Mustang Adventure

Winter Blahs

2008-02-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

We have had so much rain this year! It's good for the hay crop next summer but it sure is rotten horse weather. Everything is muddy. We haven't been able to spend any time with the horses so they are just getting fat and sassy. Fancy got off to her new home last month. I haven't heard anything but I'm sure she's doing fine. I'm looking forward to Spring, warmer and longer days.

Updates

2007-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been so busy around here that my poor horses have been pretty much ignored (I'm not sure they mind so much.) Maverick,Shawnee and Radar are having a great time romping in there new 2+ acre enclosure. Radar (our mini donkey) and Maverick have fun playing tug-of-war with different objects and Shawnee enjoys being Queen of the World (meaning the boss). We love to see them run and play. Maverick will be 3 this spring so it will be time to start some serious training. This may even be the year we start riding him lightly. Fancy is still just a hard nut to crack. I think Jim and I have decided that if we can find her the perfect home with someone willing to spend a lot of time with her we'll let her go. One less mouth to feed would be a good thing and we're just not making any progress with her. I'm hoping that with Christmas break coming up (we're home-schooling) the girls and I will have some quality time with the horses.

Persistence pays

2007-11-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

That Fancy is one stubborn horse! Still, she's not quite as stubborn as I am. I decided the other day that I wasn't going to back off until she let me touch her. She/we went round and round in the round pen for probably an hour before she finally stood still and let me touch her. I was able to stroke her hindquarters for several minutes before I walked away. I'm about to head down and go at it again with her. Hopefully it won't take an hour today.

Fancy breaks Out!

2007-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Well with the help of Maverick Fancy broke out. Maverick is a notorious fence pusher. He managed to push a couple of the fence panels apart and He and Fancy had a few glorious hours pretending they were wild and free again (well free anyway.) I came home from work last Friday to find the two of them grazing on green grass. My heart stopped when I saw Fancy loose. I wasn't sure how I was ever going to catch her again. I blocked the driveway with my van and did what any horseowner with loose horses does....went for the grain pan. It worked. Maverick followed the grain pan and Fancy followed Maverick. She is now in one of the larger lower paddocks. I've been wanting to move her down there for months but didn't have a way to do that......Maverick moved her for me. What a guy!

Maverick

2007-10-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Ashley has become Mav's good friend. She loves to lead him around. He is like a big gentle puppy dog and loves the attention. It is good for Ashley to have a horse "friend". Pal has always been so grumpy with her that he hasn't been much fun. A little girl has to have a big horse neck to hug!

Fancy

2007-10-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

Taylor was able to pet Fancy today. We penned her up again to renew our efforts to handle her. Taylor visited her this morning with a bucket of grain and Fancy allowed her to stroke her face as she was eating. It was very exciting. I am ashamed that we've had her almost a year and this is as far as we've gotten. Life is settling down, the weather is great...no excuses we need to spend lots of time with her.

Freedom in Captivity

2007-10-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

I was out admiring the horses yesterday. They are fat, happy, and carefree. In contrast I was reading about a bunch of mustangs that were gathered in Nevada recently, brought to the holding facility, and were very sick with salmonella. The water holes are drying up at an alarming rate and many are contaminated. Many of the horses have died....natural selection? I have always held a rather romantic view of the wild mustangs running free and that is a beautiful image but the truth is that the wild ones face many dangers and obstacles. I'm glad my three are carefree in their captivity.

More Space

2007-09-26T05:36:00.001-07:00

We finished fencing the remaining couple of acres of our property. The horses have plenty of roaming room now. There is also a lot of summer grass left to pick at. They are having a good time. Maverick and Shawnee are enjoying their reunion. Fancy is still in the arena as we still don't have her haltered. I did recieve the papers to get Mav titled. I just need to get an authorized signature stating that I've taken good care of him. He's very spoiled! Now that the cooler Fall weather is upon us there is no excuse for not furthering his training. I'll post of picture soon of our "free roaming" herd.

Fancy Free

2007-08-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

We decided that we just couldn't leave Fancy couped up any longer. She is not nearly gentled yet but it just seemed cruel to confine her 24/7. We built a chute out of panels and worked them down the steep bank and into the arena. She didn't hesitate much to walk down the embankment and then proceeded to kick her heels up and run around. She is a beautiful mover! We put Maverick in with her and you'd think the two had been best friends their whole lives. What fun to watch them interact.

