Uncategorized

America’s iconic 20 Mule Team consists of three giant wagons, pulled by a long line of 20 mules, driven by a single man using only voice commands and a jerk line.

This 20 Mule Team will represent the American pioneering spirit in the 2017 National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC, and will mark the 100th anniversary of the Team being in the 1917 Presidential Inauguration Parade!

But we need your help in getting the team from Death Valley, California, to Centreville, Maryland, where they will be hosted at the Grove Creek Mule Farm.

Schedule of events

Friday, June 30: Sponsor Party at 6:30 PM

Sunday, July 2: Meet the Mules and Muleskinners Public Event from 12 noon to 4 PM at the QAC 4H Park

Tuesday, July 4: National Independence Day Parade, Washington, DC: 12 noon

Become a sponsor and be a part of history! Contact Donna Stutzman at 410-707-1406.

[toggle_framed title=”Continue Reading” variation=”blue”]

Wild Ass $10,000 & up

• Four individuals to ride in wagons at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC*
• Invitation for 10 to Sponsor Party at the Muleskinner Club
• Full page ad in Souvenir Program
• PR Package** at Meet the Mules and
• Muleskinners Public Event
• Autographed Limited Edition Lithograph “Print” of 100th Anniversary of 20 Mule Team in Washington, DC
• Muleskinner Gift Basket

Muleskinner  $5,000

• Two individuals to ride in wagons at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC*
• Invitation for 6 to Sponsor Party at the Muleskinner Club
• 1/2 page ad in Souvenir Program
• PR Package** at Meet the Mules and Muleskinners Public Event
• Limited Edition Lithograph “Print” of 100th Anniversary of 20 Mule Team in Washington, DC
• Muleskinner Gift Basket

Kick Ass  $1,000

• Invitation for 4 to Sponsor Party at the Muleskinner Club
• 1/4 page ad in Souvenir Program
• PR Package** at Meet the Mules and Muleskinners Public Event
• Digital Commemorative “Photograph” of 100th Anniversary of 20 Mule Team in Washington, DC
• Muleskinner Gift Basket

Bad Ass $500

• Invitation for 2 to Sponsor Party at the Muleskinner Club
• Recognition in Souvenir Program
• Digital Commemorative “Photograph” of 100th
• Anniversary 20 Mule Team in Washington, DC

Smart Ass  $250

• Invitation for 2 to Sponsor Party at theMuleskinner Club
• Recognition in Souvenir Program

Wise Ass  $100

• Recognition in Souvenir Program

Due to a lack of space in wagons, seats may only be available to the highest contributing sponsors. P R Package to include signage and a booth with your marketing and PR materials for your business at both.

The Jered Harrison Memorial Fund is a 501(c)(3), organization, which was started by the Harrison family in honor of Jered Harrison who lost his life in a tragic farming accident at the young age of 26. Jered was a mule enthusiast and the memorial fund was established to ensure that Jered’s passion for the mule would live on. The family hosts Harrison Mule Days in Woodbine, Maryland each year to celebrate the mule and mule people in honor of Jered. The Jered Harrison Memorial Fund also provides college and trade school scholarships.

[/toggle_framed]

Who says dressage is just for horses? We know better! Watch some amazing mules and riders show what they can do, including Lucky Three Sundowner and Buckeye!

HUGE congratulations to Sadie who has won the prestigious PATH Intl. Equine of the Year Award for Region 10 (CO, UT, WY, AZ, NM) and is also up for the International Equine of the Year award! We are so proud of Sadie who’s been one of our four-legged therapists since 2006! Next time you’re at Hearts And Horses, be sure to give her an extra pat!

The following is a guest post from Hearts and Horses, the Loveland, CO-based equine therapy center.

Last week, Meredith Hodges came out to Hearts & Horses for an incredible day of professional development for the Hearts & Horses staff. During the day, Meredith demonstrated training and equine handling techniques, using Allie and Sadie, the two mules that she donated to Hearts & Horses. Hearts & Horses staff spent time in the classroom and in the arena with Meredith as she shared her training tools that aid in effectively communicating with equines while developing their balance and working toward conditioning, so they can perform to the best of their ability as equine therapists and in any other career.

