Erin rides Sweets!

Well with all that’s going on here it’s been tough to get out and enjoy the fantastic weather, but today we managed to get Sweets saddled up, ground-worked, and ridden. I was going to do it and Erin was going to help, but she loves Sweets and ended up doing all the work! Which meant I had to help her clean her room. Good trade.

Helping Sweets get comfortable with rope around butt

This was her first ride after the Expo, which makes it her 5th ride ever. Erin rode Sweets only about 10 minutes, keeping it calm and undemanding. Sweets had never been ridden all by herself, with no herd mates or other saddle horses present.  She had a brief running scare, Erin helped her through it and she settled, they practiced some turns, and ended upon a successful and trusting note, looking forward to the next session.

Flipping the rope: until Sweets is comfortable and relaxed with it

Erin longes Sweets. She changes direction from left to right nicely, has a little more trouble circling left.

Mounting from left

Mounting from right

Tightening cinch...Sweets was fine with being saddled, it was like she did it every day.

Mounted! (We recommend that riders always use helmets, and visitors MUST wear them at FHSR. This however is my stubborn and accomplished teenage daughter).

Going forward. For the first time without having another horse to follow....and all her herd mates gone!

Riding around here and there

Rubbing face with rope

2012 Expo Day One 3/15/12

Star is a 2005 BLM mustang gathered from the Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area. She has just completed her third go-round with Rescued to Ride, and every year she has learned more.  Star has about a dozen rides on her, and has had extensive groundwork also. She is ready for a home with an experienced horseman/woman and/or to be sent to a trainer for more under-saddle work.

Walking out with Rescued to Ride 2012

She is friendly, respectful and easy to handle for routine care such as farrier, shots, worming; trailer loads easily, and, with a bit more practice, wearing a stable or turnout blanket…not that she needs one!

Did I mention she loves to jump?

"The Star from Snowy River"

Star could also be adopted as a groundwork-only partner or even a pasture companion. She is of middle rank in the herd and easygoing with other horses.

She is very curious!

...and glorious.

Regroups with Brandy and Sweets after Expo 3/18/12

Rope and butt work with Amanda

Having a blast after the Expo

Brief objection to the saddle 3/15/12

"After": end of lesson, with Sweets 3/15/12

Running free with Brandy 3/18/12

View her profile page here: http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2010/04/star-2/

Loping, Expo 3/16/12

Clover is a 2007 roan grade mare, 13 hh, with a really sweet disposition, very willing attitude and very easy to train.

At the 2012 Expo while participating in Rescued to Ride, she was saddled for the second time in her life, so far as we can tell, and progressed very well with the saddle training. Her first experience in the arena, at the crazy fairgrounds with all the tractors and other horses and people and school buses, she seemed out of sorts, but that is only natural. The second day she settled right into her lessons.

Teaching her to back up

“Somebody needs to adopt this horse,” said trainer Scott Whinfrey on the last day of the Expo. “She’s as easy to train as Comet.” (Comet is a highly-bred QH that took to everything with ease and aplomb). Scott also cautioned that just because Clover’s a pony, that does not make her a suitable kid’s horse after only four rides, and we concur.

Clover really hooked up with Scott

One of the distinctive features of her Rescued to Ride training was that some of the horses wouldn’t hook up with the trainer easily, but continued looking toward other horses for support. Clover was very distracted the 3rd day, both by the snaffle bit she was packing, and by the Tractor Parade, but despite these things she was very tuned in to Scott and doing everything he asked of her.

Clover with her daughter, Princess, at FSHR after the Expo.

Clover has been brushed, braided, walked and ground-worked by a wide variety of people, including experienced horsewomen, volunteers with developmental disabilities, and youth. She is able to adjust to many situations. She accepts veterinary and farrier care easily and readily trailer loads. We feel that she WILL be a great kid’s horse, after good training and miles put on her. She has the disposition and attitude. When introduced to her first 4-year-old child, she put her head down, ears forward, to be introduced. The child figured out how to give her a treat. When mom picked the child up to pet Clover’s neck, Clover kind of rolled her eyes back at the weird two-headed human, but was okay.

Turning

Day One: Aaaaaak!

Day One

Longeing Day 1, 3/15/12

Free again! After Expo

Settled for the evening at the Expo

Loping

Walking, Day 1 3/15/12

Herd horseplay 3/18/12 after Expo

Clover and her daughter Princess

Princess is also adoptable. She is a yearling now.

Clover’s original profile page is here: http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2011/04/clover/

Manzana

Here is another appeal we received through email 3/21/12.

We are happy to report that through our posting, Manzana has found a home and received many other offers.

Manzana is a Paso mare about 14 years old, located in the Dolores/Cortez, CO area. If you are interested in this horse, please contact the owner directly at heidihenes@aol.com. Owner says:

“I was sure hoping it would never to come to this but I must offer my beloved Peruvian Paso, Manzana, up for adoption. Her herd mate and sole companion for 12 years, Tango, recently died.  While that broke my heart it is even worse knowing
Manzana is currently alone, imagining her that way is tearing me apart, and I can not be with her at this time, nor in the near future.

