Call of the Wild

It's that time again, folks! I'm happy you're back for round number three, which looks like it'll be the biggest challenge yet. For those returning readers- Amicus (last year's mustang) found a wonderful home with a spectacular lady whom I see almost on a daily basis. He's fat, happy, and spoiled...what more could a mother want?!

Now, without further ado...I'd like to introduce you to Ledoux (as in the late-and-great Country singer, rodeo star, and all-around cowboy Chris Ledoux). Ledoux is a four y/o gelding the Twin Peaks HMA near the California/Nevada boarder, and has been in captivity since August 5, 2006. If I had to personify Ledoux at this point in time, I would say that he resembles the ridiculously intelligent bad boy who loves a good time but refuses to be anything but top dog...the later sure to be the source of any issues we encounter.

Ledoux has been at the Bar T since Friday, July 16, thanks to our friend and barefoot trimmer Alex, who made the long haul to the holding facility in Piney Woods, MS to pick up our boys. We gave the 'stangs all day Saturday to get their wits about them before starting training on Sunday. I did, however, sit in the round pend/corral area on Saturday just to see what the guys would do. Imagine my surprise when Ledoux, who had never been handled, waltzed right on up to me to take a sniff while I was chilling out in a lawn chair. In my mustang experience, this is very uncharacteristic...and I was excited beyond words :) Sunday, before our lesson began, I was out in the round pen with a manure fork and wheelbarrow...and guess who came out to check things out again?! Ledoux started with sniffing me and the aforementioned glamourous tools of the trade, until he apparently lost interest in just sniffing...he grabbed the fork right out of my hands! Already...what a clown :)

I've worked with him daily since Sunday, and it's gone relatively well. Touching him was never a challenge since he more or less made the first move. My challenge with him has been his acceptance with me as the "Alpha" in our relationship. During our first lesson on Sunday, he charged me once and backed toward me (to kick) multiple times. Ummm, Houston, we have a problem. I will say that he isn't doing this to be malicious at all. If you know horses, you know about herd dynamics...every horse has its place in the herd, and because he isn't accustomed to taking direction from others, he's fighting every step of the way. Since our first lesson Sunday, he has undoubtedly improved, but it will continue to be a battle of wills. Luckily, I'm as stubborn and hard-headed as they come :)

We're Baaaaccckkkkkkk!

Okay, so it's time for an update...finally! Amicus and I are still prepping for the competition. I can hardly believe that exactly two weeks from this very moment I'll be getting him situated in his stall in Tennessee! Let me be the first to tell you- 1oo days FLIES by!

I guess I also need to explain our (my) absence. Remember that little lameness issue I wrote about time and time again? Well, that little "issue" turned out to be a chronic, and possibly permanent, problem. Amicus has what's called "Shoulder Sweeney," also known as Neurogenic Atrophy of the Superscapular Muscles. Sounds daunting, huh? In layman's terms, the superspinatus nerve (which runs on the outside of the scapula) was damaged at some point before I got Amicus, causing the muscles above and below the scapula to atrophy severely, to the point that his movement has been affected.

How do we fix this problem? Well, that's the million dollar question! Also the question that no one seems to know the answer to. I'll tell you what I do know- at the suggestion of various equine health professionals, I've been massaging, stretching, and stimulating that nerve every way I possibly can. Amicus is on herbal supplements (both topical and oral) that claim to increase circulation. We also do extensive warm-ups, consisting largely of cavaletti pole work. He also gets a chiropractic adjustment once every two weeks or so. Until about the last week and half, I'd say that all this extra work had been in vain...BUT guess what? He's really coming around! He's not 100% sound, but I'm confident that he's on his way. Will he be 100% by Tennessee? No...but we'll do our very best!

Again, I apologize for sliding under the radar, but I wanted to have a better handle on the situation before I started running my trap!

Now, want to hear about our weekend? I thought so! Amicus and I assisted in hosting the first annual Adopted Wild Mustang Festival here at the Bar T. Not only was it a great way to desensitize Amicus to the outside world, but it was great publicity for the BLM Mustangs we have all come to know and love! Of course, Chap and his 'stang, HOOAH, also represented the Bar T. Brock Griffith , a fellow NC EMM competitor, also came out to share in the fun. You've got to check out the website for this great event...it will, I'm sure, be the first of many! It was a great day. A big thanks goes out to everyone who attended, and helped out with the orchestration of the event. You made it a success!

