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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Really nice that you still have grass! I always loved it when the horses had grass into early December ... saved about a month of hay and at one time, I had 5 mouths to feed.

My first pony was a smart old gal - we could tie her out in the yard (& did a lot) and she knew how to keep from getting her feet tangled up in the ropes .... the big horses, I didn’t dare put out on a rope!

I was watching a TV show some while back (like maybe 2 years!) and the guy had mules. He left them at a farm during the winter (he was back in the boonies, didn’t have food for them) so in the Spring, he would go get them and take them home. Well, he tried to take them home. One mule started acting up & the other mule seized the opportunity to also act up. He ended up walking back to the corral after being dumped (the mules were ‘waiting’ for him) and he was trying to figure out what to do. His comments were that you need to be exceedingly careful with mules. When training, if they have a “bad” experience, they never forget it. He was in a bit of a pickle because his mules ‘got away’ with misbehaving, which was problematic.

My mom, growing up, had to plow with mules. The one that left a lasting impression was “Bill”. He was a good mule in general, great worker, never stepped on the plants, knew exactly how to turn around at the end of the rows. BUT ... if Bill even ‘thought’ he heard thunder, he was headed back to the barn, regardless of what he was doing, hooked up to, etc. No thunderstorms for Bill!! :-)


75 posted on 11/22/2021 9:38:16 AM PST by Qiviut ("Don't let your children die on the hill you refuse to fight on.")
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To: Qiviut; MomwithHope

Mules are definitely one of God’s most interesting creations, LOL!

Beau bought Ithaca 20+ years ago to be a companion to his wife’s horse. Well, the horse died not to long into the mule/horse relationship and the mule stayed.

He’s really good for nothing other than general amusement. Beau has tried to saddle break him a few times, but Ithaca usually wins. He’s EXACTLY the type that would knock you off the saddle going under low branches and such, so maybe it’s a good thing that he won. ;)

Us: “I’M not getting on him! YOU get on him! I’M not getting on him! YOU get on him!” LOL!


76 posted on 11/22/2021 10:43:05 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (The names have been changed to protect my innocense. )
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