It’s a little late in the month to point this out. And the screen shot here isn’t as clear as I’d like. But better late and blurry than never! Through the end of August 2022, Meredith Hodges of the Lucky Three Ranch is offering a free viewing of her 45-minute video “Rock & Roll: Diary of A Rescue”.
Back in the day when I used to have cable, I remember watching Meredith’s mule and donkey training programs on RFD-TV. She helped stoke my interest in all types of equids.
Rock & Roll: Diary of A Rescue details her journey with two rescue Belgian draft mules. It struck me as a realistic example of a rehabilitation process.
I think it’s very informative for horse people to follow these kinds of stories. Stories where a horse/mule/donkey presents with certain behaviors which at first appear to be nothing more than “quirks.” But upon closer examination, someone figures out a very clear physical cause for the behavior.
The draft mules, Rock and Roll weren’t just displaying weird idiosyncrasies. They were making adjustments based on physical pain or restriction. This video shows that in spades (in addition to showing obvious lameness issues).
It makes me think about how often we reject or dismiss animals out of hand. Instead of being curious about why the horse/donkey/mule might be behaving in certain ways, we assign them labels. We think they are naturally clumsy. Or think they were born dull, moody or cranky. It doesn’t occur to us that there might be an underlying physical reason for their way of going or the way they interact with the world around them.
There is a lot to learn from Rock and Roll’s story. I figure that the more I view and hear these types of stories, the more I can increase my awareness. It’s time well spent in front of my computer screen.
To get access to the video, click on the link below. If you have internet access and an email address, you can take advantage of this offer from anywhere in the world. You will need to input your name, email, select a password and sign up to receive email newsletters and product updates from Those Magnificent Mules. Then enter the promo code ROCKROLL. You don’t need to enter any credit card information.
https://thosemagnificentmules.vhx.tv/checkout/rock-and-roll-diary-of-a-rescue/purchase
Remember, this offer expires on August 31st, 2022. Hurry if you want to take advantage! If you miss the free offer, you can still purchase a viewing of the video for $4.99 USD.
The Backyard Horse Blog 
Thank you for telling us about the video of Rock & Roll. It was a poignant video.
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Thank you for watching it!
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