Thursday, March 26, 2015

Because you asked ~ Lucy's Tack

Last Saturday's encore post elicited a new bunch of questions from your inquiring minds, 
and a few of you wanted to know about Lucy's tack. I love me some tack talk, 
so I took my camera with me when I got Lucy ready for our Sunday ride.

I tack up Lucy on the back porch, also known as the "horse porch." 
The horse porch adjoins the garage, where I store my tack to keep it relatively dust-free.
Alan always follows Lucy and I as we leave the corral 
and makes me feel guilty for not taking him with us.


Anyway, this is Lucy's halter. It's a Brad Cameron mule halter and was part of her trousseau.
It's basically a rope halter, but it has a metal clip where you would normally tie a knot,
the idea being that mules/donkeys can be headstrong and might pull back so hard 
that you'd never be able to untie the knot. Lucy, of course, would never dream of such bad behavior. 
The clip does make it easier for neophyte ranchsitters to use it.



 This is Lucy's saddlepad. It is cut to conform to the mule saddle she wears.
It is made by Reinsman, and I love love love it.



 The backing is whatever this stuff is called. Ticky tack? Tacky tick? Something like that.
All I know is it stays in place like velcro.



Here is Lucy wearing her Steve Edwards "Cowboy" model mule saddle. It fits her perfectly.
Saddle-fitting a donkey can be very tricky. I got lucky when I was saddle-shopping for Lucy
and was able to try this one before I bought it. (Here's a link with that whole story.) 
It has many useful D rings, to which I've attached lots of saddle strings
(for tying on all the bones and other crap we bring home).

Now that Lucy's all dressed and ready to ride, it's time for me to put on my gear...


These are my beloved chinks. I do not leave home without them. They protect my legs
from all the cactus we rub up against and keep me from sliding around in the saddle.
I had them made about 12? years ago. They're buttery-soft elk leather and drape ever so beautifully.


 Lucy is happy to model them for you.



Lucy wears an Amish-made headstall designed especially for longears; it has a clip 
that unbuckles so that I don't have to fold and stuff those 14" ears under the crown.



I ride Lucy in a simple O-ring snaffle bit with a mecate, which is very handy
when I dismount to open gates and pick up bones. She neck reins better than most horses
I've known, and I ride her with a big sloppy rein and little to no contact on the bit.
 

 Lucy: Can we go now please?



37 comments:

  1. this is really very interesting. as is Lucy and the fact she is the best riding donkey in the universe... and i love the view from that tiny camera

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  2. that is fascinating. I've never ridden a donkey- are they comfortable?

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    1. Lucy is gaited and riding her is like a dream compared to some bone-jarring horse trots I remember.

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  3. Ok, you opened the door: What does that mean,"I ride Lucy in a simple O-ring snaffle bit with a mecate, which is very handy
    when I dismount to open gates and pick up bones"? What happens with it? Not having trail experience, I need a little more explanation. She looks beautiful all duded up. By the way, doesn't LC stand for Lucy Carson?

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    1. The mecate is basically one very long rope that serves as your reins, then has an extra 12 feet or so that serves as a lead rope. This link explains it pretty well: http://www.lemen.com/qa284.html

      And until you pointed it out, I didn't realize Lucy and I had the same initials. Duh. We can share a set of monogrammed towels.

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  4. Love Lucy's gear. Love your chinks, but I am really loving the headstall. This would work great on ear shy horses, not just donks and mules. Thanks for including the link...I'm off to order one.

    Thanks

    Emily in NC
    .

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  5. I think Alan is trying to tell you that you should pony him along on your ride. If that works well, you could take turns bringing one of them out with you when you go.

    I'm always riding one and ponying another horse (or two) when I go out. :)

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    1. If I ponied Alan, I would have to pony George, too - that's a bond that cannot be broken. Then I couldn't leave Hank home by himself... I'm thinking conga line.

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    2. Thanks Linda....I nearly spewed water on my coworkers when I laughed at that answer. Shouldn't try to drink water and read I guess, but I swear I can see that imagine in my head of you and the herd going for a walk. Just don't know where JCC and Smooch would ride...separate mounts obviously.

