The To Do List...

Boots & Spurs, taken at the
Western States Mustang Challenge

Four more sleeps and we're off on another adventure. I had to count that on my fingers...am I pathetic, or what?

I'm not ready. Not in the least. I need to get the panels set up again inside the paddock. I need to pick up bedding and hay.

I had someone call and leave a message on Wednesday asking to have their windows painted for Christmas; I need to call them back and get out to paint before leaving. How's that for cutting it close?

I have a couple of Hags on Stangs shirts that need to be printed up.

I need to make soap. Yes, 2 batches at the very least. Or one large batch with two fragrances (which is likely what I'll end up doing.) I ought to make some lotion while I'm at it.

And Cowboy Kisses! Simply cannot forget to bring along the lip balm featuring my favorite cowboy from Burns...people will be expecting it!

I've got to write Darling a note to get out of class.

Don't let me forget to pack...okay? I've been known to forget the little details like that in the past...

But most importantly...I need to remember to pray for God's blessing on this little journey.

Eee Moh Shun Al

2009 NORTHWEST
Extreme Mustang Makeover



CONGRATULATIONS!
You have been selected as a trainer for the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover.

City Boy was reading over my shoulder. "I want you to go back and read this part," he said...


We understand that this is a long emotional, physical, and expensive journey!

"Do you see that, right there?" he asked me. I was afraid he was about to point out the expensive journey when he said, " EEE MOH SHUN AL! I'm not bringing another horse home."


Yes, dear...

So, which of these beauties do you suppose I'll be coming home with preparing for adoption?

Hags On 'Stangs

I was reading Jessie's blog a couple weeks ago when she talked about a club she belongs to called Hags on Nags. How cute! Although Jess is far from a hag. More like a babe. Me, though...well, Hag is definitely where it's at!

If you haven't heard, I ought to tell you that the Mustang Heritage Foundation has announced their list of upcoming events, and among them? The Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover! Yes, northwest, which is here, where I live...in the northwest!

Of course, I've been trying hard not to think about it. Applications are due this month. Pick up is in December. The actual competition is being held in Albany, OR in March. This is not exactly prime horse training weather up in this neck of the woods.

Still...

I never really got to compete in June. I've got, as it were, unfinished business.

I've been talking with Debi, the owner of Mist (aka Firecracker), and encouraged her to sign up. She said yes! She's so excited about the whole mustang thing that it didn't take much of anything at all to get her downloading the application. And if Deb is accepted...well...we could drive together to pick up our horses, which surely cuts expenses. And this time around I'd be smart and start asking for sponsors to cover feed costs long before the horse gets here. Debi and I discussed a tack sale to help cover fuel costs.

And then it hit me. We needed to host a fun show. Something with a handful of performance classes, but some fun stuff like egg and spoon, toilet paper pairs, and sit a buck. We'd have a suggested donation that would cover all classes all day. Maybe have some pizza donated and sell that. And we needed a clever name...


So you see I must thank Jessie for her blog post about Hags on Nags. I do not ride a nag (although I've heard that I am one from time to time), but I do ride a 'Stang! So Debi and I are Hags on Stangs and we're going to host a slew of fund raisers to help us cover the expenses of travel. We'll have our Hags on 'Stangs fun show in November, and a tack sale maybe in December. And most importantly, we've got a very exclusive club forming for women over 39. Yes, 39, not 29. If you're not afraid to ride the brand and not afraid to brag about your age, then you, too, could be a Hag on Stang member! T-shirts are being offered in the column to the right for $20. And if you're not yet 39, or if you don't ride a stang, but would like to support us, we're happy to provide you with an Honorary Hag shirt for just $22. Yes , you read that right! Hey, membership has it's privileges, what can we say?


Guess I'd better print up that application, eh?

God's Hand...

What a journey, eh? Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for sticking with my indecision, whining, crying and celebrating these past few months. Wild ride, wouldn't you say?

Five months ago I wasn't sure if I had what it took to get the job done. I prayed. You prayed with me. God answered with a song, Brooks and Dunn's "God Must Be Busy". In the song there is a line that talks about his prayer being nothing more than a Speck Of Sand in the great scheme of things. That's just how I felt...what was the purpose for praying for something so small when we've got wars being fought, children dying and more in this world? But I told God that if I were accepted into the challenge, I'd name my horse Speck of Sand so that I'd remember that He was the reason behind it all.

When Sandy came home, he lacked even more confidence than I did. I remember telling myself (over and over) that this was God's horse, the horse he'd granted me, so it had to be the right horse despite how it appeared things weren't progressing here in the rain.

Then Curt got hurt. Talk about God's timing! Curt had an annuerysm and no way would he have gone to the doctor (in fact he'd ignored the early symptoms) had his ribs not been in such pain. And had he not been in pain, he wouldn't have needed my help to clean stalls and keep horses legged up. You wouldn't generally think that getting thrown from a horse into a wall would be a good thing, would you? But it could have saved his life and it most definitely got Sandy and I a solid foundation. So solid, in fact, that by the time we ended up in Sacramento last week people teased I'd been telling tall tales here regarding Sandy's progress; he definitely looked like a top ten contender.

