It felt like just a normal departure. We had the trailer loaded with supplies, feed, decorations and luggage. Danny stepped willingly into the trailer and he left our home in north east Pennsylvania, probably for the last time. We drove all night and arrived in Murfreesboro, TN on Thursday midday. That's when things stopped being normal, and started being extraordinary. My wonderful sister, Melanie, and dear friends Holly and Alyssa, helped me set up Danny's stall. We were able to give him a couple hours rest. Danny and I tacked up for our first ride in the huge indoor arena of the Miller Coliseum. He looked around but never missed my cues. He was on point! His turns were great, his attentiveness was sharp and his mind seemed calm.

Then it was bath time. I don't think I've had so many people give one horse a bath before! Danny stood patiently while the four of us swarmed around him, scrubbing and sudsing every inch of him. I think it's safe to say all of us were eager for the early bed time.

Friday morning was scheduled to hold our first preliminary, the In Hand Course, where each trainer led his or her mustang on a lead rope, through challenges which included a bunch of heavy logs to trot across, a 6' square box to turn in, trotting through a serpentine of cones, picking up all four feet, loading in and out of the trailer, backing through an L, trotting through an archway with strips of tarp hanging down, and walking, hopefully calmly -- Danny was placid -- while I held a bundle of balloons! Danny and I did pretty well overall, considering my nervousness. The judges gave us a score that placed us 10th out of eighteen.

The rest of the day had no commitments so Danny got a generous break before a late afternoon training session. We practiced our turns, loping circles and laying down. He even approached the big hairy gorilla costumes walking around the facility! He stood curious but unflinching while the scary gloved fingers brushed his face. He didn't seem worried but those monsters sure spooked me!

The next day was part two of the Legends Preliminary, the Horse Course, where we showed the judges what we could do under saddle. We had to cross a bridge, trot across four poles in a circle, sidepass in both directions, navigate backwards through a snug pattern, lope from a halt and stop at a cone. Then we were to lope two circles, making a lead change in the middle, before having a short time to show the judges our own best abilities.


During a warm up session, were allowed to practice on the bridge - which was quite a bridge!! It was about 12 feet long and only maybe three feet wide, and sloped up to a platform more than 2 1/2 feet off the ground. I led Danny across it a couple times before riding him across. On the descent, the rubber on the bridge came off its fasteners. The loose mat caught Danny's hoof bringing it up into his belly. He jumped forward and stopped. Now, since the mat was loose, it was entirely unsafe to climb again. I knew the attendants would fix it before the class, but how would Danny do for the judges after that scare during practice??

True to his nature, Danny climbed the bridge with extreme caution, taking one gentle step at a time, keeping his nose close to the bridge. He creeped his way down the other side of the bridge and we trotted off to the poles. Mom tells me most of the horses slipped off the side of the bridge and tried again. Maybe half never made it cleanly across.

Heading to the other challenges, I felt like smiling. This was our turf, where we were most comfortable. The rest of the course went super well. He stopped exactly right at the cone and stayed right between the poles! The judges gave us 1st place by 2 whole points! With those combined points, we finished 2nd in the preliminaries!

We had to wait several hours before it would be our turn to perform in the Top Ten Freestyle. This competition would stand alone from our preliminary scores. Whatever we brought to this performance in itself would determine our final placement. The judges were looking for horsemanship, artistic impression and something they called the wow factor.

In those several hours, I visited with friends and watched some of the youth compete with their yearlings. The number of wonderful and very loved friends that came to support Danny was incredible! Some friends travelled from as far as Canada! Melanie and Alyssa wore shirts with "Monica Erman, Peacemaker Training present Danny" on the backs. Other friends wore little pictures of Danny pinned to their shirts titled "Team Danny" made for everyone by Betty. Undoubtedly most special, was the presence of my dear mother and step-father, Jim.

I changed for the climactic evening into a clean pair of black pants and a white shirt with pearl accents. But this wasn't just an ordinary shirt. Its story goes back more than 15 years, when I was preparing for my first local horse show. My beloved Daddy took me shopping for just the right shirt. I vividly remember coming out of the dressing room, wearing the white blouse with pearls along the yoke. His smiling face matched my own feeling that it was just right. It has sat in my drawer for this many years, waiting for a time when it was just right again.

The big evening show began with all Top Ten riders entering the arena. A little skit proceeded with the ten of us sidepassing to the right and left, walking forward and turning around. The announcers pulled the audience into the musical dance, and the Top Ten horses were urged to mingle. Danny was handling the chaos with seeming ease! He even responded to my cues with gusto when I asked him to move his hips to the left and then the right. He was dancing too!! And I was having a blast!

