Gotta Love That Dragon Mule!

This picture says everything about why I love the Dragon Mule.  Dragon has been the member of our gang who has to had compromise a little more than the others.  For a mule that loves to work and explore we've had to put things a little on the back burner.  My time is no longer quite my own and especially with being in the depths of winter she gets ridden occasionally by Smiley Human or even less occasionally by me.

I admit that I have worried about how this effects her and have thought long and hard about if it's fair to deny her one of her greatest pleasures…. but I have taken good advice and especially liked the advice that her 'job' at the moment is to fit in with family life :-) To be fair she seems happy enough with her lot in life and is very much loved, fed, watered and entertained (as much as can be managed - she'd always love more).

So this morning was one of my morning duties with HF under MH's control (much to his pleasure!), it was my turn to act as chief poo shoveller and to get Dragon ready for her ride with Smiley Human.  I was organising some hay and had the tarpaulin out, Dragon hasn't seen this for a while but thought it was great fun.  So much fun that she had to wear it and parade in it.  She is so unbotherable that she didn't even move when I plonked it very loudly on her back, I do believe that she flicked a ear at me as if to say, is that it? So I went back to my jobs and let her revel in her new fashion item…. Super Mule anyone?

She wasn't moving though when I was trying to sweep the yard so I had to go under her….

I love this mule, she is crazy opinionated and can whip you well with her Dragon tail but underneath it is a brain the size of a small country, a really willing heart and a softy.  No sooner had she whipped me with the Dragon tail whilst trying to do up her girths / cinches than she was happily burying her head in my arms for scratches.

Once she had swapped her Super Mule cape for her saddle off she pottered with Smiley Human, she hadn't been out for three weeks, the weather was good and she'd eaten a little too much good haylage - eek!  I was a little concerned about her behaviour for Smiley Human - who always just smiles at any antics.  I don't know why I bothered worrying really?

Smiley Human reported back that she had been perfect; the normal trains, bikes, tractors, cars, people and life in general firmly put in their place by brave muletta Dragon.

Then Smiley Human reported back that we had forgotten to put her stirrups on the saddle…..oops! Oh well, just a good job that she is a perfect muletta hey? I blame it on baby brain or the terrible cold that I have at the moment, many would say it's just my natural air-headedness.  Alas it's a good job the Dragon mule has brains enough for the rest of us :-) And a very good job because she'll be carrying a precious cargo in a few years time…..

Have a great week!  By the way thank you for all of your comments, even if I don't get chance to reply as much as I'd like I love reading every single one of them and its lovely to hear from old friends. We'll be back again soon!

Back In The Saddle!

Finally!  It's over a year since FH placed her foot in my stirrup and climbed onboard.... that was until today.  I have been trying my best to encourage FH on board but she's been busy.... one thing us
mules are good at though is patience so I figured I could wait a little longer.  Me and Smiley Human have been going out and about together but it's always nice to have two riders, not that I'm greedy or anything ;-)

So this morning FH appeared with saddle in hand, I was a good muletta having all my straps done up (I'm extra good these days as FH sometimes has the Baby One attached to her so I have to be very careful).  And I waited, ears pricked and wondered where Smiley Human was...... and I waited..... but then FH said WE were going out together.

FH was a little twitchy, she was wondering if she'd forgotten how to ride in all that time? What if she had lost her balance (hehe...) We had a little walk first and then it was time, FH gingerly placed a foot in the stirrup (I stood VERY still like a good muletta) and hoisted on board and we were off :-)

FH is a kilo or two heavier than before (we'll soon get that off her) but all the gear fitted and she sat onboard like she'd never been away.  She sat quietly and chattered away to me, mostly about my mulificent ears, I could tell she was a little on edge but that was fine cos I am brave enough for both of us.  FH soon relaxed and we were off climbing steep tracks and looking at the lovely Autumn views. I could tell FH was beaming away behind me, I was very proud, we call it her 'riding face' :-)

We didn't go far but that's fine, there is plenty more time for longer rides.  A wonderful time was had by us both, it was pretty nice to have FH back in the saddle!

First Ride!

Well Muleteer friends it's been a while but we just had to come back to report our excitement at our first ride by HF :-)

HF is rather pleased with our furry handsomeness and is never happier than when allowed to stroke and touch us all, apparently we are much more satisfying to stroke than those hairless humans ;-) We knew that we'd trained her well!  She does look really happy with herself doesn't she?

FH reckons that 19 weeks is old enough for a ride surely? OK so it was more of a sit but we reckon it still counts?

