Maverick's training progress

[angelsdream]

Well, just thought I'd post Mav's progress at the trainer's. He is doing great, being exposed to everything under the sun, I tell everyone he's in boot camp The trainer is AMAZED at how smart he is, he said it scares him sometimes the mind that mav has. He has just raved about Mav. This guy (and his father) have trained every kind of horse there is and mav is by far up there with the best when it comes to his mind. Mav is always trying to think ahead of him. I could tell that when I worked with him. He picked up on every little thing, no matter how small. He has fell in love with mav, so has everyone that comes over to his place. Many comments on his graceful movement. He automatically picks up the right lead everytime and switches naturally without pressure. Mav gets lots of questions from people. The trainer's grand daughter brings mav a handful of green grass everyday, just for the "TIGER" as she calls him.

The trainer said there first trail ride out all alone was pretty interesting. There were lots of boogers, but all of them were put there by the trainer. He has a trail behind his house that he has set up and has obstacles everywhere. He road him for about 3 hours with 4 wheeler's and dirt bikes riding around the property. It wasn't all calm, mav took him straight thru the woods and took out about 4 tree's on one of his bolts, but at the end he said he accepted it, so it was a great session.

I miss him and am ready for him to come home so I can ride him, but I'm going down to see him next weekend so I guess I'll just have to be patient.

[DianneC]

Wow! That sounds like a wonderful trainer to have set up all the boogers on the trail for him to get used to. Aren't you glad it was the trainer in the saddle? I love it when a trainer falls in love with a Kiger.

[Michelle Clarke]

Great to hear the good news about Maverick! I hope things work out so you can really enjoy him. I know if we could just get more people to ride and work with these Kigers they would really take off. I was just telling a new visitor yesterday that it is amazing when a professional gets ahold of one of these horses how far they can take them and how they LOVE training and riding them. I am sad to say that I don't think Desi will physically hold up to any amount of hard training - his EPM has done too much damage...I still have some ideas, but we will see. However, he is great to let visitors ride and get the feel of a Kiger underneath them and with Desis' sweet disposition there is not much need for me to do any talking!!

Keep us posted on Mavs' progress!

[angelsdream]

Yes Dianne, I am glad it was the trainer in the saddle, but I have been in it many times when he bolted like that. He's never took me thru the woods though, thank god cause I prolly wouldnt have stayed on but the trainer really puts them through the spooky stuff so Im sure he's going to get bigger bolts than I did. He's got several young kids that help him with the de-spooking, riding bikes, shooting firecrackers, and just plain out acting a fool all the time like teenagers do. Which is great for the horse's, gets them used to all the commotion. He says that he wants one alert, in fact he prefers one that is alert rather than a dead head, and he dont care if they do get scared, but he dont want them moving there feet. Spook in place, wants them to learn to control there emotions. He don't do a lot of natural horsemanship, but I guess from being around horse's his whole life, he's come up with his own ways of dealing with issues. He specializes in problem horse's and also trains paso fino's for the show ring. In fact, he has several champion paso's at his place he owns. He got one of his show mares out the day I dropped off Mav and let everyone ride her, and boy, she was slinging up the dirt.
He took one horse in a few weeks ago that was headed to the slaughter house because no one could ride him or even get him saddled, I think he had really intimitaded his owners, in a week he had him riding in just a halter. He said he had just learned how to bully people and get out of working. He really enjoys taking horse's with issues and working with them to get them over it. Im really hoping for the best. I know he'll not come back completely bombproof, that will take many more years of riding, but when we do encounter a spooky thing, then I don't think it will be such a big deal as before.

Yes Michelle it is so amazing how great these kiger's are. They are so different than any other horse. I wish more people could be exposed to them, like you said, when trainers get a hold of them, they are very happy with them. Not only are they inteligent, they have wonderful movement and the best personality you could ask for. I just noticed the biggest difference when I got mav and started riding him verses my quarter horse. My quarter horse is very stocky, so trail riding is sometimes difficult for him. He stumbles a lot (some of it is cause he's lazy ) but mav hardly ever stumbles and can maneuver more easily in the mtns. Mav is very hearty, meaning he's very strong and can endure longer riding hours without much stress. He's got strong bones and is all together made for enduring tough terrain. In fact, I think he loves to work, he likes a job. A great trainer friend of mine, the 1st time he saw mav made that very comment. He said, "look at his conformation,. that horse can go when all the others can't." I say he's "BUILT KIGER TUFF" Im so happy I have hung in there with him.

Im so sorry to hear about Desi Michelle. But at least you have a good mascot it sounds like. That sweet personality will get the visitors everytime, because it seems all kigers loves attention!!!

[angelsdream]

Maverick is coming home Saturday. YAY!! We are heading down early that morning to spend the day with the trainer so he can show me what he's been doing.

He has enjoyed riding him. He said the young boy (18 years old) that helps him, has fell in love with Maverick and rides him 2 or 3 hours a day. He said gallop is the boys favorite speed, so Im sure he's been road. He said they had one incident Monday where he was riding him alone on the trail and a duck flew out of the pond into the tree's and Mav turned his head and looked and wanted to run, but didn't!! YAY

I have a big trail ride planned for next saturday with him so we'll see what he thinks of it all.

[fantasykiger]

That is just wonderful news and I can not wait to hear how things go. You must be so thrilled as I can not imagione anything as exciting then being able to enjoy a nice trailride comfortably with your Kiger Mustang as your partner. Sort of a dream come true...do keep us all up to date and pictures of the you guys riding out in the sunset ...LOL

[angelsdream]

Got Mav back saturday and have road him 2 times and today going to be the 3rd. I was so excited to get him back home. He's doing much better, although he's still very alert and does spook at stuff still, he doesn't move his feet. We've had 2 instances where before he would have bolted - but this time, there was a flock of chix that we happend upon and they took off when they saw us and startled, wanted to take off to the left, i felt his body move but he never moved his feet. 2nd was a couple of dogs that popped there heads up and he quickly turned his head and looked at them and stopped, thought about it and then took off walking again. He's not even concerned about the motor vehicles around the barn anymore - doesn't give them a 2nd glance. We even road down the road where there were 4 other horses and they came running, bucking and freakin out and he just watched them - before he would have snorted, looked up as to see if something was coming to kill them and he'd better run also. Im very happy with what the trainer has done. He's really thinking about things 1st - He's not bolted with me the first time - but like I said, he's very alert and on constant look out - I guess that's something that is instilled in them from being a mustang, does that get bred out over time? I did notice that once I take him to a place for the 1st time, he'll be looking around, but after we go back the 2nd, he has rememberd that place and is more calm. Amazing how smart he is, he really remembers.

Im riding him today, Saturday and Sunday, putting a lot of miles on him. Big camping trip planned the end of this month so he'll be going with me. He is much more comfortable in the trails than out in the open. When he's in the open, he's very alert where as in the trails, he does relax more. I can feel him relax, he'll drop his head more and not be so attentive. In fact wed, we were riding alone in the woods and a few deer took off running, I never saw them, just heard them, but mav saw them, he just looked at them and kept going. Im going to put him in a few little horse shows around here. Not sure yet what we'll do, but I'l come up with something He's very relaxed in the show ring.

[lindad]

Yahoooooo!