Ready to Roam

I love Sunday; it's the only day of the week I'm not slammed with responsibilities! I chose to spend pretty much my entire Sunday messing with Amicus. We went our first trail ride late this morning, then we did some ground work this afternoon and this evening.

Chap and I had talked about doing a trail ride all week together with our 'stangs, but our schedules just didn't align until this morning. Before hitting the trail, we went through the paces in the arena to loosen-up the boys. After the friskiness was knocked off our horses, we opened the gate and headed for the hills! Boy were they excited! Our goal for the day was to introduce them to as many obstacles as we could possibly find. We rode them up our 1/4 mile driveway so they could watch the cars go by. Keep in mind that when you live as far out as we do, you just may be waiting a while! We got pretty lucky; not only did we get a hand-full of vehicles, but some of them were pretty loud and shiny. The boys must have gotten pretty desensitized to cars on the 10 plus hour drive from Cross Plains, because they barely batted an eye! Really the only thing we saw that was even remotely of interest to them was a big, blue piece of plastic laying on the shoulder of the road. Aside from that, they pretty much would look, sniff, and move forward. Good guys! HOOAH (Chap's mustang) acted like he had been a trail horse his entire life! Amicus did really well also, but he certainly acts his three years! He'll definitely be a horse that likes to take off and run through an open field. I can't wait!

After we got the boys safely back to the barn, we gave them baths, groomed them from head to hoof, then turned them out to graze for a little while.

A couple hours later, I grabbed Amicus out of the pasture for our second educational lesson for the day. This time, we worked solely on ground work- leading, trotting, sending, backing, etc. As an added bonus, I worked on leading him places he normally wouldn't find himself, like the deck off the front of our barn! He climbed the steps and everything...not even slightly hesitant! Can't wait to see what we'll accomplish this week :)

You've got to stand for something...

Amicus and I didn't have any huge breakthroughs tonight...just thought I'd show you some new pictures. We did, however, get to share the arena with my brother, Chapin, and his EMM horse, HOOAH (Chap's a Soldier :) ). Distractions, like other horses, are such great training tools! Chapin and I have tentatively planned a trail ride for Friday or Saturday. It's time to get out of that arena!

"No time spent in the saddle is wasted..."

"...As you learn to communicate with the horse and appreciate what he can do for you, it will add a fascinating dimension to your life." -- Mary Gordon-Watson



How accurately stated, Ms. Gordon-Watson! Let me tell you, the past two weeks have totally cemented my bond with Amicus, and they have, like Mary Gordon-Watson stated, added a whole new dimension to my life. My time working with Amicus is my favorite part of my day, and I feel like he looks forward to it also. He consistently gives 110% when we're working together, whether we're doing ground work or riding around in the arena.

The last time I updated the blog we were still working only in the round pen, striving for consecutive forward movement. We've come along way since that point!

After the last post, I did give him a week off to rest his lameness injury. Speaking of which, we're still not completely sure what's going on. Initially, I felt like maybe his shoulder was out of line, so I had the chiropractor come and give him a whole-body adjustment (he did a remarkable job allowing a new human to put her hands all over him!). That didn't fix it. Yesterday, our barefoot trimmer (Alex Sperandeo/Miracle Worker), came over to assess the situation. Alex seems to think that Amicus is kind of disjointed in his legs due to his long hooves, which is causing him to favor. My experience with Alex tells me that this assessment is probably spot-on. He'll be back to trim him again in a couple weeks...I'll keep you updated on that front.



Last week, after our week-long hiatus, Amicus and I took to riding again. He still handled it like a champ! We've done mostly light riding to this point, consisting largely of walking, trotting, turning, stopping, bending, and collecting. We moved up from the round pen to the arena, and I think he enjoys the opportunity to move around a little more.

Remember me telling you how intelligent Amicus is, and how quickly he picks up on things? Well, Amicus is responding so well to leg and seat cues that I'm able to drop the reins and turn both directions, stop, and back up! He's an amazing animal.