We drew 9th in the line up of ten so we had almost 40 minutes of waiting before it was our turn. Finally it was time for Danny and me to enter the arena. I instructed the ring steward to tell the music to start when I was standing on the barrel Melanie had placed in the arena. Danny and I walked to the barrel and the music started. It was too early!! We didn't have time to do the program as I had planned! I debated what I should do for what felt like an eternity. I decided to improvise. Aside from that trouble, our pattern went fine. I could have asked Danny to hussle more, make better turns and stop harder, but he did nothing wrong. It was my inexperience at competing that held us back. We ended the routine with him laying flat on his side and saluting the crowd. No matter what scores the judges gave us, I was thrilled!

After one more performer, all Top Ten riders came back into the arena. We lined up and were called forward to except our ribbon one at a time, beginning with 10th place. Danny stood like a statue through all the applause and cheering. "Coming in 4th place,...is Monica Erman and Danny." We walked forward to have someone put a big white, sash ribbon around Danny's neck while the judges came forward to shake my hand. They each said something encouraging to us and I hope they sensed how sincerely I gave my thanks. I pumped my fist in the air as Danny and I trotted out of the arena.

Danny was tired and I eagerly untacked him for the night. While he munched on hay and oats, the rest of us went out to dinner! There were almost a dozen close friends and family in our group, even through several had needed to head home, and though it was quite late, we found an Italian restaurant to take us in. We were the only ones in the whole place! When the waiters found out the reason for our celebration, they brought out two giant servings of amazing desserts and a bunch of forks!! We cheered, letting the entire staff know how we appreciated the hospitality. All too soon, the night got late and we said our goodbyes. Some more headed home, some back to their hotel rooms for the night.

The next morning, I saddled up Danny for one more time. My wonderful helpers loved him so much and they had never been able to ride him. Up to that point, I was the only one who rode Danny because I wanted him to have the best chance of consistency. Now, without a competition staring us in the face, we could have a little more fun. He carried Melanie, Alyssa and Holly around the warm-up arena with the gentle confidence of a horse five times his actual age. Their smiles were big and I could not have been more pleased to see how lightly he responded to their cues.

A small ceremony was held next, to give out awards for each section of the competition. I stepped forward last to receive the blue ribbon Danny and I earned in the Horse Course. While I walked out of the arena, I slowed my steps to listen to the list of winners for the stall decorating contest. My team won 2nd, which brought a generous gift certificate at a famous tack supplier!! The incredible pictures taken and developed by my talented sister Melanie surely captured the judges attention.



Now was the time for the auction, when every horse in the Extreme Mustang Makeover was offered up for adoption. Danny was fourteenth to be called into the ring. I was given a couple minutes at the microphone to talk about Danny. I easily could have used up an hour to share how much I really thought of him, his tremendous work ethic and incredible disposition. I finished by saying we were going to show how our freestyle the preceding night was supposed to begin. The auctioneer said, "Oh, good! Wait till you see this, folks! I saw these two practicing this a dozen times yesterday and every time it was spot on. I told my wife, 'Watch this. Watch this.'" Danny backed up until his tail was touching the barrel. I folded my legs behind the saddle and then slid off his rump to stand on the barrel. I asked Danny to circle around me at a trot while I passed the rein behind my back. He changed directions and trotted around toward the right. Then I gave him a cue by repeatedly curling the fingers of my free hand, signaling, 'bring your hip toward the barrel.' He made an easy turn and swung around till the saddle was right beside me. All I had to do was step in, smooth as silk. The crowd applauded and made heartening sounds of appreciation.





The bids came slow at first, and the auctioneer chided, "You all are missing the boat on this one." A few bids finally rang through and the hammer came down on $750. I reined Danny out of the arena, my heart beginning to break. The more I fought the feeling, the more hurt I felt. Danny was worth so much more than $750. I had caught a quick glance of the woman who won the bid and did not recognize her. There was another dear girl interested in Danny, and when I saw she wasn't the winner, I was worried. Who was this woman, and would she treat Danny as the treasure he was? My tears began to fall and I hugged Danny's neck, trying to convey how much I appreciated him, that his heart alone was worth more than could be measured. I tried to bring my worries into check while I pulled off his saddle.

My good friend Betty arrived at the stall to tell me who had won Danny. As she conveyed what she discovered, my tears refreshed - but this time for a completely different reason.

Danny's new home is the Kentucky Horse Park! He was purchased to be part of the Kentucky Horse Park Mustang Troop; an outreach program for inner city youth to build confidence and work ethic through horsemanship. My Danny was going to live not only like a king, he was going to be used for an excellent purpose! How many horses in the world get to live at the Disney Land of the equestrian world? And he would shine! He would make himself loved!

Before long, a sizeable group of youth and adults from the Kentucky Horse Park were huddled in and around Danny's stall, eager to meet their new member. Their leader Sheila and I talked about Danny. She told me about the plans they have for him, the incredible care they are able to give him (including chiropractic and acupuncture treatment for his back!) and the training he'll have to prepare him for his work in parades and drill exhibitions. She has already e-mailed to let me know how wonderfully he is doing!

