Matt's Mustang Horse Tales

Some Snapshots of Sara

2010-03-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Oh scratch a little more to the left."

Checkin' for thinner air.

The start into a slow spin.

No really, we were sidepassing.

Bridge work.

Another Serendipitious Moment

2010-03-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Collected Jog Trot

At the Lope

Making New Friends

Learning to Spin to the Left

Now to the Right

I finally got my building finished so I can ride in it. It took longer than expected but it has been nice on these wet, windy days. I wish I could have got it done earlier, but I'm extrememly glad I have it now. Now my life is a lot easier since weather doesn't dictate what I can and can't do.

Serendipity is starting to gain confidence and starting to do thing correctly. She stops well and has a really nice jog trot. Today we learned to side pass and open gates. Her transistions seem to be getting smoother. She is very trusting. Today it was raining. By the time I got "Sara" over to the tack shed to saddle her, it was pouring down rain. So I just led her inside the tack shed, took off her blanket and saddled her up with cats and objects blowing all around her. She just took it in stride.

To The hills and Beyond!

2010-02-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to experiment and take Serendipity to the BLM hills right behind my place. We trailered for about five miles then started our ride. For the first while she thought she was headed home in rapid fashion and so we decided that she needed to be one rein stopped a few times. On our little excursion, we encountered deer, brush, weeds (piled up in a corner of a field), birds, another rider on horseback, my distracting cowdog who has a great way of making these colts dog-proof. One thing that we had to get over is that when she lopes, if anything touched her hind quarters, she would kick out, so she needed me to touch her until she finally thought it wasn't a big deal. We worked on a little reining and giving at the ribcage while we were on the ride. Also I had two long scarfs hanging from my belt to give her the added distraction and not to mention the aussie stockwhip that she is getting used to.
On the way home, she travelled slow in a collected jog as we worked on her headset. Several times we would stop and remember how to take a few steps in the backward motion. Serendipity did pretty well for today.

new distractions

2010-02-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

Today I trailered Serendipity a mile down the road to a sandy round pen where I rode with two other riders in the pen for a distraction. It was great for her to see other horses with riders close by. She is starting to give to the bit and get her head and neck into the correct position. I asked her to back today and she if really starting to pick things up. When I went to put her away, I decided to ride her in the round pen for a little while so that she could stay at the walk and remain calm. As time progressed, I desensitized her from the saddle with a scarf and also she took to the stock whip pretty well. At the end of the day, I lead her to the tack shed, where there was a stereo playing and the dogs running behind her. This didn't seem to bother her a bit. She is going to be a trusting horse.

Spring is on the way

2010-02-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

well spring is on the way and the mud is starting to slowly disappear. This means that the riding is going to get easier from here. The first ride consisted of one muddy round pen and irrigation boots. Serendipity is doing well and fairly easy to catch. I have ridden her for the past week and had have had her giving to the bit and responding to some leg pressure. She is taking to the one rein stops and doesn't seem to be bothered by too many objects. I am finding out that she is a quick learner and should progress pretty fast until the competition. She loads really well into the trailer and I was able to pick up her feet today. Now that the weather conditions are cooperating, I should be posting regularly. It has just been the wettest winter around here for quite some time.

Gaining confidence

2009-12-09T18:42:00.001-08:00

When I jumped into the truck this morning my thermometer registered with a whopping 5 below zero. It was pretty chilly for around here. When the day warmed up, I worked with Serendipity for about an hour. I am able to walk up to her and pet her fairly easy now as she is gaining confidence and not trying to jump the fence and run to the next county. While I was desensitizing her, she tried to turn her head and bite a couple times today but it is happening less and less.
I asked her for some controlled lungeing today and she doesn't like to travel around the pen clockwise, but we managed to overcome that hurtle. However she is yielding her hindquarter a lot better now and looking into the center of the pen. She still would look at the fence and think about trying to go over, but I turn her head into the center of the round pen every time she tips her head to the outside of the pen. I used the stick and string, lead rope and my hands to desensitize her today. Also I was able to get close enough that my body was laying up against her while I was rubbing her.
When I brought water into the pen with a five gallon bucket, she didn't retreat to the edge of the pen. She stayed in the center and let me come up to her and I was able to let her drink out of the bucket while I held it up for her. When I walk by the pen now, her head doesn't raise like it used to a few days ago. She is starting to trust me a lot more and when the weather gets above freezing, I plan to put the first ride on her. Hopefully this weekend.

Lessons Learned

2009-12-07T21:18:00.001-08:00

Today was an interesting day none the less. With the arrival of an inch of snow on the valley floor and weather well below freezing it wasn't one of those jump out of bed and spring into the middle of the chaos. Especially to encounter a mustang that with the slightest amount of pressure would attempt to jump the fence out of the round pen as she did on Sunday. Luckily she rounded the hay stack and placed herself into an empty pen that was accidentally not closed from the night before.
     Since Serendipity had accomplished the escape from the round pen, I figured she may want to attempt the same procedure when we came back to it on Monday. Later on in the day, when the sun came out and brought the temperature up to near freezing, I figured that I would attempt to load her from the pen into the trailer and relocate her into the round pen for a hopefully more successful lesson (for me this time). When the trailer was backed up to the gate, Shane pointed out that it would be nicer if the trailer gate swung from the opposite side of the trailer. So after some thought, I decided that it may be easier if I just opened the gate on the pen and let her out to walk and down the fence into a pen next to the arena. Then from the arena, I would be able to run her back into the round pen since the round pen and the arena are connected. With a little help from Shane and Val, we got the job done. This tedious procedure normally is not one that is in my day to day training, but with a known successful jumper we had to take our precautions.
     Once she was in the round pen, her thoughts went immediately to how she escaped on Sunday. She was preparing herself for another launch over the top rail. I figured that I would have to get a rope on her, and that if I put too much pressure on her she wouldn't hesitate with her attempt. Then during this event we had a semi back in and drop off some trusses right by the corrals, a neighbor stop by, and also my little girl trying to stay warm in the pickup during all this commotion.
     I was able to rope her after a few attempts and then Shane jumped into the round pen to help me hold her from jumping over the fence. I think it was more like help so we could both ski around the pen for a few minutes before she stopped.   At that point, I took a wrap around one of the fence posts and desensitized her with a long stick, rubbing her head and neck with it. With a lot of rub then retreat, I was able to work myself up to her and eventually pet her with my hand. With a little creativity I was able to get a halter on her and then I decided to give Serendipity a break for a while. At this point I brought some water and a flake of hay to her.  The rest of us chose hot chocolate.
     Before calling it a night, I decided to check on her and I went out to the round pen and untied her in the round pen. I was able to circle her from a distance with some halter pressure. She yielded her forequarters to me and within 5 or so minutes she was making forward motion toward me and showing signs of actually leading. It was a far cry from the start of the session. Every horse has some lesson that they can teach you. This filly threw me a curve because I have never had one so persistent to want to jump at the sign of the slightest pressure.