I'm starting to think at this point that I'd like to keep Amicus for my own after the competition :)

“Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first base.” -Frederick Wilcox

So exactly 13 days from my first session with Amicus, guess what happened? I'm sure you guessed right...we're under saddle!! I seriously cannot put my relief into words. The first ride, Saturday, was relatively uneventful. I put the blanket on him and saddled him up while he

was ground-tied...he's so mellow. After he was all saddled, I lunged him around just a bit to get all the little boogers out of his system. Then it was time to hop on! I stood in the stirrups from both sides several times before actually planting my behind in the saddle and slipping my feet through the stirrups. When it was finally time to do just that, I have to say I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be! I know I say it all the time, but I just have so much trust in this horse that I truly believe he'd never harm me. (Let's hope I never have to eat those words ;) ) When I finally did climb up and sit down in the saddle, it was, even though I've gone through that same motion hundreds or thousands of times, like the first time. It was such a rush. I was excited, giddy, anxious, and punchy all at the same time. The mere thought that I was on top of an animal that was previously untouched by human hands...it's something you have to experience to comprehend; I can't even do it justice.

He did such an amazing job. We had two little hiccups; both times he got a little distracted, then just forgot I was on his back. He shut right down right after I regained his attention. Great first ride.

Today (Sunday/Day 14) we had our second ride. This time, we worked more on getting consecutive forward motion. Boy was he a champ! We had quite the crowd, as we usually do on Sunday afternoons, and he took all distractions in stride. I really can't tell you how pleased I am with Amicus.

As far as additional under-saddle progress goes, I think we're going to take it nice and slow. He seems to have a little issue in his shoulder. He's

never completely lame (or three-legged lame as we say in the horse world) but you can definitely tell he gets uncomfortable after hard exercise. I'll keep you posted!

Life Outside of the Round Pen

I just can't sing the praises of my Amicus enough! This week he has built on the foundation we laid together over the course of our first week together. So new updates- we left the round pen! On Tuesday night after our lesson (and after dark...), I thought he might enjoy nibbling on a little grass. My goal was to make it out of the lights of the round pen and into the dark abyss of the pasture, around to the other side of the barn, where another horse was being worked in the arena. At first he was a little iffy about walking through the gate, leaving all he knew of the Bar T behind. After just a minute of taking in the outside world while straddling the threshold, it wasn't too terribly difficult to persuade my dear Amicus out of the round pen when he realized there was grass on the other side! The hard part was keeping his attention on me instead of the grass :)

He followed me along the perimeter very well! He only had one tiny "ohmygosh" moment when he encountered a roping dummy toward the end of the barn. After the initial shock, he marched right on up to it, gave it a quick once-over, then decided all was well. Once we made it around to the arena I gave him his head and let him eat. Despite the darkness (who knows what kind of monsters lurk around in the dark), the other horses, the other people, and all the new contraptions, he did so well! He never balked...not once!

The next day (Wednesday), I took him out of the round pen and into the pasture before our lesson. I gave him about thirty minutes of "Amicus Time," and let him roam unattended around the pasture. I think he was appreciative. The best part? He actually walked toward me when I went to catch him. Lovely!

The big triumph Wednesday night was, hands-down, getting on his back. I desensitized him pretty well, then hopped up and laid across his back. He totally didn't care. I got on and off from both sides...nothing! Before that, he learned how to lunge. Again, a non-issue. He's so very smart; after about ten minutes, he was comfortable and perceptive enough to change directions with only a small step (in front of him), and a point of the hand. Great guy!

Tonight (Thursday) I repeated everything he's learned until now, then put the saddle on him :) Again, it was not even a big deal. I didn't, however, cinch him up tonight because it was pitch-dark, and, if/when he bucks, I want pictures! You do too, right?

My Amicus

I've had my little man for just over a week now. I'm in love! I've always been a mare kind of girl...I've never really been interested enough in a particular gelding to give him a chance. I tell you, if this little fella is any indication of what geldings are normally like, I can't believe what I've been missing! Such heart.

