Green Mountain Mules

08/28/2025

Her first ride out on NF Double Snickers!

08/27/2025

Snickers was a very, very good girl for the farrier today!

03/12/2025

12/12/2024

“Even played a match on a mule!”

For years, whispers floated around the polo fields of America about the mysterious, mustachioed young man who galloped across the field with unmatched skill, then vanished before the champagne corks popped at post-game celebrations. Who was this elusive figure? Little did they know, behind the disguise was not a man at all—it was Sue Sally Hale, a trailblazing woman determined to rewrite the rules of a male-dominated sport. Her secret life was as audacious as it was inspiring, and her story is one of grit, courage, and sheer defiance against societal norms.

Sue Sally Hale’s journey began at just 12 years old, when she fell in love with polo while riding her pony in the hills of Los Angeles. But in mid-20th-century America, the U.S. Polo Association barred women from competing in their prestigious tournaments. Undeterred, Hale crafted a bold plan to infiltrate the sport she loved: she disguised herself as "A. Jones," a male player. With her hair tucked under her helmet, her chest taped flat, and a fake mustache provided by Hollywood makeup artists—courtesy of her stuntman stepfather—she took to the field. For nearly two decades, she dominated matches in her double life, leaving rivals baffled and fans impressed, yet never suspecting her true identity.

Her masquerade wasn’t just about playing polo; it was about breaking barriers. Hale faced ridicule, rejection, and threats from male players who felt threatened by her skill. But she refused to back down, riding through her pregnancies, finishing games with broken bones, and even humorously proving a point by playing a match astride a mule. Her relentlessness eventually paid off. In 1972, after years of campaigning and threatening to expose her ruse, the U.S. Polo Association finally admitted her as a member, forever changing the sport’s landscape. Today, nearly 500 of the association's 3,600 members are women, a testament to her enduring legacy.

Hale’s passion extended beyond the field. She was a mentor who trained countless players and ponies, a poet who captured her soul in words, and an artist who sculpted beauty out of raw materials. Her personal life was just as vibrant; married to Alex Hale in 1957, she balanced her roles as a mother of five and a polo legend. Even in the face of adversity, her wit shone through. When male players tried to intimidate her, she’d retort with a grin, "Gentlemen, better boys than you have tried."

Hale’s story didn’t end with her triumphs on the field. Her daughter, Sunny Hale, carried her torch, becoming the top female polo player in the United States. Sue Sally Hale’s legacy is a powerful reminder that no dream is too audacious, no barrier too unbreakable, and no disguise too elaborate when it comes to defying the odds and changing history.

11/27/2024

If you paid close attention to Gunsmoke, you know that Festus took care of mules and all their names were Ruth -- even if they were johns. Festus' mule was always a john but HIS name was always RUTH!

In the words of Festus Hagen, here's why.....

You ask how come I call my old mule, Ruth, when in fact the solemn truth is that he's a john, and not no molly, that's for sure. Well, they's no call for you to know, but since you asked, I'll tell you so just settle back and heed to what I say.

It started in 1861, the war, well it had just begun to be a war. I wasn't much, so to speak, a mule skinner, not one to seek fame nor fortune, especially in no war.

Now, every man's got a pride. Most times it's deep inside about his job and mine was attending mules. My favorite was a long-eared molly. Now, I reckon you'll think that I'm a n***y 'cause I loved her just like I'd love my mother. She was faithful, stout and she was smart, and friend, she had lots of heart. If she'd been a man, I'd a loved her like a brother.

Well, we'd fought back with all we had, but still the war was a going bad, for in '64 Schofield hit us Tennessee boys hard, and just thirty miles away, at dawn, near Spring Hill on a early 'morn, five generals that wore Confederate gray had chitin's and bacon and eggs and grits. Lord, they'd planned to give 'em fits but the tide of war just went the other way. The five brave men that led Hood's charge was met by a artillery barrage that mowed 'em down just like so much hay.

Now, somebody had to get them men and, by golly I can't remember when I've ever been so proud as I was that day. "Just take 'ol Ruth," the Captain said, and when it got dark, I slowly led my molly to the Harpeth Rivers bank. I'd found them boys in gray and when on Ruth's back they stiffly lay, I started back, but then my spirit sorta sank. A dad-blamed sentry opened fire and them Yankee's did conspire to add me to their list of casualties. Well, 'ol Ruth, she just plowed along not a listening to the bullet song, just brushed 'em off like they was a swarm of bee's.

Well, somehow we got back that night, and I thanked God I was alright. I'd brought them boys from where they was a laying. I hadn't even got a scratch, so I lit my pipe and when the match flared up, I seen 'ol Ruth was just a swaying'. Blood was running down her side. My throat choked up and then I cried, and she looked at me and her eyes was soft and brown. She seemed to say, "Now, don't cry for me, we had a job to do, you see!" And, then 'old Ruth just seemed to slide right down.

There's a marker that I put on her grave that reads, "Here lies a mule that gave her life and that's the truth. Now, every mule I'll ever own will bare your name. So, be it known while I'm alive, they'll always be a Ruth "

Yeah, they'll always be a Ruth.

08/03/2024

Between the ears of Sully.

07/23/2024

He is part of the TPRP, Trash Panda Relocation Program. We might have, or have not trapped him in the barn grain room last night. He was released at an undisclosed location this morning.

04/01/2024

The April fools joke was on Sarah and me 24 years ago today…we bought Breakaway Farm!