Teens and Oregon Mustangs 98 Day Challenge

Day 1: May 19, 2012

The day has finally come. I can't believe that the horses are already here! For the next three months, I will be keeping track of all of my work in this scrapbook; today's posting and pictures are the first of many that I will be keeping updated, so you can see something new every day (or every other day if it proves to be as busy as I expect)!
After a meeting for all of the first-time trainers at one o'clock, the horses starting loading up. Of course, this is much easier said than done, because a few were absolutely set on not going into that horrible contraption that they might get eaten by... but everyone worked hard and got through all of the horses in pretty good time.
Those that were going to be staying at FitzGerald Farms as boarders, including mine, were left in the pens as the others loaded. Then, with some rearranging of the fence panels from the now-vacant pens, a new chute system was set up to drive the boarding mustangs from their pens to a stall-- and this is when reality really set in for me! I was soon going to have to face my little colt, and with how ornery he had been seeming among the other horses, I have to say I was a bit nervous.
Some of the horses went in rather easily, but, as before with the trailers, some did not want to go into another place of confinement. A big group of us stood to block off the opposite aisle way from their stall, while flaggers directed them to it from the other side; it was sometimes a bit tricky to get their nose facing the open doorway that they needed to go through, but we pulled it off, and everyone was able to get to work with their mustang!
I have not yet named my dark colt-- I want to work with him a bit more and get to know him. He will have a really nice coat when I am able to brush him, and I love his coloring; his front and rear quarters are a dark gray (almost black), but his midsection has more of a dusty brown tone to it. His left rear pastern is white, which was the distinguishing factor when trying to find him with the other horses-- being quite a bit smaller, he does not stick out above them, and is often right in the center of the bunch. So I look for his white foot underneath, and watch for what trouble he is causing.
He is a bit ornery; while the group that he was in seemed to be rather quarrelsome, he was the biter that stood out. He would nip another horse's leg or side, ears laid back deviously, and sometimes chase them out of the bunch. This was the main thing that worried me about his training; I have never been bitten by a horse, though I have heard that it isn't a wonderful experience, and I really hope that he isn't a biter all the time.
After actually moving him into his stall, though, I started to feel much more confident; I think that he is just a bluffer, making himself seem tougher and meaner than he actually is. Furthermore, I was able to feed him hay from my hand, and another of the trainers there touched him on the nose. Since he did not lay his ears back or attempt to bite either of us, I wonder whether he will have a big problem with that. Just to be sure, though, I am keeping him stalled next to a grown horse, so that he can hopefully learn some manners-- only being around yearlings might not do him so well, because I don't think they will put him in check like he needs to be.
I am really looking forward to what I can do tomorrow. I know that his training will be a long process, but in the end, should be worth all the time and hard work. On first impression, I think that this colt is going to make a good horse, and I hope to do everything I need to so that he can reach his full potential.
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(Look for the bright blue halter, in the middle)

(There's his white foot)

    

May 20, 2012

I didn't get to work with my colt so long today as I was wanting to; however, we still made some progress, and I can tell he is sizing me up just as I am him. I have yet to understand his true character, though I am thinking he will make a great horse when he knows that I am not his enemy.

I was able to walk in his stall and put hay up in the rack, and he did take some from my hand. I lightly touched his nose twice, and am really looking forward to when he will be less afraid of me. I am lucky, though; after seeing some of the other mustangs, my colt seems much less fearful in comparison, and I feel a lot safer around him than I would others. 

He licks his lips a lot, which is a sign of submission-- while not necessarily trust, this is still good, because he does not see himself as being the "boss", and it will not be so much a power struggle. I am planning to work him in the round pen tomorrow, and know that this could be a big task. Having never been round penned, he could take several hours to come around, and this isn't exactly an easy activity for horses or trainers... it's a lot of work! Nonetheless, I am definitely looking forward to what the next training session will hold. 

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 (The stall openings have to be tightly roped off to keep the crazier yearlings from jumping through!)

(His first stall experience)

May 21, 2012

While I didn't make it out to the FitzGerald's as early as planned, I was still able to work with my colt (I have still not found the perfect name!!) for several hours today. I sat in his stall for a while, and he came up several times to smell me and eat the hay that I gave him. He even reached out to touch my palm with his nose!

Later came a bigger step: with the help of Erica, I was able to hold his lead rope and ease closer to him, with the goal of touching him for a longer period of time. This was nerve racking for me, as I am sure it was for him; I cannot describe the feeling that comes over you when stuck in a stall with a whirling mustang! I held on to the lead rope and did my best to keep him facing me, rather than turning his back to me, and I was sure it was only a matter of time before I would be kicked. Luckily, he settled down before anything bad happened, and we did not go through that again.

I was finally able to pet him, working my way up the lead rope and moving gradually from his forehead to his cheeks, then the top of his neck, and back to his shoulder. He is still very nervous when I do this, but I could see when he became more relaxed with me being so close. During this time, I was even able to untie the yellow number tag from his neck, an accomplishment that I had thought would wait till another day. 

In many ways, today was a big step forward, but at the same time, I feel like it is all coming along so slowly. I know it's only the second day, but I feel like I have made so little progress. Then again, he is still a wild horse, and being as far as we are, I can't really complain.

 I will be working more on being able to touch him before I work in the round pen, because he has to associate petting as a reward before round penning will be effective. Depending on how this goes, I will be working on this same thing for the next day or two, at least. I hope that he comes more out of his shell-- while overall a pretty bold little yearling, he seems to still be afraid, which is understandable. Still, I can't wait until he comes to like being around me.

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 (First real touches!)

(I started with his forehead, gradually moving to his cheeks and neck)

(His tag is now hanging on my wall)

May 22, 2012

I was so impressed today as I worked with my colt after school! Though only for a couple of hours, I can tell how much more comfortable my colt has become with me and the rest of his surroundings. It almost seemed to me like he had been training himself since I had left yesterday-- right when I walked into his stall, and turned my shoulder to him so that he could approach me from the side, he came up and smelled me confidently.

I was again able to hold his lead rope and pet him, this time reaching further back on his shoulder. Once I even touched the dusty tufts of brown hair that encircle his sides, as you have probably seen in pictures, and I can see the difference from yesterday in his eyes alone. I can't believe how quickly he has seemed to come around just since yesterday! I am so proud of him.

To further impress me, the ornery colt let me lead him a few steps in his stall, and was hardly frightened as I cleaned it. He stood quietly in the corner the entire time, letting me get almost up to his front feet with the rake as I scraped and scooped out all of the old bedding. Several times, he even walked up to the front of the stall to let Layla (one of Josh and Erica's daughters) pet him through the bars. As she said, "he came up like a puppy".

He is extremely curious about new things, and when I came back to his stall from emptying the old shavings, he had the rake on the ground and was sniffing, nibbling, and pawing at this strange contraption. It is funny to see the difference in how he reacts to new things versus those he is familiar with; he definitely gets pretty sure of himself if there is something he's used to.

He eats like-- well, a horse-- and loves his hay. Today as I brought it in, he came to wait at the hay rack, and from then until the time I left he was eating nonstop. I am going to be introducing some grain to him over the next few days, and I think he will take to it quickly. This should help him fill out and put some weight on, and I can hardly imagine what he will look like at the end of this summer; all filled out, brushed, and trained, he is going to be so handsome!

I am having a hard time waiting until tommorrow's training. I wonder how much farther my little colt will have come, and whether or not he will be ready for the next big steps: leading outside the stall and round-penning!

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May 23, 2012
Well, I am relieved to say that I have finally settled on a name for my horse. Today I decided that "Twist" is fitting for him-- he has the typical mustang look about him, with a rounded nose, shaggy hair, and for now, a dusty coat. It was one of my original name picks, seeming especially good for a wild horse, but I just wasn't sure until today.
Things started out pretty slow, and Twist had seemed a bit more nervous today, so I hadn't really expected to get very far. But he impressed me again when he finally settled in, letting me pet all the way to his shoulder and even following me around the stall a bit. If all goes well, he should be ready to round pen on Friday, after a bit more practice with leading tomorrow and some continued petting.
I also introduced Twist to some grains; he has been eating everything I give him, and even accepted this new food right away. I will feed him more and more over the next couple of days, and once he has become adjusted to the new grain rations, I will set up a salt block. I just want to do these things slowly though, so that he isn't having too much to get used to at once.
So far, all has been going very well, and I really hope that it stays that way. I will be putting more pictures up by this weekend, so keep checking back!
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May 24, 2012

Today was another good day for Twist. He is obviously more comfortable with me, and I have figured out his process for getting used to new things. Once he is sure that something isn't a threat to him, he then has to decide whether or not it is edible, because if it is, he wants to eat it! If he decides that it is not made for a horse to eat, he will tolerate whatever new thing has invaded his stall, but it doesn't get any special attention from him if it doesn't taste good. He is so comical-- I think his head is a bit too big for the rest of him, being one of the smallest mustangs that came in!

We worked again on simple touch today. I was able to reach all the way to the base of his mane, just where it crests above his back. Since he has decided that I am not a cougar who wants to eat him, he is content with being pet, and will stand with his nose just touching me for almost the whole time. He will occasionally reach his head up to sniff my face or arm, and today even nibbled on my hair, which was at first a bit scary for me because, being so close, I didn't want to make a wrong move and scare him.

I was able to completely clean out his stall, too. He stands in the corner opposite from where I am working, nibbling through the shavings (for some more hay or for fun, I still am not sure...) or sometimes coming up to inspect the rake. I made extra noise and banged the rake around a bit as I cleaned, and he never panicked or even flinched. He is getting more used to sudden noises and faster movement each day.

When I brought a wheelbarrow full of shavings and dumped it from the doorway of the stall, he was at first a bit unsure about whether he should be afraid, but when he smelled the shavings he was fine with it. He wans't at all concerned, either as I spread them out, kicking the shavings around with my feet through the whole stall. I even tossed some onto his foot, and he didn't pay any attention to it. The movement was really good for him, and his "personal bubble" is getting noticeably smaller each time I work with him.

Before I finished up for the day, I brought Twist his hay and a full scoop of grains, which he has adjusted to quickly. He seems to be extremely adaptable, and has only settled in more since becoming used to my presence. I plan to reach his sides tommorrow as I pet him, and, as I have said, work him in the round pen. He needs hardly any pressure to follow me on his lead rope, and is taking more steps at once. I know that leading him out of his stall could be much different, but he is improving so much all the same.

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May 25, 2012

Well I am not sure why, but the posts that I updated for the 25th and 26th did not save to the blog, which I did not know until today (the 27th)... so I will have to try to remember everything that I wanted to include.

Today I worked Twist in the round pen for the first time! After reminding him that I am still not an enemy, and leading him a bit around his stall, I led him out to the arena.

He did extremely well for his first time being led out of the stall, past so many new horses and a crowd of people. Once in the arena he tried to pull away from the gate where everyone was standing, nearly dragging me off my feet... but I held on and got him calmed down again, and finally he was willing to follow me into the round pen.

To make my work more understandable, round penning a horse is more of a process used to get them to "join up"; to come to you and be taught that you are their safe place. Using a concept termed variously as pressure and release, you basically assume the role of an elder herd member, driving them away for some sort of trouble. By keeping your shoulders square to them and your eyes right on theirs, you are telling them to stay away, you are not ready for them to come back. Remaining in the general center of the pen, you keep moving to them, so that they are always moving around the perimeter in the direction you want them to. As the horse runs, you are looking for the signs that they are ready to join up; they will ask in their own way for your forgiveness, for your company. But before let them come in to you, they must give you their full attention, recognizing you as a guardian and everything else as a potential threat if they are not with you.

Their inside ear should face you all the time, even if you turn them around to be driven in the opposite direction-- they should always have the inside ear turned to you. They should also be looking to you with their eyes.

The final and greatest indication is licking and chewing; as the horse runs, they will begin to show their submission by doing so. As soon as this happens, you must intercept their run at a forty-five degree angle, dropping your shoulders into a completely relaxed posture. When they turn their head and face you, back up a few steps, inviting them to come by looking down at the ground and keeping your posture dramatically relaxed. If they redirect their focus toward anything other than you, though, whether it be outside people or horses, they must run again; they need to learn that only with you will they find relief. When the horse is finally ready to join up, they will follow right behind you wherever you go. Thus, the entire concept of pressure and release: you are driving them away from you with pressure, but inviting them to come to you with any release. If they do not pay attention to you, they will be under greater pressure.

A yearling mustang will not join up to the extent that a domesticated horse will. They are still cautious about being around people, and instead of walking to you they will usually only square up to you, sometimes taking a step or two forward but not moving much otherwise. This is just what Twist did-- after mostly trotting him around the round pen for some time, I watched for the signs and drew his attention wholly to me after two or so invites to join up.

When he squared up and was, for a mustang his age, joined up, I walked around to him and eventually got his lead rope. By now we were both drenched with sweat-- and I mean drenched. I began as with any time that I touched him, working from his forehead, to his cheeks and neck, and gradually into the less comfortable places, including his now-dripping shoulder, sides, back, and hips. In time, I was able to reach all the way to his hip at the point just above his tail, and he grew more comfortable all the while that I was not a threat.

From time to time, I would turn away from Twist and begin walking away, no longer touching him. He caught on quickly to leading, and when he would hesitate, I would apply pressure until he moved, releasing it with his first step forward. By the time his first session in the round pen was over, he led easily back to his stall, much easier to handle than before. He had worked long and hard for me, and I pet him a bit more before giving him some more hay and grain.

With such a good day under our belts, I hope that Twist continues to learn as well as he has so far. I couldn't be prouder of how far he has already come... but it is so hard to wait and see how he will be tomorrow, or next week, or even in a month, let alone three months!

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May 26, 2012

Twist impressed me today before we even got to the round pen. He led out of his stall and into the arena without any problems, hesitating just once when an unfamiliar horse reached out to smell him. He took a bit longer to join up today than yesterday, which I at first thought was stubbornness, but my mom-- who has watched both round pen sessions so far-- said that he more looked to be enjoying himself, just happy to be out of his stall and running around.

When he did join up, I was able to walk directly to his lead rope and pick it up, rather than work back and forth around him until it was in the right place. Once again, I worked my way back to his hip as I pet him, and he led easily around the pen. To keep him challenged, I began swinging the lead rope as I walked, and at first he hesitated at sight of this strange movement. It did not take long, though for him to ignore it, following me without any trouble even when I began swinging it in full circles.

Before we finished, I led Twist out of the round pen and walked him awhile in the arena. He still followed me quietly, only nervous when we passed the gate because of the strange people he saw and heard beyond it. When we were all finished, I led him to his stall once more, and he stood quietly as I pet him one final time. It seemed like he was disappointed that I was leaving, because when I slid the door shut, he sniffed it like he had expected to be able to come with me.

I was hoping to brush Twist today, but have decided that I will wait at least a few days longer so that I do not scare him too much; horses see outspread hands like the claws of a cougar, and I think that sight of a curry comb would have the same effect. I just want him to be more used to me before I do that; while some of the other horses and trainers have moved ahead of us in some ways, I think that going slower will help him to form a stronger bond with me.

I plan to round pen Twist every day for the next week or so at least, so that he better understands it and knows without a doubt that I am his friend, not a cougar. With how much he improved today, I wonder what they next days will bring; I hadn't really expected him to lead so well right off the bat, but he did better than yesterday even before I had worked him in the pen. He is coming along so well!

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May 27, 2012

I was not able to work with Twist today as I had expected. We were out of town and did not get back in time for me to do anything but feed him, and I only hope that he does not somehow regress having not been worked for a day.

However, I still was able to do some things that will help in Twist's later training: I bought a lead rope and two new halters for him, plus a big bouncy ball that will not only help him get used to intimidating new things but also give him a toy later. I have decided that the next step in his training will be only a small stretch from where we are now, but will greatly help him trust me and get used to facing things that scare him. In our next round pen session, I will do as I have in the past two, working him and then leading him. This time, though, I will begin leading him over small obstacles, just little things laid out on the ground that he will see and become nervous about. After he has become more comfortable with this, I will introduce him to the ball. To keep him from panicking too much in such a small space as his stall, I will do so also in the round pen, letting him run around and investigate it on his own time while I sit back a bit and watch.

I plan to spend however much of the day I can tomorrow working with him. I will clean his stall, round pen him, lead him over new obstacles, and let him play a bit since he couldn't do much today. This next week, him being more used to me and I him, I will be setting some more definite goals for us to meet, including the obstacles and ball that I have mentioned, and loud sounds and unexpected movements. While these things will all scare him at first, they are crucial to his handling, because never being exposed to such things could be a threat to him later on. I do not want him to be so sheltered from new things that he is sent into a frenzy when facing them outside the barn, as in the upcoming parades or public shows that we will be doing. It will be hard at first I think, but he is a bold horse and should catch on quickly.

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P.S...

I am having much trouble getting the most recent pictures and videos put up, so please bear with me as I try to figure out how to get them posted. I hope to get them up- to- date as soon as possible, but expect this to be an indefinite wait until I figure it out! Thanks for your understanding, and I apologize for the trouble.