And then he was lame. I cried. I couldn't believe that we'd gone from being unsure I'd be able to ride, to knowing we had a shot at the top ten, back to not being able to ride. And some folks hinted that perhaps I was doing this to keep the price down at the adoption so I could keep him. That was hard to swallow. I knew that's what it looked like and I'd considered that when I pulled him, and knew as well that his price would be lower as a result. He was on butte which helped, and it was hard to see the pain if you didn't know him. He looked at me with grumpy eyes and he hadn't rolled since Thursday.

When I called Curt and Linda that afternoon to tell them what I'd done, Linda was watching the Belmont Stakes and was telling me that Big Brown was fighting his jockey. I stayed on the phone until after the race and she heard the interview; "The win wasn't worth risking the horse", she repeated after the jockey. I nearly cried. Big Brown had a shot at the triple crown while the world watched, and I was only doing a small challenge with a few thousand people. But our stories were the same. Sandy was more important than the ride.

City Boy'd said he figured we could go no higher than $1000. That night, despite Patti Colbert announcing to everyone that she'd seen my horse walk, jog and loping plus doing flawless simple changes and that she knew he'd have made the top ten if I hadn't pulled him, people only bid against City Boy until we reached our top price...and then the bidding stopped. God had known I would pull my horse rather than risk injury, and that decision kept the price low enough to send Speck Of Sand home.

Back in the beginning, when Darling learned why I'd named Sandy what I had, she told me that in God's eyes no prayer is as small as a speck of sand, and that all our prayers are equally important to Him. With all I learned these past few months, that was the most important. All our prayers are important to God!

Top 10

Your Western States Mustang Challenge Top Ten!

1. Corrine Elser and Dolly

2. Joe Misner and Laredo

3. Matt Sheridan and Luna

4. Oh...you're really not that interested, are you? I didn't think so...

You are? You want to know? Okay. Fourth place was Madylyn Wagner and Handy Hank.

5. Matt Zimmerman and Ali

6. Matt Replogle and Jennifer

7. Beverly Vreeland and Diamond

8. Janet Titus and Chato

9. Jenna Nelson and Domestic Aim

10. Kieth Danielson and Tina Turner


There were so many neat stories, but one of my favorites was how Jennifer got her name. A "Name the Mustang" contest was held in Las Vegas and one little boy wrote in that his sister, Jennifer, was in Iraq and they never knew where she would be, so he wanted the horse to have his sister's name. How sweet was that for Matt to choose that name?

Top selling horse...are you interested? Sit down, y'all, because the only horse to ever bring more money in was Hail Yeah. Are you ready? Sandy Anderson, trainer for Outback Jack, paid a whopping $32,000 to get him back!!!

As for Sandy, despite him not being ridden in the obstacle course, there was still a fair amount of interest in him and he ended up selling for $1,000...which was more than a couple of the top ten horses brought in. God was good to him...and to me...because he's coming home.

Thursday at Expo

No time to upload pics last night, sorry! Sandy started out well once again, although he's obviously got his energy buried in there somewhere. We lunged in the morning, then I climbed on to ride. It's unfortunate that there are so many who haven't got their horses under control and are racing around with little regard to others...and I'm not talking just the mustang folks. We're now riding with all the open show folks as well, which makes the arena busy for an insecure bloke like Sandy. Still, he maintained and rather than do a lot of riding I did a few circles and then stood in the center and talked to another trainer while the chaos ensued around us.

Later in the afternoon I went out again. There were only a couple of well behaved horses out there and I wanted to take advantage of that quiet moment. No sooner had I gotten out there than two buggies pulled in. Sandy glanced but didn't care. I was so proud of him! We continued to lunge until they left, then I climbed up. Which is when it entered the arena. A little pinto pony and a tiny cart. Sandy's head shot straight up and his ears swiveled around. He was on high alert, and I stepped quickly back to the ground.

They stayed at the other end of the arena, thankfully, but Sandy couldn't pull it together enough to lunge a full circle around me so captivated was he by the strange spotted pony. The driver was sending the pony in tight circles at breakneck speed and I felt it best we leave before anything stupid happened. But it was too late for that. The driver turned her cart too tight and it flipped over, trapping her beneath it and the pony dragging it along in a panic. Thankfully she had someone standing not far and he managed to grab the reins or something and got the pony under control before it made it the 100 feet to where Sandy and I were standing in shock.

Needless to say, my boy hadn't needed to witness that in the arena we're to ride in on Saturday, but after leaving and heading to the smaller, in hand competition arena, he got his mind back into the game and began listening. (The driver, by the way, wasn't hurt and got back in to drive circles once more as we were leaving.)

The walk through of the in hand competition starts in90 minutes, so I'm heading over right now. I'm so thankful we've drawn one of the first spots so we don't have to sit on show nerves all morning!

Stay tuned for more news from Sacramento's Western States Mustang Challenge, y'all!

Please say your prayers for Sandy! Ask God to find him the perfect new home so that I don't need to worry about him :)

Wednesday at Expo

We were the first to arrive this morning at just prior to ten. Within an hour the second mustang arrived, then a few more until by mid afternoon the bulk of the trainers competing here at the Western States Mustang Challenge were here. I led Sandy out to the arena around noon to lunge him, then again a couple hours later when I hopped on and took my first ride on him outside of his 'home' arena. He performed like a star! Of course, he was tired as all get out after two days in the trailer, so we'll see if he holds onto his great attitude tomorrow.

