Acacia

New Pics

2009-06-21T21:21:00.001-07:00

I just got an email today from the Professional photographer, Charles Brooks Photgraphy. Here are a few of my faves!!! Acacia is so gorgeous!!!!

I've died and gone to Heaven!!

2009-06-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

You guys will NOT believe this, but Acacia's blog WILL continue! I received a phone call from the people who adopted her and they want her to come back up to me to finish her TRAINING!!! I could not have DREAMED of a better home for Acacia!!!! Either that or I am going to go back to Cali and work with her. Either way I couldn't be more grateful, excited, thrilled and happy that Acacia is at the WORLD'S Greatest Home with these kind folks!!!!!

Beautiful Disaster

2009-06-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

So I am back and so thankful!! OK, let's start at the beginning of Friday which was our in hand. Acacia ROCKED IT! The only thing she didn't do was trot around the cones. LMAO! Lazy girl. She nailed everything else beautiful though. The trailer, she ground tied, we nailed every obstacle! I was so proud of her! Then we lined up in front of the judges, one of which was Ken McNabb!!! And they scored her body conditioning. So we wait for the scores to come out and she has almost perfect scores in everything except the trotting and her Body conditioning they thought she was too trim. Well, compared to the other horses she was quite lean. I was pretty upset so I ended up talking to the BLM people about it and they reassured me that ALL the mustangs from the 3 Sisters area are lean and trim. But, still it was disappointing. I also talked to and met all the other trainers (I'm a social butterfly) and I asked them how there mares were to break. Their answer? EASY!! I was thinking "COME ON! Mine was tough! She was a spitfire! A bucker, rearer, striker, it took us a week and half to gentle her LMAO" And the other trainers are saying "Oh I was on her back in 3 days LMFAO!!! Oh Well, it's the luck of the draw. They all agreed and joked with me about having the "tough one." She was also the only 3 Sisters mustang their so I had no one else to compare her with.

On Saturday, we were second to go in the ring for the riding portion and a minute before I'm to go in the officials tell me that my hackamore is SEVERELY Discouraged. They say they do NOT like mechanical hackamores, so I try to explain to them that it is an "S" hackamore, not a mechanical and apparently it doesn't matter. So I take off her bridle and end up riding her in her halter. She did fine, but I refused to canter in the course. I had my reins snapped to the halter and her lead rope still attached too. It was way too dangerous to go cantering around in, I was worried that the snaps were going to pop off the rope halter. *Sigh* it was a tough decision but it had to be done. IT also blew my "At best" routine because I couldn't run her around at the lope... She did well all things considering. The judges and the BLM Heads were BEYOND impressed that I sacrificed my run to ride her in a halter... They also ALL came up to me and told me they felt that Acacia had THE best ground manners and training out of all the horses...

IT was no surprise we didn't make it into the top 10, it was sad, but I wasn't going to her or myself hurt by trying to win, by running around in a halter. LOL!

So before the finals they paraded us around the ring and introduced us to the crowd and freaking JOHN LYONS was there. I got to meet, talk to him, shake his hand EVERYTHING! Dream come true! All the horses in the finals did AMAZING!!!! IT was so fun and such an amazing experience to be apart of of. I feel as though I really made some lasting friends as EVERY TRAINER was super nice, down to earth and there for the same goal!!!!!

Auction time I was number 20 to go, a super sweet family adopted Acacia and I couldn't be happier. Though I was sad to know that I wouldn't see her again, the family was PERFECT for her!!!! All in all I will be doing this again. It was the rush of a lifetime! And I've also learned what I will do different for next time. I also have lots more pictured I'll be posting up here too!!

Time for BIG Thanks!!! To S&D who did Acacia's FAMOUS mane and tail. (The EMM photographer LOVED us! Everyone was coming up to us and commenting on her mane and tail, including all the judges and the BLM!) To Mr. S&D for driving to and from safely, To my family I love you all more than anything, Thank you for beleiving in us! To J I love you. And Acacia, I will love you for the rest of my life. Please never forget me as I will cherish you forever!!!

OK, here is some disturbing news. SOMEONE or Someones, complained to the BLM about this blog. I found that to be a backbiting, shady and cruel thing to do. I posted about Acacia and our experiences exactly as they happened. I wanted everyone to feel as though they were standing beside us through all of our trials. It was obviously someone who has read it and has a chip on their shoulder or likes to cause trouble and not another trainer. I opened up all of our wins and losses and the fact that I heard that from the BLM was extremely distressing. THANKFULLY, the BLM, said they have people ALL the time at these events that will complain about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for no reason, but it was NOT a good end to an already rough and emotional weekend.

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell...

2009-06-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

Is almost over.... Well this is my last entry til I come back from the Challenge. Am I nervous? You bet your sweet ass I am! With the time we've had I couldn't ask for a nicer mare. She'll go far in any direction, I know she will. Her and I have traveled through one hell of a journey. We've bled, been bruised, sore, scared and more, all together. It's slowly breaking my heart as I write this post, I don't think we'll be bringing Acacia back with us, as I already have 4 horses of my own. I'm terrified of who will adopt her and hope they love her as much as I do and always will. I will never forget her and the journey we've spent together. You can't go through this much with an animal and not fall so desperately in love with them. Here's a few more pictures and then I'll post when we get back. Thank you to my family, all of my dear friends, and Acacia. I could never have done this without any of you....

Looking Sharp

2009-06-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

So The BLM inspector came out today to check Acacia over, make sure everything was on the up and up. She was really quite impressed and said Acacia looked really nice. She has done the EMM 3 times so she was great to talk with. She asked me one question that made me chuckle a little bit, she said "So have you taught her to bow or do any neat tricks?" To which I replied, "Um, no, she is a RIDING HORSE, not a trick pony." I know those kinds of tricks are really liked by the spectators and judges, but c'mon now. LMAO! She also said that people like it if you can stand on the back of your horse. *HEADDESK* Lord help me! LMFAO!!! All in all though it was a super great visit and she was a terrific lady with a lot of great advice.

Great Weekend!!!!!!

