This was just sent to me and I am passing it onward. To me, this is AN INTELLIGENT ARGUMENT which puts several of the issues in a concise narrative. Non emotional. Succinct. Bravo, Vickery Eckhoff!
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I found this article and wanted to pass it onward to you.
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HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
WRECKED.
As you may have read in my post for Monday, I was in an “around a horse” accident that sent me to the ER. Here is a link if you’d like to read about it or look at the pictures.
To be honest, I felt OK on Monday and Tuesday, but today – Wednesday – I feel like crap. I cannot stay awake and I feel like a truck ran me over.
So, I am reposting a post from long ago. I’m hoping that many of you didn’t see this one since it was from the very beginning of HORSE AND MAN.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Hopefully I will be back in the game tomorrow!
BLACK RUBY!
OK, so back to Black Ruby!
Black Ruby is the winningest mule, ever.
Click image to watch this incredible race!
She is an awesome sight in person and I got to meet her firsthand. This molly mule has won more races than any other mule (and most equines).
Mule racing is relatively new. In fact, the Mule Racing Association had to adapt the current racing laws to allow mules. And, so far, mules are only sanctioned to race at Fairs. So, that cuts down the tour. However, it doesn’t take away the excitement! This gal has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Equus, The NY Times, Blood horse as well as several TV appearances. She has won over $200,000 and her purse keeps expanding. So far, the only mule to beat her is Taz, but not often. (It was Taz who was the first Mule to be cloned — another story.) They have a standing rivalry which is presented in this video from a Match. Amazing. You need to watch it first then read on. Famous Match Mule Race
Ruby is owned by a lovely couple, Sonny and Mary McPherson from Healdsburg, CA (wine and now mule country…). 
They really had no idea this was going to be their next phase in life — it happened by accident. Sonny had a hunting/packing mule that he showed a friend. The friend asked to use Sonny’s mule to run along side his mule down at the racetrack… and a love was born! Soon after that fateful day, the McPhersons met Ruby. She was 3, injured and on stall rest. The trainer said she was the fastest mule he had ever seen before she was injured. A year later, after Ruby had finally healed but never raced, Sonny took a chance and bought her. The trainer was right. Really right! Black Ruby has won 62 of her 77 starts (most of her non-wins were due to her inability to load properly in the gates — a mule is a mule is a mule… ;) ).
Click image to listen to my interview with her owners.
Mules race shorter lengths than race horses. They run in yards, the 220. 300, 350, 400, 440, 660 and 870 which is a half mile. Ruby holds records in all events. Basically, mules don’t have the endurance of the race horses — yet. Mules tend to run a few seconds behind the horses’ records. Right now, most racing mules are created from a QH or an Appy mare (and of course, a talented Jack) to get the fast sprinter. If purchasing a racing mule, they look for a nice head, strong neck, long leg and a big hip.
I have to give great credit to the Mule Racing Association because they will not allow a mule to run until he/she is 3. It was decided that a mule just isn’t bone mature until then and they don’t want the mules to break down. Nice. But having a winning mule or a well built mule does not garner success for sure. A mule is a mule is a mule… ;)
Click image to watch Ruby run at home!
When I visited the McPhersons, I watched their up and coming mules along with their older mules running in the fields and I was slack jawed! I had never seen anything like it! Of course, watching Ruby just casually romp at warp 2000 just took my breath away. I could not believe it! These are not your Grand Canyon Mules! Wow! Among the group was a Molly that crossed from a Secretariat mare. Amazing! That one will be a distance mule someday. But, of course, the casually dressed Ruby out ran them all – easily. She is sumthin’. Here is the short video of Ruby casually running her buncakes on her home turf.
Anyway, here is the edit I put together with this great footage of Sonny, Mary and the mules. Click here: Black Ruby interview video.
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
February Drop in the Bucket Fund: LEROY, THE WONDERPONY
He was found in a Home Depot parking lot with a huge leg wound. To learn all about the Bucket Fund and to donate towards the care of LeRoy, please click here.
Howdy folks!
Well, today got away from me… so I decided to post something special and wonderful - but simple… (I need my beauty sleep – ha!).
So, I thought I would post one of the best interviews (in my opinion) from my TV series, HORSE AND MAN. This particular episode is dear to my heart because the location was incredible, the history was epic, the wranglers were real and the mules had a huge job which provided a wonderful service for millions of Americans. Oh, and we were the first film crew allowed into the canyon with the mules. THAT was a very special honor.
We were able to spend the entire day, from sunup to sundown, with the wranglers. Awesome. This episode was extra and never aired so you can view it fresh!
Please click on any image or the link to watch this segment. I think you will really enjoy it. I know I loved every second of producing it.
NOT FINISHED
OKOK, you may notice that the supers (titles) are not on and the audio is not perfect. Yup, this segment isn’t totally finished. But, I hope you will like it anyway…
Legendary Ron Clayton, Mule wrangler for 30 years...
