smellshorsey

The Difference Between Mules and Horses

I don't know much about mules, which is why I'm fascinated with Sheba the Breyer Horse/Mule. If you are also mule-ignorant, you might want to go to Lucky Three Ranch for their interesting and well organized information about mules.

I especially loved the section What are the ass' mental characteristics? (For all of us who thought we knew.)

For instance, I didn't realize that mules are more difficult to train than horses, according to Julie Kennedy. Or that they're stronger and therefore, harder to coerce into loading or other situations where you might be able to out-maneuver a horse.

More to come on Sheba.

To Become a Breyer Horse, Win Everything

Many of us horse people -- and our horses -- are one-trick ponies. We pick a discipline and we stick to it, more or less. I sometimes think I do well to approximate my chosen discipline, much less diversify.

One way to become a Breyer Horse is to win everything, and that's what Sheba did. Here's a photo from a magazine showing her tied outside of her stall at the 2003 BreyerFest, where she was a guest horse and one of the stars. Sheba dislikes stalls so Julie usually ties her outside the stall whenever they are showing.

Sheba is one of the country's "winningest" mules, according to the card that comes with Sheba's Breyer model. Here's the Breyer description of her accomplishments:

Maynard's Miss Sheba, the multi-talented buckskin mule, is one of the "winningest" and versatile mules in the country. When this pretty golden molly isn't babysitting teh young stock at their first shows or learning new under-saddle skills, she is busy sweepign up every international and national mule championship possible. She was born in 1988. Her sire was Dry Gulch Maynard large standard jack, and her dam was Brothers Rhapsody, a Foundation QH mare.

A tall 15.2 hands, Sheba has excelled in several categories, and has to her name the World Championships and National Championships in categories ranging from Halter and Trail to Dressage, Western Pleasure, Sidesaddle, Hunter Hack and Hunter Under Saddle.

Add to that her other titles in the North American Saddle Mule Association, including the prestigious High-Point Mule in the Nation title, not just once, but won three times over, and her stack of Superiors in a variety of classes. Sheba doesn't want to stop there, apparently, because she has also stood Grand Champion Halter Mule at Bishop Mule Days, the Houston Livestock Show, and the International Livestock Exposition, among many others.

With those sorts of accolades, it could be expected that Sheba would want some quiet time when at home, yet she is always eager to go out on trail rides and she enjoys working cattle. Sheba's multi-faceted talents have made her a top ambassador of the mule world, and she has formed many treasured memories for those lucky enough to see her in the spotlight.

More to come....

Imagine if Breyer Called YOU and Asked If They Could Use Your Horse as a Model

One day a few years ago Julie Kennedy, who now trains her horses and mules in Eastover, S.C., got a phone call she wasn't expecting. It was the Breyer horse people. And they wanted to know if they could use her "horse" for a model.

Every year Breyer gets hundreds of requests from people hoping Breyer will choose their horse for a model for the company's line of exquisitely detailed collectible horses, joining the ranks of Seabiscuit, War Admiral and a host of other world-class, world-famous horses. This day, Breyer was calling Julie.

But Julie's horse wasn't a racehorse, a show horse, or any other kind of horse. In some people's eyes, Julie's "horse" is even better.

Julie has the world's most perfect mule. At least that's what the American Donkey and Mule Society told Breyer when they called the society to ask which mule typified the ideal mule -- and it was Julie's Maynard's Miss Sheba.

So when a few months ago I said I was going to fulfill a lifelong dream and ride a Breyer horse, that was not exactly true. I've always wanted to ride a mule, and here is one of the world's most famous. Retired now, and just a few miles from home.

She's much prettier than the model, which I purchased (pictured below). The funny thing is, Breyer asked for the mule that typified the ideal mule, then just used her coloring on their existing model mule. They didn't create a new body. The first run of Sheba models was even male. When somebody picked up on that, they shaved those parts off.

Julie and Sheba got to go to the Breyerfest at the Kentucky Horse Park. Sheba stood in a paddock while Julie stood at a table, autographing the bellies of Breyer Sheba models.

More on Sheba's many championships, her quirks and Julie's difficulties in training her, Julie and Sheba's experiences at the Breyerfest, and Lily (my daughter)'s ride on Sheba.

Because Sheba's story is longer and better than I can tell in one day.

Lily Rode the Breyer Horse!

I'm sorry I've been such a tease about the Breyer Horse ride (for the complete history click here) but it's been hard to schedule. It almost got canceled, too, because it was just so terribly cold and I'm a weiner. I wasn't sure either of us would get to ride her either, as she was getting over an injury. But her owner was kind enough to bring this very interesting retired mare up from her pasture and let Lily ride her.

I'll run three days of stories on her, starting February 4. And on that day, I'll reveal her identity.

In the meantime, doesn't she have a nice view in her retirement pasture?

Breyer Horse Ride Scheduled at Last!

I had no idea it would take this long to schedule my upcoming ride on an equine that was used as a model (a named model, no less) for Breyer's line of horses or I wouldn't have mentioned so long ago . But finally, the model, her owner, my daughter and I have scheduled the MLK Holiday for a get together where we can ride Famous Horse and find out more, such as the funny stories from attending Breyerfest.