2009-06-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Acacia is on a roll, she has her W/T/C down with ease. She is side passing and turning much better, she even knows her flying lead changes! PHEW! How did it get fixed??? Well we had to take a few steps back first. I needed to gain her respect, I mean REAL respect from the ground up. That was done by lunging her both ways, making her back up on cue, staying out of my space and moving all 4 corners of her body when they were asked to moved. Then once it was time to ride it was all about making her supple in her neck and making her do A LOT of rollbacks, always keeping her going. Although there were a few bronco protesting moments when asked to accelerate, she figured out that it wasn't going to work anymore. Forward was her only release from the pressure. And it worked like a charm. Big thanks to J.R. and Chance!!!

Night Of my Life

2009-06-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

She OFFICIALLY WALKS, TROTS and CANTERS!!! BOTH WAYS! In a BOSAL! I am on cloud 9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I never want to come down :):):)

Drained

2009-06-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

It was over 90 degrees here today and man it was humid too! Ugh, I'm so beyond drained from all of this and Acacia's feeling it. I'm running out of time and she is still pulling her stopping crap and it's just getting to me. Relaxing isn't something I'm good at, but I try and stay relaxed and try to make our lessons fun, but I just don't think she's having fun... She's being ridden in a hackamore and I barely tap her with the crop I just want FORWARD! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm going crazy!!! I know I've done the best I can with the time we've had, because I'm SURE the other trainers have gone through this rebellious mustang phase LOL!!!!! Anywho...

The great thing about today was the vet came out to get us our health certificate and he's a hard man to please!! He LOVED HER!!!! We were shocked! He said has NEVER found a mustang he has ever liked except her! He said her conformation was AMAZING and I should take a picture of it LMFAO! I felt quite a gush of pride, especially when he commented on how well her ground manners were and how well she accepted new things! I just couldn't believe it. I wanted him to put that stuff in writing!!! He also said she has been the first horse out of the last 5,000 that he was really impressed with and she is a mustang to boot! WAHOOO for mustangs everywhere!!!

Good Day Bad day

2009-06-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

UGH, I have had one hell of a day. My emotions have been all over the place and with good reason. So, A trainer friend of mine wanted to come out and ride Acacia, no problem. She is a good rider with a relaxed hand and nice seat. OH Everything started out so nice, Acacia was doing so well! She was almost perfect!! Acacia, as I've mentioned, has liked to stop at gates whenever she feels like it to irritate me LOL, so anyway, she was doing that to my friend and she was lightly getting after her with the crop and Acacia, everything was fine until Acacia really slammed on her brakes and my friend got pissed and hauled off and whacked her. Hard. Well naturally Acacia took off cantering down the arena wall and my friend fell off and hurt her back. I had to call the aid cars to come and get her. 100% rider error *sigh*. She'd fractured her back before and as a safety precaution we had to call 911 to make sure she OK. They took away and she's doing fine, she was cracking jokes with me the whole time! We were laughing about the hottie firemen, and she was joking about the fact, she couldn't get back on. She was so embarrased and felt horrible that she fell off and I'm like "HEY! How do you think I feel? I feel terrible it happened!" Her and I always joke to eachother about when we fall off. LMAO! She's a champ!

So later tonight S&D thought it would be a good idea to take the girls, including Acacia down to the creek to relax and cool off. OH I needed that so bad. I hate seeing people fall off, it stresses me out, I'm a worry wart. So we took the horses down there and I hopped on Acacia, first time ever bareback and we were sitting in the creek. I had never seen Acacia so damn relaxed! She for surely likes being outdoors MUCH better than she likes being in the arena. AMEN to that! It was terrific end to a horrible start of a day. I'm grateful my friend ended up being OK, but dang she made Acacia look like a STAR!!!!!!

I have a MULE!!!

2009-06-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

So Acacia has decided that she is done with all of it. And to prove it, she has decided to started throwing her head down as if she's going to buck. I smack her behind my leg with my crop to encourage her to go forward and she throws her head down more, or tries to flip it up. Now to me, threatening to buck or rear is as good as rearing or bucking itself. So I have to nip that crap in the bud.

So yesterday I throw my English saddle on her thinking OK, if she does buck I won't have anything to really get caught on so we try that. She STILL is tossing her head around and threatening me. She won't step out forward she is just being a spaz! Now let's keep ion mind that the bit I'm using is RUBBER 100% pure rubber, if a horse chomped hard enough they could probably break it. She does the same thing in my Bosal too.

OK, on to today, I give her the benefit of the doubt and try riding her with out gadgets and she starts up again. Everytime I ask her for a trot she flips her head around or throws it down. So, I took away her damn head, and I loved it!!!! I rigged it up so everytime she threw her head down she hit herself in the mouth. For the first time I had a BLAST riding her. It was so chaotic and such a battle, but damn it was fun. She would side pass, and back up and stop immediately, not because I was asking her too, but because she was so pissed I took her head away. Too bad baby but I'm not going to get hurt this close to competition, you want to throw your head around then you don't get it!!!! I would have her walk forward and suddenly she'd stop and try to turn around or do anything to evade going forward. I swear it was a Battle Royale today just to get her to move and damn I had fun. It was challenging and it reminded me of why I love training.

I was in no mood to lose and neither was she, I would ask her trot and then smack her with the crop and she'd go then slam on her breaks again and we'd start all over with the battle of moving forward, I'd back her fast, or spin her around to use her own methods against her. She is just STUBBORN! She hasn't figured out that fighting me is harder than just working LOL!! So I use a little reverse psychology, she thinks she's going to back up or turn around to evade me, then I make her do it more. Ahhhhh we're a mess, but we're having fun!!!! I'm sure there are more little battles to come, but the war is far from over!!!! LOL!!

Mani Pedi!!!!

2009-06-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend Acacia got her first trim and I'll be damned if she wasn't better than most of our other horses LOL!! She really didn't care, she didn't test, push, get scared, nothing. My shoer was a little tired after he did her though, because her feet are so strong and tough. He was very impressed by how she did so well and complimented my work on her. UGH if he only knew the half of it.

