First Day of Training!

Adapting to her new home was a bit of a change! Its not the country, its the city! So its a little scary! Tunka came out of the trailer shaky but followed me courageously! In her new pen, Star was not very welcoming! Grinding her teeth and pinning her ears and charging the fence at Tunka the whole night.

     I put her halter on her and she fallowed me so sweet. With out thinking I tied her up and began to walk to get brushes, I look back and she is sitting back in the halter with all her weight. she is pulling tugging and yanking her head! My heart is pounding and I am freaking out thinking about all the horror stories of horses horribly damaging themselves from this! I couldn't get her untied because she put all of her weight on the lead rope and made the slip knot incredibly tight. Luckily she soon figured out that she couldn't go anywhere so she let up on the pressure. I called for Augustine and he brought me a new lead rope (this one was almost torn). He came over got the slip knot free. Both Tunka and my own heart racing we walked back to the pen, and I decided to tie her up in there. She did it again did little rears and flung her head around. she fell on her side and again I panicked. I was almost about to free her when Augustine stopped me and said "She needs to learn. If you free her she will learn that if she pulls she is free. Let her pull, she will learn." So as hard as it was I let her pull, and she stopped. But I made a mistake I was trying to tighten her halter and she stepped back and got free before I could tie it. So at that I decided to work her the next session on tying.
     It was scary all over again. I am re-learning how to train a horse. Luckily she is smart and willing. I did it before, I can do it again!

Discovery!

     Things at the Ranch in golden are coming together! We are getting boarders and finely finding some organization. I had been browsing horses that are for sale online here in there, just out of curiosity. I was up very early on June 22nd and stumbled upon this beautiful Buckskin/Paint Mustang mare. So sitting at my computer at 5am staring at a picture of this mare, I had this gut reaction that there was something to this girl.
     All day at work I would just look at the picture of her and think about her and how much I wanted to go meet her!

      As soon as I got off, I drove as fast as I could to my parents house (I was watching Dahlia that day). I ran in and went straight back to my mom and said "Do you want to go on a mountain drive today? I want to go meet this horse in Rifle!" after much effort on her part, she was able to figure out work so she could come up with me!

      After a very long, mildly difficult ride with a car sick Dahlia, we arrived. I saw her sitting in her pen at the bottom of the hill. I went to see her, as I walked I noticed I was excited, nervous and fearful. I went up to her and she had that special softness in her eyes. She is four years old and green. She has been lunged a few times but that's about the extent of it. She allowed me to pick up her feet and pet her whole body, the only thing that moved was her curious ears.

      I lunged her a bit and she responded very well! Her full attention was on me, and she was very attentive. As I continued to work with her, it became more clear how this might just be the girl for me. Its been two years since Tink has passed and honestly I have been very horse shy, feeling no connection to any horse leases or potential adoptions. But this one was special. I felt it! It was crazy, and refreshing!

     So we left and I was almost certain that I was going to adopt her. I put a $100 deposit down and was just waiting to give my final yes once she got checked up by a vet, just making sure she had a clean bill of health.



      After about a week they got back to me with the vets exam and she was healthy and clear! So my heart dropped with the reality that I was actually adopting her! It was all going to plan, and it was overwhelming! So I figured out my finances and things were coming together. My brother loaned me the money and I said the big YES!

       On July 6th Augustine, myself and his brother did the long drive up to Rifle to pick up my new mare! I was nervous to load her, for she had only been trailered a few times (in a four horse trailer). We had a two horse trailer! Anyways, I walked her up and she walked right in! Then 3/4ths of the way in she realized how scary this was and backed out quickly. On the second try she walked right in, with some bribery of grain! Augustine quickly clipped her in and it was done! PHEW!

 BIG thanks to my Mother and Augustine!