My Mom pointed out that if I had been able to do the wow-factor barrel part of my routine in the main competition, I might have placed higher, but I probably wouldn't have done the barrel routine during the auction, and perhaps the Kentucky Horse Park wouldn't have bought Danny. Only the Lord knows. He also knows that such a splendid situation for Danny's life would be my own heart's priority. A happier ending to grand adventure I could not have imagined.

One Week to Extreme Mustang Makeover, Tennessee!

This week is going to fly by!

For the past two weeks, Danny and I have been working on getting more neckreining, smooth canter departures and graceful collection overall. He is doing fantastic! Last weekend, we trailered over to a friend's farm and rode the trails with several other horses and riders. Before we went out, we did some exercises in the round pen just to practice in a new enviroment. He didn't miss a beat.

On one part of the trail, there was a straight even stretch where lots of riders like to have a little gallop. Danny and I were in the back and I was curious to see how patient he would be to wait for my signal to go, instead of surging on to keep up with the others. He wanted to go, but it would have been barely discernable to any onlookers. He stopped, softened to the bit and moved his hips in as I asked before making a beautiful canter departure. I asked him for a little more speed and he stretched out to a gallop as the other riders, who had reached the end of the straightaway, cheered us on!! We looped around them and made a great stop about twenty feet past them.

It's hard to believe that Danny and I have been working together for only three months. It seems like much longer. We've packed in so many hours of one-on-one time, we can sense each others' moods and inclinations. I know his favorite scratch spots after a sweaty workout. He knows how to read the difference between my asking him to look at me with only his eyes, or to turn around completely and face me.

Dear Danny is going to make his new owner very happy! On the auction day of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, someone very fortunate is going to take him home. He is a sweatheart, great thinker, easy going and charming guy. Through even the hard stuff that I've asked of him, he has always given a good try. He's been nothing but a blessing to me. And I feel confident he will be the same for his new owner.

See you all in Murfreesboro, TN, October 22 - 24, 2010. Look for Danny's stall, decorated in red and black curtains. We're looking forward to meeting you!

We have only one month to go!! It's crunch time!!

Danny is putting on weight and muscle almost daily it seems. His hindquarters are filling out, his neck is getting stronger and there is much more definition to his leg muscles. It's awesome to see how he has changed.

Mental and emotional changes have been drastic too! He is still the super sweet and laid back gelding I hauled home from Mississippi, but he knows more cues and responds to feather light touches, sometimes taking me off guard and reminding me to be a soft as I possibly can.

We spend the great majority of each session loping or galloping. We're working on speed control and regulating his strides so I have the best chance of guiding him through beautiful circles and lead changes. He has not ever once bucked with me in the saddle. "Willing" should be Danny's middle name.

We use the bridge to practice subtle control drills. I ask him to keep his front feet on the bridge and pivot his hind feet to the left or right, sometimes all the way around the bridge.

Isn't Danny a sweet looking guy? Here he's patiently waiting while I adjust a couple poles for another exercise. One time I guess I left him alone for too long and he walked over to the bridge, and stood on top of it, perfectly straight and square! Then he looked at me like, "We do it like this right?"

Laying down is easy for Danny. He always seems so ready to learn.

Hugs for Danny!

I made sure to remove the stirrups from my saddle before asking him to lay flat. That way, he isn't the least bit uncomfortable and only gets lots of loving for doing what I asked.

My friend Betty, brought over her Mustang to show Danny. They both look pretty cool, don't you think?

Now, that we're on the final legs of our training, Danny and I are working twice a day. We often take a ride up the dirt road to get a break from the arena, but we still practice hindquarter control, lead departures and softening to the bridle.

Yesterday and today, I clipped Danny's face, ears and bridle path with the clippers. As I was running the clippers over his ears, while his head was down, the lead rope on the ground and Danny calmly standing, I thought about the many horses that are twitched or forced with pain to accept the clippers. Every single time I work with Danny, I am teaching him what to expect from me. Will I hurt him? Will I give him consistent leadership? Does he need to worry about getting the wrong answer and being punished unfairly? My goal has been to set Danny up for success in every way I can. I try to give him the right answers before I even ask the question, so that when I give him a little quiz, like standing still while the clippers buzz around his ears, he gets a resounding A+!

End of Week 8

So much has happened since I wrote last!! It is amazing all that Danny has learned in only 8 weeks. We are half way done with our training challenge.

On the 7 week anniversary of meeting Danny for the first time, I loaded him in the trailer with my sister's horse, Cookie, and headed to our county fairgrounds for the weekly team-penning. It was dark when we got there, the lights were on, the steers were milling around and the speakers were blaring. Danny stepped out of the trailer and took it all in stride. We groomed the horses and saddled up. I led Danny up the hill toward the steers' holding pen and let him watch them. He seemed interested but unworried. The shallow drainage ditch concerned him slightly more, but after walking back and forth across it a few times, he didn't give it a second glance.

