BLM

Utah Wild Horse Clinic May 2005

  
& J.Tipton
 & I volunteered to instruct  

 

Students learning to calm a wild horse by using movements and thought. Me? I've got the only really hat on ....



Lisa lets Iso see who she is.



Here's a new student to mustangs, also seen above with Iso as well as here. Lisa is exploring "Hobie" an under-two colt who's quite happy to let her touch him. He took to her right away. This is a clue that Lisa has figured out how to be a horse for a while. Many, many people just can NOT grasp the concept of being a horse among horses and instead try to lug their predatory and assertive instincts right up to the mustangs. Of course, then the mustangs retreat from them and the can not figure out why.

Nick practicing calming techniques and Iso is falling asleep. Nick is cool, his regular job is to take pack-horses, loaded with supplies, high into the Utah mountain ranges to resupply US Forestry positions.



A happy Lisa who just finished haltering her first mustang.




On the day of the BLM Adoption, I let occasional adopters come into the pens and experience wild mustangs. Nicole, a teenager with tremendous talent for bonding with the mustangs, is seen here, and later on, with the one she adopted !! This is Quiz again just soaking up attention. He too was adopted !!!

 

Ah, Nick is fully on Quiz as I start to lead him off with his very first ever passenger. Ron is there, just in case. But it went well. Quiz is a stocky, well built, three year old. His personality is really cute. I'd like him for a good Polo-Pony.




Nicole gets the halter on, several times in fact. Hobie is completely content to be with her and drifts off to sleep. OK potential students, look at both their faces. Are you guys 'n gals this calm internally and externally when approaching wild horses ?? 

Nicole is learning to find a path where the fresh mustang is comfortable about accepting a halter the first few times. She's a great student, listens very well and really tries to figure out what is wanted. This mustang is "Hobie" and she fell in love with him and subsequently adopted Hobie !!! They can grow up together.




And in September of 2008, here's a grown-up Nicole and her horse "Hobie" Kudos go to both Nicole for teaching herself more about 'Clicker Training' and to her strong family support to get both she and Hobie to where they are today. Compare Hobie on the left and today's Hobie. (Thanks to Nicole's mom for the pix!) .

 

We need Nicole on the gentling team. Here she is explaining to a ten year old boy just how to walk up and pet a wild mustang. Remember now, a little while ago, Nicole had never been near a wild mustang.




Quiz finds an adopter for himself !! It's Meghan from Park City !!

 

A happy and sleepy Hobie and his best friend, Nicole. Gus Warr, the Utah State BLM Wild-Horse Director owns Hobie's bigger brother.  I am trying to get Gus to give me a picture of Big-Hobie doing this, for comparison.




Brushing and loving on Quiz, are we. Oh, by the way, that's Lisa laying over Quiz again. Maybe she was a bronco rider as a teenager? D' ya think?

 

Meghan and Quiz, renamed to Napoleon a very fitting name owing to his stout nature on a Polo Pony frame. Napoleon is at his new home in the mountains of Park City. Can you tell he's happy seeing all that grass?? Nice happy ending to an adoption.



Well, Well !! Since I drive teams at home, you'd think I wouldn't take a "busman's holiday" by going downtown Salt Lake City with Cliff Tipton ... or would you? Cliff and janet were running a tourist carriage ride service throughout heavy traffic in Salt Lake City. Every time Cliff and I have down this, we get so rowdy with laughter that people stare, quite hard, at the two of us .... however, none have been brave enough to comp0lain to two big guys and a huge horse .... probably a sane idea. This has always been the highlight of my SLC gentling trip.

 

Everyone went off, it got quiet, so Lisa and I decided to see what Quiz would think about a saddle. Janet caught Lisa and me explaining it to him. But Quiz was so enthralled with her that I think I could have put a full working harness on the Polo-Pony and he would have not noticed.