Day 18

Last night, I wasn't excited to spend anytime in the indoor since the temps dropped to near zero again. I found plenty to do in the aisles. It was a good time to work on ground driving and more desensitizing. I laid across her from both sides. While I was working on her accepting me laying all over her, the dogs decided it would be fun to have races up and down the aisle right beside us. It was "hair on end, run as fast as you can, slam on the brakes, spind and go back" multiple times. Sign really likes the dogs and cats, so anything they do never bothers her. She did get her first ride earlier this week, if being ridden by a cat counts? I also cross tied her for the first time. She stood there like she had been doing it for years. I put my gelding in the cross ties beside her for a while and he taught her to paw, not a good thing.

I also have different people going in and out of her stall throughout the day to continue to gentle her. Every day she becomes more accepting of us, it really helps that she loves grain and treats, but she is still reluctant to take anything directly from a person.

Day 17

Sign is getting more accepting of us approaching her and handling her. She is getting much more confident with each day. On Day 17 I ponied her from my tall (non-handy) gelding. She was awesome with us on her left and need more repetition with us on her right. I am also continuing work on steering and remaining soft.

Snow Pictures by Cherish

End of Week Two

This weekend the weather finally warmed up some. Today, Sunday, it was in the 30's, sunny and little wind, almost warm enough for a trail ride.

This weekend was the first time Sign has gone outside since her arrival two weeks ago. She didn't do much other than stand on one side of the round pen. We have about 12 inches of snow on the ground, so it is easy to tell where she goes in the round pen. Since our round pen is outside, I have not used it for her training. All training has been done in the indoor and stall.

Cherish took so very great pictures of all the horses, including Sign in the snow. I'll post some as soon as possible. Sign was a great photography subject, she just stood like a statue and observed her environment.

I did more standing in the stirrups and establishing contact with the bit. I will get on her when I feel like there are "no holes". My goal for the first (and every) ride is to be very "uneventful". I have a plan to "fill the holes" this week and may be ready to get on by next weekend.

Sunday concluded with trailer loading. I think Sign liked the extra height she gained standing in the trailer.

Stay tuned for some very cool "snow pictures",

Day 11

It is amazing how far Sign has progressed since Day 1. I am working on desensitizing and controlling her feet. Last night I also spent some time on grooming and getting the last amounts of mud off her. She is looking pretty cute!

I showed off some of her tricks which are a true indicator of how good minded she is. I brought out the tarp for the first time and the only problem I had was getting it layed down quick enough for her to stomp on. Jill lunged her some while I played with the camera. I need to figure out the best setting for inside without getting the blur. With all the "smoke" it looks like we are on fire....it is our breath in the single digit temps. We are getting a mini-heat wave on Friday....it will be in the 30's. Here are some pictures from Day 11.

Start of Week Two Pictures

Start of Week Two

Last night was lots of fun just playing with Sign. I worked her more off her right side because she is much less trusting of anything on that side. I also tied her in the indoor again and approached and retreated a few times with much less reaction than the previous day. I sent her up the wheelchair ramp and backed her off a few times. I had to block her a few times from trying to go back up, she wanted to go all the way to the top. There was no fear, only curiosity. That will come with time, however I'm sure she could handle it now. These horses are more aware of where their feet are then our domestic horses.

I did some lunging from the top of the mounting block, she was a Pro to the left, sticky to the right. I also leaned on her and bumped her with my legs. When I started, Alisha and Sara were riding so I had Alisha touch her from Sabrina's back, she was great and stood quiet and still. I tried one of my saddles on her for fit. She only looked at and tasted the saddle. I tightened to girth 3/4 of the way. No Reaction. Trotted her both directions...no reaction. I think she may not be the easiest horse to fit a saddle. Tonight I will put some others on her and hopefully find one that fits. Otherwise I may need to invest in a crupper to keep it from moving over her shoulders.

I brought my camera today, so tonight I will take more pictures, almost all of the mud is gone.

End of Week One

I did not spend as much time with Sign this weekend as I had hoped to. The extreme cold caused me to retreat to the indoors. However I did accomplish lots in the little time I spent with Sign.

Friday night I spent about 15 minutes getting her out of the stall and a little work on the lead with lunging and yielding and basically moving her feet in all directions.

Sat AM I worked more on leading in the barn aisles. I delayed going into the indoor, since it is much colder in there than in the barn. It is ~35 degrees in the barn, I guess the indoor to be in the teens? I worked more on the mud, superficially it appears to be mostly gone until you feel her "undercarriage". I took out the cowboy magic green spot remover, closed my hand on the lead, made sure I was not blocking her escape and sprayed 2x away from her body and then turned the spray to her barrel in rhythm. No reaction...just a slight indication that she noticed, so I soaked as much of the remaining mud as I could. If you have a light colored horse, this stuff is awesome. You can almost see the green (manure and urine) dissolve. I don't know what is in it, but I imagine it has enzymes which breakdown manure, mud and urine to remove "green spots". I am hoping by the non-reaction I got with the spray bottle, that bathing will go as smoothly. I spent lots of time on her tail and have most of the mud-dreadlocks out. I also picked up all her feet a few times...no issues.....she was more responsive and respectful then lots of domestic horses. So...since I was doing good, and of course it was nice to be in the warm barn, I got the new blanket a boarder (thanks Donna S. :) had given me to try on her.

