Kellie Comes To Get Sadie Mae

On Dec. 2nd, Kellie arrived early to pick up Sadie Mae. I had been telling Sadie Mae all about how she was going to live with Kellie and how she needed to be good and take care of Kellie on the trail rides!
Sadie Mae took right to Kellie and I think remembered her from the week before.
I was really sad to see her leave, even though I knew that Sadie was going to go and have more fun with Kellie than she was with me. But my heart melted and all things seemed right then I saw this!

Sadie will be back just as soon as we can find a new mule for Kellie to call her own! I hope it is soon! 

HCOC Trail Obstacle Challenge

Christina and I headed down to Lake Waccamaw for the last High Cotton Obstacle Course Challenge of 2012.  With another challenging course set and a nice warm day for December 1st, we enjoyed the day and both of our equines did really well. Some of the classes had some really tight competition!

The last class of the day was the Masters Class, where they ask extra things of the equine/rider teams. As it turned out Christina and I were the only two in the class. Seven and I went first and had a very good round. Christina and Oakley set out to try to beat us! She had such a good round that she had me slightly worried! It really showed how much the two of them had improved over the last year! All their hard work was showing!
Show results:
In-Hand - 1st -Seven
Novice - 1st  Oakley
Green Horn - 1st Oakley
Masters - 1st Seven, -only 5 points behind- 2nd Oakley

Christina was so excited! She and I both won two nice plaid sheets for our equines! I was very proud of Christina for how well she did!
Tollie and Aimee came out to see us show and we stayed and talked for a long time after the competition! Plus there was a pan of brownies we had to take care of too!

Oakley and one of his TWO sheets!

Seven and one of his TWO sheets! 

Kellie & Sadie Mae Meet

After the loss of my friends Mark and Jeanette Lee's daughters special mule Sophie, due to colic, I offered to let Kellie borrow Sadie Mae till they could find her a new mule to ride.  So the day after Thanksgiving Jeanette, her sister Lynette and Kellie made the trip to spend the day with Sadie Mae and see if things would work out.
We started with a good grooming to help Kellie get comfortable being around her. We checked to see if Kellie's saddle would fit Sadie and is was a perfect fit!

How many ladies does it take to pick out Sadie's foot? 

Next I taught Kellie how to lead Sadie and yield her hind-quarters for respect. Kellie being only 8 years old and Sadie Mae being 18 years old and 1,200 pounds, really needed to respect and listen to Kellie! She caught right on how to do it, and Sadie snapped to attention each time she did it, so I felt like they were off to a really good start!

Little Kellie leading Sadie Mae! 

We rode around in the pasture to let Kellie get a feel for Sadie. She stepped her over one of the logs and  down the small step. Jeanette rode Twila and I rode Seven so we could be right there to help her if needed. Really Jeanette was the one who needed a little help with Twila. Jeanette laughed and laughed as Twila sort of slowly did not go where she wanted her to, but they got it all worked out in the end!

Off we go! Kellie and Sadie in the lead! 

After lunch we headed out on to the trail. Christina had also brought over her horse Oakley and she joined us on the trail too. We had a great time and Lynette took these great photos of us as we came up my neighbors drive way!

 Kellie and Sadie Mae

 Shannon and Seven

 Jeanette and Twila 

Christina and Oakley

H. Cooper Black! Twila's first big Adventure!

On Nov. 16th Debbie and I took of with her mule Tucker and my mammoth donkey Twila Merrill and met our friends at H. Cooper Black. This is down in South Carolina and the riding is mainly sand and pine trees. I thought this might be a good place to being Twila and she how she does in a big group on a longer trail ride.

Twila all clipped up and ready to go! 

On Friday Debbie and I rode out for just short spin through the trees before a group dinner and big camp fire that evening! Tucker and Twila both settled in very well.
Saturday morning we saddled up and got ready to head out with the group! We had a nice group of mules, a horse or two and one big Donkey named Twila Merrill.

The CMA Group makes another attempt to line up! Debbie on Tucker! 

Shannon on Twila and Debbie on Tucker! 

When we took off several people where keeping an eye on Twila to see how she would do. Donkeys are notorious for being much slower than the other mules. The group picked up a quick pace while trying to follow the wagons and Twila did not let me down by keeping right up with everyone!

Twila Merrill stays caught up with the group!

By the time we stopped for lunch Twila was tired and glad for a rest. She stood very well tied with the others and got a rest while we ate lunch! It was so pretty that some people even relaxed enough to catch some short shut eye time!

Twila and Tucker resting at the lake and lunch break.

On the way home we split into two groups. The short ride back and the longer ride back. Debbie and I where the short ride but we took a wrong road and ended up going about just as far back.  About half way home Debbie's mule spooked at something and spun around and off she went. Right when that happened June's mule did the same thing and off she went too.  Both ladies were ok, luckily!
I jumped off of Twila and was able to get a hold of Tucker but June's mule took of, perhaps chasing the other group. I looked at Debbie and asked her if she wanted to ride Twila back and I would ride Tucker home. It took her no time to say and definitive "YES!"
The other mules was caught by another horse group, as we rode home. Debbie has a nice but very slow ride home on the tired Twila! But she never stopped and never refused to go!
I was so impressed with that Donkey!

That night we had a great dinner cooked by Stacey and we huddled around the camp fire as the wind kicked up!  It rained some that next morning and was still pretty cold, so most of us headed home. We hated to leave but I think I was out of Donkey Power for the weekend!  But I was sure proud of Twila!