Progress

2007-07-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Jim actually touched Fancy last evening. He was able to touch her rump several times. She doesn't want him by her head but he was able to touch her rear. This was a BIG deal and hopefully a breakthrough. We want so badly to get her turned out with the others.

Updates

2007-07-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy it seems that it's hard to get done what we want to get done. Now we are dealing with the blazing heat so our horsey times are restricted to late evening. Maverick and Shawnee are doing great. They enjoy each others company. Fancy is getting better all the time. Jim can throw a rope on her back and has even touched her rump. She comes to the fence to receive her hay and doesn't dart back any longer when I feed her. I think we're getting real close to getting a rope back on her. I can't wait to free her from her small pen and watch her run and play with the others.

Expo

2007-06-12T07:33:00.001-07:00

I had the best time at the West Coast Horse Expo over the weekend. I came back newly inspired to play with horses. Pat and Linda Parelli were there and were very inspiring. I purchased some of their material and am excited to work my way through the program. The horses are all at different levels so it should be interesting to see the results. Maverick is such a blank slate and so willing I've been afraid to "ruin" him. Now I feel like I have the right tools. Linda Tellington Jones was really good as well. She made a comment that stuck with in regards to Fancy. She said that if you can cure a horse of the fear of having their body touched you cure all fear. I found that encouraging. Using some of the Parelli techniques with her over the last few days (I'm learning how NOT to act like a predator) I'm seeing a difference. I'm not touching her but she sure is touching me.

Free - Almost

2007-06-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Jim found Maverick out loose this morning. We've been keeping him out in a hot wire enclosed pasture but he figured out our little secret...the gate wasn't actually hot. He had visited Fancy, scattered her hay and was just out front grazing when Jim found him. It only took the rattle of a little grain to convince Mav to follow Jim back into the enclosure. Shawnee, his roomate, didn't want to test the gate. Although the wire was down she decided not to cross the line. They have been having such a good time with the extra space. When I add GoGo to the mix they run about like a bunch of wild horses....go figure.

Days of May

2007-05-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much news to add lately. We've been really busy putting up fence. We will have a couple of acres fenced soon for the horses to graze down. I think they will really enjoy the freedom and additional space. Fancy is still making progress slowly but surely and the other two are just a delight to watch. They are best friends. Here are a couple of pictures I took this morning. Maverick is on the ground with Shawnee standing watch over him.

Mustang Mother's Day

2007-05-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I did just what I wanted to do yesterday and that was play with my horses. I am encouraged with Fancy. Reducing the size of her pen has helped. Jim was even able to stand within just a few feet of her with her actually in a relaxed state. It has helped that she's not able to run to far from us. I put a bareback pad on Maverick yesterday and you would have thought he had worn one all his life. I cinched him up pretty snug and he didn't even flinch. Taylor spent quite a bit of time riding Shawnee. She's doing quite well. She's becoming more responsive to us all the time. The only thing that bothers Taylor is Shawnee's loud whinee. Shawnee is a very talkative little horse...and for such a small horse she has a HUGE voice. Her whole body shakes when she whinees at the other horses. Taylor is finally getting used to the sensation and doesn't want to bail off every time Shawnee has a conversation. I can see that they are going to be a great team.

Fancy

2007-05-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Fancy is still not coming around. She hates to be touched and freaks at absolutely everything. We removed a few of the panels from her pen making it smaller. She is not able to get far from us. We taped two bamboo poles together and are touching her all over with the poles. I'm going to go out three times a day and rub her down with them. She is already more accepting but we are a long way from getting her haltered and handled. I'm trying to remain positive but I'm wondering if she will ever settle down.

Hide and Seek

2007-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Shawnee were playing hide and seek today. It was the cutest thing. Ashley would run from tree to tree and hide - Shawnee had great fun looking for her and would get so excited when she found Ashley. These mustangs are such treasures (ok- so are the children)!

Pretty Feet

2007-04-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Maverick had his first visit from the farrier yesterday. It went much better then I anticipated. I tried a new farrier and asked him to please look at Maverick. I was concerned that his feet were getting so long but Jim and I hadn't had much success in getting him to stand still. Clint, the new farrier, tested the waters a bit and said he thought he could get the job done. I told him he'd be my hero if he could. You know, it didn't take much of a struggle at all.....Mav wasn't a perfect angel, but as Clint said he isn't a mean horse just a bit of a bratty two year old. Bottom line...Mav has pretty feet again and I feel so much better!

