1985

By Meredith Hodges

As the last signs of winter fade, giving way to the fresh breath of spring, the little town of Bishop —centrally located in the eastern High Sierra Recreation Area of California—began preparation for its 16th Annual Mule Days Celebration. With a population of over 1000 mules in the area, Bishop had been designated the Mule Capital of the World. Townspeople, volunteers, participants and spectators join together in a mutual effort to help Bishop host the largest mule show in the world. The fever of spring runs doubly hot for mule enthusiasts everywhere as they dream of this annual marvelous long weekend to come. And this year, as every year, promised to provide the best show ever!

Bishop Mule Days always has something for everyone. Mule lovers, their friends and family can enjoy fine Western cuisine, games, dancing and good conversation in addition to the show itself. The celebration is kicked off by three mule shows on Friday—there were over 90 different classes and events for competitors. They included: Pleasure classes, Reining classes, Trail, Musical Tires, Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. Also, Jumping, Cattle Penning, Steer Stopping, Team Roping, and a Balloon Bust. For the packers: Pack Train classes, Packing contests, Box Hitch and Diamond Hitch packing contests (pro and non-pro), Team Packing and the Team Packing Scramble, which you must see to believe!

There are Halter classes, Pulling, Driving classes and for you race fans—Chariot Races, Flat Track races, and yes, even a Backwards Race! There are Braying Contests for those who prefer to rabble than ride and a Shoeing Contest for our renowned farriers! Several new events had been added to increase the desirability of the show.

There was an Individual Packing Scramble for those wild and wooly mountain men or women who preferred to “go it light,” Western Saddle Races for those who wouldn’t be caught dead sitting on a postage stamp, and Forging and Hot Shoeing for our more artistic farriers. All these events and more were narrated by the “Man with the Magic Voice,” Bob Tallman from Reno, Nevada. He is one of many extra-special people who participated in this year’s Mule Days Celebration.

Bishop Mule Days 1985 was also graced with the royal presence of Sonnette, a beautiful nine-month-old Poitou donkey recently imported from France and her equally rare companion Savane, a Mulassier Draft Horse filly. The Poitou donkey is the most unusual and famous donkey ever bred, whose ancestry can be traced back to the French archives as early as 1121. The breed has been protected by the French government and has remained pure for 300 years. Sonnette was one of only 60 Poitou donkeys in existence in 1985 and the only one of her kind in the United States. Her companion Savane was one of an estimated 150 Mulassiers in existence in 1985 and the only one of her kind in the United States. Mulassiers are a powerful draft horse used exclusively to breed with the Poitou ass to produce the Poitou mule, that has been extensively used in agriculture in France for hundreds of years. Seeing these two extremely rare animals was a very special treat indeed!

Following the mule shows on Friday and Saturday, mule enthusiasts were able to warm up their “Mule Days Spirit” and dance the night away to the sounds of Monte Mills and his Horseshoe Band. On Saturday morning, we were hoping this year’s Mule Days Parade would be honored with the presence of California Governor George Deukmejian as Grand Marshall.

So as we approached the bicentennial of the first jacks to set foot on American soil, we did not wait until October to make this year a special one for our Longeared friends. We began the year by kicking up our heels at the largest mule show in the world, in the Mule Capital of the World, Bishop, California, Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27, 1985!

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE  and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

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