Blue

Two of my most recent works in progress are Blue and Scooter. Blue, who i briefly mentioned my last post, is a four year old BLM Mustang that my cousin Paige adopted this summer at the auction in Archdale. At just under 14 hands and no more than 850 pounds he is not exactly a monster but got a lot of heart and loves attention. After they adopted him Archdale my dad and I spent a couple of days gentling him and getting the halter on and off. After we got him gentled Paige spent the rest of her summer vacation brushing, rubbing and working him in the halter. In the middle of October she gave me a call and asked if i would come and pick him up to start under saddle. Though his laid-back personality is perfect for a novice rider, it made energetic groundwork a pain. Even though most of the time he was willing to do what i asked he just wanted to do it on his own terms. It didnt take long before we worked out our kinks with each other and i started to get an exceptional amount of energy out of him. Since he is a mustang i couldnt move nearly as fast as i can with a domesticated horse because it takes longer for him to absorb the knowledge. For a couple of days just before i put the saddle on him i did the human curry comb and rode him bareback with a halter and lead rope for reins. The day i put the saddle on he did little more than walk away from me a couple of times because i had done sooooo much desensitising and had the surcingle on him a couple of times before. Once the saddle was cinched up good, after a few times of throwing it on and off, he didnt do much more than any other domesticated... a few bucks around on the lunge line to figure out what that thing on his back was and he was ready to ride. After the usual standing in one stirrup and rubbing all over i slung a leg over the saddle and off we went. Ultimately for the first two days he kind of let me down in that i was looking for a good round of bucking or some kind of exitement. It wasnt until the third day of riding, when i was going to lope him for the first time, that he gave me a little buck. But since he was so little and still getting his balance he couldnt put on a very good show and was soon over himself after a few rides. Now that i have had him a month and a half i have bridled him, stood on the saddle, flagged him with the tarp, walked, trotted, and loped out side of the roundpen, and trail ridden him. Today was the first time Paige got to ride him out of the round pen and he did wonderfully...besides 1 little hick-up in the beginning that was quickly resolved. We took about an hour long trail ride, Paige on Blue and me on Scooter, that even went up by the road where he met cars and a tractor for the first time... and never even balked. Though he is a little unspirited for my tasted i think he is going to make a perfect first horse for Paige.