The girls and me...Lori too....

[MustangCharlie]

I worked with the Mirage the last couple days. Lori has been ill and not able to get up here for the last week or so.

Mirage is coming around slowly. This morning I made a breakthrough with her in the fact that she'll let me scritch and love on her while she eats.
Got my hands all over her left side down the neck almost to he head, and she had her ears UP! She'd had them plastered back, just tolerating me the last couple days. Now I think she enjoys the lovin' on her . I got my hands all the way down her neck to her ears and flicked her mane over to the right side. Kinda give her a start, but she just did the skin shiver thing and went back to eating when she realized what I had done.
I had both hands on her all over her side, shoulder and rump, belly and on her back leg and front legs, chest and neck. The breakthrough? She stood and let me love on her. All this happened in about 15 minutes. She did so well that I left her on a good note (good rub) and left them to finish up breakfast. The other two were absorbed in eating some new grass mix hay I got for them.

Getting ready to scritch her chest


Ears almost up and eating and me scritching her neck.


Ears Up!and the eye not really on me while I scritch her neck. I left them shortly after this shot. Lots of scritches and rubs. She did soooo well.

[Krista Lee]

Sounds like you'll have a pocket pony very soon!

Went over and finished up some fencing for Baile....he was so happy to get in a good run!  The gal who owns the property loves the way he moves; regal and like a drassage horse.  Tickles me when people say he has to be a high dollar horse.

[MustangCharlie]

Glad you got that situation ironed out.

Went back to feed this evening and made a lot of progress in a short time  once again. Was able to get my hands on her more easily tonightt, Scritched and Brushed her with my hands all over her left side, neck(both sides) and down her mane and even got close to scritch an ear. Since she was being so good I brushed her all over again and walked away on a good note. She really wants to take a treat fom my hand like the big horses do, but she just can't bring herself to do it yet. Soon little girl baby horse.

I didn't realize how much hair she had grown up in the elevation at Krista's. WOW an inch long. My little Wookie

[Krista Lee]

Looks like ya have a new girlfriend: baby girl, my little wookie.  Mirage loves treats...so she's almost back to her old self!  She's adorable, hard to think of her as almost 6 yrs old!  Mirage definitely has a young, comical personality about her, plus she's little.  I'm so excited, Charlie...it will be hard to not spoil her rotten!

Haven't worked it out where Baile is...but I think it'll be ok. The property owner called today upset that Baile needed to run....I said yup but I'm not putting more money into fixing fences and clearing trash, so either help me and make it fair, or there's a new spot for him pronto.  She helped out in the field and was giggling happy, once we were done, to see Baile running and showing off.  That horse will forever be my pride and joy.

The kids like seeing the pictures....and seeing where "their" horse went and how it's going.  The boys ask about them all the time.  I didn't know they'd miss them so much!  So it's sweet Charlie, maybe next year you can give the youngins a cart ride!

[MustangCharlie]

Today, Lori finally made it back up here after fighting off her illness. Today was Lori's day. She is looking at the video's and pictures and she'll either post the ones up she wants or she'll tell me  which ones she wants to post.
I have one word for her and Spider today. Fantastic.

I got a lead on Spider easily this morning and she seems to have had a lead on before, because she actually did what I asked of her. I worked her a little bit and handed her off to Lori.
This Gal is amazing and so was Spider. I even learned a ting or two watching her and Spider work. Lori was able to get another Rope halter on Spider.

[MustangCharlie]

A little update on the girls.
Annie(Spider) Is doing very well onlead and off. Yesterday I was able to ask her for het"Foot" and she gave it to me willingly oof lead. She did  so well that before I was done, she gave me all of her feet Off lead. She has a good mind.

This morning I was able to get a lead on Lilly(Mirage). Actually 5 different times and she too, has a good mind. Didn't spook when she realized she was "Caught" and I was fast to let off pressure. She backed up really well and did her Step Ups and Come Ups very well too, for a beginner. She was SUPER!

Also was able to get my hands all over Kami's (One Sock) head and ears and her front legs as I sit on the feeder. When she did good she got a treat.......She IS a treat Magnet. Her trust is building with the the days.

Lilly still prefers Lori to me, but I think that is because she was so used to Krista. She barely tolerates me, but she likes Lori. DUH!

Sorry no pictures today  or yesterday, but we are progressing with them all.

I go back at 3:00P.M. to do some more work with the girls.

