35th Anniversary

By Meredith Hodges

It’s hard to believe that I have already spent 35 years in the business with not only mules and donkeys, but a vast array of equine related activities. I have always loved horses and began riding when I was only two years old. I was about as horsey as a girl could be and when not riding, it was still horse books, drawing horses and engaging in anything that remotely resembled a life with equines. At one point, I even designed a 100-stall barn and vowed to rescue every horse in our country that was being abused. Little did I know then, my 100-stall barn would be terribly inadequate.

I actually founded the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado in 1980 although I had many years with horses and six years with mules before then. I had moved to Colorado with the intent of going to Colorado State University to get my veterinarian credentials, so I sought out places to live in Fort Collins. It was a fluke that a contract fell through and this tiny little 10 acre sheep ranch became available. I remember standing in the driveway, my vision crystal clear in my head, and told my mother, “This place HAS LOTS of possibilities.” She gave me a condescending nod and said, “It definitely has lots of possibilities.” I don’t think she had any idea of what was to come! But, after all, the vision was MINE!

Since, I began a journey that has led me from equine breeding and training for mules and donkeys, through showing and then judging and clinics, developing the first ever equine training correspondence course through my videos, on television the internet and Social Media. I have written numerous books on training that all complement each other, but with the addition of the DVDs provide the most comprehensive management and training series ever to hit the equine industry. I decided to go this route because of the lack of continuity in the management and training materials that I had to work with while I was growing up. I saw and personally experienced the therapeutic value of equines and became intimately involved with the Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding facility just a few miles from the Lucky Three Ranch. The interaction with this program inspired me to write my children’s series, Jasper the Mule. I launched it by writing a letter from a baby mule to myself with his concerns about training and his perception of trainers from the mule’s standpoint.

The Lucky Three ranch slowly became the vision that had been in my mind 35 years ago! My interest and influence in the equine community grew into something much larger than my original 100-stall barn. I now reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and am now in a position to be able to teach them how to appreciate and enjoy their equines as much as I enjoy mine in a multitude of different ways. It is so incredibly rewarding when I see happy animals with happy owners doing the things that they love together! This is the gift that I have been given in life by my Maker to share with others and their joy is my reward! Thank you to all of my friends and fans for your loyalty and support! I couldn’t have made 35 years without you and the magnificent equines that color my life!

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.

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