May 28, 2012

Today was spent as I had hoped it would be-- I worked Twist in the round pen for the third time, and he joined up with  me so readily that he wasn't even sweating. As usual, I pet him and led him around, but today also coaxed him over a yellow pool noodle.

I only led Twist over the obstacle once; I think that we will work more with solid objects before he has to cross something that is so springy and easily moved. He did fine, better than expected actually, but honestly the experience scared both of us.

I crossed the noodle first, doing so calmly so that he would be more likely to follow my example. With a little of the pressure- and- release process applied to his lead rope, he got his front feet over smoothly, but then clipped the foamy noodle with his rear ones, which caused it to flop unexpectedly beneath him. He jumped straight up in the air, all four feet off the ground, and came to me as if seeking my protection.

I know that he would have probably been fine after getting used to it a few more times, but I just didn't want him to go through that yet, not until he has learned to step all the way over things.

As on Saturday, I led him around the arena before returning him to his stall, which I had cleaned while letting him stretch in the round pen after his workout. He paid little attention to the salt block and apple pieces that I laid by his hay pile, though I think he will have begun eating them by tomorrow. The apple had been in his stall for about four days, and he still hadn't eaten it, so I broke it open into several pieces to see if the juicy inside attracted him more than the drier outside. I doubt if he has ever seen an apple, since it is unlikely that his herd had access to apple trees while running wild in East-central Oregon.

 If all goes as planned, tomorrow will be a big day for Twist's training. I want to introduce him to brushing, and to stepping over solid objects... both big steps for him to take separately, and even bigger when put into the same day. But I think he is ready for a challenge.

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May 29, 2012

Twist and I both seemed to need a more kicked- back day today. Instead of brushing or any major steps as I had planned, I just spent time with him in his stall. I cleaned it out without any trouble from him, and I pet him often to help him become more familiar with me directly approaching him. I also fed him from my hand, and had to laugh at how carefully he takes hay with his lips.

While it was an overall relaxed day, I did accomplish something of significant importance. Rather than waiting for the lead rope to by moved into the right place on the ground where I can pick it up, I practiced walking up to Twist and reaching out for it below his head, then petting him without any pressure. He did very well, and I am glad to have started breaking that ice.

I noticed today that Twist finally ate his apple. I am sure that breaking it open made it more appealing to him, with the stronger smell seeming more edible to him. He also had moved his salt block from where I had set it, and today as I watched him he was trying to move it again with his feet. I am not quite sure if he understands the concept of it... but maybe he will figure out to use his tongue.

Before leaving, I fed Twist his normal portion of grain, but this time made him eat it out of the bucket. At first he was afraid to approach it, but once he realized that there was food at stake here, he got over his fear and was eating from it in no time.

I have to say that he eats more than I thought he could... four flakes a day from a three- string bale is a lot for his little body, but even just since I got him I have noticed he is growing, so that is probably why. He has

even lost some of his scruffy hair since yesterday, the brown patches being smaller and fewer on his sides. I scrubbed them today  with my hands, and was able to get more of the tufts off, but still can not wait to brush him!

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May 30, 2012

We had to leave school right away and head for Portland today, where we watched the Timbers game... we did not get home until after midnight, so I wasn't able to even see Twist today. I hope he is not too disappointed!

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May 31, 2012

I was able to spend a short time with Twist today. It has been such a busy week, and we have school tomorrow on top of that (Perrydale has longer days to make up for a four- day week). However, I got little accomplished, because when I got to his stall I saw his halter laying on the ground. Somehow he had gotten it off of his head, meaning that I have no lead rope to lead him around or control him. Luckily I have already gotten him a new one, but the tricky part is getting it on!

We will have to see how this goes, because it will definitely be interesting until I can get it on him.

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June 3, 2012

Since he has gotten his halter off, I have not been able to accomplish anything with Twist. It has been a very frustrating wait, but I have planned a lesson with Erica FitzGerald to get some help on tackling such a challenge. I have tried several times in the past few days to approach him, and he lets me come near without any trouble, but does not want me to pet him-- which must be the first step in getting a halter on him.

I apologize for the wait, but as I have been able to do nothing to move forward with his training, there was nothing new really to write about. I hope to have a lesson scheduled for tomorrow, but we will have to wait and see how everything turns out.

I hope that something happens soon-- I feel extremely pressured about not moving forward at all for several days, and it is even worse not knowing where to turn next.

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June 4, 2012

With TONS OF THANKS to Josh and Erica, Twist began the day with his new halter on! Once this was done, we were able to begin moving forward once more, and finished up on a good note.

I "desensitized" Twist a bit more today, moving up and down each of his sides instead of just his left (the favored and more comfortable "near" side of all horses). I am able to hold onto both of his front knees, though I have not yet tried picking them up. I also got him used to being touched with both of my hands at once, and to being touched by the lead rope without panicking.

The biggest accomplishment for today was with an empty feed sack. I introduced it to Twist gradually after once more having his halter and lead rope on him, and by the end of today was able to crinkle, wave, and rub him with it all over. I have even been able to get it partially underneath him, and we will continue to work on this each day until he is not concerned by it at all.

To finish up, I led Twist outside for the first time since I have had him, and he did not try to run as I had expected. He followed right along behind me, touching me with his nose when he got scared. He does very well except in narrow spaces, but we will continue to work on this until he is comfortable with it; I was able to lead him everywhere that I wanted except between a suburban and a fence.

I am extremely happy to have gotten back to work today, but now I still have four behind me to make up-- and will not have this weekend to work with him, since we will be out of town for the Sisters Rodeo until Sunday night.

But with just one week left of school after this weekend, I look forward to working with Twist longer each day throughout the summer, and hope that it all goes well-- with no more hold ups like we just had!

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June 5, 2012

Today I spent several hours working with Twist out of his stall. After a good cleaning, which I ran out of time to do yesterday, I worked a long rope onto his halter (a gradual switch with his normal lead rope, since he hasn't gotten used to his whiskers being touched) so that I could better walk him around outside the stall.

Today we had only one "incident", if it is even to be called that. A dog came running past Twist soon after we first went outside, and he is still afraid of them, but he calmed down quickly and gave me no more trouble as I walked him around the barn and through several gates.

Returning him to his stall after eight wasn't very difficult, because there were few people crowded around for him to be focused on. With a reminder that the rope change would require his whiskers to be tickled, he soon let me switch his ropes and stood calmly all the while.

I noticed today that he has been responding more to his name. Although it could just be the sound that gets his attention, he looks up or turns around to face me when I call his name from outside the stall, and pays less attention to other noises or words. While he won't of course have fully registered that Twist is his name quite yet, it is good that he at least seems to be recognizing it as an attention-grabber.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I should be able to put in a long day before being out of town this weekend, though I am still worried about being behind, having missed four days already after he got his halter off.

Overall, I think that he is improving at a good rate, and if we continue to work on new things he should definitely be able to compete with the others by August.

Only time will tell.

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(You can tell in this picture that he is starting to lose much of his foal coat)

(This picture really shows how dark he is getting)

June 6, 2012

I spent a good amount of time working with Twist today, continuing with some of the things we have already been working on. He did much better with his lead rope switch today, though this is something that we will be doing every day until he isn't bothered by it at all.

I walked him outside for the third time today, and he seemed to enjoy it. He grazed a bit and got more used to vehicles and other people, however we still have some obvious work to do with things that scare him (and me, for that matter!).

I rubbed him down with an empty feed sack again, and he accepted it much faster than the first time I tried a few days ago. After this I introduced him to brushing, which he accepted surprisingly fast. I was able to brush everywhere that I tried, all the way to the base of his tail and to his rear haunches. I think this is because it was a rather familiar feel, since horses often groom each other in the wild, and I hope that it only made him more comfortable with me.

Another day I will brush his mane, and I will have to wait and see about his tail...

It will be difficult to lose this weekend for working on him, since we will be out of town, but summer is now just a week away, and I will have time then to focus on his training. I only hope that I am doing everything right for him!

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June 7-10, 2012

I have really been missing Twist while gone on our trip... I hope that he doesn't get too upset at not getting to walk out of the barn as we have been doing, but I plan to work on him a good deal in the coming days as summer gets nearer!

P.S... I would really like to thank Erica Brand for feeding while I'm gone!

*  *  *

June 11, 2012

Today was an easy, but progressive day for Twist's training. I cleaned his stall and then worked him in the round pen, letting him run again and stretch his legs. He did very well this time, joining up more fully than he has before and following me around without his lead rope (in the pen).

I was impressed at his confidence while I led him to the round pen from his stall. There was a bit of a crowd

near the gate into the arena, including two dogs. While he did get a bit nervous and step closer to me as he usually does when he is afraid, he didn't try to pull away from them, and was easy to handle the entire way to the round pen.

I am happy with how Twist is improving, but I know that they coming weeks we will both need to be put out of our comfort levels if we hope to be ready in time for the upcoming parades and public events-- not to

mention the final competition.

Hopefully we can keep working well together without any more holdups!

*  *  *

June 12, 2012

After finally reaching his face and petting him (it still takes him a moment to let me because he pulls his face away until remembering that he likes being pet), I led Twist out of his stall to the round pen for a workout. He did very well along the way, considering the people and dogs that waited right next to him in the aisle way, and joined up with me just as well as he did yesterday. I led him around a bit outside the round pen, then we walked back and forth in the aisle way so that he could get used to walking through it with other people and animals around. I am impressed with how suddenly he seems to have gotten used to the traffic; once, he didn't try to get away or even crowd up to me when someone ran through the door behind him, and

even though I was even kind of nervous, he trusted me and stood in place until I led him back to his stall. We

finished up the day with some brushing, as I plan to do from now on to get him into more of a routine.

With a day and a half left of the school year, I am really looking forward to spending more time with him each day, and can't wait to see how he improves.

*  *  *

June 13, 2012

I was able to work with Twist for a decent chunk of time today, rubbing him with an empty feedsack again and running him a bit in the round pen. He acted kind of skittish at first, but by the end of the workout was doing just fine.

He walked in and out of his stall without any trouble, even though there were two people right next to him both times. As I led him back in, he reached out to smell one of the people, and didn't try to get farther away as we passed.  Tomorrow is finally my last day of school, and from then on out we will be able to train for most of each day. I am really looking forward to seeing how he progresses-- with a rubbing down each day of the grain sack and a good brushing, with leading in between, he should begin to get much more comfortable around other people and things.

*  *  *

June 14, 2012

Twist did well in the couple of hours that I spent with him today. We focused mainly on my approach; he likes to be pet, but is scared to let me touch him initially, so I have been trying each day to work him through that. He seems to be improving a bit, but I can tell he is still hesitant on the idea.

I cleaned his stall out today as I let him walk around the round pen, and came back to rub him with the feed sack. He had been smelling it on his own while I was cleaning his stall, so it wasn't too scary for him, but he still needs some more work with it.

As I was in the round pen with Twist, animal after animal passed by, getting him used to new things-- chickens, baby birds, dogs, cats, and later in his stall, a rolly-poly little mouse. The traffic is good for him, because he really needs that extra movement to get used to. I find the regular crowds of the barn very helpful

(even if a bit scary for me as I lead him down the aisle way).

*  *  *

June 15, 2012

Today I brushed Twist for a good while, getting most of the dust out of his now- black coat. He has finished losing all of his foal hair, and his coat is becoming quite sleek and dark. After his body brushing, I introduced him to a regular brush, letting him sniff it and getting closer to him bit by bit. I began by brushing his bangs, which he definitely seemed to enjoy, and then moved over his ears to his mane. He eventually became used to the new feeling, and I took my time brushing out his mane.

After the brushing, I switched out his short lead rope for a long one and led him outside for a bit, leading him even through the narrow aisle way of the other barn and near the busy-ness of the main barn for the evening lessons.

We still have a way to go, especially with other people being near him, but I see Twist's improvements every day and am so glad that I will be able to spend more time with him in the coming weeks of summer.

*  *  *

June 16, 2012

We had a wedding to go to today, so I was only able to feed Twist on our way back to town for the night. He is responding to his name, though when he hears me, looking up and coming to smell through the bars. He was ready for me to toss his hay through and didn't jump back like he used to at the sudden movement, which is a small but important step for him. I am going to be working him for a while tomorrow, beginning with brushing, then rubbing him with a feed sack in the round pen, and leading him outside. It should be a productive day if all goes well, as I hope it will.

*  *  *

June 17, 2012

Today got off to a great start, and I say so with sarcasm. Somehow Twist got his halter off again, and after some time playing his stubborn game (he takes advantage when he knows you can't really make him do something) we were able to get his halter back on, with a huge thanks to Laurynn Martin.

Once his halter was finally back on and he knew that his fun was over, Twist worked very well for me. I led him through several crowded spaces today, and had several people walk up to pet him. Then I brushed him, including his mane, and rubbed him with the empty feed sack again before having him begin walking over it. He quickly accepted the bag's movements and sounds when stepping on it, and we will continue to work on these things in focus until he is ready to move on. He will be seeing a lot of his brushes, feed sack, and other people to get him used to new things.

P.S... thanks again to Laurynn!

*  *  *

June 18, 2012

After cleaning his stall, I was able to get Twist out in the round pen easily despite there being a number of kids and other people around him. He did well and joined up much stronger today, letting me reach out and pet him without pulling away. I worked on getting his lead rope on and off, which he let me do easily most of the time.

After more brushing and rubbing- down with a feed sack, I am going to work on leading him over a bridge tomorrow, which could be a big task. I know that he's ready, but I'm not-- and that's the biggest problem. We have a lot to do between now and the July parade and Trail Ride, and it's going to take me swallowing my fears and getting us both out of our comfort levels.

*  *  *

June 19, 2012

Today got off to a bit of a frustrating start as I tried to get Twist's lead rope back on, having taken it off yesterday for the first time. All it took was me being more determined to clip the rope onto his halter-- and once he realized that I had gotten it on, he acted perfectly for me the rest of the evening.

With several people walking alongside me to get him used to that extra pressure, I took Twist outside to work on walking him over the bridge as I had planned to do yesterday. As I approached the bridge, I expected a bit of a struggle; but after walking up and over it myself, Twist followed me as though he had been doing it all day. I was soon walking him across in all directions, stopping him on it, and stomping on it for extra sound-- all without any trouble. Then I led him back into his stall for his grooming, brushing the top of his tail a bit and working down farther on his legs than I have been. He did very well, and I plan to always keep him doing things from now on that he is not yet comfortable with. Next step: being in the round pen with a yoga ball.

*  *  *

June 20, 2012

I was able to get Twist onto his lead rope today and take him out into the round pen for a quick workout. It was not too hot in the shaded arena, and he didn't even break a sweat before he joined up with me. I left him to go get a feed sack to rub him down with, but when I came back he was running laps in the round pen to keep up with a horse being ridden on the outside of it. Twist stopped when he saw me, and came forward as if expecting me to give him some directions, but I wanted him to get a bit more exercise while he was apparently having fun, so I cleaned his stall and gave him some time to goof off.

When I was finished in his stall, I returned to Twist in the round pen with a saddle blanket instead of the original feed sack, which I was unable to find. The blanket was good for him because of the new material and movement, and once I got past his face, he was fine with letting it be set across his back and up his neck, then finally over his hips. He didn't panic very much at all, and I decided to further challenge him with a big, brightly colored ball. He came up and sniffed it before I had even tried to lead him to it, and was fine with me rolling it or bouncing it. He enjoyed nudging it with his upper lip like he was playing with it.

To finish up for the evening, I brushed Twist down and rubbed his legs to get him more used to me touching him all over. I noticed today that he is much less jumpy when I reach out to pet him, and he needed no coaxing to let me brush him. And finally, as I led him back to his stall, he had no problem with the dogs that came up to sniff him, even though there were about five of them. He did very well overall, and I will keep challenging him (and myself in the process) so that he is ready for the upcoming parade-- which we will be walking in in just two weeks.

*  *  *

June 21, 2012

This morning I worked with Twist for several hours, running him in the round pen, leading him through a crowd, letting new people pet him, rubbing him all over with a pool noodle, and just trying to desensitize him overall. After the pool noodle rubbing, I quickly worked him with the saddle blanket again, but he had no problems with this sort of "review" and I was able to finish up in the round pen quickly.

In his stall, I brushed Twist down as he munched contently on his hay, and worked myself to his tail today. He didn't mind at all as I brushed through it, even pulling out a twisted little piece of wire. He is looking so pretty, and I can't wait until I give him a bath to get the last of the dust out of his coat.

To finish up for the day, I sat in a chair in Twist's stall to eat my sandwich and he his hay, though I brought him a slice of bread and some carrots. He took the bread pieces that I offered him and apparently liked them, though he would raise his upper lip and nod each time as if they were too dry or tasted funny. He did not like the carrots, though. The first one he took from my hand and spit back out, returning to his hay instead. It makes me laugh at how picky of an eater he can be.

I left the barn today in a much better mood than I sometimes have been, feeling like we had accomplished more and were on our way to greater improvement, and I can't wait to return tomorrow.

*  *  *

June 22, 2012

Today was off to a bit of a rocky start, due to the fact that Twist, for a third time, slipped his halter off! However, within about an hour, I was luckily able to get it back onto him on my own, without even a rope to hold him. I began by rubbing his nose with it, then working on to the rest of his body, and finally getting him used to it being around his neck and under his chin. From there I was able to hold both sides and slip it up over his nose, buckling it above his ears without any trouble.