While the team penning went on, Danny and I rode in the waiting area just outside the gate. There were other horses around, lots of noise, plenty of distractions to overcome. We worked on our trotting circles, stops and backing up. Then we focused on smooth sidepassing.

At one point a man walked up to Danny's nose. "Is he a mustang?"

"Yes he is. Got him 7 weeks ago." I could hardly wait to see his reaction. :)

He was petting Danny's nose and froze. Then he raised his eyes to mine. "Seriously?" He went back to his group of friends eager to tell the tale.

When all the classes were done, and the arena emptying, Danny and I went in and got to use up the whole fence line for practicing our fast canter. The video below is after at least five laps, so he was little tired, but I think he's doing pretty well.

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Two days later, I took Danny and my mare, Belle, to a training demo I was doing at Brookfield Farm in Factoryville. They trailered wonderfully and unloaded without any trouble.

Since I was earlier than the crowd, I saddled up Belle and bridled Danny. Ponying Danny from Belle was a great exercise for both of them, Danny learnings to stay close to us while I walk, trot or stop, and Belle improving her attentiveness to my cues especially well. I must say it was a blast having two wonderful horses trot figure 8's, jogging or fast trotting, even stopping together.

When the demo started, Danny stood like a statue with Melanie while I used Belle to demonstrate some lessons. I switched my saddle to Danny and used him to illustrate speed transitions, then later he showed his newest accomplishment; laying down.

The first time I asked Danny to lay down, it took about 10 minutes, maybe less. The second time he laid down, it took only a couple minutes. Now he drops right down. He even lays flat on his side if I ask.

A great friend of mine, Holly, surprised me by coming to the demo with her daughters. One of them, Stephania came beside me and petted Danny while he lay in the soft arena footing. I really think her gentle stroking put him to sleep. He made absolutely no move to get up for quite a while. In fact, I had to urge him to get up when it was time to head home.

Today's lesson with Danny included lots of loping circles, simple lead changes and pivoting on the hindquarters. I brought out my lariat and worked up to swinging it over my head and tossing it over a blue barrel. I asked him to step close to the barrel so I could tap it and tip it over with my foot. He remained calm.

After that, my next request was pretty easy. We rode up to the mail box outside our house. In a couple moments, he stood absolutely quietly in the perfect position for me to lean over and open the mail box. We walked away and went back to repeat the exercise a few times.

We still have so much to learn together. I feel it's crunch time now. Sort of like a dancing team who have gotten to know each other a little bit and now are learning to do more impressive moves! This is going to be fun!

A couple very dear friends came over to watch Danny's lesson this morning. After doing loping circles and speed control drills, we brought out the tarp, burying the corners in sand so it didn't fly up.

This was the second day Danny had been asked to cross a tarp, and it took a few minutes for him to get comfortable with the idea. But soon he walked across without a problem.

Danny is doing so well!! He loves having his ears scratched or his neck hugged.

Week Four's Adventures

Three weeks and two days after Danny was funneled and pushed into my trailer in Mississippi, I asked him to load in the trailer again. But this time, he was leading with a halter and lead and there were no panels to guide him. We used our practiced 'go forward' cue and he stepped inside without a fuss. He traveled like a pro for the four and a half hour drive west to Cook Forest Area Scenic Trail Rides, in Clarion, PA. This awesome facility is run by Ray and Terrie Smith and offers camp sites, rental horses and guided trail rides. This week was going to be super special because during the five days, John Lyons was there to teach a Trail Riding Clinic! What a great opportunity for Danny to get some new experiences! Little did I know just how wonderful the week would be or how much we would learn.

I arrived Sunday afternoon and spotted the campsite I would share with two wonderful friends, Susan and Barb. They had run to town for some food supplies, so for a while I was on my own. Leaving the truck and trailer in the shade, I got my bearings by locating the tie stalls and restrooms. I also found a covered arena with soft footing. Unquestionably, the first thing I wanted to do was ride Danny. Seeing no reason why not, I unloaded Danny, groomed him and saddled up.


During the preceding week, I had worked with Danny from the ground several hours a day, but I had only ridden him maybe a total of an hour, in his pen and in the arena. He was learning that my legs told him to go and my reins gave him direction.


I led him to the Cook Forest arena and we worked on some ground exercises for just a few minutes before I got in the saddle. We practiced for maybe an hour before John Lyons himself came back from a ride and got to meet Danny. We talked about the competition and some teaching strategies I might apply over the next few weeks. He reminded me that I should not be training Danny for the competition, but instead my biggest goal should be to make him a well trained horse. I couldn't agree more. Danny's participation in the Extreme Mustang Makeover will be for a very short time compared to the years he will have with his next owner. My job is to equip him for that future with the very best training I can possibly give him.


