Heat? What is Heat?

These are Sage's Boyz....Dazzle and Caly

So she goes for a walk.....into the woods....and she is a bit anxious, especially when heading home. Ok, so we are deciding, on the fly, how to handle when she decides to lead.....we whoa. We tell her stand, and walk to her rear and back...She's twitchy and occasionally calls out to the Boyz....

I decide to give it a try, a domestic horse try. I tug.....EASY, and she does, tho her attention is obviously not on me.....she is more concerned about going home, back to the boyz.

Steven takes her, she's not so bad, but it's obvious: whe would rather be home with the boyz....

We decide to let her get over separation both this way, and by taking the Boyz out and leaving her home....that's been done, with very little verbalization on Sage's part....

We arrive home. When put in her section, she goes straight to the fence, the one that separates Caly from her, it's then that we see squirt, hear squeal. Gross, just plain gross. She's a bimbo.

Longing For Dummies....

Longe? What is Longe?

Steven tried to longe Sage.....apparently she doesn't know it? Safe in the enclosed section with Caly locked away in his stall....Steven snapped the longe line on Sage. Walk. Huh? Everytime he told her to walk, she did, which, except for when longing, is a good thing: walked right up to him.

Hmmm. I was tied up, not really watching....tho I did know what he was attelpting to do. Not having a round pen here, that enclosure was the next best thing, or so he thought.

He told a friend that he was having trouble.....and he offered to show Steven just how he longes his young horse: Danny. Steven went to observe John longing Danny, which, from what I hear, was successful and Steven was quite impressed, and anxious to try John's method with Sage.

My experience, on the other hand, years ago, was a feeble attemp at repeating what I had learned from a book. I decide to try this longing thing with my 2 geldings, before the Boyz....They must have thought I had lost my mind.....I come out with a brand new longe line, snap it on under the halter and lead them to my front yard......much to the dismay of my, then, husband. These geldings were in their 20's, WELL into their 20's and it had been quite some time since they'd been asked to longe.......and they let me know it.

So off I go with the first horse, the Fell, Angel, who's real name was Hell's Angel, and I tell him: Walk. He looked at me like I was kidding...he just stood there, and I am sure he was laughing at me.... " You want me to do what???" WALK, I say more insistently.....still this blank stare of disbelief. I didn't have a whip in those days, so I made use of the extra longe line, wrapped in my left hand.....Walk!

Ok, so he understood, and immediately tossed his head and started to trot, nose in the air....Now, you must understand my front yard was really not all that large, and, in the middle of it stood a large Oak tree....with a circular rock wall around it, that, in summer, contained flowers.....So I go pacing around this planter, with trotting horse on the other end of the line.....and I truly believe, that had he not stopped and come to me, I would a lost my lunch. I was so dizzy!

Certainly, I thought, I am doing something wrong......and I go get the other horse, Domino, who was trained to the 9's....certainly HE would know what to do and give me a clue! He did. It did not cure my nausea, walking in circles, but he did show me just how this longe concept worked....and we worked at it for about 20 minutes.

When I was done, I was not only nauseaous, but I had made a mighty rut in a perfect circle thru the grass in my front yard....which promptly froze and didn't disapper until well into the spring.....and I heard about the damage....I heard about it a LOT....and I never tried it again. That was probably 20 years ago.....Since then, I have elected to ride out the crazies and not waste them on the other end of a line....

So Steven asks me to help longe Sage.....in the open practice area behind the barn. Granted, he has now seen, first hand, a successful longing session.....so I better measure up. I am trying to recall all of the past 20 years of what I had learned....all those trips to Equine Affaire where I watched the best of the best demonstrate longing and round penning.....So I clip the longe line to the side of the halter, put my best Mother's Stare at the shoulder and bark: walk on.....she did. She did very well, and I was quite pleased with myself......so I figure I will try: trot.....After all the whole point of this exercise is to build muscle and balance, right?

Sure, she trotted and then got snotty: tossing her head and not really bucking, but getting all excited. Quick, brain: What would Cathie Hatrick Anderson do??? Pull down and whoa. Whew! It worked! She stopped, and looked at me...."Like that was just getting fun, what'd ya stop for?". I sent her off at a walk, and passed the line to Steven.....she walked to him. I explained about driving from the shoulder and the neck....had seen greeat results....and she did it for him, briefly.

We tried the other direction. Nope, that is the 'other' side of the horse....and the one not to be trusting. That, coupled with my neighbors little herding dog of some breed that I can't recall, loose in her yard, was giving Sage an excuse not to perform. This same dog, Sassy, had freaked out Caly once. She just sat in the abutting woods, staring, with her head down.....motionless....and that was enuf to convince Caly it was something to be feared.... it was also quite windy.....so we cut the session short, led her back to her enclosure and had a successful moment: lifting of feet: on command. All was well, she had succeeded on her last task of the day.....and we will leave longing for another time.

Sage Goes To Work....

She's here a week, she's 5, she's comfortable with a saddle and a bridle: She goes to work!

Steven looks funny in a helmet.....makes him look about 6 inches taller, but, recalling when I played the role of crash test dummy on a 17.1 hh Belgian Stallion WITH a helmet ( I am chemically blonde....not stupid!) ....I did my best to stifle the giggle...Here's a picture of the handsome bugger: Skidder...When I come back, I wanna be a Belgian mare....Fabio Horse.

Get a soda before you click on the video.....Tianna was filming for us and we didn't want to miss a minute of this groundbreaker....or bonebreaker....or whatever was to come.

hwww.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=8c443c77d2de8d1933b426&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url ttp://


Yee Haw! Totally Uneventful! Steven put some weight on her: nuthin......like:" Get on with it will ya??" So he gets on......We had locked Stinkerbell in his room, and did this in his paddock: treeless. He left the halter on her, and the lead. Walk on, gentle push with his heels. She walks.....we used the corners: turn....Needs a bit of work there. Direct rein/brace rein, outside leg....she walks on.... She is completely and totally compliant....TAKE HER PULSE!

Whomever said that stainless makes a dry mouth has not met Sage.....I had the nailing apron on, full of alfalfa cubes, Rounders, and some peppermint flavored horse treats.....she drools....she drools ALOT!

Covered in mare slobber, I let Steven tell her what he wanted....she was, for the most part, very quick to catch on.....just a couple prompts from the apron wearing treat lady.....um, that would be me. At one point, after a whoa and a dismount and back....she butted the electric fence......Just a little scoot forward, nothing horrible....like I would expect from the domestics, she calms right down, and goes back to work after he remounted....more turns, whoas, a back and some more turns: called it a day! Tianna ( 15) , our spare child, was videoing.....and when I figure out how to view the videos on this computer I will certainly post a bit of it.....It was all very, very impressive.

Steven and Tianna have left for the bowels of the park with Caly and Dazzle......and I am home relaxing, it's Mother's Day and favorite son has rumbled out of the driveway on my motorcycle, and there is peace....at least for a little while.

One more Sam Adams....Life is Good.

Company Keeps Coming!

And she takes all the oohing and ahhing all in stride. Today she got to meet my good friend Dyan, who has finally recovered enuf from her cold, no longer sounding like she had tampons up her nose.......

She took a bunch of photos of the boyz and the princess.....And has full credit for the profile picture just added....

Next up was my stepmother, Nancy. Like a trooper she caned~it down to the barn to greet Sage. Who, in her usual calm style greeted her at the stall door. Loving every minute of the attention, strolling about, showing off her bars, stripe and that irresistible Mustang face.

Just waiting for Steven.....I think the rain has let off a bit so we can get the Boyz out....and see how Sage handles being solo at the barn......

The News Is Out!

My good friend Dyan found and sent me this for this blog, Sage and Steven's Scrapbook:
( sorry about the broken text, I cut and pasted...looks fine in the preview....if someone knows how to fix this, please email me! calysgal24@comcast.net Thank You!)

