though and Doug managed to grab Banjo.
Louie did great on the ride and we had a fun time. The trails are very nice from Doug's house. He took us by an old plantation house out in the woods that has long been abandoned. He told us there were still chains on the walls in the outbuilding where the slaves lived. There was something very spooky about the place and even the mules seemed to feel it. Or maybe the mules were just picking up the spooky vibes from us.
This evening Nancy made us a wonderful supper of garden vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We stayed up and chatted until about 10:00 pm then finally headed for bed.
Doug and Nancy Farmer's home
Nancy and Doug Farmer
Louie in Doug Farmer's Round pen in Kentucky
Louie, getting ready to go for a ride
Louie trimming Doug's lawn
Amy on her first mule, River
Bonnie on Doug's mule, Banjo
Doug on Fluff II
Cindy on Louie and Doug on Fluff II
On trail in Kentucky on ride from Doug Farmer's home
Saturday October 16th 2010
We all got up around 7:00 am and fed the mules. Nancy had cinnamon rolls and coffee for us. We tried to buy a bale of hay from Doug but he would not take any money for it. This saved us from having to unwrap one of the bales in the back of my truck. We stuffed the hay bags as full as we could then packed up the trailer. Amy had gone in the house to take a shower while Bonnie and I finished packing. I got in my truck to pull the trailer forward so we could load the mules. As I started to pull forward, I hear Amy yelling from the house porch. I stopped and looked at her and she is frantically pointing at the back of the truck. That is when I realized our coolers were still sitting between my truck and trailer. Not to mention Doug's extension cord that is still plugged into the trailer. Doug was right outside with Bonnie and me so apparently even three heads are not better than one. It's a good thing Amy has come on this trip with us! She was turning out to be the brains of this operation. So, we then really did finish packing up and loaded the mules. We only had a 3 hour drive to get to High Knob Campground in the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois today.
It was an uneventful drive and Matilda got us there without incident. Kathy Lawless had called us the previous day to tell us there was a spot beside where she was camped for us to park. We had reserved pens for the mules which were not set up when we arrived. So, we unloaded the mules and put them on the high line while the pens were set up. Louie has never been on a high line that I know of. He was good about it other than feeling the need to wrap his lead line around his hay bag. As we were setting up camp, a very nasty chunk of road kill was discovered plastered to the jack handle on my trailer that thoroughly grossed us all out. Amy had told me to be more careful about avoiding driving over road kill, I should have listened to her. When I headed down to the campground office, I met the "Texas Outlaws". They were camped fairly close to us and it was fun to finally meet then. The Texas group consisted of Donna and Jackie Bryant, Lois and John Carroll, John and Dottie Jordan, Sheron and Robert Hollis and Deb Doctor with her daughter Belle. I also met Cindy King and her partner Marshall from PA. Unfortunately they were packing up to leave so we would not get a chance to ride
together.
High Knob Campground
We made ourselves some lunch and relaxed for a while. Soon Kathy Lawless, Ruth Reynolds and Jackie (from FL riding a horse) came in from riding. There were happy greetings and introductions. Soon Rod Wenger and his family arrived. Rod was buying Bonnie's mule River. He had brought a mule for Bonnie to look at. The mule was a 10 year old molly mule named Dolly. Dolly was taller than Bonnie had expected her to be and she was a little put off by that, not sure she even wanted to try her out. But, Amy and I convinced Bonnie to give Dolly a try before making any decision.
While hanging out at the trailer, the "Texas Outlaws", Lois, John, Donna and Jackie rode up and asked if we wanted to join them for a ride. Though they were already mounted, they said they would be happy to wait for us. Bonnie didn't want to ride and told Amy to take River. So, Amy and I quickly saddled up. While waiting, Jackie decided he didn't really want to ride. Cindy Price took his mule Bobby and joined us. We met up with the main group out on the trail. I quickly spotted Ival McDermott as well as Gail and Bill Dillon. There were happy greetings between old friends and introductions to new ones. The group was heading back to camp. Anthony offered to lead a longer ride which Amy, Cindy, Donna and I joined. Louie was fabulous and we started out in the lead. After a while I put him behind River. Then I let some other mules get between him and River. Louie didn't like this and wanted to be close to River. But, he listened to me and behaved very well. When the riders in front of me sped up, I would check him back and ask him to wait for my cue to change his pace. He quickly learned to wait and I was very pleased with him. The only ride story we heard from today was about Anthony getting bucked of JJ, the kid broke mule. Ival was riding JJ today and saddled her up in the morning. Ival put the rear cinch strap way back and tightened it like she does with her own mules. Anthony got on JJ first and it seems JJ took exception to the rear cinch rigged up this way and proceeded to buck Anthony off. They loosed the strap, Anthony got back on and JJ was fine.
