Laura Hermanson in Horse Illustrated Article!

 As soon as I got my March Horse Illustrated magazine, I turned straight to page 16. Why, you may ask? An article written by Laura just appeared in it, that's why. Laura sent ant article to the magazine about her trip to the Dressage Finals in 2014 and how she became interested in mules. She actually fell in love with mules while working at the pack station in Yosemite National Park, later buying one of the pack mules, Stretch. Stretch is a real character and has lots of personality. Laura jumped Stretch and I think she did some reining too. Now that he is retired, he roams around the ranch. He's an obnoxious little mule as she says in the article.

On the cover page, too!

 More importantly, Laura explains her love for mules and what makes them unique. Mules are smart with a lot personality, which is one reason why they are labeled as "stubborn," when in fact they are just smart. Training them is challenging because of this, but also rewarding. They just require a lot more time and patience than horses do. She also goes on to explain how she found Dyna and began going to dressage shows with her. Laura actually did a lot of other disciplines with Dyna first to get her mentally prepared, including reining, cutting, and jumping. Laura really loves trying all kinds of disciplines, Western and English, learning more about horses and riding that way. Furthermore, horses and mules enjoy variety rather than doing the same thing over and over.

First page on the article.

Secretariat quote. <3

 It's also amazing how much support she got when going to the Finals, from competitors and fans alike, but I won't spoil it! If you are subscribed to Horse Illustrated, or can find it in your local tack/feed store, just check out the article so you can learn more about Laura, Dyna, and mules. I think it is really amazing that Laura was featured in Horse Illustrated, a magazine that a wide range of horse people around the country have access to. I think it is so great that mules can be seen in a positive light through Laura's article, because many people have misconceptions about them. Her story also inspires many mule owners and riders with unusual mounts, as well as many other people, and shows them that anything is possible. Laura even told me that people from Slovenia wrote her letters telling her how inspired they were and that now they feel that their riding goals can come true, even though they they don't have the best fancy warmbloods, and their horses are mostly mixed breeds. She inspires me, too. Turn to page 16 and read this amazing article.