| |
|
Darwin's Photo Gallery
Videos
|
| Name: |
Darwin |
| About Darwin: |
Darwin is a 2 1/2 year old mustang, large for his age at 15.1 H and growing. Darwin is sweet, smart and playful. He
loves attention, is curious about new things,
and will do just about anything for a good grooming (especially with a rubber curry...). His legs are straight and he has good
bone. He has a nice, round neck and headset, and a decent trot that will do well in the hunter ring. Overall, Darwin is a fun and
silly guy who will be a great kid's horse one day. I'm very impressed with his intelligence and attitude, and I enjoy working with him. |
| Brand Number: |
599045 |
| Breed: |
Mustang |
| Sex: |
Gelding |
| Date of Birth: |
Fall 2005 |
| Height: |
approx 15.1 H |
| Color: |
Bay |
| Markings: |
Star |
| Health History: |
Strep/5-way/Rabies/West Nile: 1/19/07, 2/19/07, 5/8/08.
Coggins: 6/9/08. Teeth floated 6/25/08 |
| Capture Data: |
Date: 12 Jan 2007
Location: Wheeler Pass, Clark County, NV |
Saturday, August 23 |
Today we went on a 15 mile endurance "fun ride" and Darwin was a doll. He went on a loose rein the whole time and
was great leading, following and going by himself. We used saddle packs for the first time... big ones that go under the back of a western saddle and attach to the D-rings.
I filled them with water bottles, my camera, a hoof pick, snacks and other goodies, then trotted Darwin by hand to get him used to them flapping. It took him about 5 steps to learn
to ignore them. He was great with the packs flopping on him at the walk, trot and canter, and he was even ok with me unzipping them, getting stuff out and drinking from crinkly
plastic water bottles during the ride. What an amazingly calm boy! When I was tacking up I
realized that my comfy dressage saddle doesn't have back D-rings! I didn't bring a western saddle and the only other saddle I had with me was the close-contact. Since it
does have D-rings, I rode in it. Bad idea. After the 3rd mile I had to get rid of my stirrups because my knees were hurting, and by mile 10 my butt was in pain. I spent
most of the last 5 miles sitting on my hands. It's a good thing Darwin could auto-pilot. Now I can hardly sit on a pillow without hurting. Ouch. Anyway... Darwin was terrific
and his post-ride vetting was perfect. He wasn't remotely tired from the ride and could have easily gone another 15 miles. Please see our
photos from the ride!
|
Friday, August 22 |
I started school meetings this week so I had less time to work with Darwin. Next week I will be even busier because
both schools start (teaching HS and fall grad school classes). Regardless, Darwin and I went to the ring in
Los Alamos twice, took two trail rides, and worked in our ring at home twice. Darwin is working on his leads and lead changes, leg yeilds, and backing. All still need work
but are coming along. We also worked on our groundwork and in-hand work. Darwin gets distracted sometimes and needs to work on maintaining attention. He also needs to practice
his in-hand backing. Saturday we're going on a short endurance ride which should be fun. I started thinking about a freestyle and didn't get very far. I asked student and
friend Avery to choreograph one for us. Thanks, Avery! I'm looking forward to seeing what
music and movements she chooses for us!
|
Saturday, August 16 |
Today Darwin and I went to a schooling show at Annon Equestrian Center.
It was storming this morning so few people came to the show. Although the turnout was disappointing, it gave us the opportunity to school a lot. This was Darwin's third time jumping and
first time doing a whole course. He did great! He was calm and happy the entire time, hanging out like a seasoned show horse.
We warmed up, did a couple of crossrail courses, then raised the jumps to small verticals and a couple of oxers. Darwin didn't look at a jump - not even the barrels.
He was truly incredible. He did knock down one vertical because he misjudged the height, but he cleared it on the second try. By the end of the afternoon I could
tell a huge difference in his overall balance, especially at the canter. I will be posting videos from the show soon so be sure to check them out.
After the show Darwin ran some errands with me... he hung his head out the trailer window
and watched the cars go by while I ran from store to store. He happily and patiently munched on hay from his haybag, occasionally enjoying a pat from a kid or two.
