It's been a wonderful year for me, full of blessings and lessons learned from these wonderful, beautiful, amazing mustangs. I hope that your year was wonderful, too, and that the year ahead is even better. All the best--Tricia & The Gentle Mustangs
Musings of a mustang lover and trainer.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!
It's been a wonderful year for me, full of blessings and lessons learned from these wonderful, beautiful, amazing mustangs. I hope that your year was wonderful, too, and that the year ahead is even better. All the best--Tricia & The Gentle Mustangs
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Belle Has a Friend
I love ponies. Just over a year ago, my husband talked me into adopting a little fuzz-ball Shetland pony for our kids to learn on. He was a rescue pony that had been literally starved almost to death before he was seized from his owners by animal control. He was placed in a wonderful foster home, where he was rehabbed and made ready for a permanent home. We are that lucky home, and we adore him. His name is Firecracker, but he is as gentle as can be and he loves to be ridden and fussed over by our children.
Well, enough about my family's pony. Rick and I are neighbors, you know, and neighbors have to keep up with one another. As soon as we brought Firecracker home, Rick decided that he and his wife should find a pony for their grandchildren. So, the search began, and we found a wonderful little gelding named Woody. He is the perfect babysitter pony and he loves to go on trail rides. Actually, he loves everybody and everything. And everybody loves him, too. Including Belle.
Belle was weaned from her foal just a couple of weeks before she came here, and she was used to being with lots of other mares and foals for companionship. Here, there are plenty of horses to talk to, sniff, and even do some mutual-grooming through the fence with, but I thought it would be nice if she had her own little buddy.
Woody was only slightly alarmed in the beginning. That is a wild mustang don't ya know, and a mare to boot. Yikes! He is used to being at the bottom of the pecking order, so Belle can control him with just the slightest glance or movement of her ears. No kicking or squealing for these two, thank goodness. She lets him eat hay side-by-side with her, and they enjoy just hanging out together or strolling around the arena.
Well, enough about my family's pony. Rick and I are neighbors, you know, and neighbors have to keep up with one another. As soon as we brought Firecracker home, Rick decided that he and his wife should find a pony for their grandchildren. So, the search began, and we found a wonderful little gelding named Woody. He is the perfect babysitter pony and he loves to go on trail rides. Actually, he loves everybody and everything. And everybody loves him, too. Including Belle.
Belle was weaned from her foal just a couple of weeks before she came here, and she was used to being with lots of other mares and foals for companionship. Here, there are plenty of horses to talk to, sniff, and even do some mutual-grooming through the fence with, but I thought it would be nice if she had her own little buddy.
Woody was only slightly alarmed in the beginning. That is a wild mustang don't ya know, and a mare to boot. Yikes! He is used to being at the bottom of the pecking order, so Belle can control him with just the slightest glance or movement of her ears. No kicking or squealing for these two, thank goodness. She lets him eat hay side-by-side with her, and they enjoy just hanging out together or strolling around the arena.
Pretty dog-gone cute together, aren't they? Maybe I could teach Woody to pick up Belle's rope and bring her to me....and we could add Mustang Tamer to his resume.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Slow and Steady
If slow and steady wins the race, Belle and I must be on our way to winning a really big trophy. We are slow. And steady! I never meant for Belle's training to progress so slowly. I work with her every day, but each mustang is different, and they can only be pushed so far without backsliding, so here we are. I'm not complaining, mind you. Each day, Belle gives me little tidbits of hope that soon she will be ready to accept the friendship that I am offering her. She approaches the rails of her pen when she sees me coming with her hay, and she beats me to the gate when it's time for her turnout in the arena. She backs away when I get there, but the fact that she anticipates me doing something for her, and lets me see that she's happy about it, is a good thing.
