Thought I would share a video of Herc under saddle now! He has come along great and I even had a student ride him last night!

Christina-if you have a real sluggish horse you have to only ask "nicely" to go forward once or twice, and then really get after them when you give them the cue to go forward. Then immediately reward the effort.

For example-(of course they need to understand the cue to go forward first) then;say you ask on his back with a leg, then verbal cue, then whip behind the leg...as soon as you geta respond you leave the horse alone.also the whip (or spurs) are meant to be aids.. not torture devices so just keep that in mind! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3alGu5EZbs

Rebecca

Wow! Hercules does look great and I'm sure he'll enjoy the warm weather. Will he ride trails or work cattle? Whatever he does, I'm sure he'll be great at it. So what are your projects for the winter...will you be competing in Ocala, FL? Keep us posted and we really enjoy the pictures

Hercules is looking great! Now, can I ask for some advise? Nine is a lot like Hercules (from what I gather) and Nine just does not seem to feel like moving. How did you get Hercules to move forward so well? I think once I get Nine out of the teeny round pen (which will be soon) he will start moving better, but I could still use some pointers :P

Speaking of which, I'd like to get a ride or two on Nine while saddled in the round pen, so I know he's comfortable with a human and a saddle at the same time, then he gets to go out and either follow Ashley or get ponied. I'll let you know how that goes, once I get a chance to get out there! And hopefully I'll remember to get Fiance to take pictures!

Hercules is now well started under saddle! He will be going to sunny Florida soon! Thought I would share a few pics!

Lauren - I don't plan to stop now! Whenever I get someone to watch the baby and someone to watch me I get up on there. I think once I get Nine going with a saddle and out of the round pen decently I will be a lot more comfortable without someone there to catch me, lol.

Kirsten and Taz, how great! Keep those pictures coming, I really enjoy them!

Two my horses, both my BLMers, get to go to the vet tomorrow. Hammar and Nine both need their teeth floated, and Nine has two wolf teeth that will (hopefully) get pulled (if we can afford it :P) but first priority is Hammar - he is always dropping weight, then putting it back on, then dropping it again... So I want his mouth all floated and wolf teeth pulled and anything that needs to be done, done. Then we'll worry about Nine. As far as I know, this will be both horse's first time getting dental work done. I've had Hammar about 5 years now but never had the money (or as much need) to get the dental work done on him. But as he ages - well, he's only 11 but the oldest horse I have now - he drops farther and farther int eh herd pecking order and my mare keeps hogging his feed. So he is separated and on Weight Builder now, and of course has an appointment to get his teeth worked on tomorrow. Then we can really get serious about training! Funny that my guy has to get to be 11 nearly 12 years old before I get serious, huh? :P

Hey Christina,
keep on trying, don't stop now! Glad your last tumble wasn't bad! I'm glad he's doing well (for the most part!) and by the beginning of next summer you'll for sure be on his back for good! Keep us posted up to date!

I'm so happy for you! I read your blog all about the parade, what fun you are having! Keep up the good work with Taz and mom, thanks for all the photos, they're fun to see!
love you guys!

This parade was a local parade, a lot of people already had read about Kirstin & Taz, but this was the first parade where most of those people got to see them. Here, after hearing Kirstin's story(her grandpa likes to brag) Kirstin is visited by Wilson County Judge Marvin Quinney. He was really impressed with all that Kirstin has done, not just with Taz but with the 3 yearlings. Kirstin was also visited by the Constable of the area.

Watching Taz encounter these new sights and sounds is like watching the world through a child's eyes. Everything seems to entice him. He is always cautious and curious at the same time, but he trust Kirstin so much that he follows her lead. I guess he knows that Kirstin wouldn't let any harm come to him. The two of them had such a good time at this parade. Kirstin especially loved hearing the crowd yell "Good job Taz" as she walked by-it was pretty awesome for Kirstin to experience the support from her local area. Check out her blogspot for a very detailed description of this weekend and to see all of the sights that Taz saw.

We've had our 4th ride now. I fell off once when Nine cantered instead of trotting, then the canter turned into a buck. But I wasn't hurt this time and I got back on.

