Penn State Equine Blog

I can hardly believe that we have less than 2 weeks before the competition in WI.  I really have no idea where the time went.  To those of you who were hoping for more information through the blog on Jazz’s weekly progress I appologize for not having kept up with more frequent updates.  But as you might guess, I haven’t had a lot of time on my hands and as is evident by the time of this post it is only around this hour that I can finally sit down to compile a few thoughts from the day.  And usually this time is consumed by writing out bills or preparing the next day’s schedule and the blog has had to wait.  But, I’m just truly so excited about the progress that Jazz has made since his first couple of rides that I surely want to pass it along to you.  Jazz is awesome – I don’t know how else to describe him sometimes.  From a trainer’s perspective he’s everything a trainer could hope to work with.  First and foremost he is smart with a willing attitude which is extremely conducive to learning.  In other words, Jazz is extremely trainable.  In just less than 2.5 months Jazz has learned so much including now some higher level exercises that I wouldn’t expect most horses to begin until well into their forth or fifth month of training.  Everyone asks me if I am ready for this competition.  That is a very difficult question to answer because I really haven’t had the chance to evaluate the competitors so I don’t have a good feel for where we stand relative to them.  With that said however I do think that Jazz is ready.  Will we win the competition?  I can’t say for sure but I think it is quite reasonable to say that I expect Jazz to perform commendably.   Some of the competitors I’m sure are working with their mustangs probably 2-3 times/day because they have working schedules that permit doing so.  Jazz has a once a day workout routine because that is what I can feasibly do.  But in the scheme of things I truly feel that Jazz has progressed at a very fast pace.  And, as such I think we will be ready.  So, what is Jazz doing now?  Well, he is very respectful both on the ground and under saddle.  He is guiding quite well at all three gaits and is very soft and supple throughout all of his body in response to my cues.  He will sidepass  over objects and back through obstacles.  He will shoulder in/shoulder out, half pass and two-track at multiple gaits and is starting to do lead changes. He will bow and lay down both on the ground and under saddle.  He will do certain tricks and maneuvers that I hope will be crowd pleasing when incorporated into our freestyle performance (should we make the top 10).  We have tried to expose him to anything we can think of that might cause him to raise an “eyebrow” in an effort to desensitize him to objects or events that are scary to him.  But, with Jazz I’ve been hard pressed to find anything that he is not willing to entertain.  This is good news for the challenge because you just don’t know what the obstacles will consist of until the day of.  A horse that is curious and eager to accept new things is an advantage in that situation. 

I have certainly gotten to like this horse in a big way.  So much so that it really hit me hard the other day when I thought about the auction following the competition.  It dawned on me that I don’t actually own Jazz.  Despite the fact that I feel he is mine because we have developed a bond and a relationship over the past several weeks, he is actually still the property of the government via the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  And, as I was thinking about the upcoming events including the auction that is to take place even if I bid on him, which I intend to do, someone in the audience may actually outbid me and I will be left with the reality that he will never belong to me.  It was a very awkward moment in my mind but a reality I must face nonetheless.

Wow!  Much has taken place since I last posted here.  Sorry for the delay but I’ve been quite busy in the indoor lately.  When I left off Jazz had just gone out on trail with no rider and with some other horses we were riding and had done quite well.  You might expect as much – as a wild horse what can a simple trail ride offer him that he hasn’t already seen?  Most of the other trainers I ride have to learn to deal with numerous “obstacles” on trail, most of them mental in nature, because of their limited exposure to such experiences due in part to modern management practices.  Jazz on the other hand has likely seen most of what would normally spook a domestic horse.  He was fabulous on the trail and much of his ponying experience with that first trip functioned primarily to get him used to me petting him from atop another horse – a different angle from his perspective of things.  Also it played a role in getting him used to leading.  All of which has functioned to assist in the training process.  Now however, I have actually ridden him both in the indoor arena and out on trail and by ourselves.  Can I just say – WOW!  He is so awesome to ride.  When we started out for the first trail ride I thought I would make it short so he could continue to build his confidence.  But then as we were going along I could tell that it was already there.  He was not at all spooked by anything even without any buddies tagging along and marched right up into the hills.  I decided then and there that he was thoroughly enjoying himself and I let him go.  It was amazing.  Our first ride outside of the arena together and we were galloping through woods and open fields at a pace that was so comfortable and relaxing for both of us.  I didn’t need to urge him on or hold him back – we just went and went.  I’m so convinced that he just loved what he was doing and was comfortable doing it.  You can imagine the smile on my face when I returned.  If you’ve never ridden a horse it is a very difficult concept to convey – that feeling of freedom and serenity when you’re riding in such a scenic environment.  It’s very therapeutic at least for me.  Anyway….back to the issue at hand (sometimes I can get carried away and I don’t want to lose my audience ).  Jazz has obviously progressed.  At this stage we are continuing to work on advanceing his repertoire of skills and mixing things up with trail rides to keep it very interesting for him.  He is crossing physical obstacles and enjoys our little bag of tricks that we come up with to continually keep his mind fresh.  Hopoefully when the time is near and the competition is at hand everything we have done will melt into a very interesting demonstration of Jazz’s talents and unique personality.  Stay tuned for more….

Hi Everyone,

Some of you may have seen the recent article in the CDT about the Midwest Mustang Challenge and my participation in this event with our mustang Jazz.  I thought it might be nice to followup with some details of his progress.  For those of you who are not familiar with the article let me just brief you on this upcoming event.  The Challenge is designed to showcase the trainability of the wild mustang and consequently facilitate their adoption.  It is sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management.  In a nutshell approximately 50 trainers were selected from across the US to participate in the training and showcasing of these wild animals.  After taking posession of their mustangs, trainers have 100 days to train and prepare their horses for a competition to be held in Madison WI April 18-20.  The competition consists of a conditioning portion (20%), an in-hand or halter obstacle course (30%) and a riding obstacle course (50%).  The top ten from this competition will then be asked to perform in a freestyle competition from which the winners will be picked.  Boy, I’m a bit nervous just thinking about all of this!  The training part I can handle, it’s the competition that makes me nervous….

So far Jazz has been doing extremely well in his training progress.  We have been doing many things with Jazz to desensitize him to many kinds of objects and situations.  And, he has come a long way in just 2 weeks.  When he first arrived I was unable to approach or touch him.  Now I can jump on him bareback and rub him all over with my hands and other objects. We have also had a saddle on him and recently took him for his first trail ride (riderless) by letting him tag along with other horses we were riding.  This will get him used to things in his environment without having to worry about a rider on his back.  We’re doing all sorts of ground work exercises with him as well and slowly but very surely he is building his confidence about all he is being asked to do.  I’m very proud of him!  Soon we’ll be going for our first ride….stay tuned.