A quick visit before more belch!

Man this is a wet year! Forecast for tomorrow includes rain and then through the rest of the week snow. It was a now or not until the weekend day to see Tank.

I love the place that he is at, but ... it is 30 mins away on a good day. Chicago being Chicago, it is 40 -50 min during rush hour. Today I wasn't able to get out of work soon as I wanted. It was a race against the sun to get down there in time to have a little day light.

I also got smart about my phone and just turned the dang thing off until I needed a few last minute directions. When I got to the barn I took some photos so I have a few new ones.

Surprise, surprise Tank was really curious and came up to me right away. You can see he is finding his carrot cookies. I was amazed at how he just walked up to me and was letting me rub on him.

As you can see, he had no problem getting up close and personal.

    Isn't that a cute little nose?

              Well, that lasted until I took out his halter.

                    Then it was off to the muddiest part of the paddock.

He is out with a little guy about his size. That horse was trying to be helpful. I swear he was biting Tank in the butt and telling him that his mom was here and he should go up to me. Tank wasn't having any of it.

Great thing about Tank is that once you have a rope around his neck he stops. He is fine then. My lead slipped though the halter during all my walking to catch him. He was fine as I fiddled to get in all straighten out.


Training with Tank right now is getting him used to me and being handled. What I think I am seeing is typical mustang behavior. Doesn't trust really easily at first but has to warm up to you.

In Tank's paddock is a shelter and it has a ring for tying, so I have decided to use that instead of taking him into the barn. He is nervous in the barn, and I have no place to straight tie. Seeing that he has no problem trying to run though the halter, I am not confident that he would do well on cross ties yet.

While grooming, we played the pressure/ release game. He gets nervous with being handled around his back legs. Actually anything past his the middle of his barrel is iffy. Not that he is bad or dangerous, he just starts to swing from one side to the other. So I go up and rub on him just a bit and turn my back on him. Do it again, so that he learns that if he just stands there he will get release. He picked it up really quickly and was standing quietly.

I started to do a little ground work but they were coming around with grain and I didn't want to do that him. After I released him he actually followed me around and say "good bye" before getting his grain. Awww! What a sweetie little man!

Day 1 with Tank ... AKA Booger Brain

Yesterday Tank arrived. It was totally love at first site. He is just a sweet boy. He is not a really big guy, but I knew that and am totally fine with it. I just want him and to have fun with him.

I didn't do much more than let him look around a bit at the property and took him out to his paddock where he got to meet the two other horses that he will share the paddock with. He was amazingly quiet, as in not calling out. He did a lot of looking and thinking. When approaching anything new, I could see him taking it in. He would stop and look. After turning him I tried to take a few photos, but my phone hates this barn. It just acts up as soon as I get on the property.

The people from the rescue were wonderful! I really enjoyed talking to them. They shared a little more about his story. Thankful doesn't even beginning to express what I feel for all the people that put up money, time, and energy to pull this boy out of the kill pen. It seems that everyone that comes in contact with this boy say the same thing, "there is just something special about it." And I couldn't agree more!

Today I went out to see him and spend more time with him. And today he earned the moniker: Booger Brain.

To be fair, it wasn't really his fault that he was so hard to catch. He doesn't know me, this place, and everything has been changing in his life a lot lately. The pasture he is in right now is a mud pie.

Nothing makes catching a new horse more difficult than having to do it while being suction cupped to the ground. Oh wait! There is! When another more dominate horse, who is also a huge pocket pony keeps getting in the way!

Actually I owe a lot to the 16hh pocket pony, for one I was able to grab on to his neck a few times to keep from falling in the muck. I can't wait for drier weather!

In the end I put a a few treats in his feed pan and he was suckered in. HA!

Booger Brain ... I mean Tank ... was pretty good in all but I did learn a few things about him.

1. He definitely likes being outside rather than in. He was really nervous walking in the barn, and then in the barn as well.
2. We need to work on leading. He tends to get "stuck". As I was leading him he would get to places where he just didn't want to move forward.
3. We need to learn to give to pressure. While he was nervous he wanted to run though the halter. What made matters worse outside is that the footing was so bad that I really couldn't work him properly. In the indoor he I could move him around a bit better.
4. He is forgiving. I was not at my best today and there were times that he could have taken advantage of me and he was not interested in doing that. Not always cooperative but never dangerous or mean. 