HORSE AND MAN – Mules of the Grand Canyon – Click on the link to see the video!
Wranglers coming in after a long day's ride.
MEMORIES FROM THAT DAY…
Knowing I was going to meet Ron Clayton, the legendary cowboy who had worked with these mules for 30 years, I was a bit intimidated. But, I shouldn’t have worried because after about a minute of chatting about his mules, the grizzled wrangler melted. This man loved his mules… He babbled away like a new Dad as he showed off all of his 150 prized mules. All of them were special. He knew all of their names. I swear, he was like Santa Claus among them. The mules all gathered ’round just to be close to him.
However, my sweetest memory of Ron was his crying over his part in a MAKE A WISH day for a dying child. Ron personally granted the boy’s wish to go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. So, Ron saddled up his best mules and dragged the boy down in a sled. It took all day and it had never been done before. But Ron was set on giving this child his wish. And, he did… As Ron relayed this story to me, he cried. Very touching.
THE BARN
In the video, you might not feel the vastness of the HUGE mule barn. HUGE. It fits 150 mules. And, everything was tidy. That barn put my measly three stall barn to SHAME. You could eat off of the floor that 150 mules ran through daily.
Another fun memory was that all 150 mules knew exactly where to stand to get their dinner. When the mules ran in, it was absolute mayhem for about 30 seconds – until they got to their particular buckets. After that, all you could hear was munching. Amazing. They also put themselves away. All 150 mules knew exactly where to go after dinner. The whole procedure took about 3 minutes. Those mules made my jaw drop in many ways!
And, all the gear (for 150 mules) was cleaned and stowed properly. Double Amazing. Those wranglers ran a tight ship. They have to because there are so many mules, so many tourists and so many opportunities for disaster. After all, the territory is unforgiving.
That day with Ron Clayton and the Mules of the Grand Canyon was more than memorable for me. This is why I wanted to share it with you again. I hope you enjoy it.
This is Rosie. The wrangler LOVED her! Watch the video to see her incredible moves!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
Well, as promised, here is the actual event that Tad and Tanya were practicing for in last week’s post about them. So, you saw them rehearsing (and if you didn’t, here is that link) and now it is the big day! Things didn’t go exactly as planned… 
This Fiesta arena is a bit smaller than Tad’s and this show is Tanya’s first… You go, girl!
Anyway, I know you will want to watch this video to see them do their amazing tricks. I certainly did. But, after viewing it a few times, I turned my attention onto the horses. Wow. It was really something when you thought about what the horses did! First of all, no one is steering. These boys did what they knew they were supposed to do regardless if there was someone at the helm. Now, we all know what horses can do if you drop the rein… But not with these two. Atta boys just kept on keeping on with what they knew they needed to do. They never mosey to the center ring to eat flowers. They don’t stop and rear at flashbulbs. They don’t break into a trot or an uneven run, they don’t fuss, they don’t talk back, they don’t cut the circle… they just do their job with their ears up. Wow.
Take a gander at Tanya’s horse. First, she shimmies up on his neck, grabs a handful of poll mane and then steers him with it. Hey, its all good… She stands on his back and then, she hangs off the side of the saddle, moving around, as he gallops around the arena.
.. Yeah, my horse would do that, too. Not. We riders often blame ourselves for leaning left and right (which we do) and say that we are hard on our horses for leaning one way (which we are). So, imagine having a whole body over to one side! Does the horse flinch? No. Does he stumble? Nope again. He just compensates and keeps going like he should. Oh, and by the way, this horse got his belly slapped a few times by her hand and he didn’t even twitch an ear. Never let them see you sweat. This boy acted like it was just another day at the office.
And Tad’s horse! OMG. He just does his thing. The boy has his head smacked a few times and his necked roughed up… does he do anything but his job? No. He just keeps an even gallop at all times. So remarkable! He didn’t change one bit from home to the show. Don’t we all wish we could say that? ;)
Oh, and I have to comment, 
check out how the horses watch each other. Every time one stops and the other goes, the one standing watches with complete attention. It would be so much fun to be able to read the thought bubbles from those horses… (Roany)”Oooh, Tango, ouch, that musta hurt when she stuck her toe in your eyeball” … (Tango) “Nawww, I’m used to it… but did you see that kid throw a cup at me? I almost jumped three feet! Stoopid photographer popped a flash right in my eye!” 
(Roany) “You sure looked good out there, is your hip still bothering you? Didn’t look like it, you looked like a colt out there” (Tango) “Awww, thanks, just doing my job…” Or, something like that.
Anyway, please watch the Before and After videos (Tad at home and Tad at the show) and Enjoy! If you have time, watch them again with the horses in mind. They are very cute and such good boys!
Here is the You Tube version of Tad’s trickriding at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse.
Here is the You Tube link of the previous video where Tad is rehearsing for this at home.
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photog: Trish Lowe)
Horse and Man