It's A Girl!

2009-12-05T22:33:00.000-08:00

Announcing the arrival of Serendipity.
Age: 4
Weight: 900 lbs.
Height: 15.1
Herd: Sheepshead/Heath Creek (west of Burns Junction)

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident; good fortune; luck. Her name completely fits her. For the record, since we are doing records, Matt was expecting a firery gelding. For now we are nicknaming Serendipity.....Sara....but she's more of a Sara Jane. Very sweet in her conformation and it will be exciting to watch her training process.

Trip to Burns

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

At the BLM Mustang Facility in Hines, OR.

Serendipity Jane loaded into the trailer just fine. She trotted right in and was relaxed. She stood still and didn't make much of a commotion at all throughout the trip.

We took the drive around tour to check out the other mustangs. The Burns facility sure seems to have so much color in their horses. The girls loved seeing all of the horses (and two burros).

During the drive, we stopped to view the weanlings, and during the pause Serendipity nickered at the little babies. They came trotting and attentive towards the trailer.

Then she must have turned around in the trailer, which caused a loud BANG, hence the next photo...

One of the highlights of our trip was seeing mustangs in the wild. We were able to get close enough to get a few shots with the camera. There is not a lot between Burns and home besides sagebrush and fortunately today, mustangs.

Home at last. Settling in.

The Honorary Fan Club Members/Travel Partners:

The girls, Kelsey, and Shane

Here we go again....

2009-11-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Just couldn't resist another challenge. I've signed up for the Northwest Mustang Challenge in Albany again. I pick the mustang up in Burns December 5th and the journey begins from there. The competition will be March 19-21st. Hope the weather cooperates for the first few rides. It would make life easier on everybody. I'll keep this blog updated as we go throughout the 100 days of training.

Dynamite's Destiny

2009-07-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

2009-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Raven

2009-04-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

I thought I would update everyone on Destiny and how she is doing. Her new name is now Raven and it seems that Melissa and her are getting along just great in Central Oregon. We are glad she e-mails every once in a while to let us know what they have been up to. Raven found such an amazing home and a wonderful companion in Melissa!

Here are a couple of the things she had to say.....

April 16th:

We played with tarps today she was quite board with the whole thing. she walked over it than i put it on her, next I tied the tarp to a tree and had a friend hold it so that we could go under she was a little worried at first but after a few times going back and forth she was fine with the

whole thing. Shes such a good girl. Afterwards it was finally warm enough to give her a bath (she rolled in some mud that a couldn't get off) at first she didn't like it but after about 5 minutes she was fine!!

April 2nd:

Raven was Perfect for her first trim!! I am a farrier apprentice so I trimmed her. We were in a round pen just in case, I just tossed the rope over her back, and let her check out my tools, then I started on her feet. She was amazing!!!

March 28th:
I took destiny on a trail ride today!!! She was amazing. We crossed water, (which she loves to play in) cars past by, dogs barked, we went past deer, shes such a brave girl!! You really did a good job with her!! -Melissa

In the Stall @ the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo

2009-04-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Riding Portion

2009-04-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

2009-04-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Saying Goodbye

2009-04-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of my girls saying goodbye to Destiny before she left for Albany. She was always so sweet to let them pet her. What a sweet horse. (She wasn't even tied up to that arena fence.)

posted by Kelsey

More to come

2009-03-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say, there will be pictures getting posted soon of the Mustang Challenge. My "tech guy" (Tyrell) went to California for Spring Break with some friends and he has the pictures. We'll get them on soon. Check back in!

2009-03-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday at the Northwest Mustang Challenge was slightly disappointing, but still a good time. Destiny and Matt were 2nd place overall for the two events. For the finals performance the slate was wiped clean and the Top 10 trainers compete with his/her four minute freestyle. Matt had ridden Destiny earlier that morning and she did great. However, when the finals performance came there was a bigger crowd than there had been all week. Destiny did well with sidepassing and the cans but when they were at a lope she decided to head toward the gate. She wanted out of there! So with her getting out of control and missing a stop, the duo received 6th place in the Top 10 Finals Performance. Matt was disappointed because he knew she could have done better than that.

After his disappointment, he had some exciting news... as he was selling Destiny in the auction and they announced that he had received the TOP PROFESSIONAL TRAINER AWARD. This is such an honor! The award was voted on by the other mustang challenge trainers. He also won this award at the Western States Mustang Challenge last summer. How exciting!

Dynamite's Destiny was the last mustang to be auctioned off, since her hip number was #33. She sold for $1,500 to a nice young woman in Sisters, Oregon. She plans to use her as a trail horse and I have no doubt she'll have a nice home. Matt usually does not get very attached to horses he knows are going to be with him temporarily, but he has really been missing Destiny because she was really attached to Matt. They had a huge bond and it will be one horse he will always talk about.

2009-03-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank several people for all the help during the mustang's time here and also at the Northwest mustang challenge.

