Next cowgirl in our family

Kiara's mom has said she can ride mules when she gets big enough. I am encouraging her to bring her out to meet the mules and get use to those big ole' ears. I have an 18 year old jenny donkey that I will start teaching her to lead animals with. The jenny is very respectful and will not get into your space unless asked. She's a great teacher with my young mules and I believe she will help the young kids to feel safe around equine. Lot of teaching to be done there but I've already started 3 other granddaughters. Don't have any grandsons that are interested in riding.

I babysit Kiara every Tuesday so her mom can get a break and earn a few more dollars and I can let Kiara know about her crazy mule loving Noni. Please pray for Kiara. he he he

If you look closely you'll see her new teeth on the bottom. She is 7 months old. She is a beautiful girl. Can't you just see her in those bling bling blouses in the lead line???????????

Mocassin's debut

This was Mocassin's debut. She had a big class to contend with but she was a very good girl. She is one of twins that were born while we were at the Iowa Horse Fair in April. The mare was 357 days gestation and we just knew she would foal while we were gone. Well she did and she had twins. The other foal was stillborn and quite a bit smaller than Mocassin. At birth she was the smallest colt we've had at 35". She was fun to get started. Bill is having a hard time chosing between her and Jane.

This is a recent picture of Jane. She has such a wonderful personality and is very respectful. She is a full sister to Angel. The mix between our jack and their mother is a good one. We've had three colts from this mix and they are exceptional mules. Very loving animals.

Sooooo..... which one do you like better?

Greystone's Crystal Angel

AKA "Angel" won the 3 year old futurity at the IDMS State Show. Sue White of Rockn S Mules trained and showed her this year. We foaled and raised this mule out of our jack Greystone and a Scotch Bar Time mare. It has been a joy watching her grow. She won the weanling futurity in 2006 and the three year old futurity this year. I don't think that happens very often so we are very proud of her and she will end up being my primary mount once we get ourselves on the same page. In the one picture of just Sue and Angel you can see the two of them were having a discussion over who the boss was.

We went to 24th annual Clark County Mule Festival in Kahoka, MO this last weekend. Pictures to be coming in the future but we had a blast and were exhausted when we got home.

I am babysitting my granddaughter today so I'll check back later when she gives me some extra time. She is 7 months old and beginning to move around some. Gotta keep a close eye one her. She will be my next COWGIRL!!!!!! Yee haw.

55# weight loss in one year

These pictures were taken at the same time of the year. The one with Rosie and I crossing the bridge was last year (2008) at the IDMS State Show and Futurities. The other picture is at the IDMS show this year. I have lost 55# but didn't really notice it that much until I compared these pics.

I am doing some ground work with my three year old and will not be riding her again this year. Rosie and I have some serious trail riding to do. We will have a horse and mule fun show in Ottumwa on 10/04 and we'll go to the Tim Christopher Biannual All Mule Ride in Decorah on Oct. 10. Then Jeanie and I will be going to Eminence, MO the last week in October. That's about it execpt just fun little rides here and there. Winter will be here before we are ever ready for it!!

Training mules

Training mules is not for sissies!!!

I had my first and I could only hope last wreck with Angel. As I was just throwing my leg over she stepped away and I stuck her with the spurs hard at the top of her rib cage and rolled right down them like a practiced bull rider. She screamed and lunged forward taking the front of my pelvis into the horn then bucked once and off I went. Down on my knees and then I did have sense enough to tuck and roll. When the dust all settled my hubby had ran to catch the mule so she didn't hurt her mouth with the bit and make all this worse - well he told me to "lay still - assess the damages". The heck with that - my pants came down - underwear down and I'm yelling for hubby to see what's wrong as I felt someone had put kerosene on my private parts and lit them on fire. To make a long story short, I have a nice black bruise on my private parts, a skid mark on my head, and sore places everywhere. But I have learned from the experience!!

Angel is having a training session on standing quietly tied. That is definately not her favorite thing to do but I can't ride her right now. Hubby will ride her later for me and we'll get back to riding again when I get healed.

Pictures of Angel

Check out www.jrajphoto.smugmug.com under the first IDMS gallery then go to "Backdrop" and on the 4th page are pics of my 3 year old I am now riding and her trainer Sue White. Sue did an absolutely wonderful job on my mule and we are having the time of our lives. As one of my followers puts it "I will not be able to take pics riding this mule as it takes two hands right now to be sure you can keep them in check." Thanks Val for all your encouragement and knowing you are starting your own helps me to be able to mount this three year old and ride her with "some" confidence and every ride increases that confidence. She did a gigantic leap over a water crossing yesterday. Yee haw. Lived to tell about it though.

This is a whole new chapter in my life and my husband has been so helpful and encouraging as he wants this mule and I to succeed to get a legacy started for our jack. By the way he is one wonderful guy too and I had a talk with him to tell him what his big beautiful daughter is doing and he seemed to smile about that but I was also rubbing his ears!!!

