Wetern States Mustang Challenge - June 6-8, 2008

It's been a while since I have updated this blog. The holidays have come and gone and its a new year. My incentive horse is coming along beautifully and has a new adoptive home (more on that in an upcoming entry). Patriot is doing well and has had the winter off. He is turned out to pasture with other horses his age, fully recovered from the lesson of the dominant mare. It is too cute to see him playing stallion games with the other geldings in the pasture. Little does he know, but his loafing days are almost over. I have him signed up for that trail clinic he missed last fall due to that kick. February will be a busy month for my fuzzy pasture ornament.

What I wanted to talk about today is the Western States Mustang Challenge - June 6-8, 2008 - being held in California. The entries are due for this event in a week and I am considering participation. I am torn as I would like to do the big event in Texas, as well, however, California is SOO much closer.

However, my biggest dilemma is actually a problem I want your help in solving. Since I do not want nor need to keep the horse I get for this event (and you KNOW I will), I wanted to see if anyone out there is interested in adopting this horse and line up to be the high bidder BEFORE I head to California? I would really like to get to know the potential new owner of this horse, rather than hand him over to the highest unknown bidder. Would that be too much to ask?? :) Please spread the word. I am thinking I will only enter if I know that I have a prearranged home for the new guy. Can you help?

EMM pictures are here!

Patriot and I had some professional photos taken while we were at the competition. They have arrived! Ohh, shiny!

In hand



All aboard

Patriot represents!

Today, Patriot was a proud representative for the mustang breed. My local farm store, Reber Ranch, held their annual "Breyerfest" today. Several children and young people came from all over to show their Breyer models in a model horse show. After the show, a parade of live horses from many different breeds had a chance to show off their stuff.

Pate did pretty good. It was the first ride since Fort Worth, as he has been getting some much needed time off and then he was laid up with the shoulder injury. He took it all in stride, except he was a bit worried about being alone in the arena. However, when the BIG draft horses pulling the even BIGGER wagon came trotting by, he was the only horse to stand still and even walk up to the rig! I was so proud. Horses with years of training bolted and pranced. He said, "Hey, let's follow them!" He then stood quietly for petting and attention, loving all the kids.

He seems to be as good as new. He trotted even and sound, with a full stride. I am glad he's better. He had me worried.

Extreme Mustang gets second chance

Of the 100 mustangs chosen for the 2007 event, only 82 made it to the show. The last 18 did not make it for a variety of reasons. A few made it back to the corrals in Nevada, but one made it to Burns, OR.

While I intended to participate in the new Mustang Heritage Foundation's Trainer Incentive Program, it was going to be difficult to obtain another mustang from Nevada. Last weekend, I attended the Kiger Adoption in Burns. Quite by accident, I found out that there was an EMM mustang waiting there to return to Palomino Valley. I wasted no time in asking if I could take him home to finish his training. I was granted permission and just like that, I have an incentive horse!

For those of you out there that wished they adopted an EMM horse or were bidding against me for Patriot, here's your chance! I get to train this new guy and I can sell him directly to you, no auction!

He's a very cute, dark brown gelding, about 14.3 hands, with a small star and white on his coronet band of the right rear leg. He's still wild, but was willing to try and join up and very sensible. He is lighter boned, forward thinking with lift in his shoulders and drive from behind.

I will gentle and start him the same way as Patriot with natural horsemanship techniques and classic dressage training.

If you are interested in this horse, please email me ASAP and we can chat.

Living Large and well

Patriot is finally moving sound. He takes a few off steps here and there, but I think we are out of the woods. It looks like maybe the kick only caused a bad bruise and nothing more. Needless to say, Patriot is rather fond of his weekly massages and chiropratic treatments! :)

I am going to give Patriot a few more weeks off from riding, but he will still get to go out on the trails as a ponied horse. He likes to get out and about, so he's happy.

Mares! You gotta love 'em to own 'em

Patriot learned a hard lesson last weekend. Mares are to be left alone, with a 50' radius at all times. Don't even look at them, or they will give you what for. Sigh. Poor Pate. He thought he was going to survive it. After all, he still gets it into his head from time to time that he might still be a real boy. Wrong!

Pate received the business end of one of my mares hind legs to the shoulder and is now doctoring a pretty good bruise and possibly a cracked shoulder blade. It took only a second for him to sniff her as I was walking both of them to the trailer to go for a ride. She was not interested in that, at all!

To give her credit, she ponied him for several hours that day with nary a whimper nor a swish of her tail. He must have looked at her with that gleam in his eye when he tried to nibble her rump. She set him straight and was done with the lecture.

Normally, a blow like this would be hardly noticed, but she must have nailed him at precisely the right angle. He was fine for the first two days, with just a bruise, but now he's gimping pretty bad and is on pain med's. He is on strict bed rest with a little hand walking for awhile, which is JUST fine with him!

Unfortunately, what this means is that he does not get to go to the trail clinic this weekend, as planned. Not that I don't have 4 other riding horses I could take, it's just that I really wanted to take him! This clinic only happens once a year and I am bummed. Oh well. I'm still going, but I will miss my Pate.

Jeez, the most expensive horse I have too!!

At home, doing nothing at all.

After a chaotic, whirlwind week, we are home. I turned Patriot out to pasture with another of my young mustangs, Canyon, and they are having a blast playing "boy" games and hanging out.

What a difference a week makes! We left Texas in 90 degree heat and arrived home to 40 degrees and rain, rain, rain! Needless to say, Pate is wearing a nice warm coat. He has no hair for this abrupt change in weather! I plan to continue with his riding this winter, so a short coat will be a blessing.

We have some fun events planned for the next few months, so I will update the blog as we go along.

I wanted to take the time to say thank you to my family, friends and employees that supported me through this whole event. I really appreciate your support and backing. I also want to give a shout out to all my new friends whom I met at the event and all Internet contacts that I have made. Thank you so much for all the emails and kind words you have sent my way since my return. I did not know how far and wide I reached with this blog! Your praise means more to me than you know.

A big "Hi" to Angie Keitel, Tim and Karen Noland, Jimmy Thomas, Kitty & Rick Lauman, Clifford Tipton, Dixie LaFountain, Greg Reynolds, Wolfgang Remkes, Excy Johnston, Jeremy Dunn, Ray Ariss, Kathe Smothers, Vixen Barney, Josh Appleby and all the other trainers I met and bonded with during the event. It was great fun to meet you and your horses. I hope to see you all again sometime. Please keep in touch!

And finally, to all of you that have contacted me regarding training services for your horses, I REALLY appreciate the trust you place in my abilities. I am considering hanging a shingle from the barn some day, but for now, I really need to go back to concentrating on the business that I already own. Since it affords me the luxury to keep Patriot fed and housed, it would be best to spend a bit of time there. LOL God knows I've ignored it long enough to concentrate on Patriot. A BIG thanks to my managers and employees for keeping the doors open and the lights on in my absence!! But hey, clean up the office and get the beers out of the office fridge, as I am back to work now!