At first, Sign snorted a little and didn't look like she was going to allow it within 10 feet of her. So we all went to the indoor, Sign, I, and "the blanket". I lunged her around it for a few minutes from all directions. I let her stop at it if she showed interest and then rubbed it all over her body. I then put it on her without any buckles and continued to lunge her until it slid off her butt. At that point it was "dead" and she showed little interest in it. So I put it on, hooked the belly and leg straps and chest and now she is warm and looking more like a domestic horse.

Sunday was a little more lunging and then a lesson in being tied. She had the typical reaction once a horse learns it is tied for the first time. She figured it out pretty quick and did some pawing as she thought it through. Cherish came in with her horse Kodi and Sign stood quietly the whole time. Her feral intuitions did present when I approached her to untie her, she tried a few more time to pull away when I approached, but once I could put the stick on her wither and settle her, I was able to untie her and lead her back to her stall. As expected, after the tying lesson, leading was a little easier.

Looking back to last Sunday, when I could not touch her directly, she has made tremendous progress. I truly believe she is smart and will make a great horse for whoever takes her home in April.

Pictures from week one

Day 5 - Officially 13.2 hands

I am now able to approach and rub Sign within a few seconds of being in her stall. Last night I introduced a new object (flag) and she accepted it touching her all over within seconds. I lead her from her stall to the indoor with her following another horse a good distance back. She is very soft and yields very quickly off the left, the right is a little more sticky. I did a little lunging/leading/lunging/leading/.... from both sides last night. She is super soft and light to the left, and getting more comfortable and responsive to the right. I introduced many items from my grooming box as well as the measuring stick. Officially she is 13.2 hands, I could probably stretch it to 13.3 hh, maybe she will be there by April if she grows some hoof and wears shoes :)

When I applied for the challenge, I thought I would not have any problems outfitting the horse I would get. Well, I don't have much in the pony department. I will have to find her a blanket on ebay and include it with her in the Auction in April. Good thing her head is a little larger, I guess it to be cob size, so tack should not be an issue.

I also added lots of Cowboy Magic to her mane, tail and belly last night. I have gotten most of the mud off, but what is left is very hard, like cement. She has lots of mud balls on her belly, especially under her flank that I don't want to pull out and regress with her developing trust. Maybe by tonight some of it will be more loosened and falling off.

After working with her for ~1 hour and decided I could probably take the lead off and let her loose in the indoor while the vet worked on Gia. She mostly stayed at one end of the indoor and explored everything she could. She only came over to see what we were doing when the vet was emptying Gia's stomach and making lots of mud....did I mention she seems to have a strong affinity for mud? She also found the "therapy corner" taking a few steps up the wheel chair ramp, and putting her nose on all the toys and tools.

Once the vet was done with Gia, she was referred to Wisconsin Equine, I decided to see if I could catch Sign and lead her back to her stall. It didn't work out that way. After a little while I decided to use old, trusty, Sabrina as the bait. Sign happily followed her out of the indoor to her stall. I get the feeling that Sign has a high opinion of herself and likes to do things her way. I could almost see her smiling as she exited the indoor and walked confidently down the aisle to her stall. This will work to my advantage in the future.

So as you read this, you are all probably wondering about Gia, 1990 Grey Arabian Mare. Here is a letter that Jill sent out Friday AM after returning from WI Equine Clinic.

I am writing to let you all know that we lost a very dear friend last night. Geynalika was put to rest approximately 12:30 last night. Gia's owner, Judy Hazard and I are very grateful for the kind and compassionate care given by Dr. Steve Graham of Bristol Vet Clinic, and Dr. Austin of Wisconsin Equine Clinic. She had a ruptured intestine and there was absolutely no option except to take away her pain as quickly as possible. We are extremely grateful for the wonderful memories, blue ribbons, and the great times we all had with her. She was a kind, beautiful horse and we are thankful she was a part of our lives. We also would like to give great credit to Ken Remer for using his farrier skill and talent to give her many good years after a major laminitic episode. Again Bristol Vet was there to give great advice and vet care, to help pull her thru that crisis. Thank you all for helping me to care for this incredible mare.

Day 4

Last night was more great progress. I spent lots of time desensitizing Sign all over her body. At first she was not willing to allow me to touch her from the right side, but within minutes we worked through it. I can also touch her entire body without any reaction. I had lots of other people approach and retreat from both sides. She is still on guard but is getting more accepting of human contact. She is very respectful of her handlers space and yields her quarters to very slight pressure. She is progressing quickly with learning to be led (following Sabrina really helps). Almost all of the mud is gone, I know lots of you are interested to see what she looks like sans mud. We took lots of pictures last night, I will get some up by this weekend.