Donna Bryant on Jab, Amy Beem on River at Whiskey Cave
When we got back from our ride, Amy and I quickly whipped up a pot of chili for the potluck supper. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. I figured she was with the Wengers. The food at the potluck was wonderful. JoJo, the camp owner, provided hot dogs and hamburgers. She had also hired a DJ for a dance after the meal. We all had a lot of fun. There were a lot of people, a lot of dancing and a lot of "apple pie" tasting. Doc Leuking attempted to teach me how to dance the two step. He made a valiant effort and I kind of got it after the second dance. This new found skill came in handy later. Ruth was getting all the dances with all the handsome cowboy's so the rest of us hardly stood a chance. But, when you are in the presence of the "Queen of Everything", that is just how it is.
The mule Ival had ridden, JJ, was for sale and Ival wanted to show her to me. So, we went over to Anthony's camp to view mules by the light of our flashlights. After visiting the mules, I went back to the dance and Ival headed for bed. I was feeling bad about leaving Amy in a group of people she didn't know. It was a baseless concern. When I got back to the dance, she was out on the dance floor, somehow having managed to steal a handsome cowboy away from the Queen of Everything and was having a great time. After the dance, I gave our mules more hay and then we went over to Doc's trailer to visit with him, his wife, Jacquie and friends Steve and Connie at their campfire. They told us they only invited us over because they liked listening to our Yankee accents.Amy's mostly as she has that good Maine accent.
Louie in his pen at High Knob Campground in the Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
We were up about 8:00 am. I had cereal for breakfast then Amy and I went down to Anthony's camp to see who he wanted Amy to ride. Anthony was very busy matching up mules and riders. Amy was to ride Diablo. Ival was riding JJ again. Bonnie decided she would try out Dolly, the mule the Wenger's had brought her to try out Rod's wife was riding River. Louie didn't fuss at all when Rod came up and got River. While we were waiting for Anthony, Amy and I sat on the McAllister's camp porch and looked through the two photo books I'd had made for them. Ival asked me to hold JJ while she mounted. She told me she wasn't sure if the bucking display from the previous day was from the tight rear chinch or JJ just routinely bucked off the first person that mounted her each day. JJ was a perfect lady when Ival mounted. By this time everyone was getting ready so I went up to our camp to saddle Louie. When I tied Louie to the trailer, there were a lot of riders around us. Just as I was heading towards Louie with the saddle, all of the riders rode off and Louie threw a small tantrum. This only consisted of swinging his hind end back and forth for a few minutes. Then he settled down and was good, if not totally happy about being abandoned. I rode down to the McAllister's camp and there we waited, and waited, and waited. I'm not sure who was causing the holdup but it didn't matter and eventually we were on our way. Janelle had Anthony pony her mule Topper. Topper had previously had a habit of spinning and running for home after about an hour on the trail and Janelle was a bit concerned he would try it again. Janelle and Topper did fine that day.