No pics, I'm sorry, but I rode Nine again yesterday :D He was fine, it was almost an exact replay of his first ride. I was pleased, but I wish it could have gone longer! We had to get my daughter from the baby sitter though.

Dena,
did you bring Shelby home with you? If so, how's she doing? How's your ankle?? I know I'm full of questions, if you didn't bring her home, do you know who adopted her and are they keeping in touch with you? I'm trying not to lose any ground we had accomplished with Apache, but the days are short now and it's hard to work and have the time needed to play and continue training him. Stay in touch.

So I got really bored on campus waiting for my lab to start; I went through the auction results on the EMM website and got some numbers:

Nine went for $700
The total average price of all the horses was about $1,094.67
The average price for all the Stars horses was about $278.13 (Nine was the top selling Star! Yay!)
Average price for Idols horses: $823.21
Average price for Legends horses: $1443.08

The top selling horse was Silverado for a whopping $10,500!

And for my own personal feel-good: Nine sold for more money than 55% of the Idols and 48% of the Legends!

Maybe when I get home I might put it all into an Excel document and send it in to the EMM so they can post it in an easy-to-read format...

Nine had a look on his face like "Oh! There they are! What do we do with them now?" He has been just a fence's width away from the two cows since his first day here so he is familiar with them. He just doesn't know (yet) that he will probably be my little cow pony, lol.

Christina,
Did he have a look on his face like.....what are those? or let me round 'em up for you? I got a kick out of Taz and the Lion in the back of the truck....ours are just as silly! Anything new and you'd think you were gonna throw them into the "newness item"! But, because we have other mustangs, I know with time they will trust wholeheartedly, no questions asked. Wise to have someone around for you when you're ready to "hop on".....days are getting shorter really quickly and doesn't seem to be enough time to do anything anymore! I'll bet the Mustang Magic guys will have it rough, they have to train in the winter months for the January Stock Show in Ft. Worth. Hats off to you guys!!

Lauren - I haven't ridden Nine again (and I'm feeling pouty because of it). The wind has died down to a chilly breeze but no one has been home to help me and I don't want to risk getting thrown again unless someone is there with me. But yesterday I took Nine with me in hand to get the cows and chase them back onto the property (they escaped through a hole they busted int he fence). Nine was trotting along with me pretty well and he had the cutest look on his face when he spotted those cows!

Rebecca, what fun you are having! You did a wonderful job on Bu and I know Herc will turn out just as well.....you are AMAZING! Keep on sending those videos or photos, I love keeping up with your training. I think we should have a reunion of some sort and get all the mustangs back together again to see how far they have come! (fuel prices are coming down, now!)

Christina,
how's it going with Nine? You said it's been windy lately, I dread winter coming when they really feel their oats! Try to at least saddle him up daily and let him walk around with it.....Also don't forget to have someone take pictures so we can share in your successes! We put one of our 4 yr old mustangs with the two yearlings and Pardon yesterday in a round pen where they could graze. You shoulda heard the sounds that came from getting a "pecking order" in tact! It was awesome.....was also trying to get the new ones a "buddy" they could know when we send them to pasture.

Your time is coming. Nine is a wonderful horse, he just needs you to take it at his speed. The one thing we learned while Kirstin was training her yearlings is that patience is required with these guys. If you try to go faster, there will be a hole in his training, something missing. Remember take things at his speed, relish in the small accomplishments and before you know it... Do this correctly now and in a few years your beautiful baby girl will be riding him like Kirstin rides Taz.
Priscilla

WOW! I'm so happy for you guys.....you make a great team. Too funny about the lion, I could picture it in my mind as he slowly backed away! I'm so glad you're having fun and making others aware of mustangs at the same time. Priscilla we love the pictures, so keep them coming!

That is so great that Taz is kicking butt! It's making so jealous that I haven't done much riding on nine yet... It has been SOOOO windy lately! It finally let up today, but I'm spending time indoors with family :P But Monday I plan to be back up there...