Riding Angel

I rode Angel again today. She is sweet!!!! She lopes a wonderfully smooth lope and she loves to do it. She can really cover ground and it's just an easy lope for her. She is so gangly right now and sometimes she gets her legs all tangled up. She launched us over a small water crossing today. Gonna have to work on that but I just couldn't do it again today. She was our first mule colt and a beauty at that. She won the 2006 weanling molly futurity and many other classes her weanling and yearling years. We didn't show her at 2. She went to Sue White of Rockn S Mules last fall and got 30 days of basic ground work and taught to respect some. See we wanted this colt so bad that we spoiled her rotten. Sue did a great job taking this out of her but she still tries with Bill and I and we must be firm with her. It's kinda like having a teenager back in the homestead. Lotta work but I believe she'll be way worth it and probably be my last ride. If I'm still riding after she's gone I hope somebody takes over Sue White's job cause I'll need another mule like hers. Of course she is three and some things startle her but she just spins and walks really fast. Sue has taught her a couple different ways to stop her and they have always worked for me. This is one awesome mule and you haven't heard the last of her. She is just getting started and she has siblings that are every bit as good just not as big. If you want to see show photos go to www.jrajphoto.smugmug.com and check out the 3 year old futurity western pleasure and 3 year old trail she's the big brown mule with a light face and her rider is wearing a neon pink top with a black and neon pink blanket. I am in the women's western pleasure and the very first picture is me. There are other pics further back of me and some in mulemanship, barrels, poles, pylon alley, egg and spoon. In the speed events I have on a bright orange sweatshirt. I haven't picked out pictures yet for a CD but I do have to. Also check out the awards catergory to see more pics of Sue and Angel with the saddle on her and me holding the buckle. This is just the beginning for our babies. I am so excited for those who have Greystone babies. They are FUN to ride.

Whew I lived through it!!

Well it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry it's taken me so long but now I am trying to connect with my 3 year old who just came home from the trainer. We had our IDMS State Show and Futurities last Saturday and Sunday. We got there Wednesday evening and played a little bit in the arena. Then got about six inches of rain in a short time. I hadn't had time to scrub the floors in the living quarters and boy am I glad I didn't. We are both terrrible about just running in, grabbing what we need and going - not bothering to take off our boots. Anyhow Rosie and I played in the arena off and on Thursday. There was a young man driving a beautiful paint pony pulling a two wheeled cart around. Didn't really seem to bother Rosie much as I usually "chase" that type of stuff and make her ride right up to it - but she's also 11 years old!! Sue White of Rockn S Mules of Havelock, Iowa showed up in the afternoon. She has had my 3 year old for 90 days. I helped her tack up then I ponied my colt as Sue has a 4 horse trailer and it's usually full of mules or tack or feed and stuff. Anyhow she decided to ride my 3 year old for a while after I had ponied her quite a while. Well it was sooooo awesome to see what she had done with this wonderful mule. There were several of us playing and practicing in the arena. Ann Taylor ( not the clothing person - the mule person) had set three barrels fairly close together to practice backing through them. Well along the west rail was a manure spreader and tractor, a gator or mule or whatever they call those things. Anyhow the electricity had went out all over Appanoose county so we had no lights in the arena and it was early evening and a little dusky in the arena. Well Sue was on Angel ( my 3 year old "Greystone's Crystal Angel") and had just asked for a lope at the southwest corner of the arena where the manure spreader and such was at. When she got to the end of the 4 wheeler thingey the pony was tied to the rail with the cart still hooked up and reared up just as Angel got to that spot. She shot about 6 foot sideways and Sue's first instinct (mine as well) to grab with her legs/calves and jabbed Angel with the spurs. She kinda crow hopped about two times then did the stiff legged bucking and threw Sue faced first splat to the ground just to the right and about one mule length in front of me. Yeeeee haw!!!! Anyhow sometimes you'll have a strange fluke like that but with a "teenage" animal one needs to be ready for about anything.

Anyhow this wonderful mule won the 2006 Molly Weanling Futurity out of 19 colts. She has maintained her legacy and won the 3 year old futurity which includes western pleasure, trail, and halter. She placed first in western pleasure and trail and 5th in halter as she is so gangly. SHE WON THE 3 YEAR OLD FUTURITY WITH THE TRAINING ANG GUIDANCE OF SUE WHITE. She placed 3rd in the junior mule futurity.

So as you'll find out in the future posts that I will give a lot of credit to Sue White of Rockn S Mules (apprentice to Steve Edwards of Queen Valley Mule Ranch). She is such a wonderful friend and her training abilities are AWESOME. I cried and told her and Bill I just could not make myself ride this mule. I'm gettin' to old and my body hurts even if I haven't fallen blah, blah, blah. Sue had promised to stay Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon and teach me how it use my mule - you know where the buttons are and how she cues her. Well we got a phone call at 5:30 ish Monday morning that Tom and Tammy King Rabideau were having problems - we gave Tom (Bill's cousin) a jack colt out of or jack "Greysone's Numero Uno" or "Uno" for short last year sometime and he had pasture bred Tom's mare. Well the call was the mare was down and trying to birth a breech baby. Our colts are generally VERY long legged so this really worried me. Took off and flew over to his house. Vet was there and trying to get the breech baby - that was already dead - positioned so we could pull them. Long process and the mare was really suffering. As the vet is inside this mare up to his neck he says "uh oh". What's that mean? He says as he's trying to get a chain on the one leg WAY down inside the mare he says he can feel another muzzle. It's twins. Well to make a long story short Sue and I pulled the two dead john and molly babies out of the mare early Monday morning and the mare died just after lunch on Wednesday. But just after Sue and I pulled the john mule out - he was first - I turned and looked at her and told her I was ready to ride my 3 year old now.

So I am now riding this WONDERFUL mule who is an absolute joy to ride. If you ever want to start a young one because you are too afraid or whatever to start your own please contact this wonderful trainer. She makes them safe and fun. Ok that's all for right now - but I have some pictures coming from this years show and I will post some as time goes by but I also want to compare with some from last year so you can see how much both me and my red mule have improved and the 55 # wt. loss. Adios.