Big Weekend for Impulse

Impulse had a big weekend.  With all the weight she's lost, and given how slowly she was eating, a visit from the vet was in order once Grace was weaned so that we could deal with her teeth.  While there were no points to have interfered, she'd recently lost her last set of caps, and that, he said, made it more difficult for her to maintain a good, healthy weight once Grace was foaled and began nursing.  Thankfully, the past couple of weeks out on some (rather dry) pasture has helped her start to fill out again.

In addition to the vet, Impulse also had her feet trimmed for the first time.  Farrier Andy Colton did the job, and I must say he's an excellent choice for a horse who's lacking in confidence when having feet handled.  He took his time, but also helped her understand that she had nothing to fear.  

The following day, with less toe to hinder her, it was off to the round pen where we worked a few minutes, then  back to the barn where I tossed the saddle pad up onto her back.  With no reaction (it's been done before, but she's not liked it and it's been a few months), I figured maybe it was a good day to also see what she thought of a saddle?

Turns out that while saddles have a funny look and smell, she didn't mind in the least when I set it onto her back.  I didn't tighten the cinch yesterday, but today, I did.  And I lunged her in the round pen with it, too!  She didn't bat an eye.  Didn't care one way or the other about being cinched up, stirrups banging, or saddle squeaking.  What she's not so hot about is me bouncing alongside of her, so that is my project with her for this coming week...get her used to bouncing, so that we can start bouncing in the stirrups!

You may recall our Weekend Getaway from a few weeks back when we visited the wild horse corrals and spotted a couple of cute geldings.  Well, when a local rescue hosted a clinician who wanted an unhandled horse for their demo, they came to me to see if I had a mustang that would fill the bill.  I arranged for them to pick up that oh so adorable chestnut gelding that I'd spotted while riding the hay wagon.  Once the gentling clinic was over, he needed a place to stay for a few weeks until the next adoption in WA state, so of course I was willing to do that for them!

And being as I can't just leave a horse sitting out there, especially not one as cute as this, I had to start messing with him.  He didn't bat an eye about the saddle going on or being cinched up.  The bridle made him wiggle his tongue a bit, but overall, this colt is an absolute dream.  And I had to name him something while he was here, did I not?  And since I'm always chasing a dream of some sort around here, Chasing Dreams, aka Chase, is his moniker.

Anyone looking for a nice colt?  Three year old gelding from Three Fingers HMA in Oregon.  14.2 hands tall and an excellent disposition!  Whopping $125 adoption fee.  Seriously...take him before he ends up staying, please!

Another Day, Another Rain Drop

Will it ever stop? If it weren't for global warming, we'd be in an ice age!

Steve Holt! stayed at pony day care while we were away earlier this month. In other words, my place of work, so that someone could keep an eye on his royal pain in the patootie. Upon return, Darling thought to take advantage of the arena and saddle him up for a ride. One small problem...

...Darling didn't bring her helmet. So Steve Holt!, all dressed up with nobody to ride, got turned out for a few minutes of saddled play time. Can someone tell me why I've not sold this handsome gent yet???

As long as I had the camera, I snapped a couple of shots of Berta, a lovely little mare also looking for a home.

Berta is a rescue horse. She'd been used as a brood mare, barely even halter broke, before being sold to a family who knew nothing of horses. They left her tied to the branch of a tree, which eventually broke and she then drug it around. My employer tried a few times to get them to give the mare to her, and finally succeeded about a year and a half ago. Berta was thin, but has now gained weight along with some confidence.

Seriously...who could hurt a pretty girl like this? A little hard to catch, but once you've got her she tries so hard to do the right thing. Berta is registered with the Pinto Horse Association, and according to her registration papers, she's 25% Kiger Mustang (no wonder I like this girl!) She's also free to the right home...a place who will take the time to love and understand her.

...Sigh...I still hear raindrops pitter pattering outside my window...

Choose Me!

They come in all shapes and sizes. All sorts of colors, too! From sweet to sassy, fat or classy. I'm certain you've got room for just one...haven't you?

Red Dun mare gives a little stretch, hoping that doing tricks may get her noticed.



Prehistoric! Cute little gelding will shed out to be a sooty buckskin.