<p”>While Hearts & Horses focuses on equines as Therapeutic Partners, Meredith’s training techniques are invaluable for horsemen and horsewomen of all backgrounds.

Meredith and Lucky Three Ranch have been long time supporter of Hearts & Horses and all of our diverse programs. We so value her support and guidance and look forward to our continued partnership and friendship in the future! Thank you Meredith!

<p”>Click here for more information about Lucky Three Ranch including tours, training and education opportunities.

In 2007, when Meredith Hodges decided to film a television documentary about therapeutic riding, she headed to Loveland, Colorado-based therapeutic riding center, Hearts and Horses. There, she met five-year-old Sarah Foley and her mother, Diane. Sarah was born with generalized body weakness, making it difficult for her to perform tasks that required any sort of physical stamina or strength. Luckily, Diane is a physical therapist, and began looking for creative ways to help strengthen her daughter’s body. A pony ride at a friend’s birthday party immediately captured Sarah’s attention, and she began hippotherapy when she was two years old. By the time we interviewed her, Sarah had moved from hippotherapy, where the horse was being used as a modality to assist with her low tone, to therapeutic riding, where she was developing riding skills, controlling the horse independently of her volunteers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGykqxYOIQ

Today, Sarah is twelve years old. We caught up with her and Diane to talk about how their lives have changed since that original interview. Even now, Diane notes that riding plays an important part in Sarah’s life. “She is still riding once a week,” said Diane. “She’s kept it up pretty much the entire time.” After a period of vast improvement, in which she was showing no signs of disability or physical deficits, Sarah ended up developing arthritis. Diane termed it “A little bump in the road, so she got more active in horseback riding, and has now overcome that also.”

When we speak on the phone, Sarah sounds like any bright, happy and enthusiastic preteen. “I’m feeling really good,” she says. “I love horseback riding, and I swim a lot, and I like playing with my dog.” She dreams of becoming either a teacher or an actress on Broadway some day. Sarah still does her riding at Hearts and Horses, and is now paired with a speckled gray horse named Boomer, that she describes as a very big challenge—but one that’s very close to her heart. “If Boomer went up for sale at Hearts and Horses, ever, I would buy him just like that,” she says. In general, Sarah describes horseback riding as an empowering experience: “I feel like we have a connection kind of. I can do anything when I’m on a horse. “

Sarah eventually moved from needing the assistance of two sidewalkers and a leader to only a leader. With the increased strength and confidence, Sarah’s instructor began to incorporate preliminary vaulting moves to strengthen her core and sense of independence. She was thankful for the assistance of the side walkers though, as it showed her she was capable of amazing things even in her first days of riding. “It made me feel more confident in myself, that I could ride on my own,” she recalled. “As [I used] the side walkers less and less and less, I started to get more confident … and finally I’m to the point where I am right now.” Equine therapy is more than just physical rehabilitation, as it also focuses on training people to be better riders and gain confidence, regardless of their starting capabilities. “I’m a really good rider now because of horse therapy and what they did for me,” says Sarah, also pointing to the inspiration of her parents: “My parents had a big part in it, making me not quit horseback riding and keep going with it—not that I would want to quit, but they would not have let me quit, that’s for sure.”

At the age of twelve, Sarah has accomplished a great deal in her life already, but describes it with an air of humility, simply saying, “It’s been a long road.” As advice for other people in her position, she stresses the benefits of positive thinking and optimism. “I think that anything can be overcome,” she says. “Maybe not always physically, but overcome mentally,” adding that physical transformations are sometimes possible too, like her success with arthritis. “I think people can do anything if they really, really want to,“ she says, and it’s clear that Sarah’s unflinching belief in that statement, along with her equine therapy, will help her accomplish anything she truly desires.