Roller was first to get in on the action... apparently he has been sanctioned as the first mount as he is 'bombproof'.... well he wouldn't notice anything anyway as his head is firmly attached to the grass in front of him!

I was not to be outdone though, whatever they say about me I know my job and it is to look after my herd and most especially my new rider - come on FH I told you when you were growing my new rider that she was MINE!

So come on HF hop on over, get off that ponio and discover the delights of looking through an amazing set of ears!

Yep there we go, don't I look just right with her on top!  Watch out FH if you grin anymore you'll split your face :-)

I'm off to plan some adventures for my new rider..... I have had a few folks say I look like a medieval jousting mule in my bug armour?  It befits my brave nature!

And finally apologies for our absence.... our human foal has been unwell (she is now getting better by the day) and we sadly lost MH's Mum recently so things have been a little difficult.  We are pleased to report that all inhabitants of Muleteer HQ - furry and non furry are well and enjoying life, we will update on all of their fun and frolics soon!

Ears Waves, Snuffles, Miaows, Woofs, Gurgles and of course Neigh-Brays to you all xxx

Catching Up With The Girls!

Don't you just love a good catch up with pals?  I had a lovely weekend catching up with the girls :-)  It's been ages since I've been out for a lovely long ride with my short eared hero Breeze and her human, we'd almost forgotten what Dartmoor looks like!

So we put our ears together and hatched a plan and made the humans promise to take us out this weekend!  It was a long holiday weekend so there was no excuse.

My Hero and I carried our humans all the way to the moor, can you believe how much they talk?  Honestly blah, blah, blah, do they not realise that my ears are delicate and all that noise... but it was good to listen in to the tales of silly humans (best not to even think about...), the weather (not bad for the UK!), the hay crop (apparently good - phew!), friends (mostly good), acquaintances (mostly puzzling) and just odd things.... Breeze and I exchanged our own news, I told her about my win at Mule Agility, she told me about her new task teaching a new short eared friend the ropes and her sessions with the dancing teacher - very impressive!

Most of all the four of us just went *sigh* isn't it pretty, ah isn't it peaceful, ah why don't we do this more often (what's stopping you humans?) and we must get to the top of that VERY steep hill before the end of the Autumn (hmmm looks like a jolly steep climb and it's not the picture below that's a tiny mound in comparison).

So we splashed (well I mostly got wet as My Hero is such a good aim with her splashing) and pranced and had a jolly old time....

It's coming up to the best time of year for riding on the moor, not too many flies, cooler breezes, clear skies (please) and hopefully less rain than the winter - here's hoping!

Alas it was time for home, I was sad and a little deflated to have to wave my ears goodbye to my pal, it was secretly nice to have a girl to discuss stuff with.  

FH promised a little something to say thank you for a nice time though... I wonder what she has in there for me?

Aha!  A lovely carroty treat, I am very gentle really and didn't chomp her fingers as it might look like in the picture....

Finally ears of relaxation and happiness. I'm dreaming of the next work day!  

 Until next time Muleteers I wish you a good week ahead!

Mula Exploradora!

Mule Explorer!

The sun's shining, the breeze is blowing and this mule has energy! Come on FH let's go check out the wilds of Dartmoor!

I do so love it up on Dartmoor, it is made for mules!  Dartmoor is nearly 400 square miles of open moorland with herds of ponies, cattle and sheep (and the occasional Pixie aka Piskies in this area).

I have been exploring on the moor before but normally I have to wait for a more mature short ears friend to go with me as I get a bit excited!  FH reckons I'm ready to go on my own though now.

So let's get tacked up and out early..... we don't get blue skies like that very often here you know.









That looks like a mule track to me, need to go up hill and over yonder, hang on FH I'll get you there.

Dartmoor Mule!

I've noticed on Dartmoor that there are lots of these stone things everywhere.... FH tells me that some of them are the ruins of old houses (maybe we could come live up here FH, there's lots of grass), some are burial mounds (spooky!) and some are monuments that no one really knows what they are. These things have been here since the Bronze age, that's about 5000 mule years ago, wow!  They are all made out of granite and have a habit of popping up out of nowhere, I had to give some of those stones a good mule stare to put them in their place.... can't have those rocks thinking they've scared me...

Sometimes all is not as it seems, I noticed that quite a few of those stones actually moved when I passed them.  They was sheeps disguised as stones!  Naughty sheep!  This little lambykins wasn't that well disguised though, he had got left behind by his Mom.  Run, sheepy run.

