PERSPECTIVE AND SEPARATION...

Don't dare to open the Truck door....

Aragon in the corral-900 outside on the right side pacing

The horses are hanging with him but drift away slowly -he keeps returning to the corral.

TAG#900 has bonded with Aragon. He concentrates and has no problem walking away like yesterday.. In the mornings the horses come in for grain. Aragon and 900 have chosen to stay out until I personally get them. Which is alright - yet it feels as if separation would allow me more access to the horse. So today I brought the trailer and intended to take Aragon (I have done it before) whom I need for some training with me to the Mountains. The wind was very strong so I elected to just keep him in the corrals while letting the other horses out. 900 stayed around hollering at him and then tried to join the others with little success. He came back to the gate and stayed with Aragon.  I walked up to him and put his halter on and then released Aragon with him on the pasture. Not the right day to work on this. The wind is too strong.

WHORL-WINDS...PRIMITIVE MARKINGS...THINGS OF THE PAST...

Last year when I followed daily the blog of www.cindybranham.com training my favorite TUCKER for the Ft. Worth Makeover, I was upset each evening that the blog came up with pictures only and no video. Then on top of all there were days, where only text appeared...Here is one of those: I took Tag#900 for a long walk today. Away from the other horses, saddled but without concern we crossed ditches and talked things over. He figured that life was intact and everything would work out fine...then his head went up and in the far distance - HELICOPTER- now Lauren and others have noticed the same thing. They will never forget...How different it would be if our horses had no trauma. You say, it can't be done. Well it can. There are numerous accounts of low stress roundups and baitings in areas where folks have taken steps to observe and know these horses...and I remember a friend of mine saying, that the mares will come in to get their babies weaned if they know that there will be no tragedy...We do not need those antiquated, primitive and aggressive capture methods. If it takes money - that's where the budget should go, not to the holding pens, if it takes people utilize the millions of volunteers and organizations (no child left inside), if it takes monitoring and auditing (like Temple Grandin insists) that too is in the budget. If it takes riders, weeks and diligence, if it takes sensible birth control and maybe predator reintroduction. In addition sanctuaries, reserves and nature preservation projects form adequate venues for alternate solutions. I have 6 mustangs, who did NOT go through a roundup, whose heads stay down clear of memories -  HELICOPTER ---------

MUSTANG ECO TOURS- ISM WILD HORSE VACATION or ism moot....>>>>

"Take your daughter/wife on a vacation, they will never forget...."
 *Tucked into the Rockies lies a sleepy northern exposure village called Redfeather Lakes, around the enchanted Strawbale House of Glacier View Meadows you can find mustangs grazing on alpine slopes...Spend the night in cool quiet of an energy efficient sustainable house built of straw and adobe. *Rise with the sun and head down to the corrals to experience one of the last legends of the true blue foregone West, the WILD AMERICAN MUSTANG.
*In 90 days from Zero to competition in the EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER. Witness the exciting drive to the Canon City Correctional Facility where thousands of horses are stockpiled to await their turn.
*Then familiarize yourself with the requirements to house and care for these untamed and elusive animals.
*Experience the thrill of developing a relationship and training curriculum, daily steps towards the 90 day goal of a 2 day competition that will showcase these icons of american history in a dramatic and emotional display of their development.
*The curriculum will be enriched by a road trip to one of Colorado's Wild Horse areas. Photo- and Paint- workshops are an opportunity to capture some of the characteristics and uniquely artistic features of the animals in their natural environments.
*For Riders and outdoor enthusiasts a horse-camping ride towards the Continental Divide on already seasoned and trained mustangs...
Your hosts are experienced, well informed and educated in issues surrounding the state of affairs and challenges of renewable living and modern sustainable and energy efficient alternatives to traditional exploration, including solar and wind power, geothermal heating and modern construction with earth and straw...the focus again being on the renewable resources horse...provided by nature at no extra cost....
 As the day of the competition draws closer, the concerted effort of man and horse becomes more and more apparent - the day of seperation also approaches. With it the bitter taste of what the fate of these animals has been ...a memory of romance, wildness and passion bottled up to fix a broken world...

THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE WHERE WORLDS LIKE THIS COLLIDE... be part of a vanishing phenomenon and take home with you both sensual and theoretical models and molds of social structures that will never be the same....WHERE HAVE ALL THE WILD THINGS (horses) GONE....???

(Sign up now, Space is limited... there are only few areas and wild horse herds left... This is not a catered event or dude string. This is an expedition and members are expected to uphold their responsibilities and fullfill their assignments. Liability waivers and certain restrictions apply.)

