Flaming Hot Horse

Tonight I was thinking back to the day Tiny came into my life and the journey we have taken together. He has grown into a confident and true riding horse and the belly is shrinking a little more with every mile (: I have grown to love his heart the most and my courage to say goodbye is shrinking by the day. He is soft and willing with every step he takes and although at times he gets scared he always replies to my crazy requests with an honest try. I am keeping our freestyle plans a secret, but I do confess that a fire extinguisher would be a very good idea!!!

PS.... Evidence that Tiny has reached celebrity status with his very own slide stop

Crazy nights with wild horses and girls

We don't believe in sleep, just ask Chris Vilmer! I have been staying up late at lifesavers some nights. The first night I stayed over and played with Jenna and Tiny. Then last night I stayed late with Chris playing with Myagi. Let me break it down for you, as Jenna loves to say :) It was a blast and today I did not even open my eyes until ten. First Thursday night with Tiny all I did was watch. Tiny was wound up! Jenna asked me to ride him and I said next week because he was so wound up that I really did not feel like flying through the air just in case he decided to launch me. Jenna rode him bareback and he did good but really was quite up. Jenna worked him also on his in hand and WOW! It was nice despite Tiny being bratty. She had him soft in his yielding and he really looked good when he was doing what she asked. The other times he looked like a naughty horse full of piss and vinegar! She is going to come bring him to cows next week with me......
Then yesterday was so inspiring. We had a myagi marathon and I have not gotten the chance to play with him for quite awhile. Chris threw a loop over his head and then he haltered quiet. Let me tell you also that poor Chris was having heatstroke and several times looked like she might pass out so I asked to play with her horse. Once on line he was an angel; a very bored, unenthused angel but good and quiet never the less. I played with the flag but he handled it nicely and got over it quickly. I can not believe how much Chris has done with this hard horse! He was so good that I was inspired to throw a pad on him. He handled it so well that I threw a saddle on him and he didn't really care. I cinched it up and BOOM! Myagi got air! And that was the best bucking fiasco I have seen in awhile. He worked through it real quickly and then we played a little before I took it off. Then I told him that he needed to learn to halter without a rope around his head and that him and me where there for the long haul. I said whoa, walked to him with the halter and he ran. So I made him run until he wanted to stop. Then I walked up to him and said whoa and he ran. So we ran again until he wanted to stop. We did this until Myagi said enough and stood still for the halter for lots of times with Chris and I. Then we did ten thousand things like trailer load and teach myagi to tie. Wow! What a good boy but I can tell you this is not an easy horse in the slightest bit! Good job Chris!

Azania learns refinement

Today means we are thirty days away from our competition and I feel like I have so much to accomplish with Azania. Tonight I am planning on taking him to meet cows in Rosemond, where I have heard is a low key great place to introduce your horses to cows. I spent the morning working with him to get some collection in his neck. Azania is so smart and willing that he really trys to please most of the time. The key is MOST of the time. He is working great in the bridle and now we just need to be riding in large areas to work more on our yielding. I introduced him to spurs today to get some better sideways movement. I had spent an hour trying to locate nice rounded spurs that wouldn't poke him too badly. He really thought it was a joke and I probably should have found some pokey ones :) He is pretty sure that he can lean on the spur all day with his tongue out saying I don't feel that...... I don't feel that....... Oh mom, did you notice that I don't really feel that? Funny horse!

Ahhhh, Finally!!!

Relief has washed over me. Miyagi and I have had an amazing three days. It started Sunday night. I brought my son out to Lifesavers for another all nighter if that was what it was gonna take. Marty watched me play for about 30 minutes and then piped in. "Can I play with him Mom?"

Marty was amazing! Miyagi was amazing! It was an amazing night!

As Pat Parelli would say "the prior preparation was in place". Marty haltered Miyagi. Benefit....Marty is 17 and in great shape! When Miyagi said "not so much", Marty could hold him, I couldn't.

It was a brand new day for Miyagi. He was haltered and unhaltered many many times that night. Marty was leading around the arena tossing 50 gallon barrels in the air. Miyagi didn't mind.

Monday, Marty and I returned! Miyagi was in the same frame of mind as we had left him the night before! Yes! Haltered quickly. We played with his feet, we played with toys, we went for a walk. We expanded our basic ground schooling skills, we got our first bath and we trailer loaded! It was a big day.