Danny and I went back to the trailer and I set up his tie stall. He was not unprepared to be tied. We had gone through a series of lessons to teach him to step forward when he feels pressure from the halter, and stand quietly while being confined. Narrow tie stalls can be challenging for even older horses. The horse is not able to turn around and the handler needs to walk quite close to put hay and water where the horse can reach them. Through the next eight days and nights Danny spent most of his time in a tie stall or tethered to a picket line (a rope strung between two trees about seven feet high). He learned to stand quietly and eat his hay from his hay bag while I cleaned his stall.


On the first day of the clinic, Danny and I followed the lessons along with the other nine riders in the clinic. By the afternoon, he was trotting energetically, practicing precise steering drills, and learning to ignore distractions like picnic tables and other riders heading out to the trails.

We were even called upon to demonstrate turning to face a scary object. John held a big tarp, shaking and waving it as he walked around Danny. Danny was worried, but kept his nose pointed straight at John, while I simply sat in the saddle, with the reins completely loose. John also asked us to go through the lesson plan to have the horse walk calmly across a tarp for the first time. Danny did great! He went through all the steps and before long plodded across the tarp with his head down and his body relaxed.


The next day, John reviewed some important principles for the first part of the day and in the afternoon, we went out on a three hour trail ride. The first obstacle was a steep, short hill down to the ditch we had to cross to get to the road. Danny and I approached it as we did the tarp and he crossed it with slow and careful steps. Wonderful! Once on the trail, we practiced shoulder and hip control, stopping before a log and calmly walking over it, backing up while the other horses trotted ahead, doubling back for a few lengths, even walking through the river! He never made me worried about being on his back. Even when horses around him were sometimes rambunctious, he followed my directions to sidepass his shoulders or slow down while we descended a steep hill. John later asked me how I thought my horse did. I said I thought he did real well. John said he thought Danny did phenomenal.


After his first trail ride, Danny got his first rinse. He was very sweaty and I didn't want all that salt dulling his wonderful shiny coat. I led him to the wash area and we waited our turn. At first I pointed the hose away from him so he could see and hear the spray. Then I put a gentle stream on his leg. He didn't move but tilted his head, a little concerned about this new sensation. I took the water off his leg and gave him a pet for standing still. We repeated the same thing, but I kept the water on for a little longer. Within five repetitions of taking the water away, he was standing quietly while I gradually moved the stream up his shoulders, over his back and down his hind legs.


Unfortunately, because of the 3 hour ride, Danny got some pretty severe blisters on his girth, partly because his skin is just not used to be rubbed by the cinch. He was also tired!! His muscles were not used to all that work. During my usual midnight check on him, I found him lying down in his stall. I talked quietly to him and approached his rump. He watched me but did not move to get up. For a few minutes I rubbed and talked to him, then went back to my tent, hoping both of us would get some more sleep.


I took him for walks around the camp site, exposing him to new things but always asking him to look to me if he found something worrisome. He was not permitted to walk over and investigate an object, instead I would ask him to change directions, back up or trot forward. He will learn that his ever-changing surroundings are less important than following my direction. His comfort and peace comes when he puts his steps under my control.


On the last day in camp, his girth was healed enough for a ride. Since almost everyone else was either resting in their tents or out on a trail ride, we had lots of space around the vacant camp sites and gravel road running through the facility. We played with turns and controlled back ups. Then we advanced his cue to speed up. Before long, he trotted so fast that he broke into a lope for the first time. After only a couple strides I asked him slow down. We repeated the process a few times.


By this time, we had several people watching us. When I dismounted and gave Danny a hug, four or five people came over to say they enjoyed watching us. One lady said he moved remarkably well. She wasn't expecting him to be so free and graceful before seeing him work under saddle.


The next morning Danny and I loaded up in the truck and trailer and headed home. We both had learned so much!! I had a truly fantastic time, met some amazing new friends and reconnected with old and treasured ones. I am excited to continue giving Danny the best education I possibly can. Just this morning, we had a terrific lesson in our own arena. We again practiced speed control and accomplished our first loping circles. But more important than simply loping the circles, Danny performed them in control; without pulling on the bit, freely moving forward with his head held level.


Please remember to pass on this link to horsey friends who you think would be interested in Danny's training. When auction day comes around in Murfreesboro, TN, I want his new owner to be as well informed as possible. Many thanks and happy trails!

Danny's First Trim.

After a few lessons in letting me handle his feet, Danny was about to get his first trim. His feet were long and needed a good clipping.