Not too far out of camp. Therese Swift's mule Waylon bucked her off. She was unharmed and got right back on. We decided the group was too big and split up. One group being led by Anthony and another by Tony Lusch. Amy, Bonnie and I went with Tony's group as it was going to be the faster riding group. We had a great ride. In our group was Tony's wife Jean, Ival, Karen and Jesse Wenger and their friend Jim, Bill Dillon and Pam and Charles who are from Texas and riding a pair of paint horses. They were loads of fun to ride with. We stopped for lunch at Lost Lake (Grindstaff Lake) which is a beautiful spot. After lunch we rode back to camp and took a 1/2 hour break. When we went back out, Amy and I switched mules. Karen Wenger stayed in camp and Rod joined us riding River. Switching mules with Amy made me realize what a smooth ride Louie is. I sure was coming to appreciate Louie in a way I had not before. The guys took turns riding River and cowboy-ing him around. And River was sure showing them all what an athletic mule he is. Louie slipped and fell while trying to climb over some slick rocks. Amy skillfully rode it out so Louie was able to get his feet back under him so neither were harmed. Louie did great all day. He handled the terrain with no apparent trouble at all aside from that one spot with the slick rock. When we got back to camp I hosed off Louie and River and put them in their pens with plenty of hay. Amy and I headed straight for the showers. We had supper with the Texas Outlaws that night. It was cheeseburger night and what great cheeseburgers they made. Pete Kriger and I got out our guitars after supper and played for a while. Amy went to bed early and I was too tired to stay up very late myself. Bonnie spent the evening with the Wengers.
Cindy on Louie, Lois on Barney (I think)
Cindy on Louie
Louie at lunch stop at lost Lake
Cindy with Louie at lunch stop at Lost Lake
Ival McDermott and Amy Beem at our lunch stop at Lost Lake
Bill Dillon and Ival McDermott at Lost Lake
Me and Bill Dillon at Lost Lake
Pam McMichaels at Lost Lake
Cindy on Louie
Amy Beem riding Louie
Monday October 18th 2010
We were up about 7:30 am to feed the mules. It was another chilly morning that made getting out of our sleeping bags unappealing. But, it turned out to be a lovely day after the morning chill was gone. Kathy made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. After we ate, I washed our dishes then saddled up Louie. Amy was riding Moonshine today. Rod and Karen's son Jesse came with us riding his mule Marley. Bonnie was keeping an eye on him for the day. He was a very pleasant young boy to have along. We rode out with Doc Leuking's group. Doc and Steve got a bit turned around on the trail but not for long. We met up with Anthony's group at NoNo Rock. Amy was the only one to venture onto the rock (that we dubbed wobble rock) We stopped for lunch at Initial Tree. We then split up into smaller groups. Some heading back to camp and others that wanted to ride longer. Later we split up again with some heading back to camp. Amy and I stayed out with the longest riding group and we got back quite late. Once again Louie did fabulous handling the terrain with no trouble. He did not seem to tire either despite his lack of conditioning. And I was finding out he has good 4 wheel drive. That evening for supper Amy made us moose burgers. Steve and Connie were kind enough to let us use their campfire to grill our burgers. After supper we visited the Texas Outlaws for a while then headed to bed fairly early.
Sheron Hollis on Judy
Cindy on Louie
Jonica Lassiter on Sweetie
Amy Beem on Moonshine up on NoNo (Wobble) Rock
Lunch stop at Initial Tree
Charles McMichaels on Chester
Pam McMichaels on Dixie
Tuesday October 19th 2010
We were up by 8:00 am and fed the mules. Today Amy rode Sheron and Robert Hollis' mule Inca. We rode to Garden of the Gods and had lunch there. It was another lovely day. The Park Service was having a workday at the Garden of the Gods livestock tie up area putting in new tire rails. Ival was leaving for home today but figured she could fit in half the ride before heading to the airport. Ival didn't want to miss a minute of riding time. So, she rode Moonshine on the way out to Garden of the Gods. Jonica, who was helping on the park service workday, drove Ival's rental car to Garden of the Gods. Then Jonica rode Moonshine back to camp. Brilliant plan! Jonica was looking forward to this as it would be her first ride on a mule. Pete had also driven his rental car out to help with the workday. Though it wasn't planned, Pete ended up riding Ruby back to camp after lunch and Bill Dillon drove Pete's rental back to camp. Ruby was a bit naughty for Pete doing her best to take full advantage of him. Pete did a fine job of handling her though. Bonnie's new mule Dolly was in full a blow heat cycle and it was quite a chore for Bonnie to keep her moving at times. Towards the end of the ride, Pete, Bonnie, Amy and I went ahead of the rest of the group so we could travel along a bit faster. At this point we were on the River to River trail and Anthony said it was a straight shot back to camp. This wasn't quite true. We came to an unmarked intersection and of course took the wrong trail. We didn't go all that far before deciding to go back when we passed a sign that indicated a direction "to" the River to River trail. We also stopped quite a few times to take photos. When we got back to the River to River trail, we were still ahead of the main group. Once back to camp, I quickly took care of Louie and headed for a shower. My trailer had a flat tire and Anthony camp up with his semi to put air in it. There was another potluck supper at the community building that evening. We cut up some cheese and took that along with some leftover chili from the previous night as well as a cake that Bonnie had brought. Amy disappeared and was gone for quite a long time. Bonnie and I got a bit worried since Amy had said she was starving but disappeared before eating. It turned out she had gone down to Pam and Charles' camp to visit.
