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.