“Unfortunately, I am in a position whereby I have been working overseas or out of state for long stretches at a time for the past few years and I don’t see that changing real soon, so it would be irresponsible of me to compound the problem [for my family who has been caring for her] by finding her a new companion.

Saddled

“Manzana … is gentle, has never kicked, reared or bitten, can be ridden bareback with just a halter and lead rope and
has that exquisitely smooth gait, the paso, that the breed is known for. She would probably be real good for a physical therapy program since the trot is often the gait that gives people difficulties.

So accommodating...accepts her halter upside down!

“She has a … tendency to grass founder, but fortunately it has never caused lameness in her as we watch for early signs and catch it. To prevent it she merely has to be restricted from 24 hour grazing of grass in the early spring and late fall, for a few weeks or a month, especially if she is showing cresty neck signs. In these cases we only turn her out at night and put her in a dry lot with warm season grass hay during the day. Other than that she can be turned out free choice for the rest of the year. For that matter, she would be very good for someone with limited acreage and feeding low quality grass hay. As I said, she is a very easy keeper, her problem is keeping weight off, not putting it on. But I do want her to have turn-out, she has never been kept in a stall and largely ignores her loafing shed, even in blizzard conditions. Normally she only chooses to go in the barn for the deep shade in summer if the flies are pesky.”

Manzana

Loving that snow!

I sure miss my friend!

Sweets first ride 3/15/12

Sweets wore her first saddle EVER at the Ag Expo.  Because she is trusting and confident with people, it went fairly smoothly. She got four days of ground training and riding and did great. She’s got more growing to do, but she will remember all she learned from her Rescued to Ride trainer.  She is ready for adoption by someone who will continue her training.

Getting used to the saddle

She’s two years old and, like all the FSHR horses, is catchable, respectful, friendly, leads, cooperates with farrier and veterinary care (shots, worming, etc) and trailer loads readily. She can be safely handled by adults and older children. Her main trouble at the Expo was from being confined in a small pen with tons of stuff and people all around her, and so much learning…”life-changing experiences,” one of the trainers called it.  By day 4 she was grumpy, but the grumpiness is all gone now after a couple days of turnout.

We’ve ridden her once since the Expo, so far.  As the weather improves, we will work with her more and ride for brief periods.

Loves to jump, could do it all day in the arena or in turnout

Frustrated 3/18/12

This final ride at the Expo took place after she got soaked in the rain. That shadow coming from her chest is her pawing too fast for the camera to get. That whole ride was pretty much a comedy of Jeff thwarting her desire to roll and winning her attention from this urge and onto him. When he achieved that he stopped and unsaddled her…then she didn’t roll! Which was amazing.

Getting it all out upon returning home! 3/18/12

A nice ride, Expo day 2

Playing with Clover a few days before the Expo

High steppin' in home arena

Jumping with Brandy

In Expo pen day 3...Jolly apple filling is gone because she used it for a butt-scratcher!

Jeff sums up the ride, Expo day 4 3/18/12

Climbing up the pond hill, back home, 3/18/12

Here is a link to her original profile page: Sweets

Brandy, after the Expo, Sunday 3/18/12

Brandy is a 6-year-old Quarter Horse mare.  She loves people, is affectionate, cooperative and confident around them, and is visibly yearning for a human all her own. This poor girl’s been waiting a long time. She’s had extensive ground work and training.  She readily accepts veterinary and farrier care, and easily loads into a trailer.

She’s been ridden but is still green, and requires an experienced rider. Recently she suffered a spook that has shaken her confidence in going forward. Last weekend, at the Four States Ag Expo, she was fortunate enough to participate in Rescued to Ride, a nonprofit organization that starts or re-educates rescue horses to make them more adoptable. It really helped her come along.

With Jeff Derby, at Rescued to Ride, 3/16/12

The trainer who rode her was able to identify some areas where she needs work, and helped her gain confidence and get past a lot of her fear. He even introduced her to cows!  She was scared at first, but by the end of the session seemed comfortable among them.

Brandy is a very willing soul.  She just needs the right person who will be able to gain her confidence, address her issues (boogers at surprises viewed from her right eye), and is experienced enough to relax and move her through her fears to a mindset of safety, rather than get involved in her fears and thereby make them worse by validating them.

Lovable

Brandy's first cows 3/18/12

In turnout after Expo

Longeing at Expo, 3/16/12

Mounting

Desensitizing with flag, 3/15/12

Moving hindquarters

Jumping barrels with Sweets

Charging down from the pond

Having a blast after the Expo

In Expo pen, settled for the evening

Moving 2 cows

Confidence builders

Comfortable at last

Brandy with best friends Star and Sweets

Here is the link to her profile page: http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2010/04/brandy/

Cherry1

Cherry, the three-year-old mustang in the Norwood, CO area, is still in need of a home.  Cherry is friendly, knows groundwork, handles easily for trailering, the farrier, etc., and has even been ridden about a dozen times.

Here are some new pictures of her.