One of the trainers here that I've been exchanging emails with throughout the training process has been Saunya Bolton of Reno, Nevada. She trains Quarter Horses and has qualified and competed at the world show several times, even making it to the top ten on multiple occasions. She's riding a little mare she calls Little Diva. If any of you are in the Reno area and in need of a trainer, look her up, she's a real neat lady.

The weather here is wonderful. In the 80's is what I've heard, and the wind is blowing just enough to keep us cool. After ten minutes of working under saddle, Sandy had only one thing on his mind...and to keep my saddle in one piece I made sure to high tail it back to the tack room before coming out and granting him his wish!

We've received our packets with the in hand and riding course patterns. Friday is our in hand class; Sandy and I are the fifth pair to go through. The pattern consists of walking over poles, trotting into a 'chute' (poles on the ground) and backing out, then backing a bit of a zig zag to the left and another to the right. From there we trot out towards the trailer and load, then unload. After the trailer we trot towards three poles that are set in a U pattern and trot towards them at an angle, crossing two poles then making a turn and coming back to hit the third. It's kind of tight and I'm glad Saunya brought poles for us to practice with. After the poles, we stop and pick up all four feet, make a 360 degree turn to the right and walk to finish.

The trailer loading is the only thing I'm really concerned about, but we'll just have to do what ever can be done, right? I'll be back again tomorrow with more photos and updates!

Thank you for your faithful prayers...they've helped to ease my troubled spirit tremendously!

Please say your prayers for Sandy! Ask God to find him the perfect new home so that I don't need to worry about him :)

Sacramento

Two days traveling and here we are. Sandy rides nicely, although he's a bit tired of loading up and has needed some extra encouragement from behind. I'm not sure how that will play out during the in hand portion of the competition. Last night after he was settled in his horse hotel for an hour or two I went back and led him around the facility, then to the trailer and offered him some beet pulp and treats. This time he loaded, but he took his time and I'm sure they won't allow me several minutes to get the job done there. Oh well, such is life, eh?

We're in a town called Auburn, just outside of Sacramento. We'll be headed to the stable to pick Sandy up shortly and then to Cal Expo to check in.

Worst part of the entire trip so far is that I've got a sore throat. Woke up with it on Monday and it's still hanging on...and now my gums are sore and it feels like it's beginning to settle down in my lungs. Hopefully the warm weather here will dry me out and get me feeling spiffy before the day is up!

I'll have more updates as the week progress for y'all! As always, I covet your prayers :)

Please say your prayers for Sandy! Ask God to find him the perfect new home so that I don't need to worry about him :)

Another Day of Firsts

Should a person really be waiting until the last minute to try new things? Today was my last day with Sandy at home. We rode this morning without any warm up lunging, nor did Curt hang onto him when I climbed up and rode. No time like the day before we leave to figure out if he's broke, eh?

Not only that, but we went outside this afternoon to ride in the outdoor arena for the first time as well! Crazy. But despite my sometimes wishing we'd been moving along faster these past few weeks, today was a perfect example of laying a good foundation. Every day I've ridden up until now, Sandy has been lunged before I climb on, and then Curt has lunged him more while I've been mounted. He knows the routine and although he questioned Curt stepping away from him, he went straight to work, a little fresh but still listening.

Thanks to each of you for all the kind words of encouragement, the well wishes, and of course for joining the Hay Burners Club! You're too wonderful for words and I couldn't have taken this journey without your support. Y'all are the BEST!

A few questions folks have been asking me, via email or forums or here:

When are you leaving? 4 am Monday morning. I'm probably on the road while you're reading this. We plan to pick Sandy up and have him loaded by 5, then head down to the Medford area to spend the night.

How much do you think he'll sell for? Lots, I hope, because I earn a 20% commission! The average, if I heard right, has been just a few dollars under $1900 at the past two events.

Any chance you'll bring him home? Well...no. Unless he's not being bid on, but I see that as unlikely. I've managed to get my heart to switch gears and am focusing on getting Jet and Firecracker going this summer. Plus, Darling and I will have two horses through the incentive program that we'll be gentling and then adopting out at the fair in August. So despite the fact that I'll be shedding enough tears to float the Ark, I'm trying to stay focused on what God has placed before me to occupy my mind and body. (Don't stop praying, though!)

Did you ever get to work the bull? No. Bummer, eh? Thats the hardest part about letting him go! I wanna see him learn to move cattle and do some cutting. He needs to teach some of these folks up here what a mustang can really do!

When is the competition, exactly? Conditioning and In Hand are judged on Friday. The riding portion will be Saturday, with the top ten doing the freestyle that afternoon and the adoption taking place Saturday night.

Okay. It's late and I really need to head off to slumber land. Laptop, camera, battery chargers...all are packed and ready to head to Cal Expo with us! Darling will be behind the lens for a good share of the week and we'll do our best to keep you informed as things develop!

Please say your prayers for Sandy! Ask God to find him the perfect new home so that I don't need to worry about him :)

Two Days...