Beyond the halter incident, I had no further problems the rest of the time. We worked in the round pen and walked outside a bit as usual, and I let him graze for a while. With a daily trip or two over it, he now has no fears of the little bridge, and is much less worried about things touching him after our practices with the pool noodle and saddle blanket.

Before leaving him for the day I took Twist's halter off of him intentionally; better now than never, really. It is best to start working on it on my own time instead of letting him get it off himself and me have to hope that I can get it back on. With how he did today, I do not think that tomorrow will be that big of a problem to get it back on. Having started with this, my next step is to begin loading him and unloading him into trailers, which could be a big task.

*  *  *

June 23, 2012

I was able to get Twist's halter back on rather easily today, and let him run a bit in the round pen while I cleaned his stall. I also measured him with a tape, and found him to be 13:2 1/2 (which means thirteen hands, two and a half inches, measured from the ground to his withers-- the highest point of his hips). For those who don't know, a hand is four inches, and thirteen hands is basically the size of a pony. I am sure he will grow more, probably another hand or so, but still have to laugh at how little he is!

With the rain we've been having, I thought it would be a good chance to take him through some puddles, which I have noticed before he takes care to go around. It was obvious in our work that he doesn't care much for water, and though I finally got him to step daintily through a couple I know that we still have work to do on that.

After coming inside I led Twist to his stall, and led him still as I pushed the wheelbarrow out. The movement and noise was good for him, and he sniffed it curiously before I pushed it out and slid his stall door shut.

We have made a routine of his grooming, and he seems to enjoy the brushing. I was able to comb through his tail again today, and he paid me no notice when I did. It helps that he still hasn't tried really kicking out at anything, and isn't too afraid of the pool noodle or anything else rubbing his back legs.

I took the halter off again today before I left, and he stood easily to let me do so. He is having less of a problem with things under his chin and head, and I will just have to keep working him on this until he hardly even notices.

*  *  *

June 24, 2012

Today was a rather short workday for Twist. I only spent a couple of hours with him, but he readily let me halter him and walk around in the arena, outside, then back to the arena again, with my little sister and her friend walking along nearby.

As I walked him in the arena for his final few laps, the two girls with me were running around making noise and kicking the big soccer ball that I have worked him with before, but he paid little attention to them. I also got him used to other people petting him, by walking him up to the arena gate and letting the girls pet him. He let them reach his cheeks as well, which is surprising because he has always been careful about that, and did fine when they pet him without a gate in between. Soon I will be getting him used to other people grooming him, so that he isn't so worrisome when around them.

He is still doing fine walking over the bridge, even when I jump on it to make it wobble. I will be making an appointment with Erica in the next few days hopefully to work on trailering him, and also getting him wormed-- which I have heard can be a big problem even for more behaved horses. But I think that he will settle down once he realizes that we aren't going to hurt him; his boldness, though sometimes a pretend front that he puts up, has been coming through to help him with the tests that I put him through.

*  *  *

June 25, 2012

After an easy haltering, Twist experienced many new things today, from in-hand trotting and longer distance backing to haunch turns and ponying (being led by a saddled horse and rider). He did very well, even though he suddenly found himself among seven other horses-- five of which were mustangs, another a horse- in- training-- and eight people, all in the arena alone.

To begin, we ponied Twist to get him to follow better on a lead. Of course, we went through about three different halters until we found the one that fit him best (or in other words, was smaller than the typical pony or yearling size). This is when I was able to see his full stubbornness come through; he laid back on his haunches like a mule and put up as much resistance as he could to a gelding three times his size. Twist apparently does not acknowledge the slight (actually, major) difference in height and width between himself and most other horses, but he sure does have a bigger streak of stubbornness. Which can be comical most of the time, until you really need him to do something.

Within a rather short time, though, Twist realized that there are actually things a bit stronger than him, and he walked, trotted, stopped, and even backed with the lead of the saddle horse. When I led him again myself, I noticed right away that he started faster, and trotted when I asked it of him, which we have not yet been able to do.

Next we went through a couple of basic showmanship patterns, which is new to both Twist and I. When it was all finished, I led Twist back to his stall through a bit of a crowd and summed up the day with some petting, brushing and eating. Though I wasn't initially planning on it, we decided today that we will be taking Twist to the Extreme Mustang Makeover demos in Albany, which means he will need to be loading and unloading trailers on Thursday and get ready for the lights, crowds, and loudspeakers of a big arena.

At first I was nervous, but now I am excited for this chance to get Twist out and ready for our next challenges.

*  *  *

(Twist and I are the second pair in from the right... the other horses are all mustangs, too.)

June 26, 2012

After cleaning his stall, I led Twist outside for a while today in the nicer weather. We walked and trotted all around the barn, through narrow spaces, and past people, dogs, cats, even chickens. He was very cooperative through it all, and let several more people pet him without any fuss. When I walk down toward Twist's stall and call him, he reaches his head out as far as he can and waits to be pet. He is becoming much more social-- which will be good for the upcoming parade in St. Paul.

I have always seen a bit of humor in Twist, but in the past days as he grows still more comfortable with me and other people it has really become obvious. He is very much like a goat, with a naughty streak that you can't help but laugh at, because he does it all with a comical attitude.

I am looking forward to taking Twist to the Albany demos, and the St. Paul parades after that. Each will be a good experience for the both of us, as he gets used to the hustle-and-bustle and I get used to his nervousness.

*  *  *

June 27, 2012

On our last day to work before tomorrow's big trip, Twist and I focused on several things. I took advantage of a water bucket overflow to get through some of his fears of water, and within a few trips across the little stream he was much more comfortable. He even stopped in the middle for a drink, and was no longer offended when it touched his feet.

Next we walked in and out of the barn doors, which for some reason he has been leery of even though he doesn't have much trouble once inside. He was pet by several people today, and seems much more ready to be in the parade, though I am sure that we will both be a bit high- strung for a little while.

Twist did great in the round pen today, walking, trotting, and cantering nearly on command. He does not take long at all to join up. After a couple of laps he is looking to me to let him come in, and does not shy when I approach to pet or halter him.

Finally, he trotted along with me after a bit of practice, stopping when I did and getting started earlier than he has been. We tried a couple of haunch turns, but this is obviously something that we both need some practice with. He has been improving greatly with leading and maneuvering, which makes most of our work a lot easier.

I am still looking forward to tomorrow's trip, but am starting to get a little nervous. I think he will settle down quickly, but just hope that he doesn't panic too much in the beginning.

*  *  *

June 28, 2012

The first day of travel has finally come, and already gone... we loaded Twist and three of the other mustangs at the FitzGeralds around noon with no real trouble, and got on the road for Albany. Twist and all of the other mustangs seemed calm inside the trailer for most of the way, even when we were stopped for a quick lunch and arrived in the expo center parking lot.

Before unloading the mustangs, we had to find out where our stalls were and spread out the bedding. Twist was the first to be unloaded, so I did not see how any of the other horses did, but I assume that they did fine because they all came in shortly after us. Twist did extremely well, and didn't try to escape at all. I led him through the parking lot to his stall in the expo center, and he was a bit nervous in his new surroundings, but quickly adjusted.

Once the horses were all in their stalls, we hung water buckets in the stalls-- another thing that is new to Twist-- and fed them as usual. Twist enjoyed playing with his water bucket, swishing it back and forth and pulling on the straps that held it up. I definitely see myself making quite a few trips to the water faucet if he keeps doing that...

Each time I walked past Twist's stall, he came forward to get some attention, reaching with his nose and holding his head out straight. He loves to be pet on the forehead and enjoys me scrubbing around his ears, but can't let anyone think he is too sweet; he always finds something to do to be ornery, and reminds me very much of a goat with his stubborn sense of humor.

I left Twist in his new stall for the night and am not too worried about him. He seemed quite comfortable by the time I left the expo center for the night, and looked ready for some demos with his sleek coat and new black halter that I put on him this morning.

I plan to get Twist out around the expo center a bit tomorrow, to let him get used to the traffic and bigger arena. I am glad that there is an intercom system throughout the grounds, so that he is at least not so startled by an announcer.

*  *  *

 (First day in the Albany stall, with his new halter)

(He won't ever miss out on a meal!)

June 29, 2012

When I returned to the expo center on the second morning, I found Twist still content and comfortable in his busy surroundings. We walked around quite a bit, getting used to the crowded aisle ways and bustling arena.

We met for a demo walk-through in the practice arena this afternoon, and prepared for the first of several this weekend that we will be doing in front of the Mustang Makeover audience.

My mom, sister and I worked quickly on decorating Twist's stall, putting up poster paper and the pictures and information that I brought along for the job. Twist was very interested in what we were doing, sniffing at anything within reach and nibbling on some of the duct tape. Once we were finished, his stall looked very nice, and it stayed up without needing any re-taping or anything.

In the afternoon, we prepared for our first demo. We had a practice and Twist did very well, but I was having trouble directing him through the haunch- and forehand- turns because I have not worked much on them before. After several hours of waiting outside the arena, thinking that our performance was just moments away, Twist and I finally were told to get into line and walk into the arena. By this time Twist and I were both hungry and anxious to be done, having stood for an indefinite wait. But once in the arena, Twist settled in a bit more and focused on the task in front of him. We had no troubles through the entire demo as we walked into our places, did a haunch- and forehand- turn, and made our way into two revolving circles (one circle for walking horses and the other for trotting) before filing out. The demo was a good experience for both Twist and I, though we have learned to take a break beforehand and now know to wait until the events are certainly ending before we get in line to wait-- both of us were ready to get going already.

Before the demo, I was able to get help from a couple of people there at the expo, picking up his feet for the first time and really learning a whole new way to handle him.

The greatest help must have come from one of the men that was there helping with the Extreme Mustang Makeover. He came up to pet Twist, but as usual, Twist backed away. So instead of pulling him back closer, I learned to just keep following him until he stops; then when this happens, I also stop and take my attention off of him. After a couple of tries, the man was able to walk right up to his shoulder or neck and pet him, which is new because Twist will really only let most strangers come to his forehead. This idea has really changed the way that I handle Twist, showing me exactly how to go about forming a partnership with him rather than it being a "I am in charge and you must listen to me" kind of thing.

The second person that talked to me about Twist was able to hold his nose and mouth eventually, areas that Twist is uncomfortable with around people other than me. She also held him while I tried picking up his feet, which, after the first foot, he learned pretty quickly. I am so thankful for the help that I've received at the expo center; even though the advice I have gotten may seem simple and unimportant for those who gave it, it has been incredibly helpful for me. I find it a very admirable quality for someone to take the time out of their already busy day to give their advice to someone who could obviously use it, and do so in a way that can be respected and not just in a pushy, rude way that will only seem belittling. I would like to sincerely thank all of the people that I talked to, and have them know that I really do appreciate their help.

*  *  *

(The front of his stall, with information about Twist in the middle, details about the Teens and Oregon Mustangs program on the right, and a section for my sponsors and potential sponsors on the left.)

June 30, 2012

Another day at the expo center only helped Twist and I more. He has been handling very well, and though he still has a way to go before he is more fully "desensitized", he has been letting people pet him more easily-- even the little girls that come up and want to pet the "pretty little pony". I can only smile because he puts his head down to their level to be pet on the forehead, and seems to like younger kids.

We did two demos today, the first at about seven that was like yesterday's and the second at about eight forty-five. The second one was much different than the others we've done; there were a number of props set out in the arena, and while Erica FitzGerald talked about the program we all worked with our horses around the props (which included things such as a yellow rain slicker, a ball, a "carwash", kiddy pool, and other things that many of us have worked on getting our horses used to... though Twist and I had to wing it when I realized he had never been exposed to any of it).

Twist did very well today. I worked a little on picking up his feet, and we did better on our haunch- and forehand- turns than we have been doing. He is getting into the swing of his work time and his down time, knowing that his stall is a place for rest and with me outside of it is a place of work. He has done well with all of the people, horses, dogs, wheelbarrows, and flashy decorations, adapting quickly and trusting me.

I look forward to our work between now and the St. Paul rodeo, and since coming to the expo have pinpointed our next tasks: "carwashes", baths, feet, and being pet by other people.

*  *  *

 (About to move down to lift his foot...)

(A quick lift!)

 (Getting ready to practice for the first demo.)

 (Our practice for Saturday's first demo.)

 (Gramma Ford petting him...)

 (Gramma Reed petting him...) 

 (Aunt Lori petting him...)

(Twist thinking, how many more people have to pet me?!)

July 1, 2012

The expo ended quickly today after the auctioning of the EMM (Extreme Mustang Makeover) horses. We watched most of the auction, seeing the horses go from $200 to over $5,000. It has been a really fun experience overall, seeing how far these older mustangs have come in ninety days and knowing that Twist is on his way to something similar. 

I was able to walk Twist around for a while today, working on his walking, trotting, stopping and backing. He is doing very well around other people, but we still have a bit of work on getting him more comfortable with them touching him. I did not see Twist loaded or unloaded today, as the FitzGeralds took him in their trailer later in the day after we had left, but do not think that he would have caused much trouble considering how well he did the last time. 

It is nice to have a down day tomorrow, before we have to leave for St. Paul. The weekend has been very busy, but I enjoyed every bit of it and am ready to take on the next challenge... Wednesday's parade and fireworks.

*  *  *

(My little sister, Maddy petting him in the practice arena of the expo.)

 (A little girl at the expo who wanted to pet Twist... just couldn't quite reach!)

 (The same little girl, this time within reaching distance.)

 (Maddy petting him again.)

July 2, 2012

I worked with Twist easily today, having just spent the weekend throwing him into an entirely different environment. Many of the horses were pretty exhausted, and he did seem a bit tired, but was ready to get out when he saw us coming.

After haltering and brushing him, I led Twist outside to walk around while my mom taped a line of streamers over his stall for him to walk through. When we cam back inside and I led him up to them, he sniffed the new material and then, as usual had to determine whether or not it was edible. Apparently deciding that it was not, he spit it out and followed me through without a fuss. We went in and out several times, even changing the streamers and rattling them, with still no trouble.

I fed and unhaltered Twist to let him know that we were finished for the day, then took a while to pet him and get some pictures. He has gotten so soft and shiny, and his coat is a true black with nearly none of his original brown coloring. 

We will be leaving early Wednesday morning for the parade and hauling the horses back that night, which should keep Twist on his feet in the busyness and chaos of St. Paul.

*  *  *

July 3, 2012

Twist was able to get out and run today in the arena, sprinting and bucking a bit to get out his burst of pent- up energy. I was able to catch him again easily, if it was even catching... all that I had to do was walk up and put his lead rope on.

With some brushing and an attempt at line- lunging, Twist was done for the day after completing a few simple tasks that I put him up to. He had to follow me over a line of brushes, trot with me, and come to a stop at "whoa", all of which he caught onto quickly.

Twist is progressing each day, and I can handle him so much easier. He lets me take his halter and lead rope on and off without any fuss, and I can lean my arms over his back while he eats without him worrying at all. Tomorrow will be an early morning and late night for Twist and I, so I hope that all goes well in between while we are in St. Paul... the parade will be good for both of us, but nerve-wracking at the same time!

*  *  *

July 4, 2012

Twist did phenomenally today in the parade. We had no trouble whatsoever through the entire thing, and I was very impressed with how accustomed he has grown to being around other people and animals. Several times new people came up to pet him and rub his sides, and he didn't cause any fuss.

When I first came up to Twist this morning at the parade (he was tied to the FitzGeralds' trailer waiting), he backed away from my armload of shiny, fluttering decorations and almost said, "no way, lady!" But after I let him smell each thing, he let me tie red, white and blue confetti- like strands into his mane and tail, paint glittery stars on his left hip, and drape a lei over his neck.

We crossed the road to the beginning point of the parade with the help of flaggers to stop traffic, and Twist took it all in stride, then waited patiently with me for the parade to start, which must have taken about an hour. He paid no attention to the people and horses surrounding him, though he must not have been more than five feet away from anyone else the entire time. There was a fizzy little Shetland foal there near us, and when Twist saw it he looked like he wanted to play (or was just excited to finally see someone smaller than he is) and would nicker to it.

The parade was a long one, winding in a horseshoe shape through downtown St. Paul. There were crowds cheering and waving on either side of the roadway, and we went two-by-two with our horses all decorated in a red, white and blue theme. They all did well for most of the time, and Twist almost looked sleepy as we paraded through the crowds with the marching band and loudspeakers all around.

Once finished, we returned the horses to the trailers and those going back to the FitzGeralds were quickly loaded up to be taken back home. I was able to brush Twist off quickly and take his "costume" off, petting him for doing such a good job and feeding him a bit of grain before saying goodbye.

I am so impressed with how far Twist has come. The Albany expo was extremely helpful for both of us, and I think it was the perfect preparation for today's parade. I am really glad that we decided to go to both the expo and the parade, and actually think that Twist enjoys the excitement. I hope to continue taking him new places, so that he can learn in different environments and situations without getting too bored.

Some pictures and hopefully videos of the parade will be posted soon, so that you can see Twist all dressed up!

