EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER

First off I just want to say THANK YOU to anyone and everyone that donated to our "Get to Texas Fund!!!!" Thanks to all our many donors and the Pittsboro Southern States our trip to the Extreme Mustang Makeover 2008 was very comfortable...We even got to stop and eat and everything!!! As for the competition itself, Cain did wonderful. In the in hand division we didn't fare so well as we place 33rd out of about 50. But I could never blame Cain for the low finish because I'm sure he was feedin off of my very high nervous energy and the energy of the crowd. The only times he balked were when he had to trot along beside me around a set of barrels and when I had to pick up his back feet...HE WOULD JUST NOT STAND STILL!! As for the under saddle division I couldnt have asked him to do better. I was sooooo proud of my boy... he never balked once wich led us to a 14th place finish in the under saddle!!!! The two combined scores placed us 19th over all. I also couldnt be happier about his new home. After the auction I got to briefly meet his new owners. Cyndie was her name and she owned about 100 acres near Ft. Worth where she rehabs rescue mustangs, quarterhorses, and anything elses you might slap a saddle on. She said that he was going to be a buddy horse for the rehabs and a weekend rider for all her neices and nephews. Once again thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR DONATIONS AND BLESSINGS OF GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

8 Days Till Texas!!!

Ok... so its been approximately 75 days since my last post and I'M SORRY! But now we only have 8 days till my dad, my sister, and I leave for Ft. Worth Texas and the Extreme Mustang Makeover 2008! Between my last post and now kind of a lot has happened with Cain. He has long been under saddle with only a few minor mishaps here and there. Up until about three days ago I was still riding him with nothing more than a rope halter and I am more than proud to say that he could easily navigate any and all obstacles including going forward and back through the big L made of landscape ties, doing 2 full turn-arounds in an 8x8 square, and he even went on his first trail ride with only a halter. Even though he was doin perfectly fine in just a halter I felt he needed just a little more touch sensitivity so I rode him today in a Tom Thumb bit which is little more than a snaffle with a small shank. It couldnt have worked out better...his stops were quicker, his backs were prettier, and any little bit of drift he had in the pastur was gone... though he is extremely touchy and a pretty mover thats not what I'm the most proud of him for. So far he has shown the most prospect in being virtually bomb proof. But if anyone wants more on that before Texas theyre just going to have to show up at our Mustang Day at the Southern States in Pittsboro off of Small St. We'll see yall there!!

MUSTANG MAKEOVER

OK...so I made the 2008 EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER and I now have my horse, Raisin Cain!! In just the first couple of days working with him in the roundpen I had him to where I could easily walk right up to him in a stall or the roundpen(after a couple of warm-up laps). Then sadly I had to miss 5 whole days after day three to go to the beach with some buddies for one last hurrah. But im back now and im proud to say that even after 5 missed days of training he picked right back up where we left off after only 1 afternoon of work. I now have Rasin Cain where I can walk right up to him, put a halter on, roundpen with him turning to face me when I ask him to stop, and stepping off in the right direction with only the point of a finger. I think I love this horse!!

Just Watch 'Em

In the past little while I've started to realize that in all my blogs I havent said much to actually help anybody in their training. Of course in my 3 years of training horses I have had the privilage of learning countless techniques from famous clinicians, local trainers, my dad, and other self proclaimed proffesionals such as myself. But without a doubt I have learned the most "straight from the horses mouth." If youve ever watched a group of horses most can tell within just a few minutes which is the dominant horse... usually a mare, surprise surprise. When she feels that another is threatning her authority or is too close to a mate she will at first hint that the violator should probably move on. Usually by lifting her head and slicking her ears. Then she will suggest by moving into the violators space and perhaps turning her "kicking" end in the violator's direction. When/if the suggestion is ignored she will automatically use a physical command to ward off the violator, either by kicking, biting, or striking and the violator WILL move on and take the hint. Now I'm not telling everyone to go out slickin their ears, kicking, biting and or striking their horses...generally not good ideas. What I am saying is to "do as they do!!" just not literally. When I train a horse I use this same three step process. First I will ask the horse to, lets say, move their hindquarters by changing my body language and focusing my energy and perhaps snappin or pointing at their hindquarters. Next I will suggest by "bumping the air" with a lunge whip or "handy stick." I wont actually touch the horse but there will be a clear suggestion in progress. When/if my suggestion is ignored I will escalate the horses energy by bumping/tapping the horses hindquarters with the lunge whip with an ever increasing pressure until the hindquarters moves. So basically what Im saying is to Just Watch 'Em and do as they do..thats the basis for anything and everything I do with any horse. Remember to leave comments and/or suggestion or feel free to email me at thebartjr@gmail.com. Ohh and wish me luck, we (my dad and I) sent in our applications for the Extreme Mustang Makeover just a little while ago. Thanks