Here is a link to the original post about her: http://www.freshstarthorserescue.org/2012/03/sweet-mustang-desperately-needs-home/

If you are interested in this mustang, please email lauriebelka@hotmail.com.

Cherry3

Cherry2

“I believe that adopting an animal is a lifelong commitment, however; due to my recent life circumstances . . . I am one of those unfortunate animal owners who is now looking for a new forever home for my Mustang Filly.

Cherry is a three year old BLM Mustang gathered from the Wyoming Herd. She is a beautiful strawberry roan, very well built and athletic. She has been well treated and is friendly, curious and loveable. I have done extensive ground work with her, she halters, leads, lunges, trailers, stands for the ferrier, etc. She has even been ridden a dozen times or so, but still needs a lot of work in that department. She will make someone a wonderful riding partner. If you could spread the word, I would be most grateful. I am getting desperate…

The photos are from last summer and not very good. I am trying to get some recent ones!
But every time that silly horse runs up and sticks her nose in the camera!”

Obviously a very friendly, curious people horse.

Cherry

Cherry

It’s getting crazy around here as we take advantage of every snippet of good weather we can to get the horses ready for the Four States Ag Expo. Sweets, Comet, Star, Clover and Brandy are all scheduled to participate in Rescued to Ride, which brings wonderful trainers out of Steamboat Springs to start, or re-start, rescued horses, helping them to become more adoptable. This will be the third year that FSHR horses have participated in Rescued to Ride, an event that invariably results in new homes for at least some of the equine participants.

Comet

This will be Comet’s second year in RtR. Started as a 2-yr-old last year, he spent the next 11 months fostered out, just running and playing and growing. This year he’s just gorgeous, and he has the most special, mellow personality. Hopefully this will be the year he finds his forever home.

Sweets high steppin'

A big part of our process for getting the kids ready for Expo time is (re)teaching them stall & ground manners. We brought the horses out of the fields and the 40, and put them in the barn. For some, like Sweets, Brandy and Star, this is the first time they’ve ever been inside a barn.  For Star and Sweets it was scary at first. Each day, the stalled horses are either walked for a mile, turned into the arena for play, or both.  Then they are groomed and we work on ground manners.

This will be Sweets’ first year in RtR (and hopefully her last), but it’s not her first time at the Expo. Last year she was in an adoption pen, people were everywhere, and she was uncomfortable. So this year I’ve made it my job to accustom her not only to being penned, but also to know how to act in a pen. She has learned a lot and come a long way since last year, and she will make somebody a great little horse.

Clover

Clover’s well known for being, well, a bit difficult, when stalled, vs. a complete mooshy love when kept in turnout. The challenge with her is to end this, and taking her out of the stall frequently for walks or games in the arena with her cronies has helped her mind to settle down and adjust to either condition (being stalled or being in turnout). She is doing great, and has a sweet temper and lot of good energy and impulsion.

Brandy

Yesterday we had a lot of fun, all the gals in the arena together just ripping it up.  Brandy was the herd leader in this scenario, and we got to discover a special friendship that we had never observed when all the horse were out in the 40.

"Can I help you get that off?"

I always thought Star and Sweets were best friends, but in the arena, Clover and Sweets glommed together and just played and played, rearing up nice and graceful, nipping and nibbling, and just plain being cute.

Today I took Brandy and Clover for walks out on the county road. Both were as good as gold. Brandy’s tendency to drift (okay, push!)  into my space, which once precipitated epic battles, is now easily thwarted by a simple hand gesture. Clover was perfect, until we got to the sheep. O.M.G!!!! she exclaimed, spinning around blowing loudly, her eyes the size of fried eggs. Well we stood there awhile, watching the sheep and lambs milling about, until Clover calmed down and dropped her head, signifying her life was no longer in danger. Then we walked home.

Star

Star no longer feels claustrophobic in the barn.  She is right up there at the stall gate with the others when we walk in. Erin walked her on the county road yesterday and she was amazing. She did not pull away or freak out at anything.

Clover's epic roll

Sweets epic roll

Arena games were climaxed by epic rolling!

One other thing I’m doing this year that I didn’t do last year, is to get everybody used to wearing blankets. The way the weather’s been … jeesh…. I don’t trust it. Sooooo…

Brandy in a blanket

Sweets in a blanket

You think that blanket looks huge on Brandy? Well it is just hanging off Sweets. Haven’t got to selecting which blanket will fit which horse best, just using this red one to teach with. Brandy acted like it was no big deal at all, and Sweets was slightly concerned, but far more accepting of it than I had imagined she would be.  So far, Comet had the most trouble accepting the blanket, but he’ll be cool with it by the end of our next session, I imagine. Of course, I haven’t tried Star yet. She’s got that thing about stuff touching her butt…there is work to be done there.

I guess I should mention that, despite her picture topping this article, Princess, a yearling, will NOT be at the Expo. We aren’t doing adoption pens this year, just Rescued to Ride. So to see Princess you will just have to come visit us!

Anyhow, we’re getting excited for the Expo, and REALLY hoping that THIS event will be the catalyst that gets these girls (and one boy) into their forever homes!