So we are a week and half away from going and I'm in meltdown phase. It's hot here and I'm irritable because we are so not where we should be. We're so far behind and the stress in getting to me. An almost complete mustang is NOT how I wanted to be represented. I'm well aware of my talents in training, but I hate the fact that I am a month down from everyone else and guess what? The judges aren't going to give a crap either! They will not care I had pneumonia, and that I got tossed into a wall.

She does so much RIGHT I just need to her to canter now. She's so lazy that's it's hard to get her there. She'll take a few strides than break down. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I don't even know what to feel anymore. I'm doing the best I can but, damn. This has not played out how it was supposed to and I'm feeling the heat. Mostly the heat of my own brain. The pressure I put on myself!

Although I've just had a thought on what to do. Tomorrow I'm going to take her on a trail ride and get her cantering up some hills. Get her more comfortable with it. Steady and Strong.

Here's our strengths. In hand she's a dream. Her condition is beautiful! She walks and trots LOVELY! Neck reins, spins on her hind end, almost side passes. She'll follow me anywhere!!! So we're A-OK there. OK, OK, I'm calmer now. We can only do the best we can at this point. Ugh, if I blow this, be SURE there will be a NEXT time LOL!!!!! I won't go down like that!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA Thanks guys, for your support, listening and advice!!!!! I love you all! My friends, family, my J, S&D and Mr. S&D. Mom, Dad, bro. I know I'm making you all nuts, but this wouldn't have happened without all of your help!!!

Go Please

2009-05-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

So I rode Acacia tonight and I've started to notice that she is by far, one lazy pony LOL! I always free lunge in the arena before I get on her to gauge her mood and she just jogs around then I get on her and ask her to trot and she does it very half hearted LOL! She has turned into a really nice, mellow, lazy, calm mare! Not a completely bad thing, but it would be nice if she'd move out. Plus she has such a little compact body that it's hard to get my legs on her. So tomorrow I'm going to use bumper spurs and see if that helps! Lazy bones pony!!!! I guess that is much better than a crazy one!!!

Happy Trotter...

2009-05-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

OK 1:30 AM, last update! It's HERE! The cafepress for Acacia! Shirts, magnets and more! All the money will go towards her and our trip to Sacramento! The link is on the right hand side at the top :)

OMG! Update at 12:45 AM Look at my new header! This is ALL thanks to WAZOO! It is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I'm going to put image on shirts on cafepress. WOW!!!!! Wazoo you are my computer, photo making, genius HERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As always Acacia was a great girl, she really has her trot down pat and it will only be a day or two more before we canter. We've cantered a couple times before, and she's fast. It's more of a grab your horn, green horse gallop. LOL!!! She's amazing and handles things better than almost every other horse at the barn. She stands, loads, ties, is quiet, responsive, just WOW! She'll do just about anything I will ask her too, with little to no hesitation. I'm so lucky for her.

Again I figured we'd be A LOT farther along by now, but S&D keeps reminding me that I can't fight the fact that I basically have only worked with her for 2 months. Being as though I was sick and injured for a total of about a month during this competition. *Sigh* Everyone at the barn is so beyond impressed with my talents, yet I'm my own worst critic and am so damn hard on myself. I just need to use the time I have left, which is 17 days and pull it together. Ahhh I'm grateful to have S&D in my life as she mellows me out and brings me back down to earth when I'm going ballistic. LOL!!! And a Huge Thank you and to all of you for being so supportive and awesome as well. I'm grateful for all you and Acacia too.

Just Beachy

2009-05-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we took Acacia, Sugar and Diamond to the ocean for some super chaotic fun!! Being it's Memorial day weekend, it couldn't have been busier. There were a few minor spooks and jumps, but all in all talk about 3 AMAZING HORSES. We rode them all over the beach. No walls, no arena, no nothing, but wide open awesomeness!!!

There were dogs not on leashes, kites, kids, crunchy crab and seashells under their hooves. Crashing waves and new smells. Acacia was nervous at first when she came out of the trailer, but then we walked up the beach for a bit and I let her get used to everything and she LOVED the ocean water. There was no fear of that!!! Once I felt she was calm enough I hopped on and rode up and down the beach. WOW!!!!! We spent about a good 3.5 hours riding, walking, resting and enjoying our time!!!

Better

2009-05-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

Oh geez, today was a MUCH better day. Acacia was by far more responsive and we trotted all over than dang place, changing directions and we would go from walk to halt to trot to halt and so on. I try to keep things interesting for her and me LOL! Ahhh Thanks for letting me vent yesterday, it was a bad day. I'm quite confident in my abilities and have to keep reminding myself of that. Ahhhh we all have good and bad days. BUT, back to her. She is a superstar and very willing, she learns fast and that is beyond thrilling to me!!!! We trotted over poles and did some side passing OH OH OH and she is REALLY good at turning on the haunches. It's beautiful, quick and smooth! OMG just a much better all around day!!!! I have to put the past behind me, I can't help the set backs we've had, I just need to look forward! :)

Tick, Tick, Tick...

2009-05-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Ugh, I'm having a rough day... 23 days left and I'm not where I thought I'd be... Pneumonia had me out for 2.5 weeks, weather was super shitty in the beginning, getting thrown into a railing had me out for 5 days... She is making great progress with the time I have had, I suppose if I do it again next year at least I'll know what to expect.

Today she decided moving forward was not very fun, so I had to reinforce my leg cues with a crop. The good news is we also worked on side passing, head set, backing, bending and all that fun stuff and she really excels at whatever I ask her to. I suppose it's nose to the grindstone time... Ugh, I just need to pull my head out of the clouds and get focused. It is what it is...

NAKIE!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-18T23:56:00.000-07:00

Today Acacia became Naked!!! She was body shaved and wow it was a chore, but she was really calm and quiet through out the whole thing!!!!! I hate body clipping, but she made it easier by just standing quiet for me ever so patiently :) Then she went out on some nice grass, ans was buck wild by the time I tacked her up LOL. I think she was feeling really GOOD!!!!!! She looks great too, it really brings out her awesome black color :) She is so smooth and shiny now, I gave a quick bath to get rid of all the extra hair and skin flakes and WOW! Her body condition is looking really good too!

