Mustang Newsletter

2/22/08

**Table of contents**

**Subject PAGES**

**From
Cindy...............................................................\...
2**

**This weeks questions from "you" answered by "you"**

Question 1 Advice to Yearling folks
............**............................. 3 - 5**

Question 2: Do Burros eat snow in the
winter............................... **6**

Question 3: What are you and your Mustang up to this summer......... 7 -
9

Extra Question this week

Question 4: New Prison horse, pinning ears and nipping..HELP........
**10**- 21

Mustang Yearling Program & Artwork by Mitchelson 22

Animali Farm Horse Rescue Update........................................
23

**Jokes of the week
.................................................\.... 24**

From Cindy:

**As you know -- putting on the Expo, trying to help promote and assist
rescue groups, supporting the prison Mustang gentling program, educating
our youth, etc., costs money --** So, between now and August, I'll be
***[begging]{.underline}*** for donations...and I think we just might
have something for every budget....

**\$3.00 RAFFLE:** We are so fortunate -- Greenhorn Ranch (Quincy, CA)
has given us a weekend getaway for two for our Raffle!! YIPEE! The
raffle includes FOOD and your ROOM -- If you want to ride, that will
cost extra. The folks at Greenhorn Ranch are SO nice. Here is their web
site -- check them out: http://www.greenhornranch.com/

Bart and I have gone to the ranch many times. Sometimes we ride twice a
day, sometimes we do one ride and "lounge" the rest of the time. It is a
really fun, relaxing weekend! ***SO -- buy RAFFLE TICKETS -- Please,
Please, Please***.....\$3.00 each or 2 for \$5.00. We can't sell tickets
via paypal because that is considered internet gambling....So, if you
want raffle tickets, drop me a check (Payble to WSWHBE), include your
Name, Phone Number, Cell Number, return address and I'll fill out the
ticket and send you your side of the raffle ticket....(We ask for home
and cell phone number because you don't have to be present August 17^th^
at 1:00 pm when we draw the tickets at Expo.) My address: Cindy Lawrence
1940 View Crest Drive Reno, NV 89511

**\$18.00 --** Sponsor a kid to the evening entertainment with Tommie
Turvey - we will give the tickets to needy, handicap or ill children in
the community.

**\$22.00** Ticket to see Tommie Turvey -- Equine Extremist - Come see
Friday or Saturday nights Amazing Horses!

**\$25.00** Black and White Business Card Ad in our program

**\$25 -- \$150.00** Ribbon Sponsorships on up to Buckle sponsorships

**\$180.00 +** Businesses or Individuals can Sponsor 10 kids to attend
our Evening show during the Expo. (IF you have kids you want to sponsor,
we can send you the tickets -- or we can give the tickets to needy,
handicap or ill children in the community.)

Silent Auction Donations -- **Any dollar amounts** -- This is our
largest fund raiser, and our items vary from stuffed animals, all the
way up to high priced knives, artwork and time with trainers. If it is
new, we'll take it -- Someone will want to bid on it!

**Mustang Family Questions**

**(Questions from and answered by THE Mustang Family)**

**Question 1:** **With the new Yearling program (50 yearlings to be
adopted, shown at Expo, and then the trainers can keep or sell the
yearling) - WHAT ADVICE DO you have for the folks that will be working
with these yearlings**?

Your colt may be more mouthy and more pushy than a domestic horse.  Do
not punish the mouthiness or you will create a resentment that you do
not want.  Instead, once he can be haltered, put him to work right
away.  Disengage the hips, take him for walks, whatever.  No matter what
non-disciplinary method we used for the mouthiness (like blocking with
elbow, etc.) he didn\'t quit.  Once he had something to do, he stopped
on his own.   They are easily bored.  Repetition should be quick and
move on to something new.  Attention span is short, so plan appropriate
lesson time, not two hours in a row!  Take them for walks.  Give them
simple obstacles right away.  You can incorporate a quick lesson and new
skill and then just work on leading, seeing new things, simple
disengagements and following your feel.

 

  Ours loved a horse ball.  Beat it all over himself, threw it
everywhere, chased it around, pitched it over his head, and stood
waiting everytime it rolled out of reach for us to retrieve it.  We\'d
let him play with it for a few minutes and then take it away for another
day.  Kept the toy fresh.  Also, he completely conditioned himself to
things banging on him and flopping around.  A saddle pad was nothing
compared to a ball bouncing off of his poll and back. 

 

Another interesting thing is the way ours moves and plays.  He turns
himself both directions to balance on his own.  He\'ll do three rounds
in a round pen on his own, kicking and playing, rollback, and do three
rounds the other way.  He\'ll repeat this pattern in almost everything
he does when he plays.  Works both sides. 

 

Finally, be careful of small pets.  Your colt may really want to chase
and stomp Puff or Spot in his area.

 

And have fun.  Ours was like an ornery little child.  Challenging, but
very bright. <raindrop@duo-county.com>

Keep them in a small space. A babysitter horse in the next pen or with
them-helps to gain trust-   Sit out there and just be with them. Don\'t
stare at them-look at them once in awhile-keep a halter with you, let
them see it- if they  aren\'t wearing one-  otherwise just read a book
or look around .. Approach them very-quiet and soft like\-- A quiet
handler, produces a quiet horse.  Start at the shoulder-when touching
them- lots of petting..Treats are good, too\...Once they take a treat
from you- then you can start working back towards their body-petting and
just having hands all over them- gradually get to the feet..slow and
easy- <Jeanhe@aol.com> time and patience..reap great rewards!

I agree with the wisdom that most young horses learn most of their life
skills by about the age of 18 months.  That means that depending on the
specific age (in months) and individual maturity of the yearling, he may
still be in timid learning mode or he could be in transition into more
instinctive behaviors based upon what it has already learned.  In
dealing with a number of yearlings and watching adopters succeed or
struggle, it sure seems to help by starting things out by just making
some observations about the individual horse.

**Question 1, Continued:**

If the yearling seems more introvertive and timid, the kindest and often
most successful approach is to start out slow and reassuring.  This type
of yearling may still need a social support system to avoid
overstressing.\
\
If the yearling seems intently curious, then giving the horse a lot of
new and intriguing things to experience and explore can often produce
the most results.\
\
If the yearling is more emotionally and physically mature, he may have
developed some self confidence and may be a bit full of himself.  This
is a horse that will likely need some consistent discipline. He may
already believe that he knows all the rules and is headed into the
\"terrible twos\" where many youngsters test the boundaries and try to
assert their own agendas.\
\
When stressed youngsters can lose concentration or tumble into right
brain mode and react rather than think.  I like to use positive
reinforcement whenever possible and make quick but short corrections for
misbehavior.  On the range Mom or the other horses would usually just
make a quick correction and get back to their original business. The
youngsters can relate to that.\
\
It has also been my experience that most youngsters stay calmer and
learn faster when an older companion horse is around.  They are
programmed to feel vulnerable when alone and seek out companionship.
They can adapt that companionship to humans however they can still start
out pretty needy.\
\
The advantage to working with yearlings is that if they aren\'t
stressed, most tend to enjoy new experiences and once they figure out
the \"learning game,\" can become pretty willing.  Willis 
<willis@kbrhorse.net>

I am not a professional trainer but my family volunteered to gentle four
yearlings last fall.  We found that each yearling was definitely an
individual with a unique personality and we needed to customize our
gentling techniques for each.

We used heavy duty five foot portable panels and made small 12x12
enclosures each attached to a bigger working area which was about 28 ft
by 24 ft inside our barn.  We had halters put on when we picked them
up.  I would suggest leather halters as they can break in case of
emergency.  At first we stayed outside their 12x12 areas and used hay to
get them to approach us.  As soon as we could touch them we stopped with
the hand feeding and just scratched them. One was very easy going,
friendly and fearless and we could scratch his face within hours.  He
responded quickly allowing us to rub him all over with our hands and
with ropes and we were able to begin working on leading in a day or so. 
He was the easiest one and was nearly like a domestic colt. We were able
to simply attach the rope and were leading, lunging and picking up feet
very quickly.  Another one was fairly standoffish with his front end but
would let us use a bamboo pole to scratch his rear end.  It was a little
disconcerting at first because he would literally back up to you and
offer his back end for scratching.  We stayed safely outside his pen and
scratched his back end with the pole and little by little we simply
worked forward staying on the sides and top of his body and not going
down the legs at first.  He never offered to kick and was very good
natured.  It really helps if they are itchy and really enjoy the
scratching. Eventually we would not scratch his back end only the front
end.  If he put his rear to us we would stop scratching until he figured
he had to give us his front end.  Then we replaced the pole by keeping
it between us and the horse, running our hand down it and then using our
hand at the end for scratching.  Within a couple weeks we could go
inside his pen and scratch him, brush him and put a rope on his body. 
He was a large yearling and I am small so with him, before hooking a
rope to his halter, I went inside his pen and hung a rope over his neck
rubbed him with it etc. and then when the rope was at the top of his
neck I would step over and give a pull on both ends of the rope.  When
he took a step toward me I instantly released when he gave to the
pressure and scratched him.  After that, I hooked the rope **Question 1,
Continued:** on and took him into the bigger area and did the same pull
and then release when he gave to pressure.  He soon figured it out and
things went really quickly and easy with him.