Sadly, Hannah left today. She's heading home to CA to visit her folks for a couple of weeks, then is going on a bike trip up the East Coast. I tried my best to
convince her to stay! We'll really miss her around here, both for her help and her friendship. Hurry back, Hannah!
|
Thursday, August 14 |
Alicia forwarded me this link
with pictures of all the mustangs in the event. There are some nice looking horses in that lot!! I really lucked out with Darwin though - looks, brains and personality all in
one big package. Yesterday I worked Darwin in our new ring (neighbor's field) and hopped him over a few little fences. He had trouble maintaining his right lead at the canter,
but luckily we had already scheduled his chiropractic check-up for today. Dr. Meddleton worked on his back this morning and said his hip muscles are tight. He worked on loosening
them up and then I rode him at the w/t/c. What a huge difference! Darwin
was able to bend to the right much easier and cantered on his right lead just as well as the left. Before this summer, I had never had chiropractic work done on horses,
and now I truly believe in its benefits. Dr. Meddleton has done an amazing job. Darwin and I worked for about 45 minutes in the indoor arena at the horse park. This was Darwin's
first experience in an indoor and he was a little goofy about it! He jumped every time a noise echoed, and was nervous passing doorways. Every time we went past the door
where we came in, Darwin tried to leave
the ring. He side-stepped towards the entrance with every pass, and bucked when I insisted he maintain canter circles instead of running out the door. I certainly know what to work
on now! I can just imagine Darwin dashing out the door in the middle of his horse-course at Ft. Worth, ha ha. This weekend is our last weekend of freedom before school starts
(I teach high school chemistry and am also in grad school working on my Masters). I hope to do more trail riding and trailering out before my time becomes much more constrained.
|
Tuesday, August 12 |
I finally went to the post office* and got many more sponsorships! (*The post office closed so we now have a "mobile
post office" truck that's open every so often and tends to lose half of our mail. Grr.) Thanks so much to our new sponsors! I will update the sponsor part of the website
shortly :o).
We've had an action-packed few days! I took Darwin on a few more trail rides by himself and he has been the perfect trail horse. On Saturday, we
went on a 2 hour ride during which we saw jack rabbits, coyotes, joggers, ATVs, a motorcycle, trucks and cars, a kid on a dirtbike, 2 teenagers making out in a canyon (hehehe),
another group of teenagers drinking beer in a different canyon (more hehehe), steep cliffs, narrow passes, a junked swingset (which we walked through), and lots of other trash.
We did a lot of cantering, including cantering up about 6" of water in the stream, and enjoyed our first full-out gallop. We both had a terrific time! Over the weekend Mike
brought over his and Larry's tractors and we turned our neighbor's junk-filled field into a ring! YAY!!! We can now start our serious dressage training and master leads/lead
changes. Monday we went to visit Alicia and we had a good time. Darwin didn't look at any of the obstacles in their ring, and he *loved* their bridge. Every time I dropped
the reins, he went towards it. He must have walked and trotted over that bridge 15 times. What a goof! He wasn't fond of Alicia getting on and he reared her off - what a bad boy -
but we think it was because I was holding him from going forward and we didn't properly prepare. After I finished working him we dressed him in a western saddle and did some
western pleasure jogging... or at least tried to. Then he loaded in Alicia's trailer (as did Rico - woohoo!). Today we worked in the ring for the first time and discovered
some holes and soft spots to fill. We also worked on picking up things from horseback, like the shovel and bottles, and we also opened and closed the gate from horseback. We need
to do more jumping to prepare for this weekend's hunter show. Should be fun!
|
Thursday, August 7 |
Today Darwin, Bailey, Hannah and I went to
Annon Equestrian Center to work in the ring. Darwin was very very good! He listens well to leg commands but
still falls out through the shoulder at the canter. We need to work on our lateral movements to fix that. He was nice and forward today, and was more free and balanced
at the canter. I think cantering on trails has helped tremendously. He also went over his first few jumps, only about 12" - 18" high, and he did great! At first he just
stepped over them, but by the end he was jumping like a real hunter pony. He's learning to neck rein and is chomping less at the bit. He's also a million times better about
putting the bridle over his ears. As for obstacles... he looks at nothing. I need to start introducing him to new things, like the rider holding a rope, picking up things off
his back, opening gates, etc. He loads pretty well and travels perfectly, and his ground manners are excellent. Since Sunday he has gone on 3 trail rides and he is learning
to enjoy being ridden. Due to time, truck and vet issues, I wasn't able to visit Alicia
yet, but we're planning to go Saturday. Hopefully nothing will come up this time!
|
Sunday, August 3 |
Mom visited this week, which has been fun. She rode Bailey and I rode Darwin on a trail ride, and everybody
did really well. Mom has ridden
a little but hasn't been on a horse in years, and she did great (as did Bailey). Darwin was a good boy too, although he walked about twice as fast as Bailey so we had to circle back a
bunch. Saturday Johnny and
I unloaded a hay shipment so I walked Darwin on the flatbed for fun. He hopped right up. Then I rode Darwin on his first solo trail ride which we both enjoyed.