After a few miles I was starting to get a bit thirsty, it was OK though as we were about to happen upon one of Dartmoor's many streams for a little drink.  We had to tip toe around a blanket bog first though.  Dartmoor has lots of bogs.... nasty squelchy things that suck your hooves off, thank goodness FH seems to know where they are as I wouldn't like to lose my pretty muletta hooves, good job I invited her along, humans are useful sometimes.

Bog tackled we neared the stream but what is this?  Some of the cattle had the same idea.  These are Belted Galloway cattle, I thought they were rather pretty, FH was not so convinced, she is a little bit nervous of them.  Apparently this herd are known to be fairly quiet but they got calves with them so we needed to be careful and not upset them.  FH needed to hide so she got off me and hid behind my mulificent self.  I gave those cows some stern mule stares and they quickly created a path for Queen Dragon to proceed through.  I don't know why FH is bothered by this lot they seemed pretty friendly to me.  I would've enjoyed staying to chat a bit longer but places to go people to see!

Just a second FH before we go I just gotta check under the bridge for the Piskies (this is the proper Devon word for pixies, those little fairy folk that live on the moor and have a mischievous time, us Muleteers love them, our humans don't believe they exist, they have no imagination sometimes).  

These old bridges are called clapper bridges, some nice person mules years ago put them up so you humans don't need to get your feet wet when crossing.  Us mules have superior waterproof hooves, you lot really need to evolve some too.

Checking for Piskies

OK bye now my bovine friends, I'll be back again soon.  What a nice view!  You can see where the farmer's fields end and the moor begins, they're such different colours.

Onwards we must go!  This is so much fun!  FH walks a bit and rides a bit and inspects the view while I inspect the plant life (mmm tasty).  We both sigh deeply and enjoy the sunshine, aahh bliss :-)

Nearly back to the track home and I came across this most interesting bunch of stones, I was desperate to climb all over it while FH had to get off to open one of the super difficult gates. This is called a 'Barrow', apparently not one of the wheeled ones but this is a name for an ancient monument sometimes a tomb or burial chamber.  These are found all over the moor, this is one of the oldest ones but alas it is now just a collection of big granite rocks. 

Perfect for a Mula Exploradora to pose on!

Homeward bound now, I'm sure I can hear The Mini bellowing from miles down the lane!  I'm having such a nice time do I have to go home?  Guess the boys need might need me.... oh well if we're going we might as well GO!  What do you mean FH that I really shouldn't canter down this path? It's only steep and rocky and narrow.... no problems for a Mula Exploradora but as you asked nicely I guess I'll carry you down it at a walk.  There is an advantage to that, I can snack along the way!

Next stop home.  Just time for a Mula Exploradora to replenish her energy levels with cow parsley, hogweed and campion - yummy!

I'm ready for my next adventure, where to FH?  I love being a Mula Exploradora!

To Ride a Good Mule.....

To ride a good mule is to never look back!

...... is to discover a new friend and a new way of riding.

Many of my short eared friends seem amazed when they meet me carrying my human around the lanes and the moors.  At first I thought they were blown away by my good looks and superior ears but then I realised they didn't think us mules were up to the job of being ridden!

Mules in the UK are few and far between and most of them are too small to ride, us long ears also seem to have a bad reputation for being unpleasant to ride.... very unfair.

I like nothing more than to work and to go out and about with my human.  Some of my friends find this hard to imagine?  A mule that likes to work?  Surely not?  But honestly when we go out for a ride I will go just as fast going out as coming home (how many horses do you know do that?) and when it comes time to turn up the lane to home (where The Mini is neighbraying his best at me) I want to carry on and go around again.

I have had to teach my human some mule riding tricks though..... when you ride a mule you do not 'command' it, you do not 'tell' it, if you do this you'll find out why many folks think we're bad to ride.... they just didn't listen when we tried teaching them!

When we go out me and FH work together, we listen to each other and if I have something to say it's taken note of, this does not mean that my human is allowed to sit like a sack of potatoes or is allowed to be sticky at the yard gate!

I demand certain things from my rider:

• Clear signals, tell me where we're going and then let's get there

• Too Cool for School - I don't do 'schooling'..... I am amazed at my short eared friends, their ability to enjoy 20 metre circles baffles me, I would much prefer to leap some rocks and teeter on a steep ledge thanks, this teaches me to be supple and agile, just in a different way!