Great weekend for the USWHBABy Michael YodiceThe US Wild Horse and Burro Association shot out of the gate SaturdayMay 2nd and never looked back. Our trainers, working as Bureau of LandManagement volunteers through the “Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro” fosterprogram, are responsible for a 100% Mustang adoption. The adoption washeld at Ricks Saddle Shop Cream Ridge New Jersey Equestrian Super Store.Ten of the twelve Mustangs available for adoption found homes. (More onthe other 2 in a moment). We are extremely proud of our trainers, andhonored, as this was the VERY FIRST BLM gentled Mustang mini adoption.The mini adoptions are a pilot program established by the BLM to offergentled Mustangs and Burros via their volunteer trainers, to potentialadopters who may not have the facilities, or the knowledge of wild equinebehavior to take on a wild horse or burro. The mini adoption program alsohelps keep costs down for the BLM.
BLM volunteer trainers Robin Rivello, Kim Dore, Reid Totten, MeganPrint, Cliff Crowl, and Kristen King, travelled to Lexington Virginia tochoose their prospective Mustangs at an adoption held at the Virginia HorseCenter the weekend of March 14th. They had only 48 days to gentle, train,and prepare their horses for the Ricks event. The numbers tell the tale. Theyall did a great job. All the trainers held demonstrations for the publicthroughout the day.
Steve Meyer, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, from the BLM EasternStates Milwaukee Field Office was at the adoption to approve the adopter’sapplications.
Scott Swanson, External Affairs for the Wild Horse and Burro Program outof the Springfield Virginia office was also at the adoption. It was hiscoordination and guidance that enabled this adoption to take place.
The USWHBA also had a display table with sale items to support theorganization, and free items provided by the BLM for the promotion of the“Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro” program. The USWHBA also had a cookoutserving hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks. Ricks provided thegrill. Purina Mills also donated 5 bags of feed to each adopter and their newMustang.
The following day, Sunday May 3rd, The USWHBA was at the “NewJersey Horse Expo” held at the Hunterdon County Fair Grounds in RingoesN.J. Once again we had our display table set up promoting the organizationand the BLM, along with 6 pens for our animals. We brought 4 mascots (3Mustangs and 1 Burro), and the 2 Mustangs that did not get adopted atRicks. Steve Meyer and Scott Swanson were also there.
Our Vice President, Hans Shull, rode Robin Rivello’s Mustang Skye inthe parade of breeds. Hans is also a member of the Single Action ShootingSociety (SASS) and participates in Cowboy Mounted Shooting events andcompetitions on his Mustang gelding Vinny. Hans, dressed in his vintagecowboy outfit, gave an afternoon demonstration, also with Skye, on how toprepare and train your horse for the sights and sounds (gun fire), that are partof the SASS events.
But the highlight of the Expo for us all was when the final 2 Mustangsavailable were adopted. It was an unbelievable feeling. We had achieved100% at the very first mini adoption. It is pretty amazing considering ourorganization was conceived in August 2008, and established in October2008. As stated earlier, we are truly honored to be part of this groundbreaking program with the BLM. Our directors, trainers, and memberswould like to thank the BLM for the faith and trust they have put in us.
The USWHBA would like to thank the following.Ricks Saddle ShopThe Bureau of Land Management, Wild Horse and Burro ProgramPurina MillsThe Hunterdon County Chamber of CommerceThe Hunterdon County Volunteer CommitteeThe BLM Mustang TrainersAnd most of all, the Mustang adoptersSincerely,The Directors and Members of the US Wild Horse and Burro AssociationP.S. To all of the adopters from this weekend, the USWHBA would like tostart a monthly spotlight page showing you and your horse together, as youprogress through the years. Please send us your photos so we can show offyour horses.

Whoo Hoo! GO! USWHBA

She PONIES

Today, a first visit with Dave the Blacksmith: she passed muster, and stood quietly while the boyz were trimmed and shod. She seemed to like Dave, they all do, despite our good natured bickering at each other, which is how we communicate.... Completely uneventful.....Quick: someone check her pulse!

This afternoon's outing....Crosstying, Weight on her back, and Ponying with Dazzle.

Poor Sage, was tested again in the crossties...waiting patiently, probably wondering if we humans were mentally deficient or something...she is ready for a ride! Steven laid across her back....not at all phased....He dismounts, and tries the other side....Nuthin. She is good, very very good......Riding will have to wait a bit, she needs to gain some weight and muscle....eat, Sage, eat!



She waited very patiently, and with her Big Horn saddle properly adjusted and 2 pads for ultimate comfort, I rode Dazz out to the dirt road, and we swapped, Steven rode Dazzle. Once we reached the wide road, we trotted a bit to the end of the way, and then I passed him the lead. After a bit of human awkwardness, getting the pony on the right side of the horse, they started off....Sage a bit hesitant to go with her appointed big brother, but she got the hang of it very very quickly!



Dazzle, as usual, was very well behaved and didn't give that little mare one ounce of grief....I jogged ahead....and took this pic. Not bad, eh?


Someone check her pulse....she is so good.

Rain Rain Go Away.....

..........Steve and Sage need to play.

What rotten weather.....shoulda adopted a sea~horse!

Between showers, Steven and Sage have been out on several walks. Yesterday, he put her in cross ties and tried the saddle on, laying 2 thick pads on her as the saddle was a bit wide for her.........She got a bit wiggly when the saddle was placed on her back. Nothing horrid, she was just a little apprehensive about the ends of the girth touching her sides....or perhaps her earlier crossties were inside the barn....ours are between trees, outside.

After the appropriate amount of praise, he removed the saddle, having not cinched it up, and took her for a long walk with just the 2 pads resting on her back: no problem. She was attentive to everything...even my neighbors horses, who, one by one came out to see the new girl.

Donna has all mares, and they did the normal amount of whinnying to each other. She was interested, but compliant, checking out the kids in the driveway: no fear. Good!

I did find the correct bit, yesterday while in NH, and once we get a nice day will swap out a tom thumb for this new " english' one. Ewwwww. But if she likes it, OK.

Her first day home, Sunday 5/2 her weight tape said 696, yesterday 704....that's IF it was in the exact spot....but knowing Steven as I do .......it probably was. She really likes her alfalfa mix hay, finishes it first, then goes after the 2nd cut timothy....gotta remember to order more, soon, she's a feeder.

How Much Trouble Can Steven Get Into In A Day?

Left on his own after I went to work, I was sure I would hear, at least a few times, about today's activities.

I had noticed at the last check before bedtime they were hanging out together....Dazzle was poking his nose thru the bars, Sage would respond with a tiny squeal or a pinning of the ears.....but she never left that side of the stall.

When I left this morning, Caly was munching happily at the top of his paddock, Sage and Dazzle were continuing to hang out side by side at the half wall with bars: Breakfast for 2? She also had hay outside, near the metal gate and fencing that separates Sage from " Stinkerbell".

Steven came by my work and I was told Sage nibbled from hay pile to hay pile, with a watchful eye towards Caly. She has learned in 36 hours what took me months: DO NOT TRUST HIM. She really is a fast learner.

Sage and Steven already had their first outing today, he doesn't do nothing well. After cleaning up her paddock, he took her out for a walk. Sitting in my office, he doled out details, very slowly, and in a tone that had me just waiting for a bad part of the outing to be revealed....He told me she balked a bit at leaving the Boyz, then fell into step with him, just as I had noticed with her in NJ on her very first outing....He adjusted his gait and she followed suit. On a few occasions she stopped to observe what was going on around her: dog and walker....She was very aware of what was going on, assessed all quickly and efficiently, and seeing no need for concern, went right back to work.

She is watchful of dogs, but she is not afraid. She watched my aged female Old English Sheepdog, Mela, amble along the edge of her paddock....facing and watching her. Mela was no threat, is hardly animated.....it could be a different stroy with Chuckie...will have to watch him.

She and Steven followed our dog walk path into the state park. The route includes wooded trails with fallen trees, narrow passages and low branches, and a stretch of the bike trail. She had no issues with any of this, still keeping a watchful eye in the direction of the dog, but paying attention to Steven, ducking behind him in narrow areas, concious of where he was, not stepping on his feet or pushing him along.