I always like the first time I'm able to take a horse out on the trail by himself. It marks a point at which I trust him enough to know he won't try any 'funny business' and
it gives us an opportunity to relax, enjoy the scenery, and get to know each other a little better in a fun environment. Darwin did excellent! We rode down the river bed to
the sand dunes and up on top of the mesa. We walked, trotted and cantered with lots of transitions. Darwin was calm the whole time except when some horses in a nearby field
started up a conversation... Darwin got pretty excited and jigged a bit, so we did some circle work and he calmed back down. By the end of the ride he was walking on the buckle.
I've read some blogs of other EMM trainers and enjoy seeing how far
people have gotten and in what disciplines they're training. One theme I've seen a few times is that mustangs tend to become "single-person" horses... they trust the person who
trains them and nobody else. I find this interesting because Darwin isn't that way at all! He loves, listens to and respects everybody. Even Mom worked with him and picked
out his feet without any trouble, as if Darwin was an old school horse. This Tuesday we're taking a trip to see Alicia Romero and her EMM mustang Rico. Alicia has
offered to work Darwin over new stuff and I'm
interested to see how he does in a new situation with a 'new' person (they met when we picked up the mustangs, but Darwin hasn't seen Alicia since then). I'm really
looking forward to visiting Alicia and the fam, seeing Rico's (and Angelito's) progress, and riding Darwin through their obstacles. Should be a fun day!
|
Wednesday, July 30 |
Darwin's doing sooo well. Since I last wrote we have ridden a few times at home, Darwin got his first bath with
shampoo, I have worked on touching his ears (he's a bit of a pill about putting on the bridle!), practiced standing still for mounting, he was ridden by our barn kitties, and
he has been trailered some more. Over the weekend he got some time off when we went to Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell (thanks Hannah for pet sitting!).
I've been letting the dogs join us outside while we're working and Darwin lets them run all around and through his legs without any problem. Today we went to
Annon Equestrian Center where we rode in the ring with some camp kids. Darwin saw lots of new stuff and never
spooked. He did buck a couple of times when I asked him to stay at the canter. He's still really tight in his lower back and perhaps that's why he has trouble staying at the
canter for long periods of time. I'm going to condition him a bit to help build some muscle, and we've been doing the exercises Dr. Meddleton recommended. In a couple of
weeks we'll be seeing Dr. Meddleton again, and hopefully we'll figure out why he's still so stiff in the hind end. If you haven't already seen them, take a look at Darwin's
videos from his first week under saddle. As of today, he is 9 days under saddle. We're getting there! Only 6 weeks left until Ft. Worth!
|
Tuesday, July 22 |
This weekend we did a little trailer training and 20 mins of riding but no other work because
I spent way too much time writing papers for grad school. Tuesday we trailered to the Santa Fe Horse Park for a trail ride and to meet Dr. Meddleton. Darwin trailered
perfectly in the two-horse next to Bailey, and was great at the park. We tacked up and went on an hour trail ride with Hannah, Jill and Elizabeth. Darwin was wonderful, mostly
plodding along like a seasoned horse. When we got back to the park we rode in the ring for about 15 mins and Hannah took a short video of us walking
and trotting around. He also took his first step of canter with a rider (in video), but I wasn't ready to really canter since his back was bothersome. After our ride Darwin went
into the main barn and got hosed off in the washrack, then hung out at the trailer for a while. Dr. Meddleton then
worked on his and Bailey's backs. Darwin was very tight and really needed an adjustment! Hopefully he will move more freely and be less ouchy now. Dr. Meddleton was kind enough
to donate his services, and will be doing a re-adjustment in three weeks. Thanks, Dr. Meddleton!
|
Friday, July 18 |
Darwin must have felt really sorry for his bucking spree yesterday because he was perfect today. We rode
in the field and did walk/trot/halt work. He is almost able to turn exclusively from the leg, and his turns are getting smoother. He also had a more dynamic trot today, which
means he's getting used to a rider and will move more freely. He was much better for mounting and didn't
even flinch at the fly spray. He is still a little goofy about putting the bridle over his ears, and he seems a bit ouchy in his back, so I made an appointment
to see a vet/chiropractor next week.