[MustangCharlie]

 I'm able to get a halter on Annie pretty easily now.  Annie is pretty easy to work with and I can pick up all four feet and brush her all over and touch her anywhere.

Lilly is coming along but still doesn't like me. She'll do about anything for Lori, but she doesn't buy much of what I'm selling. I think she may be one of those horses that like women better than men?? She will work for me, but only begrudgingly. She does lead well and she does her come up and step ups for me. She wants to to the work for Lori

She'll take treats from me but not much else. Lori has been working with her and almost has her to the point of putting a halter on her.  Lori certainly has a way with these girls. That is great to see.

Kami is progressing from point one, even having to drag a short lead rope, which she did most of the day yesterday.  Again it was Lori to thr rescue to get the lead rope off Kami.  Kami doesn't like a short lead and will try (and succeed) to jerk it out of your hands and run off. She was way better yesterday, but still doesn't like to have the lead put on or removed. It's a trust issue I think. Any way I didn't want to leave the lea on her all night, but she wasn't buying me removing it or even getting close enough to her to remove it. Lori to the rescue. She sit on the feeding tire and got Kami to come in and eat, covered the lead in hay and held one end. After a some time she was able to get both hands on the snap and release it. I hate those two handed snaps, like the one handed sliding pin snaps way better.

All in all it was a great day.

We had a marathon day with the girls yesterday. we were with them from 9:30 A.M tll almost 5:00 P.M. with about an hour for lunch.

[MustangCharlie]

Wow what a full morning this morning. Walked into the pasture and was met by 3 nosy horses.
I slipped the rope halter on Annie and then introduced a saddle blanket. Put it on her a couple times yesterday and she had no problem with it on the left side, and just the merest bother on the right side. This morning I had the blanket all over her and it was no big deal as she followed me all over the pasture with it just laid on her back. Took it off and put it back on several times from both sides.

Then I turned my attention to Lilly. Lori had almost got her to let her take off her halter on Sunday. Just almost there, but just not quite. I figured she'd not give me time of day, like always, but I had worked with her a little bit yesterday on having two hands on the halter. She would work just to her overload point(very short time with me, a lot longer with Lori)(she just doesn't like me!). This morning I worked with her, lots of pressure and release and hands on the halter knot trying to get it loose enough to get the halter off. She's worn it since the day after Thanksgiving, because we could not get her to accept us enough to remove it.  Lori gets far more from her than I do.
However, this morning I was able to get the knot loose and then the halter off!

I have been intentionally ignoring Kami for the last couple days and while I was working with both Annie and Lilly this morning and was about done. I was giving the two of them treats, I felt a horse nose in my right ear. Kami couldn't stand to be ignored one more minute. She wanted me to mess with her and her aloe as she took to running off the other two.

So from square one I started with Kami with a short lead on and working with her to get her over being spooked by a lead. Something terrible has happened to her about a lead rope, because she is frantic of it.

I was able to get a short lead on and off a couple times and some basic commands with out any pressure. The least little pressure and she freaks.
She made a lot of progress today as she'll let me hold the lead while I give her simple step up commands and rewarding her profusely when she does the simplest of tasks without fear. She let me hold onto the snap and open it and remove it twice, the second time was much better than the first.  By the time I was finished she was yielding to a little pressure. 

Kami is like a giant puzzle with a million pieces. Just trying to get started is a daunting task. But she is improving with every session. It's a puzzle to try to out think her, she is so smart. Too much so for her own good.

[Sheri]

Charie, I think it's so great to have someone like you onboard, that is so dedicated to working with the horses.

[MustangCharlie]

Thank you.
I tried hard to stay away once I sold the horses almost 3 years ago and I was fine until I got in the round pen with Lilly (AKA Mirage). I was in the pen for about ten minutes or so and I got "the Feeling" again and the tears began to flow. I had to fight them back. I knew then I could not stay away. There is another horse to gentle.

The girls are coming around and Annie(Spider) is so close to having a saddle put on it's unreal. She is so much like Gizmo. Never had a bad day, even though she got a rough start in life(her dam was killed when she was two days old by another mare). Annie had to be bottle fed and hand raised for a while.

Lilly really is warming up to Lori. She'll work for me, but not as easily as Lori.

Kami is coming along slowly.

Thanks to you for keeping the SHR plugging along these last 3 years. Lori and I are wanting to move forward with the horses and the SHR.

[Sheri]

Tell me when you and Lori go up to see Kathy and Leo.  I'll try to meet you guys.

[MustangCharlie]

Will keep you in the loop.