Her pace quickened a bit as they headed back to the house. Even though this was her first trip into the park, she knew where home was, and she started to pass Steven. His reaction was whoa her, and back her up a step or two, stand, and then tell her to walk on.....she remained in step, only passing him one more time, with the same correction. Good!

I was sure, at this point in his story of the outing, that there was going to be an incident.....munching on my bagel that he'd brought, I fought the urge to say 'OK! Was it successful or not?' The suspense was pretty thick! The story continued, and for me, there was a mix of disappointment hearing a tale with no excitement, and the delight that all went well.

Sage was led along the long side of Caly's paddock to the gate for hers. She was watching him, but no reaction. They went thru the gate, which swung far open...there is Steven with the 'wild' horse's lead in his left hand and a gate he can't quite reach now to his right. To make matters worse ( for Steven, Sage was fine!) the morning rain has electrified the gate, via the wet wood....and now HE has to touch it! Not wanting to transfer a jolt through his body to hers, should she come in contact with him.....he, in one movement, unclipped her, stepped to the gate, bit the bullet preparing for a shock and shut it. The zap was there, just faintly, not painfully. Whew!

She continued to graze between piles of hay. The Boyz, the domesticated duo, tend to eat meals.....she grazes.

Steven has Mondays off. His friend Dave has ridden with us on occasion back when I had 3 Boyz, mainly riding Dazzle, but once did ride Caly a brief period....with no disasters. Dave wants to meet Sage, and Steven said he was now heading over to see Dave and ask if he would like to go for a short ride....

Surprisingly, Steven admitted some hesitancy to ride Caly after the hissy fit we witnessed yesterday. We agreed that part of the drama was caused by Caly being angry that he was the only horse that didn't get to go out.....But I know, the balance was drama, he's a showoff at heart.

I assurred Steven that yesterday's display is usually behaviour that is reserved as a paddock performance. Likely not following to the saddle. Steven is a strong rider, observant and quick to react to bad behaviour, faster than I am.....He realizes, to avoid escalation of issues, that Caly's behaviour has to be caught very, very early, and correction must be swift and complete: no nonsense. He's checking with Dave.....and they may venture out before this afternoon's rain.....I think he is really looking forward to it. We both seem to have a real taste for 'on the edge' horsemanship....

I am considering a liability waiver.....or maybe a life insurance policy.

Dave was not up for a ride, Steven set to creating a new gate, using every last scrap of conduit in his garage....it's a masterpiece. He returned to the house, and after paying the appropriate attention to Sage, made a few adjustmants to the gate to prevent another episode of chosing horse or fence....

One more walk, this time I trailed along behind. Steven likes her brisk walk, and encourages by keeping his pace quick. He jogs: she jogs, right past me....paying no attention to me, he turns around, and then he really starts to run....

Sage was A-OK with that....she broke into a lope! for a few strides, before the young horse feel goods got out of control: she'd started to toss her head, twist a little and lift her butt. Steven told her "et!", spun and stopped her....and had a bit of a discussion she apparently understood, standing politely looking at him....and then they walked on....together.

I told him the only thing he should have done differently was to whoa, then stand....not the other way around. I am sure, next time he will. So I can just resume my position as observer....he's got it.

Houston! We Have Herd Dynamics!

At Steven's suggestion we decided to swap Caly and Dazzle in their paddocks. Sage's company and I left her paddock and stood at the front of the barn. Tianna had a leadrope for Caly and Scott was to relocate Dazzle, Steven was choreographing the maneuvers.

Dazzle is a big lug, and Scott, who is very new to horses, convinced him to come out of his paddock, making a wide swing towards the house, while Tianna led Caly out and across to the open gate. He rushed in, swung his big spotted butt around, Tianna unconcerned, made him face her and removed his halter and lead. Scott was doing the same with Dazzle.

Within seconds,Caly was racing around the paddock, which thankfully has few trees, bucking and farting, blowing and snorting. Caly would drop, roll, leap up, race around and repeat on the other side, racing around more....He is quite an athlete and he really enjoys showing off. My guests were quite amused, and Scott was a little concerned he would not stop for the fence, and, like a typical teen male, thought all the farting was hilarious! Caly's like a good nor'easter, just has to blow himself out....and this went on for quite some time.

Sage, upon Caly entering that paddock, left the adjoining fence line and went right into her new stall, making eyes at Dazzle thru the bars. She has decided he is a much nicer neighbor, and from the front window of her stall ovserved Caly's airs above the ground, sprints and releasing of gas. She ventured out near the fenceline separating them, pinned her ears and gave one small squeal, then retreated to the company of Dazzle.

I am now wondering if Caly could indeed be a crypt, a horse with one undescended testicle inside his body. He's always been a bit of a whackjob, but when he went into that stall and smelled mare urine, he went plain crazy! Flipping his head around, lip up, snorting and blowing.....more to watch.

For now ...all is quiet.....and the tantrum has subsided...

First Day Home

Once Steven arrived with our spare children, Tianna and Scott, teenagers, they were introduced to Sage and shortly afterward started brushing Dazzle. They ofen come over, tack up Dazzle and set off into the park, taking turns riding and walking. Dazzle is one of those good boys: 21 years old, solid and sane on the trail and never does anything he feels the rider is not ready for. So far, Sage seems that she could one day be very much like him. She whinnied a few times when they left, but settled down quickly. Good.

The kids departed and Steven was doing some paddock finishing touches, all the while Sage observing him, not at all put out by the pounding of the hammer and adjustment of gates. When the kids returned, Sage was to be brushed and have her first outing at the new place.

Steven placed her in cross ties, the kids keeping Dazzle and themselves busy in the practice area under the powerlines. Steven walked her out there an let her check out the area, making a few laps while Tianna and then Scott put Dazzle around a barrel pattern, slowly. She was very curious of the blacked areas from recent brush burning, and once inspected never gave it a second thought. her experience in the practice area was completely uneventful.

My neighbors stopped by with a welcome home bag of treats. Steven led Sage into the driveway. She didn't care much for the sound of her feet on the cement, it was a bit hollow sounding..... but was compliant and generally quiet. He let her graze a bit across the street and led her back to her stall.

A while later Steven discovered that Sage had tested 'the fence'. Although her paddock has wood fencing, with pipe gates, the other's are only electric tape fencing. A strip 1/2" white elctric fence tape lines the top rail to deter leaning....Steven discovered a rather long section laying on the ground, extending into Sage's paddock. The clip was no where to be found. She was at the far end of the paddock, and her curiosity got to her and she approached the tape, nose to the ground. She sniffed and sniffed, finally touching it: ZAP: which set her back a couple steps....but certainly not very upset about it....testing? I unplugged it, he repaired it and it was turned back on. I swear she understands how it works: she watched the entire process.

Steven and the kids gave all 3 hay, some inside, some out as it was starting to rain. Sage nibbled on and off at the outside pile, but didn't want any part of going into her stall. I was waiting for my friend Meri to come by with a couple friends from her lesson barn so I went out and tried to coax her in, out of the rain. Caly, the appy came to the fence, she squealed at him and went to the far end of the corral....hmmmmm.

Caly is, shall I say : Not so nice. His breast collar says:" This Horse Is.....Not Very Nice. Pretty much says it all. He pretends to be sweet and kind, but that often doesn't last long...he is my favorite horse, I am not sure why. Perhaps I just like the Bad Boys. There are vertical bars from a half wall to the ceiling which divide his stall from hers. They have a short stretch of adjoining paddocks at the rear of the barn, where the electric fence had been broken. Their feeders are on opposing walls, but the hay was in the opposite corner. He came around the back, she saw him, let out a little squeal, pinned her ears back and went to the other side of her paddock. Something to watch.....I mentioned to Steven he may want to lock her in the other stall again tonite....

My friend and her 2 barn buddies came to meet this 'wild' horse. For the first time, Sage was a bit agitated. She was fine with the people, remained outside, away from her hay, and for the first time actually pinned her ears. She was inquisitive of her visitors and behaved herself, except for raising a foot, flattening her ears, when Steven touched her back near her tail. She was agitated, not horribly so, but her attitude had definitely changed..............

