Back To The Ranch

AzBCR POST FROM LINDA:

This last weekend June 26th and 27th we spent the weekend up at Madeline's ranch.

On Saturday just before noon, while we were working around the place, we decided to put their hobbles on and let them all out of the barn to roam the 38 acres that is for the most part fenced but because there is some that is not......well they're mules, so they get hobbled, because they know where the openings are!! Even little Ms. Madeline did get hobbled, just so she can stay used to being hobbled. We had closed all the stall doors but Madeline's so if she wanted she could go in and have a drink or whatever on her own.

Well, you would think if they had all this area to romp in and graze in................trust me, they can still romp in hobbles, even three ways on the two mules. So you would think with all this room then you would not find them here


In the barn, and not just one of them...............


Yes, you got it..........all three of them, and all in the SAME stall, Madeline's stall, with Gus going in and out of it!!! Go figure!! This went on for quite a long time.


So, we let them be.........and continued our work around the place then broke for lunch............ Guess who joined us at lunch. Here she comes looking for Mom and Dad.. She always does this if she can't see you.... she will find you.


And yes, she found us, Mom in the rig making lunch and Dad just a waiting to graze......So Madeline just had to spend time with Dad for loves and kisses. She sucked up big time to Dad and stayed with us the whole time we ate lunch.


Dad even got her a cookie out of the truck as she stood by waiting for him to get it...


Then off she goes, to go find her brothers again......


And she knows right where to find them...... Can you guess?

Yep, still in her stall in the barn just hanging out waiting for her to come back!!! Right where she flew back into, hobbles and all.


She did go out for a 4 hour trail ride on Sunday with her big brother mules, and some of our ranch neighbors......... But the rest of the time you can see just exactly where they chose to stay for most of Saturday.

Till next time.



David and Linda

Clint's Well

AzBCR POST FROM LINDA:

This is Madeline at Clint's Well North (No. East) of Lake Mary Rd the weekend of 6/12/2010 and 6/13/2010.



On Saturday's ride she went out with all the gang in the Lone Rangers and as we started out, it was a beautiful blue sky day with clouds passing by. But just after lunch the clouds got low, and dark and it poured like cats and dogs on us, we were about 2 1/2 hours from camp. Then about 1 hour before we hit camp it hailed like the dickens on us........and yes, Ms. Madeline and her Mule Brothers were not thrilled about the pea size hail hitting us for that hour. It covered the ground very quickly, blanketing it in white. Madeline and her brothers when you looked at them their ears were laid out flat to the sides like a Helicopter. She wore hail down her back but just kept jogging along like a real trooper. She was not thrilled about ANY of the water crossings, but being hitched up with her big brother mule "Earl"........she rather did not have a choice but to get her feet wet!!



On Sundays ride, she usually stays back in camp and is just a plain o donkey.......but not this trip, she was looking to go, so we took her along on the ride. This was the first time she boogied down the trail two days in a row. She did fantastic. This was a much nicer day, cool, and overcast but no rain. Was a nice weekend ride even with the hail as it gave you something besides the heat we had had in the valley before the weekend.




In all this weekend, little Ms. Madeline boogied down the trail in the two days a total of 24 miles .... As some from the AZBCR like "joeroadapple" said whom was with us on this ride, she is one in shape little girl going down that trail.

In case you were wondering, she still when not out on the trail during the daytime wears her hobble/surcingle contraption on her one leg during the week. It is really helping her to remember to pick up an bend her leg. It should be just a matter of time and she should not have to wear it anymore, so it is working!!! She has little to no lock anymore, just and occassional funky walk now and then, but goes away in seconds, so it is working. The turn and burn trail riding mountain terrain is surely helping her in making those legiments shrink.

Till next time..........


David and Linda

More From Madeline

AN E-MAIL FROM LINDA:

When I saw your post with you new big truck, I had to chuckle, because I just had a situation happen that involved a big truck and a mini donkey. I'll tell you - but you have to promise, no laughing.

