Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Thinking about 2011, I was able to place 4 mustangs in homes.  That is 1 more than last year!  Being able to work with them on a regular basis is great, because it means I get to see them really grow up. Little Talitha is working well and boy is she smart. I showed her the first steps to teach her to bow and a few days later I get a text message from her owner "she bows!" I call her my little honor student.

Cinnamon is enjoying his huge pasture with his new best friend Ranger. He has grown a winter coat so wooly and dark, it hardly looks like the skinny sleek mustang I first met in July. 

Twister aka Remy is quite another story... he has become my biggest teacher (read challenge) and I enjoy working with him the most. He still favors his right side and will try to get you to stay there but will allow me to touch him on his left now too. In fact, he really likes his ears scratched and will tilt his head in at an angle as if to see "ooh ooh please more!" 

In addition, I am still riding at blacksterlingfriesians.com as well as teaching dressage lessons. You can see the picture above is Majestic in our holiday outfits! 

I hope this message find you in good health and happiness!

Twister: ADOPTED!!!!!

Congrats Misty and family!

Click here to see me working with this amazing boy!

Cinnamon: ADOPTED!

Congrats Karin and family!

Talitha: ADOPTED!

Congrats Conny, Roger, and Brandon!

Getting ready for the BIG day!

Lots of preparation is going into this weekend. I am thrilled to share the following pictures of each mustang as they continue to learn and grow. I will be at the Napa Mustang Days this weekend finding homes for the horses. Come visit! I will post pictures of all the adopters the second the paperwork is filled out!

Feels good to be free!

That must be what Talitha was thinking when she was turned out in the round pen for the first time! She was a doll walking out of her paddock and around the barn. After she went into the round pen and kicked up her heels, we worked in the smaller round pen and the outdoor arena. She walked casually over poles, around obstacles, and didn't even bat an eyelash! What a good girl, I am very proud of my youngest little mustang!

Cinnamon got a bath. He was sooo clean, for about an hour! He was not a huge fan of water, but tolerated it like a gentleman. After, we walked around the barn so he could dry off. He is so sweet, I keep imagining his perfect home. I think it will be one that involves a lot of grooming, he loves to be petted right in the crest of his mane. He will do the 'Elvis lip' when you have found his favorite spot!

Twister has decided to approach right away when coming to see him. He remains at a distance of 1-2 feet. You can gently grace the side of his nose while he sniffs you. I keep telling him that grooming feels so good! I think it will be soon he might take my advice. Either way, he remains attentive and calm when I am with him. Once I leave, he will walk to the gate I went out of and wait as if to say "come back!" I am very pleased with how sweet his personality is. He will need someone who is understanding of his needs and able to give him the time it will take to earn his trust. I don't know if I will be taking him to Napa yet. I will be announcing that next week so stay tuned!

5 weeks in, 3 weeks to go!

The days seem to be flying by. I am shocked that the last time I had time to sit down and write about the mustangs, it was almost 2 weeks ago! Well the good news is that we have been working really hard so there is lots of great progress to report!

Cinnamon is working with not only a saddle, but also a bridle. He works in the round pen and I am introducing new 'scary' objects like balls and mounting blocks...ooooh! He has taken everything in stride and proved that he can overcome just about anything with a lot of patience and time. He has tried to take that saddle off a few times, lol. It hasn't budged, so I think he may be convinced that it is not worth trying anymore! He is very calm before and after he bucks so I think that just proves he is smart and really thinking!

Talitha is leading on a halter and now practicing coming in and out of her paddock. She is doing great! I also introduced a flymask. She was not a fan before it went on, allowing it to rubbed on her body but very hesitant about her face, but she has come to realize why it is there. I think once they figure out it keeps the flys from being in their eyes, they are sold!

Twister is quickly learning that people can be ok. He has accepted taking hay and treats out of my or Anthony's hand and will allow (and even enjoy!) being scratched up and down his back and head with the pole. We are usually about 3-4 feet away from him which is pretty close when you consider how wild this boy came in!

I can't wait to show off the mustangs at the Napa Mustang Days September 16-17th! It is only 2 weeks away!

Cinnamon spice!

He has not only proven himself to be sweet, but sassy too! I spent some time introducing the saddle to him as well as some other grooming tools. He really enjoys being groomed, a lot! After he did so well, I thought he might do just as great coming out of his pen for a walk to the round pen. I was right! He did fabulous, walking out nice and calm in out one gate and through the barn into a another gate to the round pen. I turned him loose and he kicked up his heels! He threw his tail up high and pranced around like he was showing off! After he got his kicks out, he wanted to work with me, approaching every time I asked him too. He is officially a 'TIP' horse by definition (being able to be haltered, lead, and hoof picked) so I am actively searching for a home for him. I hope I can report some good news soon!

Not even three weeks...

Not even three weeks later and you would never recognize these horses that were picked up as scared mustangs from BLM corrals. They have all made a lot of progress as you can see from the pictures. These pictures are from the last 4 days (I have been a little busy!) so I didn't put individual blogs out. I will write more later when I have a bit of extra time (lol!) but I wanted to make sure everyone watching got a chance to see what amazing horses these guys are turning out to be!

Twisters touch...

For all you Twister fans, here is a picture of one of his first touches. You can see he is relaxed and attentive. He came up to me and I was so happy that someone had a camera to capture it! He is very willing to work, which makes him fun (even though he is tough!)

Mustang News!

If you haven't heard about the Napa Mustang Days event, check out their website by clicking here --> napamustangdays

There will be a select number of tamed wild horses for adoption (as well as lots of wild ones from the BLM). You can those available horses by clicking here --> halter trained mustangs

Come out and celebrate the American mustang September 16-18 with us!

Day 10

There is an average of about 5 hours a day of working the mustangs. That totals to about 50 hours as of today. It is the most rewarding feeling to have made progress and I am happy to report that all three mustangs have made a lot of progress!

Cinnamon is as sweet as the day is long. He is kind and a little shy but seems to be working through the new experiences that we bring every day. He can be touched all over by hand and with the pole. I have begun to ask him to lift his feet, which he has obliged every time.  He is ok with a saddlepad and flymask rubbing all over his body. Now the work is going to focus on getting him through the desensitizing to the many objects and situations he will encounter in his life.

Talitha had a but of a rough week. Overnight, she came down with a serious case of hives. Her entire body was swollen including her face. This was alarming since swelling in the face can lead to inhibited breathing. Fortunately, we were able to borrow some antihistamines from a neighbor horse so we could get it under control right away. The vet came out as soon as possible (5 hours later) and gave us our own prescription for the antihistamines plus some banamine. Overnight the swelling mostly disappeared and she was back to normal. We have been lightly working her, trying not to stress her out any more than she already is. Since there are so many factors that contribute to a hives breakout, it is impossible for us to know exactly why it happened. You can see below how her little face was so swollen, poor thing!

Twister has become incredibly interested in people and the distance between us is slowly decreasing. He is attentive when in the pen and has been taking baby steps towards me. Anthony spent some time in the pen using the pole to rub him and when he would pause, Twister would lean forward as if to say "more please". After a little while longer, Twister took a sniff of his hand. I think it will only be a few more days before he is going to figure out how nice people can be.