*I would like to thank Wayne Maggard for all the horsemanship advice that he has given me during the training process and everyone at the Rocking A ranch for all the encouragement.
*My wife for all the behind the scenes help, the blog, the organizing before leaving and all support
*Tyrell Phelps and Jerel Bowen for the help when I was at the competition in Albany. they were my set up crew and also Tyrell was my blogger while we were in Albany. Jerel helped a lot with the long drive. Both of them made sure I was where I was supposed to be during the challenge, because I have a tendency to talk a lot and lose track of time.
*Jaci Weishaar for all the help with the primping and grooming on Destiny.
*Thanks to Diana Clark for helping us come up with a name for Dynamite's Destiny
*Also thanks to all the other trainers at the challenge. I have always had an open mind to learning new things and I learned several things by watching everyone compete.
*Thanks to all my family, they are always calling to check in on the progress and Dad would find the Internet where he could to check the Blog.
*Thanks for all the neighbors, friends, and Junior high basketball boys that I coach, for coming over and helping me desensitize Dynamites Destiny to people. Special thanks to Jen Nielson & Tyrell for getting my music ready. My mother-in-law & father-in-law for helping with the chores while I was gone. Thanks to my mother-in-law, Patti, for helping me get ready to leave for the challenge.
*Thanks to all the people who work for the BLM and also for the Mustang Heritage Foundation employees (you all make the mustang challenge events a fun thing to participate in)
*And thanks to all my Blog followers, I know several of you have been keeping up regularly.

Success at Albany

2009-03-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

Today has been a successful day as Matt participated in the riding course at the Northwest Horse Expo. He placed 4th in the riding course and that landed him a second place finish for the overall competition. He is a point and a half behind the first place position. During the course, Destiny did several nice things. She traveled over the bridge and the poles fairly well. She backed into the pattern well. The great things that she did were the nice stops and a great flying lead change between the figure eight. All in all there are several great trainers at the challenge, and he is thrilled that his mare is doing so well. He has had some great help from a great friend by the name of Wayne Maggard, who is as he likes to call it "fine tuning him." Thanks Wayne!!!!

Northwest Mustang Challenge

2009-03-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo's from the last few days at the Northwest Mustang Challenge, in Albany,OR.

Northwest Mustang Challege Day 1

2009-03-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Destiny & Matt took

1st place

in the In-Hand Competition on Thursday!!

Last night the competitors had the in-hand portion of the Mustang Challenge. During the "In-hand," trainers are judged on their ability to handle the horse "in hand" through a series of maneuvers like picking up the horse’s feet, maneuvering it through obstacles, and loading it into a trailer. Matt & Destiny did very well, placing 1st! They also had a portion of the competition where trainers are evaluated on the body type & condition of their mustangs. They placed 16th in that part. (Destiny is on the smaller size of life! ha!) Overall, this put them in a tie for 2nd/3rd. What a great start!

*Posted by Kelsey (Matt's wife) who doesn't get to watch the competition this year because of parent-teacher conferences and scoring state writing assessments on weekends! Although she is very disappointed, she does get to have lots of phone conversations with him! :)

Northwest Mustang Challenge

2009-03-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

And.....we're off! The Northwest Mustang Challenge will be happening this weekend. Wednesday we'll start traveling half way, Thursday is the in-hand classes, Friday evening is the riding portion, and Saturday is the adoption & the Finals. We'll keep you all posted. Thank you to everyone that helped out & supported me. And thanks to everyone for reading the blog posts!

You "CAN" never desensitize too much!

2009-03-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

You "CAN" never desensitze a mustang too much! Thanks for the cinematography, Stacy! Also thanks to the Stan, Sandy, Penny, John, Stacy, Patti, Rod, Mark, Tyrell, and Blake for helping desensitizing Destiny to people sounds around the arena. It was a windy day, but wind doesn't have anything on good company and burnt hot dogs!

2009-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

We had a week of being around people. The neighbors came over to hang out on, around, and in the arena while Destiny was working. There is nothing like a bunch of girls yellin' and pony rides going on. I also took Destiny to a horse show this week just to be around action and she did perfect. Then I had the jr. high basketball team work on noise desensitization with her. She did well and only spooked maybe twice, but I would spook too if 5 eighth graders came running at me. Today we had some friends and family out to see how she was doing before I leave on Wednesday. I'm really pleased at how well she's done and how far she's come in the last couple of weeks. I really like this little mare. She's so athletic, level headed, trusting, and fun to ride. I hope she finds the perfect home.

A pat for a job well done.

It looks like Destiny was tracking Banjo but she was just packing her head low. He just always seems to be in the way.

A nice pet from the guys.

Cruisin' along.

2009-03-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

No Fear

2009-03-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Whoa!

2009-03-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

"Walk This Way"

2009-03-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Some Snapshots

2009-03-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Only 10 days left before Destiny and I leave for Albany. Here are some snapshots of today.

Completely relaxed on the box:

Sidepassing:

Opening a gate:

Coming to me at a whistle and then following me in the arena:

Getting her legs trimmed with some clippers:

The Northwest Mustang Makeover Information

2009-03-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Some of you have been asking about what will be happening over the Northwest Mustang Makeover so here is some information for you:

Mustang Makeover trainers will gather March 19 to 21, 2009 at the LinnCounty Fair and Expo Center in Albany as one of the opening events for theAnnual Northwest Horse Show and Expo.

· On March 19 at 6:00 p.m., the Oregon mustangs will be on competitive display. Trainers are evaluated on the body condition of their mustangs,as well as their ability to handle the horse "in hand" through a series ofmaneuvers including picking up the horse’s feet, maneuvering it throughobstacles and loading it into a trailer.
· On Friday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. trainers mount their animals andcomplete a "horse course" that includes a series of obstacles and requiresthe trainer to demonstrate the level of competency the horse hasaccomplished.
· The top ten finalists compete in a freestyle event on Saturday, March21 at 10:00 a.m -- just one hour before the awards presentation andcompetitive bid adoption for the trained mustangs.

