Porter the dressage mule has his own Facebook page and quite a following in the equestrian community. You can see why in this video below -- if you're a floppy ear fan, this is your video! Thanks to whoever posted this on the COTH listserv, it really made my day...
Monday, January 17, 2011
Mules in dressage: Lookin' good at second level test 3!
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LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteAHHH! I LOVE a horse with floppy ears. He's the best moving mule I've ever seen! I want himmmm.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute mule! And why not! He looks balanced and obedient, he has nice gaits, and its not like gelded horses are eligible for breeding either. The ears are darling.
ReplyDeletePretty neat to watch,but something bothers me about his equitation,lol.
ReplyDeleteWish they had the canter part as well. Was a sweetie! And I do LOVE the ears!
ReplyDeleteFloppy ear love indeed. Gotta love the pricked ears in the salute.
ReplyDeleteFound it on YouTube. The rest of the test is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QZtoyBJrAc&feature=related
ReplyDeleteCute as anything, and nicely trained. Porter has a lovely attitude.
I love this guy! I've seen him several times at shows. He's pretty neat :)
ReplyDeleteThat is very cool. Did you know that mules used to be legal in eventing?
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI have left you an award on my blog!
ReplyDeleteNever knew a mule could be that handsome, talented and adorable all at once. I love those ears a floppin'!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the video!
~Lisa
What a great video! And he looks so happy and relaxed!
ReplyDeleteNow I really want a mule.
I got to compete with him once at a H/j schooling show, I thought he was adorable, my horse however thought he was the scariest thing he had ever seen! It was amusing.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! He is exceptional.
ReplyDeleteLove it this is what dressage is all about training and enjoying your equine!
ReplyDeleteif a mule can do it my wild horses can do it to
www.wildhorseproject.blogspot.com
I am a huge Porter fan. My mule June and I plan of following in is hoof steps this next year. Although we are a long way from 2nd level. Porter racked up not only American Mule Association awards he received USDF awards as well. Once you ride a good mule you will never want a horse again. GO PORTER!
ReplyDeleteI once read an article by Heather Bender-Smith on riding Arabians and she asked, "Do you have his ears?" Somehow, that takes on a whole new meaning here.
ReplyDeleteHe's really nice about the shoulder in and haunches in.... But I tend to wonder (and may start a COTH thread asking) how much that matters vs. balance. He's not bending his hocks and getting the uphill balance I see on typical second level horses around here... yet he's more obedient and correct in how he does the lateral work, circles are accurate, etc. I'm not sure how much each affects scoring, or which people find more important. I think he could carry himself better - looks to be a pretty naturally cute mover, not as if the movement shown is a struggle at all.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I apologize if I sound overly negative. I have loads and loads of nice things I can say about him! I tend to look for the critiques, because that's what I'm trying to do with my horse. I adore him, but want to see what we need to work on, because the adoration of him will never fall short. So I critique other horses mroe than compliment - not at all intended to be insulting to him, just observation. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it, love his attitude!
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know what breed his horsey half is?
ReplyDeleteI was just coming over here to see if you had posted anything on mules in the sporting world. Lo and behold! Love it.
ReplyDeletePorter is out of a TB mare and bred by the Heart B Ranch in Emmett, ID. He was recently awarded the USEF Silver Stirrup Award for 2nd Level Dressage. This was both Zone and National.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the wonderful comments about Porter! Too Net, you are correct in your observations that he needs to be more uphill, etc! The lateral work mostly the leg yeild was really hard for him. As he's getting older, now coming 8 years old, he's getting stronger. The judges seem to really appreciate the correctness and award us for that. They continue to encourage us to work for more uphill balance! And thanks to the encouragement, he's moving up to 3rd level this year. I was going to stay at 2nd but his scores were consistently in the 65 to 67%! I figure he can move up on those types of scores.
ReplyDeleteMarnie K- He's out of a TB mare!
for those of you that are interested, there is a part #2 of Porter's video which is the canter half of the test. It too is on youtube as dressage mule part2 (or something like that).
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous mule!!! Love the floppy ears, he looks very relaxed.
ReplyDelete