I am really going to like working with the horse. Next step, make a rope halter for this boy! 

One more day!

Arg! It has been a hard week to get through. Between the weather, my job, and my excitement, I can barely wait!

My mind is spinning.
     ...  Money ...
                 ... Time ...
                           ... Health ...

So many other issues ...

And yet ...

        Another horse. Another friend. Another adventure.

What will we do this year?

So two days ago I made a list of things I wanted to before I kicked the bucket. This is a list of what I want to do this year with Tank.

1. Work though all the steps of the Horse Speak 
2. Teach Tank to stand, lift his feet, and ground tie
3. Teach Tank to target 
4. Establish a bond .. not sure how I will decide when that has happened but ...
5. Ground drive Tank
6. Braid his mane and tail
7. Keep a log of what we do
8. Find Tank's favorite place to be scratched. 
9. Ride Tank at walk and trot
10. Make at least 1 video a month of Tank
11. Get Tank to put all 4 feet in a hula hoop
12.  Trot exactly 10 steps, walk exactly 10 steps 4x's in hand 
13. Teach Tank to come
14. Discover is Tank is right or left handed (hooved?)
15. Teach Tank to lower his head
16.  Pick out your horse’s hoof from the opposite side of their body.
17. Write a poem about your horse.
18. Knit or crochet an amigurumi that looks like Tank
19. Hug Tank
20. Place buckets with a single horse treat inside randomly around an enclosed space. See how long it takes for Tank to eat all the treats.

Many of these are from this list of 214 Things to Do with Your Horse

Mustangs: part 2

Now that we know where mustangs come from I wanted to learn more about them as a partner. Talking to a number of different people about them has been interesting. I learned some super things about these symbols of the west. Many will agree that a horse is a horse, but a mustang is different.

First of all, mustangs are hardy horses with healthy feet. Horses that get sick or have bad feet don't live to pass on those genes. These horses have tough as nails hooves and tend to be healthy in general. They live off of what they find on the range, which is not always the best forage, so they are easy keepers. In captivity, they retain these traits and are easy to care.

Even just looking at a mustang, you can see the thicker legs, slightly larger feet. They have an all around sturdier build that I like to see. Americans love to breed for exaggerations and so even good stocky horses of old, like the quarter horse, are now being bred with tiny feet. 

Mustangs grow up on a variety of terrain. Every day is an endurance trail experience, averaging 18 miles a day.They know how to navigate natural obstacles, like logs, water, and rocks. It isn't going to pay to spook at stuff that isn't really a threat. Sure footed and able to read a trail, they know how to move and are sensible on the trail. This makes them ideal trail partners. But they are't just trail horses! They can be found competing in all levels of dressage, hunter/ jumper, and western sports. 

Another trait that was mentioned over and over again by owners is how intelligent the mustang horse is. They tend to think about situations. Owners describe their horses are learning faster than other horses they had worked with.

Finally, part that I am most excited about is how mustangs bond with their owners.  Since that is my primary goal of owning a horse this time around it makes sense to choose a breed that excels in this department. . Many of the people that shared their stories spoke of a deep bond with their horse. Often it was chalked up to mustangs that were raised in a wild herd have learned the language of the horse and tend to do a better job reading the body language of a humans as well.

Darn near the perfect horse right?

Although most of the people that owned mustangs loved them, there were a few that said that they had one that was difficult.

They are wild horses. These guys did have to live by their wits and defend themselves against predators. They had to fight for their place in the herd and themselves against other horses. Finally, they were chased down by a helicopter and trapped. For some, they just can't get used to life if captivity. Especially if they were captured later in life.

Their intelligence can work against their owner, if the owner is not at least as smart as the horse. Seriously, this can be problem when the horse ends up training the human. Mustangs, like all horse, are herd animals. They if you are not going to tell them they you are boss, they will just assume that they can take that role.

All in all, most everything I learned about these horses as partners was really positive. Some described them like your average horse, only more. I can't wait to meet Tank and get our partnership started.

Bucket List

This is a bucket list of horse related things I would like to do. It seemed like a good post to make as I am waiting for Tank. 3 more days.

