Mustang Heritage's Youth Employment Program

One of the reasons I have this blog is because it's part of my job (the other reason is for the joy of doing it XD). Even though my employment period with the the Mustang Heritage's Youth Employment Program is about to come to a close, I will keep posting updates.


Here's what Mustang Heritage says about the YEP:

Now Filling Positions! Apply Today!

• $500 salary available for all positions!
• Youth and young adults ages 15-24
• 12-week, work-from-home opportunities
• Tasks include researching the history, plight and current issues surrounding the American Mustang and then sharing this knowledge with others through social networking, press releases and community presentations.
• For more details regarding specific positions and/or duties download the Opportunities & Expectations document
• To apply for a position download, complete and submit the YEP Application.

Or visit their website:

http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/youth.php


The great thing about the YEP is that even if you're not training a mustang they pair you with someone who is so you still get a realistic idea of the process. And you get to do it at your own pace (at least on a weekly basis) and most of it you can do from home (assuming you aren't training a mustang). Naturally I highly recommend it!

Karate Kid pose on Allegro

This picture was taken way back before the Extreme Mustang Makeover's Lunge Line Futurity  (sometime around august 2010) when I decided to take a break from working on the actual lunging.

 

Check it out! I'm on KarateKidPose.Com a site about taking random pictures of the famous pose! Here's the exact link: http://www.karatekidpose.com/2010/08/

Here it is from the movie:

I'm going to have to attempt it again this year...

 :]

Charity Horse Show Performance

The Ward sister trio of the DLFS Extreme Team preformed at the Walking Horse Charity Horse Show. This was an awesome opportunity because all money raised goes to Blair E. Batson Children's hospital for sick children and cancer patients. DLFS (http://dlfsms.com/Home_Page.html) provided horses for three nights for the show to grant wishes of cancer children who wanted to ride a horse in the show. The show was on April 1, 2011 at 7pm at the Equine Center.

Jasmine

Rachel has decided to name her yearling Jasmine. Jasmine is a filly from Wyoming and was born in the wild (as opposed to being in a facility). Here are some pictures of Jasmine and Rachel during their first week together.

First touch. :)

 

Mustang Pickup

It's time again for the Extreme Mustange Makeover (http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmtennessee.php)! We picked up the mustangs yesterday, but I'm only just now getting around to writing about it. It always seems the first day has enough stuff happening to supply at least several posts, so I'll continue with this later.

Pictures from the pickup at Piney Woods:

My sister, Christine, petting one of the yearlings. Looks like they're friendly again this year!

Loading the mustangs in the trailers is done by running them into a small chute where they can be safely haltered and then running them into the trailer.

Cat

I just recently got a new horse! She's a quarter horse bay paint, with one blue eye and one brown. She's about 15 hands and has already been shown in pleasure and showmanship. Her name is Cat.

The brown eyes is her right one.

A picture I took with my cell phone while riding.

Mustang Furturity long line: Diane Ward and Doc's Golden Allegro

The first futurity for 2 yr old mustangs was held Friday, 22 for the yearlings who competed in the 2009 yearling Extreme Mustang Makeover. I believe there were 7 entries who signed for the class out of the 30 who were eligible. The mustangs really filled out as 2 yr olds, although it was obvious, for most, that unlike many domestic horses they would likely continuing to significantly grow until they are about 6 yrs old.



Allegro and I had a blast at the show! It was great to see all the horses and trainers again! I always feel really inspired after these events and seeing the amazing things that everyone else is doing. It really gives me something to look forward to keep working towards. I also met a lot of new people who were utterly wonderful.

Video of me competing in the class:

There's a saying in performing that say " you'll have half of what you have in practice in the usual performance". So far this has not really been true for me until the lunge line event. Allegro was off the wall crazy going in to this because I didn't have the time I needed to burn off the crazy energy before hand. He goes a lot slower in practice, and the lope to walk transition was supposed to have a small sliding stop in between. But oh well! It still went great! I'll have to post a video of us practicing some time so you can see what I mean. (also I know nutcase tried to poop. -_-)

Some pictures of practicing the day before at the arena:

Allegro lunging in the warm up arena outside.

I just got done rinsing him off so he's wet here. You can see why he's called Golden Allegro.

Pictures from the actual show:

I think I forgot to mention we won. It seems to me the horse should wear the ribbon. After all it is a horse show.

 I am still extremely lucky to have a horse like Allegro. It kills me I got him for free! Not to mention he's now registered as a palomino. I think he was the only registered mustang up there. I keep hearing that some horses teach you things and not the other way around. He's definitely one of these horses. Because of his athleticism, intelligence, and willingness it allows me to train easily without complications so that I get the end result so much quicker than I do with most horses. It lets me know if what I'm doing is effective or flawed before I try it with a subject that I may have more difficulty with.

The entire longe line class.