*  *  *

July 5, 2012

Twist got the day off today after his walk in the parade yesterday, probably enjoying the peace and quiet out at the barn since almost everybody was in St. Paul. He stayed in his cool, shaded stall and didn't have to go out in yesterday's heat, though if tomorrow is as warm as today I hope to give him a bath... something that he might not like one bit.

*  *  *

July 6, 2012

I let Twist out to run in the arena today while I cleaned his stall out, and he apparently had a good amount of energy that he needed to get out. He was running laps for most of the time, sometimes skidding to a halt and looking at us through the gate as if trying to get us to play with him.

By the time I was finished with his stall, Twist was covered in dust and was breathing hard. The running was good for him, since I haven't had a round pen to work him in for about a week now. I was able to walk right up to him and lead him out of the arena when I was ready to.

We cross-tied Twist in the bathing/ grooming area today, getting him used to the new setup. I sprayed water around his feet with the hose, and this was the only time he really reacted, trying to come to me for a release and escape this horrible thing that was attacking him. I would spray slowly back and forth from in front of him, then set the hose down and pet him before doing the same thing again. We did this several times before I untied Twist and led him back to his clean stall, brushing him down and petting him before bringing in his hay and grain.

Twist is doing so much better when I am handling him; he is ready to cooperate when I get him haltered and put his lead rope on, and seems to look to me for answers. The past couple of weeks have been hugely rewarding for me, and I look forward to each day more than the last. It feels like we have suddenly come so far, and I can't wait to see where we are by August.

*  *  *

July 7, 2012

Today was my day to work the St. Paul rodeo booth, so I was unable to do much with Twist other than feed and quickly brush him. The upcoming week should bring plenty of learning opportunities for him, as the FitzGeralds' will be a "happening" place with kids' camps and lessons. First on my to- do list is bathing him, though I want to have Josh, Erica or someone else around to help me since I have never given a horse (let alone a mustang) a bath before. They are a bit bigger than dogs, and aren't comparable to vehicles, so my washing experience with those will not likely help me much with Twist.

*  *  *

July 8, 2012

Twist and I did not work on anything very intensive today with it being so hot out, even in the morning time. I cleaned his stall, brushed him down, and picked up his front feet a few times, before letting him out in the arena to have some free time. Even then, though, he didn't do much running, only stood and enjoyed what little breeze blew through the gates.

My goal is to bathe Twist at some point within the upcoming week, and after that to get him into some water-- whether it be just a kiddy-pool or a little creek. I am also thinking about taking him for some day walks from the FitzGeralds, though I will look for chances when it is not so hot out. We have many things to do, and I hope to be able to work on them often before I cut it too close to the final competition.

*  *  * 

July 9, 2012

After brushing and haltering him, I took Twist outside for a bit of grazing while the morning air was still cool. He seemed relieved to get away from all of the flies, who are unable to find their way back out of the barn. After going back inside, we were able to spend some time in the arena working on trotting, forehand turns, and picking up feet, which Twist did well on today. I forgot to bring the tarp that I wanted to rub him down with, but we were luckily able to do a few other things instead.

Twist got some time to himself again in the arena, but I have found that I have to be out of sight for him to leave the gate and go run around. When he sees me come back into sight, he usually stops at the gate and watches me, waiting to be tasked with something.

I have as yet had no trouble catching Twist after his running sessions, because if he is not waiting at the gate he stops and lets me walk up put his lead rope on. He is a very cooperative horse to work with now, something that I wouldn't have guessed in our first days, or even couple of weeks together. Once he is won over, Twist is so completely different than he makes himself out to be around strangers; he goes from acting like a stubborn, ornery goat to a comical little puppy. He can always make me laugh, whether by stuffing his face under my arm for some attention or lounging out in the arena.

*  *  *

July 10, 2012

I fed Twist today on our way out to Flying M, where we will be staying a few extra days before and after the trail ride to work with Twist in an environment other than the FitzGerald's barn. We wanted to see how the campsites would be set up, and what sort of things I would be able to work with Twist on. There are plenty of trails there for walking him on, a creek that we will definitely be spending some time in to get over his discomfort with water, and an obstacle course that has not only a "car wash", but many realistic obstacles such as log piles and jumps. I can't wait to get him there-- the Poker Ride on the 22nd is going to make for an eventful weekend!

*  *  *

July 11, 2012

After cleaning his stall out (during which time Twist followed me wherever I would let him), I groomed Twist and haltered him to go outside. We walked and trotted a couple of laps around the barn, then came in to the arena and did a quick session in the round pen. I thought Twist might take longer to join up, having not been in the round pen for a couple of weeks now, but he came right in the first time I let him. 

As we stood in the round pen after his join- up, I moved from petting his forehead to rubbing his sides and legs, then worked on picking up his front left foot. He caught on quickly to what I wanted him to do, and we were able to go through his feet without much trouble. It is something that we both need to get more comfortable with, but I think that he will learn to trust me-- and I him-- after a few more goes of it.

Tomorrow I hope to accomplish something major with Twist during the lesson that I have scheduled, such as ponying him myself or washing him. We will have to see how it all goes, but he is definitely ready for another big step.

*  *  *

July 12, 2012

I worked Twist a bit harder in the round pen today, not letting him join up until he was invited to. He needed the extra work, and it helped in our later training because he was looking to me more as an authority and less of an equal.

After he joined up and I haltered him, I led Twist around the arena for a few minutes to let him cool down. Next we got to work on some showmanship patterns, which Erica instructed me through. I walked, trotted, backed, and turned him through the given pattern, before we moved on to side-passing. 

Side-passing is a maneuver that requires the horse to move laterally in a straight line, with their near front foot passing over in front of the far front foot. Starting this took up most of our time today, but by the end Twist was able to understand what I was trying to teach him (though it was a learning process for both of us). His biggest problem with it is that he turns his hip away from me either during or after the side- passing, which throws the entire maneuver out of pattern. But with much trial, we were able to get far enough to be finished with it for the day, and move onto the next task.

Before being finished up in the arena, we worked on picking up Twist's feet to a greater extent than I have been doing. I picked up each of his feet and gave the bottoms some quick brushing, teaching him to pick his feet up off the ground and hold still while doing so. This done, we moved on to one final task. 

I held Twist outside today and, with some advice from Erica, sprayed him down with a hose. At first he was of course resistant, but by the end he seemed to like the cool water, especially since it has been so hot out this week. I brushed him over quickly with a curry comb just to help scrub the water in a bit, and once he had been soaked for a while I led him back to his stall for the afternoon.

Twist learns quickly, and is mostly willing to do what I ask of him, though he will sometimes grumble a bit if you give him a say in it. At the same time, he gives me little real trouble, and I think that we will be able to move through our next tasks at a reasonable pace. I will be adding his feet, in- hand trotting and stopping, side- passing, and turns (both forehand and haunch) into our daily "sessions", as well as longer round pen workouts. The harder work will be good for him, as I have noticed he loves to be doing things that are new and productive. I will be bathing him completely within the next few days, having really broken the ice by spraying him down, and hope to be cleaning his hooves out by some time next week.

*  *  * 

July 13, 2012

Twist worked well today with me after I cleaned his stall out. I groomed him, haltered him, and then added picking up his feet to my daily preparation for his "lesson". When I bent down to pick up his first foot, I was surprised at how easy it was, him having probably thought about it and remembered it after yesterday's thorough practicing. 

As I walked him outside around the barn, we would walk and stop in better showmanship form, moving at the same time and keeping generally in line with each other. I stopped frequently, each time getting Twist to "set up"-- standing with all four feet square-- before petting him and moving on again. By the end of the day he needed only a little correction before he was set up.

After the walking and setting drill, we moved into the arena for some trotting and stopping. He is catching on quickly to trotting in line with me instead of a distance behind me, and finally today we were able to start at the same time instead of me starting before him.

Throughout the day we walked, trotted, went through a few turns, backed up, and spent a lot of time on side- passing. While the last is so far the hardest task, Twist was able to complete several short distances in the right maneuver, and I let him be finished for the day after another run-through of picking up his feet. We will keep focusing on these primary things until he has them down, then I will add fresh exercises into our daily workouts. I don't want him to get bored, but I also don't want him overwhelmed with too many things in too little time.

Hopefully he will retain much of the work from today and yesterday, especially side- passing, because it has been one of the most challenging things so far for both of us.

*  *  * 

July 14, 2012

With the final Team Penning event today being held at the FitzGeralds, the barn was a busy place. With horses and people in and out, Twist was ready to get out into some of the excitement, and I was able to get him into the arena on my break for lunch.

After round penning him, I worked with Twist again on his walking, trotting, stopping and setting- up. The trotting was the most difficult to get him started on, but once he remembers what I want him to do, he gets right back into the swing of things from our recent days' work.

We worked for a little while on side- passing again, and it is obvious that Twist has improved with it over the past couple of days. He took much less time to complete a good side- pass, and was able to do several in a row before we finished up. 

Finally I let my sister, her friend, my cousin, aunt, and my mom come up to pet Twist. At one point he was surrounded by five people, all of them petting him at once, but he didn't worry the entire time. He is getting better about letting strangers touch his face, something that he has not let many people but me do until just recently. When everyone was done petting him, we walked and trotted a bit more before I led him back to his stall. After we finished up with the rest of the Team Penning runs, I brushed him and picked up his feet, which he let me do very easily today. With a few minutes of final petting, I fed Twist and let him be done for the day.

*  *  * 

July 15, 2012

As I worked with Twist today, I noticed that he seems to have a bit of a cold. He isn't at all majorly affected, but at first I was still kind of worried. Luckily, after talking to some of the other girls, I found that all of the mustangs at the barn have the same thing, and it isn't a big problem. 

I let Twist out to run in the arena as I cleaned his stall, where a big sprinkler was set up to keep the dist down. Whenever I passed by, Twist was standing and watching the sprinkler with a hilarious bit of attitude; so at first I assumed that he hadn't gone near it at all. But by the time I finished with his stall, I I was able to see water spots marking his dusty coat (he had been rolling, as always), so apparently he had taken a trip at some point through the sprinkling water. 

With a quick run in the round pen, I haltered Twist and groomed him before moving on to his "lesson". We worked once more on our showmanship maneuvers; walking, trotting, backing, stopping, and side- passing should soon be no problem for Twist with all of the time we have spent on them! While side- passing will take a bit more time for us to master, he is doing very well with most of the other things, especially stopping and setting up. It takes me much less time, if any to correct where his feet are placed, and he doesn't get so confused. We will keep working on trotting, because it takes him a try before his mind is "refreshed", but he is coming along quite well with it otherwise, and can stop as soon as I do.

Twist got a bit of a break today with his cold, because I don't want to work him too hard and it take a toll on his immune system. I fed him and spent a good amount of time just petting him before I left, but it was hard to leave today with how much he has opened up; each day he acts more excited to see me!

*  *  * 

July 16, 2012

Twist still had his cold today, but luckily does not seem to have gotten worse. I am planning to take him for a walk tomorrow off of the FitzGerald's farm, which will be an entirely new experience for both of us, so we took today just to practice what we have already been focusing on for the past few days. I walked, trotted, stopped, and side- passed him today after a light round penning, not wanting to drain his energy and allow his cold to progress. 

The rest of the week should be pretty busy for Twist at the barn; the kids' camp is going until Friday, and until then Twist will likely have little quiet time since there will be kids in and out-- day and night. The commotion will, as always be good for him, though I hope to take him on a few walks so that he can get away from the FitzGeralds' and be in some new surroundings. While we will continue working daily on our showmanship routines and maneuvers in the arena or outside the barn, I hope to do some different work that gets him out and about.

I can't wait for this weekend, because the Poker Ride at Flying M will give me a great chance to work Twist not only in another place but also around (and in, though he won't know that until it happens!) water, on trails, and on an obstacle course. I think that we will be able to accomplish a great amount during those days!

Before leaving today, my little sister helped me groom and feed Twist, and she even led him around the barn. He followed her willingly, at first pricking his ears at me as if saying, "this is okay, right?!" but never putting up any resistance. He got to have his first taste of oranges today, which I think he liked even more than the peaches and apricots that I have taken out to him before. We also offered him some lettuce and corn, but he doesn't apparently care much for vegetables.

I am really looking forward to our walking plans for tomorrow. I think that Twist will love being able to get out into some fresh air for more than just our daily routine laps around the barn!

*  *  *

July 17, 2012

After round penning him and working on some more of our side- passing maneuvers, I groomed Twist and got him ready for the day's big event. Twist had his first walk today from the FitzGeralds', down the gravel road to the top of the hill then a loop back around the farm. He walked along just fine the entire time, even as other horses came up to smell him over the fence and we walked past the cows. 

I let Twist graze for about half an hour today after his walk, before taking him back to his stall and bringing in his food. He has learned his routine and knows when it is time for his dinner, so now he stands at the front of his stall and nickers before I am even back into sight with the wheelbarrow. It is kind of pathetic, but I can only smile at him at the end of each days' work.

To top off a good day, we were able to take a bunch of pictures, thanks to my mom-- so everyone else can enjoy them too!

*  *  *

July 18, 2012

Twist and I began our work today with Erica Brand and Kigali in the arena. First I round- penned Twist, a bit harder than the past couple of days since he seems to be getting over his cold, and then we again practiced our trotting and setting- up. Twist did much better today on his side- passes, finishing them with the right form; now we will just keep touching up on them so that he can go through the patterns a bit faster. 

Twist was not the least bit distracted even with Kigali and Erica nearby today. We took turns using the round pen, and for some of the time shared the arena. This was helpful having extra people around to change things up a bit and keep Twist from getting too bored, which I find more of a challenge each day.

Twist and I spent the most time working on his feet. Some days he has been doing very well, but others he is more reluctant and stubborn about it. I was able to get his feet picked up for longer today though, and scrape each one a few times with a hoof pick. This was huge, and I hope to get him more comfortable with it; I think that he will come to like his feet being cleaned after the first time we finish it, because they will be so much lighter once all of the hard-packed dirt has been pried out. I will keep working on it each day until he doesn't have any trouble with it, and hope to write soon about his improvement!

Finally, Twist was able to go on his second walk down the gravel road, this time with Kigali and five other people. He did very well, and we were able to go farther than yesterday. Several vehicles went by, and we passed a variety of animals, but none of it worried Twist too much. Once Twist got scared when a car flew by on another road behind us, and another time he was stung by a bee when we were walking through a clover patch; but both times, he simply spun around to face whatever thing was about to "attack" him, and he stopped trying to escape when he felt me holding the rope. He only ever reacts fearfully when something catches him by surprise, and even then he is able to regain his composure pretty quickly. 

I let Twist run around the arena for a short time after we had returned to the barn, but the only real running he did was trotting along behind me. When he did not do much but wait at the gate, I went in and groomed him-- which ended up being in vain because he laid down to roll right before I finished-- before returning him to his clean stall and letting him eat his dinner.

We will be going to the Yamhill parade on Saturday, and up to the Poker Ride at Flying M after that; with the slight change in plans, Twist will have another day at the barn before he is loaded up in the trailer, but I am thinking he might need it since he won't be back for four or five days afterwards.

*  *  *

July 19, 2012

I began the day by round penning Twist as usual, pushing him a bit harder than I have recently been. His cold seems to be clearing out, because his nose is not so crusted over and he had much more energy today.

After he joined up with me, I did not halter Twist, but went right to grooming him. The reason for this was that I wanted to have him free to leave as I cleaned out his hooves; after standing still for the brushing as I had expected, he was more worrisome over my handling of his feet. So when he stepped away, I let him, and didn't use his halter or rope to restrain him. Instead of forcing him into it and creating the chance for a power struggle, I basically said fine, go ahead and leave, but you'd better leave. To enforce this, I sent him running around the pen again when he pulled away from me. 

The idea of this is my most basic building block for training. I think that if you force an animal, or any person, for that matter, into something by controlling them, they will resent the work and always be a bit negative about the things you ask them to do. Instead I make it more of Twist's choice: he can cooperate and take the easy route, or he can choose to not cooperate, and take the hard route until I give him the chance to try again. To some this may sound like I am giving him too many options, and creating a horse that is going to think they are free to leave whenever they want, but that is not the case. Twist and any other animal are not unlike children; they have to be taught to make the right choices, because if you decide everything for them, they are not going to make the right choices later on. If I as his trainer make the right choices easy for Twist, and the wrong choices hard, he is going to want to do the right thing because he has learned that it is more beneficial for him to do so. Furthermore, he will not resent me as his handler if I work with him through more of a partnership; I will treat him fairly and let him make his own decisions unless he crosses the boundaries that I lay down. With this sort of freedom, he will not look for sneakier ways to get away with things, but instead respect me and choose to work with me.