|
Thursday, July 17 |
These past few days we did more groundwork and some riding. On the ground, Darwin walked over the bridge
and the tarp for the first time, and he didn't even look at them. Then we went into the front yard to walk around the stinky trash trailer, over piles of horse blankets,
over logs, under the
carport, down the road, beside cars, to the river, etc. Darwin did everything I asked without hesitation. Then my 8-year old neighbor came over and she groomed him,
fly-sprayed him, and picked out his front feet all by herself. I've now ridden him at the walk and trot, and he understands halt, walk, trot and turns. He is heavy in the
bridle but lightness will come with time. He walks and shifts away from me when I mount, so we have to work on that. Once I'm on he's pretty good,
athough he did have a bucking fit on Thursday when I accidentally whacked his rear with my hand. He was standing so well I forgot he was barely started, so I leaned back and put
my hand on his rump... oops. He must have thought something bit him and off we went. After about
10 huge bucks I realized he wasn't going to stop, so I bailed out on
the manure pile (stinky but soft!). Unfortunately this was when the newspaper reporter was here (doh!) so she got an exciting and unusual show. This was the second time I've
ever seen Darwin buck, and hopefully the last! After that, Hannah, Bailey, Darwin and I all went for a 30-minute
trail ride down the road and on a trail beside the river. Darwin was excellent! The only thing that caught his attention was other horses, so I'll have to expose him to many
more horses and riders soon.
|
Sunday, July 13 |
As of tonight, Darwin has been with us for exactly a month. He has certainly
come a long way! I remember his first day like it was yesterday... peering into the stall at a terrified horse, standing with his head to the wall,
eyes wide open. In just 30 days, that untouched scaredy-cat has turned into a giant puppy, following me around begging for a good scratch on the neck.
These past few days have been eventful for us. I introduced Darwin to the bridle, which he accepted with ease since his teeth have been done. Before I
start a horse under saddle, I like to get them used to seeing something over their heads, so I stand on a bucket next to them and wave my arms around. It
typically takes horses about 30 seconds to get used to this, especially since they've seen ropes and flags over them before. Not Darwin. Seeing
somebody over his head was a BIG DEAL and took us days to get over! I was surprised by his response, especially since I've tossed all kinds of things over his
head, and I stood on a shorter bucket last week to pull his mane. When he finally accepted seeing me up there, things progressed smoothly. I got on him
for the first time Saturday, first bareback then under saddle, and he was perfect. Sunday we solidified directions and did a little trotting. We're getting somewhere!
|
Wednesday, July 9 |
Darwin had almost a week off when I went to visit
family for my grandparents' 70th wedding anniversary. It was great to see everybody, but now we have a lot of catching
up to do! Since my last update, Darwin has learned to stand still for baths, worn front woof boots, and walked over
some jump poles. He is great wearing the saddle and is ready to wear the bridle. Yesterday I gave him a good bath then groomed him,
started pulling his mane, and brushed out his tail. He really enjoyed all the attention, and is looking more and more like a hunter
everyday! I also tied him for an hour to
learn some patience, and once he realized he was tied, he didn't even try to escape. He will need front shoes soon so I can take him
on trails when I start riding him, which will be in the next couple of days.
|
Tuesday, July 1 |
In the past few days, Darwin worked more on leading,
got his first bath and wore the saddle with the girth. The bath was scary at first, but he soon enjoyed drinking from
the hose and playing in the water. He was a little nervous about having his rump sprayed, so we'll work on that again
the next hot day. When I first saddled him, I turned him loose. He ran around the
field once, bucking a few times, then he realized "the monster" wasn't coming off and he walked back to me. What a
good boy! He was haltered, groomed and led by Hannah, and he was perfect for her.
|
Saturday, June 28 |
Darwin had a great past couple of days! His leading
is improving a lot, and he now lets me hold and pick out all four feet. I tied him for the first time today and he
acted like an old pro at it. I also introduced him to the saddle pad and saddle,
and after sniffing and biting them, he let me toss them all over and under him. I didn't girth him up yet
but I did tie and rub a rope around his middle. He didn't
flinch. Darwin is going to be the kind of horse who will love being dressed up for Halloween and ridden around the neighborhood.