He Is So Hooked.....

It's 6:05 am when I first open my eyes, well, sort of....upon returning from the lav, I already knew, somehow, that Steven was already awake, and I hear: "I think we should...." which I interuupted: "Steven: don't talk to me til at least 6:45". Silence.....Just like a kid on Christmas morning ......

At 7:45 Steven wakes me up: "Your coffee is ready and I have already fed the horses". I am thinking, oh, there is a big surprise....until I see that he's still in his bathrobe? Whaaat? Did he really go outside with the horses like that? I am now, quite shocked....that is not something he would normally do, I am impressed. Later I learned, he had actually gotten dressed first, but I was now awake and ready to start the day.

After breakfast, we prepare swapping Dazzle and Sage to their proper paddocks/stalls. All is fine, everyone quiet and compliant. She inspects her paddock, and it passes, and she promptly lays down for a good roll, rises and then does the other side. She inspects her slightly used stall, also met with approval and digs in to the fresh pile of hay, they all do.

Steven left to dump the manure trailer and a make a much needed trip to the dump, then retrieve spare children....to ride Dazzle. While they were out, I went outside...all three laying down in their paddocks, and all on their right side.....I'm going to check all their pulses...this is just too quiet. I think she's mesmerized the boyz.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

The suspense was killing me....I called Robin around 6:30, nearly 3 hours after we left, to see how many horses ended up adopted. Total was nine! Aspen was adopted! and finally the nagging in the back of my head ended.....not that I would change my mind and take a third trip to NJ and violate the Town's rules regading how many horses....but more the concern if he'd found a home.

Still available were Dun, Hunter and Shark Bait ( Sharkey) and they would be going to the Expo tomorrow.....

Dun

Hunter


Sharkey

Sage is a bit more worldly now.....She saw NYC traffic, for about 45 minutes. She never reminded us she was even 'in the box' she was so good. Stopping for fuel and for us to grab a bite to eat; waited patiently, like she just knew this was not the place.

Then there was Providence RI. Due to a change in the exits that Jill was not aware of ( and for the umpteenth time I hear: " I have to get this map updated") we ended up in downtown Providence. Sage got to see the big ANNIE marquis and the heart of the city....no reaction from the trailer..... and I was thinking....maybe we should take her pulse?

A bit closer to home I remembered: there is no fuel at my house.....Now, fuel, at my house, is not what heats it, it is what is in a bottle, has bubbles and vacations in the fridge. My brother used to refer to them as 12 ounce tranquilzers.... 2 quick stops, one a failure, lands a dozen Heineken's in the back seat. Properly equipped now, the last 20 minutes of the journey passes quickly.

At home, Steven lets me out at the end of the driveway to pop the back up lites on: nope, no go. He parked in the dark, almost perfectly, in the usual spot. Still, silence from the trailer. We move Dazzle to her paddock, because, at Robin's suggestion, she be stalled for the night. Her stall door does not latch, and his is larger. We put hay and water in place, turn on the stall lite, and Steven goes over to unload Sage.

He opened the door, she stood just inside: waiting. She stood patiently as he clipped her lead on, and out she came: like a lady. She seemed unconcerned with the flashlite that I had pointed at the ground, which was really more for me than for her. She walked flawlessy along the appy's fence, where he stood munching hay. He was interested..." Hey! Who's the new girl??, bring her on over "....the electric fence kept him a distance away. She looked mildly interested, and I wondered: is she just playing hard to get?

Steven led her in thru the paddock to the stall door. That access door is slightly narrower than the rear entry, dutch door, but Dazz is a big boy and has no trouble. She balked. She wanted to look around a bit before she complied with the command: walk on. She entered, looked around, and apparently she found her new accomodations acceptable as she allowed Steven to take her out and in a couple more times. Again: I thought: take her pulse! she's so good!

Once the lead was off, she stuck her nose into her hay pile. We turned off the light, observed her a bit after latching the stall door. Perfectly content, we could hear her chewing halfway back to the house. Not a peep....all night.

Testing, One, Two, Three

The people!

Starting slowly once the store opened, but getting busier by the minute and in full swing by 10 or 11, around the time the skies cleared and sun came out, for awhile...

Children, men, women, senior citizens: all turned out to see the wild mustangs. All were SO interested in the horses, it was difficult for me to tell who the adopters would be and who were the curious, who came to see these icons of the old American West. They wove their way around the pens and the roundpen: strollers, umbrellas and flapping raincoats. All good exposure for the 'wild' horses and only a couple of them mildy reacted, at first, and then quickly accepted all the strange attire from these humans.

Everyone I spoke with was very pleased and surprised at how calm most of the horses were and even those that were still a bit skittish and aloof were still impressive specimens. There was no racing around, pinning of ears or any behaviour that I would associated with meeting a 'wild' horse. People lined the contours of the pens, hands outstretched, trying to pet them, some offering handfuls of grass, which most gratefully accepted, gently. The group of 12 horses did an outstanding job of educating people and successfully impressed all that came. The BLM volunteers and USWHBA group were all so busy answering inquiries answering training questions and sharing information about gathers, adoption programs that if I needed to find one of them, they were not in the same place I saw them just seconds before. The trainers took turns taking a horse into the roundpen and letting them strut their stuff, and the spectators oohed and ahhed at the fence. Everyone was smiling, all seemed impressed, some were horribly disappointed they didn't have room at their barn for one of these horses.

Sage and Fallon had pending adoptions and once the paperwork was completed and finalized by Steven and the BLM, her nametag was one of the first to be edited: "ADOPTED".

I was VERY impressed by Aspen: what a mover in the round pen, what a pretty face, and that forelock: a Fabio horse.........and he was not yet adopted by noon, I couln't believe it!



We spent some time shopping in the store while we waited for the vet to arrive to do the interstate paperwork. Steven got his 5 bags of complimentary grain for adopting, and 2 official BLM tees that sprot a Proud Adopter logo. Sage got a new water bucket, 40 lbs of peppermint flavored treats, a bag of alfalfa cubes and
a bag of Mare Magic to ward off marish behavoiur....something which I was mildly concerned about. I had geldings aat home, my goal being to maintain peace in the neighborhood.

Outside, I purchased 90.00 worth of Tee Shirts, as souveniers of the day for a few people and ordered a black verison of the USWHBA sticker for my trailer.

We did meet alot of people that attended intending on trying to adopt Sage! There were a couple people that emailed Robin about her just after we did....the next in lines. I met one of them over at Red's pen......the teen and her mother were smiling broadly, the girl with her knuckles to her mouth....That would have been me a few decades ago if my mother had said yes when I begged and pleaded for the pony I never got til I was 23. She had been disappointed to hear that Sage had an adoption pending, and very nearly didn't come to the event. I laughed when they said they were an hour and a half away, they reciprocated the laugh when I told them we came from Cape Cod: not once, but twice: for Sage...

The pair had adopted Red: my second choice when viewing the site for Steven: small world, I thought. I had asked Robin what the usual outcome was of a regular adoption. She said they vary, some better attended than others, and it was common for 2, 3, and 4 to get adopted. By that standard this was going extremely well: I noted 5 out of 12 were marked "ADOPTED" and heard there was a LINE at the adoption paperwork table inside. Wow!

I noticed the grey colt was available still, Aspen. he was really a looker. Steven had commented the same back at the barn too. Seems we have similar taste in equines. Steven had already opened a bag of the treats he'd purchased, filled his pocket, and mine too. I passed a few out to people that were looking at Aspen, trying to figure out who were the potential adopters and who were the spectators.....

I was chatting with Kim at Aspen's pen, she was his trainer and he was a new arrival, who was quickly joined by a BLM rep.....and the hard sell started.....I do not need a thrid horse, I do not need a third horse...I do not have a forth stall, I do not have a forth stall....I will admit, that I did, fleetingly, entertain the idea when the 'once in a lifetime offer' of 'gelding included' was put on the table, but ultimately my rational mind prevailed.....Apsen was still up for adoption, and he was still on my mind.