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    3. An American in Tokyo3/26/15, 6:44 PM

      I would love to see that conga line!!
      Maybe you can practice in the Back 40?!

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  6. Genius Headstall. I've never ridden a donkey before either so i wouldn't have thought what a pain it would be to get a bridle over those beautiful ears.
    She's a great model.

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  7. OK, so now we need a full body selfie with the chinks.
    Other than that: My head is now spinning - I have never heard 80% of those words before, and will probably never again. Unless I come back here, of course... (And I now want that fifth picture on my wall.)

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  8. I love the Lucy's eyes are smiling the whole time through this photo shoot!

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  9. Thank you! And the Amish-made tack link is super.

    How do you clean the underside of the Tacky Tack pad? Mine, a swayback model, is gross.

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    1. I just point the hose at it and let it air out. Maybe the dry desert air helps keep it from smelling too awful?

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  10. Oh Lucy. I thought you never looked more snorgably adorable than with your bed head the other day. And today? You went and won the Donkey Miss Universe title hands down, you are Such a beauty! This last photo of you blows me away. Pure Beauty. Can I have that picture poster size + autograph from Miss Lucy, please?

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    1. Of course! I'll add it to the For You page first chance I get.

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    2. Ohwowreally?THANKYOU!! :-D I'll send you photographic proof of what I did (will have done, or some such) with it, eventually.
      P.S. This must be the greatest benefit I've ever reaped from what was intended as a - humble ;) - rhetorical question! :) Thanks!

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  11. Thank you, that was very interesting.

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  12. My friend had a couple gaited horses and I got the giggles the first time I rode with her. We'd get them going on what she called the "walka-walka" and it was like riding a breeze. No bouncing at all.

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    1. Walka-walka! I've never been fortunate enough to experience it first-hand (first-butt?), but I have observed it, and walka-walka seems very fitting. Riding a breeze - how lovely that must be!

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  13. Just wondering how the chinks hold you in the saddle? I don't have the inner leg strength I used to have and am wondering if a pair would help me feel more secure. Would love to hear more about them. And I love, love, love Lucy!

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    1. The leather chinks against the leather saddle don't slip as do jeans against the saddle.

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  14. My goodness, Lucy has more items in her wardrobe than I do!

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  15. Only the best for Lucy! Love all the special equipment for mules seems much easier to tack up with the clips.

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  16. I have the saddle pad like yours. Every once in a while I will submerge it in a baby pool or large rubbermaid tub with some mild laundry detergent, scrubbing gently with my hands (sometimes i get in the pool and use my feet depending on how hot it is LOL) Use a hose to rinse it VERY well, then line dry it on a sawhorse or gate, even flipping it ove so the air can dry both sides. In between washings I use my vacuum on them to pull out dirt and hair.

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  17. Michelle from Vancouver3/26/15, 9:56 AM

    I love Lucy.

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  18. Thank you for doing this post, Lucy is pretty cute all dolled up. I know you love to ride Lucy, but would you say that you would always pick a mule over a horse? Any particular reason, just wondering?
    I never stopped to wonder how long her ears actually are - 14 inches you say! How about that!

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  19. This city girl thanks you for the walk through. Lucy is so adorable, but then so is the whole gang!

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  20. Very nice. Love your chaps. Stupid question that I really should already know the answer to - is Lucy a mule or a donkey?

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  21. She is beautiful....such kind eyes. Thank you for the tutorial for those of us who don't speak the language of riding. I learned to ride horses bare back....but I was 14 and I was not afraid of anything! That was sometime ago in the late 70's early 80's. Now I would need to be tied into the saddle with bungees with a flask and a prayer.

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  22. An American in Tokyo3/26/15, 6:45 PM

    I love the last photo as well!! Lucy is such a beauty.

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  23. I LOVE Lucy. She is so gorgeous. The face of an angel!

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  24. Aww, that last pic of Lucy with her kind shiny eyes makes my heart melt!

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  25. Her trousseau...you kill me!

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