Anyone Can Ride ME!

2009-05-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

Acacia was amazing this weekend!! Today she got a nice bath and I got a nice sunburn, she grazed for awhile and when it cooled off it was time to ride. I tacked her up as usual and we did or groundwork exercises and then S&D's hubby pipes up and says " I WANNA ride her!!!" Um... OK. So I scope her out, study her body language and relaxation level and say, "Hey, Why Not?? Come jump on!" She was mellow, relaxed and calm. So Mr. S&D hopped up there and Acacia was fantastic. He isn't a very experienced rider and has no balance, but she was calm and listened to his cues perfectly!!! After awhile in the Arena S&D opened up the arena doors and Mr. and Acacia went off walking along the roads. Since they stole my horse I finished up graining my other horses and when they got back all I saw was HUGE smiles! She actually babysat, Mr S&D and they did fabulous together! LOL! I couldn't help but to have a HUGE smile on my face when they got back! Past the alpacas, cars, people cleaning and throwing their rugs around, dogs and a new rider! She, I mean, you know what? I'm just elated!! Enough Said!!!

I Need Some help!

2009-05-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

We had another fab day!!!!!!!!! She was a peach today and was responding really well... She was very light in her aids and super on target today!!!

Hey anyone out there good with pictures on the computer? I want to use a few photos and some text to make a little collage'. I'd like to use it to open a little store for Acacia on cafepress.... HELP! Me and picture editor are not compatible friends LOL!!!!!!

Stand or Run?

2009-05-12T23:33:00.001-07:00

So As usual I tacked up Acacia and we went through our normal routine of round penning then into the main arena for her to run around for a few minutes. So when she was done I took her over to the step stool and went to mount. And she wouldn't stand still. So she kept moving to the left away from me so I ask her to stand, I spin her around to the left and finally I had had enough. If she didn't want to stand then damn it she was going to RUN! So I chased her off for a few minutes and when I brought her back she still wouldn't stand she had to run some more!Finally she was pretty darn tired, I ask her to stand and was able to mount so we could begin our ride. LOL! Silly pony! The sooner I get on the sooner I get off!

Alone

2009-05-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

Ahhh I needed this tonight, it was perfect. I was working with my new horse Sole' and once I was finished with her it was time to work Acacia. S&D told me she wouldn't be around very late tonight because she had grocery shopping to do. No problem I'll lunge her and work her and put her away. Well, I got her all tacked up and we round penned, then she ran around the arena and I thought "Hey! Why Not???" I grabbed my helmet, turned on the radio and put the step stool next to her and got on and off once. Then I got on and we started to walk around the arena and do our exercises! By ourselves. It was an invigorating, confidence building, perfect lesson tonight. She had no crutch, no other horse to follow, and me? I had no one else to think about but me and AK. She was amazing, quiet, and 100% focused on me and I on her. She performed beautifully tonight... Oh it was wonderful!!!

Solved

2009-05-08T00:15:00.001-07:00

My mystery of miss cranky mare has been solved. She hates the bit. And rides like a dream come true in my bosal! No head tossing, ear pinning, chomping, nothing!! Ahhhhhhh she was amazing tonight!!! She did EVERYTHING I asked without missing a beat I'm on cloud 9! Not much else to say but that! In love, on my wild horsey, riding like a little champ!!!

Girls...

2009-05-06T22:41:00.001-07:00

So tonight, because our weather is so dang nasty up here right now the only way we can work is in the indoor arena. Well last time Acacia was being quite snotty about being in there. Today she had Diamond, S&D's mare to at least follow around. And the girls did GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Acacia started out following Diamond in the "BIG, SCARY" arena and even went off on her own when I asked her too. It was windy and the doors are clanging and banging, horses are running back and forth in their paddocks and the girls were GREAT!!! She was very responsive and quite well behaved! They both were!! They went both directions, sometimes with each other, sometimes with out.

The thing with Acacia is when she is irritated she chomps her bit and backs up LMAO! It was really un-nerving at first because she would just chomp and back up and toss her head a bit, I quickly have learned that it means "HEY! Lady on my back, let's DO something!!!" LOL!!! Ahhhhh OK, that makes sense! So we keep the little girl moving and she does fine!!!!

Running Wild!

2009-05-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

So one of my very closest friends is in a drill team and they all ride at a local farm and they are CHAOTIC RIDERS!!! LMFAO! Loud music, whistles blowing, horses going every which way you could EVER thinking of and they're doing it at Mach 10!! Dust flying and hooves-a-pounding!

So what a terribly SCARY place to bring Acacia too! They are running their drills and running at us and does Acacia care???? NO! Her comrade Sugar was pretty nervous, but Acacia was as cool as could be! Once they were done my friend even ponied her around the arena! She has never seen this place before and she was as slick as could be! I have never been so proud! She would watch and look at the riders then get bored and try to get treats out of my pocket. LOL!!! We were there for about an hour and half and she was bored by the first half hour!! She is so willing and kind and trusting it blows my mind!! I was more than speechless, I couldn't believe how well she reacted to the whole scene!!

Turn and Burn

2009-05-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

We had another fabulous busy weekend, Friday I round penned her and S&D got a nice action shot of her turning on her hindend. Acacia knows everything by voice commands now and that in it self is wuite a feat!!

S&D even rode her around a bit and they both did fabs!

Saturday we took Acacia, Sugar and Diamond to a nice trail for a walk and they were all soooo mellow. Not a thing bothered any of them, even when it started to down pour on us LOL! She loads great and is becoming more and more confident with every day we have together! Today she got the day off and I'm sure she was fine with that LOL

Checkmate!

2009-04-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

So after falling into the round pen last week, I never realized how hurt I actually was, I'm still sore and so was my confidence... Last night to me, was a disaster, I let Acacia get the best of of me and didn't make her do what I really wanted...