We do hoof care a little differently than most horse owners. We don't put shoes on our horses. If there was a real need, we would use shoes, but the vast majority of horses do not need shoes and are much healthier without them. Without shoes there is more blood flow through the leg, promoting healing and reducing strain on the heart. That is just one of the many benefits. My good friend, Toni Jackloski has studied natural hoof care and paired it with her knowledge and experience from years of professional farrier service.

With barn full of observers, I walked Danny up and down the aisle to get a before look of his movement.

Then we took some "before" pictures. I did not get good shots of all his feet, but the right front pictures came out well. Danny's hooves were long from inactivity due to being in the BLM holding yards for ten months.

This is much better! His hoof walls are straight, excess and dead hoof was paired away and a even roll was given to the circumference. The bottom view is dirty because of a short trot in the pen.

Look at this beautiful round foot. And it should only get better from here.

If you have interest in Natural Hoof Care, check out http://www.hoofrehab.com/.

First Week Done

Horses are known to be fast changers. They have minds like sponges. Riders learn that no matter what they are doing around the horse, they are always teaching the horse something.


But to my utter amazement, Danny has blown me away with how fast he learns!!! I've seen many horses overcome bad habits, learn to trust after mistreatment, and grasp new lessons way faster than we would naturally expect. It's a testament to the incredible nature of the horse; God's unfathomable design. And Danny is exemplifying his Creator's handiwork.


In less than seven days of training, Danny has easily flowed through the first series of lessons. From travelling around the pen in the direction I ask, to turning and stopping parallel to the fence, allowing me to approach and pet his face, shoulders, ribcage, tail and legs, to turning and facing me when I ask, and accepting the rope being rubbed all over his body. Then came the halter, and turning to face me with the lead rope attached and gradually showing him that pressure on his face also was a turn and face me cue. Next came the bridle and bit, and more practice of turning to face me on cue with the lead rope attached to the bit. The rope-rubbing prepared him for contacts with a towel, a saddle pad and then the saddle, with gradual increasing pressure around his girth so that when I fully tightened the saddle and asked for him to trot around the pen, he was unfazed and only reacted with a small jump when the stirrup bumped his shoulder. From there, we began more specific lessons on how to respond to the bit.


While we worked, my sister Melanie practiced cracking the bull whip on the other side of the barn. A very loud, un-mufflered truck rumbled up the dirt road beside the round pen. Neither caused Danny to even raise his head.


The speed of a horse's progression is determined by how comfortable he is with what he's being taught. Danny has shown me only willingness and therefore we're going along quite quickly at this stage. So after less than 14 hours of training, he stood quietly while I pulled on the saddle, jumped up and down beside him and finally put my foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle. I sat only for a split second, dismounted and gave him a hug. In another session, I swung into the saddle and stayed for about a minute while I used one rein and a cluck to ask for a small circle. He did it! Our first steps under saddle! When he stopped, I dismounted and gave him another hug and a scratch under the bridle.

A couple days ago, while Melanie cleaned his stall, she rubbed his neck and found his 'sweet spot.' While she scratched, he curled his upper lip and swayed back and forth, plainly enjoying the moment.


I've picked up Danny's feet and cleaned them for possibly the first times in his life. His hooves are overgrown, which will be remedied shortly when one of my good friends, a professional natural hoof trimmer comes to help me with his first trim. I know many of you are interested in this aspect of Danny's care and I will be sure to get pictures posted for you.


Till I post again, thank you for your interest and may God richly bless!

Details of Danny's First Lesson

Have you ever watched a movie following someone visiting the present from another time period or society? Remember the scenes where the character looks with bewilderment at a tv or car? Well, when Danny walks by a small window of the barn, he sees his own reflection in the glass and knickers a greeting! I laughed, it was so cute!

While Melanie and I were setting up the pen for teaching, Danny bent his head down to rub his nose on his leg. But he sandwiched a shoot of stinging nettle between his face and cannon bone! He walked a couple circles with his crinkled nose stuck straight out and rubbed his face repeatedly on whatever he could fine, while we sympathized. Poor guy!!

Imagine that you were dropped in a different country, a different culture with a strange language. You had no idea what to do, who intended you good or evil, or what people were saying. Now you may have a picture of what Danny is feeling. But so far, his easy-going personality lets him take all the new changes in stride.

Danny has no idea of the huge plans and goals I have for him. If I throw too many expectations on him too fast, it could discourage his curious and courageous tendencies. For these first couple days, I have only a few guidelines.

#1. "Go forward when I ask." All training requires movement. If I can't get Danny to move when I ask, I won't be able to teach him anything. I use a specific cue to tell him to move. I make a kissing sound and if needs be, toss my lariat at his hindquarters. How long I pressure him this way tells him how fast to move. At this point, I only ask him to move forward, left and right.

