Made a hard decision

Well made a very hard decision and turned Val II back over to BLM. He was a very well built horse that sometimes made great decisions, but when he would sometimes make a wrong decision. He did NOT like to change his mind. So once he made a decision it would mean long days of trying to get him to change his mind. So after almost 3 months it was time to admit he would not be ready in 100 days.

Which reminds me of something I occasionally tell others. Horses have personalities, and sometimes you find the right horse with the right personality and everything is wonderful. If you find a nice horse with the wrong personality, everything is not so wonderful. When personalities don't match, you have a choice. Change you or change the horse. The good news is that in many cases a bit of change on both sides will bring horse and rider together as a team. To help with this change, it usually includes paying a trainer to help you and the horse. The bad news is that sometimes, it is best to take a deep breath and admit it is time to find the horse a new home. Finding the horse a new home is a very hard decision. Sometimes it is the right decision.

Okay you hear stories of me and my horse made it. In most of these stories they didn't make it on their own. The PAID trainers to help them. In many cases more than one trainer. I really like it when people commit to getting the horse and themselves the help they need to bring their personalities closer together.

My frustration as a trainer is when someone sees there is a problem but wants a FREE AND QUICK fix. My answer is start a program, pay a trainer, and stick with a program. Make the commitment to change yourself and your horse.

Animal Guardianship

If you have any animals, please take a moment and read the following article on TheHorse.com.
Commentary: Animal Guardianship and Horses
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=15021&src=VW

Agree or Disagree it is very very important to be an informed owner.

Sept 29th already!

Guess I forgot to do some blogging, LOL. Val is starting to get good about change. He has a bit of a stubborn streak :-) You start by introducing the first change and once that is accepted you introduce a new change and so on. Always be looking around, you might find what you need at the most unexpected places. Was at a garage sale today and found 2 light and shiny table cloths and thought what wonderful items to add to Vals corral, . Val was much more accepting of the new additions to his corral. the table cloths move nicely in the wind and reflect line in unexpected ways. Oh,,, and yep 3rd mustang starts next Monday, Wahoo!

Mustangs are coming

Just found it interesting that I picked up Val II and just start getting him moving along and another mustang shows up. Month 1 = 1 Mustang and Month 2 = 2 Mustangs. Does this mean Month 3 will equal 3 Mustangs? Guess I will have to wait and see.

Is a horse trainer, training the horse or the owner?

Ingrained habits. My horse does..., many conversations start this way. When asked about training such and such horse who does such and such a thing, try saying that three times fast :-). I try to ask the owner understand that ingrained habits take time to change. First is the getting the horse to stop following the old habit and start creating good new habits. The longest time is actually taken up with helping make those new habits ingrained, and training the owner to only accept the new habit.

The owner is always comparing different trainers, to the person down the street that promises 30 days at a (cheap price) and a fixed horse. 30 days is usually enough to change a bad habit but in many cases it takes training the owner to continue helping the horse to make the new habit ingrained. Without training the owner, the horse can slip back into the original ingrained bad habit.

Best suggestion? Look for a trainer who would like you to be included in the training process once or more a week if possible.

How does this concern Val II? Well he is creating brand new good habits and I have been helping him understand and ingrain these good habits.

Michelle

Val II gets a break

The trip to pickup Val II went well. After arriving back our first order of business was to have a break. After a trip I always like to give my horses a chance to adjust to the new barn. A favorite website of mine is TheHorse.com, they have some well written and informative articles. Horses do need contact with their person and exercise, and this article helps explain some of the many benefits of such contact and exercise.

CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Mountain Valley Extreme Mustang Makeover Trainer:
The Mustang Heritage Foundation received several exceptional applications from trainers to participate in the Mountain Valley Extreme Mustang Makeover. CONGRATULATIONS - you were accepted as one of the competing trainers! It was a very challenging decision process, based on application content, facilities, experience and references. This will be a very exciting event and we are glad to be working with you.

Wahoo!! I was accepted and am really looking forward to this new adventure :-)