Two of the yearlings were more challenging.  We had one gelding which
was quite fearful and an aggressive fear biter.  He was very reactive
and incredibly quick.  He came to us with a really banged up head, lots
of scrapes and missing hair so we don't know if he got scared into a
fence or what happened. It took quite a long time to get him to allow a
hand on him and a few close calls with nearly being bitten.  His ears
were not back when he would try to bite -- in fact they were more
forward but tentative.  We definitely did not want to smack his nose for
biting before we had gained his trust -- his biting was completely based
on fear and we certainly did not want to reinforce it.  You could tell
he really

He wanted to like people and would put his ears up, face you and walk
your direction but just could not overcome his fear when you tried to
touch him. We used a bamboo pole on him as well and he allowed us to
scratch him with it.  He too preferred to give his back end instead of
his front.  With this one we had a much greater concern of kicking due
to his fear and his reactiveness.   We were still having trouble moving
ahead from the pole to putting a hand on him. I finally crouched down in
front of his pen so that I was very small.  He would walk right up
then.  I was careful not to look at him in the eye and I used a gloved
hand scratching with the pole at first and then moving my hand down it
to touch him.  It took many days before he would allow the hand instead
of the pole but he finally figured out it felt even better when a hand
scratched instead of the pole.  I would touch him with it and then stop
and take away the pressure before he moved away.  I continued this
process until I was finally able to scratch for long periods and he
would relax.  Soon I could stand up, shoulder toward him, not look at
him and scratch him -- including neck and face.  By this point he pretty
much stopped trying to bite but still was much more fearful than the
others and would not allow other family members to touch him.  He was
more "one person" than the others and would need each person to "prove"
themselves.  The last yearling was a filly who had a very strong fear of
ropes.    We were not sure why her fear of ropes was so strong but she
was otherwise very friendly and quickly allowed us to scratch her, pet
her and brush her.  Her only problem was the unusual fear of ropes.  If
she saw you carrying a rope or putting it near her she would cower in
the corner, snort and you could not get near her.  If she would see a
rope hanging on the corral she would not go near it and would stay to
one side of her pen with her head in the corner, rear toward the rope. 
Her solution was to hide from what frightened her.  Since we were
inexperienced at this, had time constraints and she and the other
gelding were taking longer than anticipated, we enlisted professional
help.  In the end these two turned out just fine but these they needed
more skillful handling and more time than we had. 

It is important not to rush training and to be very cautions for the
horse's well being as well as your own. <rebecca@columbiacommercial.com>

**Question 2: My burros are in a paddock with a large water trough
and the trough is heated during the winter.  The run-in shed is about 20
feet from the trough.   Recently we\'ve had snows that are chest deep on
the burros and have occurred overnight.  What I\'m seeing is that they
are not going to the water trough because of the snow depth.  I\'m
having to shovel a path for them when I go to feed in the morning.  In
the wild, there certainly isn\'t anyone shoveling for them. But, being
desert creatures, they may not have much access to ponds or lakes
either.  So, my question is: do they eat snow to satisfy their needs? 
If this is the case, how long could they survive just eating snow?   
(don\'t worry about mine, I\'ve found a manure fork makes a pretty good
snow shovel).  Thanks, Rebecca**

No scientific proof here, but any wild mammal that has frozen water
supplies in the winter will eat snow when available.  When you think of
the rivers and lakes that freeze over with feet of ice cover in the
north, (remember Grumpy Old Men?), you don\'t see deer dropping from
thirst.  I think they consume the snow as they browse.

 

I just googled Wildlife eating snow.  Alaska\'s info says birds get
winter moisture from the foods they consume and eating snow.  There\'s
another site that shows a wolf in Alaska eating snow and another of a
bighorn sheep eating snow.  I would think that the wild burros and
horses exist all winter this way if there is no open water.

 

Yours probably just have not shown you the proper degree of appreciation
for making their life so much easier, heated water and shoveling and
all.   Those ingrates! <raindrop@duo-county.com>

Yes,I THINK  they will eat as much snow as they need , in the wild if
their mother\'s teach them..They paw it and mush it up, in the wild..
<Jeanhe@aol.com>

Burros don\'t typically hang around places where snow drifts occur when
storms approach.  For that matter neither do many horses.  When we see a
couple hundred extra horses in the Stagecoach Valley we can pretty much
figure that we\'re in for some weather.\
\
Horses and burros will eat snow and even ice if they need to.  I know
one mustang, Harry, who would rather eat ice than drink water.  Don\'t
have an answer as to why except that perhaps crunching ice entertains
him.\
\
Nonetheless I make sure all my animals have access to unfrozen water.
It\'s not so critical if the animals are fed grass hay as grass helps
horses and burros retain water internally and the animals aren\'t
shedding excess nutrients by producing more urine.  But the risk of
colic just isn\'t worth the experiment to see if a grass eating horse or
burro\'s water intake from eating snow will be sufficient.\
\
I\'d recommend making sure that any horse or burro in a snow drifted
corral being fed straight grass has free access to water at least once a
day.  Those on richer feeds such as alfalfa and grain supplements should
get their fill of water at least morning and night.

Your animal may vary.  Willis  <willis@kbrhorse.net>

**Question 3:  We want to acclimate our mustangs from pipe gate fencing
to regular fenced pastures.  We have one perimeter side with standard 
4\' woven wire fencing with electric on top and the center pastures have
T posts with toppers and 1 1/2 in wide electric tape, 2 or three strands
high, depending. **

** **

**Our range bred fillies learn about the electric right away, touch it,
bolt away, snort, and don\'t challenge it again.  We have walked the
mustang gelding around the pasture several times, but he has never
touched the electric fence yet.  I think I am less concerned about him
than the mare.  Because he was foaled in captivity and has never run
full bore moving in the herd.  The mare, however, was captured at age
7.  She was not gentled when we got her.  We picked her up from the
holding facility in Illinois and she has had the required 6\' fence
since then.  Actually, we have now moved her into another area that only
has 5\' pipe fence, but she\'s been in sturdy fence.  She leads and
everything now.  She\'ll be started in the saddle very soon.**

** **

**What are your thoughts on getting her used to electric?  We thought
we\'d start inside the pipe fence, string up temporary posts and ribbon
tape and see what she does with it.  If she challenges it, we thought
we\'d hook up the power.   We were wondering if she got running, would
she bolt through it?  Or jump it?**

** **

**What have your horses done with fencing?  Do the mustangs that have
run free react differently to fencing than other horses?**

** **

**We have tried to remove all of the dangerous things that we can from
our pastures.   No old stumps.  Brought our woven fenceline in 5 ft from
the neighbors\' barbed wire so there was no chance of a horse getting
tangled in the barbed wire.  Put covers over every T post to protect
them from impalement.   Bought quality, very visible ribbon tape with
750 breaking strength.  Mostly, it just stretches.  A running
mustang could go through it, but not get injured.   The pasture that she
would go into would be about around two acres to start and then we\'ll
rotate her into other pastures later.**

** **

**So what have you done to get them used to fence?  Do you have any
further suggestions for us after reading about our set-up?**

It sounds like you have a good idea of how to introduce the new
fencing \... My mustang doesn\'t even go near his fencing- I have 6 rail
pipe (that\'s all I have)and he is VERY respectful of it- for some
reason\...He also, is the first horse to run into his stall\-- lol-he
will stand in  there all day long- and he has the option of in or out in
a big , big pen\...I have 5 horses- he\'s the only mustang and he\'s the
one that LOVES to play- he\'s always rippin it up with the others..
He\'s quite a card!! <Jeanhe@aol.com>

**Question #3 Continued:** You indicate you have 4 ft woven wire fence
-- I am assuming that it is a field fence which larger squares.  I don't
know how tall the fence is to the hot tape but I would make sure it is
five feet like the pipe corral she is already in.  We have five mustangs
-- all of which did not experience pasture fence before we got them. 
After being in pipe corrals we put them in a run on an individual
basis.  The runs are about 2/3 acre with five foot high non-climb fence
which has small (about 2 inch by 4 inch) openings so that feet cannot
get caught and hot tape along the top.  We have never had a problem with
them going over or through a fence.  When they have been zapped they
simply go backwards to get away and it only happens once.  But, they
have a large enough area where they have room to really get away from
it.  We have had more trouble with our domestic horses which are more
rude and disrespectful overall.  We have found that if the horse is
properly gentled i.e. respectful of your space, gives easily to pressure
including knowing how to tie well that they are fine with our fences and
simply respect all barriers better. 