He is truly a kid's horse in the making!
|
Thursday, June 26 |
Today we named the mustang! We've decided to call him Darwin
because of 'survival of
the fittest,' and because we have a "science nerd" thing around here! This afternoon I walked
him for about 45 minutes, broken into two sessions. He's doing well but isn't staying right beside me all the time. He resists halting
when he wants to rejoin his friends in the barn, so I continued walking/halting him until he paid full attention to me. He enjoyed romping
in the field today and gave us quite a show, cantering and bucking. When I groomed him today, he let me hold his front hooves for over a minute,
and he let me hold his hind hooves for the first time.
|
Wednesday, June 25 |
These past few days have been less productive than the previous ones.
The mustang never really understood lunging because he wants to turn towards me and follow me around. Since I don't have a round pen
in which to teach him, I decided to change tactics. He
is now comfortable enough with me that he started being pushy on Tuesday, so we went back to basics and re-established "who's boss." As of
today, he is leading very well at the walk and is halting more promptly. He's almost back to where he was over the weekend, despite our
little setback Tuesday. He still isn't sure about trotting beside me. He is great picking
up his front feet, and lets me hold them and pick them out. He still has trouble trusting me with his hind legs, but he does lift them for
a few seconds each time I ask. This afternoon he had his teeth floated and wolf teeth extracted. It turns out he's only 2 1/2 years old,
so he was born in the fall of 2005. This makes sense because his knee joints aren't fully closed, so I figured he was younger than 3.
After he had his teeth done, I introduced him to the
clippers and he took to them very well. I clipped his face and front feathers, and he didn't flinch. He wouldn't let me clip his ears but he
does like them scratched. In the next couple of days, I will introduce him to some obstacles on the ground and to the saddle pad.
|
Sunday, June 22 |
Over the weekend, we worked mostly on lead training and started picking up
the mustang's feet. He's doing very well with leading and is solid on walk, turns and halt. He's still learning to trot beside me without
trying to canter. Today I started his lunge training and I'll work more on that tomorrow. Saturday I let him into the field for the first
time to get out some pent-up energy, and he enjoyed cantering around. I plan to let him out for a few hours each day from now on. He's
perfect about being caught, haltered and groomed, and he lets me brush his face now. I picked up his feet with a rope and then my hands today
for the first time, and he was very good about it. I only held each front hoof for about 3 seconds before setting it back down, and despite some
anxiety, he lifted all four feet for me. He wouldn't let me hold his hind hooves, but he did lift his legs when I asked.
Please check out our videos from this weekend's work!
|
Thursday, June 19 |
Between having strep throat, hanging out with my visiting sister,
and painting the kitchen, I was a bit too busy to work with the mustang much these past couple of days. I did spent about 30 minutes
with him each day, and in that short time he let me brush him from head to toe, including the belly and all the way down his legs,
and I taught him the basics of leading. While his leading isn't perfect, he does understand that he should give to pressure, and he
is intent on following me around. He went for a short romp around the field with his halter and lead to get out some pent-up energy,
and he let me catch him easily. This weekend I hope to solidify his leading and teach him to pick up his feet. I have scheduled an
appointment with the dentist to float his teeth because he has trouble eating grain and he coughs/chokes on his hay.
|
Monday, June 16 |
I worked the mustang in two 30-minute sessions and two 15-minute sessions today, and we made a lot of progress.
He accepted the pole on his legs and belly, and the rope on his neck and back. He learned to give to the pressure of the rope and
let me pet him for the first time. I've touched him all over his neck and back, and he loves to be scratched behind his ears and on
his poll. He was much less nervous today, and is realizing I'm not out to get him. Our 95-degree weather also helped to calm him
down. My sister is in town from Cincinnati and she took lots of pictures.
|
Saturday, June 14 |
We arrived home last night at around 6pm with our mustang. He moved
easily from the trailer into the stall, where he will stay for the next few days as we begin gentling him. This morning I got a good
look at him for the first time. He is a lovely dark bay with a small, centered star. His conformation is straight and headset is wonderful.
He has a very kind and honest eye.
We did about 30 minutes of work this morning, after he ate breakfast and was comfortable in his
surroundings. I was able to rub his backside and down his legs with a pole, and he never kicked out. He is
starting to understand to stand still while I work with him, and he is very attentive to simple movements and cues. This big guy
is attentive and nervous, but not frightened or panicked. I can already tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with him!
|
|