Horse Related Things

1. See a herd of wild mustangs
2. Watch the Lipizzaner Stallions in Vienna, Austria 
3. Ride on the beach
4. Camp with horses
5. Teach Tank at least 10 tricks
1. touch
2. fetch
3. bow
4. leg up
5. Spanish walk
   
6. stand
7. come
8. head down
9. hold your foot up
10. back up
6. Teach Tank to ground  drive
7. Run a barrel pattern
8. Enter a photo show
9. Ride Tank
10. Take Tank on a trail ride
11. Ride upper level dressage movements: pirouette, passage and piaffe
12. Ride a Norwegian Fjord
13. Drive a Norwegian Fjord
14. Drive 4 in hand
15. Win a blue ribbon
16. Have a professional pictures taken of my horse and I
17. Attend a fun show
18. Ride side saddle
19. Ride bridleless and saddleless. 
20. Be in a breed demo at the Midwest Horse Fair
21. Teach a horse to paint
22. Learn to throw a lasso
23. Play with horse soccer ball
24. Ride a dressage test, at home or at a show
25. Use body paint on my horse
26. Watch the Kentucky Derby at Church Hill Downs dressed to the nines
    
27. Share a bond with a horse that is deeper than words ... again
28. Have the courage to do that right thing by my horse, even when it is difficult
29. Ride a cutting horse
30. Attend the clinic of an equestrian icon
31. Watch a polo match live
32. Own a mustang ;)
33. Curl up with laying down horse
34. Crochet or knit ear fly thingy 
35. Make a knit/ crochet amigurumi of Tank
36. Attend Pony Penning Days in Chincoteague

More items will be added as I think of them.

Book: Horse Speak

4 more days until Tank arrives!

I am so excited but there is so little I can do. One thing I am doing is reading.

My goal with Tank is to develop a relationship. If we end up doing tricks, trail rides, dressage, or driving, all those will be secondary to our relationship. Horse Speak seemed like a really great way to start on that relationship.

 I did not receive this book to review, I went out and bought it.

Ever wondered what your horse is trying to tell you? Ever think that your horses behavior come "out of no where?" This book attempts to help you read your horses body language and have a conversation with your horse.

The concept is going to be really foreign to some that feel that the horses feelings don't matter. The idea that the horse should be blindly obedient and not allowed to express how he feels about a given demand.

Some of this is pretty basic and nothing new to me. Other parts I am not sure if I buy into. I do think it is worth and try and nothing is to be lost by taking a step back and look at what a horse is trying to tell me. The book is set up in steps instead of chapters.

Step 1: Building Your Foundation
Step 2: Observing Facial Expressions
Step 3: The 4 G's of Horse Speak & Greetings
Step 4: Going Somewhere
Step 5: Horse Speak In-Hand
Step 6: Grooming Rituals: Finding Unity
Step 7: The Five Levels of Intensity
Step 8: Negotiating Areas of Vulnerability and Defense
Step 9: Moving with Grace
Step 10: Who's Driving Anyway?
Step 11: Let them Be Free
Step 12: Now You're Up There ... What should you do?

There is a lot I like in this book. First of all, at the start of each step is a list of "keys to horse speak". The keys tell what is included in the chapter and page numbers if you want to skip right to that section. Also, as each part of the horse's language is introduced, it is referenced to photos and other places in the book that it is referenced. Really user friendly. Plus there are a ton of photos to help the reader understand the body language. I like to cover the caption first and see if I see what the author sees. Next each of the behaviors is explained in details. This book attempts to make it as easy as possible to have a conversation with your horse.

That is the part I wonder about. Can you really have a conversation with your horse? Will your horse read your body language as he would read it off of another horse? I am going to try these steps and report back.

Shoe String Budget: Revamping a Halter

It looks like I will be getting Tank! Yippy! In six more days to be exact. This will be a tough week to get through!

This time around I am really working on a shoe string budget. I have a lot of horse gear and I need to make do with what I have. I found an old halter that I actually really like, purple with a plaid trim. It has been neglected and the chrome is chipping off
a bit. So I decided to spruce it up a little.

After two time through the washer it is looking a whole lot cleaner, but the chrome finish is flaking off. Back to the dollar store for two things. Gray nail polish and top coat!

Perfect! Now I carefully paint all the metal with the gray nail polish. This takes awhile because you have to go bit and bit and let it dry. I actually did it over several days and put on several coats.