 In our work today I applied this concept in particular clarity. After he had chosen to retreat when I tried to clean his feet for the first time, I ran him pretty hard until I made it clear that he would have to work hard if he didn't cooperate. Within no time, of course, he was apologizing to me with his body language and begging to be able to stop working. I kept him running a while more until I invited him to come back in and try again, and he came right in to me, clearly more willing to do what I asked of him. I resumed our work from where we had left off before his run, bending down to pick up his left front foot. He let me hold it and scrape away all of the dirt with the hoof pick without any struggle, and as I moved to his left rear foot he still gave me no trouble. I cleaned out this hoof and the next with the same results, but as I reached for Twist's final foot (*his right rear... see my subscript after this entry*), he gave in to his discomfort and backed away from me. Without giving him time to stop, I picked up the lunge line and sent Twist away to work, running him for much less time than I had the first because he only needed a bit of a reminder. When I let him join back up with me, I returned to my work on his right rear foot, and was able to clean it right away.

His grooming finished, I haltered Twist and led him out into the arena to work on trotting and side- passing. He can stop on a dime from trotting, and only needs occasional adjustments for his setting- up, so that is some definite improvement. His trotting is progressing, but as I noticed yesterday, this is still on our "to work on" list. On a more positive note, his side- passing has improved greatly. Tomorrow we will try side- passing over something, so that he can get used to the feeling of keeping his focus with something under his feet.

After breaking a bit of a sweat with our trotting and stopping work, I walked Twist over to the tarp I had laid out in the arena and let him smell it. I tried getting him to walk over it a bit before picking it up and slowly working from his face to his left shoulder, side, back, and hips. For this, as with cleaning his hooves, I did not hold on to the lead rope to make him stay. Instead I would follow him until he stopped, then I would pull the tarp back as a release to make the right choice easier for him than to keep moving away. In no time I was rubbing him with it and throwing it over his back. After he was comfortable with the tarp all over his left side, I moved to his right, and repeated what I had with the left. By now I was draping it over his rear and pulling it off from over his head, and he was no longer afraid of this strange, noisy monster.

This done, I spread the tarp back out over the ground and got him walking over it, so that by the end of our day he was doing so of his own free will. After we were finished I turned him out in the arena, where he spent some time doing further inspection on the tarp; he would stand on it unafraid and rub his top lip back and forth over it, apparently enjoying the texture or sound.

Twist ran a lot today as I cleaned his stall, making it obvious that his cold is going away. The past few days he hasn't really run when I gave him the chance, but today he must have needed to catch up on what he has missed. It is so funny to watch him come flying around the arena and skid to a stop at the gate, almost waiting for an applause. After standing proudly for a moment, he will take off again, parading around the arena until his sides are heaving. Here and there he will stop to roll, getting his recently- groomed coat all dusty again.

I am looking forward once again to our work tomorrow. He has been so rewarding to train, and I am able to see results each new day.

*  *  *

*Footnote:*

The right, or "off" side of a horse, is separate from their left or "near" side. When training any horse, you may master something on their near/ left side and have no trouble, but as soon as you move to their off/ right you may meet a completely different horse. Both sides must be worked on systematically to fully desensitize the animal to something, and the right is typically more of a challenge. In general, even after gentling, horses are approached, saddled, and mounted from the left.

This in mind, combined with the fact that horses are more uncomfortable with things behind them, makes it understandable that a horse's right rear foot would be probably the most difficult to handle of all four, because not only is it on their off side, but it is also their rear. As with Twist, this is probably the most uncomfortable area of any horse.

July 20, 2012

I only fed Twist when I went out to the barn today. After picking up some new hay and unloading it into the smaller barn, I took him his grain and hay and pet him before leaving. We have decided not to do the parade tomorrow, because if he still has his cold it would be best not to have him around other horses so that they don't get it and so that he doesn't get something worse. Many of the younger horses around the area have the same sort of cold going around, though it does not really affect older horses, but Twist has been recovering rapidly the past couple of days and I am not so worried about him.

While I did not work with Twist today, he was accidentally loaded and taken up to Flying M, then returned to the barn after a bit of a miss-communication (we had planned on having him taken up there early so that we could camp, but plans changed so that we would just be going up on Sunday)-- so he got a bit of work in just by being loaded, unloaded, and hauled there and back by someone other than me. Being handled by other people is good for Twist because he is so "evasive", not taking to strangers very readily. He isn't mean or dangerous to new people, he just doesn't pay attention to them until they have "earned it" in his mind. So being taken somewhere without me was at least a little beneficial, if only just getting him out of the barn one more time.

*  *  *

July 21, 2012

When I got out to the barn this morning, most of the mustangs were already gone for the parade. I led Twist out into the arena, which was opened up again without the round pen, and heard him running around and around as I cleaned out his stall. 

When I was finished I went out into the arena with Twist and groomed him, taking the tarp out with me. I laid it out in front of him and he smelled, walked over, and picked it up while I watched. He also investigated a three-step stool that is always out in the arena, rubbing his lip over the textured top. 

As I walked around the arena, Twist would follow me, not even wearing his halter; I would stop and pet him here and there, and when I ran away from him, he would trot after me. Twist tossed his head and tried to get me to play with him too, but he doesn't quite understand yet that I can't play like a horse.

Even though today was just more of a play- day for Twist, I still left the barn feeling satisfied with how he has been doing. The next several days will be busy for both of us, so the break was good-- we will be working hard on preparing for the Youth and Yearling Challenge, which is approaching must faster than I want it to.

*  *  *

July 22-24, 2012

This weekend was not as busy for Twist as I had expected it to be, though it was certainly busy for me. We did not go up to Flying M until Sunday, when I worked at the registration table for the Poker Ride, and Twist was not able to stay with us for several days as planned. 

While he did spend the day at the Poker Ride, I didn't get to work with him much because I was busy doing my assigned work for the fundraiser. Afterwards I was at least able to walk him once through the obstacle course, and he did great-- the teeter-totter was no problem for him to walk over, and though he laid his ears back a bit in fear, he walked right after me and didn't panic.

After the teeter-totter we walked through the "car wash". Twist hesitated for this, but once he had stood with his neck partway through and realized that it hadn't eaten him for dinner yet he was just fine walking through it completely. We went on a couple of high bridges, over some logs, and through a sort of doorway with flashy confetti rattling around him, all with little trouble. Twist was happy just to be out walking around after a long day of waiting around for me to be finished, and I was much more settled down without having to worry about him being somewhere that I couldn't see him.

While we didn't do as much as planned, the Poker Ride event was still a new experience for Twist, and all of the people coming up around him and petting him was good practice. One girl even walked around behind him with her arms over his hips, something that I have not quite tried yet... I am comfortable walking behind him, and he has shown no discomfort when I do so, but I just haven't quite gotten the guts to walk around right behind him yet. This is definitely my next point of focus, and I at least am able to tell myself that if he let a complete stranger do it, he'll let me too.

We hope to get Twist up to Flying M for another day trip or two, when I can work with him the entire day instead of for a few minutes here and there. I would especially like to get him into the creek and onto some trails, but without a trailer of our own we have to depend on other rides for him. 

After the Poker Ride on Sunday, I followed the FitzGeralds back down to the barn, unloaded and fed Twist, then returned to Flying M where we camped. This originally had been so that I could work with Twist for the entire time, but since we didn't have a way to get him down until Wednesday or Thursday-- one or two days after the end of our stay-- I had to send him home on Sunday. Though it didn't all work out perfectly as we would have liked, Twist at least got out a bit and learned more than he would have at the barn, and it just helped me to get him that much farther in his training.

*  *  *

July 25, 2012

After being locked up in his stall for a couple of days, Twist was ready to get out and work today! I haltered him and took him to the outside sand pit right away, taking off his lead rope and letting him run. He ran, bucked, rolled, and enjoyed the fresh air as he got all of his pent- up energy out.

We worked today on side- passing from the right, having nearly gotten it down from the left, but this work is a perfect example of how different the right "off" side can be from the left. Twist would only go forward or back, not sideways away from me, and since I am not even close to mastering it myself Twist was having a hard go at understanding just what I wanted him to do. Hopefully we will see more results in the next couple of days, but I am glad to see Twist able to handle the pressure that I was giving him. It was a bit of a stressful 

day as far as Twist's training, however I left the barn not too upset; no matter how frustrating a workout may be for both of us, he is still happy to be with me at the end of the day, following me wherever I let him and making sure that I don't get away without petting him.

*  *  *

July 26, 2012

We made it out to Flying M for the day today as hoped for, and Twist did great with everything that we did. Unfortunately I was not able to get pictures of him going through the obstacle course, but he walked through the car wash several times like it wasn't even there, went over the teeter totter without trouble, side- passed between logs, and followed me over a high bridge without railing. Two of the other mustangs and their trainers spent the day with us, including Kigali (Twist's neighbor that looks almost exactly like him) and his owner Erica (not FitzGerald-- Erica Brand is another of the Teens this year that I have worked with quite a bit).

As we walked some of the roads and trails that wind through Flying M, Twist walked with me and trotted amazingly. We crossed the creek several times, and he would wade out into it for a drink when he was thirsty or when we wanted to escape all of the biting flies and bees that would swarm us in the open. Though he would constantly swish his tail and I was always swatting at them, the flies came after Twist relentlessly, and he no longer is startled when I suddenly smack him-- somehow he realized that I was just killing bugs.

After being given some advice in passing by a trail rider that was camping nearby, we returned  after lunch and offered to pay him for more help, but he wouldn't accept it even for the hour- and- a- half lesson that he ended up giving the three of us. He spent time with all of us in turn, showing us something different that each horse had its own trouble with. The information that he gave us was extremely helpful at least for me, because when I didn't learn something new it was just good confirmation that I have been handling Twist the right way. With Twist, he worked mostly on leading and overall cooperation; while Twist follows me just fine without even a tug on the lead rope, he is not attentive to most strangers. By the end of Twist's "lesson", he was following the man a lot more easily, walking along with him rather than following reluctantly behind. He let the stranger pet him too, which is something that he has improved on but can never get too much practice with. I was really glad for all of the help, and am extremely lucky to have found several people now who are so willing to give me advice in a way that is helpful and not pushy or stressful.

After this, we spent a little time just having the horses near the creek grazing, with ten younger kids running around them and three other adults. They were perfectly content to let all of the kids pet them, and Twist proved that he is not so big and bad (I have known he is a bluffer, but today's experience just made it obvious to everyone) as he would like us all to think. With me walking along close by just in case, a little three year- old girl that was there with us but has never really been around him or many horses was able to lead him around for several minutes. Twist came along like a big puppy, totally relaxed and calm with his head held down at her level.

We ended up spending a couple of extra hours out at Flying M today as we waited for our ride home, and for the last while of it Twist was content to be tied up to a long hitching rail with the other mustangs, being pet 

by the kids that sat up on it with us. He would rub his lips back and forth across the lap of the little girl that had led him, then peer down under the rail to Erica's brother on the other side, who was grooming Kigali. It made me realize just how quickly these mustangs have adapted to their new lives, as I remember how much I looked forward to just being able to touch him or hug him. Watching him now, as I am able to hang over his back or bring little kids up to pet him, I do not plan to ever have any horse but a mustang. They are such amazing animals, and in the past two months that I have worked with Twist, his training has become almost an obsession; there is always something new and fresh to accomplish, and I never leave feeling defeated.

*  *  *

(Twist and I are the closest to the camera)

 (He grazes whenever I let him!)

(Tied up for lunch)

 (Getting some much appreciated help...)

 (Whew! An hour of easy work calls for-- more grazing!)

 (A shallow creek crossing. I had more difficulty than he did.)

July 27, 2012

Twist had his first full bath today, and he was not very happy about it. He was fine with the soap and scrubbing, but just like our dogs, did not take to the spraying... I think he was giving me dirty looks the entire time!

I began by brushing him out quickly with a curry comb. Then I sprayed him down to let a bit of the dust run  off, and when he was thoroughly wet, I moved on to the soap. Once I had combed through his wet mane and tail and scrubbed his body, I began spraying out all of the dirty suds, which took more time than wetting him down had. By the end of the bath he was glaring at everyone and decided that he needed to eat on it, pulling up mouthfuls of grass with a pathetic amount of attitude.

Once some of the water had been brushed off, and I had misted Twist with a bit of fly spray, I led him back to his stall so that he could stay warm, and gave him his food for the evening. I am sure that he forgave my horrible choice to bathe him.

*  *  *

July 28, 2012

After rearranging my things a bit in the hay barn and getting Twist's new feed put away, I was able to get Twist into a big paddock where he could really run. He spent several hours there as I cleaned his stall and then just watched him, running and rolling in the dust. He hasn't had so much room to run since I have had him, and it was so fun being able to see him in a more free outdoor environment.

When I walked into the paddock to work a bit with Twist, he let me halter him without any trouble, though he could have easily turned and run. I brushed him for a while as my little sister held his lead rope, and he stood almost sleepily until I had finished. I walked and trotted him-- he is still doing great on trotting, and I even went from a stop to a trot with minimal walking-- and did a couple of side- passes from his left. Tomorrow we will be working on side- passing from the right until he gets it down, and while I don't particularly see a major use for such maneuvers, he will need them in the Youth and Yearling Challenge, so we will have to practice through our boredom with it. Hopefully he can catch on quickly, us having spent a day on it already, so that we can move on to more exciting things.

Once he had done what I asked of him, I un- haltered Twist and gave him a bit more time to run before returning to his stall. He rolled again-- you know, he might look bad if he stays too clean!-- and trotted another few laps before I went into the paddock with his halter and lead rope. When he saw me coming and heard me call him, Twist turned and really came trotting up to me, stopping in front of me and standing still as I haltered and pet him. With a couple of pats I turned and led him back to the barn, petting him in his stall before going to get his food.

Today I introduced soybean meal to Twist's daily diet. After doing the math, I have found that, while his grain gives him more than he needs of some things, it doesn't give him enough protein. To save on grain and get him more protein, I have cut the grain so that he is getting the right amount of some nutrients and am mixing it with soybean meal (a very high protein source) so that he is getting enough protein. He didn't seem to react to the added meal, stuffing his face into his grain bucket and eating it right away, as usual. 

I petted Twist again before leaving, bringing my arm above his neck and scrubbing his forelock as the man from Flying M said to do. He says that this is one of the most sensitive spots on a horse, especially a wild horse, in regards of predatory behavior; cougars and other natural enemies with come from behind in their attempt to reach this vulnerable kill spot, and by petting the horse here you are showing them that you are their friend, not an enemy. 

I hope to have a more challenging day for Twist tomorrow. Originally I had planned to set up an obstacle course for him today, but with the chance to let him run in the big outside paddock, I couldn't pass it up. He is coming a long way, but it will be better for me to keep challenging him than to let him become too idle. I am looking forward to some hard work, and I hope that he is ready for the challenge!

*  *  *

July 29, 2012

Twist got out to run in the big paddock again today, galloping and rolling for a couple of hours. When I walked in to halter him and begin our work, he came right away, letting me begin without any trouble.

I groomed Twist and picked up his first foot to clean his hooves, and was surprised not only how easily he gave, but how clean his hooves already were. Not needing to use the pick that I had, I simply patted each foot and went around twice just for the extra practice, and Twist did great the entire time.

After his grooming and hoof cleaning, I brought an umbrella in and let Twist smell it before I opened it up. He decided that it tasted good somehow, which probably helped him not be too afraid of its flashing open and closed. I was able to rub it over him, shake it around, behind and above him, and rapidly open and close it without scaring him too much. The most he did was take a few steps back from me, but once I followed him and got him to understand that I didn't want him to move and that this thing wasn't a threat he stood calmly. It was funny watching him flinch slightly each time I opened it, not because he was afraid but just because it was reflexive for him to do so, just like we do when someone claps. 

Tomorrow I plan to lunge him without a round pen, using just his lead rope to run him in a circle around me and the loose end to wave him on.

*  *  *

 (First of four feet)

(Getting ready for the umbrella)

July 30, 2012

After spending much of the day looking for a horse trailer, I had only an hour to work with Twist before we had to go pick one up. I turned him out in the outside paddock while I cleaned his stall, and when I came back out to get him he trotted up to me and was cooperative as usual.

The trailer that we bought will be perfect for hauling Twist on more adventures, and we will also be able to carry another horse if need be (likely Kigali, his neighbor). I can't wait until we can load him up and go, but I am going to have to wait because we will be out of town from tomorrow until Thursday. I at least have the Yamhill County fair trip to look forward to though, so it won't be that long of a wait... I hope Twist likes his new trailer, which he will hopefully be riding in a lot as we plan different day trips to take him on!

*  *  *

August 1, 2012

I am really missing Twist on our trip! It seems that it has been forever since I last saw him, though it has only been a day. 

My aunt, who was the person feeding Twist while we were gone, said that he was excited to hear his name called and started whinnying and pacing in his stall until he saw that it wasn't me there to take care of him. He was still happy, however, to take his food and usually that will convince him to like any "stranger" (though my aunt is not a stranger to him at all, she is still not "his person"). 

I can't wait to get back tomorrow to see him!

*  *  *

August 2, 2012

We did not get back into town today until eight in the evening, which meant that I didn't get out to the barn until nine. Twist seemed surprised to see me so out of routine, but he came up to be pet anyway. Not having much time before the barn closed, I pet him for a bit but then hurried to feed him. I was reluctant to leave, wanting to get him out for a bit of work, but we will at least be able to tomorrow.

