Two short videos!

My Farrier and Friend Kevin showed us just how dirty my donkey Navarre is!



My Cousin Billy came for a visit! Seven was not sure about who the intruder in this pasture was!

Work Day & A Birthday Party

Worked a little too hard today in the yard. Started early and went too late! Pressure is on for our Thanksgiving Holiday. I have my Uncle flying in from California on Monday night. Got one more day to do the shopping, cleaning of house and organizing...... My Quota 2 High!!

I have been helping a friend with her show horse. She has brought him over three times and worked really hard! She has done a great job following though and working with her horse, so I don't mind helping her! Christina told me she would come over with Mark her husband and help me do some projects in exchange. Well they came over today for 3 1/2 hours! We got SO much done! Mark re-hung the mule head signs on the big barn with new ones, and an old road sign Holly gave me with a carriage horse. We took a marker and made the horses ears bigger and added a shaved looking mane!!

Then we hung three small signs on the front of the house that spell RMF but we hung the R backwards so that it matches my brand. Then Mark re-hung the large star on the front Oak tree, it had blown off in the hurricane from Sept.

Then the big project was, that he knocked out some shelving in one of the little covered barns and we cleaned it out so my new JUKE can fit in it! So excited about this! I can now leave early for work like I do and not have to worry about scrapping ice or frost off the windows! A Major pain at 6:30 in the Morning!

Before they got there I had had gardened and taken three wheelbarrows out to the fire pile. I also had driven 1/2 hour each way to pick up the Lamb meat that Tara and I had processed.

So then I took a quick shower and got the mules ready (Seven and Sadie) for my neighbor to bring his daughter (turning 12) and 8 other kids over for a Birthday Party ride.

Finally that Sadie Mae was doing something to earn her keep!

The Birthday party went well. I used Sadie and after getting her going with the kids I just turned her loose with the kids. I kept my hands on Seven and after a few times around with the kids he was cool with giving pony rides! One of the guests takes lessons and rides Hunter/Jumper at a local riding school. I let her ride Seven on her own and she did so well with him, she even got to canter a bit! One of the other girls tickled me so much, when I got Seven to jog for her, she just giggled and giggled!!

Good Ride and a Good Shot?

Yesterday Seven and I traveled back to Denton to Brock and Leisha Griffith's place to compete in their 2nd Trail Obstacle Race. My Friend Reed came along with me and she brought her horse Fortune. We had a great time. They had a kids group along with the adults.
Right as I was getting ready to go on course some asked Leisha if this was the mule, Seven that I had brought last time. I told her yes it was and she laughed and turned to him and said "Sorry, it is Seven!"
Seven did the course very well! He jumped the banks, went through the cowboy curtain and was the only equine to get bonus point for putting all four feet on the platform at once! The most interesting obstacle this time was when you had to shoot a 22 rifle with a sight at a target about 30 feet away. Everyone dismounted to do this but had Brock hold their horse or tie it to a post. I decided to go for extra points and hold Seven myself. I don't think I have shot any kind of rifle in over 20 years so this was going to be interesting. I also have never used a sight.
As I dismounted all I could think of was breath slowly, slow down. I remembered watching the Winter Olympics several years ago, there were competitors who had to ski as fast as they could, then stop and target shoot. They had all these techniques for slowing their heart rate down and getting still. I wished at that point I knew some of their tricks! I stood up to take the shot, forgetting that Brock had said we could use the chair to sit in or hold the gun steady. I lined up my shot, said "Whoa" to Seven as I squeezed the trigger, Seven never moved! Then I had to jump back on my mule and finish the course! YAHOO!
Off we went down the hill of grass, Seven really got into it and I had to slow him up a bit! We then did the tire obstacle and tried for extra points by keeping his front feet on it and moving his hind end around the tire. Then it was on to the Teeter-Totter. No Problem. Reed caught a great photo Seven in a close up as we were riding in! He has a look of pride from doing a good job, and I think just a little smile!
We ended up in First Place! Won $80 in payback money!
The thrill of my day was when I asked Brock were I was on the target. He said I had the best shot of the day! Got 4 out of 5 in points on the target! Now I just can't get over that!
The lady who got second place told Brock that she was "Coming back next time to get that damn mule!"
I say bring it on Sister!!! ; }

St. Clair Red Mule & SHEEP Farm???

