It was just one of those days!  I had HIGH hopes today!  We were ready to have Stella drag a tire in full gear AND introduce her to pulling her practice shafts!  She galloped across the pasture when she saw me and seemed super interested in Daves truck and all the cool stuff he has been building for her!  But, she was very fussy and impatient when I got her dressed.  I can't pin-point what was buggin' her but if I had to guess it would be
1.) Miguel was out and about and Stella truly believes that Hay follows where ever Miguel goes.
2.) I didn't put up any obstacles for fun stuff in the arena before I started to drive and
3.)  I stil have loads of harness tweaking in front of me!
She wasn't TERRIBLE but she was certainly acting her age!  Then Dave (God Bless him) decided to roll the tire into the arena.  BEHIND Stella, who has never seen a tire stationary, much less moving!  She flipped out!  Finally found a rattley bang spooky monster!
She had no brakes today, no left turn and serious Mule ADD!!  So, I asked her to pull the tire for just a few steps while I led her and then we got her undressed and went back to some basics.  She taught me to pull the tire around behind her and she learned to back into her practice shafts!   It wasn't the day to pick a battle and get frustrated with each other!  We had fun and she learned that the tire will NOT kill her! AND she seems to love her PVC practice shafts!  She gets tomorrow off!

Stella the Mule! Believe it or not, this is our 7th day driving!  93 hours to go! First time she has driven with a breast collar.  First time driving with traces, first time driving with chains on her traces, first time pulling a single tree! Tomorrow?  Stella will drag a tire, and then advance to practice shafts!  I love my Stelly Belly!

Stella the Mule driving Day 6!  She was a champ!  She had never had a britchen or a crupper on!  I put the britchen on at first and left the crupper off for a bit.  She never seemed worried about it, but I was sooo afraid that she might blow up with the sensation of the strap under her tail.  Every time there is something that I think SHE might have a problem with..she doesn't. It is CLEARLY my malfunction!  She was so awesome today!  I refuse to put the lines down low anymore.  She is just going to have to "Get It!"  She was a good teacher for me too!  I was getting my Gee and Haw mixed up and she totally corrected me!  I love my Stelly Belly!  Enjoy!

Mum told me today that we are going to park the trailer for awhile and stay at home to do stuff!  She looked kinda sad and a little worried! I can sense these things!  She thinks I can't tell, but I can!  She said some horses were getting sick and had to stay at the Doctors to get better!   And sometimes they just couldn't get better!  I live with lots of very nice horsies!  Quarter Horses and Arabians and my two boyfriends, Joe the Paint and Sarge the TB!  (He is extra regal and handsome!  He used to be a Police Officer Horse!)  I guess I don't understand something....We mules and donkeys and horses take care of you every day...AND we trust that you will take care of us!  How come some people are taking the risk of us getting very very very sick so they can go to a big show and MAYBE get a ribbon?  My Mum says nothing in this WORLD is worth putting me a risk!  She isn't in a panic! Her panties aren't in a twist, but she is being safe and keeping me safe AND keeping my Horsey Pals Safe!  Especially Sarge!  Think before you take your horse or mule or donkey for a ride in the trailer!  I KNOW the sun is finally out!  But PLEASE!!  Think about the big picture and STAY AT HOME for awhile!  I don't like the worry and concern I see in Mums eyes!  I have to be extra silly right now to keep her mind off of the scary stuff!  Stay Healthy!  Love and Ears!  Stella the Mule

With all of the scary talk about viruses and stuff, I thought it was time for a Giggle!  Take 9 minutes of your day and get a laugh from Gus the Football Kicking Mule!  Us Mules are smart critters!  These two guys think they can out smart Gus!  See who gets the last laugh!  chEARS!!

