When I Was Twenty-One, It Was a Very Good Year

I wish every mustang owner, of every type of mustang, would quit acting like house slaves. For those not familiar with the term, house slaves were distinguished from field slaves in that that were the household staff on the larger plantations. They tended to be given better food, better clothes and often lived in better housing, close to the big house on the plantation. They were considered by their owners, and usually by themselves, to be superior to the slaves that worked in the fields. Many house slaves looked down on the field slaves to the point of treating them with contempt.

There are many kinds of mustangs out there and many mustang registries. Unfortunately there are too many mustang owners who look down on mustangs not of their registry as field slaves,-- impure, not to be trusted, dangerous, and of inferior blood. In doing so they hope to convince the established horse world that their horses are just like the modern breeds in that they are superior to the other, mongrel mustangs. Like the house slaves they look with contempt at other mustangs without even seeing the irony of seeking to impress their oppressors by showing off how much they too despise the despised.

I am not interested in impressing Ole Massah and Ole Misses. They are the very ones who have created an established horse world in which the cost of horse ownership is beyond the means of working families. They are the very ones who have hamstrung modern breeds with their obsessive drive to follow the latest fad or fashion in breeding. They are the very ones who have set up the model of competition as the highest and best use of horses. They are the very ones who support horse slaughter. The field slave who runs wild on the ranges of Nevada is not the enemy of my mustangs, it is Ole Massah and Ole Misses.

Every time a mustang owner maligns a BLM mustang by pointing out how different their mustang is from a BLM they denigrate all mustangs. It is a strategy doomed to failure. Do you really think that the slave owners accepted house slaves as their equals merely because the house slaves joined them in ridiculing the field slaves?

My herd includes wild horses of several different backgrounds and I am proud of everyone that we ride. I own a grandson of the great Choctaw Sundance who is registered with the SMR, HOA,and AIHR and is becoming everything that I could want in a horse. I have bred a Chincoteague to several BLM mares and have produced horses that already are everything that I could want in a horse. I recently picked up a BLM filly that may exceed them all in a few years. I do not think of her as "just" a BLM mustang.

When I was younger I thought that the world was a place of justice in which reason, logic, and education would prevail. I am no longer twenty one. In fact, I am older than two 21's. I now realize that ignorance, prejudice, and plain old stupidity, will give reason, logic, and education a run for its money every time they come face to face. I do not try to get Ole Massah to accept my horses as the equal of his well bred steeds. I cannot over come his prejudices. I do not beg Ole Misses to recognize the qualities of my mustangs. I cannot pour a brain into her head.

Instead, I invite those new to the horse world into my world of mustangs. Their views have not yet been tainted by the experts. They can actually learn. They are the only hope for the future that mustangs have.

(The picture above is of a twenty year old wild Corolla stallion taken by one of my riders a few weeks ago. He doesn't care about Ole Massah either)

On Selecting a Mentor II

Those who embrace 45% of natural horsemanship are 100% responsible for the bad name that natural horsemanship sometimes receives. For some, natural horsemanship means that a horse should only do that which it desires and that discipline has no place in horse training. They adhere most strongly to one buzz word--"nonviolence." The problem with their philosophy is that horses are naturally violent. Indeed, much of their interaction and social system is based on power, control, and dominance.

Avoid mentors who place nonviolence ahead of all other teaching concepts. Does she consider a wide range of training aides cruel in every case? Does she believe that a crop, quirt, lounge whip, or spurs are always cruel to use for every single horse?

Just as one must avoid a potential mentor whose answer to every problem is coercion, on must avoid with equal vigor those who believe that coercion is never the answer to any problem. The only violence that is appropriate in training is violence that is not generated by the trainer's anger and is in a form that has meaning to the horse.

In my pasture if a lead horse is bitten by another the lead horse does not go to the barn looking for a stud chain. He does not quickly run off to get a whip. He kicks back, or bites, or charges the offender. I do the same if bitten or kicked at. It takes a tremendous amount of experience to know when it is safe to employ these techniques. It takes no experience at all to insure that the biting and kicking will continue. All the peace loving trainer has to do is step back and explain that what the horse did was natural and therefore should not be responded to.

Such trainers create dangerous horses. While Gandhi and Martin Luther King are perfect roles models for how we should interact with each other, Malcolm X is a more appropriate role model for understanding leadership in the horse world. As he would have put it, sometimes responsible training requires that a dangerous horse be controlled "by any means necessary."