The ticker tells me there are really five days left to practice, but we've only got two days left at home. I try hard not to think about loading him for the last time. Sandy's progress the past two weeks has been phenomenal; he's done flying changes and has begun to work through the trail obstacles. I no longer wonder if we're going to be able to ride in Sacramento, but instead wonder just how much this horse will absorb between now and then. He's incredible. He really, truly is.

Last night I felt like we were working as a team for the first time. He got to feeling a bit frisky while we were loping and kicked up his heels, but he settled back into his lope and continued working. Rather than get tense, I was able to push him harder and try to get the point across that little things like that were unacceptable, regardless of how bored or tired he may be. His comfort level has increased 100 fold in the past three months.

I started doing trail obstacles outside this past week. The bridge was a piece of cake, of course, because it really didn't require much more than stepping onto it and walking across...something we've done countless times from the ground. Backing a straight line proved to be simple enough because we've been working on our back up in the arena. Turning a 360 and the sidepass, however, proved to be more of a challenge for our boy. We've not worked a whole lot on moving off the legs in tight spaces, but with a bit of see sawing he finally figured out the turn around in the box and now does it easily...at least to the left. Turning to the right is a bit more difficult for him, but he still stays on the inside of the poles; it's just not as pretty.

The sidepass has slowly come. He does it beautifully from the ground, so having the pole beneath his belly is a bit of a clue to him. Last night he stepped four or five nice, fluid steps to the end of his pole. We need to work on him not trying to step forward and over the pole, but it's coming.

But what I take the most pride in is the "L" shaped backup. This is something he wasn't sure of from the ground and he really struggled moving slow enough around the corner to switch gears from hindquarters to shoulders when it came time to turn. From his back, however, its proved to be much easier, and his third time doing it was flawless! Not that the fourth and fifth time were as smooth, lol, but at least I know he's got the concept.

So that's the story from here. The sun has been shining and the outdoor arena is finally dried out, so this weekend I'm planning on some solo rides out there. Last night they'd been working the bull outside when I led Sandy out. Curt hollered over that if I got on I could work the bull. This, as you know, is something I've wanted to do but Sandy hasn't quite been ready. Well...we're ready!

And then Curt turned chicken. He thought I'd say no and be the first to back down!

No, he said, we didn't want to jeopardize anything at this point with just a couple days to go. He said if we had two more weeks, he'd put me on it and he figures Sandy will follow and work it, but he doesn't want to risk anything falling apart right now. So no bull or even driving the calves for us. And I'm having the hardest time with that!

Jay asked again yesterday why I didn't move one of my other horses on and keep Sandy. I told him there were about two thousand reasons why, and they all began with a $. He was surprised, not realizing the horses sold for that much. Darling has expressed an interest in Sandy the past couple of days, but she's very guarded and lucky for her, she's not been with him each day. Saves her the tears and heartbreak...

Anyone want to buy a couple thousand dollars worth of handmade soap???

Please say your prayers for Sandy! Ask God to find him the perfect new home so that I don't need to worry about him :)

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo. Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.

Sandy Learns a Lesson

See? There's a line!

Crazy days ahead. Curt heads in for surgery tomorrow and will be spending the night at the hospital. For most folks that alone is bad enough, but they've got a barn full of horses that need attending to while they're gone. Unfortunately, one of the mare's is due tomorrow as well, and she's been waxing up the past couple of days.

Tangy isn't a very big mare, but her belly is huge! In fact, when I first got a good look at her a month ago I had to wonder if it may be twins. I was told by someone else that she always got big and it was just her diminutive size. But this morning Curt said with a bit of worry that he was afraid this was either one big baby or twins... Tangy has had trouble the last two pregnancies, so Curt is especially concerned that somethings going to happen while he's away.

Jay popped in about 2 this afternoon. I'd had Sandy out earlier in the day and worked him in the round pen as well as over the poles. I saddled him up a second time and handed Jay the reins as I went for my helmet. Jay headed to the round pen and when I caught up, Sandy had put it in park. Jay chuckled that he wanted his mamma, I smiled and walked past them into the pen and assumed Sandy would follow. Nope. Nothing doing. In his mind he'd worked once and that was it.

Jay's a big guy. He wasn't going to put up with Sandy's refusal. He stepped back alongside and swatted him with the end of the lead rope in an effort to send the horse forward. And so began the battle! Sandy shot backwards just as he'd done here at home so many times early on, but Jay is stronger than I am and didn't let go. His dad used to train race horses and Jay's job had been to hang on tight! That early training has served him well when it comes to battling a horse and Sandy had no clue what he was in for.

Jay sent Sandy in small circles at the end of the lead rope, then tried again to lead him into the pen. Again Sandy refused, and again he felt the end of the rope. Over and over, around and around, the two of them spent a good ten minutes out there in the driveway. Sandy splashed mud all over both of them. At one point he decided he was going to try to rear just like he used to do at home; he popped up and threw his weight into his shoulder in an attempt to break free. Jay is one tough cookie, though, and gave a strong pull which caused Sandy to lose his footing and sent him rolling to the ground.

Still...he was a glutton for punishment. Each time Jay thought the horse had had enough, he'd stop and pet him, tell him he was good and try to lead him forward once again. And each time they reached the gate Sandy would plant all four. Finally Jay had enough and led him briskly to the outdoor arena.