Tuesday, Miyagi was still in yes mode. Haltered easily. Miyagi's ground work has become butter. I don't think I have ever felt such lightness in my hands. He is an amazing mover. Willing. Fun.

Marty was a gift. His encouragment amazing! "It's just a horse mom, quit thinking he is a wild horse, he is just a horse." Marty is just Marty and I am so blessed to have such a supportive and gifted with horses son!

Miyagi is beautiful! Such a handsome man! I can't thank Jill, Angi, Jenna, Stephanie, Darla and Marty enough for all their support and encouragment.

Park It Miyagi!

Last night with Miyagi was just a blast. I fall in love with him everyday when I play with him. I can't believe how amazing he is doing. So despite the fact that a halter is not big on the Miyagi priority list of things to do, Miyagi's ground work has gotten fantastic. This horse is light as a feather. His confidence is growing everyday.

So new experiences with Miyagi. As I explore new parts of his body, he wishes to explore new parts of mine. Yeah, a little unnerving. I am trying to channel my inner Angi Keitel and trust that he isn't going to kill me during these moments of explortation!

Miyagi's biggest hurdle is his claustrophobia. There is nothing we couldn't do, if only I had 4 foot arms. I have heard about a video of him in the BLM shoot being picked up for his journey here that truly displays the deepness of his claustrophobia. I haven't seen it. So, that is what I am working on.

Last night I built a "parking space" out of toys. Then using the driving game, we parked Miyagi. At first he thought I was crazy. He flew through the tight cubby at lightning speed. It wasn't long though before he settled down, relaxed and stood inside. Then, again with lightning speed, he realized he was in a tight spot and off he went. This time though, he felt the ball and barrels all over his flanks. Wow, Miyagi's life flashed before his eyes. The coolest part was, he immediately looked to me. I love that.

Wasn't long before he was standing quietly in his special "parking spot". I think the special spot should get taller and tighter! Fun with toys we are calling our next adventure.

I LOVE HIM!!!!

big week for tiny horse

What a difference a week makes!!!!!!!! All the hard work is paying off in a big way. It seems that Tiny has decided that fear is something to leave behind ....YAY for Tiny ......HIP HIP HOORAY for me =) Since last week he went on a trail ride and he andled it like a pro AND we finally loped. He was very calm and collected and has one heck of a slide stop.
Did I mention his favorite speed is WHOA?!?


PS... We have located a saddle that actually fits "TINY" ...and it belongs to a 17 hand purebred CLYDESDALE. My 14 hand horse happliy wears a draft saddle LOL!!!

bareback bronc

So Tiny and I are both on a learning curve. I am learning all the ways that mustangs are different than domestic horses and Tiny is learning how to be a domestic horse. He did everything I asked for the first 35 days and then he decided to show me that he really was scared. Apparently he holds all his emotions inward and then BAAAABOOOOM!!! As Angi calls it he "lost his sh*t" ....and I lost mine somewhere between flying through the air and bouncing off the ground. We are working on teaching Tiny how to constructively deal with his fear and hoping that I don't get broke in the process. I have actually reverted to riding him bareback because I don't have a saddle that fits well enough to stay upright when he does loose his stuff.

Last night was awesome! I met Angi at Lifesavers last night for our Miyagi marathon. It was late, and we were prepared for an all nighter! Miyagi was just prepared! It was awesome! I always preach in my workshops, be prepared for the horse that shows up....the horse that shows up today may not be the same horse that was in your hands yesterday.

Miyagi, bless his heart, had a break through. All my work was not in vain. Miyagi said YES last night. Yes, to being with me. Yes, to being touched by me. YES!!!!

He did say NO to the grape icecream. All though I don't know why, I rather enjoy them!

I see the light at the end of the tunnel. As extroverted as he is, the contridiction is that he seems to process things slowly. I think he just needeed to think.

For the first time, I felt Miyagi offer me his heart last night. I hear Pat Parelli say often, "feel OF the horse and he will FOR you". He felt for me last night. It was amazing. It was a gift. I was honored.

When you least expect it a gift!

