I convinced my mom she would make a great third 'horse' so my parents trucked on out to Pennsylvania to pick her up while I stayed behind and house-sat for them. My step-father has named the mule 'Josie' and we've had her for about a week now. We think she was used by the Amish as a team mule before being sent to the auction house.
Here's some pictures of her from yesterday. In the first one you can see where her mane has gone white due to scar tissue. Also, she's still dirty and matted in places because she won't let us touch her much yet. We're getting there though!
And of course one of Sage...
This warm sunny weather has been beautiful and Sage and I took advantage of it by going out on a short trail ride last Friday. Sadly Josie got quite upset and we made a mad dash back to the barn after she got loose. All's well that ends well and we were able to get her back where she belonged without too much trouble. Hopefully soon Josie will be right there with us, enjoying time out on the trails too.
Oh NO! Did she got through the electric?? I guess Mules REALLY do bond with their herd, eh? =] Glad everyone one is Ok. Love her curly legs!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! We have found with our wilder ones that having a secure area for them to be alone (yet able to see and sniff the herd) really helps to bond with humans. We use our roundpen, 2-6 weeks at first, and then every few months if needed. She is so neat!
ReplyDeleteJosie is cute as the dickens. Hope she works out for you. She is such a pretty mule.
ReplyDeleteYes Denise, she did go through the electric, but we didn't have the charger on at the time. And she did okay until we were about half a mile away--I think we just pushed it a little too much for where she is right now.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we are thinking we may need a more 'secure' area for her once it warms up and we can build such things. At least for now she has a really solid stall.
Thanks Susan...she really is something isn't she?
I have a feral mare that is shy of humans (getting better now) but what worked well for me was putting my friendliest horse in with her - she is getting the message that people can be nice to be around.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE her long ears! Keep us posted on how she is doing!
Shelly
www.curlystandardplace.com
Shelly what a good idea, but unfortunately Sage, our friendliest Curly around, has taken to lunging at her repeatedly over the fence. not sure if he's jealous, or if it's because she's a mule...but he is being pretty nasty to her! She let me pet her today! (Yay!)
ReplyDeleteGood for you for saving Josie. Patience, patience and more patience will be the key. Good luck, what a gem!
ReplyDelete-Donna
A mule skinner (a person who worked with and packed mule strings for a profession) once told us "NEVER EVER NEVER come between a mule and its horse (bell mare)" Having had experience with a mule who loved her horses this makes sense but we did not realize how serious this can be. Be safe. Be secure. And give this adorable big eared girl loads of love! The fun you will have makes me a bit envious.
ReplyDelete