Belle isn't a horse that is motivated by food. In fact, she rarely cleans up her hay, even the lovely alfalfa that I purchase just for her. Mustangs are supposed to be thrifty, so I'm not quite sure why Belle is prone to wasting her feed, but she is healthy and maintains her weight, so I guess it's okay. Except that it isn't okay, because it makes it darn-tootin' difficult to bribe her with food and treats! Lately, though, I've made a show out of bringing Belle a handful of fresh-picked green grass and a couple of dry maple leaves. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? Lucky for Belle, the edges of the manure pile are bordered in luscious, thick, juicy, summer-like blades of green grass. Every afternoon at the same time, Belle can watch me pick this lovely treat and she has begun to anticipate it. The green grass smells so good, and when I bring it to her I can see how much she wants it. I wait for her to take a couple of steps towards me, then I set it on a barrel for her, tell her how wonderful she is, and walk away. As soon as I'm in the barn, Belle gobbles her treat. Eventually, hopefully, she'll get closer and closer to me, and someday she'll take the treat from my hand.
Belle had me excited for a moment tonight. It was feeding time, and I went into the arena with the intention of moving her into her pen for the night. I was standing in the middle of the arena, and Belle was in a corner. She moved towards me at a brisk walk, and for just a second I thought she was going to walk right up to me. I know my pulse went up, and maybe she heard my heart thudding in my chest, because when she was about twelve feet away she suddenly came to her senses and stopped. I praised her richly for her bravery, and turned away so that she might feel compelled to come closer. She didn't, so I started walking towards her pen in hopes that she would follow me. She decided to turn and go the other way, and she got to her pen before me. She went in, then turned to face me, and we gazed into each others eyes for a few moments. She is very good about facing up to me, and loves to make and keep eye contact with me. Her body language is never challenging, which I certainly appreciate. When will this sweet mare give it up? When will she admit that life would better with a gentle, loving, generous leader? Soon, I hope, and when she does, she and I will both know it's been a race worth the running.
Belle isn't a horse that is motivated by food. In fact, she rarely cleans up her hay, even the lovely alfalfa that I purchase just for her. Mustangs are supposed to be thrifty, so I'm not quite sure why Belle is prone to wasting her feed, but she is healthy and maintains her weight, so I guess it's okay. Except that it isn't okay, because it makes it darn-tootin' difficult to bribe her with food and treats! Lately, though, I've made a show out of bringing Belle a handful of fresh-picked green grass and a couple of dry maple leaves. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? Lucky for Belle, the edges of the manure pile are bordered in luscious, thick, juicy, summer-like blades of green grass. Every afternoon at the same time, Belle can watch me pick this lovely treat and she has begun to anticipate it. The green grass smells so good, and when I bring it to her I can see how much she wants it. I wait for her to take a couple of steps towards me, then I set it on a barrel for her, tell her how wonderful she is, and walk away. As soon as I'm in the barn, Belle gobbles her treat. Eventually, hopefully, she'll get closer and closer to me, and someday she'll take the treat from my hand.
Belle had me excited for a moment tonight. It was feeding time, and I went into the arena with the intention of moving her into her pen for the night. I was standing in the middle of the arena, and Belle was in a corner. She moved towards me at a brisk walk, and for just a second I thought she was going to walk right up to me. I know my pulse went up, and maybe she heard my heart thudding in my chest, because when she was about twelve feet away she suddenly came to her senses and stopped. I praised her richly for her bravery, and turned away so that she might feel compelled to come closer. She didn't, so I started walking towards her pen in hopes that she would follow me. She decided to turn and go the other way, and she got to her pen before me. She went in, then turned to face me, and we gazed into each others eyes for a few moments. She is very good about facing up to me, and loves to make and keep eye contact with me. Her body language is never challenging, which I certainly appreciate. When will this sweet mare give it up? When will she admit that life would better with a gentle, loving, generous leader? Soon, I hope, and when she does, she and I will both know it's been a race worth the running.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A Horse For Rachel
A few weeks ago, we had some visitors from the Southwestern corner of our state. They are in love with wild mustangs, and wanted to meet a few gentle ones. They were looking to add a horse to their life, and eagerly made the eight hour round trip drive from their home to Rick's barn. Rachel and her husband, Matt, are newlyweds. Rachel owned an Icelandic gelding for many years, but recently made the decision to donate him to a therapeutic riding center. Her dilemma was, should she replace her gelding with another Icelandic, or should she follow her heart and adopt a mustang? Well, since she asked me, I gave her some input....mustangs are the stuff dreams are made of.