Hopefully the other contestants won't feel the need to kill me if I put all of them up... -_O

I have to say the horse closest was pretty good looking. Very well developed muscles, good movement. Honestly I didn't get to see the others... I only saw slap jack and his owner Helena because they happened to be in the warm up pen with me.


I really hope they continue doing the Futurities. They allow a preparation to teach the two year old how to move correctly so that when they're under saddle they already are "good movers" also it's a chance for the adopters to get involved, and allow the people who weren't able to haul up for the actual yearling challenge a second chance to show their horse. Also I fear that sometimes the horse's don't continue their training after the challenges because their is no incentive. This is incentive! I know they're planning on for 2011!


Thank you to everyone tht helped me get to this point most literally the Livingstons who did the literal getting there since they hauled Allegro! (I am so funny-_-). My parents my, mom for pulling the car into he horse pasture because I wanted to work Allegro when it was dark and there was no other lights. Christine nd Rachel (my sisters) for being very supportive and helping me figue out what was wrong with my own technque.

The Livinstons again for letting me use their show halter! XD


And everyone else who gave me advice or helped in some way!

Mustang adoption!

At the end of each Extreme Mustang makeover the horses in the competition are normally auctioned off making on of the main goals of this event to raise awareness for mustang adoption. Naturally I adopted the horse I competed with and I can vouch first hand for their sheer awesomeness of the breed. I look forward to seeing what everyone drew this year and the adoptions that take place! Here is some information on adopting:

October 22-24: Extreme Mustang Makeover, Murfreesboro, TN The second annual Extreme Mustang Makeover returns to Murfreesboro, TN. Over 100 gentled mustangs available for adoption. 100 trainers (18 and over) and 25 youth trainers (8-18). $25,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Tennessee Miller Coliseum: 304 West Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro, TN (615) 494-8961.

For more information: http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmtennessee.php




Upcoming In-Person Adoptions:


Lorton, VA: Oct 22-23
Murfreesboro, TN: Oct 22-24
Archdale, NC: Nov 12-13
Oneonta, AL: Nov 19-20
Martin, TN: Dec 3-4
Lake Charles, LA: Dec 10-11




Here are some examples of mustangs up for adoption and their information:

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.1

Necktag #: 9560 Date Captured: 11/22/09
Color: Palomino Captured: South Steens (OR)
Notes:

#9560 - 1 yr old palomino gelding, captured Nov 2009 in the South Steens Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).

Bidding has not yet begun.

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.0

Necktag #: 9493 Date Captured: 11/18/09
Color: Pinto Captured: South Steens (OR)


Notes:

#9493 - 1 yr old pinto gelding, captured Nov 2009 in the South Steens Herd, OR.
Calm personality.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).


Bidding has not yet begun.



 

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.1

Necktag #: 0010 Date Captured: 07/13/10
Color: Bay Captured: Cold Springs (OR)
Notes:

#0010 - 1 yr old bay gelding, captured July 2010 in the Cold Springs Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).
Bidding has not yet begun.
 

Sex: Mare Age: 4 Years Height (in hands): 14.3

Necktag #: 9614 Date Captured: 12/15/09
Color: Pinto Captured: Paisley Desert (OR)
Notes:

#9614 - 4 yr old pinto mare, captured Dec 2009 in the Paisley Desert Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).
Bidding has not yet begun.

thoughts on the Mustang Longe Line Futurity

That is one long title!

As I've posted before, the lunge line futurity is going to be held alongside the normal EMM event in Murfreesboro TN for the 2009 yearlings adopted out last year from the previous youth competition.

Allegro and I have been working pretty hard! I won't deny it's been frustrating. The first few months he kept getting sullied up, because he was not at all used to being asked to lung at a circle for any length of time. This was not what I had trained him to do before. Whenever we did lunge before it was with mostly half circles and turnbacks and the idea of walking in a longe line was the least used word of his vocabulary. He's made a lot of progress even though this isn't his foremost talent. Some horses have a natural inclination to move the way that longe line asks for (not that this will be judged exactly on tradition rules) but Allegro's mustangs roots seemed to have a different idea of how to move.

Just recently we had Allegro shod because he had bruised his front foot. It's very frustrating that it was the front foot on his good side because now his former good side had become his weaker side and his former weaker side his stronger side now. He's not much a fan of the shoes. He's been picking his knees up more because of the new feeling (we also have booties on to protect the shoes). I know I'm may be being a bit picky. Just because he's picking his knees up is not a reason to obsess; it'll will probably fix itself once he gets used to them.

I think I learned most of what I know about lungeline from watching YouTube videos. :] It makes good sense

I feel I've really learned a lot from this. For one thing it's good that I was able to work with Allegro entirely on my own for this especially since longe line was something a genuinely had no knowledge on; it was like taking a crash course on how to train and perform lungeline. I doubt I know half the things a profession would tell me about lungeline but no doubt I've learned a lot since working on it. If you work over a 100 days on something every day you are going to have to work not to learn something.


