Dennis Auslam|2009 Mustang Makeover

   The final countdown is fast approaching for the Mustang Makeover Challenge at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, WI. Kickstart is still advancing very well. I have really bonded with this girl and I have to remind myself, of I should say, she reminds me on occasion that she was a wild mustang. In fact, she reminded me of that just last week.
     I was clipping her face and she front footed me in the thigh, drawing
some blood. But, I can't blame her, It was her instinct to protect herself
as it is with all horses. Which is a very good point to remember no matter
how much you have worked with your horse or how long you have had the horse. It's not that I hadn't prepared her for the clipping. We had spent time working on her bridle path with very little issues and I had run the clippers, in the palm of my hand, on her face to get her used to the feeling. I just let down my guard, so of course, my advice is always be prepared for anything that might happen. Prepare, Prepare, prepare.
      We are progressing beyond what I had anticipated and I am able to
gently lay her down and get on her while she is getting up. Now this is a dangerous maneuver and not one I would suggest for the inexperienced
horse person. Might not be one I would suggest for the experienced horse person either though. What you do need to be aware with this maneuver is that initially they can have a tendency to lose their balance. Hence, my left leg was pinned under twice in the beginning of this process. Needless to say, she was much calmer in this situation than I was as she is a really intelligent mustang and has a very nice temperament. So you need to be aware, because I've done this on several horses and if this can happen to me, think what would happen to a novice.
       Last week we started her on cattle. Shetook to it aggressively, which makes me think while in the wild, on the BLM ground, she had encountered cattle. We started out just tracking the cattle around and then we proceeded to do some mild cutting. She is an independent mustang and very secure in herself and she takes instruction well, but she does have a few of her own ideas, so she is going to need to learn patience and not be so assertive on the cattle. In time....


Dennis and the Extreme Mustang Makeover
	Meet Kicktart! The final countdown is fast approaching for the Mustang Makeover Challenge at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, WI. Kickstart is still advancing very well. I have really bonded with this girl and I have to remind myself, of I should say, she reminds me on occasion that she was a wild mustang. In fact, she reminded me of that just last week. I was clipping her face and she front footed me in the thigh, drawing some blood. But, I can't blame her, It was her instinct to protect herself as it is with all horses. Which is a very good point to remember no matter how much you have worked with your horse or how long you have had the horse. It's not that I hadn't prepared her for the clipping. We had spent time working on her bridle path with very little issues and I had run the clippers, in the palm of my hand, on her face to get her used to the feeling. I just let down my guard, so of course, my advice is always be prepared for anything that might happen. Prepare, Prepare, prepare. We are progressing beyond what I had anticipated and I am able to gently lay her down and get on her while she is getting up. Now this is a dangerous maneuver and not one I would suggest for the inexperienced horse person. Might not be one I would suggest for the experienced horse person either though. What you do need to be aware with this maneuver is that initially they can have a tendency to lose their balance. Hence, my left leg was pinned under twice in the beginning of this process. Needless to say, she was much calmer in this situation than I was as she is a really intelligent mustang and has a very nice temperament. So you need to be aware, because I've done this on several horses and if this can happen to me, think what would happen to a novice. Last week we started her on cattle. Shetook to it aggressively, which makes me think while in the wild, on the BLM ground, she had encountered cattle. We started out just tracking the cattle around and then we proceeded to do some mild cutting. She is an independent mustang and very secure in herself and she takes instruction well, but she does have a few of her own ideas, so she is going to need to learn patience and not be so assertive on the cattle. In time....	A few weeks ago we started driving her by doing ground driving, then moved her up to a breaking cart. She took to this very well and I thought about incorporating this into our program, but I still not decided if I am going to drive her at the competition or not. It can be very hazardous and I feel we probably need a little more time working on this to be safe for the both of us. Again, that goes back to preparation which always leads us back to the safety issue, which is my main focus in any workshop or clinic I do. So we might have to wait on that for a different show. We are now in the process of picking out a song for the FREESTYLE REINING class. We have started working on dancing, along with side passing, two tracking, turning on the forehand, stopping and backing, all done fluidly to the music. So, I have been finding that in order to compete in this competition I am walking a thin line in over training here, or putting to much on her in to short of a period of time. I want to be very careful not to overstep that line, for the horses sake. All in all, she is a great mustang, very intelligent and has been a willing partner during this whole process. I look forward to the competition and above all it is going to be fun and a good thing for the mustangs. I would like to say to all the potential buyers of these horses that you take the time to continue their training. These horses have a lot of potential and are being put through some serious training for these competitions, but you need to make sure you continue it. Remember, it was only few months ago that they were running wild. If you will do this though I know you will find that you have an awesome horse that can become that willing partner you are looking for. I would also like to thank Howard Larsen. Howard, who is 72 years old, still diligently comes over to our barn almost everyday to help and he is always ready, he has 911 punched into his phone, just in case. This article ran in the April issue of Midwest Horse Digest. You can find it at your favorite feed or tack store or an online flip-page version at www.horsedigests.com











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