Tonight I went up to Miyagi's pen to clean it and to feed him dinner. I was so focused on cleaning his pen and was talking a mile a minute to Miyagi that I wasn't paying attention. Miyagi is so awesome! I knew he was behind me, because I was talking so much didn't hear him move closer to me. I started feeling something tickling my hair and started shaking my head, sure something had flew into my hair...yeah something, like a great big Miyagi! Miyagi was checking out my hair. Playing with it with his mouth. He shot backwards when I turned around and realized it was him. I laughed so hard. How cool that he decided to explore me. I love him! It was a gift. I felt so honored. When you least expect it and aren't looking for it, it is amazing what they offer you!

Thank you Miyagi!

not so Tiny horse

YAY!!! I am so excited to be a happy chick. I could not imagine better people to journey with on this crazy adventure :) Thank you to my dear friends.... Jill, Chris, and Angi!!!!!




...and of course Kathy and Beth are a huge support too!!!

My horse is Tiny by name, but not in the literal sense. He is a little over 14 hands and about as wide as he is tall. He is a draft pony!!!!!!!!!!



Tiny gave have his heart over at the first second he discovered how nice it is to be scratched on the head :) Funny boy! Since then we have started riding and working toward driving with a cart hopefully soon. Some might say he is obese, but we prefer to call it squishy!

Two Awesome Days

Miyagi has had two awesome days and I am thrilled. So, Angi, she is such an amazing support, has told me to quit worrying about the halter thing so much, "you have done a great job with him". His ground work is getting better everyday, with a neck rope, his is so connected to me, and he tries so hard. So, at the advice of the great Angi Keitel, we are having some great confidence building sessions with me touching him. He always has had a hard time with me on the side of him. He wants me directly infront ALL the TIME!! We have been working on that and he is doing amazing. He is bending his head around and smelling me, checking me out and starting to relax with the whole idea. Angi and I have discovered, he likes to touch you before you touch him. Even on the side. It is cute, you reach out to touch his neck and he has to bend his head around and say "hey, wait a minute, let me check you out", and then you can touch him. The other amazing cute thing he is doing that I have never experienced before is as I work on different parts of his body, he wants to investigate different parts of mine. So cute. He is such a thinker. Like smelling my hand is no longer interesting to him, so now that I am working on his neck and withers, he likes to bend around and smell my elbow. CUTE CUTE CUTE! I think this horse is the most brilliantly smart horse I have ever met.

I wish I had pictures, but he also had an amazing time playing in the sprinklers in the arena. This is a "water dog". Miyagi LOVES water. He is constantly splashing and playing in his water bin. Loves the sprinkler and LOVES to put his face in the hose when you are hosing him off.

This horse is a joy! I am lucky to have the opportunity to know him.

Miyagi's Lesson for Me

Arghhhh! That's how I feel today. I haven't posted in a while, just because I have been so busy. Miyagi is progressing in some ways quickly and in other ways slowly. He has worn the halter 2 or 3 times now. Definately not confidently. He is doing pretty well in his ground work even though he is not wearing the halter. This fact makes Angi laugh. Thank God for Angi! When I don't see things progressing, Angi comes in and tells me how much better he is doing. That helps. She also keeps reminding me how challenging he is.He is challenging in some ways and in other ways not. I think that is what is so frustrating. The big thing he taught me today is, I have plenty of patience for him, but I have none for myself. I am so frustrated with me. I need to get over that. So here is what I am going to do for the both of us, LOL. I am going to make a list of what I am doing with him, and what he is doing well for me. Then maybe I can see the improvement myself.

Things Miyagi does well:
Round pen work - light as a feather, and very responsive.
Confidently looks at me with two eyes. He completely wants to be with me.
With rope around neck can:Yield his shoulders, ground drive, disengage his hind quarters, and some times....back up
At liberty his draw has improved a lot!
At liberty will play with all the toys!
At liberty can play "put your nose on it"
Miyagi has an amazing focus
Can handle my stick touching him anywhere on his body (if only my arm was as long as the stick!)
Will follow me at liberty (as though haltered and leading) through the alley back to his stall (even past a herd of mares!)
Things Chris is doing well with Miyagi:
Being creative to keep his mind stimulated
I have done excellent rope work
Building his confidence with me on the side of him
Great work with his ears.........