I saw an SPCA van pull up, and a gentleman standing next to it, observing what was going on.....I stopped and asked him if he was, by some chance, the person doing the interstate exams. That was what we were waiting for so we could load Sage and head home. No, and he asked what was going on, I explained.....and he was very impressed. He told me that he'd wanted to get a horse, but had not done so. So I started the hard sell, and he resisted, stating he didn't 'yet' have a barn. When we parted, he was on his way down to meet the horses. He didn't adopt, but he left educated about 'wild' horses. In passing him at the hot dog table, I told him he better start that barn soon.

With the white flag to proceed, Steven swapped halters and leads to ones we brought with us, then he led her to the trailer uneventfully. She got right in and after the final Thank You's and goodbyes to our new friends from USWHBA, we headed home.

I had taken a final accounting of those adoted before I left: 8 out of 12 spoken for, and Aspen was still available......

The Adoption Site

First, a HUGE Thank you to Rick's Saddle Shop! http://www.saddlesource.com/ What a lovely store, huge, and carried everything under the sun: equine.... The building had a long porch like overhang nearly the lenght of the building, which was a 'good thang' because it was raining on and off.

We all pulled in, parked, got out and gathered to form our strategies for unloading. The front yard of the store had a pretty white fenced area, very large, with smaller holding pens along the white fencing closest to the building. There was also a round pen set up.

Steven and I had the easy horses, just open the doors: they stood waiting patiently, snapped on the leads, escort to their horse cubicles. Easy!





Steven put the truck away and we watched as the others unloaded. They drove their rigs, one at a time thru a large gate onto the grass, closing the gate behind them. I watched as some of the horses got a bit excited coming off, trying to 'get away' not at all like you'd think, knowing that they were wild, but more like a domesticated horse not sure of their surroundings. None had to be unloaded backed up to the pens, they really were pretty compliant!




We participated in the set up of various promo items: Brochures, adoption related forms, pens, pencils, magnets etc. Then set up Tee Shirt displays and got the food table ready. Everyone just pitched right in and all went very smoothly.....Everyone associated with the group USWHBA ( www.uswhba.org )and a couple BLM representatives were all very nice and helpful.

Steven and I got to put everyone's name tags on the pens, along with a warning to not enter the pens. It was like playing a match game: a brief description of each horse: name, age, capture state, registration # were included on each page. I think there were 12 horses in all. Red, Fallon, Sage, Sharkbait, Aspen, Dun, Almond, Eclipse, Squirt, Nemo, Bean, and Hunter. You can see them here: http://uswhba.org/ricks_mustang_adoption

Most of the horses settled down very quickly. Both Kim and Robin explained that some had been with their trainer for only a week and had not attended an adoption before. An event called Expo was scheduled for the next day. The horses not yet adopted would accompany them to that as well, and by the end of the weekend, the nervousness of being touched by humans would be greatly diminished.

There was a bit of anticipation in the air. Had I been the one throwing the 'party' I would have been a bit apprehensive, more accurately: a nervous wreck. Not only was the weather not cooperating, but this was a first time adoption for the group, which is different than a typical adoption. These horses were gentled and halter trained...a HUGE step in the transition from wild horse to saddle horse and human companion. This was a test for this group, and we were all crossing our hooves for a big success.

And then the people started coming........

Retrieving Sage

Finally out the door to NJ, estimated time of arrival at the hotel: just before midnite.....oh, joy.

Robin called to be sure we were on our way and a reminder: 7am at the barn......she called once more to ask if we could come a bit earlier. Someone's trailer was having issues, would we mind transporting a couple horses.... Of course! Whoo hoo! We get to participate

GPS Jill directed us to the hotel.....in the middle of a still bustling near midnite NJ township which didn't appear to see many horse trailers. Found parking at the hotel,which took up most of a closed store's parking area with the trailer, locked it up and crashed for the nite.

One wakeup call and a cell phone alarm later, up and out the door.

The barn was a very busy place that morning. We met Kim, the initial person I had contacted about Sage and Red. There were several trailers parked about, lots of official people, who I am sorry to say i can't recall all the names as they were very nice people. All were in various stages of staging for the caravan to the adoption site. There was a grey colt with a long dark mane and forelock, a very handsome lil guy in one of the trailers...I later learned his name Was Aspen. Closer inspection of the contents of the trailers, several fillies, sorrels, bays and a cute dun gelding stick out in my mind...then I saw the ears!

Oh my! what big ears you have, I said, as I approached the trailer....I stepped up on the edge to get a better look, calling to Steven to come see. It was Swissy, a burro....not up for adoption, just a frequent visitor to demos and adoptions, an ambassador of sorts. Swissy was quite friendly and was happy to turn around several times so we could see all views: she was quite a character...She got a little bored sanding around waiting for all us humans to get our act together, and she started, um, verbalizing....too cute!

All the horses were in different paddocks than when we were there last. We spotted Sage just before we found out she and her friend Fallon, were assigned to our trailer. With leads on, Robin and Fallon, and Sage and Steven walked both mares right in the trailer with no real discussion. Never felt them move at all back there during the 20-30 minute to the adoption site, and they were loose in a 3 horse slant....with no dividers. This is good!

Have You Ever Had One Of Those Days?

Ok, so we are to leave today.....my friend attending to trailer service and trailer lights informs me at 10pm last nite, that one side's ball joints are SO bad, they must be replaced before moving the truck from it's current position.

Favorite son has borrowed Steven's Jeep. His is broken too....

No healthy spare trucks at work except the 'beast': 1994 Dodge Cummins 2x4 with utility body with a liftgate.....which Steven is using to get to work....I, on the other hand ( she.....with 4 trucks at hand ) is picked up by service tech/nephew and delivered to the office....and left there????

Motorcycles are out of the question, it's supposed to rain.

Bumming a ride to get to work ( which, incidentally, I get to PAY for! ), and crossing hooves that my truck will go back together peacefully...The good news is: He is waiting for the parts to arrive.....

FINALLY was picked up in my nearly overhauled truck complete with trailer at about 4:30....with videos to burn, creatures to feed and truck to pack I considered us lucky to be on the road by 6:30....gonna ba a long nite. The pain of knowing what the tab is for the repairs, lessens with every mile....

( btw....this entry was edited to death, due to content as a result of a very, very crazy day.....)

The Mad Dash

What a week it's been! The " when you have a minute, Ryan" tasks all came to a head. I refer to him as "favorite son"......he made the mistake of complaining his parents liked his younger, sports oriented brother better. That was over a decade ago....the name sticks...he is also called the anti rider....

Truck brakes are done, trailer is being serviced as I type, lights are getting checked, later we pull the dividers and finish packing horse gear etc...Steven is busy with his plasma cutter and welder: fashioning gates to replace the electic fence tape that was formerly used to keep leaners off the pvc etc.

The pet sitting at home is covered, bags are packed and miscellaneous errands and details are being attended to. It's been a crazy, crazy week....who's had time for work? Our once upon a time work ethic is a thing of the past for now.

I even washed the trailer for the princess. What horse would want to arrive in a trailer covered in winter green? I couldn't find the car was brush and substitued a soft push broom......which was interesting. All the while cursing Steven for parking so close to the edge of the woods.

Those of you that have washed a horse trailer tangled in thorns and a choke cherry tree with a long handled broom, with a winterized and kinked hose will know what I mean. Sure, I know there are many of you, admit it.

Just a few more details, like work in the morning, and will be on our way. Crossing hooves that all goes well with the mechanics tonite.....It's so nice to have great friends, and I wonder just how we will repay them...

Moment Of Truth

After Sage was safely back at her hay, Steven Robin and I sat down at the table just outside the barn.

Very thoughtfully, Steven said: I would like to go ahead and fill out the paperwork.

Insert here, I am skipping around in my brain....good move, dude......

