Daisy Mae (circa 2002) is the New Hope resident mule and can be easily recognized by her long, expressive ears or her loud hee-haw at turn out time! Daisy Mae began her therapeutic riding career in 2021 with a flourish, quickly demonstrating that the horses had nothing on her.  From her very first student ride, Daisy Mae allowed riders to hang and retrieve rings from her ears, throw water balloons, hang light up Christmas ornaments on her, dress her up, throw pretend snowballs….nothing fazed this steadfast girl!  Trotting with a very side to side movement, Daisy Mae’s riders almost feel like they’re doing a hula dance.  Speaking of dances, Daisy Mae has her own dance move created by the riders, and instructors use warmup moves named for the mule in lessons.  Daisy Mae loves working with everyone, from those who depend on a wheelchair to those who are accomplished riders.  She enjoys getting to go out on trail rides and always knows the way back to the trailer.  Her most favorite thing of all is turn out time, or recess.  She has a very good internal clock and will loudly keep everyone on schedule as time draws near for recess, dinner, or snack time.  Daisy Mae is in the special needs club and suffers from a condition called Uveitis which can lead to blindness.  She wears a fly mask most of the time to protect her eyes from UV light and gets regular eye drops and ointments to make sure she is comfortable and avoids flare ups.  If you do not understand the expression ‘stubborn as a mule’, Daisy Mae will be happy to demonstrate it although she insists she’s just thinking things through before she makes a bad choice!