For more information on the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover, call theBurns District BLM Office at (541) 573-4400. Additional information aboutthe Wild Horse program is also available online at:www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/wildhorse/index.php

2009-02-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

The last two days have been some big days for Destiny. I took her up to the BLM ground behind my place and went for a trail ride. We saw all sorts of terrain as we rode along the canal bank. I must have travelled about 7 miles on her round trip. We encountered a coyote, tons of sagebrush rubbing up against her sides, and my neurotic dog, Banjo(who strums to a different beat-- mainly because he runs circles around any horse that I am working with). On the ride Banjo would disappear down in the canal and also behind small hills before popping out in a different location. (This feature desensitizes any horse!) I also worked on Destiny's consistency at the trot, lope, and walk with some collection mixed in.
Today, I decided to take Destiny to encounter more scary things. She always gets nervous around the tack shed because there is a radio playing so we did some small circles until she calmed down. After that we headed toward Hwy 201 where I thought I'd let traffic have a go at her. Several cars passed and some large noiser vehicles went by and I was actually impressed at the calmness as the cars passed by. I was imagining that we would be doing some phenomenal sidepassing but it was not the case. Then we headed down to the neighbors where there is several horses in corrals and this made her nervous but she calmed down after some small circles. When we arrived home my wife was feeding the horses with my two girls so I decided to take Destiny up to get a rub from all of them. People are Destiny's biggest hurtle that we are going to have to encounter, but we are working on it daily.

Stoppin'

2009-02-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

Learning to sidepass

2009-02-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

At a collected lope

2009-02-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Cruisin' along at a collected lope. Banjo, my dog, runs around the arena and round pen like that all day. He's fun because I can track on him and he thinks that is a pretty fun game.

2009-02-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today just happened to be fairly windy around here and I took the opportunity to use this session as a desensitization one. I had several things hanging from the fence and Mother Nature did the rest of the work. The buoys hanging near the gate were mistaken for predators on occasion and a lot of objects in the arena were on the move also. It probably took her about forty minutes to settle down.

Also, I tied a buoy to a 35 foot rope and let it drag at a distance initially in the round pen and then gradually worked it up to the point where it was touching her hind feet. Once we mastered this, I brought it up to where I could bring the buoy up on the saddle and swing the rope around with the buoy attached. Eventually there was not an issue with any of that.

I also worked with picking up the right leads in the arena and Destiny was able to pick that up fairly well by the end of the session. Toward the end of the session, I brought her back into the round pen where we polished up on our sidepassing a little bit more. We will get there!!!

To end the day we worked on trailer loading again and then I let her hang out in the trailer for a few hours. I will have company for the weekend so maybe I can get someone convinced to video for the blog. Hopefully I can enjoy some nice days where the wind isn't howling. Or I might have to buy a kite and maybe just fly it.

Arena riding and nice stops

2009-02-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

Today before the snow storms hit I rode Dynamites Destiny in the arena and made some great headway. She would shy from some things on the fence so I brought her in tight circles until the objects just were not a bother to her. Also I brought her up to a lope and she really calmed down and leveled off.
I have started her sidepassing and she is grasping the concept so we should have a good polish on it in March. Also, I asked her to stop with her hind quarter under her today and she really stopped well. For the first time really getting under herself, it was a neat feel.
I am going to try to have my junior high basketball team come out to the arena and make as much noise as they can until she thinks they are no longer frightening. Junior high boys should do the trick. After coaching them in the mornings they desensitize me a fair bit so Dynamites destiny will have a really eye opening experience.
Another great day and hopefully the sun comes out and warms up the rest of the week so we can enjoy some spring weather.

Finally an Update

2009-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. It's basketball season and between coaching & playing, riding colts, being a dad & husband, it leaves little time to sit and reflect on the days.

I had the coolest thing happen with the mustang. My daughter's best friend's family came over the other night for dinner. Brian and I were outside finishing up chores and I hadn't put the mustang up for the night yet. We were discussing how mustangs in general have a lot more flight in them than any domestic horse and that it takes a lot more work for them to gain your trust. Two seconds later as I stepped into the pen, the mustang began nickering in a low friendly style nicker. (Similar to two horses coming back together.) As I approached her with the halter, she continued to nicker. It was a pretty awesome moment because she had finally put her guard down and made the first move toward me. It was ironic that it happened moments after we had just discussed the trust topic.

I think we finally have a name thanks to Diana Clark and my wife, Kelsey: "Dynamite's Destiny." Kelsey mentioned Dynamite because she's athletic and had a little fire when I first got her. And Destiny because Diana commented, "She wasn't first in line for your 2009 horse, but maybe it was just destiny for her -- to be lucky enough to have you as her trainer & to have the chance to go to a really great home in her future. Also, she just might be some lucky person's "destiny." It's a name full of promise." Thanks, Diana!

I've trailered her over a different arena to ride on occassion. She's done really well and nothing that I do on her back seems to phase her. I can move my legs all over and touch her anywhere. I've had ropes touch her front and back legs while she's in motion and I got no excitement out of her. She loads in trailers just fine. I've trimmed her bridle path to make her look like a lady. I can pick up all her feet easily. My biggest hurdle will be overcoming people.

She turns, stops, backs, flexes, moves off the leg pretty well. She's starting to ride pretty collected and calm. From here on out we'll be working on shoulder and hind-quarter control.

Now that the ground is thawing out I think spring might be here. I don't care what that groundhog has to say. Actually, they are calling for some snow this week so I'm crossing my fingers. With the ground thawed out hopefully we'll progress a lot faster since she'll have a better footing. The competition is coming up faster than I know but hopefully we'll be prepared.

First Ride

2009-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

A little bit of flexing....

A little bit of riding.

Last Sunday (Jan. 10th) I finally got to ride my mustang. Between the weather conditions and other set backs it took a month to finally put the first ride on. She had absolutely no buck to her. Note my authentic winter garb and classy irrigation boots I'm wearing. Did you notice my round pen looks like a mud-wrestling pit? But we trudged through it anyway.