PRAISE THE TALL BUT SADDLE THE SMALL>>........

video of Ginger Kathrens... - an advocate looking for solutions...

I have been a witness to a roundup and I have studied in depth and with seriousness the procedures and options of Managing our wild Horses. And I emphatically believe that the horses need to be managed by individuals and an institution, that is enthused and delighted about their existence and furthers the succession of these marvellous animals. An agency whose back is kept clear of conflicting interests with hunters and ranchers and mining and drilling. There are part private part public solutions and numerous alternatives and options (look at sanctuaries and also other countries). The antiquated and aggressive capture and processing procedures render these animals traumatized to a point unadoptable U-brands, untrainable 3STRIKERS, . It is expensive, unneccessary, deadly, lacking all finesse and compassion. Every night when I leave the horse #900 I am in debt. 

Please consider other venues and propose them to your representatives. 

It takes a village....finally thanks to Lourie we also have a pic of MELODY touching TAG

Now we all know that when the artist's eye falls onto their object of desire, she will not rest until some sprawling canvas is covered with the scent and most intimate details of his thriving physique and she will relentlessly massage oil and brush into a delighful frenzy until it successfully couples the essentials of this here being..with his pursuit of  happiness...

Curriculum forte...feet, ears, nose, eyes....----,butt...

This is an eye if there ever was one....

LIFE is just that...whipping and then some ...

He does like grain equine senior -does not like carrots and apples...he likes ARAGON>>>>>

Melody says, he looks worried when I leave the roundpen and he looks worried when I come back...and he is really worried when I take my jacket off...

All videos and Photos by Melody Perez- gives me thunder...

He swings nicely through the cavaletti and is not in a hurry. But he also accepts requests....

He's got a favorite stick and not so favorite stick and he's got favorite places to touch and not so favorite places to touch...

He's got rhythm and cadence, good arch over jump and easy transitions, he's got a couple of gears and we are not moving in slow motion anymore. He's easy to unlock and stays limber and soft through the hip and the shoulder.

Talking about the life B4 the MUSTANG MAKEOVER, talking about ROUNDUP...

To gain perspective without loosing intimacy we sometimes have to put distance between US and the ISSUE. That is an old wisdom that I as an aviator learned from a man called Charles Lindbergh, who as a first crossed the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane...It was hard for him and it is hard for us. But one of the legacies of these horses are grueling roundups. 

this young one could be your horse....take that into consideration when you start training and actually, NEVER FORGET IT...they don't

VEEDAWOO, then now and in between...

Today Sunday I continue to introduce my mustangs: Here is VEEDAWOO as a weanling and then later as a proud juvenile under saddle with the LG bitless bridle by Monika Lehmenkuehler from www.lg-zaum.de. Veedawoo is turning 6 this year, he has heart and the video says it all...

Veedawoo was part of an interesting experiment. I picked him up after weaning together with Silhouette and took him to the Rockies for about a year. My friend Deanna and I taught them the ways of the water and the snow and the leadrope and the trailer, longlining line and ditches and such. At 1 1/2 he returned to "the range" and was integrated slowly with similar aged bachelors and youngsters. I would visit every couple of months and see whether he still remembered me and he did. One time he came up to the Toyota when we were on the range preparing for the night and brought all his bachelor friends. The other bands also were curious and before too long we had too many horses around the truck to even consider spending the night. I had an idea and took a saddle blanket out assuming it would scatter the interest and have them wander away. To my surprise Veedawoo not only remembered but proudly accepted the pad on his back and wanted to show it off to his mates. At that the entire bunches snorted and disneylike cartoon images evolved as he tried to approach, they veered off pounding and then when he happily trotted down to the water hole the entire order or leadership had been rearranged, him being the king of the valley...as the sun was setting - all I could think about was that I could not believe that this pad was staying on like that....he must have been intricately balancing it....

.. I venture a guess, this is a young horse soul, he is not as much a hedonist, as I initially thought, somewhat detached and impartial. He prefers the company of anti-authority, like most horses he senses authenticity...

.... He is somewhat impartial to affection but appreciates positive contact and purposeful touching and stroking. His phyisque is balanced and lofty, he is very soft and flexes well through the shoulder and the hip. He is not busy with his feet and has smooth transitions...Someone saw him running with a tail straight up which makes us wonder....??? He loves water (coming from Nevada!!) and he steps gingerly through ditches and bog. Given the opportunity he will go into the water and submerge... He eats thorough, drinks with deliberation. Within the herd his position varies. I cannot detect a preferred side at this time. There are no areas of particular apprehension...medium mouth, large nostrils, very expressive eyes and good ears. One Whorl above eyes, no white but the lighter color around eyes muzzle and inside  legs.

