Farewell Ranger and Cody

Here are the pictures from yesterday. Ranger and Cody have found the BEST HOMES in the WORLD! I was thrilled to wave goodbye and know that these 2 lucky mustangs have a wonderful family to love them forever. I wish them the best of luck!

The 2010 TIP Graduates

Cody accepting a rider, Ranger out on the trails. Life is good. The boys are ready to head to Southern California. Joe and his family have adopted BOTH MUSTANGS... CONGRATULATIONS!

Now the question is what am I going to train next?

A step back...

For anyone that doesn't already know, October 2nd 2010 my dad passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. I took a leave of absence and spent his last month together in Michigan with my mom and sister. It was a "hard goodbye" but ultimately I will be stronger for having had him in my life even if it was only 27 years.

That being said, the mustang boys took a little "vacation" from the working world while I was away. They had about 60 days worth of work and then took 30 off so I was a little nervous about what they might be like when I returned. They are and always have been two very different personalities. I shouldn't be surprised that one missed me and the other seemed to have forgotten all about me.

Cody nickered for the first time when he saw me and ran over to me. He has since been following me around like a puppy dog. He was always pretty good about following but now he is like glue! He also acted trusting enough that I began to lay my weight on his back in preparation for a rider. He also did outstanding being ground tied while I hosed him off as well as tied to the rail. He lunged in side reins and I was so thrilled to see his head set so naturally with such little guiding.

Ranger on the other hand seemed to have decided I had to earn my way back into his circle of trust. He was stand offish and uninterested when I went to greet him. It actually hurt my feelings for the first day but then I realized he had a good point. I did disappear for a long time and I thought I had better not get offended unless it went on for more than a few days. After 3 days in a row, Ranger is on the road to being his normal calm and cool self. I imagine by this time next week I will be telling you all the new tricks and cues he has learned.

So thats the update on the boys. Monday marks the "90 day" period that I have had them and that means it is time to go to their forever home. I will keep them a few more weeks since I was unable to train them the entire time but we will be saying our goodbyes soon. Stay tuned for more updates and progress.

More Pictures!

The weather has been really nice lately. Both Ranger and Cody have been enjoying the break from 90 degree weather. Ranger has been out just about everywhere on the property. Yesterday, we went to the water pond and he seemed to like it. He was pawing the water so hard I had to lift my legs up so I didn't get soaked. Cody has been lunging with a bit and for the first time, I saddled him up to lunge. He accepted everything with ease and what a mover, wow! You can see in the picture his extension is amazing! He is going to be a head stopper for sure. I have already had many comments at the barn about the wonderful temperaments and movement from both mustangs. It is nice to see them growing up and maturing into such nice horses.

30 days later...

Well, 30 of the 90 days have gone by since I brought these boys home. Ranger is now being ridden regularly under saddle and Cody is learning how to work in a round pen. Cody also had a fan club of little girls come visit him and such a sweet boy when I showed him off. You can tell he really like kids! Here are the pictures to show it, can you tell how proud I am?

Riding!

Since these photos, I have been on Ranger without the lunge line. He has remained relaxed and calm. Cody has been working on leading and doing very well. Natural horsemanship techniques have been the foundation of all their training. They both respond well even though they are very different in personality.

Updates on Ranger and Cody

Well, the "boys" are doing well. They have each started to express their personalities and both prove to be smart, willing, and kind. Cody has amazing conformation, probably because his herd originated from cavalry horses. Many of the cavalry horses had quarter and morgan and he sure looks like he could be either one. He is alert and attentive to his surroundings, he watches with a careful soft eye as other horses, trucks, tractors go by his pen. I have been leading him in and out of his pen for the past 3 days now and he is building a lot of confidence with every new adventure outside his pen.
Ranger has a "been there, done that" kind of attitude. After having him for 13 days, I decided to see what he thought about the mounting block. As he stood quietly, I started to pet him and lean on him, testing to see if he would be ok with a rider on his back. He barely batted an eyelash and so, with a trusty friend holding the lead line, I gently slid onto his back. I got my first ride being lead around in a rope halter bareback. It was really cool that Ranger thought nothing of it. The next few days were spent getting him comfortable with a bridle and saddle and lunging. As you can see from his pictures, he is getting ready to really begin his in saddle training very soon.

6 days of practice

The mustangs made a lot of progress in these past 6 days. Ravendales' Ranger (buckskin) walked out of the pen and into the round pen for his first session today. This was after he lead successfully in his pen, hoof picked all 4 feet, de-sensitized to plastic bags, sweatshirts, ropes, etc. and got a bath! Coppersmith Cody (blood bay) did a fantastic lunging job in his pen, leading well, and hoof picking. Cody is younger and seems to want to go at a slower pace than Ranger so that is what we are going to do. He has still done exceptionally well considering the amount if time he has been here. I am so proud of the progress they have both made in just under 1 week! It looks like I might have to go find my saddle sooner than I expected!

Quick to learn!

As you can see, the boys learned very quickly what people are good for... grooming! The dun gelding was so inquisitive. He followed me around his pen asking for head rubs. After some work with the long stick, we started to groom with the curry comb. We also introduced fly spray and automatic water buckets. He was so playful that he kicked his water bucket over, twice! He is playful and sweet, it was a fun day for both of us. The bay wanted his chin groomed, he kept sticking it out. It was very cute. I am very happy with both of them, not even 24 hours later they are being groomed and touched all over. Good day :)

Mustangs arrival

These geldings arrived today, July 26th. As you can see, they have adjusted pretty well. I was able to watch the mustangs for a while and observe them at the corrals in Litchfield, CA before deciding who to take home. I chose young geldings with good conformation and nice temperments. I immediately began working with them in the pen. After a few hours I was able to get a quick nose touch from both boys. They seem eager to begin the gentling process.