#2. "Don't back up when I approach you." If I let him develop that habit, he will in effect be protecting himself from me. If he backs up when I approach, I need to do two things; step off to the side and ask him to take a few steps forward, and be careful not to get so close next time I approach. This is known as the "advance and retreat" method. As a teacher, my job is to set up Danny's lessons to build his confidence. When I approach his nose, I watch his ears, face and body language. My goal is to turn around and leave before he gets worried enough that he wants to flee. If I retreat before he does, he'll gradually realize that running away from me isn't necessary. The next time I walk up to him, he'll let me get closer.

I began by asking Danny to move around the pen at a trot. I asked him to change directions by moving in front of him and herding him in the other direction. It took only a few minutes for him to learn that I wouldn't let him stop or change directions when he wanted to. Whenever I'm with him, I'm in charge.

Next I asked him to stop parallel to the fence by having him change directions only a little bit. Since there is a stop in the transition from right to left, if I stop cueing him at the right moment, he stops moving. This is far easier with a horse that likes to stay quiet, like Danny.

With Danny standing beside the fence, I walk to the fence, directly in front of him at a distance that doesn't trouble him. I close the distance between us, watching his comfort level. Before he decides to leave, I leave. I walk about twenty feet, then turn around and approach him again. Before long, within half hour I think it was with Danny, (some animals will require hours), I raised my hand toward his nose. I very gently rubbed his nose for few moments then rewarded him by retreating. This gave him a chance to breathe and see that I hadn't hurt him.

With advance and retreat for his peace of mind always in view, by the end of an hour and a half, I could rub his face and ears, the right side of his neck, mane and ribcage. If he got restless and wanted to move away, I used the opportunity to move him around the pen, practicing his go forward cue. A couple very positive side affects to doing this are beginning to build muscle moving around the sloped pen, and giving Danny motivation to stay beside me. He learns that going away from me will result in work, a little bit of sweat and heavy breathing. After just a minute or two of heavy trotting and some loping around the pen, he was ready to stand quietly beside the fence again and let me rub on him.

It was a wonderful session! I got to rub my fingers in his mane and stroke his neck and shoulders for the first time! Since he has never had a grooming, let alone a bath, my hands were quite coated in grime when the lesson was over. I can hardly wait to give him a bath! Mom is eager for his thin, but three inch long facial hair to get shaved. But basics first, more rubbing lessons next.

Pictures of Pick Up Day and 1st Lesson

Some of the mustangs in one of the pens at the Piney Woods School holding yard.

Melanie took this picture before we knew which horse would be ours.

There's Danny to the left looking in our direction!!

Number 903 eating with the other horses in the pen.

First day of school! He was a little worried about that hand at first.

He's starting to look better already.

One of the few times his head came up that high. Gotta love his straight legs!

Some of our first rubs! Doing great Danny!

A very special thank you to Melanie for taking all these wonderful pictures!

Beginning

In 2007, I heard about the Extreme Mustang Makeover. Selected trainers took an unhandled mustang home for 100 days, then traveled to a common place to be judged on the horse's conditioning, ground work, and riding performance. Then the top ten finalists duke it out in a Saturday night freestyle show, complete with music and props!

I was hooked!! Here was an event that didn't judge you on how fancy your clothes were, how much silver was on your saddle or how amazing your horse's conformation (body structure) was. Points are given based on the quality of training, how relaxed and trusting the horse is and the level of difficulty horse and rider achieve. I watched YouTube videos, DVDs and kept up with blogs and articles.

Three years passed before I formally applied to enter the EMM. But I never stopped thinking about the possibility. I always thought about it with a smile. I would drive, letting my mind wander over performance moves that would wow the judges, or fun ways we would use our music to liven the crowd. Invariably, I would come back to present and realize I was grinning like a goof.

Now the adventure is here! Day before yesterday, July 16th, my wonderful sister Melanie and I got up from our motel room in Jackson, Mississippi to drive my old '96 Dodge Ram, pulling our green stock trailer, to Piney Woods School. We signed in at the gate and turned down a dirt road bending around some trees before opening to a field. A few trucks and trailers were already there and excitement made my stomach full of butterflies. Hundreds of heavy duty pipe panels were set up in a maze of pens where mustangs milled around.

We parked the truck in what I hoped was a sensible place and grabbed our cameras! I saw what looked like a line of people standing behind a tail gate while a lady sorted through files and papers set neatly in the bed of a truck. She announced that since we were early, a certain man wasn't there with the right paperwork so we would need to wait. So Melanie and I went to look over the horses. We immediately spied a couple outstanding looking geldings with big broad shoulders, smooth backs and graceful necks. One pen held a couple horses that were really not getting along! They screamed and hollered, putting themselves tail to tail and letting the hooves fly. The impact of hoof against bone or muscle sounded clear across the stock yards.

"That one's yours," Melanie said as she flipped a thumb in their direction.

