FORT COLLINS, Colorado - Argo the ex-wild mustang, and Cayla, his foster mom, continue to astound us. The other day, when I happened to be in the arena at our stable, they tried something new!
As a sidenote, watch the earlier Argo videos, and note how much he has filled out in such a short time. Somewhere back in Argo's heritage, beautiful ancestors contributed to some very special looks.
Hard to believe, but true! In just a few weeks of training, Cayla and Argo, a wild mustang she temporarily adopted for the Extreme Mustang Makeover, now work using nothing more than a neck string! Smart, smart horse!
Cayla continues to work Argo in traditional tack, as his best opportunity will be his ability to do something people can use - say for instance, be a child's three-day-eventing horse.
Read more about Cayla, Argo, and the Extreme Mustang Makeover program in The Fence Post.
Follow Argo and see more of his videos in our Mustang Makeover column.
Cayla Stone continues Argo’s journey from wild mustang to a horse with a job. Argo has learned to walk, trot, canter, and back. He also takes a mini-trail ride on our farm’s lanes. Argo learns quickly, and demonstrates a ton of athletic ability. We imagine him as a child's three-day event horse. Argo's goal? Compete in the June 2012 Fort Collins Extreme Mustang Makeover, and find a loving, forever family at the adoption auction.
Argo, named after the ship Jason and the Argonauts sailed, and I are on the right track. He seems to be respecting my space a lot more. I've been working on moving him around the pen, both directions, and backing up and moving his forehand around. He's picked everything up really fast and seems to enjoy his work a bit more.
I actually hooked a lead to him and he did really well in his pen. I used a 20' lead so that no matter where he went in his pen he could still feel me on the other end of the rope. This worked great when he tried to pull away a couple times and realized that I still had him. He soon learned it was much easier just to follow me around.
Eventually we opened the gate and walked outside his pen a bit. We need to make it to the round pen, where he will have a job to do outside his pen.
The first couple days went really well. I spent as much time as I could just sitting in the pen with "little horse" to get him more used to my presence, and he seemed to take it well. I make sure I'm in there twice a day with the pitchfork doing everyday chores, and walking in there to feed him. I got him to come close and sniff me a bit, and even take a little hay out of my hand. I was fortunate that the wranglers at the holding pens were able to get a halter on him while he was in the chute. This will make my job a bit easier once I am close enough to touch him.
After having two days to settle in, I decided today I wanted to ask a little more from him. In the video you can see me trying to get him to move around me in the pen, and to go where I ask him to. I'm using a long Parrelli stick as an extension of my arm to move him around. As much as possible I try to let him sniff it, and once he is more comfortable I will start using the stick to scratch and rub him all over his body. While he's moving around the pen, I keep an eye on his ears, once they start flicking towards me and he seems attentive, I stop and ask him to face me. When I get the desired reaction (him facing me) I reward him by stepping back, or relieving the pressure.
He picked this up very quickly, and soon he was following my movements with his front end, which is the first step to ground work training. Today I did this about three times, with long breaks in between. At the end of the day I sat with him while he munched on hay, and he seemed to relax considerably. He even rubbed my legs and nibbled at my hat with his muzzle. Tomorrow I will do the same thing, continuing to work him in his pen, asking him to face me and follow my movements, slowly getting closer to him. For the first few days (maybe the first week) I will not try too hard to touch him, eventually he will come around, and it will be his idea.
FORT COLLINS -- Life began anew today for a bay four-year-old Mustang gelding who will live and learn at our stable until June 8 - 10 when he finds his forever home at the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition at Colorado State University.
The wild horse's foster mom, Cayla Stone, a CSU Equine Sciences graduate who has a strong showing and instructional background, will train him. We have high hopes for our newest friend. Cayla rescued a Thoroughbred this fall, trained that horse, and sold him to a good home a few months later as a hunter-jumper-eventing prospect.
Trainers must apply to be accepted in the Extreme Mustang Makeover program. Those competing at an Extreme Mustang Makeover event receive $700 for reimbursed expenses. There are no entry fees.
More than $350,000 in estimated prize money will be available at the 2012 Extreme Mustang Makeover events. Stay tuned as we follow this new adventure!
