On the way there!
Filed Under Mustang Training Blog | 2 Comments
Well, friends, family and everyone watching Chance and I! We have made the beginning of our journey to Texas. It has been great. Chance is a great traveler, super at each stop! He settles in great and loves to see the new places. We have gotten to work with him at each stop and he has done SUPER! I am not surprised since he is a super horse! He just keeps getting in the trailer, which does surprise me after he spends anywhere from three to nine hours a day in the thing! But, he is in great spirits! He unloaded at Jamie And Clieve’s Cross Country Boarding in Augusta, KS tonight and loved it here. He and Pate have a barn to theirselves and all the feed, water and love they need. We got to play in the round pen, and then I rode some! Yes, he finally did it! He did a complete body shake and it KILLED!!!! So, we are just happy still to be riding any!!! However, last night in Limon, CO Chance and I went on our first trail ride together. What an expeirence and I am so proud of him and his mind. Anyone will be honored and proud to own, and ride this horse! He is just outstanding and wants to please so much. He is just such a joy. Thank you BLM, Mustang Hertiage Foundation. my family and God for making this all happen. I truly am blessed and honored for this journey!
My friends will soon be meeting us in Texas and we will be happy to see more Oregon people! We are feeling a bit out here. However, we did see a Washington Dodge Truck on the freeway today! As close to home as we have gotten!
Chance and I miss home and can’t wait to see you all soon. I will try to post some photos at some point but it may have to wait until I get home!!!!!
A Good trainer, good horse and good farrier!
Filed Under Mustang Training Blog | Leave a Comment
August 30
Farrier visit, he is new and I take Chance to the round pen, and let him meet Dennis. I let Dennis touch him and work him a little, and then it is business. And let me tell you from the words of the farrier himself, “Chance did better than most domestic horses! Especially for a first time” and for those that know this means the most to me. I do train my horses to behave and mind, and my farriers don’t have to hurt my horses to work with him. So, if you ever met a farrier that hurts your animals send them packing! Chance did awesome for the farrier and I am so proud of him!
First Show, Chance loves his kids and family!
Filed Under Mustang Training Blog | Leave a Comment
August 25th
Mavricks Open show in LaGrande. Get up early and load up and drive and hour and half to the show. He doesn’t like standing in the trailer a new thing for him. He might get hobble trained before the trip to Texas. Unload and brush him out and get ready for showmanship. Paint his hooves and now stand and wait. I am in major pain in my back and legs from the coming off last night! Not sure how much I can do. Anyway, we do showmanship I find a way to get myself to move my feet fast enough to get him to trot, he squares up nicely and does a great walk, trot whoa transition. Our haunch turn is not the best but good enough for me! I am please! We place fifth and the load speakers; the horses and the kids do not bother him. He is just taking it all in. We get saddled and ready for trail. I take him to the warm up pen and lounge him but just don’t feel I can make myself get on, the pain is pretty bad. Anyway, I decide to try in hand trail and see how that goes. We can’t place cause he has been ridden but we want the experience. So, we enter the ring and go to the first thing getting a water jug from a packer and then walk over the poles, he looks at them since they are not his I guess. And then we go to the water crossing, let me tell you this water crossing is a narrow I can step across wide, deep thing with black trap on the edges and poles around it. Chance watches me and follows me over it. He jumps it but still he came across it and I am proud of him. Then we go to the back through and he does this great. And now on to the gate, we side up to it, and open it and walk through and he doesn’t want to side back to it to close it, but we close it, and walk to the dead bush where we dump water on it and he looks at that. Then we go to the branch and move it from the bride crossing and he gets a bit worried here at the branch but we work it out. Now, onto the bridge, there is water under this bridge new for him, and he can see himself as he comes up on the bridge he jumps forward and past it and now, we try again and the second time he ROCKS it! Great job chance. The judge says she loves his expression and his willingness to work for me! YEAH~~~~~
We head home my back it killing me!