*  *  *

August 3, 2012

After cleaning his stall and giving him some time to loosen up in the outside paddock, I haltered Twist and walked him around a bit, working on our trotting and stopping as well. The flies today were extra annoying to both of us, and part of the time we were trotting just to escape them. I did get Twist sprayed down with some fly spray, but he doesn't like the feel of the liquid being sprayed onto him, so that is something that we will continue working on.

Before starting our day's grooming, I was able to lunge Twist on his lead rope a few times, something that he caught onto pretty quickly. Without a round pen set up, we will need to master lunging on a line for when I am introducing him to new things (especially fly spray), so that he can choose between me and running for a better training result as we are able to do in the pen.

I spent a good amount of time grooming Twist, getting as much of the dust from his coat as possible. I do not really care about him being groomed to perfection every day, because he will just keep rolling and undoing my work, but I want to keep him in good condition to help keep him healthy. The daily grooming is a good habit for him to get used to.

After brushing out much of the dust from his coat, I went through the tangles of his mane and tail. To finish up, I picked up the hoof pick and bent down to clean his first hoof, which he lifted with no problem and stood as I scraped out what little debris was there. We did this with each foot, cleaning what there was to be cleaned (his feet need hardly any cleaning) and then making our way back to the barn. I let Twist graze a bit on the way, as he hasn't been able to in several days. Hopefully with the new trailer we will be able to get him places where he can graze for the day, something he hasn't been able to really do since I got him.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for my family, but I plan on making it out to work with Twist at some point and focus on lunging him or possibly getting him through a kiddy pool. 

*  *  *

August 4, 2012

With the scorching heat of today, I did not go out to the barn until after dark. Though we didn't really get out to work, I gave Twist some treats that I had brought along, and spent some time petting him before I hauled in his feed. We have a busy day planned for tomorrow, so the break was good for him before his road trip out to Jackie Sigloh's (a mustang trainer who has volunteered to give us and the other Teens and Oregon Mustangs trainers some more help and advice).

*  *  *

August 5, 2012

Today was a big day for Twist! He took his first ride in our new trailer, and did very well as we (including Erica Brand and Kigali) drove to Woodburn to work with Extreme Mustang Makeover trainer Jackie Sigloh and her family for the day. After unloading-- a new struggle, since Twist has never had to back out of a trailer before-- we worked for a bit on side-passing and lunging on a line. The heat and flies were terrible, but we managed to get in a couple of good side- passes from each side (his right side has been a major difficulty) and come to an understanding on the lunge line. Having not done much work on lunging without a round pen, Twist thinks that since there is a rope attached to him, he is supposed to be following right with me, not running around in a circle; this makes it hard to drive him away into a run, but he finally caught on and was able to run for a little while before coming in to join up. I am so glad to have moved to this next step with lunging, and it will be much easier now to continue building on it since he finally has an idea of what I am wanting him to do. The biggest problem with this has been finding out on my part how to make him understand exactly what he is supposed to do.

After finishing up in the arena of the Siglohs' barn, we went outside to work for a couple hours on the trail course that they had set up. It was really good for Twist to be out in a new environment working on so many different obstacles: a car wash, kiddy pool, teeter totter, side-passing poles (two poles laid down on the ground in an L that you side- pass the horse over), dirt- filled tire, foam noodle wall, bag of cans, tarps, and a stick with plastic bags tied to the end were just some of the things that he quickly learned to deal with. We were able to practice loading and backing out of another trailer, and I focused on getting him to accept the stick with bags on one end. He soon didn't mind it touching him or being shaken over his head (many horses have big problems with things over their heads, which is understandable when you think about how they are attacked by predators in the wild), but he was uncomfortable when I moved to his belly and the inside of his hind legs. To get over this, I would spend a minute or two at a time with the stick, moving it all over him and working gradually farther beneath him. To be more effective and keep him moving from one thing to the next, I would work on several other things and then return to the stick and bags, repeating this constant transition the entire time that we were out on the course.

Besides the stick and bags, I repeated the car wash (going in both forwards and backwards), noodle wall, and seal floatie a bit more than some of the other obstacles that are easier for him. Each car wash that we have worked with has a new material hung for him to walk through, so it is good to just practice with as many as possible so that he is prepared for any of it. I tried trotting him through it also, but he would slow down to a walk until he had passed through, so we will just keep working on it.

The noodle wall, though completely new to him, was not much of a challenge after the first time through. I eventually backed Twist through it too, and made sure to go through it often so that he paid less and less attention to all of the noodles rubbing against him.

The mostly deflated seal floatie wasn't any trouble either, because he is so used to me rubbing him  with shirts, coats, tarps and blankets that another floppy thing being laid over his back isn't very scary. I would toss it up over his back or head and drop it down behind him, all with little reaction, or rub his belly with it just to give him one more good experience that will help him in the future.

Another helpful portion of the trail course included a scarecrow and some Halloween decorations hung up in the trees. A ghost and black- cloaked character were the main practice points, and after Twist walked under them several times, I would shake them up and down as he came past.

There were so many new things that we were able to try with Twist and Kigali. Dragging the bag of cans behind them was another of the new experiences, as was leading them over a water obstacle covered with black mats. The change in footing for this obstacle made Twist nervous, since the water came up over the mats when his weight was put on it, but he finally followed me over it. We also shaved their brands, lips and the section of their manes where the upper halter strap crosses over, and once he got used to the vibration of the cutters Twist seemed to like the feeling of it. His brand came out so clearly and is now easily readable, but I miss his funny horse mustache. I know that for shows and competitions it is customary to shave the whiskers and extra lengths of hair that hang down from a horse's chin, cheeks, and fetlocks, but I don't know that I will be doing this to Twist. Those extra tufts of hair are a common characteristic of many mustangs, and I think that they should be left as the are, being a natural trait of the "breed". But I think that I may clip his whiskers, and definitely his brand, just to have him a bit more done up for the competition. 

Yet another check off the training bucket list was worming: I wormed Twist for the first time today, having forgotten about it for so long and then not knowing exactly how to go about it myself. It was very easy; all I had to do was put the end of the plastic syringe in his mouth and push out the medication for him to swallow, and he accepted it without much fussing. I think he might have even liked it.  

When it came time for us to leave (much later in the evening than we had thought), we practiced loading and unloading the horses so that they could get in some more practice with this new trailer. Kigali did great, and only needed two trips in and out-- but Twist decided that he needed to remind us about his stubborn streak. After finally getting him in the first time with a lot of pulling and pushing, we worked hard to unload him, and Jackie Sigloh led him in a circle to try a second time. During this struggle Twist got to wear a stud chain for the first time, which is a length of small chain that attaches to their halter to make them more sensitive to pressure on it. He still needed a lot of pulling and pushing to get in, but finally we had finished and were able to be on our way.

Just getting them out again and putting them to work in another place was a great opportunity, and we are looking forward to a second trip to the Siglohs' on Tuesday to work more on the showmanship maneuvers (including side- passing). I felt like we had accomplished a lot on our way home, and we even stopped in Newberg to treat the horses to some ice cream. Handing them their cones through the front opening window of the trailer, we were able to watch Twist and Kigali smell the new food curiously before making a huge mess of it. In no time at all they both had white sticky mouths, and had smeared the ice cream all over the front section of the trailer.  I wiped Twist's face off with a baby wipe, but his halter and lead rope had to be sprayed off later on.

Unloading the horses back at the barn was easier than the first time, but Twist proved to be more difficult again than Kigali. We were finally able to convince him to back out, but he will probably need a few more practices before he does it easily. At least he will be getting practice as we take him out more, having this Tuesday to return to the Siglohs' and planning to go out to Flying M again sometime soon.

*  *  *

(First worming!)

(A view from the front window of the trailer, with Twist here on the left and Kigali on the right.)

(The seal floatie, as you can tell, is very scary...)

(The carwash)

(The pool noodle "wall")

(A tire filled with dirt)

(First hoola hoop... he was a bit nervous)

(This is the stick with bags on the end that I have described)

August 6, 2012

I got out to the barn bright and early this morning to meet Erica Brand for the day's work. We got Twist and Kigali out and led them to the outside pens, letting Kigali loose in the sandpit while Twist ran in the bigger paddock. While they got whatever energy out that they had saved up during the night, we worked on getting an obstacle course set up in the sandpit. Our course included two car wash-sort of obstacles-- one with a big tarp hanging down and the other with plastic bottles, a shiny necklace, shirt, socks and rope-- and a barrel jump, kiddy pool filled with water, side- passing poles, umbrella and cone walkway, lunging practice area, big bouncy ball, a spray bottle, and another stick with bags on the end. 

Twist took a while to go completely through the kiddy pool and tarp car wash, but I got him to do more and more each time we came around the course loop. We took a lot of time working with the spray bottle, but by the end he would stand still while I sprayed him. We worked more with the stick and plastic bags, and I noticed a lot of improvement just since yesterday. He didn't squirm around when I rubbed his belly and rear legs with it, and paid less attention as I shook it everywhere around him. 

The big bouncy ball, which we have worked with a little before, was one of my favorites to work on with Twist. He was nervous for a second the first few times I lifted it up onto his back, but I found myself finally more confident even through his hesitation and could tell that it was helpful for him. I would set it on his back and rest the entire weight of the ball on him for a moment, then roll it off of his sides and move on to something different for a while. The next time we would come back, I would push him a little farther (as with all of the obstacles that I have been working him with, so that he improves gradually) until I was able to bounce it onto and off of him in any direction, even behind him. 

Twist did well with all of the obstacles by the time we were finished, stepping over the barrels, lunging on the line with knowledge of what he was supposed to be doing, crossing the kiddy pool ocean, and side- passing over the long poles from either direction. 

As Erica and I cleaned up, we let Twist and Kigali loose with us in the sandpit. It is the first time either have been free with another horse since the pick- up day, but they didn't really seem to notice. They kept to themselves much of the time, more concerned with what we were doing, but Twist did bite Kigali at one point. I think it is because he was taken from the herd environment at an age where the colts especially are trying to find their place in a group hierarchy, and have to be put in check by other grown horses until they learn proper etiquette. I think that I should be able to break Twist of this bully- like habit by acting like the dominant horse of the herd, and driving him out from the group when he is disrespectful to other horses; this is a similar concept to round penning, when you drive them away to work when they do not do the right thing. 

Otherwise, though, Twist and Kigali both did great. By the end of the day they had gained that much more experience with a new obstacle course, been sprayed down with a hose, and still been able to run around on their own. Tomorrow should be another day of good work out at the Siglohs', and we are definitely looking forward to what more we will accomplish!

*  *  *

(Another stick with bags)

 (No reaction to the weight on his back)

 (Walking under this tarp car- wash was his biggest challenge on our course)

(You might be able to see the plastic bags under him)

 (Front feet...)

(...and finally, back feet!)

August 7, 2012

We were able to return to the Siglohs' today with Erica Brand and Kigali as planned, and spent more time on showmanship than in-hand trail practice. To begin with, we each worked with one of Jackie's older horses to get some practice in ourselves before bringing the yearlings into the equation, learning where to stand in accordance to the horse and the judge and how to handle them during the judging time. It is all very new to me, since I do not have the 4-H or even past competition knowledge that many of the other girls this year do.

Once we had started to get the hang of it, we switched Jackie's horses out for our own to get in the practice with them that we will need for the competition. Twist did pretty well, and we have identified some of our specific practice points for focusing on in our future work. He is beginning to get used to the idea of it all, and I am able to handle him well overall, but we will now be doing some more of the "fine- tuning" that getting a decent placement in a showmanship class will require: better forehand and haunch turns, faster setting- up, and on my part general presence or etiquette. 

After a good bit of practice with this, I lunged Twist on a line (he is doing so much better now that he knows what in the world I want him to do) and then took him out to work on the trail course. Today's trail course work got off to a much more difficult start than I have experienced with Twist-- he was more stubborn for me than he has been before-- but after a few more trips to the arena for lunging, he became more cooperative. Our biggest challenge in the beginning was loading into the practice trailer, which isn't something that Twist should be concerned about since we have done it so much. He would step in with his front feet but then refuse to come any farther, pulling backwards if I gave him too much pressure. To fix this, I would walk him backwards for quite a distance when he tried to back away from the trailer, and after two repetitions of this he finally understood and came right into the trailer. I had him stand for a longer period of time than usual and made sure to pet him so that he placed the trailer in his mind as a good thing, then backed him out and moved on to the next obstacle. We had no more problems for the rest of the day, and in fact he was back to his usual laid-back self after the extra lunging and backing that I had to start our work with.

With a quick repetition of the entire course to simply review it from Sunday, I picked a couple of the obstacles to spend more time on. Since he had most of it down pretty well (I try not to make our work monotonous and too repetitive for him to stay interested) we would change up how we did each obstacle; instead of walking through the car-wash, we would back through it. Instead of walking over the tarp that was tied on one end to a fence, I would stand him on it while I wrapped the other end up around his side. Simple changes like this didn't make the obstacle completely different, but they changed it up enough to be more unpredictable and keep Twist interested while he got more practice.

Our side-passing has come a long way from our frustrating initial work! Twist starts much easier now and can keep going for longer distances, and today he side-passed over a big orange kids' tunnel without really being worried about it rubbing underneath him. 

After an hour or so of the trail course work, I let Twist be finished for the day and graze as I ate my lunch. He loves the big trees that shade the trail course area, always taking bites out of the bark when he is close enough to reach. Few domestic horses actually eat bark, but many wild horses, who have developed stronger survival instincts and hardiness than their domesticated relatives, are able to add bark to their normal diet.

We decided today to keep Twist on a more permanent basis out at the Siglohs', along with Kigali. They got to stay in their new stalls for the first time when we left the ranch (they will still be neighbors), and I think that they will both be very happy with access to an outside area from their space in the barn. Twist and Kigali are still neighbors as they were at the FitzGeralds', and they will be around many other, older mustangs as we continue to work with them. I am excited to see what new things Twist and I will be learning in the coming days, being in a new learning environment completely with new places to go and things to do. I am so glad to have this opportunity from the Siglohs', and can't thank them enough for their time!

*  *  *   

(His new stall, number 9)

(A view from the front door)

(From the back door looking out)

 

 (His "backyard", which he can get to anytime from his stall)

 (Yes, this is his view... it's a hard life!)

August 8, 2012

When I got to the Siglohs' today to work with Twist, he was in his outside area and didn't see me come in. I snuck up to the front of his stall and whispered his name, which made him start to look around to see where it had come from, and then called him louder. When he saw us, he whinnied excitedly and came trotting in, apparently ready to get out and happy to see us.

For the first time today since I have gotten him, Twist was able to actually run around and interact with another horse freely. I let him and Kigali out into the arena with (Jackie Sgloh's mother) Patsy's help, and it was so funny to see them shadowing each other all over the place. They would run and buck and nip at each other in play, also getting accquainted with the hot wire that lines the top of the arena fence. When one would get too close to the wire and jump away from its sting, the other would follow right after, getting both of them excited and sending them running across to the far end before coming back curiously for more.

When I had finished unloading all of my hay and getting Twist's new stall situated, I went in and tied him so that I could take Kigali back into his own stall. When I came back I untied Twist and we got to work, lunging for a bit and then moving into some showmanship practice. We worked on our forehand and haunch turns (which are still rather sloppy since we haven't done much with them recently), trotting an stopping together. Twist and I did much better on our trotting and stopping than we did the turns, but the setting- up portion of our stopping still takes some time to finish. I have been trying to make it a habit for him to set up each time we stop, and he does well with it sometimes, but then other times it is obvious that we need to spend more time practicing.

Before finishing up for the day, we did another quick walkthrough of the trail course. Today I was able to get a hoola hoop completely around Twist, coming up from his back legs and rubbing his belly, neck, back and legs without any reaction. Considering that this is only the second day that he has really been around hoola hoops, he impressed me.

As Twist grazed during his "free time" at the end of our work, I laid my arms across his back as I have recently started doing and thought about how far we have come since the first days, even weeks. I remember how exciting it was when I could just touch him, and the many hours that I spent just waiting in his stall for him to loosen up to me. There are so many things that I can do with him now-- so many things that seem little when you are around a gentled horse-- that I wouldn't have dared do such a short time ago. If I had tried putting my arm around him in those first days, he would have been sent into a state of terror, thinking that I was trying to eat him; even the most minor changes in my movement would alarm him. It is unbelievable how completely different Twist is from the pickup day, and just taking the time to look back at those early stages is enough I think to make anyone forget their frustrations as they try to teach their yearling a new showmanship maneuver or complicated trick.

It was so hard for me to leave Twist today! I wanted to stay and keep petting him in his stall, but I will have to wait until tomorrow when we go out to take care of him. The wait in between my visits seems so long, especially as we get closer and closer to August 25th... which gets me excited in some ways, but is definietly bittersweet now that we are so close to the end.

*  *  *  

August 9, 2012

After a bit of a rocky start to today-- I don't know that I am challenging Twist enough, which is probably causing him to get bored with some of our work-- we were able to get in some good lunging and have a fine day. Twist ran in the arena with Kigali for a while again as I cleaned his stall and put out his food, after which we went outside for some grooming. Besides the normal brushing and hoof cleaning, I have added a good spraying to Twist's grooming routine, and he has finally gotten over his fear of the spray bottle that I have filled with water (we have spent time with this instead of wasting fly spray).