The test is simple. I use no more violence with my herd than my lead horse Comet uses with them. As a result of Comet's consistent insistence on obedience, he rarely uses actual violence. Nor do I.

Riding Red Feather

I was surprised when JK told me that she wanted to ride Red Feather. Although JK completed the 46 mile ride on her Corolla,Sampson she still had not spent a tremendous amount of time in the saddle. She certainly had spent less time in the saddle than any of the few people who had ridden him in the woods.

Last night they did it. She rode Red Feather for about an hour and a half. We spent a lot of time on a trail that was submerged and at several points the water was up to Red Feather's belly. Both horse and rider hung tough. Early on, a cracking stirrup caused Red Feather to spook sideways. JK had a foot in a stirrup, a boot in the saddle seat and her hands on the reins. She righted herself and calmed Red Feather down and we rode on.

I never thought that Red Feather would ever be ridden by any but the most experienced of riders. Instead, he is becoming a solid,little trail horse. He is only 12.2 but is a spectacular athlete who has carried a rider and saddle combination weighing around 200 pounds with absolutely no problem.

Those who have never been exposed to Spanish Mustangs would have a very hard time imagining such a pay load on such a small horse.(No, JK and the saddle didn't weigh 200 lbs. I am referring to another rider)Those who have ridden the smaller mustangs for years would not bat an eyelash at the combination.

(The picture above is of JK and her Corolla Spanish mustang, Sampson.)

On Choosing a Mentor

I believe that the future of the horse industry lies in kids and novices. I also believe that with all of the information that is at hand about natural horsemanship there is no reason for a person with a real interest in horses to remain a novice more than a few months. One of the things that keeps people in the permanent status as novices, or even worse drives them away from horses altogether, is the choice of a poor mentor.
The world is full of people who believe themselves to be authorities on all things equine. Unfortunately, the world is nearly devoid of those who actually are such authorities. A good mentor recognizes this limitation and will consider herself a student who is always looking to learn more about horses. A good mentor will not be a fierce disciple of any individual clinician to the point that she denigrates all other clinicians. A good mentor will have a library of resources for the novice to read and view.
More important than the mentor's store of knowledge is the make up of the mentor's personality. The key points are these--Does the mentor truly want you to learn or does the mentor want to make sure that you remain a novice, always in awe of her skill? Does the mentor's view of her own expertise extend to an incredibly wide range of subjects, making her an expert, not just on horses, but on every topic that she encounters?
Is she arrogant or humble? Nothing humbles one like having a great deal of experience with horses. Very few arrogant people understand horses and even fewer arrogant people understand humans. Listen to her training stories. Do they often conclude with "So we finally sold that horse!"? Listen to her stories about her students/disciples. Do they tend to explain all failures and injuries as a result of the the student/disciple deviating from the instruction that the mentor gave?
What is the potential mentor's attitude towards the concept of power? Is gaining power and control a goal in itself or is it only a means to gain a better relationship with a horse? Does the mentor recognize that patience is the best indicator of true power and self control?
Does the mentor possess self control? Is the mentor's self control so strong that it generates confidence in both horses and humans?
Does she believe that horses are incapable of feeling human emotions, specifically love? Does she appear incapable of feeling human emotions, specifically love?
Without a doubt horses can bring out the best in people. Unfortunately they can also bring out the worst in some people. If your potential mentor is driven by only a desire to control a horses and students you will have a problem in your development as a horseman. If your potential mentor is driven only by a desire to teach horses and students then you will find many of your problems solved on the road to becoming a deserving partner to your horse.

Just Chillin'

Looking for a role model? Here is one for anyone who cares about horses. This is Abby and her new little mustang, Brego. They just sent me some pictures from their frozen western existence.
The irony! My region is filled with members of the established horse world who are true horse experts. And if you do not believe it just ask them. Actually, there is no need to ask, they will tell you--loudly and often.
I hope that someday these people can learn enough about horses to be nearly as good with them as is Abby. But you will not hear Abby brag about it. Even if you directly asked her she would not let you know that she is a first rate horse handler.
Last week I received some great pictures from Emily of the three Marble girls and their horses. I miss the Marble family. It was good to have them around. I am sure that it is even better to be one of their horses.