Bad weather...Good day!

The rain has not let up, but that did not deter my dear friends from coming out to visit our sweet little Summer. We walked around the indoor arena and after Summer was clearly unfazed by me leaning on her back, I slipped on! It is one of those special moments that you never forget, Summer was perfect! She was completely calm and trusting the entire time. I wiggled around a bit and patted her all over while we all stood in amazement over this adorable mustang that had not even let me put a halter on 14 days ago! When you earn a mustangs trust, it is amazing what you can do together. Special thanks to Holly and Marianne for coming out to capture this special day on film!

Summer Update

Summer has been with me for 2 weeks now and the progress she has made is huge. She has been exposed to a lot of new things and has handled it all in stride. We took a walk outside her paddock and into the indoor arena. It was the first time she was in a covered arena and navigating around other horses. She was cautious but willing, trusting me to keep her safe. After a few walks around the indoor arena, she decided to roll. I think her nickname might end up being pig pen! With the rain, she has managed to locate every mud spot in her paddock! I am heading back out now and hoping the weather will ease up so I can get some new pictures, we will see! Thanks for reading and if you are interested in meeting Summer in person, contact me!

Saddle up!

Summer has been introduced to a saddle, pad, fly mask, and other various grooming tools. She has trusted me to show her what is 'ok' and has been great. She has been leading in and out of her corral and has really relaxed a lot since that first day. Her tail is no longer 'tucked' when she walks, instead it flows behind her. You can really see she is feeling very comfortable working with me. We have 3 weeks until the Napa adoption event and I am feeling pretty good about her progress. Now all I need to do is find her a home!

Don't bug me...flys

You may or may not realize it, but a fly mask can be quite a scary thing to a horse that has never had something covering their face. Summer is protective of her head (as she should be!) and so introducing the fly mask took some time. Wild horses learn to protect their vulnerable parts from predators or situations that may compromise their ability to escape. She was very good about the fly mask being rubbed around on her body, she tolerated it as I gently slipped it onto her face a few times.

Once it was secure, I began rubbing her down with a saddle pad. As you can see, she did very well. Considering she has only been with me 24 hours, I am pretty pleased! You can see from the picture above that she showed me some really positive signs of licking and yawning. This girl is fun to work with because even though she is quite skittish and nervous, she is still inquisitive and willing to work. She even whinnied when I shut the paddock to go home!

History of Carter Reservoir

Old Spanish stock influenced Summer and her herd

For those of you who know the HMA's (herd management areas) Summer is from 'Carter Reservoir'. It is located in Washoe County, NV with a small portion in Modoc County, CA.

Her herd size is 25-35 head and the horses from this area tend to be Dun, Blue Corn and Grulla with dorsal stripes, barred or striped legs and dark points. She is a red dun with a dorsal stripe as well as striped legs. Most horses in this herd get to an average size of 14-16 hands and weighing between 900 and 1100 pounds. Summer has a really thick mane and tail which are distinctive marks of this herd thought to be from old Spanish stock. Summer was brought into the corrals as a foal with her mom 9.18.09 and her freezemark # is 09221041

Summer is here a little early...

"Summer" has a new meaning...

This adorable 2 year old BLM mustang is in search of a forever home. Adoption fee of 125$ and an approved application are part of the process in making this little girl part of the family. Summer comes from the Litchfield Corrals. She is halter broke and working very hard to get some new tricks for her new family. Stay tuned for her progress and updates. If you are interested in adopting, please email me at alyssaradtke@gmail.com or give me a call at 530.723.2420 Thanks!

Chico Adoption!

If you were thinking about adoption, you're in luck. BLM mustangs are coming to Chico this weekend looking for homes! Read about it HERE. I will be there to help out and provide any training information you need to get started. Contact me if you have any questions and don't forget to spread the word!