DiaMond D Mule Farm's Blog

Thankful

2011-02-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking today, when it's 9 degrees outside, just how grateful and thankful I am for the simple little things in life that some of us take for granted. I, for one, have learned the hard way lately, never take anything for granted, ever.

First on my list is my health. Despite all of my shortcomings, and there are many, I seem to be in pretty good health. I do have alopecia, complete female baldness, but honestly, it's nothing compared to what it could be. I am blessed by great strength and a good strong back. Comes in very handy around the farm with all my chores. I certainly do not have a man around to help me lift, dump, carry, pull, dig, and many other other things that need done around here, so guess what folks, just simple sweat equity will do.

Next of course is love. Without love and support can we really function properly? I remember when my mom was still around in our old Victorian home in Arlington, MA, that she even gave love to her gardenias and begonias, and african violets, and you name it. She would spray them with a water spritzer bottle and talk to them every morning and really, I thought she was going off the deep end, but honestly wow, her flowers were the talk of the neighborhood and our relatives. I am so grateful to have this incredible love and support in my life, thank you, BMSC.

Then we have electricity. Without this wonderful little invention, my horses would have frozen water troughs right now, and that would be very, very bad. I would not have the ability to communicate to all you wonderful people out there that have taken the time and effort to sit down and read this. I certainly would not have a laptop. Just saying, electricity, what a wonderful thing we have in this.

And of course, heat. On a morning like today, I am so thankful for Arricks Propane. They are very nice people and at a very reasonable cost. Just as a side note, I will never use Blue Flame even if they were the only choice around town. I would have to buy one of those great big furnace things that look like oversized dog houses and fill them daily with our naturally grown trees. Really, there isn't anything nice I can say about them.

Clean water. Yes that's another one of our resources that honestly people around here just don't think about how precious this is. I would spend my Summers in Greece with my giagia and my family. You want to talk about a culture shock for a very spoiled little daddy's girl, wow! The water there does not run on a daily basis, we would get it every other day from a water pipe in our street. We would grab all of our buckets, and pots, and fill our deposito, which was this great big galvanized square tank on our flat roofs, that would hold our water supply for the next couple of days. We would also don our bathing suits and my brother and I would take showers in the street as the water was running. So folks, water is a very precious commodity that we Americans need to protect and be thankful for.

God. Without Him do we even exist? Do my precious mules, and magestic horses, and weiner dogs, and blue heelers, and kitties, and anything else exist without Him? I mean folks, nothing, would exist. I was even a Science major and I learned all about the Big Bang Theory, Natural Selection, and all about Lucy, our so-called long lost neanderthal relative. I don't buy into those theories any longer. Too vast, too intelligent, too many species and different genetic make-ups and too beautiful, to all be by accident and genetic mistakes. I am very grateful that I know who my Creator and Savior is. Do you?

Friends. Where would we all be without our true, down deep friends. I know I would be lost. Thank you and I am so grateful to the Bells for all their love and support. Also to my seester!! Plus the handfuls of others out there, Jimmie, Terri, and more. I love you all.

I have no idea where this came from other than my heart. So I hope you all enjoyed it. I did.

Back in the Saddle

2011-01-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I rode two of my mares today and let me tell you, it felt great! Those of you in Southern Ohio, know how cold, wintry and miserable it has been lately. I, even though have an indoor arena, just couldn't even brave it! I know, I've become a wimp. Being from New England, I should be used to this winter stuff, well, folks, it's been six years now and I think I'm out of practice.

Riding Zetty my just now turned 3 year old, is always fun. Teaching her to slow down and collect her canter is great. I experimented with a different bit, and I think it really helped her. She's coming along real nice.

Coco, my buckskin mare, she's just amazing. She's got to be one of my favorite rides. She's so talented and strong but yet sensitive in her mouth and cues, it's super fun. I can't say enough about her. Not only is she beautiful, but she can float and move with such fluidity. I can't wait to have Morgan Goolsby show her again this Summer and come home with more blue ribbons. What a team they are.