Sheron Hollis' mule Inca
Me and Louie at Knight's of the Golden Circle
Charles and Pam McMichaels, me with Louie and Anthony at Knight's of the Golden Circle
Me with Louie and Inca at Knight's of the Golden Circle
Pam and Charles McMichaels, me and Louie at Knight's of the Golden Circle
Amy Been and Anthony McAllister at Garden of the Gods
Me and Anthony McAllister at Garden of the Gods
Me, Charles, Pam and Amy at Garden of the Gods
Pete Kriger and Anthony McAllister at Garden of the Gods
H Rock
Wednesday October 20th 2010
We were up by 7:30 am. I had cereal for breakfast while Amy and Bonnie joined the Texas Outlaws for biscuits and sausage gravy. They both decided not to ride today and were going to join some others that were going into town. I decided to give Louie the day off and ride Socks, one of the mules Anthony had brought from KY that was for sale. I went down to Anthony's camp and caught Socks and brought him back up to my trailer to saddle him. I did groom him and saddle him but he freaked out at being alone at my trailer and reared up, pulling back hard, several times. So, I made a last minute decision to join those that were heading to town. I quickly unsaddled Socks and brought him back to Anthony who ended up riding him for the day. I joined the Texas Outlaws for breakfast though I only had a biscuit as I'd already had cereal. After breakfast we headed to town. Sheron and Robert Hollis drove one truck with Deb, Becky and Terrie riding with them. Bonnie, Amy and I rode with Pam and Charles in their truck. Our first stop was at MacDonalds where I only got a cup of coffee. Then we went to a McKinney's tack shop in Marion, IL. I was a good girl and only bought a horn bag. Bonnie was an even better girl and didn't buy anything at all. Amy made up for us both. But, she was making purchases for Christmas. At least that was her story and she was sticking to it. We stopped for lunch at the Hideout Steakhouse for lunch. After lunch we stopped at Rural King. Here Amy shopped until she dropped. And it was here that I noticed the Hollis' had bought a couple bales of grass hay at McKinney's Tack Shop. Grass hay is harder to find in this area as alfalfa is more commonly grown. I needed a few bales of grass hay for the trip home. Charles took us back to the tack shop so I could purchase a couple bales and we then headed back to camp. We had so much fun riding with Pam and Charles. We kept comparing, and laughing at each other's accents. Pam and Charles are from Texas. Pam stated that sometimes she just could not understand our Yankee "whine". Once back to camp, Amy went to the packing demo being put on by Pete. I went down to the McAllister's camp to visit for a while. That evening 21 of us went to Elizabethtown to the floating restaurant for a catfish dinner. We had a wonderful evening. Amy and I sat at a table with Pam and Charles. Somehow Bonnie ended up at a larger table next to the Conger family. Pete's friend, Julie, paid for all our meals! WOW! By the time we got back to camp it was dark. My trailer tire was flat again but we did not want to mess with it in the dark. So, we decided to stay one more day. We'd take the tire off in the morning and see about getting it fixed. And, that would give us the chance to squeeze in one more ride. Bonnie, Amy and I went down to the McAllister's camp that evening. Anthony requested that I get my guitar and play. I did but only played a few songs. For some reason I was very hoarse and was having trouble singing. Likely from sitting for quite a while in the campfire smoke. It was quite late when we headed for bed.