On Monday night when I came home from work, as usual Ms. Madeline greeted me. She is such a loving little donkey as you know with her hugs. Well, I set my purse and keys down on the horse trailer fender and opened up the gate to come into her turnout. We played soccer, then with her big ball, we played chase and they we just stood for loves. At this point in her usual way she came in from behind me and like usual shot between my legs so now I had her head right in front of me as if I were riding her. We were up close to the big front gate in the turn out, and right up near the road in front of my house. We continued to stand this way, as I gave her lots of loves and kisses and pets, she was thrilled as I was looking down at her. Then all of a sudden I could hear a truck coming down the road, but could not see it and just as I looked up it was a big MDI eighteen wheeler dump truck that just let out his air brakes, which was quite the sound and scared the crap out of Madeline with her being still between my legs. She leaped up, which literally put me now atop her back, and bolted and bucked and well...........the story goes I flipped up in the air and down to the ground. You can stop laughing now, needless to say I was literally bucked off my mini donkey. Man, can she move!!! And of course, once I was on the ground beside her, she was right there to see me and so was the truck driver as he realized he had just scared the crap out the donkey and saw the whole thing. He wanted to make sure I was alright, which I was, more stunned then anything as neither of us was expecting this huge truck coming down the road and expelling his air brakes. He laughed and said, he has seen a lot of things in his days, but never has seen someone fly up in air like that and he had no clue it was a mini donkey as he had to ask if that was what she was. He said she was so small, he never saw her and only saw this women flying in the air and hit the ground.

So, when I saw your truck........ I had to chuckle, and now you know why.

Now, If you think that is funny, well, your going to love this one. The last Lone Ranger Ride over Memorial Day weekend, the Mr. in our house - Yes, David had a ride of his own with little Ms. Madeline. This is no joke and trust me, it was quite the site.

We were out on the trail, at lunch break, and our lunch break was at a stock pond. Pretty green grass, lots of tall trees, and just a beautiful day, their was 18 of us out of the trail this day. Well, we ate our lunch, then I decided to take Ms. Madeline over to the stock pond.....it had one of those build up tall berms around half of it so Madeline and I went a walking that direction, up the berm and once she saw the water in the pond, the brakes went on and she flat sat down!! Yep, this is something she does very well once the brakes go on and she looks so funny just sitting on the ground on her butt. Well, David came over to help get her up and over the big berm, only she was not going to go, and everyone in our group was laughing as Madeline the little mini donkey was saying nope not going, and us too were up on the berm trying to pull her up there. So we decided to walk further around the pond to where you did not have to climb up and down the berm to get to the pond, and now know one could see us.

Well, when Madeline saw the water, she started to put the brakes on and David pulled her as I pushed her.........then we got her to the water and tried to get her to just stand there while he held her rope, and I was now off to the side watching..... the little stinker all of a sudden leaped and shot through David's legs as he was facing her, which through him over her with his actually riding her with him facing her butt, and off she went and nothing he could do but hold on as he rode her backwards up and out of the pond and part way up the hill.......and the whole time I'm just laughing my backside off because he can't get off her.......so my usual sweet self asked him, "what the heck, you can't steer her riding her that way"......well, you know the look I got. Needless to say, once she did stop, he was able to get his footing and stand up and get off her as we both laughed and looked up and thankfully no one could see any of it as they were all on the other side of the berm. It was quite the site to see this big tall good looking cowboy, with his hat, boots and spurs on literally stuck where he was a riding her backwards up and out of a pond and up a hill and not a durn thing he could do about it, until she stopped. Later around the campfire that night we did share what happened and everyone was roaring wishing they had seen what was going on, on the other side of that berm.

So, It should be quite a weekend this weekend when we go to Clint's Well, especially with the number of water crossings in East Clear Creek....and Ms. Madeline. We truly do have lots of fun with her, she has quite the personality.

Linda

Planning Another Trip

GOT THIS MESSAGE:

She'll be going to Clint's Well next weekend 6/12 and 6/13 with the Lone Rangers. There should be some pictures and water crossings from that one. Let's just say by the end of that ride she should cross water quite well, as there is usally quite a few water crossings so she's gonna get wet!!!

David and Linda

Flagstaff!

ANOTHER AzBCR POST:
Madeline from "Memorial Day Weekend 2010" camping in Flagstaff @ the Bar D Corral.




On Saturday Madeline went with her big brother mules and the Lone Rangers on an 11.8 mile ride. The trail riding with her in tow with Gus my mule has been working out really well for her leg exercises. This time she had absolutely no funny walk right off the bat, so that is a sign its doing what its suppose too . Burn baby burn the tendons...

We did not take her on Sunday's ride, as we let her have a day of just being a little donkey sunning herself and laying flat out being lazy. But we did in the afternoon take advantage of the Bar D Corrals at the camp site, and turned her lose in the big round cattle holding pen. She just went a flying around and around and around kicking up her heels for several hours and would keep watch to see that we were watching her.

Until next time...

David and Linda