Here is Cheryl Allin, who has a first hand opportunity to practice her hand-eye coordination. She has not  spent a lot of time with and around horses....

Thank you again to Melody Perez for Photos and video.

All COLORS of the Spectrum all facets of the Kaleidoscope....

At the end of the day it is again a bunch of wild horses running out to pasture. Here you see Aragon leading the herd, followed by TAG#900. On the far right another Mustang (I remember him by Dunner) and in the Back the light Dun, DUN, - they belong to our Friend and the owner of this beautiful facility, Tim Singewald from Bridger Wilderness Outfitters in Pinedale, WY. (Now these images are from Wellington, Colorado.

...no Child left inside....

This young lady is Robyn Hall, she, like all young girls will be a Vet when she grows up and she has encouraged me to hope that there is a future for these wild Horses. The same applies to some of the young trainers that compete in the Mustang Makeover. To name just a few: Taryn Hillman, Lauren Kolker, who very unassuming open the book and train with enthusiasm and diligence, completely transparent...making it very clear that it takes love and compassion can entice what harshness and brutality forces....If we can connect the young generation (and obviously that also includes boys to men) with this part of nature, no child will be left inside...Thank You Tag,, you were very generous today... 

A brief history of TIME...

This is Aragon's Sire at age 27 in South Dakota at the Wild Horse Sanctuary founded by Dayton Hyde. His name was "Texas Pony Syndicate", and ran a bunch in the Starflower Spanish Mustang Ranch in Oshoto. For circumstances explained otherplace he came to the Sanctuary at a respectable age and the story goes that he proceeded to jump the fence to gather some mares from the outside and then return to the Sanctuary...His lopsided ear was only one of his trademarks, I will also publish a beautiful painting of him.

Those Bonds we make, these bonds we break...

...I am not young and I have six mustangs to ride and to care for. TAG#900 comes towards the end of a long long passion and relationship to the Wild Horses of the Americas. As I look back at the years and the wonderful horse-beings I met along with alright people, I can admit that time is not a big factor anylonger. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the mustangs of my life along the storyboard of the training ledger of TAG#900:

If  you look at the opening photo of this BLOG you will find my family: Aragon V, (lineback dun, 16), a Spanish Mustang from Oshoto, the birthplace of the Spanish Mustang Registry. He was a 4year old bachelor running with the bands when I first met him. A young girl fell in love with him and claimed and trained him, just to find herself in love with a man, who did not want for a mustang. So he came to me...it was not easy. Two years later I fell in love with a little black filly (newborn) at the same place, the Cayuse ranch, she was black like a looking glass, her father a feral mustang from Nevada, her mother a Spanish Mustang..."I named her Silhouette, she had not much to say, but when I tried to hold my breath, she took my breath away"...During the same visit we looked at one of my favorite bands, those of a black stallion by the name of Sangrea Real,whose lineage goes back to a Black Stud called Kaw-maw-i. .....anyway I will continue this story later...

Back to Tag#900: the Tag will stay on until someone claims him, and I have a hard time naming him for the same reason....

Mustang Galore-what do they say: ROUGH IN THE MIDDLE AND DANGEROUS ON BOTH ENDS....

Today Formation practice riding at the CSU ARENA for our little local mustang riding presentation during the Extreme Mustang Makeover....Horses going off in all directions, at one point I thought one was crawling up mine from behind...this is NOT easy...we have a pretty simple pattern but to have them going steady and close and pay attention sure takes it out of you. Aragon and Veedawoo (2 of my spanish mustangs) tried their darnest...3 hours later I unloaded Aragon at the Barn and #900 whinnied and had a lot of complaining to do. Then the snow came and I had to take the trailer up the hill to ReDFEATHER>>>> Several of the mustangs we are riding with are from last year's MakeOVer...There is our favorite MARVIN (purchased by Madeleine Pickens, trained by Randall Davis) now ridden by Patricia Burge and there was Taryn Hillman with her little beautiful bay (name forgot) and there was Calypso (owned and trained by Cindy Loader) and then 3 other 2010 MakeOver mustangs...feels good to have some closure and see what happens a couple of years later...