• Coming Through - don't dilly dally, let's move on.  I like going out with my short ear friends and am always happy to take the lead when they let me.  I think they're happy that my superior dog defenders and attack mule credentials will keep them safe from harm.  It must look quite funny with a petite pony mule leading her big short eared friends....

• Fun, fun, fun!  Humans take themselves way too seriously sometimes, especially some 'horsey' types.  I think there should be a new term 'muley' types, folks with a smile on their face, a sense of humour and a sunny disposition.  What better way to make yourself smile than with the tuneful neighbray of a mule in your life?

What do I offer my rider in return?

• Beauty! Have you seen how mulificent I am?  To ride a mule is to ride a supermodel.... my superior ears and mulificent brown eyes are sure to appeal to all :-)

• Sure footedness - us mules have inherited our donkey Dad's little feet that fit in to all sorts of tiny gaps, if there's a safe way through we'll find it.  We also don't need shoes so no slippy sliding on the road

• Fearlessness - to ride a mule is to ride a warrior(ess).  We mules look after our cargo, mess with us and you'll know it.  I am adept at dealing with rude dogs and other such annoyances.  I will spin on the spot (slowly enough to keep FH in the saddle mind) to keep them in my gaze and if they get very bad I'll put them in their place.... gently to start with, of course!

• Willingness - this is my human's favourite thing.  To ride an equine that wants to work, that wants to be with you and has a shared enjoyment is surely what all riders wish for?  I am with her and she with me.  I will happily tell FH when I'm not happy, this may sound like a problem but in her eyes it's the greatest gift as she knows what I'm really thinking.

A Willing Partner

• Smoothness - us mules are smoother to ride and FH always comments on how nice I am to sit to, she glides along... after riding a horse designed as a flashy cart horse for many years she wishes she'd found me sooner!

• Fun - to ride a mule is to smile, to watch my mulificent floppy ears on radar scan is a fine pleasure for my rider.  I even painted the tips of them with the finest make up to make them look even finer!

There is a saying that rings true, "to ride a good mule is to never go back to riding a horse" which is good as I'm not intending on going anywhere and we've got years of riding to do!  Speaking of which FH.... would you hurry up and get my saddle out, it's time for a ride!

p.s. the big 'stick' in the picture functions for opening gate latches not for mule beating!!

Girls Day Out!

Lovely in Lilac!

Finally!  It's happened!  My hints have paid off and FH has got me a girlie coloured bridle, I'm so overjoyed :-)  Imagine my delight when FH brought out a brand new bridle for me in lovely lilac, wow this should have all the boys swooning!  A girl has got to look her best you know.  I'm so pleased with my bridle, some of my human friends kept thinking I was a boy!  Can you believe it?! This ought to give them a fair hint....

So sisters what do we do when we have a new outfit to wear?  We call up our girl friends and invite them out, that's what!!   I called up my short eared friends Breeze and Chance who brought along their human (so that FH didn't feel left out) for a ride.









The breeze was blowing, the sun was shining and I was ready to go!  So girls where are we off to today??

We had a chat and decided on a potter around the lanes to check out the new lambykin arrivals and then down to our favourite spot at the river for some splashing about, this is our version of a session at the spa.  Blah, blah, blah those humans can talk...... what's the best way to make them shut up?? Splash a lot, drown them out and soak them - hehe!

We had a splashing good time, Breeze looks so pleased with herself for completely soaking her human, I did try not to get FH too wet, secretly I didn't want to ruin my brand new lilac bridle.

Do you think it shows off my mulificent ears well?

Once we'd splashed to our hearts content we started the trail home, along the lanes, by the railway line, past the lambykins, past the posh riding school, past a few short ears and up some rather steep hills!  Most of the way around all I could hear was the humans chattering away, but then it all went quiet and there were some sounds from FH's electronic thingy.... the reins were even more like washing lines than normal and I realised that my mulificence was being videoed!  FH reckons it is only fair to invite others to share my beautiful mobile ears from the vantage point of my saddle.  She says that they are mesmerising and amazingly busy listening for everyone and everything!  Well I have to listen to FH, listen for cars behind, cars in front, check what my short eared friends are up to and listen to the gossip from all the animals behind the hedgerow, it's no wonder my ears are busy FH when they've got so much to do!

So here's the view from onboard, made even finer by my lovely lilac bridle!

After a good couple hours, a few miles, lots of gossipping, many litres of water sloshed about, a good amount of showing off of my bridle and five worn out girls the day out was over..... back to those boys of mine who were lazing around as usual.... thank goodness for Catanian!