Sheron Holis
Rhonda and Larry Mills
Kathy Lawless and Cindy Price
Anthony McAllister
The McAllister's camp at High Knob Campground
Rhonda Mill's mule Elsie Ann
Amy with Elsie Ann
Cindy Price's mule Speck
Anthony's mule Diablo having a good roll
Pete Kriger, Sheron Hollis (back left)
Amy with Doc's mule Biscuit (that was purchased by Charles)
Shawnee Vicky
Thursday, October 21st 2010
We were up about 7:00 am. Kurt Price got the tire off my trailer. We were told there was a tire shop just a few miles down the road and Kurt told us how to get there. Bonnie and I headed out, got about 6 miles down the road and I realized I did not have my purse. Bonnie did not have her purse either. We turned around and went back to camp, I got my purse and we headed out again. We found the tire store we were given directions to. But, it has been closed for years. DANG! Harbison's gas station was right there so I pulled in and filled up. Bonnie bought us coffee and a breakfast sandwich for herself. The clerk at the store told us we'd have to go into Harrisburg to find a tire store. This was the town we'd been through the previous day. We had no choice so off we went. Bonnie put our coffee's into the cup holders in my truck. When she took her coffee out of the holder to drink it, something was stuck to the bottom of the cup. She pulled it off and it was a hatpin. So, now she had a hole in the bottom of the cup and coffee was leaking out. She at first tried to stick the pin back in but with no success. Well, sticking the pin is was easy enough but it did not slow the leak. She held the cup over her breakfast sandwich and package to contain the leak and not get coffee on my seat. I couldn't pull over right away but did as soon as I could. Bonnie saved what coffee she could by pouring it into a water bottle. In the process she dropped her breakfast sandwich on the ground. By now she was very disgusted and flung the sandwich and hatpin out into the woods followed by a few f-bombs. At this point, good friend that I am, I was laughing so hard I though Bonnie would punch me in the head and fling me out into the woods too. We found the tire store in Harrisburg with no trouble. They looked at the tire and said it was not repairable as there was a hole in the sidewall. They said it looked like it might have been caused by a thorn leaving me to wonder just what kind of monster thorn bushes grow around here!
We got back to camp just in time to join the ride going to Jackson Falls. Anthony loaded 8 mules into his trailer including my Louie. Cindy Price hauled 3 mules in her trailer and Deb Schlabach hauled all our tack in her truck. When we got to the parking area, Anthony realized we were short one mule. He'd forgotten to load a mule for Larry Mills. Anthony felt so bad. He shouldn't have though, he has gone above and beyond all week helping everyone out. We all tacked up our mules and headed out just after noon time. Amy was riding Rhonda's mule Elsie Ann. We weren't on the trail long when we got lost. Then found our way, then got lost again. We stopped for a rest break on top of the train tunnel which is such a neat place. We did make it to Jackson Falls and had lunch there. When we got back on the trail after lunch we got really lost. we went through a tunnel that went under the train tracks. Anthony tried to lead the way on Bucking Betty. There was a deep water hole in front of the tunnel entrance and Betty was having nothing to do with it. Cindy Price on her mule Spec saved the day by leading us through. Louie was not too thrilled with the whole tunnel thing but didn't do anything foolish. I did dismount once in the tunnel just to be on the safe side. Going through the tunnel was both scary and fun. We were still totally lost and by now it was getting late. For a while we thought we were going to be spending the night in the woods. Earlier in the day we had passed some rock climbers. One of the climbers we had passed came up behind us on the trail asking for help. His girlfriend had fallen and injured her ankle and could not hike out. Anthony and Amy went to help her. Amy put her on Elsie Ann and led her out to a parking area that was not too far away at Jackson Falls. Seems we'd been kind of riding in a circle. Eventually Anthony did find the correct trail and we got back to the trailers just before dark. It was late by the time we got back to camp. Kurt put the new tire on my trailer. Tonight supper was a Mexican potluck at the community building. It was too late for us to make anything but we were told there was plenty of food for everyone and to just come down to eat which we happily did. We visited with everyone for a while after eating then I headed for a shower. Before going back to our camp, I squared up with JoJo for our extra night. Before bed Bonnie and I packed up as much as we could and I spent some time on my computer going over the best route home and writing it down as I had no printer available. I had also gone over the route home with Kathy Lawless earlier that day as she had some good suggestions that I was going to take. I sent a text message to Judy in PA to let her know we'd be a day later than planned heading home and that we would likely arrive quite late at her place.