Next I led Twist under a tarp that was draped over one of the arms on the horse walker. It was only his second go at it, but after our obstacle course work several days ago with the tarp car wash he seemed at least a little more comfortable and was soon just nosing his way right under it. 

We did another quick walk-through of the Siglohs' obstacle course-- the car wash, noodle wall, big checkered mat, seal floatie, water box, and side- passing poles, to name a few things-- before returning to the arena for some showmanship work. I worked on some walking, trotting, stopping and setting up with Twist in between our turning practices, focusing myself on keeping aligned with a particular target (taking the place of a judge). After stopping and setting up, we would do a few forehand and haunch turns, then return to our starting point and repeat the exercise. 

I plan to give Twist some fresh challenges tomorrow, and have decided that I will need to keep plotting about what I can do to push him farther each day. He catches on to things quickly and is ready to move onto the next thing, which is great for his training progress but difficult for retaining his attention. Hopefully I can find some new things that will test him a bit, and make tomorrow a harder day's work.

*  *  *

August 10, 2012

We began the day today with lunging, which Twist was significantly better at than he was even just yesterday. He puts less pressure on the line as he runs around me, and is able to walk, trot and canter almost always on command. I have begun also teaching him to recognize the word "reverse", and to turn around to go the opposite direction when I say this, but we haven't spent much time on it yet.

With our continued practice on showmanship, haunch and forehand turns, Twist is beginning to better get the idea of each task. We are doing great on forehand turns, and he is improving on haunch turns but we still need to work more on these. Once we have have these things down we will add some more specific maneuvers to our routine work, including a ground pole set up that requires the horse to walk in from one direction and back out from another.

After our routine handling work, I walked Twist through two lines of balloons, which I haven't done before. I had blown them all up and laid out the strands to form a narrow aisle way in the arena, thinking that this would be a big challenge for him at least in the beginning-- but he followed me right through them, looking like he was falling asleep instead of worrying over these new things.

He paid a little more attention when I picked one strand of balloons up (I had two sets of three balloons, tied together into two separate strands) to lay over his back, but once they had initially touched him and brought no pain it was again like we had done this a million times.

Next I led Twist outside to walk between a strand of cans and bottles and a separate strand of cds, a big silver cooking pot, and its noisy lid. He was most concerned at first about the cans-- I think because of their strong smell-- but he quickly came to like the noise of the pot and lid, wiggling them just to make the noise. Eventually I got him to walk under the strand with bottles and cans, draping it over his back so that a length hung down on either side of him.

As he grazed during his free-time on the obstacle course, we found out that there was a bee's nest in one of the bushes. Well, I should say Twist found out... he was pawing and digging in some of the ground cover that  surrounds one of the big trees, and started to act up a bit. I thought this was because his leg was caught in the vines, but once he pulled it free he was still tossing his head and fidgeting about something. I realized that he was under attack when he began turning his head to either side nipping himself, and my mom said that he was getting stung. I hurried and led Twist away from the growing swarm, and was ready to tie him to a tree (a safe distance from the nest) if he went any wilder. He quickly settled down once away from the bees, and I felt bad that I hadn't realized what was wrong until after he had received a few painful lessons. I pet him and let him calm down before we went back to the barn-- giving the bee bushes a wide berth-- and finished up the day with some playtime with Kigali.

*  *  *

 (Walking past a fan)

                                         

 (Kigali on top for once)

 (Watch for Twist's white foot in these pictures... that's the easiest way to tell him and Kigali apart)

August 11, 2012

Twist was outside when we got to the barn today, but as usual he came quickly when he saw me there. He was ready to be haltered and worked, and with a good lunging and grooming, we spent most of our time on showmanship practice.

Twist did great on his forehand turns again today, and better on his haunch turns. We practiced these a lot, as well as getting set up. He knows that his front feet need to be square, but I don't know that he has realized that his rear feet need to be squared, too.

We (mostly I) have been able to stay better aligned with a destination target in the arena for longer distances. By this, I mean that I can stay moving in a straight line towards a target representing the judge that I will be facing in showmanship; you can't just go straight at the judge because your horse then won't be where they are supposed to. Instead, you have to pick a point to the side of the judge that will put your horse in a straight line with them.

Twist didn't do much running today when I released him in the arena, and he didn't even roll, so I spent much of that time petting him. He doesn't mind me swatting at all the flies-- he surely must know by now that I am after them and not him-- so I typically stand at his side swinging my arms back and forth to keep them away. 

Once we were finished with our day's work, I led Twist back to his stall and got him his feed. He has adapted easily to his new surroundings, and it is so nice for him to be able to move around outside all day even when I'm not there.

*  *  * 

August 12, 2012

While I was unfortunately unable to get many pictures today, Twist and I accomplished a lot. After a short "playtime" with Kigali, we did our routine lunging and grooming, and I decided to give Twist his second bath. He did alright, better than last time, but we are going to be working with water (more specifically, hose water) every day from now on so that he can get more used to the idea. 

When he was all rinsed off, I curry-combed him one more time to get some of the water from his coat and doused him with some fly spray. Since we have added the water- filled spray bottle to our daily grooming, he was much less concerned about the fly spray than he was the last time I put it on him.

Once we had returned to the arena, I spent a good hour or so working with Twist on showmanship practice: today was walking and trotting, stopping, and setting up, with a few turns to break up the more boring work. While sometimes it seems like Twist is finally getting the hang of setting up, I feel like he has no clue other times. Even by the end of our long showmanship practice-- I was sweating and, I have to admit, a bit frustrated-- he seemed to have made little overall progress on setting up. After letting him walk around on his own a bit and giving us both a much needed break, I re-haltered Twist and led him outside.

He was a bit more social today with my grandparents out to visit, and he did very well once again on side-passing and following me through the obstacles out on the course. I spent more time outside working on our showmanship skills with Jackie's help, trying to get him to stand patiently for longer periods of time and stay set up. As usual, he would set up quickly some of the times, but other times act like we hadn't just spent the past hour or more working on this exact thing! His biggest problem is his slow response; he acts like he is asleep and, while he does eventually do what I ask of him, it takes him forever to react. His second major flaw is that he has a tendency to always cock a hip, which with him has been difficult to stop because of his stubborn laziness. However, with Jackie's help and a lot of practice, we should be able to work through this and stay in the competition. I do not expect to win it all, but I am confident that Twist should be able to compete with the other yearlings and take fairly decent standings overall.

While I will not have too much time tomorrow to work with him, the time I do have should be packed full of important steps for us to move forward. On our way out of town to go camping, we will be stopping past and working with Jackie on more showmanship things. Our goals are to get Twist to be more responsive (react faster to my cues) and to help us improve overall as a pair with our basic showmanship skills.

*  *  *

 (Watchya doing?)

August 13, 2012

On our way out of town we were able to stop and work Twist for just a short time, but I am happy with what we were able to do. He worked quite a bit harder in his lunging-- we are working on cantering on a lunge line, which is much different than just cantering in a round pen-- and was sweating pretty well by the time we had finished. I was glad to have gotten him such exercise before we left, since I won't be able to work him tomorrow, even if we didn't get a chance to work on showmanship as planned.

Once we had finished his lunging, Jackie and I sprayed Twist off with the hose, which was good not only for cooling him off but for better accustoming him to baths. 

I already know I am going to miss him on our trip!

*  *  *

 (His beautiful coat after a good spraying.)

 (Twist thinking: "I so pretty!")

August 14, 2012

Since we were out of town today, I did not get to see Twist, but I knew he was in good care with Patsy and Jackie. I did miss him just like I thought I would; it is funny how long one day can seem when I have to wait until the next!

*  *  *

August 15, 2012

On our way back into town we stopped by the barn so that I could take care of Twist. He was happy to see me again, but I could tell that he must have been hot! We got in a good lunging, working again but not so hard on cantering, and then cooled off with another hosing- down. Twist stood much more still for this than he has before, I think because it feels good and he has gotten at least a little more used to it. I think I enjoyed the water just as much as he did!

I cleaned Twist's stall and fed him before we had to leave, and am looking forward to tomorrow, when we will hopefully get in a good early morning workout to avoid the heat. It really hit me today that we are just ten days from the competition... I am not too worried about the trail or conditioning portion of it, but I hope that we (mostly me) will be ready for the showmanship class!

*  *  *

August 16, 2012

Twist did well today during our early morning workout-- we left McMinnville at 7:30 to beat the heat that we knew would come later-- and is continuing to improve on the things that we have been focusing on. After another good lunging, which included particular work on cantering, we cooled off in the hose outside the barn. Twist did much better today standing still than the other days that I have sprayed and bathed him, and his coat was nice and shiny from the drenching that he got.

With a routine grooming and lots of fly spray, we began some of our showmanship practice in the shaded arena. Erica and Kigali were also working on some showmanship things, and with Jackie's help we were all able to improve on some of our greatest weaknesses. Twist is doing better at setting up when I ask him to, and he has come so far with his forehand and haunch turns. Tomorrow we will do a bit more of our walking, trotting, setting and turning exercises, but I will be putting more emphasis on his backing- up.

Once we had fried our brains with the showmanship work, we went outside to "play" a bit on the trail course. While Twist has much of it down pat, it is nice to keep him refreshed on the work and give him a break from the more monotonous arena portion of our day. After going through all of the basic obstacles, I moved Twist to a big log laid out across the ground and got him to side-pass over it in both directions. This is one of his major improvements recently since we have come to the Siglohs'; I am sure that he understands the concept now, and while he may do it a little slowly, he is sure and steady most of the time and I am happy with that.

 To finish up I took Twist inside to run in the arena and have some free time. But having already worked quite a bit during our lunging session, and now being able to get outside anytime from his stall, he didn't have much pent-up energy that needed to be let out. Besides a little walking and nosing around, Twist didn't do much of anything but wait for me to come back in and get him. He is so content to just stand and be pet, and doesn't mind a bit when it is time to be haltered up and taken back to his stall. (Recently in fact, he kind of shoves his nose into his halter when I hold it up to get him out for the day.)

After checking his water and putting his hay back into the corner from everywhere he had spread it, I said my goodbye to Twist and got back on the road for McMinnville, where I took an article in to the News Register and was interviewed about the Teens and Oregon Mustangs program and my experiences as one of this year's trainers. There is supposed to be an article out in this Saturday's paper, so watch for us and make sure you read it!

With the good morning training and some success with the News Register in the afternoon, today was definitely an eventful day. I took out more sponsorship requests to several businesses downtown and am hoping to hear back on some of those, but am nonetheless content with today's work. To further add to a good day with Twist, he had his first farrier appointment at two o'clock, and while I was unfortunately able to be at the Siglohs' myself to get pictures and help, I was told that all went very well. The farrier took just fifteen minutes to get both Twist and Kigali's hooves into shape for next Saturday's competition, and had no trouble. I had expected Twist to be a bit of a pain with someone new handling his feet, especially since I wasn't there, but fortunately for everyone this was not the case, and I am looking forward to seeing how his feet look tomorrow!

*  *  *

 

 (A good picture of him that my mom snapped today.)

 (I know you're bored, but we have to practice this!)

 (Getting set up...)

 (One of his better set-ups.)

 (A good set-up, if he is trying to turn it into an ab workout!)

(More practice setting- up.)

(Wringing out the lead rope after a cooling shower.)

August 17, 2012

Twist was kind of nervous and "jumpy" when I got out to the barn today, so I am not sure what might have happened to make him act so different than usual. I had to walk into his stall and get him from his paddock outside, petting him and talking to him to calm him down. He let me put his halter on and lead him out to the arena just fine, but I could tell that he was still worked up about something.

After a bit of free time while I set some things up outside the arena, Twist was doing a little better, but he did not completely return to his usual self until later on in our work. After re-haltering him and spending some time petting him to build his confidence, we did some lunging (he did much better on cantering today) and I got him groomed. His hooves looked great after the farrier's visit yesterday, and were easier to clean, too because of their more definite shape. 

Once we had finished grooming and fly spraying-- which called for a lot of backing-up today because Twist was for some reason not wanting it sprayed on him-- we worked for a short time again on showmanship practice. He finally seems to have improved on setting- up, because we didn't have to take so much time on it today and he was pretty consistently responsive to me. We touched as usual on some turning, walking and trotting.

I moved on to a new challenge for Twist after our showmanship practice. From the overhead bar of the arena gate, I was able to hang a few strands of silver sparkly ribbon and a clear shower liner for him to walk through. On either side of the gate I tied some of those party blowers with ribbon fringe all around the ends, which created an obstacle that would intimidate him from three different directions at once. Unlike any of the other obstacles like this that he has been through, there were no slits cut in the long curtain, and though it was clear for him to see through he had to get used to its more solid resistance.

Twist approached the setup cautiously, reaching out to smell it before following me closer. He paid careful attention to all of the ribbon as well as the shower liner, and was comfortable enough to follow me when I walked through it. But the moment the liner dropped behind me and covered his face, he backed up to reassess the situation. With some more investigating of the strange materials and another try at following me, Twist finally walked through the curtain and ribbons and was fine with it after that. 

This accomplished, we went outside for a bit and walked the obstacle course. Before I led Twist back to his stall, he had a bit of time to graze, which is something we haven't done much of in the past few days. By the time I took him in, he was back to his normal antics, following me as I filled his water tub and cleaned his stall. 

We had a good day today overall, and were able to get some good pictures that will be up as soon as I can get them from my grandma (thanks!). Twist was able to be around just a few more things that will help us that much more in the competition, and I got a good deal of my "homework" accomplished after we had to leave. I am going to begin training him specifically for our freestyle time tomorrow, but can't tell what it is... you will just have to see at the competition next Saturday!

*  *  *

(Two hoola hoops on him at once for the first time.)

 (He pays no attention to me dropping them off behind him.)

 (You can see how the summer sun has changed his color!)

August 18, 2012

Today I did not make it out to the barn to work with Twist. This was not at all what I had expected, but we were out of town all day for a soccer tournament my sister was playing in and did not end up getting home until late!

Thankfully, Patsy and Jackie were more than willing to feed him, and I will have all day tomorrow to work on some final touches with Twist before the competition.

*  *  *

August 19, 2012

After dropping off my Teens participation points checklist (a record of my extra involvement and contributions to the program that gives me the opportunity to gain extra points that will be added to my overall score at the competition)  to FitzGerald Farms and running a couple of errands, I reached the barn around mid-morning and was able to spend a greater part of the day with Twist. 

I think I learned today that Twist is not a morning horse; of the days that I have worked with him, I realized thinking back that he has been a bit "off" on the days that we have early workouts. Today, he was acting out of the ordinary when I arrived at the barn, but by the time I returned to the arena from eating lunch in the car he acted like he was ready to get going. It is a funny thing, that he should act so differently in variation with the time of day, but I am glad that he is able to get over it and allow us to get more done.

I began the day with a brief lunging, thorough grooming, and some obstacle course work. I set up a new mesh car-wash with bright streamers that hung from the overhead bar of the arena gate, and was able to set a ladder up for Twist to walk under. From these first obstacles he would next have to travel with me in a straight line for a bit of showmanship practice, to a cone on the far side of the arena where we would stop and set up, do a haunch or forehand turn,, back up, or work on another similar maneuver. Twist did great on setting up today; I have been seeing some results after our recent intensity with showmanship work, and while he isn't what some people would consider perfect at it, he is doing well enough for me.

From this leg of the course, we moved to a "station" where we could practice our freestyle finale (though I still can't tell what it is-- you will have to watch us next Saturday!!). Twist caught on right away, helped significantly by his natural tendency to do what I was trying to train him to do on command. I was very much impressed with how fast he seemed to understand!

The final piece of the course was a fake hand screwed to a broom handle. The hand, appearing to be a Halloween decoration, is life- sized and generally realistic, but the wrist portion of it is designed to look bloody and tattered. With the form of the fingers (they resemble claws to a horse that is concerned firstmost with evasion of predators), I could tell that the hand made Twist wary. His ears perked and his body tensed as I reached it out towards him, and he was ready to run away at the slightest hint of danger. But once it touched him and brought no pain, I was easily able to rub him all over with it.

The ladder obstacle wasn't very difficult for Twist to accept, even though he had to duck to follow me under it. He paid no attention to it after he had reached the other side with his head, and followed me without hesitation when his hips brushed up against it.

The final challenge was the mesh car wash; though Twist has grown used to a variety of materials that might be used in car washes, he has not encountered such a solid or resistant one. The silver ribbon and multicolored party blowers only added to the visual intimidation, with their unpredictable movement and light reflection. Once Twist saw me walk under it all, though, he knew what was expected of him and came through it-- cautiously, but willingly all the same. And after the first walk through, it was no longer a real challenge. Once we had finished with the obstacle course, it was time for lunch. Twist ran loose in the arena as we (my grandparents and I) cleaned up the obstacles and then went out to the car to eat lunch. 

