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...

 :]

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!

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)

Jumping pictures

Because our camera is so slow these were not actually taken back to back but were from multiple jumps. I just arranged them so you could see the progression. =] Enjoy!

Freezemarks

Big Mak's freezemark is shown in this picture. His freezemark has been grown over by white hair.

Allegro is a light Palimino so his freezemark is not very noticable, but if you were to shave the hair around the freezemark it would become visible.


* "The BLM uses freezemarking to identify wild horses and burros that have been gathered from the public rangelands because of overpopulation. Freezemarking is a permanent, unalterable, and painless way to identify each horse as an individual. It is applied on the left side of the neck. It follows the International Alpha Angle System, which uses a series of angles and alpha-symbols that cannot be altered. The mark contains the Registering Organization (U.S. Government), year of birth, and registration number.
The technique is simple and completely painless to the animal. The left side of the neck is shaved and washed with alcohol, and the mark is applied with an iron that is chilled in liquid nitrogen. The hair at the site of the mark will grow back white and show the identification number.

In addition to the freezemark on the left side of the neck, sanctuary mustangs are marked on the left croup with four inch-high Arabic numerals that correspond with the last four digits of the freezemark on the neck.
Although every effort is made to apply freezemarks that are legible, occasionally freezemarks do get blurred. This happens when the iron is applied: the animal moves and all or some of the identification number cannot be read. It can also be difficult to read some freezemarks because of the color of the animal." *

Example of a shaving the hair to see the freezemark.

 Information is from:

http://blm.gov/

and

http://mustangs4us.com/

Lunging (Flashback 2009)

Here's some early lunging work with Allegro. This is what evolved into part of my freestyle with the turnbacks coming in and preforming it at a lope while walking forward. Of course it was much improved by then. :]