"I hope not." I replied. I had been praying for months to get a small gelding with a gentle nature. Those were the specifics I had in mind. I wanted short because I enjoy handling them more (I really don't see why regular working horses need to be bigger than 14:3hh!) and a gelding because...well sometimes mares get moody. But that's not to say I don't like mares. Our family owns nothing but five mares.

The EMM computer randomly draws the horses' numbers for each of 55 trainers competing in 2010's Tennessee division. It wasn't long before the right paperwork arrived and we were able to learn my mustang's number. "0903." Off we went to look for him. He wasn't in the first pen. We didn't see him in the second either. The third pen held more horses so we had to look longer. There was a horse with "903" on the tag held by a string around his throat. He seemed a very unassuming little guy. He ate his hay quietly, was not at all pushy to the other horses and yet didn't mind being on the outskirts of the herd. But my eyes were not impressed with his conformation. His back was shaped more like a mule's, his withers were low, his neck too short and face too long. He did have good points too. He had big thick leg bones and joints, a very kind and generous eye, and nice markings. He was short, maybe 14:1hh, a trait I appreciated.

Had I been allowed to choose a horse based on my own criteria, number 903 would not even have made the top 20. But I can't count the amount of times a decision I thought should be my own, ended up not mine to make, and the result was absolutely right. We don't always get what we think we want, but God gives us what is just right for us at that time.

Finally, it was 903's turn to be separated and loaded into the trailer. I backed the trailer between a couple panels and the wranglers secured them with chains to the side. Having watched a few horses load, I could see why. Some had frantically run into fences, or tried to turn and escape. One even ran like a bull and smashed his forehead into a gate. Ouch.

Number 903 was quiet as could be to load. He walked to the back of the trailer, stopped just short of entering and looked. The wranglers patted and urged, until finally he got in. He didn't turn around right away, just bent his nose to calmly look back at us.





We began the 20 hour drive north east around 10:30am. We had to make quite a few stops, thanks to my truck getting 10 - sometimes 11 miles to the gallon. One of my main worries was that my old truck wouldn't take the travel. But where there is a will, there's a way. There are usually obstacles to adventures, that's what makes them adventures! So I subscribed to a road side assistance plan for horse trailers and double checked all the fluids.

Somewhere not too far out of Mississippi, I decided on his name. Danny. He looked like a Danny to me. Not only did he now have a name, he was stealing my heart! He had eyes like Micheal Landon and no tendency to getting flustered, qualities that would make any horse person thankful. When we stopped he just looked at me, readily ate the hay I pushed in, and rode as quietly as a seasoned traveler.







Melanie and I took turns driving and sleeping through the night and day. We pulled into the drive beside our barn near 11:30am, July 17th. She went to bring our other horses into the barn so I could drive into the pasture and back up to the pen I'd made ready for Danny. While she was doing that, Mom came walking over from where she left her riding mower. She gave me a welcome home hug and went to the back of the trailer to see him.

"You know what I've been singing all morning?" she smiled. I had no idea. "Oh, Danny Boy."

Danny unloaded as quietly as he had loaded. He simply walked out and surveyed his new abode. The 6' high strong panels were set in a circle, albeit not perfect, beside the barn and opening to a section of the run in shelter. I didn't know what kind of gumption my mustang would have, so I had cut two feet of orange warning fence and attached it to the top of the panels all the way around. But I could have skipped the work. I doubt Danny's nose could even reach that high if he stood on his hind legs.

We unloaded the trailer, dropped hay, I checked on my garden and we had some lunch. Before and after making dinner I went outside with Danny. He is quite willing to let me stand within 3 feet of him, sometimes even closer. But he does not want me to touch him. I think I've counted eight or ten times he's touched his nose to me but only for a second and then his nose quivers and he moves away. I sat or stood beside his hay and let him hear the sounds of my voice as he ate.
Here is one of his 'before' conditioning photos. It'll be fun to see what happens to his build with some added muscle and weight!

I've never done a blog before. Never really had the inspiration. Being part of the EMM is exciting to be sure, but another blessing that I simply can't get over is how many wonderful people are interested in this adventure. I hope this blog keeps you in the loop and if it gives you a little smile, it will be more than worth it. Please tell me what you would like to hear about, what I talk too much about or any questions you may have.

At the end of the EMM competition in Murfreesboro, TN, October 22 - 24th, 2010, the mustangs trained by the 55 trainers will be auctioned off for adoption. This blog's main purpose is to expose Danny to as many people as possible and hopefully give him the perfect new home. With God's help, I will do all I can to make him a willing citizen for his next owner. Your help to get the word out would be greatly appreciated. Tell your friends about this blog so that come the end of October potential bidders will be well informed of the training and experience Danny has had.

I can't promise I will write every day, or even on a regular basis. We'll just see how things go. Thank you again for your interest and may God richly bless!

Heading out to give Danny his first lessons! :D