Rachel wasn't sure if she was looking to buy a titled, well-broke mustang, or adopt a newly-gentled and just-started under saddle one. A friend of mine, a fellow mustang trainer, had a gelding for sale, so she hauled him here and Rachel rode enjoyed a ride on him. She also rode River, my big McCullough Peaks mustang mare. Rachel liked both of them, even though they are very different types of horses. Rachel and Matt also wanted to meet Capri, to get a feel for what a horse at her training level was like, so they brushed her and Rachel played with her a bit in the round pen.
Rick and I enjoyed the visit very much, and were excited to have met wonderful people who were considering joining the mustang community. We chatted for a long time about Rachel's wants and needs in a horse, and what kind of home she would provide. It was clear to us that any horse who went home with them would be lucky indeed.
Rachel and I stayed in touch, and pretty soon she decided that adopting a TIP horse gentled by me was the way to go. She was ready to choose a fresh one from the corrals in Oregon, but I had to be honest and tell her that having two wild ones at the same time in addition to the other horses that I train and care for would be too much for me right now. I like to be able to really focus on a wild horse, so that I can put my whole heart into gentling it and giving it a firm foundation.
Rachel understood that, and wondered if maybe Capri would be available for reassignment. Hmmm...well...I suppose we could consider that. After all, it was the original intention to find her a wonderful home where she would receive continued training and be treasured forever, right? Rick was critical to the decision-making process, since at this point he was her official adopter. Reassignment can take place in the first year of adoption, before the title is issued, and is subject to the same paperwork and process as other BLM adoptions.
Our initial response was yes, contingent on more visits here with Capri, to be sure that they were a good fit. At this point, I hadn't put the first ride on Capri yet, so we set an open-ended timetable for reassignment, thinking that sometime early next spring would work well for everyone. Obviously, we didn't know Rachel very well yet. She's a go-getter, and tenacious, and she wanted a certain chocolate pony. One with three white socks, a star, and a melt-your-heart expression on her perfectly chiseled face. Who am I to stand in the way of a woman on a mustang mission?
By the time I had put three rides on Capri, Rachel was wondering if we could shoot for the first of January for a reassignment date. After the fourth ride, she was wondering if the first week of December would work. Her previous trainer and good friend, a wonderful gal from Iceland, had a rare opening in her barn, and would we please consider letting Capri go now? Well, we'd consider it, but Rachel still needed to have a second visit with Capri. So, the newlyweds made the long trek again. We had another good visit, and Rachel rode Capri. She felt calm and relaxed on her, even though it was only Capri's fifth ride and Rachel hasn't had much experience on barely-green-broke horses. They even enjoyed a nice trot together.
So, Rick and I agreed it would work out fine, and Rachel put her paperwork into the Oregon BLM. She was approved, and she made arrangements for her trainer to pick up Capri on Sunday, December fourth. Rachel and Matt would be out of state on a family vacation, and Capri would have a week to bond with her new trainer before Rachel returned.
What could be harder than saying goodbye to Capri? Having to say goodbye to her twice. That sweet, beautiful mare found a special place in my heart and soul. I guess the flip side is that I got to say hello to her twice, too. What a blessing it was to first gentle her, then train her to ride. I am very proud of her accomplishments, and I'll be excited to hear news of her future progress.
Capri handled the four hour drive to her new home with no problem. She is settling in happily, and her new trainer is already impressed with her calm demeanor, her beauty, her curious nature, and her kind eye. One day soon, when Capri is ready, Rick and I will haul a couple of horses down there and we can all go for a trail ride together.