Okay, a very interesting thing just occurred to me as I am typing these lists. Isn't Miyagi's list and Chris's list the one in the same? We are doing them together after all. Hmmmmm, Miyagi may have just offered me another great lesson. I am gonna have to lick and chew on that one!

In the words of the great Pat Parelli, "It takes the time takes". I am such a believer in that. Now I need to practice it. I will probably be more relaxed and in turn will make Miyagi more relaxed.

I must say, this horse is the most brillant horse I have ever worked with. Which is why he is so challenging but is also why he will teach me so much!

Azania and Angi go wild

In doing this competition three times I have learned something new from each horse. This year I feel that I have been blessed with a horse that has such a heart for learning new things. Each day we play he is willing to come to me and have me catch him easily no matter how hard the previous day had been. Azania is incredible. Like every horse there has been some challenges. Azania is not a fan of forward movement sometimes and then other times has quite too much of it. He has been known to stand on his hind legs and walk around a little, my very talented boy :) We have been working that out. With only two months to go, I have so much to live up to for Azania. I have to be willing to stretch and grow myself, as him and I are on this amazing journey together. Thanks to Jill Starr's support, I am able to put my time into it and still be able to feed myself and my thirteen horses. Thanks to Chris and Jenna, I will have friends to bounce ideas off of and to inspire and challenge me. Thanks to God for giving me this blessing of a big horse with a heart of gold and thanks to Azania for being my willing partner in this all........

With a Little Help from My Friends

I have so many emotions filling me about being a part of this year's Extreme Mustang Makeover. I came into the project about 35 to 40 days into it. It wasn't planned but has certainly become an adventure.

I was in Texas for the first Extreme Mustang Makeover in 2007. Angi Keitel was competing as well as local friend and trainer Jeremy Dunn. What a roller coaster! Absolutely inspiring and amazing what those trainers had accomplished, the bonds they were created and most importantly the awareness brought to the American mustang.

Who would have ever thought two years later I would be on a course that would take me to Texas, to the very arena that so many others had inspired me in. I certainly would have never guessed it.

I am about two weeks in to playing with my handsome guy I have named Miyagi. Thanks to Angi and a ton of supportive friends cheering me on the last two weeks, Miyagi finally wore a halter last night. I am so proud of him.

He is spectacular.

So thanks to my friends for talking me into this. Thanks for the support, the guidance, the love and for convincing me I can do this. So out of character for me. Miyagi and I have a long way to go, but we will get there and both of us will be better for having this opportunity.

Happy about the Happy Chicks

When I found out that 2 of Lifesavers' horse trainers/handlers, Angi Keitel and Jenna Nelson, had decided to enter this years Texas Mustang Makeover I was excited to be so closely connected. Then a third one of us, Chris Vilmer, also signed on with a makeover horse - I was thrilled.

Everyday the wonderful staff of Lifesavers works tirelessly to make life on this planet better in some way for horses, particularly wild horses, with little or no thanks - with little or no acknowledgement - and absolutely no fame nor fortune.

The heart and skills of the 3 Happy Chicks (named so for being the clinicians and trainers for our natural horsemanship education program, Happy Horse Academy) are unmeasured and their committment is soul deep. It's time that the country, if not the world, see them in action in an arena so respected as the brilliant love child of Patti Colbert - the Mustang Makeover Challenge - Texas.

I, as president and founder of Lifesavers, have offered to sponsor the three makeover projects as a Lifesavers promotional program, however, the Happy Chicks and their Happy Horses will be training on their own personal time.

Its a great experience for all of us at the ranch to have the 3 competitive projects unfolding under our covered arena. Yes - they are in competition with each other, but the support they give each other is heart warming and bonding.

Watch these Chicks as they encounter and conquer obstacles with their wild horses. Watch as they prepare for an intense and highly professional competition in Fort Worth Texas this September. Only 100 days are allowed each horse/human team. One of our team is working with even less time due to a delayed start.

I hope you will fall in love with their stories of laughter, tears, bruises and be inspired, as I am, by their unconditional love for the animals they have made a promise to.

Our mantra for this Extreme Mustang Makeover project is "Don't Worry - Be Happy". And we have been heard saying that around the barn maybe too often to be cute anymore.