Let's get you up to date. First off, I've named him, and it wasn't exactly a process I took lightly. It had to be just perfect. I landed on "Amicus," which is Latin for "friend." He and I have given our trust to the other without question, much like good friends trust in each other when confronted with a daunting situation.

He takes every lesson head-on, m

eeting each challenge with curiosity and confidence; he's not afraid of anything! I've picked up his front feet, disengaged his hindquarters and forequarters, and wrapped ropes and whips (and anything else I could get my hands on) around his back feet and under his belly. He leads well, will stand willingly for a bath, and even tolerates the squeaky fly spray bottle. The icing on the cake? He'll walk beside me all around the round pen, sans lead rope. It even took Holly (last year's EMM mustang) longer than that to learn that to latch on when asked. He's an intelligent and perceptive little bugger. I'll post videos soon :)

I hope to have him under saddle within the next week and, as long as the weather stays nice, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I can't wait!

He Who Remains Nameless...

Hey y'all! If you followed my blog last year, welcome back! If you're new to the blog, or the Extreme Mustang Makeover in general, visit www.extrememustangmakeover.com for a little background information.

I'm happy to report that I'll be competing in the under-saddle portion of the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeover: Eastern Stampede this year alongside my little (or not so little...) brother! My father (www.thebartmustangproject.blogspot.com) is sitting this year's competition out to support the two of us. Do I have a great Daddy or what?

I have a feeling things will get pretty heated between my little brother, Chapin, and me. I think we're what you might call "competitive."

Okay, now on to the good stuff! I was paired up with this little doll of a gelding. He's about 14.2 hands tall, dark bay (nearly black), with two white stockings and a white blaze. He has a very refined face, and large intelligent eyes. He looks almost like a little Arabian! Not at all like the mustangs I'm used to seeing. And his temperament? I'm so blessed again this year. So far, he's the perfect picture of a willing partner *knock on wood*! He's alert, but without being timid; confident, but without being pushy; he's curious, gentle, and seems to be very intelligent. I couldn't have hand-selected a better partner!

I didn't get started with him until this past Sunday (I was out of the country; the boys were sweet enough to pick him up for me!), but we hit the ground running! Sunday, Day One, he didn't so much as snort at me! At the beginning of our lesson, I ran him around the round pen for just a second...just long enough to get his attention, then started working on disengaging his hindquarters to get both eyes looking at me. He picked up on the concept very quickly. I slowly moved closer and closer, making little crescents around him to keep him pointed my di

rection. Before too terribly long, I was within just a few feet of him! Chapin was encouraging me through the whole process. I had a total girl moment when he asked, "Can you feel his breath yet?" as the mustang reached his nose forward. I must say, I got a little teary

eyed :) He ended up closing the gap between the two of us by touching his nose to my hand. What an awesome experience! There is nothing like that first touch between a mustang and a human. At that point, I felt like we had made enough progress for the first day.

On Day Two, I ended up working with the little fella twice. The first time was before I left for work in the morning. We just recapped all the lessons from the day before. Later that evening, I worked on the human touch a little more. My triumph for Day Two? I got his neck tag off! Yay!

Day Three (Tuesday/today) I worked on increasing his tolerance of human touch. I can advance from the front and from both sides, and rub all the way down his neck to his withe

rs

on both sides. He'll even let me rub his ears! He's really a great little guy. So great, in fact, that I can't settle on a name because I want it to be perfect!! Any ideas?

Holly Golightly Meets Cowtown

I’m sure all of you are sitting on the edges of your seats, waiting to find out what happened with little Miss Holly and me down in Cowtown; wait no longer, it’s update time!

I wasn’t actually able to make the 22-hour drive along with the boys and the horses due to work, so I flew in on the morning of Tuesday, September 16. I met up with the crew in the historic part of Fort Worth; we boarded the horses in the hundred year-old Exchange Street Livery, right beside our hotel. Holly was simply the “Belle of the Barn;” she had all the boys in the stable beside themselves!

I gave her Tuesday to get settled and rested before we hit the ground running polishing our act; I took the opportunity to do some Texas-sized shopping!

Wednesday morning we were up with the sun; Holly and I were both primped and preened by 8 a.m., then we took to Exchange Street for a little mustang photo shoot. That’s one of the coolest things about Fort Worth; it’s perfectly acceptable to embrace the cowboy culture, horses and all. Holly was such the parade pony, hamming it up with anyone and everyone that would give her a second look.