I know, I know, what about the mules? Well today they were enjoying their round bales and getting muddy rolling in the melting snow and mud. Their day is tomorrow. I think for sure Ginger, my super talented 2 1/2 year old gaited mule, and maybe Goose, my 4 year old powerhouse.

Well folks, I'll let you know how the mules do. But until then, enjoy your four-legged friends, because they are the only ones who will always be your true friends.

I'm Back on Blogging

2011-01-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

I wanted to say to myself, "Welcome Back, Dora". It's been a long while since I have posted something on my blog. I have been very neglectful indeed. However, this has now all changed thanks to my being at home now 'til my new pharmacy adventure begins somewhere. But for the meantime, I will do what I want to do, and not as I must!

This is what I want to do: talk about mules, my mules, my friends mules, anything muley I can think about. Training techniques, product reviews, you name it. I'm here, with time, and I'm here to share my experiences.

Anyways, let's begin, shall we?

There has been many developments at DiaMond D Mule Farm. We hosted a very successful new NASMA "A" Show, at Roberts Arena, in Wilmington, OH last June. We plan on holding our 2nd annual Ohio Open Mule & Donkey Classic on June 18th & 19th, 2011 at Roberts Arena, in Wilmington, OH. Go to www.diamonddmules.com for show bill, class entry form, and sponsorship info.

On a sooner note, February 5th you will be able to come and compete at Gymkhana Fun Day events at DiaMond D. Again, hate to be redundant but, go to www.diamonddmules.com for a show bill for that day. It's $25 per rider/horse combo to ride all day. There will be refreshments and food for a small donation.

Well, folks that's it for today. We'll see you soon! I guarantee it!

Autumn, Best Time To Ride

2009-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well folks, we here in Southeastern Ohio have had one of the best seasons yet to ride. Autumn here has been just divine to trail ride or be outside enjoying the surroundings. I feel very blessed to be healthy and able to be trail riding my mules and mares. Sometimes, we must give thanks to the Lord.

I wanted to first apologize to everyone out there. I started this blog hoping I would contribute something weekly. Well as you can see, I have been not exactly keeping up with that.

Great Seal State Park, in Chillicothe, OH. Wow! What a fabulous place to ride. It really was breathtaking. A little hairy at times trying to navigate through the barely marked trails, that were also completely leaf covered, but luckilily some riders had freshly stirred the leaves so that a faint path was lightly visible. It was the first place to ride in a long time that it felt almost raw and untouched by a lot human intervention. I imagined the Native Americans riding through the same paths that we took at this lovely State Park, and I could see why they also were amazed at their surroundings. I highly recommend visiting this park with very fit equines. I actually did not take my 2 year old Sasha, because I feared it might be too strenuous. I was glad that I did not. I took Coco, my 3 year old buckskin mare and it was really at her limits as well. Maria and Pumpkin, who is our 5 year old molly mule, was just fine. Again, proving again that mules have that fantastic way of conserving their energy with their steady Eddy gaits and their amazing ability to climb up hills at a walk versus horses who have to really push from behind and lunge forward within a canter. We saw tons of deer along with birds and other wildlife
All and all it was a perfect day, with perfect company, and perfectly behaved equines. A very, very special trip for Maria and I.

Morgan Goolsby has been doing a fantastic job starting a couple of our young mares. Crystal our Palamino mare has been under saddle now for about 45 days or so, and has been riding well. She's ready for her first official trail ride real soon. Roxy, a Rocky Mountain, mare has also been started by Morgan and she is really coming around. She is a 14 year old Rocky Mountain that was just a pasture ornament/pasture mate for another Rocky Mountain. She really was almost untouched by human hands. It took awhile to earn her trust and for her to even allow us to catch her and handle her, but with Morgan's hard work and patience she has made her into a responsive and calm little mare. Put together real nice and pretty as a penny!