"Don't want to work in the round pen? Well, guess what?"

And before long Sandy had a sweat worked up from trotting hard, fast circles in sloppy, wet sand. It was much harder to do that than anything else he'd been asked to do! After another ten minutes, Jay handed me a second lead rope and told me to follow along and if Sandy acted like he was about to apply the brakes, to 'encourage' him from behind. My pleasure! I swung the rope about at my side and that's all it took for the horse to see out of the corner of his eye. He trotted right out alongside Jay and walked promptly into the round pen!

After that, life got easy. He stood for me to mount and let me walk and trot in circles, stopped, did nice pivots and turns. His whoa is getting better, he struggles a bit with turns to the left, but overall both Jay and Curt feel good about me riding without the lead in the coming days!

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.

And We've Got A...

...line backed dun!

Sandy is shedding out nicely this week, and I was just a wee bit delighted in the fact that the stripe down his back has stayed while the rest of his winter coat has changed to a deep, dark gold. Not sure how he got labeled bay by the BLM; must have been his winter coat when they decided on his color. He's even got barring on his shoulders!

Jay's been away the past four days, so Curt came out with me today. I'd been working Sandy for about 20 minutes from the ground when he showed up at the gate. He's not worked with Sandy before due to his bruised ribs and aneurysm, but he knew I couldn't stay on the ground another day so out he came. Sandy gave a wee snort, but nothing much, and before long he was learning to work for Curt. Curt's body language is different than mine, so Sandy wasn't completely convinced at first, but after a few circles each way Curt decided it would be fine, so off to the round pen we went.

Curt works differently in the round pen, too. He expects more of a horse. Sandy's got a good foundation and Jay works nice and quiet. Curt moves a horse out a bit more, and I was told to sit down and hang onto that horn. It was a good thing I grabbed hold quickly because he sent Sandy right out into a brisk trot. Before we completed the first circle there was a bit of air between me and the saddle! I don't know if that back end of his dropped out from under him as he started to scramble for a lope or not, I just did as I was told and hung on! The reins were lose and Sandy was back under Curt's control before two strides had been taken, facing up to the old trainer and wondering what he was going to be asked to do next.

The next ten minutes were filled with fast stops and rollback turns as Curt sent us first one direction, then the other. It was fast paced and Sandy learned that whoa meant right now, today, and maybe even yesterday! Set your a$$ in the ground and stop, in other words!

And that was it. Short but sweet. Later in the day I walked Sandy out to the front thinking I may turn him out into the outdoor arena, but we'd had a killer rain last night and the sand was far too slick. Curt had been gone and pulled his car into the driveway while we were out there. He opened and closed his door a few times to see what Sandy's reaction would be. I smiled and gave Sandy a rub on the face, my back to Curt but knowing what he was up to. "You got ahold of him?" he hollered, and I replied that I did. He then cut loose on his horn. It didn't phase Sandy in the least.

For those of you of a praying mind, Curt is headed into surgery for his aortic aneurysm on Thursday. Please pray for a speedy recovery!

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.

Sunshine!

This is why we suffer through months of wet torture...the sun was out and it was a simply stunning day! Snow still sits up upon the hills in the distance, the sky is blue and the air is fresh and warm. Perfect for a day outside in the outdoor arena!

This was Sandy's first trip into the outdoor arena. I led him around the rail when we first entered, then turned him loose to play. He stood there and wondered what he was supposed to do, so I swung the end of the lead a few times. He finally began to trot around me, but wasn't too excited. A few cars, trucks and even motorcycles went past without rattling him. Curt came out after a little while and did a bit of whistling as Sandy circled me on the lunge line. He never did snort, but looked at Curt with some doubt and side stepped to avoid him. After a few minutes he relaxed and trotted past without much concern.

After a while I turned him loose again. This time he tried a little harder to play, took a few strides of lope and did a half hearted buck, but it wasn't long before he was waiting to see what I had in store next.

'Next' turned out to be a photo session, where I asked him to trot a little more, but he didn't really want to play and instead came up and asked if perhaps the camera were a giant horse cookie.

Curt has commented more than once how smart this horse is and quickly he picks things up and wants to please. He introduces me as a 'Mustanger' to all his friends; a title I happily accept. I'm thinking before we head to Sacramento I may just have Curt a Mustanger as well!

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.

Today Was Great!

I'm trying not to look at that little ticker. The headline in another trainer's blog the other day stated we were at hump day...halfway to Sacramento. In reality we're past that if you consider travel time. So while the ticker tells me 42 days, it's more like 38.



Thirty-eight days...



But I'm not looking at the ticker. I can't. I need to put a foundation that will hold up to thousands of people onto Sandy. He struggles with two or three folks nearby; imagine his surprise when he finds himself at the Expo!



Today was ride #8. We started in the arena rather than the round pen today. Jay's been handling him from the ground before I get on, encouraging more forward motion from him that I seem to be able to get. I wear out! I'm puny. Jay's in shape and keeps up with my horse. Plus, it's helpful to both of them to know what to expect from each other once I'm up in the saddle. Not that Jay's had much control terms of direction once I'm there, but a good understanding and trust is essential to my safety.



