The Greatest Show On Earth

Jessie started to respond to Leonard but lost interest when he saw what Elmer did next.  He turned toward Blossom, standing about ten feet away.  Elmer was wearing a cowboy hat.  He took it off and tossed it toward Blossom, like kids throw a frisbee today. She caught it between her teeth, by the brim.  People laughed and clapped their hands.

We were astonished when Blossom turned her neck to the side, then whipped her head forward.  At just the right moment, she let go of the hat and it flew back toward Elmer.  He ducked, and the hat landed square on his head.  We gasped and clapped harder.  Jessie whistled, then shouted “Bravo, bravo.”

They went through a list of tricks.  Elmer could ride standing up on Blossom’s saddle.  He could switch between sidesaddle, standing and kneeling like there was nothing to it.  Elmer never stopped talking.  He was quite an entertainer.

Humans are two legged critters and can either walk or run.  Four legged animals have more options.  The different combinations of leg movements are called gaits.  Common gaits are single-foot, rack, foxtrot, and running walk.  

Some gaits are smoother than others, meaning, producing a less bouncy ride for a human.  After watching Elmer balance on the saddle on one foot, Leonard said, “Blossom is one smooth gaited mule.”  I was not surprised when Jessie added, “Who can talk and sing.”

The first part of the show ended with a spectacular dismount.  I’d wondered what the pile of hay was for.  Elmer stood while Blossom headed toward the large mound.  She went from a trot to a canter, then to a full gallop.  Watching Elmer stand up on the bouncing saddle made my stomach rise up in my throat.  

Ten feet in front of the hay, Blossom dug in her heels.  She slid to a stop.  Elmer leaped.  He did a full somersault, spinning as he passed over Blossom, and belly flopped into the pile.

He sprung up, brushing hay off of his clothes.  He took a bow.  More applause and cheering. 

“I hope you have found our show entertaining so far.  We are just getting started.  I must confess.  I am not a young man.  For the rest of the show, I will do nothing impressive.  Blossom however, is just getting warmed up.”

“I know the good folks of Stonewall are wise to the ways of the country life.  You, I am certain, are all aware that mules can jump, just as well as any horse.  And you know that, unlike horses, they do not need a running start.”

“Suppose some city slicker were to ask, ‘Why don’t mules carry their riders on their backs when they jump, like horses do?’  I am certain you folks would know the answer.  Because mules are smarter than horses.  Take a look at the person standing next to you.  Would you jump over a fence with them on your back?”

I giggled and everyone laughed.  “But all joking aside, I am going to let Blossom show you just how high a mule can jump.  Friends, I am an average sized man.  Once she gets warmed up, she will jump over me.  That will be a vertical leap, from a standing start, that will clear a pole six feet off of the ground.” 

He took off Blossom’s saddle and the hat, then led her to the jumping rig.  Which was two vertical posts, about six feet apart.  Each post had a peg sticking out.  A thin, round pole rested horizontally across the pegs.  

The posts had holes drilled every six inches.  The pegs could be moved up or down to raise or lower the pole.  Elmer had painted numbers on the posts every foot, up to six.  He placed the pole at four feet.

“We’re going to start with some easy jumps.  To let her warm up slowly.  Mules are powerful animals and have been known to injure themselves doing this.  You’ll see what I mean.”

“And just so you’ll know I’m an honest man…”  He held up one finger, reached out, and lightly tapped the pole.  It fell to the ground. 

He replaced the pole.  He pulled a whistle out of his pocket.  “When I give her the signal, she’ll jump.”

Elmer put the whistle between his lips.  You could see Blossom crouching down, and shaking her haunches back and forth.  The whistle blew a short note and Blossom sprung.

It happened fast.  Blossom flowed like water over the pole.  It looked like she cleared it by at least six inches.  By the time my brain could process what I’d seen, she’d circled around and was getting ready for the next jump.

“As you can see, she had no trouble with the first jump.  I’ll raise the pole six inches at a time.”

Blossom made three more jumps, and cleared each.  Each time you could see Blossom haunching down harder.  Her muscles rippled beneath her coat with the explosive bursts of energy.

“My friends, when I put the bar at 6 feet, I’ll be able to stand under it.  Tomorrow, if someone asks you, have you ever seen a mule jump over a man, you’ll be able to say yes.”

He stood under the bar, facing away from the mule.  You could see the effort she was putting in to preparing for the jump.   She crouched and shook her haunches.  Then crouched more and shook more.  The whistle blew.  She lunged.  

A photographer from the Meridian Star had been taking pictures of the show.  His flashbulb lit up just as Blossom’s belly skimmed over the bar.  It was close, but she made it.  The picture made it in the entertainment section of the Sunday edition.  Elmer had a grin on his face as Blossom leapt over him.

Elmer fed her treats from his pocket.  The mule was breathing hard from the effort.  “My good friends of Stonewall, we’ve pushed Blossom to her physical limits.  But her brain is razor sharp and ready to go.  We will move on to the intellectual part of the show.”