A lot to get done in 90 days!

Oh my god! There is so much to do and so little time to transform a wild mustang into a confident horse that you can ride down the trail, and its not just getting him to be a great riding animal. You have to do so much to prepare him for his new life with humans. This is just a sampling of what we have to do to prepare our horses; leading, haltering, lunging, saddling, tying, picking up feet, getting him ready for his first trimming, riding in the trailer, loading and unloading, blanketing, bathing, clippers, grooming, fly spray, hobbling, being ponied from another horse, going through water, up and down hills, carrying weight, getting used to motorcycles, cars, bikes, kids, barking dogs, plastic bags blowing by, etc., etc. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to riding. But with all this prep, it’s possible to get him ready in 90 days. Not always, because every horse is different, but Poster Boy is well on his way. It’s been six weeks since I picked him up and I'm getting really attached to him and it’s going to be hard to see him go.

Janet and Poster Boy Exploring the MIllpond Equestrian Center Ranch - Three Weeks

The time has come for me to take Poster Boy for his first venture out of his corral. This is a big day for us. I feel like I have enough trust and communication for me to be able to safely lead him around the ranch without to much trouble. So for the first outing I take him just for a little walk not too far from the security of his corral and each and every new day I build on to the walks, exploring the ranch. We walk into the jumping arena and I send him over some Cavaletti poles. We walk in and out of all the jump fences. Next we walk into the big western arena where at the far end we have pigs and cows to look at. I take his halter off and let him have a good roll in the deep soft sand. I just sit in the sand and watch him enjoying himself rolling and rolling and I am confident that he is enjoying his new life with me. The trust that we have is amazing. I know that I will be able to catch him in this big arena because we have a clear language between us.

I was right. Catching him was no big deal. He was ready to go explore some more so we head out to our trail course where there is lots of new things to look at. We stop at each new object or obstacle that might worry him, have a look, and maybe a smell and go on to the next. I have a really long rope on him, about twenty feet long. It's climbing rope that I use. Back in the day my husband and I did a bit of climbing so we have lots of rope laying around. It could be a little hard on your hand if you tried to hold on if your horse bolted, but I think if you have enough rope to let slide through your hands he'll stop and turn around before he gets to the end of the rope. I take him down to our little creek and he's happy to sip fresh cold creek water. I send him up and down our sand hills to start to build some muscle and more trust doing some different things.

The time is getting close for my first ride. I will prepare him for the first ride the same way I have with everything else, its a slow steady building process hoping to never surprise him. He will tell me when the time is right for that first ride, and I will wait until the time is right for the first ride. I am having so much fun learning and growing with him.

Every horse is different and has a unique personality; as different and individual as a person. So I approach each horse as an individual and the training methods I use are specific to that horse. So is the time table for progress. That's what keeps me interested, the variety I experience with each new horse. The only aspect of training that is the same across the board is the release and reward I give the horse when he does the right thing. Now Poster Boy waits at the gate when he sees my car come into the ranch wondering what kind of fun we are going to have today. He wants to spend the day with me, I know that, 100 percent! I think the time is near for my first ride. Pray for a safe ride for this forty something year old kid.

Janet uses Loud Music, commotion and obstacles to desensitize Poster boy

Two Weeks into Training

I feel like I am finally starting to get Poster Boy’s trust and respect and I trust him more and more every day. His self-preservation has been really evident to me. At first every time I put too much pressure on him he was turning his hip to me and threatening to kick me or stick at me with his two front feet. That is really kind of scary. He’s fine when I’m just brushing him or loving on him but gets into preservation mode when I’m asking for something more. I can’t help thinking about him being a wild animal. He’s only been able to survive in the wild by either running from the danger or fighting. So when I’m working with him I can’t help but think about the trainer that was killed by a Killer Whale. Are we pushing these animals too much? I think sometimes we might be, but I think once they understand that we are not out to eat them they can have really rewarding, meaningful lives. Poster Boy knows my car now when I show up at the ranch. He meets me when I crawl through the fence and wants to know what kind of toys I’m going to be introducing into the corral each day; cones, tarps, flags, plastic bottles, Cavalleti poles to jump. Every day is a new day with something new and different. I really think he’s enjoying my company and looks forward to having his toys changed up daily.