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Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge
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The Last 30 Days-Part 1
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The Last 30 Days-Part 3

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Bandit
This is Bandit. An absolute natural for Trick Training, Bandit is playful, curious, and pretty darned goofy!
He'd already begun entertaining himself by curling his tongue
over, and learned quickly to do it for the promise of a cookie.
Bandit sat on the bean bag on the first day!
And as long as he was just sitting around anyway, why not curl
his tongue over for a cookie.

Trick Training

Krista has been fascinated with the work of Allen Pough of Red Horse Ranch. Allen gives a good list of benefits of teaching your horse some tricks on his website: Imagine A Horse:

1. Horses that know two tricks sell for an average of $5,000. more!
2. Trick Training is the FASTEST and EASIEST way to increase your horses' attention span!
3. Our methods make horses want to learn and to please!
4. If you've been using a 'recipe book' training method, you've been missing out!
5. Unlike 'judged' competitions, you ALWAYS win with a Trick Horse!

If you look farther into this fascinating website, you'll see lots more, even better, reasons to Trick Train. With the mustangs, the tricks help encourage them to explore this already very foreign environment and use their bodies in even more unusual ways.

Tricks also help them with much needed confidence. Probably more suspicious because of their late introduction into 'society', the more obstacles they can overcome, the more confident they'll be and the more ready to become domestic partners.

Endo-Stick

Oftentimes, you'll see Krista with what looks like a crop in her hand, only to see that it has a ball on the end. This is the Endo-Stick.

Originated by J. P. Giacomini this tool can be used to loosen muscles and relax the horse.

Let J. P. give you his own explanation: Good Horsemanship

 

 

 

Endo-Stick

April 1, 2010 Comets' First Saddled Ride    
Comet Comet Cot
This is Comet: pretty much taking it all in stride. He's going right and is real relaxed.
Every horse is 'handed' just like people: his body is more comfortable going one way or the other. For Comet, it's right.
Krista might remind one of her students to look up and where they're asking their horse to go. Sometimes things are different on the first ride.
Up to the trot.
She's encouraging his forward movement with a little air passing over his inside hip, just a fraction of a second after asking with her legs, seat, and a little cluck.
Comet has picked up his head a little, tensed his body, and is looking for direction with his ears. This is a lot harder than walking.
Comet is a pretty crooked to the left and is showing his preference for moving to the right by just going there.
Krista offers Comet the right answer in a firm and consistent way. She'll ask quietly until he gets it.

Comet is a little more tense going to the left and Krista is needing to use a little more body language to keep him going forward in that direction. She's presenting walls on either side of his body to provide a track for him to follow.

'Move over' is a little more advanced move, and Comet is giving it a lot of thought.

 Comet Comet

April 2, 2010 Polaris Shows Dave a Little Hole in his Training

Of course, we all think we don't want to find holes in our horses training. We sure don't want to upset them. And never want to get a wreck going.

But think about it from a slightly different perspective: how will you know where your holes are if you don't push your horse (or your self, for that matter!) just a little past your comfort zone. You can only fill in those holes with good solid training and experience, if you know where they are and just how big. How much safer and easier to find out at home, at the barn, than out on the trail or in the show pen!
Polaris Polaris
This is old hat and very familiar territory for Polris. He's seen the flag and knows it won't harm him. Even though he looks aware of the flag, he isn't doing anything about it. It would be easy for Dave to just assume that Polaris is over the flag and move onto something new.

Polaris couldn't be too much more relaxed. Some of Polaris' relaxation is a reflection on Dave's lack of worry and hurry.
Polaris Polaris
But Dave seems to know something more about Polaris.
And here it is: the flag behind the flank seems to be just a little too much. Now that Dave knows this, he can get Polaris comfortable with the flag in this position. Sometime down the road, a rider may never realize how glad they are that Dave spent this little extra time: they just put their slicker on in the saddle and Polaris didn't move a muscle.
Polaris Polaris

Dave's energy level hasn't changed a bit as Polaris gets himself worked up about this flag on his flank.
Once again, quiet persistence prevails.

Polaris is still looking at that pesky flag.
But he isn't doing anything about it.
Dave will go back to this exercise from time to time until he has proof positive that Polaris is over his sensitivity around something on his flank. Once Dave knows Polaris is ok with the flag, he'll try all sorts of other things, just to be sure. Someday, it may be a slicker in the midst of a storm.

April 12, 2010 Comet does his first trick
   
Comet Comet
This is Comet
at his best!

 

The Last 30 Days

 


Krista@FromStartToFoundation.com
831-588-6214
1425 San Marcos Rd. Paso Robles, CA 93446