But back to the ride itself! After working on the lungeline for the first time (rather than his lead rope), I mounted up and we used just half the arena; the half without the bull parked in it! Sandy listened to my hands and legs just as though we were in the round pen. After moving to the left, we reversed and went to the right. He got a bit close to the gate and my foot banged up against it, but that didn't seem to rattle him. He did, however, startle at something just a stride or two past the gate. He lurched backward and began to spin his body to the right; I dropped my hands, one grabbed the horn and the other his mane which kept me off his mouth. Jay stepped in closer, but Sandy settled himself back down with my 'Whoa' and we continued on.



Before long we were trotting both directions, he was relaxing and giving. We worked again on serpentines and figure 8's, only the second time he's been asked to do them. He was great! Jay's unable to come tomorrow, but I'll be there working him in the scary end of the arena alongside the bull so he's ready when we move down that way.

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.

Hold Onto the Horn!

Because life isn't crazy enough...
I've taken on a bottle baby!

Rides five and six are done. Jay came back Tuesday and spent a bit more time with Sandy while I stayed on the ground. Got him moving out with a nice, light step and even encouraged him into a lope! That's something I've not been able to get him to do in the round pen. The footing is a bit too slick and hard for Sandy to really get comfortable, and I tend to wear out before accomplishing much. Jay, however, seems to be able to keep up the pace and Sandy got to booking!

Along with the lope, Jay encouraged some pretty quick, catty turns out of my former dead footed mustang! We all three nearly dropped over when my boy started getting under himself and using his body.

Sandy's first week

Once the edge was worked off, it was time for me to climb on. Sandy's been shifting a bit to the right the past few times I've mounted, but Tuesday he stood still. He'd been working quietly and responding well to my legs and the reins, moving at a nice trot when Curt began talking about loping. Didn't say I had to do it, but I think he was implying that I ought not be just hanging out in the saddle like some kid who'd paid for a pony ride, so I began working Sandy into a faster and faster trot. So fast, I was sure we'd turn into butter as we were circling Jay in the center. But lope? Well...

Six weeks later, a much prettier face!

I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. One minute I felt like there's no way we could go any faster and the next I was being bounced all over the flippin' place! The right hand that'd been hanging onto the horn (to keep me from using too much hand on his light mouth) was now hanging on to the reins. I could feel myself falling back behind my center of gravity and saw the wall of the round pen spin past and recall thinking how lucky it was I had a helmet on. I've no clue what Jay was saying...I could hear his voice but not words. Curt, however, broke through my daze as he hollered at me to grab the horn!

How I was supposed to do that I had a hard time processing. I was leaning back and had to pull myself upright before letting go of the reins with my right hand. Once I had it back on the horn and my balance back in the center, I managed to drop my left hand and relieve the pressure on Sandy's mouth. He stopped instantly!

To hear Jay tell it (or at least my somewhat scrambled memory's version), Sandy's butt dropped down as he tried to scramble into a lope with me on him. That drop threw me off, which then spooked him and sent him rushing. Never bucked, though, I was told. I'll take his word for it. It honestly all happened so fast I don't really remember anything.

We went straight back to work, but by now Sandy was too pooped to even think about loping. We trotted some more just so he'd end on a positive note.

Today Jay and I decided loping in the round pen probably wasn't going to work. Instead we concentrated on Sandy's directional skills. Jay's still got the lead , but stands at the end and is only there for emergencies (like yesterday.) Sandy worked into doing tight little serpentines and figure 8's at the trot. He's getting quite good about following his nose. Tomorrow if all goes well the plan is to do a little riding in the arena!

Photos...as Promised!

243 digital photos later...

Lunging in the big arena

Darling went just a little crazy with my camera. The batteries on her camera died just as she pulled it out for a video. Creative as always, she decided to snatch up mine and shoot 30 frames per minute as I was leading Sandy across the property, thinking she'd piece it all together into one video. Heh...Good luck with that, Darling!

Lifting feet over poles

Lunging in round pen

Jay was taking Sunday off. The plan was to climb back on today (Monday), but as it turned out he ended up with four extra horses to trim. Can't turn good money like that down! So Sandy had two days off from riding. We did spend some more time on ground work, though. Looking at the photos, I can see we really need to work on him walking at our sides rather than lagging behind. That's the beauty of photographs...you can see things more clearly. The ugly side of that is you can see things you don't want to see more clearly (like the way you look in that particular pair of jeans!)

A nice walk

Left hind is the hardest!

Usually snorty with most people, Sandy seems to think Darling is okay!

Sandy's Sixth Week

By now you've likely read the post from last night. I was ever so thrilled with my boy's progress! He's looking to me for reassurance, but his confidence in himself is growing daily. Compared to so many out there, we're slow as a pair of turtles, but that's okay. I want him as solid as can be at the beginning, not only because it will help keep me safe, but his new owner has the right to obtain a horse who's not got gapping holes in his early training. So while the excitement of his Saturday has me thrilled in how things are clicking, I remind myself how Sunny would slip backwards after huge strides forward and know that the same may happen here. We can only do what God is willing to allow us to do here.

Now, on to Sandy's accomplishments for this week!