Capri is the horse of new beginnings. She's had a handful of them this year, and she's taken each one in stride. Cheers to Rachel and Capri. May all of Rachel's dreams come true, with a lifetime of mustang love and adventures.
Rachel wasn't sure if she was looking to buy a titled, well-broke mustang, or adopt a newly-gentled and just-started under saddle one. A friend of mine, a fellow mustang trainer, had a gelding for sale, so she hauled him here and Rachel rode enjoyed a ride on him. She also rode River, my big McCullough Peaks mustang mare. Rachel liked both of them, even though they are very different types of horses. Rachel and Matt also wanted to meet Capri, to get a feel for what a horse at her training level was like, so they brushed her and Rachel played with her a bit in the round pen.
Rick and I enjoyed the visit very much, and were excited to have met wonderful people who were considering joining the mustang community. We chatted for a long time about Rachel's wants and needs in a horse, and what kind of home she would provide. It was clear to us that any horse who went home with them would be lucky indeed.
Rachel and I stayed in touch, and pretty soon she decided that adopting a TIP horse gentled by me was the way to go. She was ready to choose a fresh one from the corrals in Oregon, but I had to be honest and tell her that having two wild ones at the same time in addition to the other horses that I train and care for would be too much for me right now. I like to be able to really focus on a wild horse, so that I can put my whole heart into gentling it and giving it a firm foundation.
Rachel understood that, and wondered if maybe Capri would be available for reassignment. Hmmm...well...I suppose we could consider that. After all, it was the original intention to find her a wonderful home where she would receive continued training and be treasured forever, right? Rick was critical to the decision-making process, since at this point he was her official adopter. Reassignment can take place in the first year of adoption, before the title is issued, and is subject to the same paperwork and process as other BLM adoptions.
By the time I had put three rides on Capri, Rachel was wondering if we could shoot for the first of January for a reassignment date. After the fourth ride, she was wondering if the first week of December would work. Her previous trainer and good friend, a wonderful gal from Iceland, had a rare opening in her barn, and would we please consider letting Capri go now? Well, we'd consider it, but Rachel still needed to have a second visit with Capri. So, the newlyweds made the long trek again. We had another good visit, and Rachel rode Capri. She felt calm and relaxed on her, even though it was only Capri's fifth ride and Rachel hasn't had much experience on barely-green-broke horses. They even enjoyed a nice trot together.
So, Rick and I agreed it would work out fine, and Rachel put her paperwork into the Oregon BLM. She was approved, and she made arrangements for her trainer to pick up Capri on Sunday, December fourth. Rachel and Matt would be out of state on a family vacation, and Capri would have a week to bond with her new trainer before Rachel returned.
What could be harder than saying goodbye to Capri? Having to say goodbye to her twice. That sweet, beautiful mare found a special place in my heart and soul. I guess the flip side is that I got to say hello to her twice, too. What a blessing it was to first gentle her, then train her to ride. I am very proud of her accomplishments, and I'll be excited to hear news of her future progress.
Capri handled the four hour drive to her new home with no problem. She is settling in happily, and her new trainer is already impressed with her calm demeanor, her beauty, her curious nature, and her kind eye. One day soon, when Capri is ready, Rick and I will haul a couple of horses down there and we can all go for a trail ride together.
Capri is the horse of new beginnings. She's had a handful of them this year, and she's taken each one in stride. Cheers to Rachel and Capri. May all of Rachel's dreams come true, with a lifetime of mustang love and adventures.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Damascus Road
Belle had an epiphany today. She's been holding back her trust; building a wall between herself and me, and even though she seemed to recognize that I had some leadership potential, she's been unwilling to acknowledge that she needs my leadership. I've been scratching my head, wondering if I should crank things up a notch in the round pen, or if I should give her more time to come around. Well, I was in the mood for some honky-tonk today, so crank it up I did. I needed to send Belle some of my energy, and I needed to see her really dig down and move.
