Whatever You Do, Please Don't Run Under Her Belly!

As many of you already know, I'm expecting a baby this spring. A baby mule, that is. I'm very excited about the prospect of owning a mule that I handle from day one. Of course, having never done this before, I've asked my trainer to do whatever she can to help me (and Maxine) prepare for the task.

Three weeks ago, when I was taking Maxine through a light workout, the perfect training situation came out of the blue. My trainer was training a mini-donkey yearling, Jen-ai. Let me tell you, this little jenny is a spit-fire. Jen-ai is has a lot of buck for such a little girl. Noticing that she had quite a bit of spunk, but wasn't quite getting the whole "I go you go" deal, I asked my trainer if she'd like me to pony her. Yes, she replied eagerly.

I took the lead rope, looped it once around my saddle horn, and set off with Maxine--little Jen-ai dragging behind. Fortunately, it only took a second for her to learn that it was much easier to walk than be pulled and she quickly fell in next to Maxine.

And then she got a mind of her own. She bucked when she saw mud. She tried to go under Maxine's belly. And, each time we got in sight of her barn she'd try to run past Maxine.

I was there to tell her "No," but my work was made easier by Maxine, who had entered the Mother Zone. Each time she "spoke out of turn," Maxine would turn and give her a look that put her back in her place. Once or twice she even gave Jen-ai a quiet, but stern, bray to show her who's boss.

Once, Jen-ai ran right in front of Maxine. Scared she might get trampled I pulled the reins to "Whoa," but Max was one step (or halt) ahead of me. She instinctively came to a stop. As she turned to Jen-ai and then to me, I could clearly read the look on her face--"silly kids." I'm positive she even rolled her eyes.

In the end, Jen-ai got the picture and set about to show that she will eventually have manners. Not bad for her first time with a big girl.

I was overjoyed with Maxine's response to the situation. While Max is not the mother ofmy future mule, I envision her taking a strong role in her training--showing her what it means to be a good mule. She's once again proven that I can count on her to keep the little one in line.

Of course, we had so much fun that we've been ponying minis almost every weekend since. It won't be long before the baby's here, so we'll take all the practice we can get!

Photo: Maxine and I ponying Buzz, a mini-donkey. Buzz is so named because he has so much energy that it's as if he's on a caffeine buzz! This was his first time with the big girls and he took to it well.