If the mare you are concerned about is respectful of the corral and has
not attempted to jump it I would think that she will be fine and will
figure out the hot tape quickly.   Your suggestion of putting a hot tape
up against the corral may not be good if the corral is really small as
she may feel trapped and that her only option to get away is to attempt
to go over.  Also, when we have put new horses into our bigger pastures,
after being in the runs, we usually try to put the new horse out with
one that already knows the fence well and is good and respectful with
the fence.  We are also careful to put only horses who already seem to
get along well enough out together.  We had one mustang gelding who was
somewhat aggressive and a bully and would actually run horses so we were
careful not to put a horse in that he may feel inclined to run into a
fence.   

Also, I sort of think that it is a good idea to have horses hobble
trained so that if you ever do have a horse get caught in a fence or
even get a piece of wire fence caught on a leg when trail riding, he
will know not to fight but simply wait for you to remove it.
    <rebecca@columbiacommercial.com>

We\'ve used electric fences for mustangs, mainly to keep them from
sticking their heads through other kinds of perimeter fencing, but
we\'ve also used large tape type electric fence corrals.\
\
Here were our concerns.\
\
1.  Docility - The horse has to be able to be approached and haltered
and needs to be used to the various sights and sounds out in the
pasture.

2\. Visibility - The fence line needs to be visible to the horse.
Depending on the situation we\'ve strung caution tape and in some
instances that orange plastic construction fencing to reinforce the
boundaries until the horses learn the geometry.\
\
3.  Recall - We usually start turning horses out a little before feeding
time.  At the stable we rang a bell to let the horses know that chow was
on.  Here in Stagecoach they can hear the door to the feed room open. No
bell needed for those sharp ears.  If the horses tend to go \"feral\"
out in the pasture, some action they associate with the feeding routine
tends to line them all up at the gate.\
\
As far as touching the fence, it\'s eventually going to happen.  It\'s
best that nobody gets excited.\
\
I\'m really concerned about items 1 & 3.  A pack of loose dogs or a
lightning bolt dropping down at one end of the pasture can send horses
right through an electric fence.  So long as they don\'t run away when
they see the halter and especially if they\'ll come to a bell or other
distinctive device that is \* only used to call the horses, \*  pasture
turnout can be really good for the horses\' mental state of mind and
won\'t sacrifice our state of mind in the process!

**Question 3, Continued:**

How smart are horses?  We once had one pasture where each horse knew to\
come to his own distinctive whistle call.\
\
One thing about electric fences in Nevada.  The wind can whip the
electric \"strings\" and webbing around and occasionally the little
metal threads that carry the power can break.  If you don\'t like
touching the fence to check its condition, keep one of those small
pocket electric fence tester gizmos handy and periodically check the end
of the fence the farthest from the charger.\
\
Your wives might enjoy a tip from Sharon.  She likes to wait until I\'m
out by one of the fences and call out that she doesn\'t think the fence
was working.  Of course I\'m not going to walk a quarter mile back to
the barn to get the tester.\
\
You usually get a worse shock if you gently brush the wire or tape than\
if you just bite the bullet and give it a good sound pinch.  The wives
are going to laugh anyway so you might as well get the most laughs for
the least amount of discomfort. And at least you will know if the fence
is or isn\'t working.\
\
Willis  <willis@kbrhorse.net>

I have 3 mustangs that live in electric tape fencing.  When I first
brought them home I kept them in corrals.  Then I introduced them to 
electric tape fencing.  I walked them up to it to just show them it was
there, but I let them touch it on there own.  It took only one touch and
they stay away from the fence.  My arena is made from white electric
tape.  I use three strands.  I leave it on when I am turning horses out
and turn it off when I ride in it.  I love this fencing.  It is easy to
install and maintain and the horses respect it.  I have never had a
horse run through it and if they did,  it would just break or stretch. 
Good luck.

Gina LaRock  <puppybarber@sbcglobal.net>

Just a quick note on our experience with our mustangs and electric
fencing. The 3 mustangs of our 10 horses are the only ones who I have
never seen touch the yellow electrified wire. I think they hear, feel or
just sense something. Made it real easy to turn them out to graze on
more open areas. We just use the 3\' stakes and 2 (1\' apart) strands.

If you\'re worried about their reaction, I would run a line inside the
pen they are in maybe a foot out from and along an existing fence line.
This way you will test their reaction in a safe and familiar setting
before depending on it. I\'m thinking they will learn what it is there
and not test it again. Good luck. Bonnysue  <bonnysue2u@yahoo.com>

**Question 4: (We normally only have 3 questions, but this one came in
Tuesday morning, and I didn't want to wait to give advice to this new
mustang owner)**

**I have a question or two.  We purchased Nacona at the last sale.  He
is very sweet and warming up nicely. (1)  He is my first mustang and I
notice a huge difference in this guys alertness compared with my other
boys.  Of course this would make sense, considering he is wild. He has
the capability to turn, or almost pin, his ears in a backward
fashion. Until tonight I was captivated at his alertness. 
 However, tonight I was not sure if he was listening to something or
pinning his ears back at me!  He also nipped me tonight, is that a
common characteristic of these horses?  He did not bite and he could
have, so I am puzzeled by the behavior.  Would appreciate suggestions.
None of my other horses have ever done that.**

** **

** (2)  Am I making a mistake by spending time on the ground with him
and NOT in the saddle???  **

** **

** (3)  The trainer used a side pull, I know nothing about them so I
looked them up on the net.  There are a zillion different kinds, and
they range from \$20.00 to \$269.00 I would like to know what the
readers think about side pulls, and which ones are good. (From Cindy:
Because I wanted this person to get help ASAP, I sent him your answers
as they came in...Here is an email I received from him this am: "*I
would like to express my appreciation to all of the wonderful people who
responded to my questions!  WOW, I feel like I have a tremendous support
group out there.  THANK YOU!!" You folks (the Mustang Family) are
awesome, and I soooooo appreciate having your support to continue this
newsletter!) ***

**I** would caution this owner not to turn his or her back on a horse
that pins it\'s ears, watching for bite attacks, striking and  cow
kicks. I think this horse is frightened and it could come out as
aggression that happens very quickly.  Also I would not be getting on
this horse at this time. I sense an accident waiting to happen if he is
pushed too fast.  Some trust being established will have to happen
first.

My mustang Dulcie was just like this at first and required a *very long
time* of patience to overcome the experiences that made her fearful and
mistrustful of people and she was a dangerous horse in the
beginning!  It is worth it to give them the time they need,  don\'t give
up on him, but be watchful for your own safety. I am not a trainer or
anything, just someone who has been through something similar. Lee
mitchmts@yahoo.com

Nipping is horse play. nipping is bad when done to PEOPLE\...it leads to
biting\...but i think it is more normal in mustangs than in stable
horses.\
\
 make him stop!!!! he needs to respect your space and his mouth needs to
understand that nipping leads to discomfort\...in no uncertain terms.\
\
side pulls are just a fancy halter and lead rope. no bit in the mouth.
parelli and reis and others ride the first rides in a halter with only
\"ONE REIN\".\
\
works well if the horse is trained to the seat or the rider is good
enough\...but then a horse not broke to a snaffel is unprepared for most
average riders.\
\
good luck John Alcorn  <JAlcorn@teledyne.com>

**Question 4 Continued:**

My trainer has told me over and over again that you can NEVER spend too
much time working on groundwork.  It is the very foundation of the
horse's training. As a matter of fact, every spring (after a relatively
sedate winter) I work my horses in the round pen before I go out to
ride.   My domestic horse had a bad habit of nipping at me, albeit
playful.  I would put a stop to the nipping immediately.
<ginchip@starband.net>