I am sure that in time this will start to flake off again, but a few touch up and we should be fine. My goal really is just to give it that new feeling instead of going out and buying a whole new halter. After all it still is perfectly serviceable.

You can see how much better  it looks with just a little nail polish. Again, it takes awhile to do because you have to do a small part and then let it dry.

Next add the top coat.

Voila! Looking snazzy enough for my new boy!

Mustangs part 1

There are several horses that I have always wanted to own. Frisian, Fjord, Morgan, Gypsy Vanner, and a Mustang. Really of my list of horses who hasn't wanted to own one or more of them. They are flashy and romantic horses. The most romantic of them, for an American, has to be the Mustang.

Mustangs and the idea of spirit go hand in hand. Spirit of freedom, of bravery, of survival, all ideals
that American hold dear. What horse more embodies spirit of America, than one that has escaped and returned to the wild? What horse can more properly exemplifies how America sees its self as a melting pot? Mustangs are not a breed, but the result of several breeds escaping or released back into the wild.

Just like most Americans, Mustangs are not indigenous to the United states, although North America is the birth place of horse, it is believed that they went extinct. Did they ever really leave? How did they get reintroduced? Nobody is quite sure. Native Americans claim that they had horses before the Spanish came and before the Spanish, Vikings visited America. Could they have dropped of some Fjords at that time?

They most common story is that as Spanish Conquistadors moved across the land, some of their horses escaped or were released. No one breed was used by the conquistadors, and the original breeds are extinct but their genetics lives on in the Mustangs. Over the years more people from different countries moved in and brought their horses with them. Horses of all colors and types. Some were released in the the wild, and others escaped.

Ranchers might release a stallion they liked into the wild herds and come back later and gather up some of the prodigy that they liked.

In fact, the Mustangs have been treated as a free source of horses for many pioneers and even the US Government. Mustangers were cowboys that would round up the Mustangs for their personal use, or to train and sell.  Mounts for the cavalry  were gathered up from the Mustangs. When the Government was does with them, they released them back into the wild.

As we moved from using horses to do work, to using machines, Mustangs started to be seen as a threat to to the ranchers. Ranchers wanted to use the government land for grazing their cattle and sheep. Mustangs were eating the grass that the cattlemen wanted. Conflict over a species with no economic value against a species with great economic value has been going on for a long time.

No history of the Mustang is complete without the mention of Wild Horse Annie. She lobbied for the protection of the Mustangs in the 1960's. Finally, in 1971 the Wild Horse Protection Act was passed. Before this act the wild horses were rounded up and sent off to slaughter. After this act the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)  was tasked with managing the lands to protect the spirit of the west and allowing cattlemen to graze their cattle. Conflicts still occur today, but at least the horses are protected.

Part of the management plan includes managing the numbers of wild horses on the lands. This is done in part with Mustang round ups. Using helicopters,  Mustangs are rounded up and kept in holding pens until they can be adopted out. Mustang Adoption by the BLM allows anyone to adopt a wild horses and burros. To own a part of an American Symbol of the West. Often times these horses are not even halter broke and require special fencing. Unfortunately it is getting harder to adopt out these horses and burros. So they often sit in holding pens for years.

In a way, the Mustang is again a symbol of the people of America. Once living the American dream, but not being pushed out of their home by those just trying to make a profit.

Swimming to Ride

I think I have mentioned that I have 100+ pounds to lose. With the weight I have lost, I would be happy with losing just 100 lbs right now. I would be above what the charts say I should weigh, but I would be at a healthier weight than I am now and I will be thin enough to ride.

Salads and soups are playing one role in taking the weight off, another is swimming. With my weight, I have issues with my joints, particularly my knees. Water takes off the weight off of my knees allowing me to walk, jump, and move around. I started out with just walking in the water.

Walking can be boring and sometimes I can't use the outside lanes I need to do it. In the middle of pool it gets deeper and I am too buoyant. I found a lot of great exercises to do here. Most of these exercise are easy to do and require no equipment.


In addition, I was excited to learn that I can still swim. I was worried about my shoulders for a bit but I am able to still do free style, backstroke, and side strokes.

My goal is 30 minutes every other day, right now I am up to 30 minutes at least 2x a week. I mean seriously people, it's cold out there!