The ever prepared Steven had brought with him a filled in adoption form for purposes of accurately stating the measurements of fences, gates, stall size, and head clearances which Robin inserted into a new form. He is one of those prepared kind of people.....I warned Robin that completing the paperwork may take some time as Steven needs to read e v e r y t h i n g....which is a good thing, and he took the teasing very well. With all the paperwork necessary and the BLM check filled in Steven's adoption of Sage is officially pending. We are to return on May 2nd, with the trailer, to get his final stamp of approval and bring Sage home.

The very long ride home ( we hit NYC traffic and 1 accident causing tie ups)was used to form strategies and my reading outloud the informational information that Robin had written and given Steven a copy.....He's got plans for Sage.....But for now, there's some prep work to be done so we will be rolling out for NJ on Friday afternoon and then meeting up at the barn at 7 am on Saturday, May2....Adoption Day!

Will She or Won't She

Sage had been trailered successfully many times, but, recently had become a bit balky. Robin said it was because she had been moved to different locations and was not liking it! We decided to load Sage into Robin's stock trailer. This time I was handed the camera while she and Steven loaded Sage.

She walked right up to the trailer.....and stopped. it took several minutes, in which time the memory stick on the camera was filled. I abandoned the camera and went to observe.

It took some inspiration to get her in, but she did it, standing calmly inside once she entered. Some butt smacking, offering treats and company in the form of Steven in the trailer did the trick. Robin then backed her out to repeat the performance: she loaded, with much less anxiety. We closed the door, leaving her loose inside the front section and started the truck. Off to the gas station!

She rode very well over to fuel up. I didn't notice much in the way of horse movement at all. We returned to the barn, and offloaded Sage, walking out this time, one more reload with no effort and the relesson was complete: she trailers great!

Preview For Steven

Robin brought Little Sage into the barn. Though she was 3 years old, she looked small to me. I would guess not even 14 hands. She was perfectly well mannered and calm. Brushing, feet, mane, tail: exactly as big Sage was: accepting and calm. Robin used the same Abetta Trail saddle I had used the day before, complete with the nylon saddle bags tied neatly to the front. It took us a bit to find a girth snort enought to get a good fit, and yet longer for some adjustments. The entire time Little Sage stood quietly, eagerly looking forward to going to work.

She accepted the bit with very little difficulty and was not at all put out when it needed repeating as the headstall was a bit large for her. Robin got herself ready with helmet and vest. Steven had never seen a vest like that, and had all the appropriate questions about it. I grabbed the step stool and Steven had the video camera ready and we all proceeded to the round pen for a demo of a first ride.

Robin took her time with Little Sage. Had her side passing and bending for quite some time, all the while Steven was standing on the step stool just outside the roundpen with the video camera pointed at Little Sage and Robin. Later, in the video, you could hear him asking Skye, who was very busy checking out her new toy on the step stool, to stop bothering him. She is no fool. She knew what was going on and she very well knew that the nailing apron I was wearing was full of yummy horse treats. She was going no where.....

Little Sage was very obviously enjoying her session, and appeared comfortable and confident with everything that Robin was asking of her on the lead line. She then attached the reins and used them, with body pressure of her own ribs to simulate a riders leg and asked Little Sage to bend, give and turn. Each little success was met with lots of praise and a treat for a job well done.....and it was time for a rider.

I held the longeline while Robin took the step stool into the round pen with her, placed it next to a very patient and accepting Little Sage. She put body weight on her at first, with no reaction. I was impressed. For such a young inexperienced horse that has never had a rider, she was amazingly unconcerned, she knew all this....now all that was to be learned today was to accept the human on her back...everything else was old hat. It was very clear.

Robin slowly settled onto Little Sage. Her ears moved around a bit, and she stayed still, and earned the appropriate praise. Robin asked to to move forward....ears moved, but she was still. Eventually she moved forward, walking around the roundpen, not quite sure what to make of all this new stuff, but happy with the praise and treats she would receive when asked to stop and to move. It was actually a really touching moment, she was confident and comfortable and I am sure Robin gave herself a well deserved pat on the back for a job well done, and if not: she should have.

I smiled at Steven, and told him that's what it should be like...I hope you watched closely....

Back in the barn, untacking, I saw what Robin had said to be true. They like to work. Little Sage was in no great hurry to be returned to her buddies and the hay in her paddock. She was just as happy standing in the barn with her human friends....

We had one more lesson, actually a relesson for Steven's Sage that day.....

Can She Measure Up?

After a good night's sleep and checkout, we headed back to the barn, directed by Jill, after locating a Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a dozen to share with Robin and the herd.

He FINALLY asked me what I thought......and I told him this story. When I went to see a buckskin that I had been seeking for a few months, 4+ hours from home, it came up lame in the round pen. I was very disappointed and nearly left, but a worker at the barn convinced me to walk the aisles and look at what else they had. I saw this big white blaze and great big eyed horse looking at me....Cute. Can I see him? Out came a very pretty blanketed appy, 4 years old....about as far from buckskin as I could get. He was saddled, ridden by the employee. Good. I tried him. Good. My (then) husband rode him. Good. I still couldn't make up my mind. I asked my husband: "What do you think". His reply put the registration papers in my hand. He said " I think you are crazy to say no".

I looked Steven dead in the eye and said: I don't think you could ever ask for a better disposition and if her finished size is sufficient, you'd be crazy to say no! especially with a relatively low cost and a return policy. He just nodded. I was 99% sure, he was hooked.

Back at the barn, after sharing, via Steven, my favorite donut: French Cruller,with Sage, I asked for a measuring tape, in hands of course, to start my research. I asked Robin about the 'new' kind of measuring I had discovered on line the day before. First Steven and then I noticed on the day before that the cannon bone seemed shorter on a mustang than on a 'regular' horse, but the forearm seemed longer. She had explained at the time that is typical and partly for that reason the 'new' measurement may or may not be accurate.

My rational mind told me to measure the adult mares to see what sort of impact the 'new' measurement had on their actual adult height. So off I go to the big paddock to visit and measure the 2 adult mares. They stood stone still, only Skye was even remotely interested in this white tape blowing around us. She craned her neck around, and kept herself amused playing with my hair and cell phone case while I measured. Doing the math from hands to inches then back to hands and then measuring the horse in hands, told me that the 'new' measurement showed the horse to be slightly shorter than she actually was! I repeated this ritual with Reno, who cared much more about her breakfast than anything else, with the same results. Later, I found out, that this measuring routine had been caught on video by Steven.




Armed with that information, I headed off to the barn to tell Robin what I had discovered, she was not surprised and went to get Sage from her paddock for one more session with the measuring....Her projected height is 15.2-15-3 hands: perfect.

We then retrieved " Little Sage" from her paddock and prepared her for her first real ride.......

Sometimes: Size Can Be An Issue

After a cooling homebrew, and a snoring Steven, armed with my TMobile 24 hour internet pass for just $ 6.99, I set to work. I had one issue with Sage and her possible adoption: Size.

I was surprised, when I first saw the fillies in the paddock with Sage, of their small size. Anywhere from 1 to 3 years old, they more closely resembled 10-24 month old foals, in my limited knowledge of equine babies. I had learned quite some time ago, reading over Steven's shoulder on the laptop on a BLM adoption page, that mustangs are trypically not large animals. We both noticed that larger mustangs seemed to be from the California bands. Later Robin said that while it is true that some bands tend to be taller, it really did not have anything to do geographics.

When Steven had initially spoken to Robin on the phone, she had explained a method of measuring a horse at any age that will reveal the final height. Not fully understanding the terminology, he was unable to relay it to me....otherwise I am quite sure I would have run out into the back yard and started measuring my guys....

When we measured Sage earlier in the day, using a lead rope and tracing the length from ergot to elbow, flipping the end up to the withers area, the rope said she would have 2-3 inches of growth to go. Yes! Good news! We then, of course, approached Skye and Reno: the 2 fully grown mustang mares. They were so patient. With no lead and only a flymask to hold, we measured them both. The measurement was spot on.