From Palomino Butte, this lovely yearling gelding is looking deep into your eyes...



Two for one deal! Poor gray mare...she looks so uncomfortable.



Yearling filly will have people thinking you're riding a Kiger. She's going to grow up to be something special.



Cute appy from Warm Springs. Like tradition? Look at that tail!



I must admit I'm a little sweet on this mare. I believe she's two...maybe three?



Very nice yearling filly. Good size, pretty head.



Okay, she turned my crank. Nicely put together and a pretty little face.



Two years old. Likely to be overlooked due to her coloring, this little filly was CUTE!

Fair Time!

Wow...not only have I been swamped trying to get the Cascade Horse Fair up and running, but now I'm looking at the calendar and seeing that I need to haul horses up to the Northwest WA Fair in just a couple more days! Darling and I went up yesterday to set up panels and found we were in a slightly new location than the past two years. A better location, with greater visibility! But it's a funny shape, and I don't know how I'm going to get 4 pens together for the horses. Guess we'd better figure that out, eh?

Duns, of course, will be there to meet and greet the public. He's a bit ticklish under his belly, which will make life interesting when trying to saddle him up, but that's the goal for this next week; get the boy saddled so that he can be started sooner, rather than later. He's also struggling with picking up feet, so that's another issue I'll be tackling with him while there.

Darling will have Beamer on hand, of course, trying to catch the eye of some potential adopters. I hauled the kiddo and her pony out back to snap some photos the other day. In a dress, of course!

Working on the vintage look and feel. Darling was not feeling like posing. Here is her vintage backside.

I dunno...what do you think?

I'm pretty sure I know what Darling is beginning to think!

For those of you who live in the northwest and would like to come hang out at the fair with me, I've got tickets! Only catch is you need to schmooze with the public and talk mustang with strangers. And, of course, tolerate me. Come on...you can do it!

Sometimes?

Ya just gotta play!

Me? Well, obviously, I've been playing in Photoshop!

I've also been playing up at the riding club. Better check out Duns in his new video! This was Sunday...his second trip down into the arena and working in the round pen. You like? Come adopt! He'll be at the Northwest WA Fair with me beginning Aug 16!

Trail Rides and Dun Horses

Nothing to do with one another...just the subject of this particular day's musings.

Yesterday we saddled up and met some friends on the Heady Road. The weather, until today, has been spectacular around these parts, if not downright hot at times. But no matter the heat, a ride on Heady is beautiful no matter what. And besides...the trees are so deep and dense that you don't worry about heat or flies while on your ride.

Once off the logging road, Darling and her long legged Steve Holt! stepped out into the lead as Sandy & I brought up the tail of our little group. I must admit it put a smile on my face, seeing Steve Holt! confident enough to leave his buddy and step out in a brisk walk. Darling kept a conversation up with Phil as we worked our way through the trees.

After a couple of hours we found ourselves back at the horse trailers, complaining about knees and back and butts that were slightly out of condition. Well...everyone but Darling, who simply shrugged and said we were old.

Earlier in the day I'd made a trip south to pick up a horse...none other than Duns N Roses. Duns, if you recall, had been with me 2 years ago, adopted, given up, fattened up, and now has come full circle. With a little extra weight, he's decided he doesn't quite trust the human race after all, and his foster mom was having some issues with getting a halter on. No threat of being caught, and all was fine. But as soon as a rope or halter was part of the deal, he'd snap back to the golden rule of wild horses; flight or fight. Far too often he chose fight, and Deb found herself faced with hind feet flying up at her.

Duns N Roses, January 2010

Like most horses, when a stranger approaches, Duns didn't offer quite the same scenario. No, I didn't just walk straight up and halter him, but it was done in less than five minutes and without a single threatening move on his part. I pushed him around his pen a few times, and when he realized I was the one driving our relationship, he stopped. At first he didn't want to touch my hand with his red nose, but after a few more circles he decided it was okay if I touched him.

Once my hands were on him, his mind shifted a bit. I got my lunge whip out so that I could run it down his neck and over his withers, which he wouldn't allow me to touch with my hand. When he stood still for that, I pulled out the long rope and tossed it over his back. With that, he was back to trotting circles, but only a couple. I picked up the end that was dragging on the other side of him, slipped it up towards his throatlatch, and led him over to the gate where his halter waited. And that was that.