I can say that it sounds like Nacona is being protective with his ears
and needs to gain trust in you. Go slow but firmly with him. Everything
is still very new. Set good boundaries and learning about him on the
ground is a great idea. It is a great way to lean his personality,
especially round penning him. Mustangs are so smart but have not been
raised by humans so he still is trying to figure it all out. Dually
(Prison Horse two years ago)  bit me once when we were leading him down
a steep trail. Got me in the back and he got smacked for it. Has not
done it again, just finding out where he stands. Do not do anything he
does not want to do i.e. trot, especially canter for a year. Dually was
pushed to canter before he had his muscles developed and he began to
\"tighten up to liven up\" meaning he would kick to transition. He
dumped a rider twice and that\'s how I became involved with him. It took
over a year to get him right.  Also he was not diagnosed properly
regarding the \"buck\" (kick out) and the exercise that was taking place
was to ride it out of him, working him in the arena at a canter and
rewarding him when he could go a distance without tightening up and
kicking. Must have been hard for the little guy as it was a & rider
balance & muscle development issue. I guess I\'m saying EASY does it,
bring him along SLOWLY and he will be the best trail horse you ever had.
Dually is unbelievable now but we had to show him we were with him to
stay and get his trust. I was his 5th rider in a year so I think he was
jaded by then and it took a while. He will do anything now. We had a
very rude runner on a narrow single track on Mt. Tamalpais. We were the
second horse, up front was my Son on a big Tennessee Walking horse for
his very first ride. We were 10 yards from a bridge crossing and I
started calling out to the runner to slow down, new

We have right of way. This guy starts screaming at me that the horse has
to get used to it and keeps coming. The TWH was solid but as the guy
passes me he starts getting aggressive so I turn Dually and confront
him. He starts trying to get me off the horse to fight so I ask Dually
to move forward. Now we are about 1-2 feet from him and he becomes more
hostile so I ask Dually again and he butts him lightly in the chest with
his forehead! The guy turns white sticks his hand out to shake, says \"
I\'m an A\*\*hole\" meaning himself and asks to start over. Dually fears
nothing and he is my partner, move thru water, jump fallen trees,
negotiate difficult terrain. It\'s all natural to him AFTER he learned
to balance a rider and develop the muscle to do so. My two cents.

The round pen is the BEST way we have found to get the muscles and
balance developed. LOTS of trot, lots of inside and outside turns and
some canter. More RP than riding by 2 to 1 first month. Great way to
learn about his personality and him yours too!
<Raymond.Brown@rbcdain.com>

If the person belonging to this question wants to stay with a side pull,
check out the one carried by [www.rods.com](http://www.rods.com/).  It
has a leather nose band instead of the harsher rope ones.

 

I have never used a bosal, but understand they are a little more control
than the side pull.  I chose to go to a #1 (light level) snaffle by
Myler with a Mecate.  <SILVERDRAGONNV@msn.com>

**Question 4 Continued:**

When a horse pins his ears, that can mean several things and they
usually are not friendly.  From the description, I would say you are
lucky that Nacona did not bite you\...hard. Even when a horse bites
another horse lightly, it would hurt us delicate humans. Generally,
horses don\'t pin their ears back to listen to something; if something
catches their attention behind them, they will turn their heads or their
bodies all the way around.   Nacona may have been telling you to back
off, or move, or he could have been pinning his ears at another horse
nearby.   From the description presented, it is hard to surmise what
exactly was happening.  When he pinned his ears, did he \"snake\" his
head and neck down and around?  If so, he might have been trying to move
you.  Were you handling him (brushing for example) or putting on
his saddle?  If so, he might have been telling you to stop what you were
doing; it might have hurt or tickled him.  Did another horse come up too
close (in his mind, not yours) to him while you were with him?  In which
case, he could have pinned his ears at the other horse telling him to
back off. Was he eating and you interrupted him?  

 

*Horses communicate with body language and it is important that you
learn what they are saying to you for your safety and your horse\'s
sanity.*  I cannot stress that enough, hence the emphasis. 

Read up on horse behavior. Mustangs were raised by a herd and are more
sensitive to us clumsy and \"loud\" humans than domestic horses that
have been

handled since they touched the ground.  I mean \"loud\" not only in our
voices, but also in our body language.  Like I said before, pinned ears
is not a friendly expression.  If your horses are turned out together in
a pen, watch them interact. Watch their placement relative to each
other, their facial expressions, and their body language.  It is easy to
see what is friendly and what is not.  If you have difficulty
distinguishing these behaviors, have someone else who knows horses point
them out to you.  It is fascinating and will make your relationship with
your horses stronger when you understand them better.

 

2.  You cannot spend too much time on the ground with the horse unless
you are improperly handling the animal.  For example, people who make
their horse run around and around and around in a round pen without
knowing what they are doing, is improper.  A roundpen is a good tool,
but like any tool you should know how to use it before you do. In order
to use a roundpen correctly, you should have a pretty good understanding
of equine behavior.  You should seek the assistance of a respectable
trainer or take some lessons or attend a clinic.
<wildasswoman@gmail.com>

My Mustang \"Cruiser\" (featured in Horsetales and Petfolio) had a bad
biting problem when I got him.  It went away with work and stimulus.  If
he was active he was happy.  A neighbor needed a companion horse for a
couple of months, and since we were coming into winter and I had other
horses to work, I sent him up the street to live with her.  The biting
came back.  When he came home and went back to daily activity and
discipline, it went away in about a week.  Basically, he needed a high
level of discipline, activity and stimulation and when that was lacking
he boredom and irritation manifested itself in biting and other bad
behaviors.  Ground work is great, just make sure you are working him and
not just hanging out with him.  Once Cruiser was finished and it was
time to sell him I was very careful to find a new owner that would give
him the time and attention he would require as a 4 year old.  I found a
wonderful young woman who has since moved and taken him to
Massachusetts.  He is in dressage training and she also trail rides him
a couple of times a week.  She reports that the nipping has never
happened since she has had him.  <layzd@charter.net>

**Question 4, Continued:** It takes a while to learn the difference
between ears pinned on you to pay attention, and ears pinned as a
warning. Somethng you should know about wild horses is that they are
very tuned into socal structure. Someone is the leader. The leader has
to be \"worthy.\" I think he is testing you to see if you are worthy.
Definitely the nipping attempt was probably testing - and I hope you let
him know on no uncertain terms that he may not do that! Sometimes I
think they get mouthy when you are petting them, as an attempt to do
\"mutual grooming\" which horses do enjoy with each other. Problem is,
that just isn\'t something you can share with him - it isn\'t safe. So,
whateve his motive, he needs to know that he cannot nip or bite.** **

** (2)  Am I making a mistake by spending time on the ground with him
and NOT in the saddle???  ** Absolutely not! That is absolutely what you
SHOULD be doing - unless you are already a professional rider or
trainer, in which case you would not be asking this question. Learn to
know your horse, and learn to direct him, to be his leader, within the
safety of your own two feet on the ground! Don\'t get into the saddle
until you feel confident that both you and he are ready!

 

** (3)  The trainer used a side pull, I know nothing about them so I
looked them up on the net.  There are a zillion different kinds, and
they range from \$20.00 to \$269.00 I would like to know what the
readers think about side pulls, and which ones are good**.

A sidepull is a little easier to get on the horse than a full headstall
with snaffle bit. But it affords little precision in directing the
horse. I persoinally would not recommend it. I fooled around with one
when I first got my first mustang under saddle, but frankly, the snaffle
bit is a better tool. If you are worried about a bit hurting the horse -
please understand that horses lack the gag reflex that we have. So,
although it might indeed be very uncomfortable for you to have a bit in
the back of your mouth, your horse is not feeling the same thing.

\- Nancy Kerson [**nosrek@sprynet.com**](mailto:nosrek@sprynet.com)

I have a16 year old BLM mare who has a very playful, curious personality
and she does use her mouth more than our domestics. She has only bit me
once (my fault, not hers\....I accidentally scratched her udder with my
nail during a mutual grooming session), otherwise she uses her lip to
pull you around to her or to investigate. Your gelding may have the same
playful curiosity, but not enough trust in you yet. Also, I would be
concerned that there may be a dominance issue brewing since boys will
nip each other to make the other move. The one who gets nipped and/or
moves loses the dominance. Just remember not to get mean or mad and
don\'t take it personally. You may also want to practice some blocks to
get him to respect your space. flapping your arms rhythmically is one
way. Just make sure you are not focused on him when you do it! As far as
the ears, it could be either, or both. Be sure to pay attention to other
signs in his behavior that he is upset (tail -swishing, tight face/body,
stomping, head tossing etc.). My guess is that if he is pinning his
ears, then there would have been other warnings prior to and following
that behavior.