Here are the 7 Painted Desert Sheep that my friend Tara is loaning me! We are doing a test to see if, 1. I like having the sheep around and 2. how they do eating my pastures down! They are supposed to be little lawn mowers! These are what they call hair sheep so they don't need to be sheared and they can be processed for meat too. The males grow big twisted horns like the Big Horn Sheep they hunt out west. This is a relatively new breed of sheep. Most of them are all different colors, like paint horses and have wild markings! So that are neat looking too! Tara bought me two other sheep that I took to the slaughter house so both of our families can have lamb during Thanksgiving and Christmas! This group has two rams whom are brothers and then five ewes for them to breed. Guess I will be learning a lot about sheep, and quickly!

Trail Obstacle Race in Williamston

Molly came up for a visit and we headed to Williamston, NC for an Trail Obstacle Race. I had rained the day before and things were still very slippy but we got the truck and trailer in to the field to park and then promptly got it stuck! No worries, we will get it out later!
I tacked Seven up and when to go and walk the course with the host. It was a fun looking course but would have to be done with care as there was standing water every where. Not many people came and so Seven and I started everyone off! He did really well, dragging a log, carrying water buckets, pushing balls, trying to rope a practice cow head. We also got to move some cows from one side of a pen to the other. We loaded into and then back out of a horse trailer and then headed off to the second field to finish the race. We walked though a very large tractor tire, turned a 360 in a sand box and then headed for a deep water ditch to cross. I could tell Seven was wondering how deep it was going to be as we slid down into the muddy water!
Then we ran through some flags, over a bridge and through a cowboy curtain. The last thing to be done was to climb the tire mountain! I thought this was the coolest thing I have ridden over yet! See photos below! I think I need to build one of these at my house!
We met lots of new people and Seven and I ended up winning. They are trying to raise money to start the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of American Ranch Horse Association so I gave them by $27.50 of winnings back to the club. We did get some great door prizes too! Best part of the whole day is that I got to school him on some of the course and practice the jump several times!

CMA Halloween Uwarrie Ride

Everyone on the farm, but the Cat, came with us to Uwharrie with weekend. I arrived Friday night after driving through drizzling rain the whole way! Got Seven, Sadie and Navarre settled in their corral stalls. Then parked the trailer, hooked things up and then got Levi walked and fed right before the rains came in! It rained and rained all night, in heavy down pours. The mules and Navarre were very happy that I put their blankets on!
The next morning it rained until about 8AM. I fed the mules and walked the dog in the pouring rain. After it stopped we decided to head out about 10AM. Wendy arrived and helped me get Sadie tacked up and our lunches packed! Karen and Dave led the group on a great ride. They kept us off the high hills which would have been slippery and also away from the river that would have been really muddy! By afternoon the sky was clear blue and you almost did not need a jacket! At our second break I saw something weird in the woods, I called Teddy over and we brought it up to the group. It seemed to be have been made of Styrofoam and some how a plastic bag was in part of it. Weird, why would it be all the way out and whats is for???
Upon returning home I was so happy that I had started up my crock pot, because dinner was ready to eat as soon as we got the mules taken care of. Navarre spent the day with a new friend named Pete, a small driving Hinney owned by a friend of mine. He was happy to see Seven! That night was the group meeting and dessert time! We went ot bed early because when the sun set it really started to get cold out!
Sunday morning was cold but so pretty! Carolina blue sky, warming up fast! We tacked up and also decorated the mules for Halloween, since it was the next day! We had a lot of spray painted and glittered mules! Teddy and LuAnn painted Virgil to look like their old mule Charmin. Too funny! She has some white in her tail so it was easy!
Sadie wore a princess crown and had a wand, I also sprayed her with Pink hooves and big pink hearts all over her! Seven wore two large 7's on his rear end, he had blue hooves, blue mane and a giant spider on his britchen. Both mules also had spiders clipped into their trails! We had another great ride that took us down by Baden Lake for Lunch!