My Next Partner? Thomas the Tank

Tank, as he is called right now, is a Mustang. He was born in the wilds of Nevada and was captured as a yearling. What happened to him after that is anyone's guess.

In August a recuse pulled him out of a kill pen. They have nursed him back to health and tried to figure out what he knows. He has been saddled, but has not been educated much to the bridle.

I found him on a FB page for the rescue. I fell in love with that big jug head!

I honestly can not tell you what it is about him, but I just love him. Although I have not met him yet. I have watched a few videos, talked to the rescue and just stare at these pictures. Everything seems to be working out. I have a place for him at the stable where I lease Indy. They have one spot open.

Now I am just waiting for a few more pieces to slip into place. Hopefully, he will be mine by the end of the month.

Indy- Second Visit

This is another photo I lifted off of facebook of Indy because yet again, my phone died when I went to take pictures. I am going to have to work on that!

My second visit with Indy included more people. Eek!
I have some social anxiety, which means that I get uncomfortable around people I don't know. Although I will try to go to the barn with nobody is there, I have not found out when that is. Sometimes I will leave places when I feel uncomfortable, and rarely will I go somewhere where I don't have an escape plan.

I make an exception for the barn because horses are so calming for me. I need them and I think I have found the perfect opportunity to play with a horse without having to deal with other people too much.

I am pretty sure that I am the only one messing around with Indy right now. I might work with Doc next week also. I am trying to not fall in love with her. I do want to buy a horse eventually, and I don't know if that will be Indy or not. As far as I know, the owner doesn't have any interest in selling. Anyway, that is getting a bit ahead of myself.

So I go into the barn with lots of people milling around. They were headed out some where. I head out to the paddocks and grab Indy. She is no problem to catch, just waits for the halter to be put on. We walk into the barn, walk though the door and plop ... plop ... plop. Just like clock work.

Now, I am starting to think ... looser manure like that is not just "I have to poop," poop. She is nervous walking into the barn. Why though?

Well I decide this time that I am going to again, move her back into position if she starts moving around too much, but gently. She is telling me that she is nervous about something. Maybe she has been corrected too harshly on the cross ties and she knows what is coming? Maybe she is nervous about being worked?

She acts something like this girl. The further I move away the more she dances around. Indy is relative okay when standing next to her, but does become more agitated when taking a long time to groom. Poor girl, I hope I can get to enjoy being pampered.

I did get a bit agitated when this older gentleman, who is the father of one of the girls boarding, was watching me in the indoor and then after I was grooming again, he yelled at Indy, which I admit- really annoyed me.

I whispered to Indy that this was not my first rodeo. After that he would only whisper to his wife.

In the arena, he also stopped and watched me as I was making sure that Indy desensitized to the lead rope. I hate being watched. I mean seriously ... who likes it when someone just stops and watches them.

Anyway, Indy was a little more full of herself. To the left, easy peasy. To the right, holy hell, when demon possessed you Indy! I finally got out a lunge line, just so I could get a little more distance between us. She was popping up, but I was not sure if she was wanting to buck also. It was cooler and so I think she was just feeling her oats. She calmed down, well as much as I have seen Indy calm down. Still definitely looking all around. A horse was tied to a trailer outside the arena door and that was fascinating.

All in all, I think it was a good session. A lot less pooping in the aisle this week, depending on the weather I might start grooming her outside.

Things to ponder. . .

Salads are fun and delicious!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I am trying to lose weight, but more importantly, get healthy. It really sucks getting home at night and having no energy for anything. It makes my entire week all about working. I do very little cleaning or anything else because I was so tired.

Well after a we concerning events when it came to hubby and my health, we have made some changes. One is salads for lunch and dinner. Lots and lots of salad. My jerk loving hubby lost a lot of weight just doing this. I am so pissed happy for him! All joking aside, I am glad that he is making progress, but wish it was as easy for me. It is not.

I don't like to diet, meaning I don't want to go on strange diets with the idea that this is only temporary. I make changes to what I eat, so this is not a temporary fit. Luckily I really do like to eat veggies, it is just easier to pick up a quick lunch at 7-11 or bring left overs. So slicing, dicing, and chopping gets to be a drag, but if I doing it for hubby anyway, it is easier. Making less carbs is actually easy for me too. I like squash and veggies instead of pasta and rice.