Taz got introduced to Kirstin's passion-drill team. This was just a end of the season get together/fun day. Dinner, a few horse games and tons of fun. Kirstin was so eager to get to the arena. She has been wanting to take Taz there since we brought him home. Everyone there noticed the new horse and they all remarked on how nice he moves and he does. Kirstin showed him off to everyone-doing spins and the most beautiful side pass that I have seen him do. They really shined out there and Kirstin loved every minute of it. She opened him up a couple of times just to feel what it was like to run him full speed. He can get fast when you ask for it. Again, he behaved wonderfully. After spending all morning at the parade and then going to this. Taz did really well with the horse games-simon says(180degree turn got them kicked out-he went into the spin so fast, Kirstin couldn't get him stopped but it was a beautiful 360), a relay race and then serpentine between poles. He definitely held his own out there.

Here's Taz & Kirstin lined up for their second parade. This one went better than the first one. He was absolutely amazing. He had tons of people come up to him. Of course Taz & Kirstin make such an attractive pair-people are just drawn to them. The Girl Scouts loved him. They were riding on a trailer with a bunch of hay on it so they kept feeding Taz hay. Taz loved them also.

Here is Kirstin & Taz visiting the Budweiser Clydesdales before the parade started. Taz wasn't too sure about getting any closer. Those guys are big enough from a distance, but he did really well walking right next to the huge 18 wheeler and all of the noice that the hitched up team made. Shortly after this, Kirstin's dad & I went and found our seats for the parade. Kirstin & Taz were on their own for about an hour before the parade started so she went and visited other floats. There was one very funny happenstance with Taz. He encountered a statue of a Lion that was on the bed of a pickup truck and he froze in his tracks. After staring at this life size statue, Taz decided that he didnt like the look of it, so he slowly backed out of the area. It was sooo funny. Check out the picture of the lion on Kirstin's blogspot.

Hey.. yes that was Herc's 1st official ride(although I had been on and off him a couple of times)! He is now doing much better.. going both ways...worn an english saddle.. stops...rides now basically! He is going to be such a good horse for his family!

Good news about Taz! Kirsten must be having so much fun with him!

Rebbecca - Hercules is doing well! Was that his first ride? He was two stalls or so down from Nine so I got to see a lot of him :) He sure is a nice little guy, isn't he?

My knees have (mostly) healed by now, so I am ready and rarin' to ride! But... The wind, naturally, has decided that it missed me. So now whenever I go outside I get bombarded with dirt and hay and whatever else is upwind from me. This isn't just just spooky-horse wind, this is the kind of wind that will quite literally blow off the horse! So, I'm staying inside :P

Taz did so well last weekend at his first parade, he gets to go to his second parade this weekend. The great part about it is that Kirstin's parade coordinator has asked us to let Kirstin take him again and she is forwarding the announcement from last week's parade to this parade. One more plug for the Mustang-every little one helps. And people were so amazed with Taz last week. You all know that pictures are sure to follow.....

He came home with me to start under saddle!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaIGKrQ_Avc

I thought I would share a few photos from the makeover~ (1) Me and Bu before our Horse Course ride!(2) Me and Bu on Course!(3) Chris, me and Bu after the auction on Sunday..after I found out I could keep him!

Look at you two! How fantastic, I'm glad Taz was good.

Nine is back to his old self now that he got to run for a bit. And now that my knee is almost healed I have been picking up his feet and such again. The day after I fell I tried to pick up Nine's back feet, but he must have sensed that I was scared (I couldn't move away or duck if I needed to!) so he stamped his foot at me, and I gave up... But we're back at it and as soon as I picked up his foot confidently he didn't bother trying any funny business :P I also ordered a mounting block with my $100 Smith Bros. gift certificate, so in a few weeks when that gets here I'll start using that. In the mean time, I want to get more bareback rides on Nine. That way he'll be okay with me when I try the saddle again, and it will be combining two things he's used to, rather than anything still being pretty new. And I hopefully won't get buck off!

OMG! You look awesome up there, girl! Made me cry to see how beautiful you two are together! I don't know who's cutest! lol You're cute and he's handsome......that is just plain amazingly awesome......Great job on spreading the word about Mustangs to everyone you see :) Your photos, Priscilla, are fantastic! Keep on posting.....

