Sunny Days and Solo Rides

Hey there muleteers it's Callie again!  My boys are complaining that I keep hogging the limelight but what can a girl do?  I am the centre of the universe so I'm sure you all want to know about my escapades :-)

Today feels like the first day of Spring.  It was a chilly night last night and I was pleased that my human gave me a little extra handful of haylage (she's mean with the haylage and always dilutes it with straw - not fair).  This morning she was up super early and said the words I long to hear, we were going out for a walk!  So she got me all dressed up in my finest cowmule gear, I look super duper in my fine saddle and my bridle which shows of my best features (my ears of course!), I'm not keen on standing still while human fiddles with the straps but I have learnt that the quicker she gets on with it the quicker we go out.

So I yelled see you later to the boys, The Mini was being silly and making the most awful racket, Ro-Land had already disappeared to eat, he could at least pretend he cares!  Off we went, at first human was content to walk alongside with me but then she decided she wanted me to carry her,  I think secretly she was getting puffed!  Anyway on she hopped, it's much easier when I carry her anyway, we can go soooo much faster.  So on we went, I had a couple of scary moments when the sunshine played games with the shadows and Oh My Mule I could have sworn I saw a pixie!  I had to stand and look for ages to make sure the pixie had gone, in the end human decided she was feeling brave and clambered off to lead, this way she is the first to get eaten or have a spell put on her or whatever those Dartmoor Pixies do?!

On we went, it's all up hill which is pretty hard work for my little legs so we had a little snack and a slurp from a cool stream.  Then human decided that it was time to get back on board, she's pretty springy for a human and we were off in no time.  We had reached the rocky track, I reckon she couldn't keep her balance so let me sort it out, clever girl!

Mules are the original off road vehicle!

Us mules are so good at putting our feet in the right place, the only problem comes when you humans try to tell us where to go.  So we carried on to a gate which even I couldn't jump!  Anyway off the human got again and wrestled with the gate, I watched very closely as I think this could be a good skill to master, I could open all the gates that keep us penned in at the moment! We could all go for a little wander, hmm sounds like a plan, best not tell the human though think she'd worry!

Then we reached the open expanse that my human calls a 'keep', apparently many mule years ago the farmers around here using to drive their livestock in to this massive field which has loads of grass and huge stone walls.

The Keep, lots of lovely bouncy grass, we went to investigate these trees!

My human and I come here often to play some games and go for a wander with our friends, she doesn't ride me up here though as she seemed to think I'll be silly, how offensive! So off we pottered over to some granite boulders, this is good fun, human and I play climb the stones and see who can look biggest, yes muleteers I think you know the answer - it's me!  I climbed on to a particularly big rock today and could see for miles around, I looked beautiful, the Queen of the Castle!  Then something unexpected happened......  Human decided I was trustworthy enough to get back on, on she got and we were off!  We went and checked out all the corners of this massive place and pottered around for ages.  Human and I are still working out our language but we're getting there, I am very good at listening and of course I understand, I AM A MULE! She is learning mulemanship rapidly and after a while of sign language and gentle hints on my part it was great.  It was like my human and I were reading each others mind.  Is this what is called being in tune with your human? I love it!

Normally we just walk, today was extra special!

Sadly all good things must end and we had to go home, secretly I was a little bit tired anyway, off human got and we had a potter back slowly home.  We met lots of nice people on the way back with their not so welcome dogs!  Us mules do not think that sniffing bottoms is any polite way to introduce yourself so I had to let one of them know this.  A swift swipe with my dog defenders did the trick, that'll teach em!  I didn't actually get the silly mutt but it was a warning, us mules have the perfect aim, if we mean to get that dog we will!  Human chuckled, she had told the owner that dogs were not cool but they hadn't listened, I think she can read my mind!

At last we reached home, I got a lovely big juicy carrot as my reward for carrying the human, I better not tell her that I enjoyed it too, the carrots might stop otherwise!