Luna

Anthony and Luna have come such a long way, I just wanted to share a few pictures. She was a really tough one to work with and even though he was calm and persistent, he could just feel that she was still scared. Here you can see her energy changed completely and Anthony just felt it... how cool is that? 

Fast forward!

Once a snow ball starts rolling, it becomes hard to stop. This has been my metaphor for training mustangs. Once they begin learning, they have huge leaps and bounds in their progress. Everyone who has seen these horses more than once have commented that they are transformed into calmer and more confident horses with each and every day! De-sensitizing has paid off, my mare was really scared and spooky so I spent lots of time reassuring her and working to show her 'people stuff' is not too bad after all. I clipped her face and brand, brushed her all over, hoof picked, saddled, bridled, and jumped up and down all around her.  Anyone that has spent time training a horse knows progress happens with lots of hard work and time. Since I have been slacking on keeping the blog up to date, I will narrate with pictures... hope you enjoy!

Lunging Sweet Pea in the round pen for the first time. She is sooooo laid back! 

She had virtually no reaction to the cooler... I guess that means I have been doing a good job de-sensitizing her!

Same with the fly mask and shipping boots... 

Anthony and Luna on their first walk... how cute!

Saddle and 1, 2, 3...

Up!!!

Visits with friends, anyone want to take me home?!?

My first ride, what a great feeling. There is no much that really compares to the moment when you are up for the first time! 

EMM 2013 update

Here are a few photos from the beginning of our journey. 

'Sweet Pea' took quite a while to get a name. She was so nervous at first I wanted to what her personality was like once she trusted me. I could see right from the get go, even though she was scared, she wanted to work with me. Her face wore so many different expressions, I have never seen a wild horse go through that many emotions during gentling. She would get 'sticky feet' and freeze, almost going into a 'play bow' like a dog when she wasn't sure where to go. Once I asked her to move, she was able to relax. As I began to work my way towards the first touch, she licked, chewed, chattered (like a baby would to a stallion) and even thought about nipping (which she never did). She would lean her neck towards me like she knew being scratched was a reward, yet her eyes would not be able to look at me for more than a second. She had to fight a lot of instinct to give me a chance, and I am sure glad she did. 

Anthony's mare, Luna is a very different personality. She moves very freely and you can easily see the Friesian influence in her HMA Flannigan. She is incredibly curious and was following him around the first day. 

Once Sweet Pea gave me a chance, the real fun began. She let me switch halters and play with a saddle pad on her back. I am truly impressed with her willingness to learn. 

She has been leading well and always wants to be reassured with a scratch or two. 

After picking up her feet, leading her around, and playing with the saddle pad, I wanted to see if she was ok with the saddle. I showed it to her, lead her around, and plopped it on her back. She had almost no reaction, which was great! You all know what the next step means...

I wanted to leave you with a 'teaser' picture so be sure to check back soon. There will be some great photos to follow...

Dancing Dixie, a year later

Since it is a Monday, I think we could all use a little smile on our faces. This is a special day for my mustang Dixie...hope you enjoy looking back at what you can do in 1 year with a mustang.

1 year ago today I picked up my Extreme Makeover Mustang for the 2012 Norco competition, Dancing Dixie. I knew she was meant for me right away and went to the 2 day competition in Southern California knowing she would come home.

February 4 2012

Soon she was learning tricks...

90 days later, we went to the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Norco, Ca. An 8 hour haul and show that lasted 2 days including trails, arena work, and in hand competition. 

Desensitizing in preparation for her many exciting events.

She was showcased in the mustang demo at Sacramento Horse Expo June 2012

(120 days after being 'wild')

More trick training

Bareback or saddle, english or western... she does it all

Smile!

 Competed in 4 AERC limited distance endurance races

In one short year she has done more than most horses have done in their whole lives. I guess what I am trying to say is she is a really special horse and I am glad she found me :) 

Malibu

Most of the time my blogging has been to promote the adoption of wild mustangs. I like to share how they progress, what I learn, and how their 'happily ever after' came to be. But, I would not be able to do this work without a very special mare named Malibu. She taught me so much and as we all know, words just can't ever explain how an animal makes us feel. 