Nice to be off today, already rode Coco and watered all the mares. Gave a pat and made sure I checked everyone over pretty good. Those darn burdocks get into their manes so bad! Yuck!

Well that's it for now, will be posting pictures of Great Seal soon. Until the next time, enjoy yourselves and praise God for all the beauty around us. dp

2009-07-28T03:59:00.001-07:00

I want to let everyone know how well Sasha, by General Bob, my 2 year old gaited molly mule did on her first official trip away from home. One word, Wow! She was a gaited dream with a mind of a very seasoned trail mount. It was very nice to be back on a mule after selling Audi, my 3 year old mule. Sasha was very fun and smooth to ride. I was very, very pleased at her performance. She loved the mud so much, she would not only go right through the middle and never go to the edges, but she would actually even stop and stand right in the middle of it and just take it all in! She was such a good girl!

We have been riding like crazy! It's been so fun to hit the trails with Maria and Pumpkin. I have to report that Maria had her first true canter experience the other day at Paint Creek! I'm so proud of her progress and riding skills. She has become a true cowgirl! There is something so special when you first canter, it's like a frozen moment in time when you hear music and everything else fades to black. An utter life changing experience I think.

I rode Coco, my 3 year old Buckskin mare last night at Paint Creek, and I also was very pleased. She definitely loved it. This was her second ever trail ride and it was also a great one. I'm very pleased to say that my hard work and time spent on her is paying off. She was a blast to ride! Loves to long trot and jump logs on cue. Her and I plan on spending some serious time in the saddle together. Another very special mare here at DiaMond D.

We did have a freak accident on Saturday morning this weekend. We were loading up Abby, a 2 year old buckskin molly mule out of Dulce, my Paso Fino horse and Bob my jack who has been here for 3 months now to be broke to ride, and were heading off to Paint Creek to meet her owners and friends for a nice trail ride. Well, she loaded fine in my steel stock trailer, but when I turned after I tied her head, her back right leg was cut bad! It was shocking to me, because she didn't fuss or anything when she jumped in. I figure she must of caught her back leg on the very bottom of the trailer and it cut her like a knife. Well the freakout began! The rushing around to get her out of the trailer, to the wash stall, and start making calls while not in a shear panic, was in full force. At one point I looked at Maria and I asked, "Are you allright?", as she was pale and sweating. She says "not really". I was thinking, great, there goes my helper! I truly thought she was not going to make it. The shear look of this brutal looking cut, with tendons and bone exposed, was truly enough to make anyone with the strongest stomachs swallow hard, including myself. Happy to report that Maria did manage to hang on and was a huge help as always, even though I was barking orders at a high pitched shrill.

Well, we took her to Washington Court House to see our not regular vet, because our regular vet was on vacation, of course. The vet just gave us some strong sedation for a few courses of dressing changes and said that stitches wasn't an option for where she was cut. He said Furazone, wrappings, and of course lots of hosing.

Happy to report, Abby is on her way to a full recovery with hopefully minimal scarring. Wound care and hosing twice a day is definitely our priority for her right now. She's a picky eater so antibiotics I'm having to shove down her throat along with the bute paste. I feel bad, but it really is for her own good.

Accidents can happen at anytime, to any animal, with any handler or trainer. Be prepared with some sort of game plan ahead of time. Emergency numbers handy, gauze pads, Furazone and lots of vet wrap. Biggest thing, don't pass out when the animals need you the most.

2009-07-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we just came back from the most amazing trip to East Fork Stables, in Jamestown, TN. The trails and scenery down there are just mind blowing. We rode for 4 days and put almost 100 miles on our gals! Wow, we just couldn't stop, we just wanted to see more and more.

Pumpkin, our gaited sorrel molly mule carried Maria safely through some tough technical terrain. She also helped Maria canter successfully through some of their well-groomed flat trails! It was real exciting to see them continue to grow together. Pumpkin is definitely worth her weight in gold!

Legs, my gaited mare continues to impress me with her strength, sense, and her heart. What a mare. She will do anything I ask of her. Her mule daughters, Sasha and Ginger have an incredible mother. Sasha, my two year old whom I can not wait to start taking on some of these longer trail rides is already proving to be a chip off the old block. And with Bob's mind and gaits, WOW, watch out! She is impressive!

It was so nice to spend time relaxing with our friends, Beth and Bruce Bell and John and Carolyn Winters. We all did not want to leave East Fork Stables or our time together. I don't know but there's something about campfires, smores, great riding, and great friends to keep you coming back for more.

2009-06-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, there! Or is it hay there? I feel like that's all that's happening here at DiaMond D these days, throwing hay! It's been sweltering heat and unloading 478 bales off of wagons has not been fun. Maria and I are exhausted! However it has to be done right?

We have had a busy breeding year this year. One of our two-time breeding mares came for a third time with the most beautiful, black as coal, with 4 white stockings, molly! Thank you Mike Davis for allowing General Bob to try for a three-peat!

Our living quarters trailer is almost complete. Beth & Bruce Bell have been doing a magnificent job installing cabinets, AC, circuit breakers, you name it! They are fantastic! Visit their website for Bell Carpentry at www.bellcarpentry.com. They will treat you right as well as do fantastic work. Shout out to those guys.

On some other news, we have decided to not go to Shelbyville, TN this year. It was a tough decision to not go to our World Show and Mule Extravaganza, but trail riding in our new LQ seemed like more fun! Good mules, good friends, and great trails. We are heading to East Fork Stables in TN instead. Can't wait.

Well that's it for now.

Dora

Long Work Week, Boy I'm Glad It's Over!

2009-06-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a hectic work week for me. For those of you who don't know I am a pharmacist at CVS pharmacy. We normally work long days, from 8am to 9pm. I also normally work my store here in Hillsboro. Switching to get my holiday weekend off and working an overtime shift to boot killed me this week. I had to work in Landen, Lebanon, and Miamisburg this past week. All at least an hour away each way! I guess I shouldn't complain since I have a job these days, but boy it was long! The worst part about it, it kept me away from the farm and my loved ones. I didn't get to ride any this week, which kills me, but we got in a lot of mare breeding. I would definitely like to take the time to thank a few people who are very important to me, first off, Sharon for farm sitting last weekend, Logan for cleaning stalls, Morgan for keeping the mules exercised, and of course Maria for helping with checking mares in/out of the facility, mare breeding, stall cleaning, dogs fed and watered and overall overseeing of the daily work, while she was working her full-time job too! I was pretty much useless this past week. Gosh, I'm glad it's over.

Well here's to a healthy, blessed, and happy new week, and of course, our new month! Thank goodness!

----Dora

Midwest Trail Ride Adventures

2009-05-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I have never done this before, but I just had to get on board with this blogging stuff. I had so much trail riding with Maria and her mule Pumpkin in the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana, that I had to tell everybody! This place in Norman, IN is fantastic for trail riders everywhere. It had great food, campsites, and housing for our animals. The schedule ride that we went on was from Friday night supper to Monday morning breakfast. We never felt hungry and it certainly was worth not having to worry about whose going to cook what and to be honest, finding a hot meal after 6 hours of trail riding in of itself was worth the money. We really did have a blast. The rain held off until Monday morning, so we were lucky.

For those of you who have been there, well kudos to you for finding it before. But for us, it was great riding, good people, and wonderful trails. I highly recommend it for those wanting to see more than their back yard. We loved it so much we booked our spot for next year already! I hope you all visit my website, www.diamonddmules.com for more information about our farm, animals, and let's not forget our AKC Miniature Dachshunds we have for sale. There are still 3 pups left.