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> Have been interested in adopting a mustang for endurance. would like
> to hear from people who have done it. age of mustang when adopted
> would be a consideration. and training techniques.
When Namoi Tyler was campaigning Mustang Lady I used to pick her brain at
the few rides I'd see her at every year. The notion intrigued me. After I
decided to retire my Arab I thought it would be fun to take on a real
project. And a project it is.
It'll take a long time to get one ready for campaigning. I have one I
decided to experiment with, adopted at about age 3 1/2, a mare. The BLM
brochure had her listed at 2 and inspection is close to impossible at a
satelite adoption. The flight instict on a horse so soon off the range is
intense. I'd hoped the filly wasn't in foal, but it turned out to be so.
Techniques one would use with a domestic bred simply won't work with a
feral. Tinture of time is so important. The don't accept punishment in
the same way a domestic bred would. It only reinforces the flight
response. In my personal experience.
As their primary heritage is Spanish Barb they probably shouldn't be
ridden until about the same time one would start an Arab. Growth plates
develop at about the same pace. So had she not been in foal I would have
backed her after about six months, but the breeding intinct simply
underlined her natural flight response. I gave her over a year of working
with her hooves, not an easy task as they see their legs as their flight
vehicle. The rears especially. It takes patience and lots of brushing.
John Lyons likes to say that a horse doesn't even know they have rear
hooves. I found that using his technique of tapping on her rear hooves
helped immensely. I'm not sure if his supposition is correct, but the end
result was positive.
I've been slowly training her for LSD since it stopped raining. I began
her trail work last summer, by leading as I ran on the ground and ponying
from my older gelding with plenty of endurance miles. Tacking is still a
slow procedure, but she gets a little less chincy with every application.
Now she is turning in better respiration after training miles (usually
about 14 with only about half that on her back) then Rebel does, a Polish
Arab with much experience. He's a panter though. Her heart rate is, what
I'd deem exceptional at this point. I've been amazed at how fast she's
progressed in terms of fitness.
Some points to take into consideration are that the fear of the saddle is
enormous. One must really take their time in preparation for the first
ride. The bit must be presented in a gentle manner. I'd dare say a strong
hand on the rein will greatly reduce the horse's will.
It's a high risk that the horse, if not completely gentled and in total
acceptance of the rider will flee at the first opportunity. Once they do
bond to you, joining up as it were, they'll follow you anywhere. You
don't want to lose your horse, your saddle and your heart out on the
trail. They are given to buck, but work in the roundpen and trust will
cure that. Still it's a risk in early trail work. They like to drop thier
necks at the trot and canter. My prior work with racehorses has taught me
that when this happens a buck isn't far behind. the feral does it as if
they've spent any range time at all they eat as they move. It makes it
sometimes difficult to detirmine if it's, "way of going" or a prelude to
dismounting the rider. With time it vanishes. LSD, is perfect for this.
My horse is fit enough currently to compete, at five, in limited
distance, but emotionally unready I think. She readily accepts me, comes
to a whistle in the pasture, sticks her nose in the halter as soon as she
sees it, even offers her hooves for picking and trimming. She doesn't
trust other horses or people. I had planned to start her LD at Malibu,
but frankly feel she's too dangerous for P&R volenteers, vets etc to
handle in a hurry. When you go to the adoption site go a day early and
watch the way they deal with being crowded into the viewing paddocks.
Kick, Kick KICK. At this point she hasn't been able to accept other
horses in close quarters with activity that confuses her. I might start
taking her to rides and take the old gelding to ride in LD just so she
can watch and get an idea of what it's all about. If it's Malibu this
year or Sunland I think she'll be ready and fit.
hope this helps,
t
Tommy Crockett <tomydore@goblin.punk.net>
Los Osos, Ca. 93402-2715
"He asked me, why do you ride for your money?
why do you rope for short pay?"
Michael Burton, Gopher Music, BMI
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/1079
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