When the subject of size first came up after we arrived, Robin explained that often mustangs do not meet their full height until the age around 7 years old. In my reading that afternoon, that is exactly what I read, on multiple sites: mature at 4 to 7 years old. Good news, but why?

Jumping from pane to pane on the laptop, some mustang pages, some not, it occurred to me that growth spurts come at different times, and can actually be manipulated by feed, specifically: protein. However, a horse will not surpass it's genetic marker. That information I stored neatly in my mind, I proceeded to equinesite.com's bulletin board. The BB is one of my favorite horse boards for information, and there I posted a question. How to tell a young horse's finished height.

I had a few people tell me that if she is 5 years old, that is about as large as she would be. A few offered a method of measuring from the coronary band ( hair/hoof line) to the middle of the knee, then translate the inches to hands. There! At least I had another tool.

I woke Steven up at 6, we contacted Robin and left to meet she and Mike at the barn to go get some dinner. We followed our new horse friends to a restaurant that had teriffic atmosphere and very good food! I don't think I ever knew the name of the place, or I have just completely forgotten, but we had a wonderful time chatting about everything under the sun. Both Steven and I noticed that they knew nearly everyone that came in the place.....I felt like we were dining with local celebrities. You gotta love that small town flavor.

Over dinner, Robin asked if we were going to be around much the next day: Monday. We had no great plans to rush home, we wanted to spend a bit more time with Sage anyway. Robin explained she wanted to put the first ride on who she called " Little Sage", a 3 year old that had already been adopted but was at the barn for training. Mike would be at work and she explained she would like to have some horse people around. Of course we said yes!

Left the restaurant around 10 or so, back to the hotel, Steven crashed.....and I read, just a little bit more.......

FDI's: Fears, Doubts and Insecurities...

After arriving back at ahe barn, we untacked Skye and Reno, adorned all 3 horses with fly masks and returned them to their paddocks. Robin, for at least the 3rd time, delivered hay to all the feeders. Everyone looked happy, munching away. We noticed that in Sage's paddock, when a horse would lie down in the sun to snooze, another would stand nearby: standing watch. We observed this several times. Impressive.

There is a cool room at the barn which we retreated to for a donut and to chat a bit more about Sage. We had seen her records, which even included some teeth! Robin filled in some blanks regarding her history, previous adoptions and reasons for her returning. All were prefectly reasonable and I was again satisfied that it was not a behaviour issue which sparked the failed adoptions. But I had one more nagging doubt.

Steven had a couple doubts. He can't help but compare to what he knows of horses: mine. One of his concerns was that Sage, being so quiet and compliant, would not be able to 'turn it on', 'whoop it up' etc, as many of our rides are rather, um, er, quick? Robin explained that the mustangs are capable of many disciplines and will rise to the occasion when asked. She told of her personal experience with her own mustangs. I found that to be especially helpful. To ride one that was so quiet would naturally make one think that they were deadheads. We knew better: when we'd asked Skye to trot, she was quite willing, and I believe Steven even got her to lope ( or canter, if you must) without much effort. He likened Sage to be more like a Dazzle ( steady eddie who knows who is on him and acts accordingly) than a Caly ( very light on his feet and has a quick trigger, a bit zany and unpredictable)or Casino ( had an on switch that is always on: rode like a kite on a string). Although Steven adores Dazzle, and gets a lot out of him, he does enjoy a good challenge.

Although Robin described the abilities of a mustang very well, I just had to put my 2cents in. I explained to Steven that he has to remember that these horses are being trained and gentled for a good foundation. I added that most people are looking for a Dazzle, not a Casino or a Caly. It was a much better idea to have a quiet horse that can turn it on when asked than one that is high as a kite and can't settle down. Robin elaborated and explained about the importance of training at all speeds. Steven understood, and I could feel the hesitance waning.

Having been up since 3 am and a 5 hour drive, not to mention a very hot sunny day, we decided to go find the hotel and get a nap in before dinner. It was about 4:30pm, we had been there 7 hours, and we had learned and experienced so much, it was time to reflect and discuss the day's events. We left with a promise to phone Robin when we were done resting and meet up for dinner. The last thing we did before leaving was to see Sage. I grabbed a glazed donut, one of her favorite treats, breaking it up into pieces for Steven to feed her. This time, even without the bait of a donut, she came right to him when he entered the pen.

On the ride to the hotel we jabbered about Sage. How quiet she is, how pretty, how calm and compliant. The possibility of her being of the proper mindset and physical capability that Steven wanted, whether she would get along ok with the 2 geldings at my house, etc, the conversation interrupted intermittently by Jill, the bitch in the box, demanding that we turn.....with only 1 missed turn ( NJ has some funny laws about turning) and a "recalculating" admoishment, we arrived.

Steven got us checked in, we hauled our stuff upstairs, using the elevator as we were fading fast. I went and got some ice to cool off a couple home brews we'd brought along and then just one more trip to the office.....for an internet card. I had some research to do.

Steven and Sage's First Outing

When the 3 of us had finished the necessary barn chores, Robin's husband, Mike arrived. Ready to start his day at the farm: seeding the pastures. After the introductions and more discussion about Sage, who we learned was a favorite of Mike's, Robin again retrieved Sage from her paddock, and handed the leadrope to Steven so he could walk her around the farm. He was more than willing, and so was Sage.

When they reached the edge of the sand where it met the blacktop, Sage reacted. Oh my, she seemed to say, what is this? After a brief inspection and a 'walk on' from Steven, she obliged. He led her around for a bit, letting her stop to graze occasionally which she seemed to enjoy.

Robin offered to saddle up Skye for me so I could ride my first mustang, and Steven could pony Sage alongside. Cool! I thought, this will be fun. Robin suggested going down the street a bit and described the entrance to a park, across the street. She explained the rules of the park, which included helmets are a must. I am not a helmet wearing rider, but when in Rome.....I was game.

Apparently Mike knew that finding the correct trail may present a challenge to us, not being at all familiar with the area. He suggested Robin saddle up Reno, her first mustang: a buckskin as well, in her 20's and looked pretty darn good! She balked, had work to do.....but we ganged up on her and she relented. After passing Skye to me, fully tacked, she went to retrieve Reno.

I was thankful to see that the saddle she put on for me was an endurance Abetta. For someone who is comfortable racing around barrels and weaving poles at high speeds, the thought of an english saddle makes me nervous...this was good. I adjusted the helmet she handed me, placed it on my head, we both mounted and headed down the driveway for the road. Steven leading Sage behind us. It was then Robin told us: This was her first real outing.

Sage walked down the edge of the road completely uneventfully. Eyes bright and moving along nicely, even whe cars whizzed by, no reaction. My mother's eye, the one in the back of my head, kept watch from the saddle. Is she for real? I asked myself. Into a small path, well hidden by thorny shrubs, we wove, then entered a large grassy field. Skye was a very compliant mount, and I noted how well behaved she was amidst all that very green grass.....my guys would be tugging on the bit to get their heads free to graze.

We entered a nice trail leading into the woods where it was much cooler. It was exceptionally warm those two days for Mid April in New Jersey. Steven led Sage, who remained cool and calm, even when Robin and I broke out into a brisk trot. She had told me that mustangs, due to the short back are quite smooth.....I didn't think so. I mentioned it to her and she said to just wait til they warm up. Even with some distance between the saddled horses and Sage, she was being a good girl, no tugging or pulling, just a normal inquisitiveness as to her new surroundings and a couple whinnies. Steven asked her to trot to catch up, she obliged. So far, so good.

After a bit, I suggested to Steven that we swap places, I would walk and he could ride. While Robin and I were adjusting stirrups there was a rustle from Sage and Steven. She'd spun around and put a lead rope's distance between them, and was facing him, alerted, but not panic stricken. He reassured her, and they came back together. Apparently, he'd touched the end of the rope near the rear of her body and she was not sure what was coming to get her. She recovered very quickly, Steven mounted Skye after adjusting the brain bucket, and we were off.

