Faithful readers might have wondered about Jolene. The beloved mule, who I’ve come off several times, has gone back to basics with me. Since an incident that traumatized both of us, I’ve only ridden her a few times. Instead, we’ve done a lot of ground […]
Smiling through gritted teeth, I’m making some progress with the mule. Like a lot of paths of progress, it has its bumps, hazards, and hairpin turns. Most recently, Jolene gave me a lesson in pressure. As I learned months ago, pressure with the new mule […]
My first trail ride with the new mule was successful if success can be measured by staying on and nothing bad happening. But Jolene’s lack of bend and the absence of a one-rein stop revealed glaringly large holes in training. So, we added two elements […]
That look Jolene gives me? It’s not one of stubbornness, it’s one of smarts. Imagine my delight in reading the recent findings of a British study with horses, donkeys, and mules. To summarize in three words: Mules reign supreme. [Jolene, if you’re reading this, I’m […]
What’s the most striking difference between the new mule, Jolene, and her horse herdmates? Not how she moves. Not how she looks. It’s how she eats an apple. When you give Jolene a chunk of apple, she will: Smell it Take it in her mouth […]
Listen to Episode 17 For this episode, I take the mic from Jec and visit with Kimberly Loveless and Kerry O’Brien, horsewomen I admire for their ongoing journey of learning and making progress with their horses. In addition, they have both been generous supporters of […]
Listen to Episode 15 In this episode, Ann Firestone of Save Your Ass Long Eared Rescue joins Jec in California-to-New Hampshire phone conversation. Ann has been ardently devoted to this mule and donkey non profit for years. I remember profiling her for NickerNews a decade ago […]
In this article on the complicated nature of California’s wildfire problem, reporter Quinn Norton talks about technical debt. She writes, “technical debt is the shortcuts and trade-offs engineers use to get something done either cheaper or in less time, which inevitably creates the need to […]
WiseAssWallace is a beloved guest columnist for Cayuse Communications. From his pasture in southwestern Colorado, he’s on a quest to improve horse-human connections and make lives better for his fellow equines. In this installment, WiseAssWallace talks about the perils of mainstream horse media. WiseAssWallace writes: […]
Say what you will about Facebook. Occasionally, a productive conversation on the social media platform can illuminate and educate. That’s what happened when Cayuse Communications contributor Amy Skinner posted this video of a horse in training. She asked several professionals, including Warwick Schiller and Dr. […]