1) Lunging in the big arena. He's become soft and responsive, no longer moving in flight or fright. In fact, he's gone so slow and come so close to me that I've been able to reach out and give him a pat on the rump with my hand to keep him moving.



2) He's walking around cones. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? But when I left them sitting in the arena one day and turned JoJo out, she thought her world was coming to an end! Cones can be frightening if a horse hasn't been exposed to anything like that before, and Sandy certainly did his fair share of snorting, but he now has no problem with maneuvering around them.



3) Sandy is giving to pressure on his barrel. While saddled, before climbing on, I began pushing on his middle while bending his nose just slightly. Rather than turning around me like some would do, Sandy moved off my hand as though it were a leg in his side, leading off with his shoulder and doing the nicest half pass!



4) He got a pedicure! Although he backed himself into the corner of his stall (he feels comfy in corners), he stood real nice as Jay sweet talked him into lifting all four.



5) He had his teeth floated and wolf teeth pulled. Despite the drugs, he was 'on the verge' throughout the entire process. He was very much aware that he was tied in a stall and that a stranger was messing with his mouth. I think Curt held his breath the entire time, but Sandy maintained his composure.



6) Trotting in hand! Sandy has up until now become somewhat frightened when I tried to encourage a trot from him; rather than coming along with me, he's hung back and even come to a stop. As of yesterday, he's felt confident enough to try to catch up with me as long as I provide plenty of clucking and kisses for encouragement.



7) Poles, backing and turn arounds! At first he lifted his feet high over the poles, but after a couple of passes it was just too boring to deal with and I began hearing clunk clunk clunk as he drug his toes over the poles. That's okay, though, as bored is better than excited. The fact that Doxee was busy showing off for him inside the arena at the same time had me grinning from ear to ear; he didn't care one bit about her squealing and clanging on the gate!



8) I've ridden! Four rides, trotting both directions, giving to the bit and legs, figure 8s in the round pen...no worries when my foot banged up against the wall, figured his way out of a potential scary situation when the lead rope ended up behind his butt. I Am Pleased!

That about wraps up the week. Darling will be driving down with me this afternoon and I promise photos!!! Y'all be careful with those Arabs and Quarter Horses, y'hear?

Little Rip...one of Curt's cutting horse prospects.
Sandy would never waste this much energy!

The Riding Course

Katee has written once again, giving us an up front look at the riding course from yesterday's competition at the Midwest Mustang Challenge:


Tracey,



Saturday Riding Course:



Well, i have to start by saying again just how many people are here at this fair. The traffic this morning was backed up for a couple miles coming in. Once out of your vehicle the throngs of people were a bit intimidating, but some bobbing and weaving got me to my seat just before noon.




Event was scheduled to start at noon, but started about a half hour late. The event prior to our mustangs ran a little late, the Judges were late and there was a lot of discussion about the set up of the course. It was pretty impressive seeing all of the trainers walk into the arena to check out the course. Very fun to have a chance to cheer wildy for them without having to worry about spooking a horse!



Pattern:

lead horse in

mount

jog over 3 ground poles

canter right lead

halt

canter left lead

halt

spin 270

canter right lead

walk over single pole into L

back through L

spin 270

trot around cones

walk onto bridge

halt



The only real tricky spot was the second canter--the one on the left lead. In total, for even the smallest horses, the space for that canter was at best 5 strides. It was tough to even get into a canter for these green horses in 5 strides. Most of them gave a good hard mustang look at that bridge, but ultimately walked over quietly.



The 2 minute free time was nice because it allowed the trainers to demonstrate any special things they'd taught their mustangs as well as to simply show off their gates. A couple strides of canter/trot here and there throughout the pattern really wasn't enough to show how smooth these mustangs can move.



There were some really well trained horses. A couple with trots that looked ready for the western showring, some flying lead changes, bridle-less riding and even a piaffe! There were a couple of horses that looked super green. No WAY I woulda been on those horses in a big scary show ring like this.



Only one mishap and I admit it was my fault. Ok. Not just me...me and all my fellow audience members got a little excited and clapped wildly causing a big crash. I don't remember the riders name, but he was a 68 year old Vietnam vet and cancer surviver. He was riding the biggest horse I'd seen all day and had a pretty good ride. His freestyle concluded with some pretty nice bridle-less riding. To really put a big finish on it, he stood his horse, still bride-less, on the bridge then stood up on top of the saddle and waved his hat to the crowd. We went wild! The wild mustang ran to the gate. The rider fell with a big BANG flat on his back on to the bridge. He was able to walk out on his own and appeared to be in one piece. There was a lot less wild clapping after that.



More on the finals later....just as a teaser you should know that the 6,000 seats of the Coliseum were full and there were so many people standing in the aisles that the fire marshal was literally threatening to shut it all down! The mustangs certainly didn't let the crowd down.


Katee

What an unfortunate incident with the gentleman who came off. I think folks are so excited by what they've seen with Stacey Westfall that they forget a very important thing here: These mustangs have only been in training for 90 days! I can forgive a crowd for their excitement; many of them are truly clueless regarding horses in general, let alone green horses. The trainer really did accomplish a lot with his horse, but should have realized that standing and waving a hat on a green broke horse was not the wisest decision he could have made. I'm glad no one was hurt!