Fancy Flyer: Part Two

First Off I have to say... I'M SORRY, ive gotten kind of lazy lately with posting. But since my last post about Fancy Flyer. . . . hes had his first ride, thrown me off three times, had a couple more rides, learned how to walk, trot, and lope, stop, back up, turn left, turn right, bend at the pole, lower his big head, pick up all four feet, and not think twice in the process. Somewhere about a month and a half through his training something just clicked. I had gotten walking in both directions with out any spooking down purty well. So on the next ride I decided... "Im Gonna Get A Trot And A Lope Out Of This Dang Horse If It Kills Me." Its not that I had not tried... I tried two times and he through me off twice. Today was gonna be different, I thought. About the time I asked for him to trot off he decided that he really needed to get across the roundpen really really quick, and I came off. I caught the tip of my middle finger on somthin and it gave a purty good rip... after i got it cleaned up and dad put on some non slip reins made out of 1" cotton lead i jumped right back on. I was ready for the bolt this time and when I told him to trot on sure enough he took off like a bat out of...well you know. I put a death grip on the horn and rode him out until he was just in a flat out run. After he calmed down everything just seemed to CLICK. I got him through the rest of his training...which was basically doing a walk trot and lope outside the roundpen, and it was time to take him back. He couldnt have done any better when I showed him off... perfect walk trot and lope in a big indoor arena with all kinds of scary things like jumps and rails laying around just waiting for him to slip up once. HE DID AWESOME!!! All in all Fancy Flyer was my biggest learning experience and challenge of my 3 yrs of training horses that ended up to be one of the most trusting partersIve ever had.

Joe: Part 2

It took almost no time at all to get the saddle on Joe as he flew through most everything I threw at him. He is extremely willing to do almost anything I ask of him, as long as it doesn't take too much of his precious energy. If it involves moving fast or thinking quick it takes him a little while to catch on, but once he does catch on there are no more problems. The only recurring problem that I've found with Joe is one that he has no control over. As a colt he got somthing jabbed in his right eye and now has extremely limited vision on his right side. Now when he is running counter-clockwise in the roundpen or out in the pasture he has to constantly turn his head to the right so he can see....and the rest of his body follows. As you would expect this made any steering at more than a walk difficult until I earned his complete trust. To get him to trust me I did a lot of work in the roundpen before I ever took him out. By doing a lot of turns into the fence and making him trust me instead of his bad eye I slowly started to gain his trust. After 2 or 3 days of nothing but flexing/turning into and away from the fence on his bad side I started to feel that he was ready. When I did take him out of the roundpen it couldnt have come more naturally for him. Then when i took him on the trail it was even more natural, the only thing that i could find to try to scare him was a horribly monstruous refrigirator that lives deep in the woods and is extremely territorial. Other than that he couldnt have done anybetter. Sadly when the owner came to pick him up a couple of days later I was stuck in bed with the flu and didnt get a chance to show off everything Joe could do. Remember I REALLY dont mind if you leave comments or email me at thebartjr@gmail.com!! Thanks

Joe: Part One

Somewhere about mid-way through January I was given the chance to work a horse for one of my local riding buddies, Jerry. I had already worked one horse for him, Jack, and now I was to be given the chance to work another, Joe. Since Jack and Joe came from the same local halter stud I pretty much knew what to expect... a slow moving, scared of nothing, good weekend trail horse. As with all the other horses I have started/worked with, on the first day I put him through his paces just to see what he might already know. I can honestly say that I wasn't exactly surprised that I could do just about anything I wanted to to try to scare him and he just wouldnt budge. Some might say "Oh thats just wonderful, less work for me," and in a lot of ways it is a good thing, but... if he is afraid of nothing, then how do I get him to do anything!!! Normally, using traditional natural horsemanship techniques you use the horses natural fears to first sensitize the horse to get it to move its feet and do what you want, and then desensitize the horse to the scary object. With Joe, I have to rely almost completely on his willingness to please by doing what I suggest... its that or find a cannon to try to sensitize him.