A Good Mustang Day

2007-03-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day it was Sunday! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The grass is green and the wild flowers are in full bloom. We had a good day with the horses. We put a surcingle on Maverick and it was no big deal to him. He acted like he's always worn one. We were also able (I should say Jim) to get all four feet picked up and cleaned. He's still not happy about picking up the back ones but he's getting better. Shawnee was turned out in the back paddock for a short while. She didn't like the dogs but once she figured out they were on the other side of the fence she settled down. Exposing her to 7 barking dogs across the fence should be a good way to desensitize her. Fancy was taking in all the action and ran up to the fence to meet me as if to say "what about me?"

Marley & Me

2007-03-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the book Marley & Me while sitting in the pen with Fancy. She must be very interested in this book. Fancy practically crawled in my lap to read it with me! She wanted in the worst way to taste the book, but of course, being a library book I couldn't exactly let her have it. When she couldn't have the book she decided to taste my shirt, my jeans, and my dirty boots. The silly horse! We can't touch her but she sure can touch us. Just proved to me that all of our subtle efforts have been paying off.....or is it just complete boredom? Whatever the reason, she is certainly coming around. Sitting in the pen does make a difference. She is very relaxed with us on a lower plane then she is. She is on her guard the minute we stand up.

The Fancy Project

2007-03-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well this little mare is taking a whole lot of patience! She is getting better little by little but it is baby steps with her. My friend Kathy mentioned her to a vet today. The vet's advise since she may be pregnant is to continue slowly but spending much more time with her. He said we should just park ourselves in the middle of her pen for about 3 hours a day until she learns that humans won't hurt her. I'm sure I won't find an extra 3 hours a day but I will try to spend more time sitting with her. He suggested this because if she turns out to be pregnant we need to get our hands on the foal for imprinting or the foal will be as fearful as Fancy is. Makes sense to me. She really is getting better. I did sit with her for a while this evening and she settled down quickly. The photos above I took while in the pen with her.

Good Friends

2007-03-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Maverick and Shawnee are so cute together. They really like each other. They share hay and stand around and scratch each others backs. I will have to get a picture of them. They are really a beautiful pair...both dark bays. I'm so glad they are getting along.

Two for One?

2007-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

We are almost 100% certain that Fancy is in foal. She is kicking at her stomach, constantly bumping it with her nose, and acts very startled as if something just kicked her. Not quite what I had in mind when we brought her home but it should be interesting.

Shawnee's New Home

2007-03-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

It has been such a busy week! I'm way behind in updating this site. We did decide to bring Shawnee home with us. She is a beautiful little horse. She traveled like a seasoned pro. We arrived home and turned her out in the arena. She enjoyed bucking and running and is also quite good at standing on her hind two feet (I hope she doesn't do that with a rider on her back). I left her in the arena until Monday afternoon. Monday I turned her out with Maverick. She is certainly the boss but they are getting along quite well. Maverick is very submissive and is happy to be chased about by someone smaller then he for a change. Everyone who has seen her comments on what a beauty she is. I can't get over the way she moves....I can sure see her behind a cart one day.

Shawnee

2007-03-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

We are going to look at another mustang this weekend. Her owner loves her but Shawnee never grew past 13 hands and is just too small for her. If her temperament is right she may be the perfect horse for my girls. She is absolutely beautiful and is being ridden: even shown once. She is going on 5 years and was adopted when she was about one. We're not taking on an additional horse we are swapping: Ginger, our "foster" will be returned to the parks soon. As stated in my previous post....I don't have the time to add to our collection.

Daylight Savings Time

2007-03-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I hate the idea that I have to get up an hour earlier next week but I will appreciate the longer days. Snow, rain, cold, short days....I just haven't spent the time that I need to with these horses. Maverick is so great that with just a little time he'll be good to go. We've been working with Fancy...still trying to get our hands on her. She will walk right up to us now for grass and hay but is a long way from haltering. Now that the days will be longer, Jim and I can double team her.

Fancy PVC Photos

2007-02-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to get these photos. These were taken by Karen Floyd when she and her husband so graciously picked up Fancy for us back on November 4, 2006. Thanks Karen.