I've been on her four times since. The third and fourth time were in the arena. Our biggest hurdle will be the obstacles outside the arena. For example, people, objects, and stuctures.

Maybe this week I'll take her out into the desert.

She also got a trailer loading lesson. She's grasped the concept. During the lesson, Kelsey came around the corner while I had the mustang in the trailer. She was not very close to the trailer, but as the mustang was unloading she saw Kelsey, who wasn't there before she got into the trailer and spooked and took off. I planted my feet in the mud and simulated my water skiing skills half way across the arena. The humor was definately was in Kelsey's favor. I wasn't up to laughing because I was all covered in mud. The mustang patiently waited for me to come to her at the other side of the arena.

First Ride

2009-01-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Snow Day...

2009-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

It snowed again on Monday and we had icy snow on Tuesday. Maybe by this weekend there will be a break in the weather. I haven't got to put the first ride on yet, but eventually we'll get there. Here is a picture of the mustang in the daylight:

She is getting very easy to catch and once she's caught I put my hand on her poll and she drops her head down and puts it in my chest. I do this to make bridling easy and so the horse will never toss it's head in the air to protest the bit. The trust is definitely being established. Every time I walk out of the pen the look she gives me is priceless!

Bit and Saddle

2009-01-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a little chaotic with company in the round pen. I had 2 dogs weaving in and out of it, 2 cats walking the top of the rails, 2 kids throwing dirt clods near the pen, and one BLM mustang focusing on her trainer. And not to forget, one wife who loves me enough to bear 27 degree weather to snap some pictures for a few minutes.

This was the little filly's first night with a bit. She took it very well. For the first minute of course she was chewin' on it and wondering what it was. Then after that it was no big deal. I have worked previously with some bit work and tonight once I bridled her she accepted it perfectly. Next, I desensitized her with the lead rope. Then it was on to the stick and string with a plastic sack attached. I've done several of these desensitization exercises but never with the sack until tonight. She has been desensitized enough that the new stuff is not very alarming to her at all.

I human curry combed her tonight. I also jumped up on her and she stood like a perfect angel.

After the "photographer" when inside to warm up the kids, the filly got a saddle pad and in a couple of minutes had a saddle on her back. She did just fine with absolutely no fight in her. At one point I stood up in the saddle on one side so she would get use to stirrup pressure as I step up. My plan is to ride her tomorrow. I worked on getting her to change directions consistently and then I had her give to the bit. After that I blanketed her to keep her warm.

I've been working on leading her. And yesterday in her pen I worked on picking up her feet. I successfully picked up all four of her feet. I did it again tonight.

This black filly sure is impressing me. She seems to have some wits to her and is going to make a really nice easy going horse in the near future. All she needs now is a name. (If anyone has an idea go ahead and post it in the comments.)

Some Progress

2009-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

The first day I got the new filly home, I round penned her for two hours as sparse gentle snowflakes fell down on us. She definitely had some flight and fight in her. Eventually, I was able to rub her forehead with my training stick. By the end of the session, I was able to get her to square up and change directions a little bit.

We've had some bumps along the way this time and I feel very behind in her training. The weather has been horrible. We usually don't have this much snow until sometime in January. At first there was a cold snap that was unbearably cold. Then it snowed for a week straight and froze everything. One day after Christmas it got to 50 degrees and melted all of the snow. Now we are dealing with A LOT of MUD. My round pen is too slick to work her. It makes me wish I had an indoor round pen!

In three weeks, I haven't got to ride her yet. I have caught her everyday and I'm trying to get her to the point where she faces up to me in her pen. When I go feed her, I try to get her use to me to the point she loses the fear and gains the trust. It's been working, but it is a day by day process. I am feeling disappointed at this point. I wish I could have had that extra week with her so that she would have been gentled up and ready to take out in the hills or to an indoor arena somewhere.

The last time I worked with her, I human curry combed her. (I jumped on her back and rubbed her all over to desensitize her.) I also desensitized her with the lead rope by throwing it up over her back and between her legs. When she was calm to all of this, I put a surcingle on her and then hung rubber boat buoys off the side of her. I let her pack the buoys all day. Initially she tried to kick the buoys and after time she accepted them. She never did buck which was a bit of a surprise to me.

Hopefully soon I can get a chance to work more with her. I am getting to train most of my customer horses because they had their round pen work and first rides before the change in weather. We go out to the BLM hills or over to a friend's covered arena, where it is not as muddy as it is here. Surly soon it has to dry up a little bit, huh? Maybe we can get a windy day that has a little bit of sun.

Pick Up Day

2008-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

We picked up the new mustang at the Wild Horse Corral Facility in Hines, OR December 5th. I was excited to get a 15.2 strong gelding. He was a nice looking bay mustang. After bringing him home and working him in the round pen the first few minutes, I realized he wasn't sound when he was turning directions. Something that you couldn't really notice unless worked with. Sadly, I returned him back to Hines 7 days later and they will put him in a sanctuary.

My family made the first trip with me and my girls were very excited to see all of the mustangs. My five year old liked the baby mustangs the best.

After returning the gelding, I received a new mustang that is a little black filly. She is quite a fireball. My wife thinks Dynamite is a good name for her, but nothing has hit me yet. I'm thrilled because she is very athletic. I can't wait to ride her and see what she will excel at. She is a pretty little thing and quick! I'll have to get a picture soon and post it.

NORTHWEST EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER

2008-12-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have been selected to train a mustang for the NORTHWEST EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER. It will be held March 20-22 2009 in conjunction with the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo at the Linn County Expo Center. 36 Trainers have been selected to compete in the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover click here to view the list of trainers. Trainers will train their wild Mustangs for approximately 90 days. At the event, they will be judged on body condition (overall condition, hair coat, mannerisms, weight - not body conformation). There will be a class called 'In Hand' where contestants will lead their horses through various obstacles. The second day, contestants will have a class called the 'Horse Course' in which they will ride through various obstacles. Those making the finals on day three will compete in a freestyle phase where contestants have about two minutes to showcase their mustang's best talents. After the finals, all horses will be available for adoption.