 

2\) In my experience, you can NEVER have too much ground time!! Building
a strong relationship with your horse is more important than hours in
the saddle. Case in point, I work with Kiowa usually 2-3 times a week on
the ground minimum, but I have ridden my girl maybe a total of 60 hours
in the last *two years,* yet I can still get on her at anytime bare back
and with a halter(sometimes even bridleless!) with no fear and go on a
trail ride. I did the Christmas parade with Cindy bareback with a halter
and had not been on my horse once in the previous 3 months and had no
issues at all. Trust and a relationship with your horse are far more
important that riding him endlessly. I would even suggest you try the
following\...

              a) grab a chair

              b) wait until after the horses have eaten everything and
sit in your chair in the corral with them;

              c) stay here quietly for about 30 minutes. Watch them and
see what they do\...I think you will be surprised at how revealing this
really is!

              d) the biggest rule\....you cannot touch them at all
unless they touch you first, and then only if they allow you to touch
them. Don\'t try to control their movements. This is important for them
to open up to you. Have fun!

 

**Question 4, Continued:**

3\) I have used a sidepull on my mom\'s quarter horse with fantastic
results. I love them! I find the ones that are flat leather are the
best. They make them with cable across the nose, among other things, and
these always seemed to harsh for me. Kota (the QH) has never needed
anything more than the leather, and she is now confident in a halter as
well.

 

I know this got a little long\.....but I hope it helps!!! Also, I think
we still have that side pull. I will check the barn and if I find it,
maybe we can make arrangements for you to borrow it.

Kathy Voorhis  <turnandburn16@yahoo.com>

First off, I\'m a real fan of Warm Springs.  Over the years we\'ve dealt
with a number of prison training programs and in my opinion Warm Springs
is about the most solid there is, ranked up with Canon City in
Colorado.\
\
That said, horses out of the prison training programs can exhibit some
behavioral issues.  They have been conditioned to a particular training
routine. The sudden \"free time\" can be a little unsettling to some
horses.  Although Hank has inmates switch around so that each horse is
handled by more than the horse\'s primary trainer, these guys tend to
bond with their primary trainers and some go through withdrawal.  Such
anxiety can produce some temporary \"acting out.\"\
\
I find that the safest and most solid approach is to follow Frank
Bell\'s three most important initial steps - bonding, bonding and
bonding. Bonding means you build confidence in both the horse and
yourself. Bonding means you can handle the horse all over without the
horse showing signs of anxiety.  Bonding means you quietly assert
yourself as the leader and the horse is totally OK with it.  Especially
with horses that already have a background of schooling, bonding is the
fountain\
from which all good results flow. The specific goals in these \"three
initial steps,\" repeated in order to get the point across, are to
ultimately produce mutual respect and confidence between horse and
handler/rider.  Respect and confidence keep both the horse and
handler/rider from slipping into right brain mode in moments of
uncertainty and keep the schooling and riding process\
pleasant and safe.\
\
Right brain situations are the \"pot holes\" in training an unfamiliar
horse.  Right brain situations produce bucking, rearing, bolting and
other undesirable behaviors.  Pave over those potholes and produce a
smooth journey.\
\
Here\'s an excerpt from Western Horseman that explains in much greater
detail what I\'m driving at:  <http://www.kbrhorse.net/misc/fb-wha.html>
OK, so you and your horse are now lifetime buds.  What next?\
\
I like to get a horse out to do horse puzzles (obstacles and such) and
get involved in various classes, starting with basic ground schooling.
The horse needs to learn to think in unfamiliar environments, even if
the group activities involve repeating what he has already learned.  How
he behaves in a group may be completely different than by himself in the
round pen.  Develop respect and confidence in all kinds of situations.

In the meanwhile if rider and horse have gotten comfortable with each
other there is usually no reason not to ride the horse, starting in a
smaller area such as a round pen so both parties can develop (in unison
please) respect and confidence.  Just remember mustangs are typically
pretty smart so just don\'t bore the horse to death with too much rote
repetition.

**Question 4, Continued:**

Riding brings with it the issue as to what headgear to use.  I like a
halter and lead rope however that doesn\'t provide the kind of control
most people want in order to develop confidence.  If this horse goes
well in a side pull, I\'ve found the Cook\'s Bitless Bridle (and well
crafted knock-offs) to be quite comfortable to the horse, extremely
durable and they actually help the horse flex which is important when
developing a schooling horse.  Bitless bridles come in a material called
beta that looks like leather yet is extremely easy to maintain and lasts
darn near forever.\
\
Here\'s one important thing to remember when using side pulls and
bitless bridles. Since these devices put pressure on the horse\'s
cheeks, their teeth need to be maintained free of sharp points that will
irritate those tender cheeks.  Dental maintenance is important anyway
but horses can become particularly sensitive to sharp teeth when in a
side pull device.\
\
And here\'s another important issue when riding any green horse in any
direct rein device (side pull, halter, bitless bridle, snaffle, etc.)
Two hands at speed can produce  the suicide stop.  I know of what I
speak after both the horse I was schooling and I were startled by a loud
noise at canter and I snatched up both of the reins.  Some mustangs can
stop pretty quick and I literally did a somersault over the horse\'s
head.  The flight was interesting but the landing was pretty rough.  If
the horse hadn\'t planted himself into a skid he could have just as\
easily bucked, which might have prevented the back of my head from
striking the back of his head shortly after takeoff and it might have
improved my \"air time.\" However even the bucking option is not really
desirable.\
So, we drill and drill and drill on the one rein stop.  That way if
either the horse or rider (or both) get startled into right brain mode,
we can at least circle back into control and everyone remains vertical
(or in the horse\'s case, appropriately horizontal.)\
\
Bonding, bonding, bonding + respect and confidence + safe controlled
stops will ultimately produce that absolutely surefooted and confident
trail horse that most mustangs have the capability of developing into.
Willis <willis@kbrhorse.net>

**(2)  Am I making a mistake by spending time on the ground with him and
NOT in the saddle???  ** According to Clinton Anderson, ground work will
save you time in the saddle.  I watched Clinton win the 2007 Road to the
Horse in Murfreesboro,TN. Clinton spent almost all of his time on the
ground, using plastic bags, chain saws, shooting guns near the mustang
and spinning the rope around him.  When Clinton finally got on the
horse, they could do everything that was asked.  It was marvelous to see
how the horse trusted him, even when he stood on top of the horse\'s
back and shoot a gun!  (Clinton has a DVD about the show).

 

For a more personal way to train, I like the Kick Back Ranch, for the
Least Resistance Training Contcepts and Wild Horse Mentors. (Willis and
Sharon
Lamm)[**[http://www.kbrhorse.net/misc/fb-wha.html]{.underline}**](http://www.kbrhorse.net/misc/fb-wha.html)

[**[http://www.whmentors.org/men/help.html]{.underline}**](http://www.whmentors.org/men/help.html)

**and to locate a mentor check this list
[[http://www.whmentors.org/men/mentrlst.html]{.underline}](http://www.whmentors.org/men/mentrlst.html)**

 

Judy Cubel Desert Duns <judycubel@yahoo.com>

Yes, your wild horse will be more alert than domestic horses.  They are
great for looking at whatever your dogs are barking at and they are also
not as accustomed to the goings on around civilization.  They will also
point things out on the trail faster than domestic horses which is good.
 The pinning of the ears however is good and bad.  It is good because
he is alert, thinking and looking out for himself.  The down side is
that based on what you wrote he is alert and thinking about how to take
advantage of you.  This is not a unusual thing for a new horse to try
and if this energy is redirected in the right way it can add to the
horses trustworthiness.