Until now, when working Belle in a circle, the only changes of direction I've gotten from her have been outside turns, where her head goes away from me and her butt points towards me. Those kinds of turns aren't all bad, because they cause the horse to see me from first one eye, then the other. But in order to get the connection that I'm working towards with Belle, she needs to give me inside turns, where the head turns towards me and the butt turns away. How exactly does one teach a wild mustang working at liberty to turn towards the handler? With energy and movement. Lots of it, in Belle's case. I used what Parelli calls a "carrot stick," which is a four-foot hollow fiberglass rod that has a four-foot cord attached to the end. It is used to motivate a horse, and also to desensitize them to touch. Today, motivation was the key, and just holding it away from my body and occasionally swinging it or snapping the end of the cord was enough to send Belle through the roof.
Galloping at full-tilt, bouncing off the round pen rails, Belle is a sight to behold. I admit I felt a little bit sorry for her. I guess you could call it tough love. Nothing will ever change for the better without some exercise, right? After several fast laps, and outside turns to change direction, I was ready to ask for some inside turns. It all has to do with my body language, my position in relation to the horse, the "feel" between us, and finally the "draw," which is where she actually responds to me and turns inward.
The look on Belle's face when she came face to face with me was priceless. It was one of those WOW moments for both of us. Her eyes were bright and her ears were impossibly far forward, and if horses were capable of dropping their jaw, hers would've been on the ground. That was her moment of epiphany. I repeated the exercise over and over, and each time she responded correctly she was rewarded with a moment to stand still and look at me. Each time she didn't respond correctly, she was made to keep working. Belle took lots more steps towards me. She didn't come up to me, so the connection isn't complete yet, but with another session like that one she will. She believes me now. I will be her leader, her trainer, and her master. Before, I was the maid. Oh, the changes that will take place soon. I can hardly wait!
Until now, when working Belle in a circle, the only changes of direction I've gotten from her have been outside turns, where her head goes away from me and her butt points towards me. Those kinds of turns aren't all bad, because they cause the horse to see me from first one eye, then the other. But in order to get the connection that I'm working towards with Belle, she needs to give me inside turns, where the head turns towards me and the butt turns away. How exactly does one teach a wild mustang working at liberty to turn towards the handler? With energy and movement. Lots of it, in Belle's case. I used what Parelli calls a "carrot stick," which is a four-foot hollow fiberglass rod that has a four-foot cord attached to the end. It is used to motivate a horse, and also to desensitize them to touch. Today, motivation was the key, and just holding it away from my body and occasionally swinging it or snapping the end of the cord was enough to send Belle through the roof.
Galloping at full-tilt, bouncing off the round pen rails, Belle is a sight to behold. I admit I felt a little bit sorry for her. I guess you could call it tough love. Nothing will ever change for the better without some exercise, right? After several fast laps, and outside turns to change direction, I was ready to ask for some inside turns. It all has to do with my body language, my position in relation to the horse, the "feel" between us, and finally the "draw," which is where she actually responds to me and turns inward.
The look on Belle's face when she came face to face with me was priceless. It was one of those WOW moments for both of us. Her eyes were bright and her ears were impossibly far forward, and if horses were capable of dropping their jaw, hers would've been on the ground. That was her moment of epiphany. I repeated the exercise over and over, and each time she responded correctly she was rewarded with a moment to stand still and look at me. Each time she didn't respond correctly, she was made to keep working. Belle took lots more steps towards me. She didn't come up to me, so the connection isn't complete yet, but with another session like that one she will. She believes me now. I will be her leader, her trainer, and her master. Before, I was the maid. Oh, the changes that will take place soon. I can hardly wait!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Clockwise
Moving Belle into the round pen today was a step in the right direction. Literally, the right direction. Her phobia of moving to the right, or clockwise, disappeared in the large, round space. Rick and I set the round pen up just outside of the gentling pen, with two panels left wide open to form a chute, and with the help of a new friend who was visiting the mustangs today, it was easy to move Belle into it and close the panels behind her.