5th Place At the Western States Mustang Challenge

2008-06-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ali during the in-hand course, picking up her feet and being ground tied

The Mustang Challenge officially started on Friday morning. The mustangs were judged by a veterinarian for body conditioning, which was 20% of the overall score. Immediately afterwards the mustangs competed in the in-hand course where you lead your horse through an obstacle course. This was 30% of the overall score and was judged by All Dunning and Guy Woods. Ali was very relaxed going into the arena. Instead of picking through the rails on the ground, she stepped over 2 at once with her long old stride of hers. This marked her down on pints. Also, through the poles she stepped on a pole while backing up and over. She got an average score instead of an excellent. She did good in the trailering part and even backed out. She finished the rest of the obstacles fine and did a great job on picking up the feet. We finished 7th that day. That's not too bad considering I have never shown a horse before. The things I messed up on were trivial but they cost me points.

Throwing the rope around Ali's back legs in the 90 second free-style.

Crossing over poles during the riding portion of the challenge.

Saturday morning, I was very first to go through the riding course. Part of the course was 90 seconds of freestyle. We could only use props that were attached to our saddle, luckily my rope and whip are attached. I cracked the whip, stood up on her and cracked the whip, side passed her, and put the rope all around her. Then Ali and I started the riding part of the competition. She did well. We lost points on backing up over the poles again and breaking pattern on the figure 8. By the afternoon when the results came out, I made the top 10 finalist by 2 points. The top 10 selection was an emotional event.

Cracking the whip during the Finals.

That night was the Mustang Challenge Freestyle Competition. The trainers started with a clean slate. This event was a lot of fun to watch! Everyone's creativity was great! Mustangs did things from barrels, balls, jumps, bareback rides, cattle work, and even a homemade recycled can horse apparel. Everyone did good. Ali and I placed 5th (it paid $500) and I couldn't have been more pleased with her. She was extremely relaxed and comfortable and did pretty well. I forgot to pull the harrow during my routine and she was a little nervous about getting on the box that was a little tippy (hadn't been smashed into the ground) but she still got up there eventually. Corinne Elser from Burns, OR won the event. She did an excellent job and deserved to win! Joe Misner from Johnson Valley, CA received reserve champion and also did a tremendous job.

My little girl, Ali, and I after placing 5th.

Please check out the pictures of the final event by clicking on this link:

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/mustang_challenge1.html

The placing went as follows:

1. Corinne Elser Burns, OR Dolly $5,500 (Corinne bought Dolly back)

2. Joe Misner Johnson Valley, CA Loredo, $3,400

3. Matt Sheridan Tehachapi, CA Luna $4,400

4. Madelyn Wagner Valley Center, CA Handy Hank $10,000 (Madelyn bought Hank back)

5. Matt Eric Zimmerman Adrian, OR High Rock Ali $3,000

6. Matt Replogle Las Vegas, NV Jennifer $5,800 (Matt bought back Jennifer)
Jennifer was named from a contest that the City of Las Vegas put on. Jennifer was named by a little boy whose sister is serving in Iraq.

7. Beverly Vreeland Livermore, CA Diamond $5,000

8. Janet Titus Mammoth Lakes, CA Chato $4,100

9. Jenna Nelson Loma Linda, CA Domestic Aim $2,000

10. Keith Danielson Hooper, WA Tina Turner $1,400
Keith took 1st overall on Friday and 2nd place on Saturday. His horse showed VERY well during the competition.

I want to put a special thank you to those who came to Sacramento and supported me over the weekend. My parents, Dennis and Linda Zimmerman, my mother-in-law, Patti Price, my grandparents in-law, Merrill and Betty King, Aunt Mary & Uncle Mervin, our friends, Heather, Clint, and Aubrianna Johnson, our friends, James, Kerry, Jackson, Ryan, and Hailey Irvine, our "adopted family" Jerel, Sandy, and Ashley Bowen. A special thanks to my wife, Kelsey and my kids Mesa and Mylie for all of the extra time put into this. Thanks to Kurt Nielson for holding down the fort at home while we were gone. Also thanks to everyone for the phone calls and e-mails! It was a great time!

Western States Mustang Challege Top Professional Trainer Award

2008-06-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights besides placing 5th was getting voted Top Professional Trainer by the other competitors in the Mustang Challenge. (Or the "Miss Congeniality" award as someone called it...there were several excellent trainers in the competition.) The Non-Professional Top Trainer Award went to Jenna Nelson from Loma Linda, CA, who was also in the top 10.

This challenge was a wonderful experience for me. It was awesome to see the progress of Ali and to see how relaxed and calm she was in all the buzz that was around at the Western States Horse Expo. As Matt Sheridan, a fellow trainer, worded these horses..."From Wild to Mild" this truly explained all of the mustangs at the expo and it showcased their adaptability.

I also had the privilege of meeting some of the top trainers that I have always respected and learned from via books and videos. I was personally congratulated by Al Dunning, John Lyons, and Chris Cox. I also made new friends and opened up a lot of doors and opportunities for my future.

Matt Zimmerman & Matt Replogle "Hollywood"

Check Out These Websites of my Fellow Competitors:

Matt Replogle http://mattreplogle.com/index.html

Keith Danielson http://www.hooperhorseman.com/

Matt Sheridan http://www.mattsheridan.net/

Meet Hail Mary

2008-06-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ali sold at the mustang auction for $3,000 to Ray Ariss who owns the infamous mustang, HAIL YEAH. Ray competed in the 1st Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, TX last year and his horse was bought for $50,000 by the city of Norco, Ca. and the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Hail Yeah is the sponsor horse for Horsetown, USA (Norco) and used to promote the adoption of mustangs. Ray told me he needed a Hail Mary and Ali would be a great match for him. He'll use her most likely in dressage and she may have a possibility to be shown throughout the U.S. It's exciting that Ali will be in training with Ray and she will continue on to be a phenomenal horse! Check out his website at http://www.StarBriteRiding.com

And We're Off

2008-06-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

I got to ride Ali one more time on the home place today, between the drenching rain showers. We leave very early in the morning tomorrow. We'll sure miss having Ali around! We'll see how she handles all of the comotion of the horse expo the rest of the week. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's very easy going. I'll write a post about how it all went at the challenge and where Ali ended up after adoption when we get back home. She's been a wonderful horse to train.