I'm so happy to be home and tucked into my clean, dry stall with a heaping mound of grass in front of me!!  Let me re-cap the weekend!
Mom and Dad picked me up at about 5:30 AM Saturday morning!  That is pretty early and I was busy eating breakfast, but when I see the Mule Trailer I KNOW were going to go do something FUN!
I jumped right in and off we went! It was a bumpy ride, but we got the our destination pretty quick!  As soon as Mom unloaded me I started hollering!  It was a pretty cool place!  Mom says its called Washington State Horse Park!  I hollered and hollered but didn't get any Long-Ears to answer.  Bummer!  Once again I'm the only Mule in town!  I got to meet some very nice horses and people!  I got my pictue taken alot!  I like to pose and smile for the camera! A few people recognized me!  I think Mom needs a name tag though...cuz no one knew her name!
There were loads of horses!  Some trail horses but lots of those really tall fancy horses!
I saw Mark Bolender!  He said Hello to me and found out we were going to go to a clinic he was putting on! I'd better straighten up and act right!  I don't want any "Meetings" with Mark!
Mom, Dad and I walked down a road into the woods with all the riders that were in our clinic!  Some of the horses were a little worried about stepping over stuff, but I didn't mind!  In fact I kinda wanted to show off a little and let Mark and Lee see that I've been doing my homework!  Mark said some really nice things about how I did and I actually scored a 10 on an obstacle!  Mom ticked the logs a couple of times, luckily they didn't count that against me.  Gotta see how I can get her to pick up her feet higher!  I worked hard all day and behaved very well.  I got a little antsy toward the end and got a little bit silly. 
After we were done, Mom took me around to see what the rest of the horses were doing!  First we went by a big arena where some kids were riding!  Mom called them kids, but I don't get it cuz I didn't see any goats around there!  I thought..Maybe there could be a Mule or a Donkey in the arena!  I took a DEEP breath and hollered as loud as I could!  All the horses in the arena that were supposed to be showing off for ribbons, stopped and stared, the kids stopped and stared and the JUDGES stopped and stared!  Mom and I turned around and got outa there PRONTO!
Then  she took me to another arena with white letters and a stand where some people sat.  It was VERY quiet!  One of those big fancy horses was in the ring doing some fancy prancing and walking and some circles!  I think it was the Horses job to see how fancy he could make his rider look!  All the person had to do was tip her funny hat and sit up straight!  As far as I could tell the horse did all the rest!  I could see the fancy gelding was checking me out, but I pretended not to notice. 
Last Mom took me over to a really weird part of the park!  There were these colorful fences and posts and plants and stuff.  There were girls riding the big fancy horses right up to the fences and BOING!  the big horses went right over!  Like they were flying!  How can something SO big look as light as a bird!  I wasn't really impressed though, cuz I've jumped the fences at home before.  Looks like a lot of work to me!
I think I'll stick to walking over stuff and through stuff with Mom for awhile!  I didn't really see the point in it until Saturday.  Some of the older fancy horses that were in our class didn't want to step over some of the stuff.  I think they were worried that there might be a snake or something.  I tried to show them that there was nothing to worry about!  I think it will be fun when I grow up enough for Mom to ride me through all of the sticks and ditches and logs and steps!   I will already be so used to it that I won't be scared of NUTHIN'!  I will take good care of me and Mom and have careful feet and a brave heart!

Stella the Mule tackling Water, Ditches, Bridges and Teeter-Totters!  Can't WAIT to ride this course one day!

Stella is coming along nicely with her driving!  I just really need to dedicate more consistent time with her!  She actually seems to enjoy it! This lesson was about introducing scary monsters!  It may not look like much, but the white bag is full of tin cans,., and the Hoola Hoops make all sorts of rattling noises!  As you can see, she took it all in stride!  There were no blow-ups and no goofiness edited out!  She is doing great!  Dave and I are trying to come up with some new scary monsters! But as you can see in this video, her answer is to chase the monsters down and stomp them!  I love my Mule!

I got home today and checked the mail....There I found the May issue of Mules and More Magazine!  I had submitted a picture and this story a couple of months ago...When the April issue arrived and my submissions were no where to be found, I felt a tad disappointed.  But I understand!  I am sure that Mules and More gets tons of submissions!  After all, we all know how proud Mule people are!  So imagine my surprise when I sat down and started pouring over my newest issue of my favorite mag!  There was my story AND a picture of Stella! Thank you Mules and More!  You totally Rock!

Brody the Dog and Gunnar the Cat are Bestest Friends!  Gunnar is an indoor kitty but goes out for walks on his leash!  He knows when he sees me pull out his vest that he is going to get to go outside!  He holds still while I get him dressed! He loves his big brother Brody Dog!  Enjoy!