Extreme Mustang Makeover – Leela Week 1
By SuperLevi
•
21st Feb 2016 •
3,188 views
•
1 comments
|
|
In a makeover, trainers are typically randomly assigned a wild, unhandled BLM mustang between the ages of four and seven and allotted about 100 days to completely transform their untrained and untamed horse into a willing partner. After the competition the top ten placing trainers and horses perform a final freestyle, showing off their creativity and horsemanship skills. Immediately following the competition, the mustangs are auctioned off in a public adoption.
With over 45,000 mustangs in holding facilities across the country, the goal of the mustang makeovers is to boost adoption of all these already rounded up mustangs and showcase the trainability and versatility of mustangs. A few weeks ago, an opportunity arose for me to train my sixth mustang makeover horse. In the past, I’d had varying experiences. Regardless if the horse was easier or tougher, each mustang who entered my life taught me lessons that could not be repeated elsewhere.
Pick Up Day
The nerve-wracking part of the infamous “Pick Up Day”, is the luck of the draw and not knowing what you’ll be assigned to. In my case, I was an extra trainer if there were any spare horses, so I was not even guaranteed to pick up a horse that day. Nevertheless somehow, everything worked out that a spare mustang was available and that I would in fact get to compete again! Regardless of how many times one adopts or picks up a mustang for training, the tingling of excitement never grows dull.
This year for the mustang makeover held in Jacksonville, Florida, all the trainers were assigned mares. When I laid eyes on my girl I was nearly breathless. One of the prettiest and cutest of the bunch had landed on the extra list. She was the one mare out of the forty makeover horses, that I had decided beforehand was one of my favorites - but since I was not even guaranteed a horse, I did not let myself even go as far as to hope that me of all people would get assigned to her.
Leela
Leela, is a grey six year old mare who was rounded up from Adobe Town, Wyoming as a yearling and had spent five years of her life waiting to be adopted. She stands 14 hands but very solid in her build. From the start, Leela had zero fear of people, which was nice to some degree but not a convenience in other ways. Leela is extremely kind, sweet, willing horse, but use to people only feeding her and never asking her to do much. Convincing her to not just respect me but to actually listen and want to be my friend has presented a challenge.
I’m currently interning at a dressage and jumper barn and both the head trainer and her assistant also picked up mustangs for the makeover. With only two round pens and three mustangs, Leela and another mustang makeover horse had to be together for the first few days which increased the difficulty of getting our horses to bond with us.
Week 1
Since Leela was not afraid of people, getting those first touches was not all that hard in comparison to past horses I had received. I was pleasantly surprised that she was rather comfortable with me touching her just about anywhere. By the end of her first night my already docile little mustang was picking up all four of her feet.
As a working student, my time is more limited than what I’d normally be spending with my mustangs. Between all my other chores and horses needing to be worked with I was able to get Leela leading better. I introduced the tarp which she was more curious about than anything and had no problem marching right over. Later that night after my work was done, she wore a surcingle like she’d had one on her whole life.
On her third day with me, Leela was introduced to a pedestal and managed to get all four feet up on it. She learned to send over and jump a barrel laying on the ground and started the beginning stages of learning to lay down on cue, which is more so important for our final freestyle. I like to supplement tricks and liberty into all my training anyway because I believe that it gives a horse and their rider something different and fun to focus on instead of just riding and schooling all the time.
The fourth day included mostly building the foundation on things Leela was already learning, like lunging, yielding hindquarters, moving her shoulders, backing, brushing, picking up feet, leading and so on. She wore the surcingle again, this time with a saddle pad, which was no problem either. Later that night Leela was ready to be walked out of the round pen and into the yard to her stall. Like everything else, this new adventure she took like a pro. While keeping her company in her stall, I took the opportunity to finished dematting her extremely long and tangled mane.
By day five Leela got to see her first saddle which she carried with no issue, not even a buck or crow hop. She learned to long line with the saddle to get me one step closer to being ready to ride her. By day six she continued to improve on her saddling and longlining. My goal being that she learns the word ‘whoa’ which is the most important cue a rider could give a horse. I did several half mounts in the stirrups to get her used to the shift of weight in the saddle and to let her see me above her.