The first thing that we want to make sure of is that there are no
physical problems.  No need to call a vet unless there is something
obvious to you.  Check is eyes for clearness and vision.  Just look in
his eyes and make sure that they look good, no scars, fog, or excessive
watering.  Then approach from different directions and see if he acts
normal in the way he turns his head.  While you are doing this notice
how he moves.  He may be in hurting is some way and this may obviously
be causing the ear pinning and biting.\
 

Once you are confident that he is not acting from a physical problem we
know that we are dealing with a behavior issue.  In my opinion the
biting and ear pinning is him challenging your status in his world.  The
answer is to redirect that idea of dominating you to wanting to do
something for you.  I am going to guess that the horse is not yielding
his butt unless you ask him to.  The first step is to every time you are
around him in the pin make him face you.  I don\'t know your
horsemanship experience so I will just say that there are as many ways
to do this as there are trainers and as long as it is a decent trainer
they all work, if you need to pick one to try that you think will work
for you and give it a try.  When he does pin his ears and or bites
become aggressive and challenge him by moving to make him yield his
butt.  This needs to be done safely and quickly for two reasons.  He may
be pretty dedicated to his status and it is not going to get better till
you do something about it.   Once he yields and softens do not hold a
grudge and punish him further, on the flip side do not run up and give
him a hug.  Assume a smug, alert, non yielding posture and give him
relief by just being there and doing nothing.  Let him think about it
for a few minutes then move to cause him to yield his butt again and as
soon as he does repeat the smug non-yielding thing.  Now, don\'t overdo
it.  By taking your time you will redirect this energy to him wanting to
face up and see what you are going to do next, this translates into
try.  The initial exercise may take a little doing but use your
horsesence and feel where a good place to stop is and then do not pet,
hug or acknowledge him just leave him standing there looking at you. \
 \
Later on after this is routine go in when you feed and repeat the
exercise.  When you are out around his pen and he is not paying
attention to you go in his pen and repeat the exercise.  Over time you
will fix and or prevent a bunch of issues like hard to catch, trust,
flightyness and more.  Now I am not saying quit petting you horse all
together.  Just switch your thinking to petting him when you want to not
when he wants you to.  If you decide to pet him repeat the exercise then
pet him.  Refrain from \"sneaking\" pets or rides on him. \
 \
I hope this helps with the biting ear pinning issue.  There is a lot
more to it than I can write so if the issue persists get good qualified
help.  As far as the riding the horse, if you feel safe to ride him,
then do it.  If not, tailor your ground work to that end.  I am assuming
that is why you got the horse, to ride him so work towards that goal for
yourself and the horse if you are not already doing that. \
 \
The side pull.  I am personally  not a fan them for everyday riding.  I
think they as any tool have there place in experienced hands, but are
not something to hang on your horses head as a rule.  Again this is my
opinion.  I prefer a slow progression into a bridal that starts with a
snaffle and then a bosel then a two rein and then quality bit \"chosen\"
for the horse and the activity.  When I say slow my mustang is coming on
9 years old and spent his first full year in the bridal last year and
I adopted him as a yearling.  If the horse is green a good snaffle is my
preference for most work.  There are many different snaffles to choose
from --

**Question 4, Continued:**

from rings, to d-rings to full cheek, as well as different mouthpieces. 
Do a little homework and try one that you think matches you and your
horses ability.  A good resource can be a good bit-maker.  They have an
amazing talent for listening to riders and helping them pick a bit. I
use Pat Gonzales bits and respect his thoughts on bit selection.  If you
choose the wrong one do not be afraid to change it.  The bit in green
horses is a huge communication tool that must fit the horse and you to
properly correct and encourage the horse and give you the confidence to
communicate clearly what it is the horse is supposed to be doing.  As
you and the horse progresses the use of the bit or bosel should become
more and more subtle as you are getting it done through your legs and
body.  I feel that the sidepull does not have the feel or contact needed
for this.  Again there is lots more that goes into this than I will
write here....so do some homework and use you horsesence to make your
choices. \
 \
I hope this helps.  Remember to keep yourself and your horse safe and do
not be afraid to get help with any horse issue.  Oh yea, remember always
that he is a horse and he is going to act like a horse so there is no
use getting mad at him he is just being what he is.  Think towards the
redirection of his energy and thought towards productive things that
will benefit both him and you.\
 \
Good luck Budie Ross <budieross@msn.com>

One day not long after I got my Mustang filly, she got so excited when
she saw me with her grain bucket, she nipped me.  She didn\'t hurt me,
but I let her know her impatience wasn\'t going to be tolerated.  I
immediately reacted to her nip with a little smack on her nose and a
verbal \"hey, hey, hey.\"  I took the grain bucket away and made her
trot in circles (round pen) for a  few minutes before I let her eat out
of it.  She never, ever has nipped me since then.\
\
My guess is your boy is feeling more confident with you, actually
accepting you and trusting you. Before my filly warmed up to me, she
wouldn\'t get close enough to nip me, that\'s for sure!  Your fella just
needs to learn that you are the \"head mare,\" and that his behavior is
inappropriate.  Think of the circumstances when he nipped you\--were you
bringing food to him?  If so, his little nip was his way of saying,
\"Hurry up with that, and don\'t take any of it for yourself\--I\'m not
sharing!\"\
\
Ground work is vital\--always good to do, especially before getting in
the saddle.  Any time your mustang gets pushy or fresh, round pen him a
little, then ride.  He will behave much better for you, once he\'s
reminded of your rank!    \-- Ann Byrns  <collect2244@gmail.com>

I am certainly no expert, but it sounds as if this horse is testing your
leadership.  Whether he is afraid or simply bold/rude -- using natural
horsemanship methods to kindly establish your leadership position seems
like a good start.  I would definitely start on the ground -- if you do
not have good control and behavior on the ground - I wouldn't be getting
on him.   If you can't get someone skilled in wild horses to help you
and/or if finances are a factor there are some good DVD's available. 
Clinton Anderson has one in which he takes a wild mustang, gentles it,
does ground training and then starts under saddle.  Also, Kitty Lauman,
Pat Parelli and others <rebecca@columbiacommercial.com>

Mine was doing the same thing until a trainer told me no horsey treats
out of hand only in bucket and on ground\....they get very territorial
like any other horse when food is around. Since I stopped that he has
not nipped or pinned his ears back\...\..... And a sweetie again\....
2nd suggestion Trusting you now. He trusted the trainer so much now it
takes patience, but he will come to trust you. Walk up to him and as
soon as he pins his ears turn and come back until you can approach him
closer and closer and his ears are up..I used this on my un gentled
Mustang in 4 weeks he lets us stand and touch between his
<eyes............patfatless@yahoo.com>

**Question 4, Continued:**

**Y**ou can never do too much groundwork ever!!! you are being smart by
getting to know him on the ground before mounting up. The nipping is
prob because you are a new human to him and he is trying to tell who is
boss. treat him like a herd animal, if he does it again put him to work.
pretty soon he will figure out that misbehaving and disrespect = work.\
\
April Ward <citapetphotos@yahoo.com>

1\) biting is an unacceptable behavior. until you can overcome this
keep your guard up when you are with in biting range.  

 

 (2)  Am I making a mistake by spending time on the ground with him and
NOT in the saddle???  

 

you can never spend to much time on the ground, as long as it is quality
time. it sounds like your mustang is positioning himself as the alpha.
you need to establish your place in the \"herd\" as being the alpha.
there are many great web sites on the internet to help you with this.
great saddle manners start on the ground, the horse you lead is the
horse you ride.

 

 (3)  The trainer used a side pull, I know nothing about them so I
looked them up on the net.  There are a zillion different kinds, and
they range from \$20.00 to \$269.00 I would like to know what the
readers think about side pulls, and which ones are good.
<shakana@kpcomputers.net>

Question about horse pinning and nipping.

This horse is new to your home and surroundings. You did mention you
have other horses, so he is establishing a pecking order and apparently
he does not reconize you as higher in the order. When he pins his ears,
snaps, nips etc you need to reprimand and quickly. Depending on the
infraction, be fair and administer reprimand. Whether he pins his ears
at you and you voice reprimand or if he nips or snaps at you and slap
him, if he makes contact hit him quick, hard, and mean it!  You NEED to
do this and establish your the boss not him or one of the other horses. 
It may take a few times, but the longer he is there, he\'ll come to
understand that YOU are the alpha and highest in the pecking order. DO
NOT feel guilty about a well deserved reprimand, you\'re establishing
pecking order with him, and if he does make contact with his teeth/hoof
on you, a child, friend or a pet, your going to feel a whole lot worse! 
The three cardinal rules a horse should never forget are NO BITTING,
KICKING OR STRIKING the human or other smaller creatures period!

If you watch interaction with horses in a herd, they are constantly
nipping one another where there might be a question of who is where
in the pecking order or in personal space.  You might not have
experienced this with your others because they know their order and are
comfortable with you in their space, but whenever you bring another into
the herd there will be some realignment for a while until everyone is
established. 