Tonight, though, I was in charge. I round penned her and was my normal, stern, in control trainer self. I wasn't allowing her to skip a single BEAT! She knew it too. So I got on and was firm and used my "I MEAN IT" voice, not my "oh pretty please baby sweetie cakes voice." So she did well for a couple minutes and then I wanted her to trot like we have been for DAYS now and she wouldn't, so I had S&D encourage her from behind while I cued. Acacia starts chomping the bit and shaking her head a bit and I cue her again and so does S&D and off she goes in a trot. THEN little miss pissy pants decides to gallop again and I was like OMG, not again! And apparently that's what I said very loudly! LOL! I said "NO WAY NOT HAPPENING THIS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!" I was not going to come off. So I grabbed that right rein with every intent on breaking her neck and one reined stopped into the side of the round pen and yelled again "I'M BACK!!" Then I spun her around and make her walk on some more as if nothing happened.

Her lesson tonight was simply this, what I'm asking her to do is WAY easier than me punishing her. So again she got sassy again and refused to walk and OH BOY, in my growliest voice I said "YOU WALK ON NOW!!!!!!!!" And I gave her a nice kick to the side and had my reinforcer, S&D, behind her and man she walked on. I practiced turns on the hind end and neck reining tonight, I really made her think about what she had to do instead of just lolly gagging around the round pen. She didn't refuse to walk forward another time tonight LOL!

I feel as though I've treated her almost too much like a baby and always coddled her when she got scared, but it occurred to me last night, that I would NEVER have treated another training horse like that. I'm firm, down to business, and I love them unconditionally, but I make them work. She beat me in round one, but tonight I got the checkmate!

Chaos

2009-04-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

HA! Poor little Acacia! I'm always adding more chaos to her life! She was tortured more today! This time with a tarp dragging behind her and a giant yellow ball!!!! She was terrified of the ball at first, but then it just became another one of our "normal" activities!! She took it well, like she does with all of the weird crap I put her through! She has to look at, sniff it and then she's OK.

Then we went into the arena and she was ponied around for a bit, then I got on and she did OK, but she was nervous. Too much area for now. All we have is time though, we'll go back to riding in the round pen until she's fully comfortable and then we'll go back to the arena. I have nothing but time is how I feel. Slow and steady wins her race!

Lazy

2009-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

I was feeling lazy today so I decided to take Acacia for a walk by ourselves up and down the roads, past the llamas, the horses, away from her home, by cars and dogs and all that fun jazz! She didn't even spook once! I figured the exercise would be good for both me and her to walk up and down the hills. She was fine. Funny things still spook her occasionally, but I've learned not to react anymore, I correct it and we move on :) Ahhhhh she's a great girl!

Busy Busy!

2009-04-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

So as always I've been slammed with lots to do and it never feels like a enough time :) So after my little spill I had one of my epiphanies on how I can 100% get her not afraid of something getting wrapped on her legs. Soooo I invented my own little leg desensitizing tool... "WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE IN STORES $19.95!!!!" Yeah right sorry... Anywho so I made some leg ties for her out of blue bailing twine and it worked like a CHARM! Then I started throwing other things at her like the tarp until she was as cool as cucumber!!! She is very amazing I took some videos and some pictures of my little gadgets and her working in the round pen! Here is her video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wltvgVEiSqg

She's doing great and moving along so nicely it's almost hard to believe!!!

Ground Work fun!!

2009-04-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

So being as though I'm still in a bit of soreness from our little boo boo yesterday, I figured today was a good day for some ground work fun! With tarps, and barrels and whatever I could use to annoy her. Oh and a tiny little bridge... And then I combined a lot of it just to be super annoying... It was great she did amazing and they were good lessons. A lot of distractions yet she had to remain focused on her handler at ALL times... She did a tremendous job! And she is so beyond damn cute!!! She got an A+ for her efforts today.... Here is a few pics!!

Epsom Salts

2009-04-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

So today we were trotting in the round pen and she got a piece of blackberry vine stuck on her back leg. So she took off into a bucking canter and I took off into the side of the round pen and got a chunky, huge raspberry that covers my left side and then somehow I flipped over and landed on my right hip. I probably laid in the sand for a good 3-5 minutes and S&D was standing near me making sure I was OK. I was, well am, but my hip hurt so bad I couldn't even move. When I finally made my way up S&D made Acacia run some more and then I got back on and we did it again... She had to walk trot and be a good girl and she was so we quit, all while I was wincing in pain. BUT, that is the life of any horse trainer and rider. Bumps and bruises happen, you just have to count your blessings that they are minor, well, at least when nothings broken and no head injuries. I count mine every day! And especially when I break any horse I always make sure I sure I have someone there just in case... So, here's a pic of my raspberry, the camera is at a weird angle and yes, I'm in my jammies :)... Ugh, the minute I got home I was soaking in a tub full of Epsom salts and even now as I write this I have a bag of frozen peas on my side LMAO!!!!!!!

Mellow

2009-04-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Acacia was great again tonight! Nothing too exciting! She is walking and trotting like gem. She gets the neck reining idea and moves off my legs so nicely sometimes I wonder if I've died and gone to heaven. BUT! Stupid things still distract her. Like I was riding tonight and quite a few people were standing around the round pen watching and a NEW person came up with a white bucket and that's all she could fixate on... It's time to get her out and about I'd say. Start taking her to some new places and do some ground work exercises with while keeping her focused on me... She's not spooky, just a looky loo and I'm not so sure that'll work out too well in Sacramento!! LMAO!!!

This is SO DIFFERENT!!!

2009-04-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

So it came to my attention late last night, that another trainer in the Seattle area, who is also in the challenge has gotten severely hurt by her mustang. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family! She's a good rider and trainer and does A LOT of good for the horse community up here.

So here is my PSA!!!!!