Rebecca and Spyder "taking" the "IN and Out" :)

These pictures were taken late Fall 2007 at South Kettle Moraine Trails in Ottawa, WI. I was curious to see if Spyder would jump the gate, he did....no problem.

Day 3

More forward progress was made last night with Sign. She is now yielding her hindquarters very willingly and giving to pressure on the halter. I can approach and retreat and rub her. She can also be approached and rubbed by other people. She is guarded by remains still and quiet when approached. From what I have read of the other mustangs in the challenge she is not as quick to "let down her guard". She is very smart and protective. I will get more pictures up this weekend.

First Day of Training

Thanks to everyone for the concern regarding the deer. I am not sure if I am more upset about hitting it, or the fact that the Sheriff scared it away on the two good legs it had. It was a good sized buck and would have provided lots of meat to offset the damage to my car.

On a positive note....Of course I have to point this out after the "trash talk" I was getting from these guys on Saturday at the pick up. Mark B and Scott P, guess we won't have to worry about your Colts or Cowboys. Better luck next year. Now I have the dilemma of supporting my hometown team, The Patriots. I grew up in Fall River, MA and we ran our horses in Foxboro right beside Foxboro Stadium, in the early ninety’s. Now I live with a diehard Packer Fan.....I think I will be "Switzerland" to keep the home happy.

Sign is making slow but forward progress. I can rub her all over with a curry comb on the end of a 4 foot pole. I have gotten about half of the mud off her. Some of it is like cement and taking more rubbing to loosen it. I have only touched her a few times before she moves away, but she is liking the rubbing that I do from two feet away, any closer than that and she loses her confidence. She whinnied at me when I walked out of the stall after a 30 minutes rubbing session. As much as she would rather I don't get too close, she does appreciate being rubbed. She is also learning to give to the pressure of the halter. I will provide an update in a few more days.

Pick Up Day

Today was a great and long day. I got to the barn at 3AM and Jill was in the truck with the trailer hitched and ready to go. We got to the pick up facility at 9:30 AM as planned. While there we met two other trainers and Patty Colbert. Dena Plendl and her family were loaded and ready to return to Iowa. We took some pics and had a little time to visit. After loading we met Mark Burnett from IN who was there to pick up his horse, and was the next in line to load. It was great to meet some trainers and put smiles and personalities to names. We took plenty of pictures. It was lots of fun, even thought I was repeatedly informed about the impending Packer loss throughout it, FYI Packers 42 Seahawks 20. We be coming for your Colts and Cowboys next :) OK....back to the subject of the day....I got a 4 yr old bay mare who was loaded within two minutes. Thank You to the hands who were there to do the haltering and loading. Everything was very quick and smooth, it actually went so fast that we missed the loading with the video camera. We get a video of the recreation at home in the next week.My first impression of my horse was only "how did she manage to cover her entire body from the tip of her nostrils to the tip of her tail with what must be at least 20 lbs of mud". We learned in the truck on the way home that she has white of three of her feet. I told Jill we must have received the wrong horse, because I didn't see a white hair anywhere on her entire body. Actually her coggins says she has two white feet, I wonder how they missed one?Overall the trip was smooth, except for one missed turn which routed us through the center of Chicago. We arrived home at 4:15PM and unloaded in the indoor. Fellow boarders Tammy and Cherish and Jill's husband David were all awaiting our arrival with cameras and a plan. Jill brought her reliable Arabian Mare, Sabrina, into the indoor to give some comfort to the new arrival. We let the mare check out her new home for a few minutes before letting Sabrina and Jill lead the way out of the indoor to her new extra large stall where she will spend the next few days while she settles in. We have decided to name her Signature and will call her Sign. We actually picked out the name a few weeks earlier and it fits her well. There will be more to follow on that later.....When I left the barn, Sign was quietly standing in her stall and looking very relaxed. Tomorrow will bring a new adventure.Unfortunately on my way home from the barn, a large buck attempted to cross the road in front of me. He didn't make it as I'm sure we both hoped for. He landed on my hood, leaving lots of dents, and then bounced off my roof to the road. Instantly it looked to me like he had two broken front legs as he tried to run off the road down toward the creek. I called Jill and David and Cherish and her husband Jeff. The buck was lying down by the creek when everyone arrived. However he managed to move enough to keep his distance from the Sheriff. So, now I have a damaged car and no buck. But I was lucky to be unharmed and safe. I guess I should have at least pulled my camera out to continue the documentation of the day.Look for pictures soon.

The Day Before Pick Up

Tomorrow is the much anticipated day to pick up my horse for the Midwest Mustang Challenge. The Mustang Heritage Foundation notified all selected trainers on December 21, 2007. It was like getting a Christmas present a little early. My friend Jill Mann, who is also the owner of the barn where I board is going with me on Jan. 12, 2008 to Ewing, IL to pick up the horse. The facility where the horse will be stabled and trained is Signature Arabians, in Union Grove, WI. Signature Arabians is owned and managed by Jill and her husband David Mann. We plan to return early evening on Sat and take some pictures and video of the pick up day. Look for more updates soon.....