Visit Hearts and Horses’ website to find out more about their commitment to therapeutic riding, and watch Sarah’s full episode of Those Magnificent Mules, “Walk On: Part 2,” available to rent on demand.

The following is an excerpt from a post by The Donkey Sanctuary.

Luminiţa (which means ‘little light’) has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. When she was brought to the Don Orione orphanage she had signs of being institutionalized, including being extremely withdrawn, banging her head and pulling her hair out. She was unable to walk but has since had an operation and access to a physiotherapy programme, including donkey riding therapy three times a week through our Romanian project, to combat her leg stiffness and increase her leg and core strength.

Her physiotherapist Carmelia is thrilled with her progress, Luminiţa can now walk with support and is gaining the strength to stand and climb. Her character has also grown and she has become a happy, inquisitive little girl who clearly loves her time with the four donkeys, Boss, Claudio, Ioan and Sile. She also benefits from learning about caring for the donkeys, grooming them and understanding how important it is for them to be happy.

Carmelia added “It can be difficult for these children to learn to empathise and relate with others but each moment with the donkeys is a simple and rewarding interaction. The donkey’s needs and movements aren’t complicated like those of humans. Movements or affection can be taken at face value and the children learn that they are safe to form positive relationships that are rewarding for the children and the donkeys.

“In addition, the donkey riding therapy provides enormous physical benefits for Luminiţa as she builds her balance and stretches during her sessions. Her legs can be very stiff but riding therapy helps to loosen her muscles and make her more comfortable.”

For more information, check out The Donkey Sanctuary’s original post here, or learn more about Therapeutic Riding from our page.

Remember last month when Spuds and Augie tried on the smallest harness we had—and it was still a bit too big for them? Well, lucky for these little guys, their new harnesses have now arrived! Check out the adorable photos below, as they get the first fitting of their new gear…

These boys are doing GREAT! Totally resistance free!

Spuds and Augie had another fine adventure this morning! Here is what they said…

Hey everybody—it’s Spuds here with an update! SO, yesterday Meredith gave us some really neat hats to keep our heads warm and they even have holes for our ears. After we got our hats on, we went outside in the snow and did some holiday errands.

1. Check mail for note from Santa — DONE!

2. Play trick on Meredith by hiding in statues — DONE!

3. Grab a little lunch — DONE!

4. Relax in the Ga-Zee-Bow — DONE!

5. Be thankful for all our mule, donkey, horse & human friends — DONE!

—Spuds

We had a big adventure when we went outside and everything was covered in white, really cold stuff—Meredith said it was snow. I was pretty worried and not sure how to walk in it—this SNOW stuff came all the way up to our bellies! It was pretty fun once we got used to it. And the best thing about snow is you never have to look for your crimped oats!

–Spuds

Jasper: A Turkey Tale is now available on DVD!

Join Jasper the Mule and all his friends for a Thanksgiving dinner not to be forgotten!  When a mishap with a truckload of turkeys turns into a real live mystery, Jasper and his pal Moxie the Dog are hot on the trail of adventure. Sure to be a hit with mule and animal lovers of all ages, this heartwarming story features new, original music by the Grammy-winning Riders in the Sky, and features all the fun and hijinks we’ve come to expect from Jasper and his crew!

Check out  A Turkey Tale, and all of Jasper’s other adventures–in both books and DVDs–in his online store!

Today we had a crazy adventure when we got to go the hay field with Meredith. It was a pretty nice day, but then we came across a raging river. Augie was a little scared to cross it but Meredith was patient. I went first and after Augie got himself together and made it across, we got to do something really neat! We got to get in the tour cart! Meredith said we had a lesson in trust, but all I know is Augie and I had fun! Holy Guacamole–what a day!

–Spuds

Jasper A Precious Valentine is available on DVD!

When Jasper and his human family head up to Bald Mountain for a picnic to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Jasper gets a crash course in love.  Jasper’s latest adventure features music by Grammy-winning group Riders In The Sky and is appropriate for all ages.  Click here to find out more and don’t forget all the other neat books and videos in Jasper’s store!