What better place to ride first time away from home, Chief Josepgh Days Arena
Filed Under Mustang Training Blog | Leave a Comment
August 16th 2007
Loaded up in the trailer tonight in a new spot in the trailer, and hauled with new horses and picked up a horse on the way. We went to the rodeo grounds to ride. He saddled up fine, and there were two other horses around him four people and my kids, all talking and moving around. He is not bothered by any of it. I lead him into the arena and lounged him some, and then I let Emily Howerton a 4-H member new to riding pony him around the arena for the first time. They both did great. Chance just went with her and her horse and Emily did great for a first time ever to pony a horse! I then worked on getting him to stand he wanted to move to get on today, new place new horses, and new things. He is nervous as am I. We just work and work on getting him to stand and be standing when I swing on. I finally get on and the arena footing is terrible, so we are going to stick to walking and trotting. Others are loping and tonight he had some frists- like the first time someone was riding next to him kissed and took off, Emily as a new rider doesn’t understand how green horses are. So, Chance did great. We had others ride up our butts, and fly by us, my kids are running and jumping in the stands and screaming like kids do! Chance had lots to take in and think about as well as working for me. We got good circles and good constant gaits. We don’t want to stand still at all. He wants to figgy and dance around. He will not even stand with the other horses. I guess we work on that!
First Ride No Hands!!!
Filed Under Mustang Training Blog | Leave a Comment
August 7, 2007
Today is the big day; I got him out, tied him up, saddled, bridled and then took him to the round pen. I worked him a bit on the line, and then did some desensitizing working with flags, whip and bag, and milk jugs with rocks. I drive him some and WOW he is so soft today we drove without the bit em up on, and he kept his head set pretty nice. He really wants to turn quick and softly come off the bridle in the turns. Emily Bushman comes over and we are going to ride him with no handler today. So, she meets him, and works with him some, then she mounts and he sorta panics, I am there but not real close. She tries it again. Much better. This time we ask him to move, she does most of it, I am just there as his comfort and security, so that he slowly gets weaned from the handler on the ground. We do this with the line as I sorta lead him, then I set to the center of the round pen and sorta lunge him he is watching Emily and me but not really reacting to either of us. Relaxed. Now we take him off the line, and I still send him with my hands, voice and body language but Emily is doing more and more. Chance does panic when I raise my voice and move too fast, but he is easily brought back to control and focus. I lead him out and to the big arena, lead him around some here and then turn loose, then I walk near her but not next to. Finally I am able to stand in the center and just watch, and Emily is able to walk, halt, and turn him. And then moves up to a trot. Then she dismounts and this he panics a bit so she retries and he does much better the second time. Now it is mine turn, up and on, and he is great, now let move out. Super, nice, and we do some turning, halting, going and now we are trotting. He feels relaxed and just trying to understand the foot fall, and packing weight and such, but not scared or reactive. Kids come running up the side of the arena and I think it scares me more than Chance. We turn and face them, but Chance is great. The wind is also blowing the Hurricane Creek wind that we always get here. He handles the wind, the dogs, the people and the banners on the arena blowing. He is just amazing. Chance truly has moved me and pleased me! Now I dismount, nothing but prefect. What a GREAT DAY!
August 8th, 2007
Ride number two!! We did drive today just to show someone that was watching what driving is and how we taught him to rein. Then we rode in the round pen today just to make sure we were still all there. He was lost on the move thing without someone there to move him so Ryan had to get us and move us several times and then it was like he went “Oh I remember” and then we were great. We walked and trotted and stopped and turned and back. Good second ride!
August 9th, 2007
Today we worked in the round pen, rode in the round pen, no driving just sacking out and working. Then we went to the arena we videoed today, so we have it all on film. We did lots of rein work and then trotting and such. We went through the poles and then played barrel-racing horse! Then we went over poles, as well as stopped over the pole and got two side steps before Chance thought rolling the pole with his feet was fun! What a great ride! His dismount is solid. I picked up all four of his feet in the arena and then did some showmanship work. Boy, he is good!