I gave Belle a few minutes to enjoy the view from her new position, then went in with her and put her to work. Belle is still wearing her drag rope, but I haven't felt compelled to pick it up lately, since working at liberty is more rewarding at this stage of training. Belle is very responsive to body language, so directing her movement was easy and a lot of fun. Just slapping my arm against my thigh gets her going; no rope swinging or whip snapping is necessary for this girl. For a full thirty minutes, Belle went round and round at a snappy, robust trot. She's built like a hot rod, and watching that amazing body move was a real treat. When changing directions, she hunkers down on her hindquarters and rolls the other way. She's got some moves, that's for sure. To the left, to the right, to the left again, back to the right, then whoa. Look at me, Belle. Good girl. Look she did, but she could only muster the courage to take a couple of steps towards me. I'm working hard to get a connection, to have her "hook up" or "join up" or whatever you want to call it. She needs to want to be with me, to acknowledge me as her leader, so that I have her trust and respect. Each time she looked away and withdrew into herself, I put her back to work doing circles. The exercise gets tedious after a while, so I found a good note to quit on and stepped out of the round pen.
Belle watched me as I exited, and I noticed that she was tracking me with her whole body as I walked outside the pen, so I walked a couple of laps around it. She stood in the middle, turned on her forehand, and kept her full face towards me as I moved. It was a role-reversal, with her in the middle and me doing circles. Not a good thing, but it was interesting. After two laps, she figured out that she could just bend her neck around to keep one eye at a time on me. I turned my back on her then and left her.
Belle blew her nose a few times, cocked a hip, and seemed quite content with herself. She watched my friend and I as we brushed Capri and chatted for a while, and she continued to watch while I did my chores. Later, Rick came out to the arena and asked how it went with Belle. I went back in with her and played with her again, so that Rick could see, then asked him if he wanted a turn with her. Well, of course he did! He did well too, and was impressed with the progress that was made. Tomorrow can only be better!
I gave Belle a few minutes to enjoy the view from her new position, then went in with her and put her to work. Belle is still wearing her drag rope, but I haven't felt compelled to pick it up lately, since working at liberty is more rewarding at this stage of training. Belle is very responsive to body language, so directing her movement was easy and a lot of fun. Just slapping my arm against my thigh gets her going; no rope swinging or whip snapping is necessary for this girl. For a full thirty minutes, Belle went round and round at a snappy, robust trot. She's built like a hot rod, and watching that amazing body move was a real treat. When changing directions, she hunkers down on her hindquarters and rolls the other way. She's got some moves, that's for sure. To the left, to the right, to the left again, back to the right, then whoa. Look at me, Belle. Good girl. Look she did, but she could only muster the courage to take a couple of steps towards me. I'm working hard to get a connection, to have her "hook up" or "join up" or whatever you want to call it. She needs to want to be with me, to acknowledge me as her leader, so that I have her trust and respect. Each time she looked away and withdrew into herself, I put her back to work doing circles. The exercise gets tedious after a while, so I found a good note to quit on and stepped out of the round pen.
Belle watched me as I exited, and I noticed that she was tracking me with her whole body as I walked outside the pen, so I walked a couple of laps around it. She stood in the middle, turned on her forehand, and kept her full face towards me as I moved. It was a role-reversal, with her in the middle and me doing circles. Not a good thing, but it was interesting. After two laps, she figured out that she could just bend her neck around to keep one eye at a time on me. I turned my back on her then and left her.
Belle blew her nose a few times, cocked a hip, and seemed quite content with herself. She watched my friend and I as we brushed Capri and chatted for a while, and she continued to watch while I did my chores. Later, Rick came out to the arena and asked how it went with Belle. I went back in with her and played with her again, so that Rick could see, then asked him if he wanted a turn with her. Well, of course he did! He did well too, and was impressed with the progress that was made. Tomorrow can only be better!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)