SPIDERSWEB: BLM Mustangs

So for a long time now I have loooooved blue roans! I never had the opportunity of seeing one in person though, until...

One day at work I decided to google on my lunch break. In the search engine I typed in Blue Roan and came across a rescue in my state that had a BLM blue roan mustang filly for adoption. I printed off the contact information and brought it home. I harassed my mom to call on Saturday to see if we could go up there to see the filly since they had open house Saturdays. She called and asked the gal specifically if the blue roan was still available and she was.

My mom and I drove the 1 1/2 hour drive "just to look" and got to the rescue while another group of people were scoping out the horses. They decided that they wanted to look at the trained horses at the prison and left. Then it ended up being just my mom and me. The gal, Gloria, showed us the horses that were still available for adoption then suggested us sitting on the overturned horse trough and feeding them hay. My mom and I grabbed a couple of flakes and took a seat.

The little blue roan was first to come over and was stretching to reach the hay without getting too close. Eventually we had all of the horses by us. Instead of them standing in front of us they all went behind us and were eating that way. Gloria kept laughing at us because my mom and I were covered in hay and had a swarm of horses around us. We asked Gloria a couple of questions about some of the horses.

We grabbed the application and wrote down the tag numbers on the horses that we were interested in adopting. The entire drive home we talked about the two horses that caught our attention the most. One was the blue roan filly who was named Bonnie. The other was a sorrel colt named Tabasco (who looked a lot like my moms mare Sweetie and was also one of the more outgoing horses).

Above: The "Available for Adoption" picture

from the rescue website.

Above: The "Available for Adoption" picture
from the rescue website.

When we got home we talked to my dad (who was not thrilled that I was looking at getting TWO more horses). He wasn't very happy but it was my money and my decision so I filled out and faxed the paper work for adopting them both that night. The following Saturday we went back up to the rescue so that my dad could meet the new horses. When we drove up they had a lady who was working with "Bonnie" and my dad and I got to pet her for the first time. It was really exciting!!! My dad was hooked and understood why I could not choose which one to bring home. He was in love too.

So later THAT night we had to come up with a new name for "Bonnie" it just didn't suit her at all. Tabasco's name was perfect because of his color and personality but we had to figure out something for her. We thought and thought and nothing still fit. We were leaning towards Sage but that still wasn't quite right. I ended up grabbing a map encyclopedia and looking at the Wyoming map (since that is where their herd is) and I started looking at city names. Cheyenne that is pretty but very common. Ooooh! Here is a good one! Shoshoni! It fit and was pretty unique and Shoshoni aka Shoni was her new name!

The following week we got to bring Tabasco and Shoshoni home and the real work began!!! I spent a lot of time by them while they were eating or trying to hand feed them. We picked a great time to get them when it was COLD!!! Lol The rewards were many though. There was a little bit of progress here and a little bit there. Then five steps back and then one step forward. It definitely has taught me lots of patience.

We worked with them for the next couple of months and were really getting in a bind since "the babies" were growing and they still had the halters that the BLM put on them. They were starting to get tight and they were not yet approachable other than when they're eating. Shoni's was more concerning.

So I started calling up wild horse mentors. There were two in my area and I called the one that I thought would be closer. He suggested the bamboo pole method or putting them in a squeeze shoot and cutting the halter off. He took down my number and was going to call me back and arrange for a time to come out and help me. He never called...

Above: Tabasco and Shoshoni not long after getting them home

So off to the store I go and I buy a 10 foot white PVC pipe and some duct tape. I bring it home and duct tape a couple of socks to the end (so I don't poke 'em with the pole).

On New Years day outside I go with my "bamboo pole". I put Shoni in a smaller pen so that it would be easier to work with her and I wouldn't end up chasing her with the pole. At first she ran around me and I let the pole ride on her back. Once she realized it wasn't going to hurt her she stopped and let me rub it back and forth by her withers. I concentrated on that area since that is usually where horses groom each other. As she got more comfortable I worked my way up the pole until I could scratch her withers with my hand.

My next step was to scratch up her neck as far as she would let me comfortable then go back down and scratch her withers when she became nervous. After about an hour of working with her I was able to unhook the clasp and get her halter off. As it was sliding off her nose she panicked and took off but then calmed down again. She was a completely different horse when we got that off of her. At least now we wouldn't have to rush her and we could work on trust.

Above: Shoni a week or so after her halter was removed. Tabasco sill has his on....

Tabasco was another story. I tried to work with him with the bamboo pole and he would let me get so close and then he would take off like a shot. It took me until the middle of February to come up with a scheme to get his halter off. I decided to get a bucket of grain and hook it on a pannel that is part of their shelter. I made it so he had to put his brand and the clasp side facing me. He got brave and hungry for the oats so he came over. It took a couple of tries but I finally got it unhooked... and nothing happened. The halter stayed right where it was. Huh? What's going on with it? Oh! It was hung up on the indent, so I took my hand and swiped the hook down. Tabasco panicked and took off and off came his halter. He stopped and looked around like Oh that was it? He also became a different horse after that. He was more out going and knew that nothing bad was going to happen to him.

Above: Tabasco within a week or so of having his halter off.

The horses were doing great but I needed some help and pointers on halter training them. I ended up getting in contact with a different wild horse mentor (Rhonda my lifesaver!) and she and her daughter came out to the house and showed us some ideas for halter training. She let me borrow a rope halter and a Monty Roberts training video. I was able to make some progress with Tabasco and Shoni and was able to walk up and put halters on them and somewhat lead them, but I ran out of time.

I was getting in a crunch since the vet would be coming out soon for their shots so I sent them to a horse trainer that we used before. I will NEVER do that again! This guy changed so much between when he trained a horse a while ago and now. If I knew now I would never have left my babies there!

First of all he had a thing against mustangs being bad breeds and hard to train (which I wish he would have mentioned when I spoke to him on the phone about taking them in). Then in order to get them haltered he was lassoing them (which freaked them out and made them head shy and also taught them to turn their butts toward you when you approached with a halter). It did not help that he was a bad lassoer and he missed about 20 times before he managed to get a loop on them and was pretty much chasing them. Go figure that when I would go in the pen they would let me get the halter on them... hmm... He was also "patting" them hard to pet them and made them very jumpy that way (I had a lot of work to do or undo when I got them back home). My horses also lost weight while in his care and I will never use him again (or probably any trainer for that matter) and if anyone asks me about horse training I just tell them not to use Mike from Ft. Lupton, Colorado.

Sorry I had to vent about my bad trainer experience... now onto greener pastures! lol

So now I get to watch them grow and everyday is a new experience. They are so trusting and gentle. One time I went out while Tabasco was laying down soaking up some sunshine and he let me approach him and sit down next to him (to his right). He didn't move a muscle. Shoni was finishing her breakfast but came over when I sat down to see what was going on. She started to harass Tabasco and paw at him so I shooed her away. She thought about it a moment then went in front of Tabasco and I and just lay down. I have never had a horse lay down by me! They let me approach them while they are laying down and sit with them sure, but I've never had one lay down next to me like that. It just blew me away! I sat out there with them at least an hour just watching them and listening to them sleep.

They are so out going and will come up to the gate and bug you. Or they just poke their noses through the pannels at you to try and give you the cute face so you spend all of your time with them lol. What would we do without our four legged friends?