Time

2007-02-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

There is no substitute for time. I have made a real effort this week to spend more time with all of the horses. It has paid off especially with Fancy. I've been reading a book by Mark Rashid entitled A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color. It's a great book as all of his are. He talked about a frightened horse that they were able to tame. I tried the method of advance and retreat described in the book...it is really working. All week I have advanced to a particular point in Fancy's stall and stood very relaxed and quiet while she relaxed having me there. After she relaxed I would simply walk back toward the fence turn and advance once again to the center of the pen. I've done this over and over and could see her relaxing more and more with me near by. Tonight I decided to leave her hay on the ground outside the pen while I tried this same advance/retreat technique. She couldn't figure out why I wasn't feeding her. Instead of me approaching her; she approached me. She would come within a few inches of me and sniff me. Fortunately I had read in the book that this is when most people make the mistake of reaching for the horse and scaring them. I didn't reach for her (I sure wanted to) I just let her sniff me and walk off. She kept coming back. Without ever touching her I left the pen and rewarded her with her dinner. What a great feeling!

Terrible Twos?

2007-01-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

I think Maverick has entered his terrible twos..no longer the shy submissive baby, he is demonstrating his power as a growing young man. Everything, and I mean everything, is going into his mouth. It's even become a challenge to put a halter on him because he wants to eat it. This does sometimes work in my favor. I had a bridle in my hand the other day and when he decided to taste it I simply eased the bit into his mouth and let him play with it. I must have had the bit in and out of his mouth 5 or 6 times.

We measured him yesterday as best we could since he didn't really want to stand still very long and he's now about 14:1 hands. He is going through a real growth spurt. His hooves have become way too long so my mission this week is to really focus on handling his feet so that they can be trimmed. He's really doing pretty good with this. I'm able to hold his feet up for longer and longer periods of time.

Fancy is still avoiding us for the most part. We shortened her corral yesterday so she had to remain closer to us. We tossed a soft rope around allowing it to land on her back. She didn't like it much and worked up a sweat with the anxiety but we're going to have to push her a bit. She isn't progressing much on her own. I'm also becoming more and more suspicious that she may be in foal (if not she's filling out VERY nicely). If that's the case we simply must be able to handle her by Spring.

First Touch

2007-01-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

Finally, I was able to touch Fancy yesterday. I decided to make her work a little for her dinner last night. I sat in a chair just outside the corral and held her hay in my lap. She was confident (and hungry) enough to reach through the panel to eat her hay. As she put her nose through the pipe I gently rubbed her cheek. She did pull back but then immediately returned for more hay. I touched her 4 or 5 times before putting the hay in her feeder. It was great to finally lay my hands on her and even better to see that I have begun to earn her trust.

Musings

2006-12-29T05:50:00.000-08:00

Well we made it through the holidays and now there will be more time to spend with the horses. Of course, now the rain has begun so everything is wet, muddy, and slippery. I'm ready to start Maverick in the round pen but will have to wait for it dry out. He's gone through a real growth spurt. I'll have to get him out and measure him this weekend. I think he just might end up over 15 hands after all. Fancy, it doesn't appear, will be real big. She's slowly warming up to us. Patience is winning her over. She approaches rather then retreats and winnies for her hay. Jim did a little round penning with her last weekend and made some progress. He managed to touch her back with the longe whip and it was so funny...I've never seen a horse flinch so extreme before. She doesn't like to be touched, not yet anyway. I'll get some new photos of the little mud balls this weekend and get them posted.

Fancy Updates

2006-12-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

My computer has been acting up so I haven't been on to update for quite a while. We are still working to gain Fancy's trust. She is a hard nut to crack! I've begun carrying her hay into the pen and insisting that she eat from my hand before I drop the hay into the feeder. This is helping quite a bit. She isn't too hesitant to approach me any longer. I was raking her pen yesterday and she was actually following me around curious about my actitivity. She stayed about 6 feet away at all times but she was following rather then running away. I think this is a good sign. She managed to get her halter off so now we have no way to grab hold of her. I'm sure patience will pay off in the long run.

Progress

2006-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

It was a very encouraging morning with Fancy. I've been hand-feeding her every morning before throwing her hay and she has been reluctantly and slowly taking the feed. This morning she came directly to me without her ritual of pacing and inching closer. She is really getting the idea that we're not the bad guys. She's got really kind eyes when they aren't full of fear.

