What do YOU want to see happen with Wild Horses & Burros? Tell President Obama!
Main Sections in this website: Home Mustang Wild Horse History Mustang Heritage Adopt A Mustang Wild Horse Wild Horse & Burro Watching Gentling & Training Wild Horses Burros! Mustang Mules Our "Wild" Horse Herd Herd Management Areas Mustang * Horse Colors Helpful Videos Mustang & Burro Events Mustang Links Free to Good Home 2010 Salazar initiative Book BUY THE BOOK!
 Working with Wild Horses Second (Improved) Edition A Handbook of Gentling and Training Tips By Nancy Kerson
Paperback $22 or Downloadable E-Book $7.50 For more information about the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, please call (866) 4MUSTANGS or Click HERE This website is owned and created by Nancy Kerson, a private citizen - I am not the BLM or any other branch of government! Information about BLM adoptions is offered as a service, to help mustangs find homes and to promote public appreciation of wild horses and burros.
Please direct adoption questions to the BLM, not to me. And I sure as heck am not a Mustang car dealership! I have NO horses or burros for sale and am not interested in buying or listing or otherwise promoting your sale animals! | This website: Copyright 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 All Rights Reserved. I am happy to share, but please give me a credit when you "borrow" things off my website! Thanks! Just say, "author, Nancy Kerson www.mustangs4us.com " |
VIDEOS OF INTEREST TO MUSTANG & BURRO ADOPTERS:
 Kitty Lauman: From Wild to Willing: Using the Bamboo Pole to Gentle Mustangs More from Lauman Training available now!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! Can't do Paypal? No Problem! Just Call TOLL FREE 1-877-345-6748 (1-877-FILMS4U) ____________________
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OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN WILD HORSE GENTLING:

| | Ride-em, Sparky! |  At Sparky's Jerry Tindell clinic in July, we saddled him and I got up on him once. But he is still pretty young, so I didn't do it again, until mid-October. He was so good! |  | Then in November, we had a chance to go to another Jerry Tindell clinic up in Eldorado, and this time, I rode Sparky again. So far, this has been the progression: First "Ride": Step up onto one stirrup, stand over Sparky and pet him, get off and repeat a few times. Then get all the way on and just sit on him for a few seconds |  | Second: Repeat First Ride stuff, then sit a little longer, then sit on him while someone leads him around like a child's pony. |  |  Third: Start to actually control him - ask him to walk forward, flex, turn, stop. |  | And then, of course, REWARD with pets and hugs and kisses! | AGE TO START YOUNG HORSESThere seems to be a lot of controversy in the horse world about how much and how soon a horse can/should be ridden. Dr. Deb Bennett's studies indicate that even though a horse appears to be mature at two, its skeletal structure is not mature until 4 or 5. Weight bearing before that time can cause bone problems - especially back problems, since the vertebrae are the last bones to seal. Other people feel that this is too conservative and light riding can safely start as young as 18 months. Certain disciplines, such as Reining & Futurities, start young horses at around 18 months, and have them trained and working heavily by age two. Although many say that's not in the best interest of the horse, those who do it say it seldom causes problems. I honestly don't have a clue! I certainly don't want to hurt Sparky. On the other hand, he seems ready mentally, and I am eager. I also cannot imagine myself ever really riding him hard - at least, not for awhile yet, and not that often! | NEW SADDLE My new Circle Y Flex-Lite Trail saddle, with the cool saddle blanket Sandra Schluter, my Secret Santa from the Mustangs" Yahoo Group, gave me.
What a Mudball! At least the saddle is clean.
NEXT: Spring & Summer 2003: Back in the Saddle! | | | |
Sparky 2001 - Adoption | Gentling Sparky | Sparky Settles In | Sparky is Sick | Sparky Spring 2001 | Sparky - Summer 2001 | Sparky In School | Sparky in School, pt 2 | Sparky's First Rides | Saddle Training 2 | Sparky 2006 | Sparky 2007 | Sparky2008 BENNY | Ruby - BLM Wild Mustang Filly | SILVER - half-draft | SPARKY - Mustang Colt | Dawn & Bert Burros | Eleanor Mule | Max | Piney the Pine Nut Pony | Lewis & Clark counter installed February 22, 2005
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