A BIG THANKS

2008-06-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the following who have

helped along the trail...

*Flynn's Saddlery---Boise, Idaho for the protective boots for Ali
*Jerel and Sandy Bowen & Black Jack Butte Ranch---for ALL the help along the way and the use of facilities
*Mark and Danette Bowen & Stuck on Vinyl---Adrian, Oregon for making a performance box for Ali to stand on.
*Jim Thomas, cattle rancher---Homedale, Idaho for donating corn for feed
*Jaci Weishaar & Victory Acres---LaGrande, Oregon for showmanship help
*Lonnie and Amy Bezona & Amy's Hair Design---Ontario, Oregon for clipping and trimming Ali
*Bret & Jen Neilson---Adrian, Oregon for music and cattle to practice on
*Steve Breshears---making a competition CD

*Ryan and Stephanie Etter--Wilder, ID for the use of the spur straps
*Rod and Patti Price---for helping take care of my girls, helping out with everything, and for being great in-laws
*Joel and Heather White---for helping set up our arena at our new location
*Patti and Tom Johnson----Marsing, Idaho for helping set up our facilities
*Sage Bowen---for being the best 7 year old water boy in a 50 mile radius
*Neighbor kids---for desensitization of Ali
*Kerry and James Irvine--- Rockland, CA for a place to stay and for the help building the round pen and catch pen at our new place
*Merrill and Betty King---West Sacramento for a place to stay during the competition this coming week
*Dennis and Linda Zimmerman, Tillie and Evan Zimmerman and siblings--- Nevada, Illinois, Texas for their love and support

*Lisa Johnston---Adrian, Oregon for helping fix up my website http://www.zimmermanhorsetraining.com/

*TO THE BLOG READERS! Many of you I have talked to in person or you have called me up saying how you were tracking Ali's progress. It's been fun.

We leave for the Western States Mustang Challenge Wednesday, the 4th of June. There will be some tough competition down there. Wish me luck and give me prayer or two. On Friday there will be an in-hand competition and on Saturday there will be a riding course. Ten out of 30+ trainers will be selected to compete in the finals at 7:30 pm on Saturday at Cal Expo. After the competition, all of the mustangs will be auctioned off and Ali will be headed to a new home. Who ever buys her will get one heck of a horse! It's great how many well trained mustangs will be up for adoption. If you would like to adopt one of the mustangs or even Ali, the Mustang Heritage Foundation asks the potential adopter to fill out a little paperwork. Even if you are not able to attend the event in California, you may have a representative at the adoption or bid by phone. I know Ali is going to go to a good home, and someone will really enjoy her. It's been fun having her around the last three months.

She's Got LEGS!

2008-05-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

The other day Ali took a short trailer ride with the family to the horse stylist to get primped for her big debut. Thanks a lot for your help Amy and Lonnie Bezona! (Amy is Kelsey's hair stylist.) Amy and Lonnie both compete in rodeo. Ali wasn't too sure about the clippers but Amy got right in there and shaved up her muzzle. Ali did just fine. The briddle path was the next shave and she seemed to be a little more nervous about the clippers above her head. (Before this day her bridle path had been cut by scissors because it was a little less intimidating for her.) Her fetlocks were next. Lonnie did a great job of cleaning her right up. I had to hold Ali, she seemed to be more relaxed if I was right up next to her. She looks great now. We appreciated the help from the Bezonas!

Flag Day

2008-05-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Bathing

2008-05-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tracking Cows

2008-05-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Fun in the New Arena

2008-05-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

Staying in a gait on a loose rein.
Side Passing--a work in progress
Ali is one cool horse. She has a gentle spirit about her. She still has some quirks, but so does every horse. We got our arena in this week at our new place. It's been a lot of extra work doing things on weekends and after work but it sure is nice when it gets done. I should have my water system to sprinkle down the dust going here soon. And maybe the lawn can get put in as well! That will be nice.

Branding

2008-05-08T22:13:00.001-07:00

I had a great opportunity to take Alli to a local branding. We gathered the cattle from the field and Alli wasn't sure what to think of the pivot that was irrigating the field. She was a little nervous, but with some encouraging, we rode under the pivot while it was irrigating. Once we had all the cattle in the pens, I was going to just let her sit in the branding pen and let her watch all the action with the ropers, ground crew and calves on the end of the ropes, but we were told to just heel the calves and bring them in to be branded. I thought if the calves were heeled, then there wouldn't be too much of a comotion so I just started roping and she didn't have a bit of problems with anything. Normally, a green colt will not want to walk through the ground crew, but Alli didn't have any problems with that. Also she did very well getting me into a good heel position when someone else had a calf by the neck. The buford has really helped her not be so nervous to get up to the calf. Before I decided to put Alli up for the day I roped a calf by the neck to see if she would get excited with the bawling calf on the end of the rope, but it didn't bother her at all. All in all it was a pretty positive experience.

Buford

2008-05-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ali was learning to track on Buford the steer the other day down at a neighbor's house. Yesterday I started her tracking on real calves. It's been a long couple of days but she is learning pretty well. Today she was tracking off the shoulder. That is just what I want her to do so you can rope easily off of her.

The Muss-ing

2008-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Posted by Matt's Wife:

I walked around the corner, and found our little girl who is almost two, playing really wild. I asked her what in the world she was doing and she said, "I MUSS-ING." That's what she calls Ally. Her imagination cracked me up, so I went and grabbed the camera to show her dad what kind of influence he has on our kids. They are completely brainwashed to think HORSES!!! (He doesn't know I'm posting this...we'll see what he thinks!)