Cindy on Louie, last days ride to Jackson Falls
Deb Schlabach and Terri Miller putting a bridle on Pepper Ann
Me on Louie and Pete Kriger on Moonshine
Anthony McAllister on Bucking Betty
Bonnie Hinz on Dolly
Amy Beem on Elsie Ann and Anthony McAllister on Bucking Betty
Amy Beem on Elsie Ann
Anthony McAllister on Bucking Betty and Bonnie Hinz on Dolly
Amy Beem on Elsie Ann, me on Louie, Pete Kriger on Moonshine, Rhonda Mills on July and Julie Merrill on JJ
Me on Louie, Bonnie Hinz on Dolly and Amy Beem on Elsie Ann
Anthony McAllister on Bucking Betty
Me and Rhonda Mills
The Three Amigos!
Louie wondering if Cindy Price has something good
Louie at rest stop on top of train tunnel
Louie at lunch stop at Jackson Falls
Me and Deb Schlabach at Jackson Falls
Amy Beem eating lunch at Jackson Falls
Kurt Price on Baby at Jackson Falls
Cindy and Kurt Price with Speck
Dolly
Louie and Kurt behind at lunch stop at Jackson Falls
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Friday October 22nd 2010
We were up by 7:00 am. We didn't really have any breakfast. We packed up camp as quickly as we could knowing we had a long drive ahead of us. The packing went well considering what a mess it looked like we had. We got the mules loaded up then drove through camp to say goodbye to Anthony. Then we drove around to Pam and Charles' campsite to say goodbye to them. We had a great time riding with them. We were on our way home sometime around 9:00 am. We stopped at the first MacDonald's we came to for a quick breakfast. We were pleased to see that Dolly was traveling well and seemed relaxed. I received a text message from Judy in PA saying whatever time we arrived was fine. Matilda (the GPS) and my MapQuest directions seemed to be agreeing with each other which is always comforting. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for supper. It was quite late and dark by the time we got to mid-state PA. While on the PA turnpike, we missed a direction I had written down. But, we were still following Matilda's directions so decided to just go with that despite some misgiving I felt about it. Matilda took us off the turnpike onto some secondary roads and through a lot of small towns. Then around midnight, we started up a hill that just got steeper and steeper and steeper..... and soon we were driving on switchbacks. We started to get nervous and knew this was NOT a road we wanted to be on hauling a trailer. But, there was nothing I could do as there was no place to turn around with a drop off on one side of us and a cliff wall on the other. And it's probably just as well it was dark and could not see much because what little we could see was scaring us. As we approached each switchback, Amy was clinging to the door handle with one hand with her other hand was over her mouth and she kept anxiously telling me to, "make the turn, make the turn!" I stuck right to the middle of the road and it just kept climbing for miles. Finally, we reached the top. But you know the saying, what goes up, must come down. And I was terrified of what the down side of the road was going to be like. Then we see a sign that says, "warning, 11.5% grade down for next 3.5 miles" ACK!!!! I just put the truck right down in it's lowest gear and crawled down that mountain. We made it down safely but when we got to the bottom, Matilda announced we had arrived at our destination. Matilda was wrong. There was nothing there and we did not know where we were. As much as we hated calling Judy so late at night, or rather early in the morning, we didn't know what else to do. Thankfully she and her husband had gone to an Eagles concert that night and were on their way home so we did not wake them. The cell service wasn't very good and we weren't able to talk long enough to tell her where we were, as if we knew anyway. We programmed the town of Huntingdon into Matilda and just went into town. By then we had managed to get a good call through to Judy and she told us to just stay there in town and she'd come get us. It was only 20 minutes or so before Judy and her husband arrived. It turned out we were only a few miles from her farm. We sure were happy when we pulled into her driveway.