Pinning ears are a warning. Next will be teeth or a hoof so it is best
to nip it in the bud and reprimand for pinning ears before the
agressiveness escalates. In fact watch for wrinkling around the nostrils
when handling him, that is a prelude to pinning ears and denotes
displeasure.  Wild ones are very honest with their body language, so
bone up on your horse body language, watch and read your horse, it will
help you greatly with everything you do with him. Be patient, this guy
is having a lot to adjust too, but also don\'t take any guff from him in
the manor of nipping, bitting, kicking or striking. What served him in
the wild does not have a place in a barn with people and he has to learn
that.  Good luck!  Kathy McCovey <appyreiner@peoplepc.com>

**Question 4, Continued:**Question about side pull: .A side pull is
generally used on a horse that is just getting started or a horse that
has a problem in it\'s mouth. It teaches them to follow the rein without
getting into a tug of war.

You can continue to use the side pull if the horse is comfortable in it,
or advance to a snaffle bit. It all depends on what you intend on doing
with the horse. Side pulls are not legal equipment for showing or some
contest sports, but are fine for trail riding, however, keep in mind
there is not much communication with a side pull other than to turn the
nose in the direction you pull the rein, and you do not have much more
control than riding in halter! Personally I would not take a horse out
of an enclosed area in a side pull unless he was very well broke.

You may think a logical step would be to go to a bosal or a mechanical
hackamore. I do not recommend skipping the snaffle bit step. The
progression of a horse in training should be from a sidepull to
a snaffle bit, to a bosal then to a regular bit. The theory has been
established for well over 300 years! The vaqueros of CA basically
developed it and the reasons for it. 1. Starting young horses in a
snaffle bit. 2. When they become close to 4 they start loosing baby
teeth and molars for permant teeth, and this is when the bosal comes
in.  The bosal is also a great tool to teach your horse lateral
flexation after learning basics. 3. About age 5-6 the horse is advanced
into a regular bit. 4. the more responsive a horse gets the fancier the
bit becomes with all the silver and elaborate mouth pieces. But by this
time you\'ve done your steps and homework, the horse should be riding
off your seat and legs by the time you have 3-4 years of riding (much
faster for savy trainers) and using a rein is almost unneccessary.

I want to make a note about mechanical hackmores. Many novice people
think they are more humane than a bit, however the opposite is true.
They can be devistating to the horses nose bones and jaw if you do not
know how to use it or position it on the horses properly. They can crush
the cartiledge in the nose, cut off air, and fracture jaw bones.

A mechanical hackmore used properly is to elevate shoulders and stiffen
them up. i.e. you see some jumpers, barrel racers, and ropers that use
them on horses that may be a little rubbery in the front end and dive
into an obstacle rather than elevate into it. People that use this
device successfully do it in a touch release method, and do not pull on
it. Using it on a horse that is not yet flexible will cause problems
with stiffness in the poll, neck, shoulders as they brace against it
rather than give to it, this is due to it\'s design, and you\'ll be
trying to retrain the horse to be flexible a lot longer than you would
if you had just gone to a snaffle bit and followed thru with advancing
steps and equipment.  

Choosing a snaffle bit can be confusing if your not familar with them.
There are different sizes of mouth piece, metals, smooth or twisted,
different ends like O ring, eggbutt, D ring, two or three pieces,
sleeves or no sleeves etc. Personally I like to start out with one made
of sweet iron with copper inlay and sleeves on the corners so it does
not pinch the horses lips. The sweet iron tastes good even better when
it rusts. The copper inlay helps with keeping the horses mouth moist. In
the Equine Jeffers catalog, you can get this bit for 8 bucks. Don\'t let
the price fool you it\'s a good piece of tack!

I have one horse in the barn with a real shallow mouth so I had to find
a three piece snaffle. The one I have has a small roller over the joint
and allows the bit to bend just enough to put pressure on the bars of
the mouth but not enough to push the joint into the soft roof of his
mouth. He\'s happy in it. Check your horses mouth for length from side
to side and look in there to determine what kind of roof he has before
choosing a bit that will be effective and comfortable. Sometimes you may
go thru two or three bits before you find one they are happy in\....one
reason trainers and long time horsepeople usually have a tack box full
of extra bits. What\'s really funny, when it comes to cleaning out the
tack room, they won\'t part with any of them!  Kathy McCovey
<appyreiner@peoplepc.com>

**Question 4, Continued:**

Issue number one:  Listening is different:  pinning ears is pinning
ears.   What\'s the rest of his body saying?  Poised to kick?  Shoving
around the rump?   Start over with some ground work with a halter and
lead.

I know, everyone is sick of us saying this but\....disengage those
hips.  Give him a job to do.  Move over the shoulders.  Our little guy
did this attitude thing too.  Nothing worked but giving him a job. 
Right away.

Work those hips with your hands or a carrot stick if you are
uncomfortable with the possibility of you responding quickly enough to
avoid a kick.  The nip issue was so frustrating for us also.  Tried the
blocking with the elbow and all of that.  Gave him a job instead.  Once
he learned to move over by command and eventually just body language,
all of this went away.  You have a colt now respecting your lead.  He\'s
still a mouthy little guy, but not directed at us.  Likes to chew pipe
gates, a loose lead, his ball, anything.  Really bright, tho.  Just
needs to be kept busy.

2.  No.  See above!  We wrote some more about this in the newsletter on
advice to trainers starting the yearlings.  He may need some time to
settle in.  Hopefully, he has a friend (another horse).

Now if you are talking about the ear pinning and nipping while in the
saddle, same principal applies.

Move him.  Watch that you are not the cause with heavy cues or hands and
that you are allowing him to explore the right answer.   When he gives
it, relief and praise.

3.   Find someone that can help you  and knows how to use a sidepull. 
If you can\'t, just try riding him in an enclosed area with nothing more
than a halter and leads for reins.  Misuse of the sidepull with heavy
hands and inexperience can create more issues and resentments.   A
sidepull could be used for gaining quick control, but you\'d have to
know how to handle it as with any piece of equipment.  That nose is
sensitive and you could very easily overuse a sidepull and create a
problem that would not be fun to fix.

If the halter alone scares you, just try a gentle, proper-sized snaffle
with light hands and ask for gives and release pressure right away. 

He\'ll turn out just fine for you with a little forethought (remember
he\'s designed to think his way through things so you have to be quicker
at it!). <raindrop@duo-county.com>

Well, they can never get enough ground work..It\'s NEVER the wrong
thing. But, ride him too..even if i\'ts just for 15 min a day- Maybe
he\'s nippin to establish dominance..when he pins his ears back and
starts to THINK about nipping\...make him back up or move his feet
sideways make him move his feet.. try and  catch him the moment he even
starts to think about nipping\...You can tell by the look his eye or his
ears\...when he\'s thinkin about nipping. Also, make him stand back out
of your space..he\'s too close.

 

I would just put him in a regular snaffle if you don\'t have a
side-pull\...or a rope halter\--it\'s all the same- All those horses
have been ridden in a snaffle.You don\'t have to spend lots of money on
a side-pull..

 

Good luck- he\'s a cute one..

 

You can send him back to the prison- if you think he needs some more
time on <him..Jeanhe@aol.com>

**Question 4, Continued:** I would carry a rope and send him away from
you immediately if he comes into you with pinned ears.  It is important
to let him know it is not acceptable to approach you this way.  A lead
horse would not accept this attitude, so why should you? 

***He also nipped me tonight, is that a common characteristic of these
horses**?*  This is potentially a common characteristic in any horse who
is experimenting with his boundaries and trying to determine if you are
his leader.  I find mustangs to be extremely loyal and no different than
any other horse.  ***He did not bite and he could have, so I am puzzled
by the behavior.***  This could develop into biting if it is not
addressed, and how this is addressed would be dependant on your
experience with horses. 

(2)  ***Am I making a mistake by spending time on the ground with him
and NOT in the saddle???***  I am an advocate for spending lots of time
on the ground, as this is a much safer place to address leadership and
confidence issues.   To my way of thinking if you cannot handle your
horse safely on the ground, it is not going to get any better on their
back. 