After the photo shoot, we headed over to Will Rogers Coliseum to check-in our steeds for the competition. While leading Holly through the hundreds of rows of stalls, I realized she was one of the few horses that weren’t wide-eyed and whinnying. She was calm, cool, and collected while she sashayed by the other horses. That’s one of the things I love the most about Holly-- she is completely unfazed by change; she didn’t seem to care at all that we were in the middle of a show barn, in the middle of a city 2,000 miles from home. She is so very confident in her own skin, what a little role model!

She and I worked a lot on Wednesday, getting loosened up and accustomed to the show ring loaded with obstacles before our competition on Thursday morning. The only issue I felt like we had was with the trailer we were required to hop into; she must have felt like it was a little too high. After working with it for a little while, she consistently consented.

Wednesday night was certainly a late night; I stayed at the coliseum until nearly 1 a.m. going over the obstacles with Holly, then, of course, we had to go through the pre-show beauty regime.


The boys and I headed over to the coliseum Thursday morning early enough to watch the sun rise, then each of us headed to our respective stalls to give our furry companions the pre-game, “Let’s do this” talk. Holly was ready.

We headed down to the ring around 9:30, early enough to get her physical condition judged before it was time to go into the ring. Thankfully, they didn’t judge her juvenile warts! After the conditioning portion, it was time to show Fort Worth what little Miss Holly Golightly and I had been up to for the past hundred days! Before we walked into the ring, I was almost positive my stomach was going to turn inside out due to the colony of butterflies that had apparently taken up residence. I glanced at Holly; she was far more impressed with the bottle of water sitting on the gate then with the dozen other horse-human teams practicing around us. The moment before we stepped into the ring, I gave Holly a quick hug and kiss, said a little prayer, and hoped for the best. As we walked through the gate, I put my trust in Holly and let her take the butterflies away; we were ready.


The first obstacle was the trailer; flawless! Next up—360 to the right, then I had to pick up all four feet while she was ground-tied. The 360 went well, but Holly followed me when I moved around toward her hindquarters to pick up her back feet…I got docked there. Then we trotted off, hopped over a little jump, weaved through serpentine cones, and into a chute. From there, we backed out, trotted over spoked poles to a cone, then came to an abrupt stop. Holly did so well!




















Later that afternoon, we were having lunch with our friends from home, along with another competitor, Matt Replogle, when Matt got the call; the results were posted! “Where did we finish?” I didn’t think the answer would ever come!
“Eleventh,” Matt said.
First I squealed, then I realized that I wouldn’t get the chance to really show-off Holly. I missed the top 10 by half a point! I was, and still am, tickled pink with our performance. However, I can’t help but blame myself just a little; “What if I would’ve…”

All second thoughts aside, I’m thrilled. Thrilled with Holly. She is full of life, determination, and heart. Needless to say, that little spitfire came back to the Bar T and is sitting in my barn as I type this ☺

The bottom line is that the competition was amazing; I’m so thankful that I was able to be a part of this incredible opportunity. I saw horses that could viably compete in any discipline successfully that were completely feral just a hundred days ago. I can confidently say that I will, along with my brother and my father, be back again next year. Except next year, I’m going for the under-saddle portion!

Stay tuned; I’ll post a video of our run within the next couple of days!

Also, if you’d like to see how my father fared, check out his blog at www.thebartmustangproject.blogspot.com.

How 'Bout Them Cowgirls...

Two updates in one day...I must have news! Well, I do today was an awesome day. I accomplished one of my goals :) Instead of telling you about it, I'll show you- out-takes included! Enjoy!







And a little extra...I was the first woman to ride Pardon, my father's EMM horse. Two weeks ago he was a bucking broc! It was a little scary to throw my leg over the saddle with him, but I did it! Horses are so empowering...they take the fear away :)

The best thing for the inside of a woman is the outside of a horse...