Duns has been caught in a bit of a time warp. I picked him up just 4 months after acquiring Sandy in 2008. Yet unlike Sandy, he hasn't had the benefit of training, aside from brief handling while being fed, in the past two years. Mentally, he's not sure if he's a wild horse, or one who should behave like a domesticated version. He wants to believe the best of people, but with little interaction, he has reservations.

When I visited him in April at his foster mom's, I got into the pen with him and encouraged him to lunge a bit. He was unsure, but eventually figured out that I wanted forward motion. So when I first asked that of him yesterday, I was blown away by how he moved right out, circling left, then right, and moving easily enough off my body language to make a person believe he'd been doing this all his domestic life. I got brave and led him from the barn (he's at the riding club) down to the arena and was fully prepared to have him bolt out of my hands when I tried lunging him down in the larger space. But unlike each and every other horse, he didn't do that. Rather than panic over not having a rail to support him on the outside, he simply stepped out and trotted big, bold circles around me.

Unable to leave him with just one workout, when I hauled Sandy up this afternoon, I turned Duns out into the round pen to watch while I rode. He was in a state of shock and panic. He's not seen a rider on a horse's back since leaving the corrals, and it was plain that he was uncomfortable with it. For 20 minutes he rushed, stopped, flared his nostrils, then raced again around the pen. I'd stop now and again alongside the rail, but he kept his distance, always head high and on alert. When he finally got brave enough to walk up and reach for my fingertips, I decided Sandy and I could go in.

The moment the gate swung open and Sandy stepped inside the round pen, Duns retreated to the back rail. I rode Sandy in a circle as Duns blew warnings through his nostrils, keeping as much space between us as possible. As we circled, Duns relaxed, and rather than puffing and keeping his distance, he became curious and started to close the gap. I turned Sandy across the little pen and reversed, and Duns followed along, getting closer and closer, building confidence, until finally he was within reach. I held out my hand over Sandy's hip, and Duns reached out to touch me. He let me rub his forehead and took a treat.

It was a big day for the dun horse. Maybe tomorrow I'll pony him in the arena, and perhaps later in the week I can take him out on the trail. I think I've found myself a nice little project...unless someone wants to come along and adopt him?

Guess What's in My Backyard?

Uh-huh...

That's right!



Momma had her baby!

I didn't even notice her at first...just went out, tossed some hay through the mare's window, grabbed the boys and headed across the creek so they could be turned out to graze for the morning. When I returned a few minutes later to put grain in her bucket? Wow! What a surprise met my eyes!

On Wednesday evening I'd noticed a slight softening of the vulva on Momma, but it wasn't much, an certainly not what I'd noticed on my sheep. Her bag had changed shape just a bit, but again it was nothing like the super tight and full udders I've seen on my ewes. So I expected by the weekend, perhaps, we'd have a foal.

But I sure didn't expect to have her 12 hours later!

Now, just in case you're wondering, there will be a naming contest on the Mustang U facebook site in the next day or two, so please do visit there often. Plus, you'll find additional photos in the album there, as well as a few on the MU Blog.

The adoption fee for this filly will be raffled off! Winner of the raffle will still need to submit an approved adoption application, but the fee will be waived. And more info on that will also be found on facebook or the MU blog.

Happy Trails, y'all...I gotta go play with a baby!

Duns N Roses

Remember this boy? What a looker! He sure was a snorty bugger. Duns was part of the group I hauled up from Molalla (I love that name! Let's say it again, 3 times fast, all together now...Molallamolallamolalla...) Duns was used as part of my gentling demo at the fair in '08. Totally untouched before going, he gave fair goers a real show. They say red horses, duns in particular, are hot, and this boy had flames. He was the flightiest of the three horses I'd brought home, but by the end of the week he had a huge following of fans and a sweet young family adopted him.