When the first week came to an end, amazingly it was deemed that Leela was more than ready for me to put my first ride on her. The trainer I’m interning with stood in the round pen with us and a lead line attached as I mounted and sat on her. I normally start horses myself but as a part of learning different methods, I wanted to start Leela the way that this barn started horses. The person on the ground gets the horse to take a few steps in each direction, letting the horse see their rider from both eyes, eventually leading the horse into small circles. Once that proves to not be a problem, the horse is sent out to the rail of the round pen, the rider just being a passenger the first few rides and not doing much else.
I normally average my first rides on my makeover horses sometime between the second and third week so I was elated with riding Leela on day seven. I really could not have asked for a better horse for this competition. I have high hopes for this mare and have no doubt that she will rise to the occasion as our relationship and partnership strengthens. |
|
|
Winniefield Park
Nice work, sounds like you both learned some useful skills!Lucky Leela to have landed you.
Nice work, sounds like you both learned some useful skills!Lucky Leela to have landed you.
|
17 days ago
• 3,049 views
|
|
|
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
Follow the journey of two wild mustangs from the selection process, to the auction, pick up day, day 1, first touch, all the way up to the $75,000 youth division competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Share the experience of a life tim ...
|
|
I’d just hit the three weeks of training mark with my wild Extreme Mustang Makeover horse, when things really got rocky. Something was going on... either the way I trained was not working on this mustang in particular or there is ...
|
|
Hannah is the author and in trainer in our Extreme Mustang Makeover Series. Hannah is a long time horse enthusiast but did not get her first horse Levi until the age of twelve. Levi was an old grade quarter horse who was the perfe ...
|
|
In a makeover, trainers are typically randomly assigned a wild, unhandled BLM mustang between the ages of four and seven and allotted about 100 days to completely transform their untrained and untamed horse into a willing partner. ...
|
|
The second week with my Extreme Mustang Makeover mare, Leela was full of ups and downs. Progress always comes with steps forward as well as steps back. Now that she has been accustom to living in a stall and walking to the round p ...
|
|
This week we set up a mock trail class to practice putting our mustang makeover mares through. Since one of the three preliminary classes is a trail class, getting Leela confident over various obstacles is critical. Trainers compe ...
|
|
Leela is starting to show great potential as a future trail horse. This week most of our highlights involved going out and seeing new sights on a ‘trail walk’ where she and a fellow competitor’s mustang were walked in hand out on ...
|
|
This week my mustang, Leela, was becoming more and more proficient at her walk, trot, and canter in the arenas. Not only is she transitioning between gaits well but she’s also learning to hold straight lines and circles. ...
|
|
Many equestrian events have been cancelled, but with some ingenuity, others have made an attempt to carry on safely despite COVID-19. Each year, the Extreme Mustang Makeover offers a chance for young trainers to prove their horse ...
|
|
Sam VanFleet is a twenty-year-old former A-circuit jumper competitor who has found her passion in gentling Mustangs and PMU foals. She has been posting videos of her latest project, a mustang mare she is training for the Player’s ...
|
|
More News by SuperLevi
|
|
This week we set up a mock trail class to practice putting our mustang makeover mares through. Since one of the three preliminary classes is a trail class, getting Leela confident over various obstacles is critical. Trainers compe ...
|
|
Hannah is the author and in trainer in our Extreme Mustang Makeover Series. Hannah is a long time horse enthusiast but did not get her first horse Levi until the age of twelve. Levi was an old grade quarter horse who was the perfe ...
|
|
This week my mustang, Leela, was becoming more and more proficient at her walk, trot, and canter in the arenas. Not only is she transitioning between gaits well but she’s also learning to hold straight lines and circles. ...
|
|
Leela is starting to show great potential as a future trail horse. This week most of our highlights involved going out and seeing new sights on a ‘trail walk’ where she and a fellow competitor’s mustang were walked in hand out on ...
|
|
I’d just hit the three weeks of training mark with my wild Extreme Mustang Makeover horse, when things really got rocky. Something was going on... either the way I trained was not working on this mustang in particular or there is ...
|
|
The second week with my Extreme Mustang Makeover mare, Leela was full of ups and downs. Progress always comes with steps forward as well as steps back. Now that she has been accustom to living in a stall and walking to the round p ...
|
|
To some Americans, mustangs are the idol symbol of the Wild West. Their untamed, fiery spirit often captivates the imagination of the American people and icons freedom just as much the bald eagle, if not more. When some think abo ...
|
|
Follow the journey of two wild mustangs from the selection process, to the auction, pick up day, day 1, first touch, all the way up to the $75,000 youth division competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Share the experience of a life tim ...
|
|
|