Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

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I, too, have a mustang that I wanted to try on endurance rides. I retired my arabs from that sport, and wanted to try a different type horse.  I adopted him at a BLM auction 7 years ago, as a 2 yr old, wild as a March hare. Not the "radiator" body type, small and chunky, but I loved his place in the pen of horses he was with. Two years later, when he was old enough and fit to do LDs, I tried two of them. The first one I started in a rope halter, and he did his little trot, even-minded and even-paced, with all the hoopla going on around him. Horses dumping their riders and running amok didn't phase him, as long as they kept their distance, horses flying by him at an extended trot or lope or out of control didn't phase him, as long as they kept their distance. He finished the ride with minutes to spare, and I was very proud of him.  The next ride he was a little more excited at the start, but still under control.  We had a successful ride, but finished in 5 hrs, 57 mins.  It was arduous.  I realized he would trot 4.5 mph all day long (terrain accomodating), but it would take him all day to get there. To get him to trot at 7 mph was WORK.  I call him a pointilist - he doesn't see the point in working that hard. I agree with to finish is to win, but I want to finish in the time allowed, without beating myself to death.

So, I decided to try something different with him.  I was also using him at a livestock auction where I worked to pen back cattle. Now that he liked (and still likes), and he seemed to make some natural moves turning back cattle.  I decided to see if I could take some cutting horse lessons on him, since I knew very little about it. I called several local people in that sport, and was told to go buy a ready-made horse, which wasn't my point. I wanted to see if MY horse had that ability, not buy someone elses horse. Put that goal on hold for a while.  Then 6 months later I ran into a lady who trained and showed cutting horses. I explained my situation, what I was trying to do. She obviously wasn't paying much attention, or I was bumble-mouthed about explaining my goals, because she said she didn't want to teach someone how to break a mustang.  I reexplained that he was broke, had been ridden a lot of miles for 3 years, probablly wasn't too interested in being an endurance horse, but seemed to have what I thought, in my limited experience, was some cow sense, and that I wanted to see if he had any ability to do some cutting.  There was a long pause while the lady thought, and then she came out with "I won't take my cattle out for anything less that a registered quarter horse."!

I hope that you and your mustang both take to endurance riding.  It's a decision that you can make together, and not have to be shut down because she doesn't have the right pedigree.

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