Just Believe! 🙂 is book 2 of daily devotions celebrating God’s promises from an Oklahoma Ranch. Uplifting messages with colorful photos to lift you through life’s challenges and will make you smile. The all-color photos by Sagebrush Sandy are of her mules and mammoth donkeys, and all the critters, that are her family at County Line Ranch in Weleetka, Oklahoma.
Daily devotions celebrating God’s promises from an Oklahoma Ranch. Uplifting messages with colorful photos to lift you through life’s challenges and will make you smile. The all-color photos by Sagebrush Sandy are of her mules and mammoth donkeys, and all the critters, that are her family at County Line Ranch in Weleetka, Oklahoma.
The book depicts the journey of the author’s personal experiences. These experiences have strengthened the author’s relationship with God. And helped her to find joy through all hardships in life. The author’s wish is to bring awareness to others, that God has a plan for their own life.
A young mule grows up on a farm with his elderly master and donkey friend, named Harold. When the aged owner can no longer care for his animals, they are turned over to the Humane Society. Not having any schooling, the mule and donkey are introduced to a training program and then they come up for adoption. Goat Cheese, the mule teaches children about being kind, how to be a good friend, to love everyone, and to help each other. Goat Cheese also teaches children that cigarettes are bad for you, not to drink, and to say no to drugs. This book is to bring awareness to children about animals having feelings and to always be kind. Young and old alike will enjoy this heartfelt story.
A runaway mule is a dangerous thing. Often, the (out of control) mule lacks foundation training, which enables the mule to easily become fearful in a situation he cannot handle. Once the mule has spooked from an object or from a buildup of stress (i.e. time bomb scenario) the end result is running away with a rider that no longer has control. To make matters worse, the rider usually decides to use a more controlling bit or a corrective type of bit that the animal has not been trained to carry in his mouth. This actually adds fuel to the fire, because in a matter of time, the mule will learn to grab hold of the bit (that is causing him pain), raise his head and take off; once again you have a runaway mule.
Typically the non-responsive mule is sold to a new owner and the cycle continues. By then, the mule has developed the habit of getting above the bit when he wants to, by ignoring/evading the rider’s seat, leg, and rein aids all to avoid completing a task. During this process, the mule will often times develop anxiety or intense nervousness simply because he knows he will be punished and the end result is a confirmed runaway.
I wrote this book hoping to keep riders safe and in control while in the saddle. Riders who are able to maintain a sense of control in their mule are much better handlers with confidence. They also have the ability to develop that confidence within their own mule. My book, Re-training The Hard Mouth Mule will enable you as the rider/handler to develop control and confidence. You will also learn how to develop lightness in your mule as well.
Introduction by Meredith Hodges, of the Lucky Three Ranch, Loveland, Colorado. Includes breeding contracts. Inaccuracies on breeding defined.
This book is dedicated to breeders, exhibitors, and the donkey and mule owners who strive for a better-performance breeding program that will favorably dominate the mule world.
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In conclusion: educating the equine breeding industry is our responsibility to ensure a better future for the all-around saddle mule. In short, mules with good minds make safer mounts and mules with excellent conformation will stay in service longer as compared to those that are weak or lacking. This means, the mule will have a much better future to be in service. It is also critical to document and register the jack sires in the industry.
Overbreeding is not desirable; those dedicated to the professional mule industry are careful about their breeding standards. Mules destined for the kill pen is not a pretty picture.
The future for the performance-bred saddle mule is in our hands; the overwhelming support coming from the mule world is phenomenal! Let’s work together and keep it going! ~Cindy K. Roberts
Excellent source of information for new mule owners or want-to-be-mule-owners that want to gain knowledge about the mule, his mindset, and how to establish a connection or partnership. Valuable tips on addressing issues, wonderful insight on the abused mule; and how to approach training the abused/neglected mule.
Details on a logical approach to connect, form an equine partnership, and bond with your mule. The book covers how a mule sees, hears, smells, and feels sensations in his world; learn what drives him to be the cautious animal that he is. Learn how to read your mule, proper approach, gentling; discover the mindset of the mule to strengthen your partnership. Excellent training book for mule handlers wanting to learn the physiological aspects of the mule.
