From Wild to Mild

One of the things I say alot is "it never takes longer the three days" . That is I say that in a joking way when someone ask how long it takes to get a horse to do something....Well it seems that this mustang and I are on the same page. In the third session, just three days from when I first got a look at this wonderful wild animal, we have come to an agreement that if I didn't try eat him he would let me on his back!

Wow what a rush!!!!!!! Hard to believe that a wild animal would subject itself to a preditor on its back. These animals are very, very smart and seem to sense if you mean any harm and are very trusting when they sense no danger!

This is going to be a great summer! It's going to be very interesting to see how far this wonderful creature from God's kingdom will take me! I am truly blessed to be allowed to be involved in this awesome venture!!!

Walking on Air

The Journey Begins

Pickup day

June 11, 2010

Elm Creek, Nebraska

The journey began. After spending the night in Kearney, Nebraska, my daughter, wife and I were up bright and early Friday morning the 11th heading to the Bureau of Land Management. We arrived at 8:00 am sharp. After signing all the legal documents we anxiously awaited seeing #7404, the horse that was assigned to me. There were 3 other midwest mustang members there to pickup horses and everyone was excited to see the horse they would be taking home and spending the next 100 days with.

Here he came - a thin but muscluar gorgeous mustang. He is 6 years old and was capture 8/26/2006 from Three Fingers, Oregon.

Minitures or Full Size, They All Gotta Take the Pill

We all know the primary reasons for training any animal is to help deliver routine healthcare and grooming. That is probably one of the most overlooked areas I see when working with a new horse. If you can't get her to lift a hoof for a good cleaning, there's no way a Farrier is going to be in a good mood.

People probably overlook the need to be predictable and consistent when working with their horse to get him used to grooming and health needs. A smart horse will try to win the game with some bullying. And that makes sense, would you want to stand around inconvenienced sometimes if you could just bluff your way out of it and get back to a luxury life of eating and hanging out with your friends.

This Saturday, I spent some time with the Miniature Horse Club at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds doing a demonstration on training a miniature to accept a shot and worming. There are lots of differences between miniatures and full size horses. The one I like best is that a full size horse will use his sheer size and bulk to try to get one over on a handler. A miniature is all attitudes. Not sure how they know they don't have the bulk, but they sure pack some sass.

My mantra when it comes to miniatures is the same as with any animal - explain what you want them to do and then reward every step that gets to the end result. It helps that I am fairly stubborn myself so any animal that wants to use his excess energy to horse around is met with my approach - make them work extra until the extra energy is gone.

Horses will often refuse and then use all their energy to keep refusing. Well, if you refuse with me, I will just have you walking and turning and lunging until the horse thinks refusing just takes too much energy.

Thanks to the Miniature Horse Club for inviting me out. I had a great time and I always love the spunk those little guys have.

And the Building Goes On

I have shared that there is a long list of things to do before Friday. Guess I should say there is a long list of things to do before Thursday because it is a five hour drive to Nebraska to pick up my Mustang. We are heading out Thursday evening.

One of the pieces of the training facility I needed was gravel for the round pen base. If you aren't in the construction business or an avid DIY home improvement guy, you might not realize just how much gravel costs and how much you need. I confess I am not a man of money and my bigger confession is I am a man of my wife's budget. So, I needed to get creative when it came time to put a quality base down. I tried some whining and pleading to my wife with no avail (I still try after more than 20 years and I am sure I will break, errr, train her some day.)

My second strategy for getting a large quantity of gravel at a fair price was to contact a local quarry about becoming a sponsor for me during the Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition. A big thank you to Ramone at Hamm Quarry in Perry, Kansas for coming through with a very generous price.

The folks at Hamm Quarry know all about the local guy rising to success so maybe they like my story. I also know they are very generous to a number of area organizations, so combine those two traits and I was on the receiving end of a lot of help.

This doesn't let my wife or our budget off the hook. I have been building my list of tack I am going to need and some really cool gadgets.

What is in a Name? A horse's name that is

There is so much to do before Friday when I pick up my Mustang for the Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition. I have had to get the training facility up to par (sorry to all the horses that trained there before in the pre-competition days, but I liked you just as much). I have been rearranging an entire summer schedule to allow for more training time (sorry honey, no vacation until after September) and I have hired a kid to help with all the farm work (thanks George but I am not sure you know how hot it will get this summer on a tractor).

Of all the things on the to-do list, I think naming my Mustang is the most fun. I was most excited about that single job. That is why I gave the task to the folks that are just excited about my summer project as I am - Allen Gate and Panel. When I talked with Mike Nevens about becoming a sponsor by way of donating a round pen for training, I ticked off the list of sponsor benefits I was providing for the summer. But after Mike responded and showed his support, I offered him a bit of fun I had been saving for myself.

When I pick up the Mustang this Friday, I won't be searching my childhood memories for a favorite pet name and I won't be pulling out my Internet research on names that mean champion and success, instead, I will be calling Mike. The staff at Allen Gate and Panel has an office competition going and the winner claims naming rights for my training Mustang.

I will admit that I have been running on excitement and exhaustion lately. I thought sharing the naming rights was a great way to show my appreciation, and then my sister pointed out that not everybody in Arkansas loves everybody in Kansas. It is just possible that a guy with an odd sense of humor could win the right and I will be training "Cutie Pie" or "Betty Boop" or "Razorback Pride". She rattled on some more heartburn inducing names as I imagined the next 3 months introducing my prize Mustang to everyone I meet.

So, here's my second plea to the staff at Allen Gate and Panel, take pity on a horse trainer from Kansas and don't make me blush every time I say my horse's name.

A Big Thank You to Allen Gate and Panel

It is almost intoxicating when someone gets excited about a project as you are. That is why I was able to drive all night to Prattsville, Arkansas last week and didn't event think about getting tired. My road trip started the week before when Allen Gate and Panel Mike Nevens opened my e-mail and read my plea for assistance.

See, I am expecting a new Mustang this week and I had to find a round pen to use in our training competition. We all know that great equipment is important when working with animals and if you don't know, a quality round pen can be a substantail investment. I have had round pens off and on in the past always borrowing or building them until someone else's need was greater. This time, Mike heard my great need and generously responded with a donated round pen. (That's me with John Allen and Mike Nevens at their facility last Friday.)

So, a 16 hour round trip means that I have a new, awesome round pen in place and just waiting for this week's road trip when we head to Nebraska to pick up my Mustang.

I can't say enough good things about the guys at Allen Gate and Panel http://www.allengateandpanel.com/, but I should first say, I did my homework before reaching out to Mike. I knew that Allen had good products and had talk to folks that were very pleased with their round pens.

I am in the race, EMM competition

So, I signed up to train a Mustang from the BLM. The BLM offers a program in a couple of regions that gives professionals and amateurs a hand at training a wild Mustang, the Extreme Mustang Makeover (http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmnebraska.php). I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the posting.

My wife and I have adopted from BLM before and really enjoyed the experience. Sure, there are lots of rules and regulations, but that is what my wife thrives on. (She is all about following the book.) I, of course, loved getting to build a relationship with a wild animal and taking sole responsibility for accomplishing the nearly unthinkable. Really, who doesn't love the idea of a bucking bronco succumbing to their own hand?

Now I have the chance to train a BLM horse and get judged on my efforts by a group of professionals. This is going to be a great summer project!!

I pick up my horse June 11 and we head back to Nebraska September 24 for the competition. I am spending my whole summer training a horse and I can't wait.

I plan to let you know how it goes by posting every week or so. In the meantime, tell me what you plan to accomplish this summer.