One thing that makes it easier is the

Seriously! This thing is fun to use and makes chopping onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, just about anything to want to chop, a lot easier.

I also have lots of add in. My personal favorites are baby corn, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and artichoke hearts. YUM! Oh Oh and BACON!!!! Okay okay, not bacon.

All in all I have lost 10 lbs. just drop in the bucket, but I am moving in the right direction.

Dollar Store Finds for the Tack Trunk

We all know that we can spend as much as we want on horse. Seriously there is no upper limit you can spend on horses. Keeping the number down to a reasonable number is much more difficult. So anyway I can save a few pennies is a few more pennies I can put toward the purchase of my eventual horse.

Although I am only leasing Indy, the owner's grooming supplies are locked up. So it is just easiest for me to have my own. Plus I just like having my own. In a little barn in Wisconsin are all the groom brushes I need, unfortunately they are about 2 hours away and I have not had time to go and get them.

Additionally, shortly after moving down here I let my hubby use my grooming tote for tools. Then he broke it. Men!

SO - now I get to get a new grooming tote and stuff. Oh darn! 😏

Anyway back to stuff to get at Dollar Tree.

 First are cleasing wipes. I swear these have 101 uses:
* wiping off a horse nose,
* cleaning your own hands
* wiping down a leg
* off a small wound
* cleaning mud from boots
* wiping buckets
* cleaning faces .. yours and your horses
Seriously barns are dirty.

Another handy thing to wipe things off with is a towel. And this is a mircofiber towel so it will pick all that dust left over from a good grooming. Even if you are not going in to the show ring, it is nice to do a through wiping down from time to time.

Plus, again, you can wipe off your hands, boots, tack, etc.


And you no doubt notice is both pictures I have a hair brush. I like this one because is it a little stiffer then most brushes, but not as stiff as typical mane brushes. I am really looking forward to using this to get out mud from Indy's tail.


Anyone need a bath? This microfiber washmit for horses will be perfect for bath time.  I found a microfiber wash sponge on a tack site for $5! Five Dollars! This is a steal for only $1.

And don't get me started on brushes! I plan on going back for a few more brushes after I get my new grooming kit.

Cross fingers it will be here on Friday! Probably won't, but hopefully!

Indy - The first visit

Fairly good about being groomed, but just so nervous. I kept quietly moving her back to the center of the aisle. She was so muddy and I honestly groomed her for as long as I could before I started having troubles breathing. Oh yeah, I'm allergic to horses. So we moved to the indoor to do a little ground work. Just to see what she knows and doesn't.

Basking in the glow of some good horse time, I have found a little time to sit down and blog about the experience.



This is Indy.  It is not my photo, and I was waiting to post until I was actually able to take my own photos, but this is proving to be more difficult that one might assume. So I searched through their facebook back until I found a photo Indy, I have cut out the person and the photo is not the best, but really a photo is a photo.

Indy is kept at a stable about 30 minutes away, and of course, out in the the country. I use my phone's gps, to find my way down there, but unfortunately once I got down there, my phone died. No pictures, and well, the 30 min down there took an hour and a half to get back.


Back to getting down there. This was my first time working with Indy, and since I didn't know for sure who she was I had to wait for the barn manager. Walking around, I met the barn cat. The pasture horses are kept in dry lots with a round bale of hay, while the stalled horses are kept in a larger dry lot.

Indy is kept with Doc, the other horse I am allowed to work with, but my heart was reaching out to the little red head. So when the barn manger got out I asked who I wanted, I said Indy.

Halter in hand I brought the girl in. Instant we walk though the doors into the aisle, cow pies. During the time I was grooming her I think we has 8 piles, 8 lightly liquid, poops. She dances on the cross ties and as soon as I walked away she swings her hips from one side of the aisle to the other. Of course, smearing the liquid poops.


Lookie Lou! OMG! She just looks and looks and looks! Indy would give me her attention some, she would listen, but constantly looking out the arena door. We just did some ground work, disengaging hip, flexion, moving left and right.

As I said, I am trying to get to know her and let her get to know me. I think it is going to be a slow process with her. I don't know much about what has been done with her, but slowly we will get trust in each other.