MULE CROSSING: Colorado Heart Fund Benefit 1990

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By Meredith Hodges

If ever anyone deserved appreciation and recognition, it is the organizers and sponsors of the Colorado Classic Heart Fund Benefit Horse and Mule Show. They spend many hours all year long to put together a show that was satisfying to its exhibitors and is entertaining to the public, while at the same time is raising money to support research and development for heart related disorders. These selfless people, led by manager Bruce Wolf, are always searching for ways to improve the show and make it more attractive to the public at large. Our deepest thanks for their extraordinary efforts in putting on a show with the integrity and goodwill of the Colorado Classic!

A wonderfully new and exciting addition to the Colorado Classic Heart Fund Benefit this year was opening night’s Symphony of Champions. Riders from all divisions were given spots to ride to the music of the Denver Symphony’s Young Artists Orchestra. American Show Horses, Saddlebreds, Arabians, Half-Arabians, Morgans, National Show Horses, Tennessee Walkers and mules danced to the music of Beethoven and Broadway hits, and then came together for the grand finale to the William Tell Overture. It was an evening of beauty, an evening of humor, an evening of suspense, an evening of the deepest emotions – and the audience loved it! What an exciting way to kick off a show!

Sponsored by the Colorado Donkey & Mule Society, the Mule Show itself exhibited quality animals and impeccable training. The Lucky Three Ranch sponsored Meredith and Dena Hodges, exhibited mules Mae Bea C.T. and Lucky Three Ciji in Dressage and Jumping during its part in the Symphony of Champions, adding suspense and awe as Mae Bea C.T. jumped bridleless during the performance.

The mule show itself opened Sunday morning, April 29th with halter classes exhibiting some of the highest quality saddle mules in the country! Performance classes began with English Pleasure, and then went on to show some of the smoothest jumping mules ever in Hunter Hack and Hunter Under Saddle classes. There was a stunning touch of class by Tammy Dishong and Dena Hodges as they emerged in the Side Saddle class.

Impeccable driving mules were exhibited by Mountain Shadow Mules and the JD Diamond Ranch in the Single Hitch class.  Western Pleasure class was one of the best ever in any Colorado show – Rambling Roseagain claimed her title as the ideal pleasure mule. The Green Western Pleasure mule class was short due to some unavoidable scratches, but the two shown were a credit to their breed.

Back to Tammy Dishong and Dena Hodges again for Youth Pleasure, where the girls exhibited their mules in a truly professional manner, explaining why each had claimed their World Champion placements at Bishop Mule Days in California just two years before! Until recently, California mule exhibitors seemed to claim most of the world titles, but two years ago they had to start working a little harder because our own Colorado mule exhibitors began doing better than ever, giving them a run for their money!

Drive & Ride and Ranch Riding were cancelled as the show was running late and the judge needed to catch his flight home, but in the spirit of the Colorado Classic, the otherwise refunded money was donated to the Heart Fund. Our deepest thanks to all of the mule exhibitors who took time out of their busy schedules to help support this show with their avid participation: Bitterroot Mule Company of Bennett, Colorado; JD Diamond Ranch of Bennett, Colorado; Lucky Three Ranch of Loveland, Colorado; Mountain Shadow Mules of Longmont, Colorado; Kristin Pettinger of Littleton, Colorado; and Steven White of Westminster, Colorado! Everyone did a superb job and is to be highly commended for their excellent performances! Thank you all and let’s hope that we can have even more support and participation next year! Results are as follows:

HALTER:

Mu 218 – Mules Foaled in 1989

  1. Lucky Three Selene       Dena Hodges        Lucky Three Ranch

Mu 219 – Mules Foaled in 1988

no entries

Mu 220 – Mules Foaled in 1987

  1. Lucky Three Foxfire        Dena Hodges       Lucky Three Ranch
  2. Spring Drizzle                   Carol Dishong     JD Diamond Ranch

Mu 221 – Miniatures 48″ & under
no entries

Mu 222 – Saddle Mules 48.01″-56”

  1. Lucky Three Firestorm         Meredith Hodges  Lucky Three Ranch
  2. Cover Girl                                Kristin Pettinger    Littleton, Co.

Mu 223 – Saddle Mules 56″ & Over

  1. Lucky Three Nuggett            Dena Hodges            Lucky Three Ranch
  2. Lucky Three Ciji                    Meredith Hodges.    Lucky Three Ranch
  3. Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T.  Katy Banks                Lucky Three Ranch
  4. John Henry                            Kristin Pettinger       Littleton, Co.
  5. Zippo Sparks Bar                  Diane Walston          Mountain Shadow Mules
  6. Lucky Three Cyclone            Gary Hodges             Lucky Three Ranch

PERFORMANCE

Mu      228 – Mule Open English Pleasure

  1. Zippo Sparks Bar            Steven White              Mountain Shadow Mules
  2. Lucky Three Cyclone     Gary Hodges               Lucky Three Ranch
  3. Lucky Three Ciji             Meredith Hodges       Lucky Three Ranch
  4. Lucky Three Firestorm Dena Hodges              Lucky Three Ranch
  5. Mae Bea C.T.                   Katy Banks                 Lucky Three Ranch
  6. Bitterroot Spider Dee    Fran Howe                 Bitterroot Mule Company

Mu      230 – Mule Green English Hunter Hack

  1. Lucky Three Firestorm  Dena Hodges              Lucky Three Ranch
  2. Lucky Three Ciji             Meredith Hodges        Lucky Three Ranch
  3. Rambling Rose               Steven White              Mountain Shadow Mules
  4. Lucky Three Cyclone     Gary Hodges               Lucky Three Ranch
  5. Mae Bea C.T.                   Katy Banks                 Lucky Three Ranch

Mu      233      – Mule English Working Hunter

  1. Lucky Three Firestorm   Dena Hodges              Lucky Three Ranch
  2. Mae Bea C.T.                     Meredith Hodges       Lucky Three Ranch
  3. Rambling Rose                 Steven White              Mountain Shadow Mules
  4. Lucky Three Ciji               Meredith Hodges       Lucky Three Ranch
  5. Lucky Three Cyclone       Gary Hodges               Lucky Three Ranch

Mu      236 – Mule Open Western Pleasure

  1. Rambling Rose                 Diane Walston            Mountain Shadow Mules
  2. JD Diamond Blackjack  Tammy Dishong         JD Diamond Ranch
  3. Mae Bea C.T.                    Katy Banks                   Lucky Three Ranch
  4. Lucky Three Firestorm   Dena Hodges              Lucky Three Ranch
  5. Lucky Three Ciji               Meredith Hodges       Lucky Three Ranch
  6. Lucky Three Cyclone       Gary Hodges               Lucky Three Ranch

Mu 239 – Mule Green Western Pleasure

  1. Zippo Sparks Bar          Hal Walston             Mountain Shadow Mules
  2. Lucky Three Nuggett   Dena Hodges            Lucky Three Ranch

Mu      241      – Mule Sidesaddle

  1. JD Diamond Blackjack         Tammy Dishong      JD Diamond Ranch
  2. Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T.   Dena Hodges            Lucky Three Ranch

Mu 243 – Mule Single Hitch

  1. Zippo Sparks Bar        Hal Walston             Mountain Shadow Mules
  2. Spring Drizzle              Carol Dishong         JD Diamond Ranch

Mu 247 – Mule Youth Pleasure

  1. JD Diamond Blackjack      Tammy Dishong     JD Diamond Ranch
  2. Lucky Three Nuggett         Dena Hodges            Lucky Three Ranch

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.

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