Big Day

2006-11-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

This was a big day for Fancy. She actually took hay from Jim's hand. That was a huge step of faith on her part. It's been one week since she arrived and that was the closest any of us have been to her. She's coming along.

Hay Belly

2006-11-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

My buff little wild stallion has turned into a rather lazy gelding with a hay belly! If Maverick were a filly I'd worry that he was pregnant. Radar and Pal were both taken out of the paddock yesterday and Maverick worked himself into a sweat running round and round and round. The exercise was good for him...I need to take his buddy's away more often.

Scary People

2006-11-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Boy, on day 5 I was touching Maverick... Fancy will be a whole different story. I sat on the ground just outside the fence near her hay this morning. She did come and eat within 3 feet of me which is pretty good for her. As long as I sat perfectly still she would stand and eat, her ears and eyes fixed on me the entire time. The minute I would make even the slightest movement she was off. Mittens, our cat, didn't make things easy for me. She decided to use me as a scratching post while I sat on the ground! The cat doesn't have any trouble approaching Fancy and Fancy was surrounded by at least 20 wild turkeys yesterday and she was fine. It must just be us scary looking people that she has problems with.

Internet Adoption

2006-11-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

I just saw that the latest Internet adoption has ended. The good news is that of the 33 PVC weanlings 24 found a home, the bad news is that 9 didn't and now have one strike against them. I wish there were good homes for all of them....

Breaking Down the Barriers

2006-11-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it was time to do a little housekeeping in Fancy's stall. She is still very nervous around people but seemed oddly enough a little calmer when I was inside the fence. Maybe we look more threatening through the rails? She observed me closely and kept 15-20 feet away at all times but didn't panic with me sharing her space. It was a great feeling..we're breaking down the barriers inch by inch.

Fancy

2006-11-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

OK Fancy is her name. We can finally stop calling her "the filly"

Our New Filly

2006-11-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

The new mustang filly arrived Saturday night at about 7:30. It was dark so couldn't get a good look at her. She was very nervous and scared of everything in her new environment. She seems a little more high strung then Mav was when he arrived: probably the difference between a mare and a gelding. Jim still hasn't come up with a name for her. I've offered several suggestions but they're probably too "girly." This is a BLM filly gathered from the Little Humboldt HMA. They had an emergency fire gather and brought some of the horses in. She is a yearling and we're sure hoping she isn't in foal. This is a photo of her from the BLM website. I haven't wanted to scare her with a camera in her face yet but today I'll get some pictures of her at home.

Life with Maverick

2006-11-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

Maverick is now a part of the family. I continue to slowly work with him. I haven't placed a lot of expectations on him yet. His feet are getting long so I do need to speed up my work with his legs and feet so that I can have him trimmed. I've begun to tie him and he stands very nicely. He is very affectionate and no trouble to catch. This has been a delightful process so far. Now the filly is on her way home and they may be a whole different story but we'll see. Stay tuned..

Freedom

2006-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

Well maybe not freedom as he knew it growing up in the wilds of Nevada but it was sure good to see him roaming the large paddock. On September 13, just one month after arrival I turned Maverick loose in the lower paddock. The first thing he did was to lay down in the middle of Pal's leftover hay. Pal is our senior palomino gelding. He enjoyed the freedom and made the most of his visit. He tasted the oak trees and explored all the rocks. It was a great day!

Now Maverick calls the larger paddock his home. He shares the space with Radar and Pal. They are the 3 amigos.

Out of the Pen

2006-11-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

Maverick took his first walk outside the pen on September 4; just 3 weeks after his arrival home. Because we didn't know what to expect Jim and I each hooked a lead rope onto his halter and led him down the driveway to the arena. It was there that he met Radar, our mini donkey for the first time. It wasn't exactly love at first site, but now they are good friends.

Crash Bang

2006-11-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

On August 27th we decided to enlarge Maverick's pen. This would not only give him more room to stroll about but would give me more room to teach him to lead. While Maverick was eating Jim and I went about the task of adding two more panels to his pen. In the process of moving the panels about I dropped one. It hit the ground with a loud crash...I quickly looked at Maverick, looked at the hole in the fence where the panel was supposed to be standing and thought here we go; or more to the point there he goes! Maverick didn't even jump. He just looked up from his hay to see what all the commotion was about and went back to eating. He has amazed me time and time again with his calm, trusting demeanor. This is a horse that just a little over a month ago (he was gathered on 7/10/06) was in the wilds of Nevada. He is a real treasure.

