Howdy folks!
Well, today got away from me… so I decided to post something special and wonderful – but simple… (I need my beauty sleep – ha!).
So, I thought I would post one of the best interviews (in my opinion) from my TV series, HORSE AND MAN. This particular episode is dear to my heart because the location was incredible, the history was epic, the wranglers were real and the mules had a huge job which provided a wonderful service for millions of Americans. Oh, and we were the first film crew allowed into the canyon with the mules. THAT was a very special honor.
We were able to spend the entire day, from sunup to sundown, with the wranglers. Awesome. This episode was extra and never aired so you can view it fresh!
Please click on any image or the link to watch this segment. I think you will really enjoy it. I know I loved every second of producing it.
NOT FINISHED
OKOK, you may notice that the supers (titles) are not on and the audio is not perfect. Yup, this segment isn’t totally finished. But, I hope you will like it anyway…
Legendary Ron Clayton, Mule wrangler for 30 years...
HORSE AND MAN – Mules of the Grand Canyon – Click on the link to see the video!
Wranglers coming in after a long day's ride.
MEMORIES FROM THAT DAY…
Knowing I was going to meet Ron Clayton, the legendary cowboy who had worked with these mules for 30 years, I was a bit intimidated. But, I shouldn’t have worried because after about a minute of chatting about his mules, the grizzled wrangler melted. This man loved his mules… He babbled away like a new Dad as he showed off all of his 150 prized mules. All of them were special. He knew all of their names. I swear, he was like Santa Claus among them. The mules all gathered ’round just to be close to him.
However, my sweetest memory of Ron was his crying over his part in a MAKE A WISH day for a dying child. Ron personally granted the boy’s wish to go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. So, Ron saddled up his best mules and dragged the boy down in a sled. It took all day and it had never been done before. But Ron was set on giving this child his wish. And, he did… As Ron relayed this story to me, he cried. Very touching.
THE BARN
In the video, you might not feel the vastness of the HUGE mule barn. HUGE. It fits 150 mules. And, everything was tidy. That barn put my measly three stall barn to SHAME. You could eat off of the floor that 150 mules ran through daily.
Another fun memory was that all 150 mules knew exactly where to stand to get their dinner. When the mules ran in, it was absolute mayhem for about 30 seconds – until they got to their particular buckets. After that, all you could hear was munching. Amazing. They also put themselves away. All 150 mules knew exactly where to go after dinner. The whole procedure took about 3 minutes. Those mules made my jaw drop in many ways!
And, all the gear (for 150 mules) was cleaned and stowed properly. Double Amazing. Those wranglers ran a tight ship. They have to because there are so many mules, so many tourists and so many opportunities for disaster. After all, the territory is unforgiving.
That day with Ron Clayton and the Mules of the Grand Canyon was more than memorable for me. This is why I wanted to share it with you again. I hope you enjoy it.
This is Rosie. The wrangler LOVED her! Watch the video to see her incredible moves!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