In May 2001, I brought my dressage trainer out to a farm that had a green broke APHA/PtHA mare for sale. She was pretty scrawny and nothing special when you saw her under saddle. My trainer Jenny looked at me and said "You know she is not going to get very big!" I sort of agreed, but couldn't stop thinking about her. 

June 1, 2001 I bought her. I wanted her breeder to know she was in a good home and I wrote them a letter. To my surprise, she wrote back! She told me that her dad (Painted Ninja) was a successful dressage horse and that Malibu had the nickname 'Milkweed'. For those of you who are not from the midwest, that is a plant that the monarch butterfly likes to cocoon on. We used to collect them when I was a kid up north. 

She came to MSU with me in Fall 2001, we rode on trails and in the arena. She was happy wherever she went. As a mare, she never gave me any freebies (no push button) but would always respond to correct and balanced seat and hands. Many tears came from the frustration of a mare who has her own ideas, yet she was never nasty or mean. Just simply not going to give in until I asked her the right way. About a year later, I brought her back to the barn where I had grown up taking lessons. Jenny and I began working with Malibu. We even wound up in the paper featuring an article on her barn!

She was considered a tovero, meaning she was a mix of tobiano and overo markings. 

A few times, we hitched a ride to a local show. We placed in most of the classes, and to this day I still drink out of the mugs we won :) 

Always an 'outside' horse, Jenny made sure she had her 'nanook' blanket on when it got too cold!

She was not really herd bound, but certainly appreciated her equine companions. 

She was not only special to me, but to everyone at the barn. Lovingly known as 'missy malibu' she was known for not liking to walk through puddles, never wanting to be locked in a stall, and always being the first to greet a new horse (and first to be bored with them too). 

An old stifle injury seemed to bother her for a few years and steadily grew worse. The past few months Jenny tried to get the input from everyone on how to keep her comfortable. In the end, the only thing to do was let her go to a place where she no longer has any pain. 

I am so grateful for all the lessons she gave me. I promise to continue my work helping others in honor of what my mare has taught me. 

Love you always missy malibu...

Day 1... the beginning

5:30am could not have come soon enough. I barely slept through the night, too busy thinking about what kind of mustang I would be picking up at the corrals. When we arrived, I was told my mare was from the Pancake HMA in Nevada. Of course, that meant she had to be sweet, right?

Anthony's mare is from Flanigan HMA in Nevada. They loaded without much fuss and off we went. Once home, they unloaded easy and took in their new surroundings. Things are off to a smooth start and we couldn't be happier! Well, actually, Anthony was hoping for a tinsy bit taller of a mustang being 6.2 and all... 

Anthony named her Luna (pictured above) and in less than 24 hours has made a lot of progress. She is disengaging the hindquarters and taking small but steady steps towards him as he uses pressure and release to gentle her. You can tell this is one cute little pony, she has got a ton of hair (check out that forelock!) and once she is shined up, will be looking smooth! 

My mare is a little darker, actually pretty similar in coat coloring to Dixie. As for her personality, they are pretty opposite! She is sweet (as I predicted!) but instead of flight as her first instinct, she actually freezes like a little statue. She is smart enough to think in an uncomfortable situation and then make a choice. This has also lead to a great start... same disengaging hindquarters and small steps toward me are the beginnings to a great partnership built on trust. 

I am going to have to get back into the swing of regular blogging to keep you all updated, I hope that you enjoy reading about this journey as much as I am going to enjoy being on it! Who knows...maybe their future owners are reading this now :)

Anticipation!

Ever since I got my letter of acceptance into this year's EMM, I have been day dreaming about what size, color, and temperament mustang I will get. I do know the competition will be 100% mares but beyond that, it is just a lottery number. It has been pretty cold and muddy so riding has been a bit of a challenge too. I was able to get Dixie into a great obstacle course and even a scenic trail ride in Point Reyes. It will be almost one year since I picked her up, having the exact same questions rolling around in my head since she was my EMM last year.  

The pit of doom/noisy water plastic water bottles!

Beautiful Point Reyes with Anthony, Jennifer, and Cris. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

What a great start to 2013!

Hope YOU are all having a great New Year too!