Anyone who would ever like to consider a mustang needs to understand that they are completely DIFFERENT from breaking and training a normal domesticated horse. These mustangs have been captured and penned for most of their lives with almost NO human contact... There is a world of difference in training a wild mustang and even an unruly young domesticated horse. You have to make a plan for these horses starting with 100% PERFECTED trust and ground training!!!! And always ALWAYS have someone with you. These animals have a very STRONG prey instinct and no matter how they trust you, if they think they're about to be dinner, they're out of there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And YES, It did occur to me that I hadn't been riding in a helmet and that is pretty damn dumb of me, so perhaps we'll get that changed from now on :) :)

Sunny Days

2009-04-19T23:20:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh the days have been beautiful here lately, the sun is shining and the air is nice... GREAT days for riding a wild mustang!!! Here are some more pics of her trotting her little precious heart out... She's such a great girl. Once you teach her something she's NAILED it. Like neck reining and turning on the hind quarters. WOW. So S&D and I went to the fair on Sat. and they have a bungee ride that shoots you way up there and I said NO WAY I wouldn't go on that and S&D replied "Yet you'll break a wild horse??" LMAO Yeah guess so...

Trot Away

2009-04-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

So we are able to ride on our own now and she has the directions, whoa, back all that good stuff down and now little A.K. (nickname) is a trotting lady!!! She did need some encouragement form S&D with a lunge whip, but she nailed IT! 4 days under saddle and moving along more than nicely!!! She's a machine and I guarantee she WILL be a force to be reckoned with!!!! I'm going to have to start begging for money soon just so I can buy her she'll be so good! LMAO!!!! ;)

More and More

2009-04-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

Everyday she becomes more of a BADASS!!! Tonight she was round penned then I got on and S&D's hubby still had a hold of her, THANK GOD, because she hit the mounting block with her back legs and it was bronc fest, somehow I managed to stay on and the hubby was able to get her under control LOL! Then he unclipped her lead rope and we were off, BEAUTIFULLY! Both ways, turns, stops, is an amazing mare!!!! I'm so beyond pleased with her progress....

What A Day!!!!!!

2009-04-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, so Acacia had one hell of day. It was beautiful outside so me and S&D, her husband and son took all of our horses, walking in hand, down to the trails and to the river. We had to go on the road, see llamas, a huge St. Bernard, past a rummage sale, and across a busy street. All the horses did amazing, but of course Acacia was awesome. No spooking, bucking, or freaking out.

Once we got to the trails we had to cross over railroad tracks, then into the woods. We stopped and had a little picnic and tied everyone up while we ate then we were off to the river. Once we got their S&D's hubby took his 2 and half year QH mare through the water and she went great! The he took Acacia down to the water and she walked RIGHT IN!! Splashed and even tried to walk down stream LOL. Then he used Ol faithful (Spurty) and ponied her across. She LOVED IT!!! And let me tell you I was one PROUD and happy Mama :):):):) Here are some videos too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aG_Cxcgteg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPrXwBviZns

Good Girl

2009-04-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

So tonight was our first ride where it was just me and her... Off the lead LOL! We started on the lead at first with S&D holding on and then she unclipped it and away we went! She goes great to the right, but she does not like turning her head to left. So I foresee a lot of lefting in our future!!! LMAO!! More pics to come soon!

Ahhhhhhh

2009-04-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

Ride number 2 was just as good!! Not bad for having 2 weeks off due to pneumonia LOL!!! She's good, she's used to my legs on her and knows what it means to go forward, she is NOT crazy about the bit, but she's getting better!! She just doesn't quite understand the whole direct reining thing yet LOL!!! She's getting it though. Everyday she progresses faster and faster. So no worries with her!!!! I think I may have gotten lucky and received a gem of a mustang ;)

First Ride

2009-04-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Oh what a weekend!! I got a new goat companion for my other goat to have a friend and Acacia is Broke! She was ridden for the first time tonight and you know she doesn't even care. She stops, turns and walks on all on voice and leg... She is a smart cookie!!!! No ear pinning or running or anything crazy she was fantastic.

I didn't get on her however until she was OK with the ground driving... I never would get on a horse without having them understand WHOA on the ground. So we ground drove for about 45 minutes and then I hopped on and she took it like a champ!

First Mount

2009-04-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today we mounted for the first time... Not a full sit, but a lean on the body at least a dozen times!! It was as usual a long process of getting her used to the bucket and me being taller than her and me putting my foot in the stirrup. And then it was just feeling right. Feeling like it was time to put weight in the stirrup and on her body WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Damn she is good too!!! Didn't even flinch!!!

WOW

2009-04-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Holy CRAP!!! Ground Driving was not her favorite task!!! LMFAO!!!! She HATED the feeling of the ropes around her legs and rump. Then she'd get going so much and spin around that the rope ended up under her tail! Then she was even angrier!! LOL!!! She finally settled down and we accomplished our mission, but holy smokes talk about a BRONC!!!! The key however is to NOT give up or get scared. Not until the goal is met and my goal was for her to just be settled and easy while ground driving. She aced it in the end... but boy it was questionable LOL!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG2p8pZaL6c

Atta Girl...

2009-04-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Acacia is doing amazing as always and progressing so dang fast... she SHOULD be broke by the end of the week... High hopes? Maybe... but, she's an amazing partner and very willing. All of her ground work has been completed and she accepts the saddle and bridle and is just doing great. I jump up and down right next to her and put weight in the stirrups and lean on her and she could care less...

I wouldn't DREAM of starting her under saddle without ALL of her ground work complete and we're almost there. Tomorrow will be ground driving day :)

Phew

2009-04-01T20:28:00.001-07:00

So tonight I went out to see Acacia and I'm still tired and weak ugh! But, she did not regress much at all!! And that made me feel wonderful!! I was able to walk up to her and lead her and touch and the whole nine yards. PHEW!! She is a smart cookie!! Although today was an excellent test on how much she is OK with me as she spooked and got away from me and went to join the other horses and I had NO problems catching her, having her regroup and us going back to the routine!!!!

I'm so very proud of her!! I really have taken a liking to her and her great attitude!!!!!