When I came back into the arena to get back to our work, Twist had perked up and was ready for me to challenge him. We worked for what seemed at least an hour on lunging, trying to get past a couple of difficulties that we are having with it. There are some places in the arena that Twist will just fall apart at when he is going his circles, trying to slow down or turn around each time he passes a certain spot. I have not been able to figure out what exactly he is worrying about when we are trying to work through this, and the only things I have been able to do to fix this are patiently trying to work him through it-- which requires me to walk him past that spot until he no longer reacts, then trot him, and finally canter him once he can pass it easily at a trot-- or to move to a completely different workspace. Today's "scary spot" was only a problem after we had reversed directions and were lunging to the right; Twist would stare at something on the wall and come to a nervous walk or complete stop in the same part of the lunging circle every time, trying to turn around and run if I put him under any pressure to go into it. I tried working him gradually through it, though I could not pinpoint anything that might have been the culprit, but we made no helpful progress. Finally I moved to the center of the arena and continued with our right- side lunging, and with a bit more work Twist was able to finish his cantering. This done (we walk, trot, then canter on each side) I brought Twist in to me and pet him, walking him outside to cool off.

Next came a hosing-down for Twist. While it was not so miserably hot today as it had recently been, he had still worked up a sweat and was hot from his running. He dealt with the water far better than he has been, standing still for a large majority of the time and letting me soak him thoroughly. 

After Twist's soapless bath, we walked down to the woods to relax a bit. I let him graze while I talked to my grandma and got a number of good pictures, but before he had dried he got down to roll... so of course, Twist finished up the day much dirtier than he had started. His shiny coat-- which has been lightened almost to a mahogany shade by the sun-- was turned gray and dusty, and his mane and tail had plenty of plant clippings for him to snack on later.

Before leaving today, I gave Twist his new mix of grain, which includes sunflower seeds in place of his soybean meal. He didn't mind the new ingredient one bit, and it will give his coat a bit of an extra shine for the competition.

I already know that our final time will fly by all too quickly; with just five days left before the Youth and Yearling Challenge, there is so much that I have to get done, but I am confident that Twist is ready for whatever might await us. I want to spend as much time with him as possible just building his confidence and willingness, which I think will be the best way to ensure that we are ready.

*  *  *

 (Lunging)

 (Under the ladder...)

 (Twist was very concerned about this contraption.)

 (Coming through the mesh carwash and ribbon.)

August 20, 2012

When I got to the barn today, I haltered Twist and let him loose in the arena while I got things set up for our day's work. Once everything was set out in the arena, we began by lunging, which took up a good chunk of time as I practiced with Twist on his cantering. He understands what to do perfectly, but he still needs some training with longer distances; once he gets into the canter he will only take a few strides before falling out of shape (he can't yet maintain our circle and veers more into and oval before stopping or trying to turn around).

After a couple of good cantering distances, I called it quits and took Twist out to cool off. Beginning with a good grooming, I took more time than usual to soak him and get him to be more tolerant of the water running through his mane and tail.

When we returned to the arena, I walked Twist through the mesh carwash, which had craft feathers and again silver ribbons hanging from it. We also walked over the shower liner, worked on our freestyle finale, got in some showmanship practice, and jumped over barrels.

Twist has never jumped over anything in our workouts, though he has stepped over small ones. Today the new barrels were too big for him to just step over, and once I had jumped over them ahead of him, he got that I didn't want him going around them, but over. He laid back a bit and jumped right over each time that we came to the barrels, not even needing much practice.

Before we were finished, we spent a little time outside and did some side-passing, trotting over poles, and backing through an L shape. After some grazing to reward his good work, we went in for the day.

*  *  * 

August 21, 2012

I am thrilled to say that I will be keeping Twist! I haven't quite been sure until today, with so many different factors to consider including some that were beyond my control, but I have been able to reach a final decision and went to the barn today knowing that it would not be one of my last days with him.

With three days left until the competition, I feel like we just need to focus on our freestyle work, which will consist of several things including hoola hoops and a rug. Our freestyle isn't anything fantastic-- you won't see him dancing or kicking a soccer ball around-- but I think that it will show how desensitized he has become to a variety of important situations, and hope that he can do as well in front of a crowd with it as he has done in our daily practices.

After our lunging and grooming to start the day we moved on to a small series of obstacles. Twist walked under a little soccer goal made of white piping, not afraid of the heavy black net that was draped around one side of it; next he did his freestyle finale trick, and then we moved to the barrels.

Twist is not as ready to jump over things as Kigali is (Erica says Kigali loves to jump the barrels), nor is he nearly as graceful when he does. I think it takes a lot of work for him to get his belly over it, not being nearly as lean as he once was, we'll say... and this is not helped by his shorter legs. He takes the jump very seriously, focusing on the separate movements that he must make to get over without getting high-centered: he will lay back with his forefeet in the air, get them to the other side, then lift his rear feet up and somehow manage to get them over with little momentum working for him. His jumps are so pitiful after watching Kigali's, but they just make me laugh! Of course, Twist doesn't think it's much of a laughing matter, and he would like for us to hurry up and move on once he has finally gone over the jump.

After some grazing outside and playtime with Kigali in the arena, we had to be heading home. I put feed out in Twist's stall and brought him in as Erica haltered Kigali, and later I wondered if Twist and Kigali would miss each other when Kigali went to his new home after the auction. They have always been neighbors, from the pickup day all the way through; even in Albany at the EMM they had stalls next to each other, and since we have moved to the Siglohs they have gotten out to play together almost every day. It will be sad to see Kigali go, but at least I will know where Twist is.

*  *  *  

 (The only way to spot Twist at a distance is by keeping track of his white foot... Kigali's feet are all black)

 (This picture shows the size difference between Kigali-- left-- and Twist-- right.)

August 22, 2012

During the couple of hours that I was at the barn today, Twist was able to run and play with Kigali as I cleaned his stall, refilled his water tub, and finally just sat and watched them. It is funny how Kigali has finally caught on to Twist's bullying form of play; he used to just let Twist push him around and nip at him without giving much of a reaction, but now he will turn around and bother Twist right back. They almost play tag like this, turning around to chase each other and run laps around the arena. When one gets a little excited, the other gets a little more excited, and they feed off of each other until one takes off kicking and prancing to the other side of the arena.

As I sat and watched Twist and Kigali play, I wondered if they would miss each other after the auction, when Kigali would be adopted out and Twist would stay with me. They have been through everything together, and I wonder if they will be at least a little sad to lose that last piece of their wild days.

I can't wait until the competition; tomorrow is my last day to prepare before we load the horses and head to the fairgrounds, where they will stay overnight to be ready for the morning. I have a lot to do in some ways, but I still do not feel too stressed about that; I think Twist is ready, and I just need to do my best to make sure that he is given the best chance.

*  *  *

August 23, 2012

I cleaned Twist's stall and refilled his water tub before we got started for the day. While I was in his stall I noticed a gash on his off- hind leg, one that was more than a simple scrape or cut but that luckily didn't look too serious. 

When Patsy came out my mom asked her about it, and Patsy said that he must have been rolling and caught in in the fence somehow, which would explain why some of the panels had been un-straightened this morning. As I had hoped, she said that it wasn't too serious, but gave us some spray- on medication and fly repellent just to be sure.

I turned Twist out in the arena and then haltered Kigali so that they could run together before Twist and I got to work. They kicked and bit and shoved for a good half- hour, one time hurrying over to investigate on of Patsy's dogs and cats that had come up to the gate. Twist is usually very interested in other animals, and even after Kigali had lost focus, he had his ears pricked and neck arched trying to get a better investigation of these little animals.

Once Erica had gotten out to the barn, we each haltered our horses and got started. I lunged Twist quickly before joining Erica and Kigali on the obstacle course, where I put hoola hoops around Twist's belly, walked him over the pile of tarps, through the noodle wall, over the side-passing poles, and rubbed him down with plastic bags.

Before returning inside to the arena, I took Twist over to visit the goats that were standing by the fence. He reached his head over and tried to get a closer look at them, and a couple came up close but soon lost interest. Twist hasn't really been afraid of any other animals yet, but he is so curious about them.

With a quick lap of showmanship practice in the arena, which included the usual walking, trotting, stopping, and turning, we moved on to grooming. Twist is able to hold his feet up for longer intervals, but this is something that I want to keep working on. We did our usual brushing, combing, hoof cleaning... and at the end I had to get the wound medication onto his cut. As you might guess this is much easier said than done.

To begin with, I sprayed Twist down with the water bottle to remind him that a misting won't hurt him. Next I switched to the medication bottle. But as I leaned down to spray his off- hind leg, he turned his hips away from me trying to escape it. After a couple retries, I moved to the center of the arena with him and tried again, this time picking up the lunge line and sending him out to run when he stepped away from me-- my favorite tactic for dealing with an uncooperative horse. When I invited him back in, we tried again, but he still was not having it. After another attempt I led him over and switched out lead ropes for a longer one, working him long and hard the next time I sent him out. This time when he came in, he stood perfectly still and let me spray the medication onto his cut easily. When I bent down to rub the fly repellent on over that, he still did just fine.

With much of our final time having been used up lunging, I stood with Twist at the gate for a while talking to the small crowd that was there today-- three of Erica's family members, my mom, and Patsy-- before returning him to his stall for the night. I fed him and trimmed his mane and tail as he ate, but it was such a short trimming that you wouldn't really notice it. I am only trying to get rid of his straight- across look from the BLM, so that his tail doesn't look chopped off at the bottom and his mane has a bit more of a natural shape. 

As I left the barn this evening I thought about tomorrow. Twist has no way of knowing that this is his last night as a resident at the Siglohs', and I wonder if he will miss it at all-- he has been pretty spoiled during his stay there, able to get outside all the time and fatten up on his grain. But I think that he will like his new home too, where he will have a huge pasture to run in, lots of grass to eat, and another horse to keep him company. We will be leaving ahead of time tomorrow to take Twist out to visit his new forever home (or what will be until we someday have our own place out of town to keep him at), and see if he will be able to get along with the older gelding that lives there. I think it will be hard for me to watch at first if they have to get anything sorted out in typical horse fashion, but overall it should end well; I hope that they will learn to enjoy each other's company, since Kigali will no longer be there for Twist to roughhouse with.

After the Vincent's, it's on to the fairgrounds for our last night before the competition Saturday!

*  *  *

 ("Where are you going?! I want to smell you!)

 (Twist on the left, Kigali on the right)

August 24, 2012

When we got out to the barn today to load Twist and Kigali and head for the fairgrounds, I noticed that Twist's face looked a little funny. When I took another look at him, I realized that he was extremely swollen-- everywhere. His head, sides, legs, and hindquarters were painfully huge, and there was no doubt that something was wrong.

I ran to knock on the Sigloh's door, and Jackie was luckily home to help us. I haltered Twist for her to take a look at, and could just get his halter fastened through the first hole (though it is usually on the second or third). Jackie agreed that he was very inflamed and called her vet to ask what to do. Luckily again for us, she  was able to give Twist the medicine he needed, and we soon were able to see a reduction in his odd size.

To help cool him off, I sprayed Twist down for a while and kept him walking for a bit in the cool breeze. He acted fine all the while, but I could not get over how swollen he was; the long bone visible down the front of his face was not at all distinguishable, and his nose felt so tight that it seemed liable to pop.

We are sure that Twist must have had an allergic reaction to something, but whether it was his sunflower seeds, a bug bite, the medicine we put on his leg cut, or something else we can't really guess. There was a noticeable lump on his right side where a bite could have possibly been, almost under his armpit really, and Jackie told us to just keep an eye on that, the swelling, and how much he wanted to lay down. Since he was still acting fine, though, she said that it would be fine to just go on with our normal plans and take the horses to McMinnville.

On our way through Newberg we stopped at Erica's house to let her spend a bit more time with Kigali. When we dropped him off, we left Twist in the trailer with a bucket of water and plenty of hay to munch on so that we could go get lunch and let Erica walk Kigali around her yard. 

When we got back we loaded Kigali and got on our way to the fairgrounds, where our stalls were for once not next to each other, but still near enough. I brought Twist in from the trailer and got him situated before we began decorating the front, a process that would not get finished until well into the evening! It required a lot of measuring, stapling and taping, climbing up onto other people, and scaling the front of Twist's stall for us to get everything into place.

After I finally got home, I realized that I hadn't brought any hoola hoops along for our freestyle the next day. This, my preparation, and Twist's grooming all weighed heavy on my mind before I could fall asleep. And above all, I was still worried about Twist, though he seemed well enough and a bit less swollen than this morning.

*  *  * 

Day 98: August 25, 2012
Today was the big day of our summer... the 2012 Youth and Yearling Challenge was suddenly just ahead of us, and after just four hours of sleep I was rushing to the fairgrounds to get Twist ready. I had to change into my show clothes, prepare him, and get all of the info that we would need to compete. 

Though it had been at the top of my list, I didn't get to bathe him because I didn't want to take the risk of him getting too cold-- which I worried would not help his continuing recovery from yesterday's swelling. Luckily, his reaction seemed to be more under control and his swelling had almost totally disappeared. 

I  rubbed Twist down with a damp rag and took as much time as I could spare to brush him, before rushing off to trainer check- in at six and lining up for Twist's number painting after that. Then I spent the final hours before the start of the competition in the trainer meeting and course walk-throughs. When we were finished I hurried back to feed him, worrying constantly about being late or missing our turn for each portion of the competition. I was able to relax for a minute until our turn for the trail course, which I thought went very well except that Twist wanted to roll in the dust the entire way! 

This year's course was different than last year's, consisting of a mailbox, side-passing L, two bridges, a "pinwheel" that we had to walk over, a mirror and huge blow-up cat decoration (Halloween themed), trailer to load and unload into, another L to back through, a black tunnel with flashing red lights that few of the horses would go through, and finally the freestyle. I showed that Twist didn't mind the stick and bags being shaken at him or rubbed all over him, and that he didn't mind when I lifted two hoola hoops up from iunder his front feet, slipped them over his head, and spun them around his belly before dropping them off around his rear legs. On our way out of the arena he wiped his feet on a rug (our finale, though I don't know that many people got it) and I tossed it up over his back. I was happy with how Twist did in the end, having completed every obstacle without any refusals or panics. 

After a bit more waiting, I was called to be out getting ready for my body conditioning and showmanship class earlier than expected. I hurried to get Twist out of his stall and wipe some of the dust from his coat on our way out, lining up to be judged by two vets on his overall health and fitness. One judge scored him perfectly, though the other scored him very lowly (considering him too "fleshy", though I do not think they realized he was still a little swollen). When this was finished we walked into the showmanship arena, where I felt Twist was find of "naggy" and we would be less successful. We finished the pattern with one missed maneuver (I forgot to back him up before turning for the judge) and a lot of frustration. After I took Twist back to his stall and calmed down with a short break, I was happy enough with his performance for the day, reminding myself that there was definitely worse that could have happened and that this was a brand-new experience for both of us.

It was so relieving having my performances close together and early on, so that I could get all that weight off my shoulders and be done with competing. For a few more hours as the remaining competitors went through the trail course, Twist ate happily and I was finally able to sit for a while. Except for my little emergencies with Twist.

The first problem was his swelling. I was still always having to be on watch and hoped that he would not suddenly regress. On one of my trips back to check on him, there were people outside his stall that told me he wasn't getting up off the ground and he was breathing funny; this sent me rushing in to find Patsy and have her check on him. I haltered him and got him up off the ground for her to look over, and though he still acted fine, I couldn't stop worrying. My biggest fear was that he would at some point suddenly hit rock bottom, but  thank goodness that he never seemed to have any bad symptoms.

The next occurrence was on my very next trip out to check on him. This time I was informed that his foot had gotten caught in his hay bag (which only had happened because of his stubborn nosiness; he had to have worked hard to get his foot halfway up the wall to even reach it) and they had to cut it off so that he didn't break his leg.

I almost wondered what this might mean for my keeping him-- how will he possibly make it through so many accidents before something really goes wrong?!

By the time the awards ceremony and auction rolled around, we were ready for our final walks out into the big arena. Twist did well and stood still as the awards for the top ten were given out, and as I later gave my speech before the auction (though he would not be going up for bidding because I am keeping him). Our last trip to his stall was so relieving; for many of the girls, today was a wide spectrum of excitement and disappointment, happiness and sorrow-- especially for those auctioning off their yearlings. I can't imagine how different my day would have been if I were to be selling Twist instead of keeping him!

At the end of the day, I am happy with our work. We placed overall about halfway through the group, doing better than I might have thought for it being our first time for any of it. Twist has come a long way since just 98 days ago, and I have learned at least as much as he has! Today did not seem nearly so final as it must have for some of the other trainers, because I knew all along that it is only the beginning. Some day I will be saddling Twist, breaking him to ride, and running him out in the open without corrals or fences. Those will be the greatest of days; when we will be able to look back and remember our first three months, and the finish of the 2012 Teens and Oregon Mustangs program that got us started.

I could not have asked for a better horse. The time and patience that I have put into Twist, and all of the forgiveness and faith that he has given me in return, is more than enough to make me know that all was worth it. I would not trade our experiences for the world.

*  *  * 

 (Oh, the heights I went for decorating his stall front!)

(Twist's stall front)

(Our freestyle after the set Trail Course)

 (Body Conditioning)

 (Showmanship)

 (Awards Ceremony)

 (Finally, some free time after our competing! You can see the feathers Twist wore.)