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER

Let's recollect. #900 was born in the Coppersmith HMA in Lassen and Washoe County, Nevada near the California Bordertown of Cedarville. For his first year he ran with his family band and was probably expelled by his sire (stallion) somewhere around the age of 1. The seperation from his band was hard, yet the other colts experienced similar fates and so a small group of young bachelors eventually joined a larger bachelor herd and every now and then he would see and from distance reconnect with his mother and his younger siblings....Life was good.

The the helicopter came and the running seemed forever confusing....ending in a pipe corral and cold metal shute. Flags and People, noise, scents unfamiliar and scents of blood sweat and tears...Then the hull of a trailer...2 year old are still small and a lot of pushing and shoving is going on. After that, most likely Fallon processing facility...fall, winter approaching. Hay and water was there, some space no sense...the day after the roundup a chute paralyzed and branded and vaccinated, blood drawn for coggins. - 2 months after capture, processing and castration....

And then some months later a 2 day trailer haul to CANON CITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY...

Thousands of horses, another world...and today...out with ARAGON on what looks like Washoe County he was hollering for his memories and feeling his muscles stretch and his sineous body emerge from some cage.....

no worry in the world - no pressure - no expectations....

FREEDOM IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR NOTHING LEFT TO LOOSE....

Here I am gallopping after my mustangs and the C-130 is looking too. The irrigation ditches are running and the sun is shining.Luckily I find them playing in the water and they follow me to the corral...

A language that we yearn to learn...

THIS IS THE ROCK UPON WHICH I LEAN....ARAGON V

Much can be said about an endeavor like training a wild feral being. But nothing moves me like the sense of one mustang to another....nearly I feel like an intruder and would like to leave the doing to them...Thank You ARAGON...

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A MUSTANG...

and it takes several mustangs to raise a village...Since this particular individual came without a halter, I resolved to do all the training from aboard Aragon, that's where he felt comfortable...Also I like the reversal of thought...Then..... today we all got to touch a WILD HORSE....and felt touched...

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES....

Pat (Patricia Burge) is helping me out with the whipping, while I am trying to sort out the LARIAT, Krisztina Gayler has a bad case of tilted camera and Aragon V is looking on in disbelief...where is the clicker???

Honza Bláha a Gaston

And although we might not like the circus, some of the images and scenes give us inspiration and beauty. Honza Blaha...

Lorenzo National Horse Show

ALWAYS A SPECIAL REMINDER

COLORADO WILD HORSE AND BURRO PARTY ST. PATRICK'S PARADE...

Photos by Lourie Zipf. While #900 settled into his new corral, Chisel and Rusty were up at the St. Patrick's Parade and we were marching to the tune of 87 floats... (check out: www.metal2sculpture.com and louriezipf.com and winddancer.com and our facebookpage: colorado wild horse and burro partners.)

To go along with the Makeover is the Mustang Poster from Sandwash...

Collaboration of 4 artists

2 photographers (Lourie Zipf and Nancy Roberts) and two painters (Melody Perez and Linda Martin). Together the created a platform and framework of the WildHorseHerd west of Steamboat Springs in the Sand Wash Basin. Only approx 230 horses are remaining on these 160 000 acres....

COMPANIONS ARAGON V. (Spanish Mustang) GAULTIER (BLM)

We don't  come with a lot of expectations. Maybe an EYE or and EAR or a SIGH...hope no FEAR...(Photos: Krisztina Szabo)

An Eye for an Eye....

Praise the tall but saddle the small...said Mr. Mustang, after realizing that the numbers of mustangs were dwindling...and that was the beginning of the Spanish Mustang Registry in Wyoming. Then 1971 the protection act seemed to secure their survival and today we are wondering how many are still out there..(Photo: LourieZipf.com)

WILD HORSE WILD RIDE...Great movie, good association....

This photo by Lourie Zipf is my favorite of his release into the new world. Shows the wonderful eye, I opted not to have a halter attached by the BLM and so we are working the roundpen with a whip and a lot of stillness. Saddled my mustang Aragon today and was able to accompany him ...touching his back and neck.

TAG 900 - EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER CANDIDATE pickup at Canon City

Doe-eyed and mealy-mouthed...4 year old California native, captured as 2 year old and castrated, since then in Canon City. Yesterday he was my luck of the draw...computer assigned number 900 to me and he travelled from Canon City to his new life to meet Aragon and hang out in a cool place....He got some rest over night and today we had the first two lessons... Weather is holding up nicely and #900 is liking his companion and his food and his surroundings.

THE SUSTAINABLE POLO PONY(mustangs) to polo ponies. gerry gesell and a calico complex ...

There is a world out there, that would love to take nature's child with all it's endurance and good upbringing and take it out into the world of man...this is an option

2009 Long Term Holding Facilties

A mustang called baby...me being a pilot had to bring this up before too long...

