45th Anniversary – Mule, Donkey & Horse Training with Meredith Hodges

May 28 2024

MULE CROSSING: Lucky Three Ranch – 45th Anniversary

Kyle Davidson Mule Crossing 45th Anniversary, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Mule Crossing 0

It’s hard to believe that I have already spent 45 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 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, then judging and giving clinics. I developed the first ever equine training correspondence course with my videos. I revised them for television and was on numerous channels and RFD-TV for 11 years. After going off television, I adapted my award-winning TV Shows for VIDEO ON DEMAND from my website at www.luckythreeranch.com and expanded our presence on Social Media. I have written 3 hardbound books and 3 manuals on equine management and training that all complement each other. They overlap, but are not duplicated. There is a lot to learn and the learning never ends. The addition of the DVDs provided the most comprehensive management and training series ever to hit the equine industry. Since I have always documented EVERYTHING I learned, I produced numerous TELLY AWARD WINNING documentaries that are also in the VOD section of my website. 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 CENTER (www.heartsandhorses.org) located just a few miles from my Lucky Three Ranch. The interaction with this program inspired me to write my children’s series of books and videos, and even a music CD, Jasper the Mule. I launched this fun and educational children’s series by writing a letter from a baby mule named JASPER to myself stating his concerns about training and his perception of trainers from the mule’s point of view.

The Lucky Three Ranch slowly became even more than the vision that had in my mind 45 years ago! My interest and influence in the equine community grew into something much more expansive than my original 100-stall barn. It grew into the LOVELAND LONGEARS MUSEUM & SCULPTURE PARK at LUCKY THREE RANCH! We opened the ranch to tours and each tour is a personalized clinic for those who attend. I can 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 and share it 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 45 years without you and the magnificent equines that color my life! The ultimate gift for me is to be able to see all of you enjoying LONGEARS as much as I do, and to see you going forward to accomplish great things and become amazing ambassadors of the breed!

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, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.