We quickly unloaded the mules and turned them out in the paddock. They were even happier than we were to have arrived. Louie remembered his previous visit so knew right where the water and hay were. We grabbed only what was essential from the trailer and quickly settled into the apartment to get what sleep we could. That night I was awoken by Amy thrashing me with her hair! She said something about a house fly in it. When Amy got settled back down, she and I suddenly burst into hysterical laughter and we had quite the laughing fit until we were crying and our sides hurt. Bonnie thought we were both nuts. We did finally all get to sleep.
Saturday October 23rd. 2010
We got up around 7:30 am. We packed up and decided to go to breakfast before loading up the mules. There was no sense making them stand on the trailer any longer than necessary and it was not far to the restaurant. We had a nice breakfast and were soon back and had the mules loaded. We thought we might have trouble catching them in such a big turnout but we didn't and they both loaded quite well. We had an uneventful drive home. We stopped at a service area on the MA pike for supper and arrived at my house right around 10:00 pm. It was a wonderful trip, with even more wonderful friends. And we were blessed with absolutely fabulous weather the whole trip. I can't wait until the next mule gathering!
I will end by saying that I took Louie to Shawnee with full intentions of selling him. This trip made me realize just what a good mule he is and how much I really like him. So, I brought Louie home.
Louie exceeded my expectation of him every day on this trip. He spent 5 days on my trailer, four of those days being between 11 and 13 hrs. He was good on the trailer. He ate well and even drank when offered water. I rode him 1 day in Kentucky and six days in the Shawnee National Forest. And I did the long day rides with him there. Each day he was eager to go and handled all that he was asked to do with ease. This was Louie's first camp out and he did fabulous. Did not fuss in his pen even when his pasture mate River left to be with his new owners. There were quite a few times when Louie and I got out in the lead of a group and though he certainly would then look for all the mule eating monsters hiding behind the many rocks, he did what I requested of him with no fuss and never refused anything I asked of him.
The Riders and Mules of the 2010 Shawnee Mule Gathering!
From Illinois:Anthony McAllister ...... Diablo
Bucking Betty
JJ (sold to Pete Kriger)
Festus (sold to JoJo)
Big Rosie
Little Rosie
Pepper Ann
Cathy McAllister...........Elwood
Kate McAllister ............Moonshine
Doc Leuking..................Tex
Biscuit (sold to Charles McMichael)
Jacquie Leuking............Ginger
Rod Wenger...................Dolly (sold to Bonnie Hinz)
Karen Wenger
Jesse Wenger .................Marley
Addie Wenger
Jim France......................Gus
Steve Lewlis.................Sis (horse)
Connie Kuhlig..............Camel (horse)
Shawnee Vicky..............?
Tony Lusch...................Alvin
Jean Lusch....................?
From Michigan:
Kathy Lawless................Jackie-O-Asses
July (sold to Rhonda Mills)
From Maine:
Cindy Ross....................Louie
Amy Beem
Bonnie Hinz...................River (sold to Rod Wenger)
From California:
Pete Kriger.....................(bought JJ)
Julie Merrill
From Iowa:
Theresa Swift..................Waylon
Miss Ruth
Sadie
From New Jersey (and Ohio)
Ival McDermott
From Tennessee:
Ruth Reynolds.................Billy Ray
Lisa Conger......................Taco
Tyler Conger
Travis Conger
Jonica Lasiter...................Sweetie (horse)
From Florida (and Tennessee)
Jackie Kirkland ...............Arthur (horse)
From Missouri:
Cindy Price....................Spec
Kurt Price.......................Baby
Janelle Stephanic...........Topper
From Pennsylvania:
Cindy King..................Dickins
Marshall
Bill Dillon....................Ruby
Gail Dillon
From Ohio:
Deb Schlabach..............Issac
Terrie Miller
Becky Emeriche
From North Carolina (and Ohio)
Rhonda Mills ...............Elsie Ann
Larry Mills
The TEXAS OUTLAWS!!
Donna Bryant .................Jab
Jackie Bryant..................Bobbie
John Caroll.....................Burbon
Lois Carroll...................Barney
Dottie Jordan.................Amy
Sheron Hollis.................Judy
Robert Hollis..................Inca
Dottie
Charles McMichael.......Chester (horse)
Pam McMichael............Dixie (horse)
Deb Doktor
Belle Doktor
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