Day 26-27

Day 27 - Today We got to the ranch around 7:30 in the morning since my dad spent the night out there and we had to go help him dig some holes and build Discos fence. So I didn't wake up until about 9:00 but when I got up I looked over at our horses the looked over at Discos corral and it was open! I looked around for awhile then finally I looked down... There he was laying on the ground taking a nap... So I quickly got out, ran over to Disco, and started rubbing all over him. My parents said that he had already been asleep for at least 30 min. But idk how long we were together on the ground.

When he was FINALLY done napping my dad left to return the auger and I took Disco up to the front to see the rest of the horses and get some water. I did a lot of work with him up to the front, let him graze for a bit, then backed all the way to the arena from the front of the ranch nonstop! (His backing is getting a lot better) When we were at the arena I decided not to go in and do all my work outside, including jumps and logs. So today I decided to lunge him over the jump and just mix things up for him, Well... not much to say about that accept that he did so good and it was his first time ever!
When I was done doing the jump I did some more review then let him back loose in the arena. Not that long after he went to sleep again... So I went in with him and climbed al over him, rubbed on him, and at the end let him sleep with his head on my lap :) (He has a really Really REALLY heavy head!) Also one funny thing about when he sleeps is that he wants to lean on you if your behind him and that is the only way he will lay completely down! When he got up my mom had to take me and my brother to get our braces tightened... DARN! But anyways we got back around 4:30 or so and started work on Discos corral immediately, It took awhile but we finally finished it so I ran over to disco, grabbed his lead, clipped it on, and walked him out of the arena. All the other horses followed us and made Disco feel important like he was the leader of a parade! So I put Disco into his new home and unclipped his lead. When he was free we walked around for awhile and he followed us around pretty much everywhere! So I went and got him feed, my mom got him alfalfa, and my brother and dad went to get his water. He was totally SO happy! I love how he always whinnies to me when I walk up and he just follows me every where! He is so awesome!





Disco decided to go into the cabin ;)

Day 26 - (from Dad)

   We decided it was time to fence in a new pasture for Disco to allow him to graze and roam freely. The BLM requires a small pen with high sturdy fences at first, but they can be turned out when gentled. Their definition of gentled is when the mustang is easily approached and haltered. Although it would be great to turn him out with the other four geldings, he proved on our first attempted turnout to be a very tough fighter, and there was certain to be injury or worse. So for now he has a nice green 1 acre pasture to himself with lots of trees and healthy grass, and can easily mingle with the others at the fenceline. I believe horses are healthiest and happiest when allowed to be at pasture with others 24/7, grazing naturally and allowing them to  participate in all of the social intricacies of a herd. Most horse illnesses such as equine colic or laminitis occur from being stalled, overfed or underfed, lack of exercise and interaction etc, basically all come from human intervention. We will likely wait until after the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition to turn him out with the rest of the horses, and given the amount of training and exposure to the rest of our herd it should be a far safer introduction.

   Except for the auger bit getting stuck twice deep in the soil which required a back-busting dig to remove, the two day chore of building pasture fence was hard work but a privilege to be working so hard for this amazing mustang and my daughter's journey together. During the day, I put the other horses in the arena, and let Disco out to do as he pleased. I was surprised and happy to see he never left my sight, always following me around whether I was cutting lumber with a chainsaw, banging nails with a hammer, he even followed me into the cabin. He is a very curious little guy, and responds with perked ears to his name now.

   I slept out on the deck for the night, the horses all gathered around sleeping by me, moon blazing through a few clouds with a cool breeze blowing, its really magical. A few times Disco would do a low winnie at me, I would get up and hang with him for a few minutes, give him a treat, until he walked off to graze. He is pretty talkative, and obviously likes his new human companions :) with no fear or uneasiness at all any more.


   After working hard at laying a solid foundation of groundwork skills while earning his respect and trust this month, and seeing the draw, athleticism and intelligence he possesses, its easy to see we can now move forward into more intricate training.

   FYI  all of this is training is being done by a 12 year old girl with very little experience. We are lifelong surfers and beach people with no horse background at all, and only got our first horse three years ago. It was a very frustrating and dangerous introduction to horses, but after learning about Clinton Anderson's Method, it became quite simple for even a complete beginner to safely and successfully train a horse. I highly recommend purchasing the Clinton Anderson Fundamentals Kit for any horse owner, it is by far the best and most complete information available.

   We started with Clinton Anderson's Colt Starting Kit:

Then completed Clinton Anderson Fundamentals:

Currently working on Clinton Anderson Intermediate:


   After completing Intermediate, we will do the Advanced Kit, followed by his Trick Training series. This should give us a very well trained horse, and allow us to be creative and have lots of fun choreographing a freestyle performance for the EMM event!