I noticed that Sage was attentive to my speed. Never pulling me, never lagging behind. I adjusted my pace often, and she was consistent: good! Since we left the barn we'd passed walkers, bikers, cars, dogs, cut outs of dogs that Robin explained were an effort to keep the geese off the fields. All with no reaction. She was relatively unflappable: a testament to the ground training and exposure that Robin had apparently worked very hard to achieve. Good job, I thought.

I asked Sage to trot a bit, she hesitated and then broke into a nice easy jog, consistently and carefully matching my speed. We resumed our walk and I observed Steven on Syke. A bit too tall for her which was exaggerated by the height of the helmet. This was my growing concern about Sage and Steven, Sage is 5 and about 14.3 to 15 hands high. I made mental note to myself that I would ask about age and growth rate of mustangs.

I only had one instance of a bubble in her steadiness. An adult on a small yellow bicycle passed us, coming towards us. She was a bit startled, but I was surprised that instead of flight she chose to duck in behind me, not on me, but just behind. Could this be budding trust? I reassurred her with my voice and she once again, without fanfare, fell into step beside to me.

After exiting the shady trail and heading back to the barn, Steven and I again switched places. Robin suggested, that since all else was going so well and Sage seemed happy and relaxed, we try for another first. She wanted to pony Sage. I swung up onto Skye to watch after donning the brain bucket and adjusting the stirrup length. Steven passed the lead rope to Robin. Walk on she cued, and Reno started forward. Sage stood still, the lead getting straighter an Robin repeating: "Sage, walk on".......Sage walked. We all smiled....and gave her the appropriate praise that she well deserved....Good girl!

We continued for a short time, stopping in the field for a job well done grazing reward, and back to the barn with no issues. Steven and I had ridden a mustang for the very first time, no one died and Sage proved herself, to me, to be a very good candidate for Steven's first horse.

First Impressions Count

Steven entered the pen to meet Sage for the first time. Most of them were gathered around the hay feeder, still working on the mornings breakfast, unconcerned about the new people standing at the gate. They were all very aware we were there. Some quietly just watched us, and one smaller filly approached, stopping several feet from the fenceline. Eyes bright and expectant looking. These are 'wild' horses, I thought? Neither of us knew what to expect upon his entering a paddock of 'wild' horses. Afterall, most of the reading we had done on various websites led us both to believe that they were really, truly wild. Wild to the degree that a trailer delivering your mustang must back up to a chute or gate as you would not be able to lead your new friend out.....we were prepared for a scattering of the foals....

There was a parting of the sea of horses, but it was brief. Sage turned to look at him, she looked inquisitive, and only slightly unsure about this new guy approaching her: hand extended, softly speaking to her, saying her name. He has a normally quiet voice. She took a step towards him, poking her nose out for a sniff, and let him touch her. Her body condition was as Robin had described. A little bit ribby, her mane, tail and coat were in good condition. She was clean, except for the smearing of ointment, administered by Robin after a bath, on various little bite marks. The souveniers from her former pasturemates. Having previously had a horse with weight issues, and being used to viewing an undermuscled horse, she didn't look bad at all by comparison. It struck me that it would be very difficult to have the ability to envision what she could look like, fat and muscled, had we not seen photos from the previous summer and had less experience with horses, in an auction or adoption day setting. I was thankful we had made the effort to take the trip to meet her prior to the actual adoption day.

Within a minute or so, the rest of the young horses approached Steven. They were looking for a scratch, a rub, and a treat. They were so friendly! A couple times, Sage, being the elder, sent one away from Steven and herself. No dramatics, just a friendly go away look from her face. We were pleasantly surprised! I entetered the paddock, smirking to myself. I recall thinking how nice and loving it was of me to send this relatively new horse person into a paddock of wild horses.....by himself. Sort of like some kind of bait.

Robin came in as well and we had a long discussion, standing amongst happy little horses, that wanted nothing more than attention. Steven was unconcerned, and continued to pet and touch Sage, and the others, while we all talked.

Sage has some really neat markings. Her mane looks like it was frosted, lighter hairs on top of darker ones. She is a buckskin, what I had been looking for when I bought my Appaloosa, who I kiddingly refer to as an Appa Loser. She has a very small fetlock, just covering her poll, and a long dark tail. {{THANKS ROBIN: for letting me know I said "fetlock" and not forlock, indeed: a fetlock in the middle of her head would certainly be a major conformational flaw! LOL }} Her body color was similar to my red dun's at home, and she has a beautiful dorsal stripe. She has 2 white forefeet, and white hairs extend up the back in light feathers, striking. Her front hooves are striped, uh oh, appy trait I warned Steven, he turned and gave me little smirk: that is a good thing in Steven's eyes. We noticed the bars: the zebraish darks stripes near her knees: way cool! And of course: her freeze brand.

Still not completely legible due to remnants of her winter coat. Sage looks like what one should look like in my mind. Her face has a slight bow to it, some may call it a Roman Nose, I wouldn't: it's a noble feature in my eyes. The shape of her head reminded me of Durango: the mexican trained ranch horse Steven rode out in New Mexico at a working cattle ranch, The Double E Ranch, where we vacationed just over a year ago. Now he was some horse, knew his job and was the horse of choice for the ranch hands if they had an absolutely must do job. That kind of dependancy carried Sage in my mind as dependable and noble, yep, based on nose alone....

Sage's feet were slightly concerning. Her forefeet showed signs of a small crack, and evidence she had spent a good deal of time in some mud, her hinds looked better.They were due for a trim, which Robin told us was scheduled for the following week, a few days before the actual adoption day. All in all: she passed inspection with me, and I was just busting waiting for Steven to ask me of my first impression. This was Steven's gig....I had to keep reminding myself that it was ultimately his decision. It was a struggle to keep my thought to myself and reserve comment until he asked or had a question for me. It was torturous, I am not one to stay quiet, so I kept thinking of questions for Robin who obviously knew Sage well and was very clear with her answers, even when Steven and I barraged her at the same time.

When we'd made this date to meet Sage, I had offered slave barn labor to Robin. It seems, no matter where Steven and I go, we both have this personality flaw that we need to be helpful. Afterall, here we are in NJ with absolutely nothing to do, except hang out with Sage and the mustangs and learn as much as we could in a little bit of time. We helped Robin with cleaning the paddocks, Steven took the long walk to empty the wheelbarrow at the designated location. We filled waterbuckets and got a really good look at all the mustangs in the process. Robin brought Sage into the barn. She had told me via email that she tied and crosstied, and she sure did, like a trooper.

......

In the crossties, Robin demonstrated how Sage was taught, as they all are in her care, to pick up the feet. She simply touched the hoof and said: "foot". That was it, and very impressively the hoof was lifted and presented for cleaning. She took the time to explain how useful that technique is for her with her history of endurance riding. It would be ( and is) annoying that everytime you touch a leg, a hoof comes up. Made absolute sense to us both.

We more closely examined her freezebrand, and Robin explained the basics of how to read them. It's a whole new language, but we get the jist of it. Next came the brushing. had I not known she was a mustang, I would had thought she was just another horse: completely uneventful. Robin was all over her with a brush, even standing behind, and later, on a step stool up above her: no theatrics. Then the saddle. Robin had told us that Sage has accepted a saddle before, and has had a body laid over her, but no one on her. She stood quite still for the saddling and the girth, to her, was unconcerning. Lastly, the bridle. Sage lowered her head and accepted the bit like a veteran. She started to wiggle a bit forward and back in the crossties. I watched her body position and was surprised and pleased to see what Robin had told us about her: she has great work ethic. Her entire body position was one of readiness. She stood square, eyes bright and calm, but expectant. Her chest was out and her rear legs postured as if she was asking to go out and work in her new clothes. She was quite a picture of readiness, and I couldn't keep my mouth shut: " wow, she is ready to work!"

Robin leaned up on her from the stepstool. No reaction, the body stance was still one of eagerness, willingness, and calm....very, very calm. Very impressive. After all the fuss of what a good girl she was from all 3 of us, and the appropriate treats, the tack was removed and she went back to her paddock to enjoy more hay. I was very, very pleased, and Steven was smiling