Me and Pneumonia are not friends

2009-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

To all of you who were wishing me well I THANK YOU!! So much... I Want to thank S&D and her Hubby for caring for my horse's. And My good friend Dusty for caring for Acacia. Ugh... I"m still tired and very beaten up. Pneumonia = My Personal Hell... BUT I'm almost over it and here's the great news!!!! I have not smoked a cigarette since Last Tuesday... Pros and Cons... T Rex is getting back in the game!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's get back on track... We got a mustang to train!

Minor detail

2009-03-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it's a minor setback. I have pneumonia and will be out for a few days... Be back soon.

It's so true

2009-03-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

So one thing that John Lyons believes in is that a horse should be more relaxed at the end of a lesson, than at the beginning. And it is so true!!! When working with Acacia that is my number one goal. I don't want her to be scared at all!!! And holy cow, she rarely is!

Last night was her first time with a saddle on. Did she care? No... Well she was curious and nervous, but she didn't rear, buck, strike, thrash, nothing! And THAT is the goal of every lesson! So here are some more pictures of Acacia being the brave little girl she is.

Oh and by the way... When she "loves" me, she shoves her muzzle in the crook of my neck, or rests her chin on my shoulder. Yeah and I love her right back!!

Life is Good!

2009-03-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

It has been an AMAZING weekend!! Acacia is already a champ!!!! First she was a mudball and Saturday was warm enough to attempt a bath. So we did. And she LOVED it!! She liked it so much she ended up playing and drinking from the hose. See the great thing about water as a training tool, is that you can stand at a safe distance and they can kick and kick at it, yet water never goes away. IT teaches them so much about being touched all over... She loves her stall too now and wasn't too keen on coming out at first but in the end she was a rockstar!!!

Sunday was a HUUUUGE day! She stands and is super gentled now... So I decide to push the envelope a bit more and bust out the clippers... She could care less!!!!! She has a nice clipped muzzle and bridle path!! The clippers were loud too, but her curiosity was way too strong for her not to check them out... I was so shocked and beyond thrilled that she let me clip her face!

Next task was me throwing my coat all over her. Again there was no reaction as long as I let her smell it first, she didn't care.

Last but not least, she has NO fear of tarps, she finds them fun and interesting... Now that took some coaxing at first, but she walked over the tarp within 2 minutes tops!!!!

She is so damn funny, because when she gets scared now, she just shoves her muzzle into my

shoulder and

says "HELP IT SCARES ME!

But I know you wil

l keep me safe!!"

Yeah, I am falling in love FAST and hard...

Sweet

2009-03-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

So yesterday it was cold and nasty and poor Acacia was shivering, so something HAD to be done. She had to be led into a stall. Never being led before I still had one rope around her neck and the lead as my just in cases. All gates were shut and I had to move her throw a labyrinth of things she'd never seen before.

It was a cake walk. I couldn't believe it. She would walk and take all her steps with me but if I got too far ahead of her then she's stop, wait for me to back up, shove her nose in my shoulder for protection and we'd walk on.... We also had to rinse her legs off as it was just too muddy and she actually LOVED the water!!! She loves her stall too. She settled right in munching her hay and relaxing finally.

Her welcome wagon to Seattle so far has been nothing but poor pissing rain, wind, sleet, and hail. And her outside shelter just wasn't cutting the mustard. So happily she is snug as a bug in a rug in her stall!! More pics to come on Monday!!!!!

Tough Lessons....

2009-03-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

When training a horse, any horse, there are those lessons that if you have one, will tear out your heart... Last night we had one of those. Last night, she learned to tie....

I walked up to her as I do, clipped the lead rope on her and slipped a rope over her head. Why a rope?? Well, if she learns to break a halter and a lead rope she will do it again and again.... So I rigged up the rope so it wouldn't get tight on her, it's just an enforcer that all. And I tied her to a huge pole with the lead rope a hair tighter than the rope. Now she has about a good two and half feet of slack, I don't want her nose mashed up on the pole, I just want her to feel a little bit of that tension when she backs up. Again the rope around her neck is my second line of defense, not my first, I want her to get used to the lead rope and halter.

Well to my surprise she did VERY well, she only had a few times where she tried to pull back and all you can do is watch them kick and paw and pull their hardest. That's the part that kills me... I want so bad to tell her it'll be OK, that it's just a lesson, but she has to figure it out on her own... Once she learned she couldn't go anywhere she stood and looked around to say "Hey lady! Where's my chow???" So I brought her over some hay and then proceeded to pet her all over her face, chin, and cheeks... Damn she is a smart girl. Being tied didn't bother her one bit after she had some comfort food LOL. She let me walk up to her and away and back and forth and rub her darling head. I still go slow and easy with the petting, I don't want her to get scared and think I'm trapping her...

So far she likes the rubs!! I keep telling her, "It's only going to get better from here!"

Day 4

2009-03-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

We are 95% there. We are 5% away from having the partnership that I crave!!! She round pens beautifully now!! She always turns IN to me when I ask her to reverse, She NEVER shows me her bum. She has no fear of tarps, walks right up to me, I can walk right up to her.

She's way too smart and I know, with out question that she has to be 100% on board with me or we will never make it to our full potential!

As much as it would be easier for me to rush things and get all over her, I have to keep reminding myself that sometimes "you need to SLOW DOWN to speed up."

She is amazing and she continues to grow with me... here's a couple pics of my friends Hubby Standing with her!!

So Bad

2009-03-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

So tonight was Day 3! And Acacia is doing amazing! Tonight we worked more in the round pen, getting her to trust me and come to me... It's very easy and tempting to just grab her halter and force myself on her. Force her to stand while I touch her and she freaks out, but that accomplishes nothing. All she learns is that I am a dominant person that she doesn't want to be around.

So I wait and I round pen and I watch her body language as she watches mine. She stops and turns into me and I hold out my hand and she gives little horse sniffles on it, slowly making her way up my arm and finally to face. She is checking me out. She knows I'm OK. Now she stands and I can walk up to her head and hold out my hand and she knows she can stand and feel good. And she does, back leg cocked looking at me the whole, while I'm only a mere 4 inches away from her. I can touch her face all over and her halter and she's OK. And that is what I'm looking for.