Here's my check list for things I look for in longe line:

1. Consistent and acurate gaits
2. An even circle
3. The handler not "traveling" (having to chase the horse, or having to walk a large circle)
4. Smooth transitions
5. Ease of movement
6. Attentiveness to handler
7. Style, and overall presentation (longe line isn't riveting exactly so it pays to make it look like more than it is; give it some stage presence!)
8. Ease of moving into the circle, changing directions, and coming out of the circle.
9. headset and technically correct gaits (correct lead, not cross firing)

The real Wild Horses I

I think I've made it fairly clear that American Mustangs aren’t actually wild horses and are actually feral horses descended from domesticated animals that escaped and adapted to life in the wild. There is a few known surviving wild hoses species today one of which is Przewalski's Horse. Unlike the American Mustangs, Przewalski's Horse has never been successfully domesticated and remains a truly wild animal to this day. Other wild equines, include three species of zebra and various subspecies of the African wild ass, onager and kiang.

Przewalski's Horse occupied the eastern Eurasian steppes, perhaps from the Urals to Mongolia, although the ancient border between Tarpan and Przewalski distributions has not been clearly defined. Przewalski's Horse was limited to Dzungaria and western Mongolia in the same period, became extinct in the wild during the 1960s, but was re-introduced in the late 1980s to two preserves in Mongolia. Although researchers such as Marija Gimbutas theorized that the horses of the Chalcolithic period were Przewalski's, more recent genetic studies indicate that Przewalski's Horse is not an ancestor to modern domesticated horses.Przewalski's Horse is still found today, though it is an endangered species and for a time was considered extinct in the wild. Roughly 1500 Przewalski's Horses are protected in zoos around the world.

A small breeding population has been reintroduced in Mongolia.As of 2005, a cooperative venture between the Zoological Society of London and Mongolian Scientists has resulted in a free-ranging population of 248 animals in the wild.Przewalski's Horse has some biological differences from the domestic horse; unlike domesticated horses and the Tarpan, which both have 64 chromosomes, Przewalski's Horse has 66 chromosomes due to a Robertsonian translocation. However, the offspring of Przewalski and domestic horses are fertile, possessing 65 chromosomes.

Conservation Staus:

Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)

Przewalski's Horse is stockily built in comparison to domesticated horses, with shorter legs. Typical height is about 13 hands (52 inches, 132 cm), length is about 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in). They weigh around 300 kilograms (660 lb). The coat is generally dun in color with pangare features, varying from dark brown around the mane (which stands erect) to pale brown on the flanks and yellowish-white on the belly and around the muzzle. The legs of Przewalski's Horse are often faintly striped, also typical of primitive markings. The tail is about 90 cm (35.43 in) long, with a longer dock and shorter hair than seen in domesticated horses.

Where are they? The world population of these horses are all descended from 9 of the 31 horses in captivity in 1945.These nine horses were mostly descended from approximately 15 captured around 1900. A cooperative venture between the Zoological Society of London and Mongolian scientists has resulted in successful reintroduction of these horses from zoos into their natural habitat in Mongolia; and as of 2005 there is a free-ranging population of 248 animals in the wild. The total number of these horses according to a 2005 census was about 1,500.

Other names for Przewalski's Horse:

Equus ferus przewalskii

Mongolian: Тахь

Takhi

simplified Chinese: 野马

traditional Chinese: 野馬

 Yěmǎ

Dzungarian Horse

Beginning Trick riding

I've always wanted to learn how to trick ride and when Allegro matures and grows some more (I'm think when he's around 5 years old) I'll see if I can get a trick riding deal going with him. I just started practicing with other horses. I have not yet tried with Allegro because I don't think he would be able to handle the weight distribution. He only barely old enough to ride as it is.

Here are some photos of me practicing on my sisters horse!

I don't have an actual trick saddle (they're expensive!) but this pleasure saddle seems to be working well for the moment. These pictures are only done on a standing horse although I did try to do some of them and other moves on a horse with some speed.

I found with a different saddle with a lower pommel I could leverage my leg so that my left leg didn't have to be in the stirrup but I couldn't close my knee enough around this one to do that.

This is my favorite move so far. For a dismount I let my leg continue over my head and flip upright letting go of the saddle.

Again I don't really know anything about trick riding I was just going with what seemed to come easy and balance well. Hope you like the pictures!

The Mustang Quarter

The Nevada state quarter features mustangs.

More than half of all Mustangs in North America are found in Nevada with other significant populations in Montana, Wyoming and Oregon and another 30,000 horses are in holding facilities. In fact, Allegro was originally from an Nevada herd.

Here is an illustration from the BLM site that details population distribution:

Mustangs from a herd in Oregon.

Photos are from the Bureau of Land Management site.

For more information please visit the BLM site on wild horses and burros here:

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.html