 

Take Care, Robbie <guyrobbie@msn.com>

I have used sidepulls exclusively since my first clinic with Linda
Tellington Jones. You could go on her TTouch site and possibly find one
there. I knew what to look for so I purchased mine out of catalogs
because there\'s a variety. Personally, I  have single rawhide nosebands
and double rawhide nosebands, each about 50.00. The difference between
the ones I use have simply been the quality of leather AND three straps
or two straps. It\'s a good tool and I would suggest a throat latch, a
jaw strap and chin strap - all three.  <boonedog@frontiernet.net>

**"Free" Mustang Yearling Program**

The BLM/Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF) "Free" Mustang Yearling
program is a GO! The trainers selected by the MHF will pick up their
yearlings at Palomino Valley, May 16^th^ and 17^th^ **I have the
Application and Rules - If you want this information, just email me
(cblawrnc@aol.com)**. I'm so excited, because many of the folks that are
"interested" in this program are part of our Mustang Family!! When we
were trying to figure out the classes, I polled our "interested" folks
about their ages....the folks that were able to answer fell into the
following age groups:

Colt -- (Youth to 18) ![](media/image1.wmf){width="1.2090277777777778in"
height="0.49930555555555556in"} 5 Race Horse (19-45)
![](media/image2.jpeg){width="0.90625in" height="0.5798611111111112in"}
12

Trusted Trail Horse (over 45)
![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.1472222222222221in"
height="0.6333333333333333in"} 13

**Our Mustang Family Member, Lee Mitchelson helping animals:**

I heard about this rescue effort yesterday as I\'m sure did many of you

 

**\"NO BUDDY LEFT BEHIND!!\"**   Please google  \'Operation Baghdad
Pups\"

 

Kitties and dogs the soldiers have rescued in Baghdad can come home with
our soldiers

 

I revised this listing stating that 100% after ebay fees will be donated
to Baghdad Pups and show the buyer of this art the receipt that I have
done so.  It was not possible to revise my listing to go through Giving
Works on eBay, but if this specific organization is listed with Giving
Works I will use them next time.  I\'m hoping ebay will not pull my
listing. It\'s worth the chance though.

 

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250217537540>

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="3.75in" height="0.6236111111111111in"}

**The Animali Farm horse rescue update,**

**February 20, 2008**

 

Last August we traveled to Canada and photographed horses from 11 former
PMU ranches. It has been a marathon to get these horses placed into
loving homes, and out of danger. Over 300 horses were placed on the
website, and many have found homes.

 

There are currently 48 horses listed on the website with a deadline of
February 26, 2008, just 6 days. Most are pregnant mares, and will be too
far along to travel in a few weeks. We must get them adopted now or they
will not be able to get to their new homes. To see the horses go to
[www.theanimalifarm.com](http://www.theanimalifarm.com/) and click on
Available Horses.

 

Two ranches have given us auction dates for their remaining horses. The
auction is February 27, 2008, in Rimby Alberta. 23 horses listed on the
website will be taken to auction on that date unless they are adopted
before then. Unfortunately taking a horse to the local horse sale
usually means the slaughter buyer will get it.

 

We have spent some time today going over the available donations. If we
add them all up there is enough money for 20 horses to get a \$400.00
reduction in their cost. We have decided to make that money available to
the horses that have a deadline of February 26, 2008. This includes the
pregnant mares, and any horse going to auction on February 27, 2008.

 

We have marked the individual horses web pages that have deadlines, and
the ones that are headed to auction have that noted on their page. If
you are able to give one of these horses a home please call us
immediately.

 

We have made great progress in placing the horses we photographed in
Canada last August. Horses have been getting delivered to their new
homes nonstop since November. Already this year we have delivered nearly
100 horses and 318 were delivered in 2007!

 

It would be a shame to see the last few horses loose out on a good home,
and end up at a sale. We are willing to work night and day to get them
placed, but we just can\'t get any more time for them. We only have the
next six days.

 

If you are not able to adopt please make a donation. Every penny that is
coming in is being used to reduce the cost of saving the horses. It does
make a difference. We have people that can give these horses homes, just
not enough money to pay for it all.

 

Jennifer Johns\
Cheryl Forbes\
Directors\
The Animali Farm\
3401 Tepusquet Rd.\
Santa Maria, CA 93454\
805-938-0174\
[www.theanimalifarm.com](http://www.theanimalifarm.com/)\
<Animali@aol.com>

 

**Story submitted for Horse Tales this July:**

**[A Judge of Character]{.underline}**

 

    We\'ve all heard this before.  Someone\'s kid, grandkid, neighbor,
or whatever is horse crazy.  Can the tyke be brought over to do
something with our horses?

    The mailman\'s 11 year old grandson wanted to learn.  He showed up
with grandpa wearing boots, an oilskin coat, cowboy hat, and spurs.  
Not even five foot or a hundred pounds with freckles on his nose.

    I kept him tight into me and showed  him how to touch the mustang
mare.  He reached for her nose, with a soft, curved hand; she sniffed,
snorted, and bolted 30 feet.  A new scent.  She spun like clockwork
without an obvious signal and locked back onto me.  She froze and
waited.  One glance at her eye and I knew where she was mentally.   She
mosied back while we stood and discussed horse behavior at eleven year
old level.

    She came within 6 feet.  I told him to reach out his hand again,
then back off like he was gently pulling in a string.   She followed and
came in.  He let her sniff again.  He reached for her forehead without
any coaching from me.  He scratched her shoulder with the tiniest
fingers she\'s had on her.  He stroked her neck. 

    I slid over the halter because he was too small to easily get it
over her poll and tie the knot.  I demonstrated soft yielding to
pressure.  She followed the lead for him.  She moved over her hips both
ways with nothing more than his subtle body language and lead rope in
hand.  He was soaking it up like a sponge. 

    I\'ve seen her turn her butt full bore to adults offering her a
handful of grass and never relent.  He got in tight next to her to lean
on the ribs and withers and she brought her head around and gently
tucked him into her. 

   

     There was a lot more to the lesson that day with other horses, but
that was my decision.  Her decision was that this kid was more than
acceptable.  I later thanked her for that gesture and her intuition. 

    We invited little Clay back.

 

Pam

 

**This weeks "Humor"**

WILLIS LAMMS TOP TEN FAMOUS LAST WORDS OF EQUESTRIANS AND COWBOYS\
\
10. Here\'s how you pull a horse\'s tail.\
9.   If we can get ahead of \'em before this canyon narrows, I think we
can turn \'em.\
8.  Aw, that mule doesn\'t mind having his feet shod.\
7.  Just reach in his mouth and pull out his tongue.\
6.  Yeah, cows freak him out.  Why?\
5.  He only bucks when he\'s playful.\
4.  He was so calm when they showed him to me.\
3.  That ol\' bull will move if you poke him with a stick.\
2.  My old gelding loved to have his sheath cleaned.\
And my all time favorite famous last words\...\
1.  Have you tried putting the thermometer in there?\
- Willis Lamm

More Humor:

**Rules of Montana, Idaho and the Wild West** **(From Cindy -- Most of
these Rules would apply to our house too!)**\
1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.\
2. Turn your cap right, your head ain\'t crooked.\
3. Let\'s get this straight: it\'s called a \'gravel road.\' I drive a
pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you\'re
gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.\
4. They are cattle. That\'s why they smell to you. They smell like money
to us. Get over it. Don\'t like it? I-90 goes east and west, I-5 goes
north and south. Pick one.\
5. So you have a \$60,000 car. We\'re impressed. We have \$250,000
combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.\
6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It\'s called being friendly. Try
to understand the concept.\
7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves
are comin\' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You
better hope you don\'t have it up to your ear at the time.\
8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and
caviar you can get them at the bait store on the corner.\
9. The \'Opener\' refers to the first day of deer season.  It\'s a
religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.\
10. We open doors for women. That\'s applied to all women, regardless of
age.\
11. No, there\'s no \'vegetarian special\' on the menu. Order steak, or
you can order the Chef\'s Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham &
turkey.\
12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes:  meats,
vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup!
Oh, yeah\.... We don\'t care what you folks in Cincinnati call that
stuff you eat\... IT AIN\'T REAL CHILI!!\
13. You bring \'Coke\' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served
over ice. You bring \'Mary Jane\' into my house, she better be cute,
know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.\
14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Lakers
and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.\
15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don\'t hit the water hazards \-- it
spooks the fish.\
16. Colleges?  We have them all over. We have State Universities,
Universities, and Vo-techs. They come outta there with an education plus
a love for God and country, and they still wave at everybody when they
come home for the holidays.\
17. We have more folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines than
all of you put together, so don\'t mess with us. If you do, you\'ll get
whipped by the best.\
18. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain\'t
music anyway. We don\'t want to hear it anymore than we want to see your
boxers! (Refer back to #1!)