Lessons 6 & 7

It's starting to look like spring around here. The hills are turning from their dreary brown to fresh green grass. It rained this morning and early afternoon, but the good thing about living in a desert is that it dries up quickly.

I've been able to pick up Ali's feet and hold them instead of just pick them up. She is just mellow. She has tried to kick only on her back left leg. So when she does that, I think what she is telling me is, "Please, touch that foot a million more times so that I will stop trying to kick you."

Both days I rode her in the round pen and she stepped out great. She stayed in a gait until I asked her to change into a new gait. She was doing so well, so I decided to use my Aussie stockwhip to desensitize the air above her. It was amazing she didn't shy or get frazzled. She sped up a little bit the first time I cracked it, but that was it. I also used the whip to touch her front and back legs as I was riding her. Ali is also starting to stop really well and started to move off leg pressure. Of course none f these things are fine tuned yet, but that will come.

One of the most difficult things about a mustang is to gain their trust. I feel once you gain their trust then everything else during the training process should come easier because you aren't forcing them to do it... they are choosing to do the easy route. This actually applies to any horse.

Lesson 5

Yesterday Ali and I only got to work together for a short time due to the weather conditions and daylight hours. But today was a fun and productive day. I started the day yeilding her hind quarters and her fore quarters from the ground. She was responding to this exceptionally well, so I began flexing her head to gain control of her. I feel it is important to give to pressure before you get on, not only for safety reasons but because it gives the horse an understanding of what you are trying to do.

I desensitized her to the saddle pad and the saddle. She took this well because she already had a girth strap on before from the previous sessions. My first attempt in getting into the saddle, she jumped to the side and I just stepped down. After watching her jump to the side I flexed her a bit more before trying to attempt again. The second time, was able to get into the saddle. Once I was in the saddle she was fine. She did not buck or do anything. After a couple minutes she started stepping out and away we went. I noticed she has a long stride in her gallop. I'm anxious to take her outside in the hills because that is where the fun rides are. Maybe next week. If she keeps doing as well as she has been, she may end up being one of the horses I use during the branding season. We'll see.

At the end of the ride I was able to pick up all four of her feet and she was MORE than willing to be tied to the "post of knowledge" (in the words of Clinton Anderson.) She ended her day with a big bowl of grain.

Whenever there is anything earth-shaking around the place I tend to find her in my back pocket. This happened the other day and she's done it a couple of times since. When it happens it is a comical event.

Day 3

Today Ali learned how to yeild her fore quarters. I was also able to crawl on her and desensitize her from on her back. She did well. I also had the girth strap and buoys on her again to get her use to things flopping around her sides. A funny thing happened with her today. Ali was in the arena with the neighbor's horse who is hard to catch. While I was trying to catch the other horse, he started running around the arena. This whole commotion frightened Ali while the other horse galloped around to avoid being caught. She did not know where to go at this point so she ran up to me for protection. She was in my back pocket and almost in the way while I was trying to catch the other horse. It kind of suprised me because when horses go to running around, other horses usually join in.

Day 1 & 2

Day 1: I worked her in the round pen and she did well. She was very responsive and squared up to me nicely. Within the half hour she was basically following me around the round pen. I also was able to halter her and rub her down on the withers and neck. By the end of the session she was starting to lead.

Day 2: I'm still kickin' around different names for this gal. Nothing has stuck yet. I did more round pen work with her. I also was able to pick up a couple of her feet, rub all over her body, and get her desensitized to different objects. By the end of the session she was wearing a girth strap and I released her into the arena. When I went to take the girth strap off later on, I was able to walk up to her in the arena. Suprisingly, she just let me catch her with ease and take the strap off easily. She starting to show some of her gentle personality. Just watching her in the arena, she is very kind and gentle.

Pick up

I entered the Western States Mustang Challenge because I grew up in Central Nevada and loved watching the wild mustangs. As a kid everytime I would go to town I would stare out the windows in hopes to catch sight of a harem of mustangs. There was rarely a time that went by that I didn't catch site of one. I grew up on a large cattle ranch and have always had a passion for horses. One of the horses in the remuda that I rode was a mustang. There is something trilling about the freedom and proudness of a mustang in their native environment.

In the Western Horseman I saw an ad for the Extreme Mustang Makeover... I thought that would be a neat opportunity. So after applying and getting accepted as one of the 30 trainers, I was off to Sacramento to pick up the mustang project.

I got there to the pick-up spot and saw the mare that had been drawn for me. After her failed attempt to leap the fence, the wranglers loaded her into the trailer. She did fine in the trailer but I'm sure she'll always remember the Macks, Kennys, and Petes that thundered by on the freeway based on the rocking motion of the trailer as they passed by. The extremely long trip I'm sure was confusing for her, because we drove near the area where she ran free in her younger years.

As she got to her new home on Sunday she got the night off to rest up from her trip. Plus, Monday was a SCHOOL DAY. She needed to be ready for her first day of school.