I'm waiting for results on who placed in the top ten; as soon as I find out, I'll let y'all know!

Sandy's Terrific Day!

Sandy's day was so spectacular I can't even wait until tomorrow to share it!

This morning I set poles out for the first time. I layed them out so that we could walk over them, back a straight line between them, and stand inside of a box and turn a circle. This was the first time Sandy had seen poles so I didn't know what he'd think. He tends to be a little concerned about things he finds on the ground. After a cautious snort and sniff, he stepped right over them like an old trail horse pro! He walked into the box and turned without bumping any. He backed between them. I even had him sidepass a couple of steps over one; the first time he's ever been asked to do that!


We then wandered off to the round pen where I asked him to lead with me on the off side. If Jay was going to help us trot this other direction, he'd have to be over on Sandy's right. At first Sandy wasn't sure what I wanted, then he stepped right out.

He's struggled so much with traveling alongside me, and when I start to run in an attempt to get him to trot he tends to put on the brakes in confusion. Well...not today! Today we trotted, not only in the round pen but out in the field and along the driveway as well. He also walked past all sorts of scary things like piles of wood and tires, not to mention he saw his reflection in a window for the first time! At one point he thought perhaps we needed to hustle on out of there, but rather than try to drag me back to the barn he realized his pace was quicker than mine and he turned his head around to reach for me, as if he could grab my hand and hurry me up.


When Jay showed up this afternoon, it was back to the round pen all saddled up. Sandy was feeling a bit lighter today, probably because we've had a temp drop again and fresh snow in many areas. Chilly weather gets them feeling a bit frisky, so Jay lunged him in soft circles until he began to relax. Then I stepped into the saddle, and from there we did some walking and trotting in both directions. We stopped and started, I directed him towards the rail rather than him depending on Jay for support. A couple of times my foot bumped up against the wall, but Sandy didn't seem to mind. I've ridden broke horses that would have gone sailing over things like that, but not this boy! We ended with a couple of figure eights. Sandy wasn't too sure about giving to the bit as I pulled his head around even though we've done it from the ground, but he figured it out really quickly and was unbelievably good.


I'd hoped to make the trip to the upcoming adoption in Odessa this next weekend, but it doesn't appear that will be happening. Instead, I think I'll put as many miles on Sandy as possible this week and perhaps some time soon I'll head out and hit the trails!

A Note From Katee

Got an email first thing this morning from Katee, one of our loyal blog readers who's attending the Midwest Mustang Challenge in Madison and thought I'd share:

Tracey,


I have never attended the Midwest Horse Fair before and I was truly unprepared for the sight I encountered when I arrived at the Alliant Center in Madison. So many cars. So many people. It took about a half hour to find parking and then hike in to the event.

I was told when I called for tickets months ago that there was no reason to have reserved seats for Friday because they weren't anticipating a lot of people attending the in hand portion of the Challenge. Wrong. The small arena was packed full of people. Any seat with a decent view of the action was taken. I was disappointed not to be able to see everything, but thrilled that so many people had shown up to support the mustangs.

The arena was small and the building itself pretty tight. Spectators were only a few feet from the action. Coming into the arena, most of the horses seemed well prepared and ready to go. Moving towards and through the serpentine meant moving towards and past the crowds. The people sat mostly quietly, but were scary nevertheless. At the end of the serpentine, the mustangs had to stop and stand still for hoof lifting right by the crowd. None of the mustangs enjoyed standing by the crowd for this, but many of them did do it. The rest of the course went well for most of the horses. The trailer was scary, but most did go in. The back through was done with ease.

I walked through the barn afterward and was happy to see lots of interested people asking great questions. The BLM had information tables set up in the arena, the barn and a third one in the main Coliseum.

Overall, I think the mustangs handled the crowds and action really well in the barn and arena. I can not wait to see the action today when they are under saddle in the main Coliseum arena. It's a bigger and to me more intimidating space, but the crowds are farther away which might help the mustangs feel more secure.

I've got reserved seats for today's riding and finale events and I'm gonna budget a LOT more time for parking!

Katee


And for another look at what's going down, visit Jessie and Remington! Jessie is a bit disappointed because Rem had a case of nerves, so head over and cheer her up!



Around here, Sandy has no clue what will be asked of him in another 47 days. He's happy when we can sneak out into the lush green spring grass for a bite to eat. Yesterday was ride #3 and it was beautiful. We trotted for the first time! And man, let me tell you, I've never ridden such a smooth gaited horse! No motion to jar you around in the least; I could have set a glass of wine on my head and not spilled a drop. I was super impressed because typically a young horse is trying to figure out if they can actually move and carry you at the same time; their balance always seems to be thrown just a bit off those first few attempts at a faster gait, but not Sandy! I gave a few clucks from his back while Jay moved a couple feet away from him and gave him his head. He stepped right into a lovely, smooth, forward moving jog trot. Nothing fast or unbalanced about it. His head was relaxed and he even slowed down into a Western Pleasure jog at one point. I can't even express to you how happy I was with how well he handled it!

Now if we can just get over the snorting issues...

Join the Hay Burner's Club and donate $15 towards Sandy's upkeep and I'll send you a 5x7 photo (once the horse is here, of course.) Or buy advertising space in the form of a button.