Cowboy Day at Pre-school

2008-04-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

"Cowboy Day" at pre-school had all the pre-school kids just excited, because their teacher had told them that they were going to get rides on horses and a pony. Also, she mentioned to them that there would be a couple real cowboys show up. It was a hit and our daughter had talked about the wild mustang for quite some time during school, so I decided to take Ally "the wild mustang" to pre-school for my show and tell. We also provided the horseback rides with our pony and 14 year old mare. Everyone that wanted a ride was able get a chance to get on one or both kid horses. Ally was there just for the experience. When we were finished with the rides, some of the children wanted to see Ally ridden, so I mounted her and rode her around for a while. One student, asked if I could ride her fast, so I loped her down the dirt road. Also, I am sure that this was an experience for Ally as I used this as a great experience to desensitize her to twenty plus screaming kids. Everyone had a good time and it was a great experience for Ally also. Below is a video of her wild reaction from the pre-schoolers cheering.

Later that day, a local rancher called and asked if I would help gather some cows with calves on side into a corral to ship the next day. Ally and I went to help, and we had to cross a canal, ride up on a steep hill and ride through a couple hundred bawling cattle. It was a great experience for her as she was able to see several new sights, smells, and situations. Also, when we had the cattle in the catch pen, I rode Ally through the herd and there were cattle surrounding us completely and she wasn't bothered at all. The only thing that she looked twice at and had showed some concern was walking through a yard where there were sheep and goats in pens on each side of the road.

When we made it home, I let Ally pack some blue tarps that were tied onto each side of the saddle, that hung down and almost touched the ground. After a little while she wasn't concerned about them at all. It was a great day for everyone.

2008-04-22T00:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have been near the computer, as it was having some problems for a while. Anyways, we are back on track and I have been out on the desert putting some time on Ali. She is navigating pretty well. There was only one thing that really got her attention out in the desert. It was the token appliance that someone threw out in the desert. You would have thought it was a mountain lion by the way she reacted, but after she smelled it, things went back to smooth sailing. There is still a lot of things that we have to encounter and get to in the next month or so. Gotta run.

Ride # 9...Doing fine!

2008-04-05T22:47:00.001-07:00

Today was a great day. I finally feel like spring is here. The wind quit and it was great weather for training horses. Ally was great today. I thought I would push her buttons to see what would get in her head and I found out that she is going to be a pretty level headed horse. Between the whip cracking lesson, roping lesson, barrel desensitization, turning and stopping, and standing on the saddle, I wasn't able to get her into a frazzle. (I've add pictures of today throughout my blog.) She is really starting to travel well and is becoming a fun horse to ride.

Looks like I've got a shadow.

2008-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

I put her in the round pen and walked over to pick something up and Ali was following me around the round pen and was in my back pocket. I've always thought this was funny about this horse. She's really turned loyal.

Friday the Fourth

2008-04-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day. Ali and I worked on getting desensitized to things swinging overhead. I used my stock whip and rode her around the round pen then transitioned to a rope. I let the rope drag from behind until this didn't bother her anymore. Next, I pulled the rope to the opposite side so the rope was around her hindquarters and against her back legs as she was in motion. She was a little unsure about the whole process but she soon figured out that it wasn't a huge earthshaking experience. Once she was used to all the ropes being swung and drug everywhere, I began to throw a loop on the ground in front of her as she travelled around the round pen. Eventually, I threw a loop onto a plastic 55 gallon drum and drug it around the pen with Ali paying attention to the barrel for the first few minutes. I am heading to a branding in the morning and she will go with me just to make the trip, but she isn't quite ready for all the branding pen action. Maybe in a few weeks, we will be ready to drag a calf to the fire. She is beginning to stop fairly well and moves out well. At the end of the ride, as I was flexing her, I stood up in the saddle and stood on her and she just stood there. She makes huge progress everyday, and I am sure enjoying the experience.

Finally back to training...

2008-04-02T20:45:00.001-07:00

Well, I didn't get to work with my mustang for the last week and a half. Between going to a Montana horse sale and building another round pen and corrals at a new location, that didn't leave any time to work with Ali at all. I had a vacationing friend from California help me build my solid wood round pen and a corral. Without his help it would have taken me a lot longer.

I rode Ali the last couple days and was very glad she did well and hadn't regressed any. I taught her to load into a trailer. She wasn't excited to go into the trailer at all...probably because of her last time in the trailer was a long old trip! But aftera stretch of time lunging her, she decided the trailer wasn't a bad place to be. She realized she could rest in the trailer and not have to work. After a 1/2 hour or so she was loading and unloading in the trailer. Eventually, she was turning around in the 3-horse slant and also backing out. She completely retained everything from the trailer loading lesson because the next day, she loaded into the trailer with ease and we headed to the BLM ground behind my house. While I was riding another horse she stayed in the trailer for a while and I was so proud of her because she didn't paw or wasn't impatient at all. You would have never known she was in there.

I rode her out on the BLM desert for a little over and hour. She was very cautious about all of the sage brush and navigating through steep empty canals. She was very watchy and would pause to check things out. We past some grates in the empty canal and she thought they were "the devil." She didn't spook, but she was very scared to walk by them. I had a friend that was riding with me and Ali was not too concerned about other riders. She didn't really want to leave my friend's horse as I tried to ride off on my own because the other horse was her safety net. We managed to go on our own independent route on occasion. She was pretty unsure where to put her feet as we were navigating up and down hills. It kind of suprised me because mustangs are known to be very sure-footed. I know she will be fine as time progresses and we travel out into the big wide open spaces. Tomorrow I hope to go out into the desert again with her.

A funny thing happened that I thought I would mention, I was laying Ali down on Tuesday right about the time the school bus came to drop off the neighbor kids. She went down right when the bus pulled up. All of the kids on the bus had their faces pressed against the windows. And the little neighbor girl ran up all excited, "Is your mustang dead, Matt?!" It was pretty funny. I guess Ali went down and was so relaxed all of the kids thought she had died right in front of them!

Lessons 6 & 7

2008-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

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.