This is a non-commercial, independent website, owned and written by Nancy Kerson, for the benefit of actual and potential adopters of BLM Mustangs and Burros and similar animals.
DVD or VHS (2-DVD or 2-VHS set) almost 3 hours of instruction!
$39.95 plus $5 shipping/handling = $44.95 total
Lesley Neuman: The First Touch Gentling Your Mustang $45.00
Lesley works with 3 wild horses at a BLM adoption, and very clearly explains what is happening, what she is doing, & what she sees in each horse as it progresses. Study this video and you can learn "pressure and release" gentling techniques to gentle your own new mustang!
Help for Burro adopters! Crystal Ward Donkey Training
All the basics of gentling, handling, and training. A MUST for new burro adopters! Good for domestic donkeys, too!
BENNY, Mustang colt adopted in Fall of 2001 as a "long" yearling
Summer, 2002: Benny From Cherry Springs HMA in the Buck & Bald Complex at age 2 1/2: after 1 year in captivity, he can be handled and is affectionate and he does try very hard, but still has that haunted, worried look in his eye.
DECEMBER 2004: As a four-year-old with a stint of professional training with Jerry Tindell under his belt, Benny is wonderful! He's easy to catch, light and responsive on the lead rope or rein, eager to please, with excellent ground manners (still has the lightness and respect of space that wild horses start with, but people often take away), and has excellent movement and control under saddle. He trots out willingly, but doesn't accelerate out of control like he used to do. No longer Mr. Scared-of-his-own-shadow, Benny likes to take the lead on rides, fearlessly exploring new territory.
In the summer of 2001, while vacationing in the Lake Tahoe area, we decided to drive down to Palomino Valley BLM Wild Horse & Burro Center to see the wild horses. As luck would have it, they were just bringing in the first truckload of new horses from the Buck & Bald HMA. Our daughter, Saanen, who has dreamed of owning her own Buckskin horse since childhood, immediately noticed one, a beautiful yearling colt. We went back to Tahoe, thought about it, and two days later, went back and adopted him.
He was gelded at the BLM center, and given time to heal properly before making the 4-hour trip home, so he didn't come home until October 5, 2001.
Here is the new colt in the loading chute at Palomino valley, ready to go home. Look at those fancy legs and feet! Rod & Carey, the BLM wranglers, were SO gentle and kind! Very calmly and patiently they worked to get the neck tag off him. As soon as they opened the door, the colt went into the trailer with no further problems.
He was so scared! He's not that big, and yet he jumped up and was able to get both front legs over the top rail of the loading chute! He was frantic! He bit at the wranglers. He thrashed and fought. It was rather sobering. Saanen and I looked at each other aghast, wondering what on earth we'd gotten ourselves into! This was very different from our experience just 6 months earlier, when we picked up Sparky. This was a very different animal!
The new colt rode home in the trailer, facing out the back, much to the delight of many travelers along I-80.
It was nearly dark by the time we got home. We put Sparky with him to ease the transition.
copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Nancy Kerson, all rights reserved - I'm happy to share, just need to be asked and have credit given where due.
Disclaimer: Horses are inherently dangerous. Use the information contained within this website at your own risk.