I'm always amazed by the turn around of these horses. I know I've said it before, but it always bears repeating. Trust is key. Gain it, and they're yours. Duns was no exception. He went from being a hot headed fool one day to a girl's best friend the next. Some folks mistakenly believe a dog is man's best friend. Those people have never had a mustang. Like most, Duns became a pocket pony, begging for love and attention over the course of the next year and a half.

Sadly, Duns' family became victims of the current economy and felt inclined to give him up. Feed the kids, or feed the horse...well, of course the kids get fed! It's the only rational choice. Not really having the space here, Duns became part of the Mustang U herd and is living with club secretary, Deb, down south of me a bit. Wish he were closer because he's ready to start under saddle...well, almost. He needs to gain a few pounds and get some muscle tone. Right now he's living happily with Deb's small herd, and he's quite content.

I did go down and mess with him a bit a couple weeks ago. As you can see, he'd benefit from some muscling along his topline, and he could gain a few pounds, but he's not all that bad. I think he's got the same holstein hips that Sandy has...always makes them look thin when you see cow hips pointing out. Duns is going to be a pretty decent sized boy. He's four this year, roughly 14.3/15 hands, and he's going to bulk out tremendously. I wish he'd shed out, he looks kinda scruffy, but a you can see from his summer shots above, he's a very rich coloring, and I just love the blond highlights in his mane!

Well, enough talk. Darling got some video of him, first time with anything tightened up around his belly, first time with a bit, first time lunging...um, Darling? I put a saddle on the horse that day. Where were you and the camera? For the rest of you, the saddle went up without any protest. He'd been just jumpy enough over the rope that I didn't cinch it up; I was on a time limit and didn't want to start what couldn't be finished, so we called it quits with simply walking around while the saddle was parked on his back. Again...that somehow managed to be overlooked by my videographer.

Available for Adoption

I love it when something tickles my memory and I think to go looking for information. One such tickle happened each time I looked at our scruffy little, trailer tailing, bay filly at the corrals.

For some odd reason, I found myself emailing Wendy at the corrals to ask about the mud muffin, telling her I never did get a good shot of her neck tag, but it was white...and just what was the number, did she know?

Honestly? Who would link the shaggy beast above to the slicked out yearling in the photo below? But as I suspected, it was.

Darling loves her winter appearance and has dubbed her 'Monkey'. "Think of all the music I could put videos to if I had her!" Indeed, there are a plethora of tunes that could be used. Or any number of songs sung by the group sharing the same name. But I digress...

If anyone should be interested in this adorable little mud monkey, let me know. A trailer is heading to WA in a couple of weeks. I'd love to be able to put her into a home. She's obviously looking for a new best friend. Better pop me an email at desperatehorsewife@gmail.com and I'll get you the adoption application.

Gray Mare heads to the trainer

When Darling & I first spotted her, we knew she was special. At age 9, she had just a few months left to go before being part of the sale authority program. I spoke with fellow board members at Mustang U and it was agreed that we should purchase the gray mare, which would prevent her being shipped to long term holding.

We looked for folks to sponsor her feed and care, and the arrangements were made. Then one day Ramona from the BLM came up with a plan. Why not send the mare to a trainer through the TIP program? We could still market her and the sponsors could still cover her feed costs, but it would lighten my own personal load just a bit.

Well, you know anything that lightens my load simply means I need to find something else to do to take it's place! But, hey...that meant one more horse in a home, so let's send that gray mare off so I can take on something else, okay?

The beautiful gray mare will be heading down to Matthew Wilson of Silver Lake, Oregon, in the near future. Matthew is a trainer who will be competing at the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo in Albany, Oregon next month. He's very excited to be helping Mustang U...and we're extremely happy to have the help! Should anyone be interested in this lovely girl...well, you know how to reach me!

I Feel Weak...

I haven't visited the BLM site for a bit. I have someone who'd indicated a mild interest in one of the senior horses that came in from Murderer's Creek recently, however, so decided to cruise through and see the most recently added horses. Seems they've gathered Beaty's Butte again, which is where Steve Holt! came from.

There was a pretty red roan two year old. And look already 15 hands. He's going to make a nice saddle horse for someone.

And a bay yearling...he's...looking...hey...

I clicked his photo for a closer look.

No way.

Could it...

No way!

Is it possible?