Gabriele,

I'm finally getting around to sending you a picture of "Baby", and her story.

She came into the world sometime in late 1942 or early 1943, no one likely kept track of exactly when. She was in southern California, kept on a huge corporate complex not far from today's Los Angeles International Airport.

Her unofficial "mother" was my own mother, a teenager at the time. She did a lot for Baby, knew her owners well, and was friends with Baby's few, and very skilled  handlers. As expected when she first arrived, Baby was unique to this special group of people, as they worked with her nearly every day, fussed and doted and worried over her, and kept her healthy and active. She developed beautiful lines and conformation. And during these war years, even the government kept a particularly keen eye on Baby's growth and development, sometimes offering advice and making requests, and always insisting that Baby be kept away from prying eyes and public scrutiny.  Her siblings also came to these same people, and they too led a similar life. Most were larger and stronger, even faster, than Baby, and all were equally beautiful and strong performers. Although few people actually saw Baby up close, her offspring were quickly and widely recognized and appreciated, probably by millions. There were a few, of course, who probably did not like Baby, but even they respected her capabilities.

Exactly how long she led this life no one knows. I like to think that this Mustang was eventually retired, and put out to pasture so to speak. I would guess this may have occurred in the mid to late 50's, her services no longer needed.

I hope this short story of Baby has piques your interest, for she was indeed very special. You already know her real identity.

Baby was a North American P-51. Her original pedigree name, "Mustang", came from the British, but "Baby" herself was named by her small design team at North American Aviation, today known as North American Rockwell, the space people. Baby lived her life mostly at the Inglewood, Calif. plant, and spent most days in her hanger surrounded by designers, often my mother, technicians and photographers. She was the single P-51 that was used exclusively as the prototype, a flying and static test bed for every change, feature or modification destined for the many squadrons of Mustangs serving during WW2. Her "owners" were the design engineers, Baby's "mother', my mom was (at age 17) the team's draftsman who drew many of P-51's original design sheets and diagrams. Baby's small group of skilled handlers were the NAA test pilots, some of whom my mom knew personally. Baby's big brother was the Mitchell B-25 twin-engine bomber; her best known younger siblings are the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, and the Lunar Command/Service Module.

The P-51 was designed in just 117 days for the British, who named this fighter the "Mustang". There were a number of "firsts": it was the first fighter by North American; it had an innovative laminar flow wing; it was one of the first long-ranged fighters capable of escorting bombers to and from their targets; it was a first to receive a better powerplant from the customer (Britain) than originally planned and provided for. The British loved the P-51's flying characteristics, but immediately replaced the factory Allison with their own Rolls Royce Merlin V-12. The original airframe and the new Merlin made the Mustang a fierce opponent and much loved by allied pilots. Much US publicity was later made of the Packard V-12 powered Mustang, but this engine was a USA made Merlin under British license. 

Baby was used throughout these days of change and trial and error, and served her country well. She was the first to receive the Merlin, the first to sport the famous bubble canopy we now all associate with those classic Mustang lines, the first piston powered aircraft to reach 509 mph (red line) straight and level, and I suppose the list goes on and on.

The Mustang originally entered service in 1942 as the P-51 Mustang for Britain, and a ground support/dive bomber variant called the A-36 Apache for the USAAF. By 1944, the Mustang we know of today was serving in both the Pacific and European theaters, then later in Korea, and in spite of being superseded by jet fighters, continued to serve other nations worldwide until 1980. In1967, some retired Mustangs became 2-place corporate civilian speedsters, the "Cavalier"; Mustangs are now famous as an air racer; price tags are often a nominal $1 Million and more.

I grew up with mom's black and white photos of the Mustang, many of Baby, and have Baby's scrapbook, pictures taken to demonstrate this or that feature or change, or for technical manuals. I have a beautiful watercolor of a P-51, flanked by 2 frames that hold my mom's drafting tools, rulers and templates, and a picture of her with Baby; she was a gifted draftsman, the reason I'm sure she was picked to work directly for the Mustang's design engineers. The picture of her is taken with Baby in front of North American, Inglewood CA; the date inscription is 1943, my mother is 17. Perhaps she too was a Mustang "baby". 

Blue Skies,
Kell

Padre' Mustang Stallion Informational Video

Palm Springs film festival

MUSTANG LEDGERS ARE IN VOGUE AGAIN...WE DRAW WE MANIFEST...

Photographs by Lourie Zipf...scetch by Gabriele Moritz