Terrible Twos?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our New Filly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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