I’d love to see that!
Back when I had a goat, I would buy hay from a coworker’s father. Mr. B had 2 mules and 5 Belgians with which he competed in pulling contests. Or maybe that was only the excuse to keep expensive pets around. Those animals were so spoilt, they’d have crawled into your lap if you let them.
He’d once nearly been crushed against a stall by one of the horses - not through hostility but from avid affection.
I kinda feLt sorry for the two mules, though. There’s only one of Mr. B, and the Belgiums tended to crowd the mules away from the fence and highly desired petting.
If they do the annual “Old National Pike Days” again I’ll try and get some photos of them.
The parents and the kids dress up in 19th century garb and the one girl rides another grade draft horse behind the wagon.
[I wish they’d adopt me]....LOL
There’s lots of mules hereabouts.
My dad’s had a few that he used as packers on hunting trips.
Smart critters.
They never let the horses bully them away from *anything*...:)
The old Buckskin of my youth would come up and wrap his neck around me and crush me into his chest.
It wasn’t very comfortable but he meant well...it’s not like he had arms to hug me.
Worse than that was when he’d rub his big head all over me affectionately.
I can’t count the times he caught me by surprise and flattened me on the ground.
[the he’d look all worried and keep trying to roll me with his nose so I’d get up]
At least twice a summer I’d get bawled out because I’d go in the house for some water or a sandwich and ol’ Reb would come up on the back porch and watch me through the back door.
[the porch was a huge concrete slab over our cistern!]...LOL
I miss that horse.
There’ll never be another like him.
My first pony not only came up on the porch after me, she’d open the screen door and come in the kitchen.
[but *I* got my hide tanned for it. was it my fault my critters always followed me everywhere?]
They used to have horse pulls during the Ag Fair and I *loved* going but it seems they’ve replaced that with those stupid “tractor pulls” which are hardly more than glorified jet engines stuffed into a tractor-like chassis.
Bleah.
*sigh*
Now I’m all sentimental.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgAfSQLJlAM