Today was the day we’d been training for since January. Our mule ride. We had been hesitant to the point of almost chickening out but boy are we glad we stuck with the plan!
Mules, it turns out, are fascinating creatures. The product of the union between a female horse and male donkey, they are more sure-footed than horses because their eyes are set slightly farther apart on their heads so they can actually see all four of their feet. This is helpful when the path is narrow and the consequences of a mis-step can be severe. They are also are naturally inclined not to drink a lot of water in the middle of the day, which is helpful on a day-long ride. A horse can be trained to tank up but mules tend to do their drinking early and late (they can go through 15 gallons of water in a 24 hour period). Festus and Pumpkin got along very well, which is why they were put together in the line. Scott was fortunate enough to be right behind our guide, Swaney, who was training a three year old mule named Slim. Swaney would slap his reigns against his leather chaps every now and then to get Slim acclimated to sudden noises, the better to keep him from spooking when a paying customer is on board. Mules can live over thirty years and can work well into their twenties.
Swaney was a gem. He’s the type of guy you can ask a yes or no question and get a 15 minute answer. Unfortunately, Scott couldn’t think of any questions (just kidding). Swaney knew many of the plants (Century Flower was our favorite) were riding by, He was exceptionally knowledgeable about rocks and geology, and, obviously, mules. We’re sore. Our knees hurt a little, but mostly it’s the sit bones. We’ll recover, but we’ll feel it for a while. 
Mules, it turns out, are fascinating creatures. The product of the union between a female horse and male donkey, they are more sure-footed than horses because their eyes are set slightly farther apart on their heads so they can actually see all four of their feet. This is helpful when the path is narrow and the consequences of a mis-step can be severe. They are also are naturally inclined not to drink a lot of water in the middle of the day, which is helpful on a day-long ride. A horse can be trained to tank up but mules tend to do their drinking early and late (they can go through 15 gallons of water in a 24 hour period). Festus and Pumpkin got along very well, which is why they were put together in the line. Scott was fortunate enough to be right behind our guide, Swaney, who was training a three year old mule named Slim. Swaney would slap his reigns against his leather chaps every now and then to get Slim acclimated to sudden noises, the better to keep him from spooking when a paying customer is on board. Mules can live over thirty years and can work well into their twenties.
Swaney was a gem. He’s the type of guy you can ask a yes or no question and get a 15 minute answer. Unfortunately, Scott couldn’t think of any questions (just kidding). Swaney knew many of the plants (Century Flower was our favorite) were riding by, He was exceptionally knowledgeable about rocks and geology, and, obviously, mules. We’re sore. Our knees hurt a little, but mostly it’s the sit bones. We’ll recover, but we’ll feel it for a while. 
1 comment:
I did the mule ride when I was 14 and it was really scary then - I can't imagine doing it now! My sister, who was 11, was her mule's first passenger!
Post a Comment