“Hop on ’em already!” is what I often hear as soon as I get a horse halfway gentle. It’s what I see others do even in light of what I consider obvious warning signs.
And you know what? I respect that. You do you. Anyone who can get a horse going under saddle is doing a brave thing and is working to create a safer horse by giving them a better education
There are people who love starting colts or who compete for a living. I’m not one of those people and I’m not ashamed of it. At pushing 40 my desire to prove a point has all but vanished. I don’t like riding colts. The only thing I like less is riding horses I didn’t start.
Is that because I’m somehow better than other trainers? Nope. But I’m thorough. I know what’s important to me as I establish a horse’s foundation, and I like knowing what a horse is made of.
What does that mean? I want to know what a horse does under pressure, how it learns, how quickly it calms down after getting upset and how upset it gets to begin with.
That way I’m not getting surprised by and patching up holes because somebody else put a Swiss cheese foundation on the animal.
The best way I can do that is by starting them from scratch. In my case that begins with the very first touch and handling of a wild horse.
That’s also why Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is so successful in pairing adopters with suitable horses. We get to know our Mustangs intimately, we learn who they are. By asking our adopters who they are as horsemen and -women, we can help both find a great match.
When I keep one long enough to start under saddle, I like to get them comfortable, competent and confident at 3 things beyond the basics: Pony, pack and ground drive.
A horse that handles and ties well, picks and holds up all 4 feet, and is relaxed, attentive and responsive for all of the above, is safe and fun to start, ride and bring further along, even and especially for those of us who ride for joy and do other work for a living.
Here’s coming 4yo Little Colorado WY Mustang gelding Rock ground driving out in the open for the first time. He’s still not a mule and still not available. We do, however, have others that are.
Feel free to reach out with questions, if you’re interested in adopting a gentled Mustang or looking for remote coaching to bring your own (non-)wildie along towards becoming a safe, happy and enjoyable partner.
#BLMmustang#wildhorses#learning#training#horses#horsetraining#mountains#joy#sunset#winter#fun#adventure#makingmountainmustangmemories
