Blink Once For Yes

I made a new friend last weekend, a city girl whose only pet is a small dog, and I had the opportunity to show her the barn and let her meet the mustangs.  She admired each of them, and relished being able to spend time in the presence of horses.  While she was petting Capri, and we were talking about mustangs and horses in general, she asked a question that I wasn't sure I could answer.  You know how when you're talking to your cat, and you're looking deep into his eyes, and he gives a slow, sure blink in response?

 My friend was wondering if horses do that, and I said I wasn't sure, but maybe, but if they do it seems less deliberate than when a cat does it.  I think dogs do it sometimes, but a horse?  It seems like they blink if I'm petting them, but when I'm talking to them they tend to stare.  What do you think?  Blink once for yes...

When You Care Enough To...Glare?

Belle turned a corner tonight.  A little corner, but a corner nonetheless.  She showed emotion!  I mean an emotion other than fear and avoidance.  And she showed it to me!

Up to now, when Belle has had her dinner, she would eat if I was with her, but only if I would hold very still.  If I made a move, she would stop and back away from her hay until I backed up, then she would return and gingerly resume her meal.  Tonight, however, I leaned on the rails in a forward, relaxed posture like I might do with any other horse. 

I didn't really expect her to eat with me there like that.  But, eat she did. 

But that's not all.  My presence didn't please her.  That's no big surprise, and it doesn't hurt my feelings.  The big surprise was that she became annoyed with me.  So annoyed, that she actually pinned her ears and stuck her nose towards me and GLARED!  TWICE!  She cared enough to glare at me!  Next thing you know she'll be showing me her hooves!  I can't wait!  Any emotion is good...it gives me something to work with.  I care, therefore I glare...that's so sweet!

A Little Bit Braver

Sweet, beautiful Belle is still making little bits of progress.  Nothing monumental, and each little thing would hardly be worth writing about individually, but together the little bits add up to a smidgen of hope that one day Belle will be ready to join up with me and learn to enjoy domesticity.

Our good friend Capri is back for more training, and the two mares are enjoying hanging out together during the day.  Capri is the boss, and Belle will follow her, which surprised and charmed me the first time I put them together.  Part of the day, Capri gets to go out in the pasture to nibble on what's left of the grass.  Belle gets as close as she can to Capri's pasture and keeps an eye on her.

It makes me happy to see Belle care about somebody, even if it isn't me.  She needs to get engaged with life, to learn to embrace the challenges, and show some emotion.  It's a funny thing about her, really; she shows very little emotion about anything.  She doesn't seem depressed, but she's just a little too disinterested.  An emotional flat-liner, I suppose you could say.  No head-tossing or kicking up her heels, no nickering or bickering with other horses, not even a glare to spare for her ever-persistent trainer.

She is mighty cute, though, isn't she?  She lets me love her from a distance, and for now that is good enough.  Through patience and faith, trust will surely come.  Right?

A Spot of Snow

Beautiful, isn't it?

Such fun to play in!

River's nose makes a good snow shovel.

Ahh, just like Eastern Oregon!

Snow is so funny!

Getting Back to Business

When Belle first arrived here eight weeks ago, I had it in mind to let her settle in for a bit, then get right down to the business of getting her gentle.  I could pick up the end of her drag rope and move her in a circle, and even ask her to take sideways steps towards me.  I felt pretty confident that she would come around in the same time frame that Siesta and Capri did.  Now I know that Belle will come around, but she'll do it in her time, not someone else's. 

Belle isn't stubborn.  She isn't silly or stupid.  In fact, she is quite clever, charming, and creative.  She's also fearful, and it's that fear that has made progress go so slowly.  When working with her in the gentling pen or the round pen, she would express her fear by running in furious, mindless circles, which is not a good thing to do, especially while wearing a drag rope.  Rather than pushing her hard and fast, I've been working to earn her trust, and it's been paying off consistently, in little bits at a time.  By using pressure and release tactics, I've shown Belle that she doesn't need to blow up and nearly hurt herself whenever she gets afraid.  She can calm down and listen to me now.  That's a huge sign of progress, and it's what I needed to know before I could get back to business and move her forward in her training.

I'm the proud owner of a twelve-foot bamboo pole.  I like the length of the pole, as it matches the amount of personal space that horses like to keep around themselves when they are checking out a visitor, whether horse or human.  I've been using the pole to get closer to Belle, using it to move her forequarters and hindquarters effectively, using it to desensitize her to touch, and using it to pick up the end of the drag rope, which I can then grasp with my hand.

Sometimes, I can pick the rope up without help from the pole, but Belle has adopted the rope as part of her body, and she is very clever at positioning it just out of my reach.  I see no reason to bend down and present my skull as a target for her hind end (never mind that she's never yet offered to kick...there can always be a first time), so the pole is useful for "fishing" the rope up to me.  Belle actually likes this part of the game, and patiently waits while I get the rope up off the ground, slide it down the length of the pole, and into my hand.  I like the game, too!  As further evidence of how clever and creative Belle is, she somehow managed to tie a lovely knot in her rope, approximately two feet from the dragging end.  I love the knot, because it gives weight to the rope in just the right place, and makes it much easier to pick up with the pole.

So, with the rope in my hand, I let Belle do circles around me until she is relaxed and breathing, then I start to apply pressure to her head.  The other half of pressure is release, and I like to experiment with how much pressure I can apply before she needs her release.  I start by squeezing my fist on the rope...release.  Then a little wrist motion...release.  Next, some elbow-bending...release.  Belle's head turns towards me every time I exert pressure, and it returns to a straight position with every release.  If I get greedy and ask for pressure plus more pressure without a release, she pulls the rope from my hand and spins away to her favorite corner.  That's okay, though, because as she continues to learn I have to test her to see how far I can push ( or pull, in this case).  I fish the rope up, then start again.  This time, after the elbow-bending pressure, I use my whole body and step backwards in a straight line and expect her to move not just her head, but also her forequarters, toward me.  She does, as long as I offer a release.  This part of the game forces her to confront her fear, so I keep it brief and let her return to her comfort zone, then ask it again on the next lap.  That way, she is allowed to build confidence without passing the threshold of her sanity, and we stay safe.  I find a good note to quit on, and then we spend some quiet time together.

There is still a lot to look forward to with Belle, but I am enjoying working with her.  I'm convinced that when she finally comes around she is going to be a heck of a nice horse.  She sure is pretty, and so sweet too. Good things are in Belle's future, and I can hardly wait to show them to her.

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

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

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.

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.

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.

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.