My heart was pounding...skipping a beat...fingers frantically attempting to open photoshop and pull up a photo taken eleven months and one week ago...

There's a huge difference in size and maturity, of course. Steve Holt! was a year older in the bottom photo. On his paperwork he's listed as being 14.3 when he was captured...the yearling above is only 14.1.

Looking through the photos of the yearling online, though, sends a chill through me. It's like looking at my boy. I can smell him, feel his breath...I want to reach through my screen and touch him. But I can't. What's wrong with this monitor that I can't reach out and touch him? Run my fingers up along his neck, untangle that wild mane?

"Too bad we don't need another Steve Holt!", says Darling, standing over my shoulder.

Not need another Steve Holt!? I'm confused. Who doesn't need another Steve Holt!?

Should any of you feel in need of a Steve Holt!, let me know. If this boy is half as wonderful, you'll be in for a wonderful treat.

Help Me, I Think I'm Falling...

In Love Again!

"Wadatika"

Her eyes call you in. She's got that something special look that can't be ignored. Darling is never wrong, you know...she always picks good, and Tika was her pick at the corrals a couple weeks ago.

So far, at the ripe old, unadoptable age of seven, Tika has learned to give to pressure on her halter and leads (a bit stiffly, but forward motion is there.) She's gradually allowing my fingers to slip down her neck and quietly untangle her long mane. And just yesterday she loaded in the trailer and went for a ride.

I went to grab my camera, and when I came back I spotted her feet.

Peering through the apple trees, I saw her sniffing at the base of the trailer.

Standing at the door, wondering if she should throw me her glamour look or just climb in?

She opted for the look (top photo) and waited for me to encourage her into the box on wheels. No fighting, no panic. Just a simple assessment and acknowledgment that this is where I wanted her to be, and in she climbed. I let her settle in before driving out to the road. No jostling or turning or pawing to get out. What was the point in that? Good hay was found inside, and eating is one of Tika's favorite activities (gotta love a food motivated horse!)

Darling wants her. I wouldn't mind keeping her. But she's up for adoption on Sept. 26. No room in the barn for another horse this winter, I'm afraid. So my heart will break...but yours..well, you could fall in love...

80 acres and a Tiny Little House

It doesn't look like much. Just a tiny little mobile...and a bit on the older side at that...but it's been updated a bit inside with new counter tops and fresh paint. There was this tiny little laundry room/mud porch that has been added onto the backside, and up front another covered porch where you could plunker down a couple of chairs and look out across your front yard to where antelope play in the fields across the road.

The perimeter of the yard is fenced in this most adorable wooden fence. The skies are blue out yonder, and the evening sun still warm on our skin as we walked about the vacated property. Grasshoppers flitted and flew about as we crossed the backyard and walked out towards the driveway.

The land was flat and we could see well beyond the property line out into the sage. The 80 acres has been well maintained, the former owner growing his own hay while still grazing his cattle; totally self sufficient...at least where forage is concerned...what would that feel like, do you suppose? Not having to worry about finding hay to put into the barn?

I needed to remind Darling that despite there being enough grass and hay to feed our horses, we'd still need the tractor and equipment to get the haying done, which promptly put a damper on our dreams. But for that half hour we walked about that sweet little spread, it was sheer heaven.

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Interested in updates on Tika and Sky Bar? Visit them at the Adopt A Living Legend Blog!

Liberate Liberty!

Head on over to Mustang U for your chance to win! Sign up as a follower; when they hit 100 someone will win, so get your friends to sign up, too!

Plus, there's another Name Game going on, so plunk your thinking caps atop your little noggins and offer up a name (there, not here) for yet another opportunity to win.

I'm available for adoption!
Don't you need me?

The rains are falling here in W. WA, which should not be surprising considering this is the northWET, after all, but with all the lovely warm weather we've had, it seems somewhat foreign. The horses are all out standing in it, taking showers while grazing. Cloudy again today, though birds are out there singing. Had hoped for a trail ride but Darling made arrangements to visit the mall with cousin, Lanky Hanky, and Miss Banana Head is coming along to hang out with me, it would seem. Wonder what we'll do to occupy ourselves for a couple of hours in a mall?