Halter Problems

2006-11-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Having the mustangs haltered with a lead rope dragging is a good idea initially. I was able to start holding on to his lead rope early in the second week. They also learn to give to pressure since they are constantly stepping on the rope. Maverick would shake his head in an attempt to free himself while standing on the rope. This constant nodding was causing the halter to rub his nose and a sore was becoming visible. I decided to remove the rope as I didn't want him creating a big sore on his face. I was a little concerned about catching him again but thought it was worth the risk. He was definitely happier and able to move about more freely without the rope. It was August 23rd when I decided to put a rope back on him....no problem approaching him and fastening a lead rope to the halter. I applied a little pressure which he did yield to. I also managed to apply a little fly spray to a brush and brush a little on him. The flies were really bad and he doesn't seem to roll like the other horses. He's never dirty.

Maverick's First Week Home

2006-11-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

We spent a lot of time the first few days just standing outside the fence and talking to him. We tried to be plenty animated, moving about and making noise...typical busy family stuff. He seemed casually interested in what we were doing.

On the third day I entered the pen. It was due for a cleaning so I donned a helmet just to be safe and joined him inside. He kept his distance but wasn't overly concerned by my presence. After cleaning the stall I started touching him from a distance using a bamboo pole. He tolerated that touch fairly well.

The next day I went back inside the pen and approached him slowly as he was eating breakfast. He didn't move away so I slowly extended my hand and touched his shoulder. He tensed up so I retreated and repeated the touch. Once he accepted my touch I began to stroke his shoulder, chest, and even scratched his withers. He seemed to be almost enjoying the attention. I decided to end on a positive note and left him to finish his breakfast. I was thrilled to have touched him.

We discovered that Maverick has a huge appetite and doesn't waste anytime in "cleaning his plate". He is a hay munching machine! He also has a very cute habit of "clearing" his water with his front foot before drinking. He always splashed before he drinks. A mustang habit or silly yearling thing?

Maverick's Arrival

2006-11-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Adopting a mustang had been a fantasy of mine for a while. I just loved the idea of owning a beautiful animal that was also a piece of American history. I started reading magazine articles about the adoptions and it became clear that this was something I could do. There are so many helpful websites full of great information on the adoption and gentling process. I started looking at the BLM website. I was surprised to see so many beautiful horses just waiting for a good home.

Because I had no experience taming a wild horse, Michael Meyers at PVC recommended I start with a young one. A good suggestion I think. One little yearling bay stud colt caught my eye....he wasn't flashy or colorful but there was something about the crooked little snip on his nose and the cute little pointed ears that just said "I'm the one." It really only took a couple of phone calls to make the arrangements and schedule a trip to pick him up. He had only been captured a short time before I spotted him so he wasn't even ready to go yet. None of the horses are adopted out until they have had two sets of shots 30 days apart. I also requested that they geld him for me which they will do at no charge. He was officially adopted on July 19, 2006

We picked Maverick up at the Palomino Valley Holding Facility (just north of Reno, NV) on August 14, 2006. It was an uneventful trip. I was amazed at the number of horses they have at that place. All ages and colors. Beautiful wild horses! Maverick was alone in a holding pen. After signing a few forms the wrangler moved Mav through a series of chutes and gates and got him into what they call their haltering chute. The wrangler was so gentle while haltering the scared little colt. Maverick was haltered and sent running into the trailer. The only suggestion the wrangler made to us was "just head straight home..don't stop and check on him..just leave him be and get him home." Well we did have to stop for gas once or twice but we never climbed up on the trailer to peek in. We didn't want to make things worse for the poor little guy.

We arrived home and it was already dark. Not knowing what to expect when he came out of the trailer we very carefully tied panels to form a chute to the trailer and while holding our breathe opened the trailer door. I expected him to charge out with a crash and a bang but there was nothing but silence. After about a minute he stepped out of the trailer and into his new pen. He spotted a pile of alfalfa waiting for him and went straight to the business of eating. That was about as exciting as it got. Thank you Lord!

Welcome

2006-11-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to start a blog and share with friends and family this new chapter of our lives with the mustangs. I started keeping a journal when we brought Maverick home and now with the new filly arriving on Saturday this seems like an easier way to keep a record of their progress. I'll recap our experience with Maverick then try to keep a record of the training milestones. I hope you enjoy. Joyce