You know when you train any horse you may take 5 steps forward and by the next day you may loose a step and be at 4. And that's not a problem, horses can only retain so much we try to cram at them...

Acacia is 80% there. 80% gentle enough for me to walk up to her without her moving, I can feel it. She can be touched all over her body with my "extendo arm" and she could care less... Every horse moves at their own pace however and Acacia is in a groove. She wants to know me and like me, but she battles with instinct. And that's OK too. Again, as much as I could easily lock her up in a stall or tie her and force her to take my presence, that is NOT a partnership and in the long will turn her sour towards me. Slow and steady wins the race...

Join Me

2009-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Day 1~ I want so bad for her to love and trust me, but have to use my better judgement and NOT dare think about rushing her. I only have 90 days to get her from wild to broke. So Sunday morning I get up and am thrilled to go and work with her. Begin "gentling" her, so to speak. I arrive at the barn and go into her round pen and all she does is move away from me. I advance and retreat, for at least 30 minutes and while I can get closer to her, she still looks at me as if I'm a horse eating human.

I finally grab some hay and hold it in my hands for another 20 minutes and she finally got the courage to came and check me out. She inched her way closer until finally she was eating out of my HANDS!!! She sniffed at me and continued eating.

While I was AMAZED at our progress, I was also beginning to panic. "What if I can't gentle her?" or "What if it takes too long?" I am an over analyzer you could say.

Day 2 ~ Yesterday was AMAZING! I begin some round pen work with her John Lyons style. Watching every move she makes, every ear twitch, lip movement, snort, EVERYTHING I'm watching. Within 10 minutes she is turning and facing me, I advance and retreat and when she turns her head away to look out of the pen, I move her on. She can NOT ignore me.

The feeling of the lunge whip lightly (and I mean LIGHTLY) touching her is enough to make her BOOGIE! HOWEVER, she NEVER kicks, strikes, bites, or freaks out on me! She's curious and cautious... Again though, within minutes, she's used to it . Is this mare really that smart?? YES she is! She finally just stands still while I use the lunge whip to give her scratches on the shoulder, withers and back.

Lesson Number 1 Learned~ STANDING and letting this lady touch me with this long arm thing is wayyyyyy easier than me running!!!

I begin again with a shorter and different colored whip. Again trying to simply rest it on her shoulder. But it's new and she's on the move again. She finally stops and turns into me and puts her head out. I hold up the whip and let her sniff it and touch her withers with it and begin to use it as her personal scratcher! She is wary of this new "device" and moves on and stops several times, before stopping for good and letting me touch her all over with it. While I can't personally get that close to her, my "extended" arm can.

She turns in again and sniffs the whip, only this time going all the way up to my hand and arm!!! She stands quiet and sniffs my hand more letting me gently touch her muzzle. She moves on and comes back to me for more sniffings! Each sniff getting longer and more comfortable. I am elated!!! and decide this is a PERFECT end to day 2!!!!

Lesson Number 2 Learned ~ My hand is not SCARY :)

Road Trip

2009-03-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

OK, Back up again... LOL!! THIS is how it all got started. I went on the Extreme Mustang Makeover site and saw that they were having the Western States Challenge in Sacramento, CA among other challenges. HOWEVER I had missed other application deadlines EXCEPT for this one!! So I had to fill out a detailed application AND have 2 clients of mine fill out a refernce form. Draw maps of where she'd be kept and the shelter she would have. I had to answer questions about my training style, why I should be chosen, how long, so on and so forth. Out of ALL of the applicants the EMM and BLM only were able to choose 29 trainers!!! ME, being one of 29. Let me tell you the BLM does NOT screw around. They want to know EVERYTHING. How much you feed, size of your water buckets... WOW! They also stress that these horses are "Federal Property." Yeeeeeks! It's good in the long run though as I find my Acacia to be precious and holding in her blood the history of these wild horses.

Trip Time!!! ~ My dear friends and I hit the road Thursday night at 7pm from Seattle, WA heading to Litchfield, CA about an 11 hour drive BOTH WAYS... We drove until well past midnight until we stopped for some sleep in Eugene, OR.

Up at 6:30 am we had to be up and ready for another 7 hour drive to Litchfield, threw mountains, past a TON of farms and fields and finally in to the high desert, when we arrived. I had to go into the office and fill out paperwork as last year apparently, a lot of mustangs came back EMACIATED!!! WTF?!?!?!?!?! Why would you sign up for this if you don't have the means???? Any who, they told me I'd be getting a black mare with a little star and snip.

I handed my paperwork to the wranglers outside and we backed the trailer up to the chute. One of the cowboys jumped on his horse and cut her out of the herd. As she came down the chute I thought I was going to die, not knowing what to expect. I was more than surprised when this cute little darling came trotting into the end of the chute. The Cowboys cut off her ID tag, opened the front of the cute, touched her bum and she walked right into the trailer. No kicking, thrashing, rearing, nothing...

We begin to make our way back after our brief 30 minute stop to get Acacia. Very anti-climactic... 11 hour drive for 30 minutes, then we're off again... *sigh*

Acacia doesn't move in the trailer, and every time we stop to get gas I sneak peeks to make sure she's OK. She's shaking, but fine. She hasn't eaten or gone to the bathroom yet, but she's a trooper. We end up back in Eugene, OR and decide it's way too much to try and finish out the rest of the drive, as we would have gotten home at around 2-3AM, so we stop for the night. Acacia doesn't make a peep the whole night. In the morning when we check on her she has eaten and drank water and there is manure in the trailer!!

Saturday morning we wake up and hit the road again... Arriving at home, being welcomed back by a rainy afternoon. We back up to the round pen, open then door and she jumps out of the trailer and gives a "Where am I?" Snort. She circles around, we throw her feed in the pen and let her rest another night...

Meet Acacia

2009-03-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

So I recieved some sound advice to start a second blog about Acacia. The mustamg I was given for the Extreme Mustang Makeover... This will be her story..

Acacia is a four yr old Black Bay mare who came from the Three Sisters Herd. She was captured as a yearling and has been living at the BLM ever since...This is her chance to teach me...