Listen to your grandma! Keep us posted of how he's (Nine) coming along......I put our horses out in the round pen so they could get some grass and romp and play. The yearlings really enjoyed it while Pardon,the 4 year old just acted like a big brother with two siblings getting in his way! It's really neat to see how they interact with each other. Pardon is still getting used to his new home in Southwest Louisiana, not sure about all the debris Hurricane Ike left in the yard...very picky about which grass he likes! And how 'bout those feet Apache! I guess all it took was for me to start scratching his back end (it sure feels good!) for him to allow me those back feet (and a little more time with him!). This week we'll introduce the barrels to Pardon and get him walking the pattern to begin his training. He's sooooo beautiful. When I can get a photo of him, I'll post it. Until later.....

We did it. Kirstin's & Taz's first parade together. It was amazing. Taz had 1 freak out moment and that was when the Calvary went by. Seriously, the Calvary from Ft Sam Houston went trotting by-about 20 or so and Taz acted like he wanted to join them. Problem was Kirstin wasn't on his back yet. We had just unloaded him and he was still taking in all of the new sites and sounds. After that he settled in very nicely and behaved like a perfect gentleman. Had people coming up to him all morning long and he was just taking in all of the attention. Even had one lady recognize Kirstin from the previous weeks newspaper article. We were successful in getting the Mustang plug in at the announcing stand and we told everyone that came up to him about his recent change in status from wild to willing and to say the least they were amazed.

Taz makes a beautiful ambassador for the Mustangs and the Extreme Makeover, doesn't he? 100 days or so of training, 1st parade ever and I can't think of any other horse that I would let my daughter ride . That is how comfortable I am with Kirstin riding Taz. He is just that amazing! Careen did a fantastic job training this wonderful animal.

That's exactly what my grandma told me - no more time limits, so I should take it easy :P And right now I am having trouble even walking normally :P My knees are both sore now... Anyways, Nine and the other horses (and the two donkeys AND the two cows) are having a free day today; they get to roam the whole ten acres, and given how windy it is, and how hyper they all are as a result, I'm pretty sure they can use that land :D This way Nine will hopefully be less hyper and spooky when I do feel up to getting back out there.

Christina- Girl! I'm glad you're okay....take it easy. Go back to doing some ground work with him and the saddle on him before you get up there again! A little more time invested will be worth saving your young bones...lol I mean it's not like you have a time limit any more! Good luck, give him some time, he'll get there.

I'm glad you and Taz get to get out! I'm also glad that you're still promoting those Stangs :D Good luck in the parade! I used to ride the 4th of July parade and it was always fun.

So I had a trip through the air, which was kinda fun, but the landing... ouch! Yes, Nine bucked me off. It was his second ride, and the first ride with a saddle. I reached down to put my right foot in the stirrup, and he was fine even when I sat up, but when I relaxed my leg against his side, he blew up. I didn't even last one buck, I was just gone :P I landed on my knees and they are sore, especially the right one. I have had it wrapped in an Ace bandage, and it seems to be getting a little better.

Kirstin,
you look AWESOME up there! Have your mom take lots of pictures for me at the parade! I am so happy you have Taz, I know he is so loved......and he is very lucky to have you for an owner. You just look so in love with him and it shows!

Taz gets to do his first official job as my new horse. This weekend I have to ride in a parade because I am Stockdale's Rodeo Queen. Mom & dad have said that Taz is ready for his first public appearance as my horse. He has been so great at home, just a perfect gentleman. I can 't wait for everyone to see him. Mom even wrote something up for the parade announcer about Taz and Careen winning the Idols competition-our way of helping promote the Mustang. Every little bit helps. I will update everyone next week with pictures from the parade.

Mustang Adoption October 17-18, 2008 B-Bar-B Farms
1909 Carden Rd, Glasgow, Ky 42141
70+ horses all ages and sizes.
Please go if you are thinking of getting a horse!
FMI visit www.es.blm.gov

Having your very own Mustang to ride!!! Kirstin & Taz are bonding nicely. Just look at the joy on both of their faces.