I'll run the photos and stories the week of February 4.

And at this point, if we get rained or snowed out or something, I might just make the whole thing up so I don't look like a terrible liar!

How to Teach a Child a Dressage Test

It's hard to get a child excited about a dressage test. Or about dressage at all when there are other things, such as jumping, that she could be doing instead of dressage.

For Lily's first horse trials (I think the coming one will be her third) I really had trouble getting her attention about the importance of dressage, let alone the concepts involved. Now that Lily is older and understands that her place in dressage will determine where she stands in the competition, she's practicing her test every night. Thank goodness I'm not a good housekeeper or I might have thrown away the things essential for this practice.

If you want to teach your child a dressage test, I suggest you do it in three stages.

1. Indoors using a Breyer horse and a shoe-box lid;
2. Outdoors doing the test on her own two feet while you judge; and,
3. Finally, on horseback.

Here's what you need for part one:

Take a shoe-box lid, cut out an entrance at "A" and use a marker to put in the other letters. Here's an aerial view of our shoe-box dressage ring.

Then, get a noted Breyer stablemates "dressage horse" (we're using Seabiscuit because we couldn't find Pumpkin -- they're not in frame and don't bend in the corners but Buddy probably isn't going to either) and start riding the test.
Here's Seabiscuit from an aerial view and entering at "A."

For the next step Lily does the test on foot in the pasture, where we've set up ceramic tile blocks (because we had some) that we've painted the dressage letters on. Unfortunately, we don't have any kind of arena wall. Paul got smart and embedded small concrete blobs in the ground at the four corners of the arena (small size -- no room) so that we don't have to re-measure every time.

We have used spray paint (the kind made for marking lines on the ground) to mark the arena boundaries in the past, but have gotten either too cheap or too lazy.

It's tempting to throw the shoe-box lid away after it's all over, but keep it. It's a handy thing. And Seabiscuit's getting pretty good at dressage, too.

I Miss My Camera

Lily has decided to ride both Buddy and Lucy and get them both in shape for what, I'm not sure. In some ways, Lucy is easier. She's lazy, but she doesn't know anything (and whose fault is that?). When she's good, it's an accident. When she's bad, you hope it's not an accident. But in many ways, she's easier to ride than Buddy because she would never bother going "Yahooo!" and doing something rambunctious. Maybe with steady work she won't do the other things that make you hit the ground, either. But she is a powerful, not entirely submissive beast and I wonder if I am a Bad Mother.

Today was beautiful and I wanted to take photos to show you how good Lily looked on both of them. But my camera is still in the shop so that, and the Breyer horse interview and ride, are on hold until I get that call from Best Buy that all is well, come pick it up.

Please keep checking back. I even bought the Breyer Horse model. It will be a good story. I promise. But it might be 3-4 weeks.

Breyer horse ride still coming!

Update: This week Lily had her lesson here instead of at the barn where the Breyer horse is and where I'm going to take my little ride. I think it will be next week before I get to ride.

I'll see the Breyer horse owner tomorrow at the show. (Breyer horse is retired and won't be there.) I hope to get more of the story plus set up an exact date for my little experience.

I just bought the Breyer model on e-bay. I think I'll get it autographed. How silly can I get?

I'm also trying to get the local paper to let me write up the story on this model horse, but haven't gotten a commitment yet. (Or a rejection.)

But let me drop some more hints: she is one of two of her breed made by Breyer, according to their web site. The other one is a small model.

The horse show is tomorrow. Buddy is probably out there rolling all the clean off of him. I let Lily do all of the tack cleaning, horse cleaning, boot polishing and mane pulling. It's a combination of laziness on my part justified by a belief that children should do all they can by themselves. Now. If I could only get her in bed.

The Coggins and the Oreos are in the car. Now I need to go charge my camera battery. And recharge my own batteries. It will be a long day.

Wish us luck, or at least, that Buddy and Lily will have fun and do their best, and that everyone will be safe and have a great time.

Riding a Breyer Horse

Ah! So you want to know which Breyer horse I'll be riding? Well, that would just ruin everything to tell you. This equine has won championships in dressage, halter, western and hunter, just to name a few. She's retired now and living a life of leisure. Not sure which day next week it will be -- but I can't wait.

Coming attraction: Next week I get to ride a Breyer horse

There are some things you want to do before you die, and one of the things on my list is to ride a Breyer horse. Not the toy, but the real-life model for the toy. Or perhaps I should call it a collectible. (We treat them like toys in our house.) There's a real-live Breyer horse model not far from here, at the barn where I haul Buddy and Lily for lessons. I asked the owner yesterday if I could ride her "Breyer Horse," and she said yes. Next week.

The horse is retired now. Should be just my speed.

In fact, she's going to let me do a whole story about her, her horse and her experiences at Breyer Fest in the Kentucky Horse Park, etc. Wouldn't that just be about the coolest thing to have your horse made into a model, and have people stand in line for you to sign it?

Stay tuned. There will be pictures.