It's crunch time now...Ft. Worth is only about a week away! I just can't believe it; the time has surely flown by. My bond with Holly continues to grow and within the past week this little horse has reaffirmed what I already knew; she has quite a heart. You know that old saying, "There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse?" It's true with her...she is so intuitive and just understands. Horses are different from people in that regard I guess…without using words they know exactly how you feel. Maybe that’s why we feel so drawn to them. Last week, when I needed this little filly the most, we took a little moonlight stroll together, just her and I. If you’ve never taken a little midnight ride (or walk as the case may be) you should. There’s no other time when you feel that special bond. I think it has something to do with the fact that you really have to put trust in your horse…its quite therapeutic.

Now that we all have the warm fuzzies, I’ll move forward to the training...
I’m working with her a good deal now on moving off of my body instead of the lead. It’s working quite well! I’m doing a lot of things now completely leadless. She’ll trot beside me as I jog around and through obstacles, sticking right to my shoulder. I hope that this will continue in Ft. Worth, however this little socialite tends to get distracted by her loyal subjects!

I’m a little stuck on when it comes to teaching tricks…anyone have any good suggestions?

Updates!

So there really wasn't a whole lot to talk about after my first post; I mean, she came so far in one day! However, since that time, we've learned a lot. She can now lunge in and out of the round pen, cross water, stand while a whip whistles by her ears, stand to have her feet trimmed, tolerate clippers, load into the trailer, and we're starting to bow. Oh, and did I mention she runs our herd? Oh, well she totally does.

We have an event coming up, where you can meet Holly, along with the boys' mustangs. Come by and watch us work the 'stangs, register for prizes and enjoy fellowship with other horse enthusiasts!

When: September 13 8:30-12:00
Where: Southern States in Pittsboro, NC

Introducing Miss Holly Golightly...

Well, after slacking for an entire month, I figure it's time to get this blog up and running. I've had Holly since June 14...what an eventful month. I'll get you up to speed-

June 13 my father, brother (from here on out referred to as "the boys") and I packed in the Dodge and headed to Ewing, IL to pick up our BLM Mustangs. The boys were both selected to compete in the full Extreme Mustang Makeover, while I set my sights a little lower on the yearling portion of the competition, dubbed Mission 007 for the year of the horses birth. We arrived at the holding facility in middle-of-nowhere, IL at around 9 a.m. on June 14 to pick up our soon-to-be loyal steeds. After checking in at the facility office, the boys received the tag numbers of their horses and raced around the pens trying to catch a peek. I was kinda given my pick of the three or four scrawny little yearlings in pen five. I decided on a leggy little bay that seemed less concerned with my standing nose-to-nose with her than her mouthful of fescue. That little filly seemed to have more guts than any of the hundreds of mustangs there that day!

When it came time for the little nameless filly out of Eureka, Nevada to get haltered and load on the trailer...well, it couldn't have been easier. She just waltzed right on the trailer like she'd been doing it all her life. The other two...well, they came out of that shoot and on to the trailer like they were projectiles shot out of a slingshot. The ride home was uneventful as far as the horses were concerned, and we got back to the Bar T around 1 a.m. on June 15.

The next morning we were up and out early to get a start on the horses. My partner in crime Molly also came over to see what we could accomplish with the filly. My dad had the round pen first, then Chapin. Molly and I felt like we could make progress just as easily in the corral as the roundpen, so off we went to ambush this little horse. Within the first hour, we were leading her around, picking up feet and spraying her with the water hose. Needless to say, we were both a little shocked. This horse just came off the range in January and has had zero human contact...how is this so easy? Not wanting to look a, ahem, gift horse in the mouth, we took full advantage!

It was somewhere between her her guarding my dad's bulldozer of a mustang from human contact and her eating out of my hand that I decided two things: 1) This little filly has the same doe eyes as Audrey Hepburn (one of my all time favorites) and the same carefree, mischievous nature as her character from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her name just had to be Holly Golightly! 2) This little ballsy, easygoing, and full-of-herself horse would be coming right back to the Bar T in September after the competition.

Since Day One, Holly has been into all kinds of Shenanigans, from taking advantage of the buffet of feed barrels in the tack room, to jumping through the window in her stall (not quite sure how she managed that one...it's 3' x 3' and about 4' off the ground). Stay tuned here and I'll keep you posted!