Duplicated Results and Why A Mustang, Anyway?

Even though it was a gorgeous sunny day, if a little cold, I headed back to the indoor barn to see if my lesson results could be duplicated. No problems! I had the arena to myself again, and Fly and I did some ground work, and then I rode him for half an hour. It was great; he was quite easy and soft to the left as well as the right. I stretched my rib cage and kept my shoulders and hips on the circle. He still tried throwing his shoulder out and veering out of the circle a few times trotting to the right, but I held him steady fairly well with my outside rein and leg. Walk, trot, and canter--all was much improved!

I have had several people ask me why I chose a mustang for an endurance project. I can honestly say I didn't head out to look for a mustang, it just kind of happened. I lost my young Arab mare who I absolutely loved due to a freak injury in August, and a month later I knew I had to start looking for a new horse. Keno didn't like being alone, and I ride more than he wants to go; he wanted someone to share the load, and I need to plug the hole in my heart.

I started looking for an Arab. Arabians are the most popular endurance breed; they are beautiful, people-oriented, athletic horses. I have owned several Arab or Arab crosses and love them. I also was looking for a mare since I have mostly owned mares and thought that's what I wanted. I drove six hours one way to go see the first Arab mare I thought would fit my requirements. Not a chance. She wasn't the one and I knew it almost immediately although I tried to give her a fair trial. The next mare was a possibility, but something about about her just didn't grab me. I responded to half a dozen more ads and drove quite a distance to see a couple of other horses.

I called a trainer friend to tell her I was looking and she encouraged me to come see an unbroke mustang gelding she had in her corral. He was a powerful looking hunk of a horse. She would need at least 30 days to get him going. I liked the look of him, and told her I would think about it. I came home and started reading online about mustangs in general and mustangs in endurance. This became an interesting research project for a few days. Some of what I learned I already knew, but most was new to me. I was fascinated by some of the stories I read. A good friend (a mustang owner herself) suggested I call a mutual acquaintance--an endurance rider who regularly competes on a mustang. I did, and she had lots of good things to say about mustangs of course. She praised their intelligence, loyalty, and endurance. She also told me about a young mustang gelding her trainer husband had just been asked to work with for the second time.

This five year old gelding had returned to the trainer since his owner was having issues with him. The trainer had started this horse last fall, and then he had been used at a therapy center for the next little while. Apparently issues surfaced, and the decision was made to bring him back to the trainer for retraining and then find him a new home. This horse, of course, was Flyboy.

I made a trip to see Fly, taking my mustang-owning friend along since I valued her opinion. I liked Flyboy immediately. I'm not quite sure why, but something about his eye seemed to speak to me. He looked wary, but like he wanted to trust. I liked his build, strong and solid, yet not too big. But mostly it was his eye, dark and bottomless. I rode him briefly in a small round pen. His trot was hard to judge, but felt pretty good. The trainer discouraged me from cantering Fly until he had had a chance to work out any "issues." He invited me to come back the following week.

I went back and brought Fly home. I hadn't been looking for a mustang, but he was the one. The price was right, and I was confident I could carry on his training. I still don't know what issues he had exactly. Nothing serious, surely, since I haven't seen them yet. Yes, he pulls back occasionally, but the Blocker ring seems to have cured that; he hasn't hung back now for a couple of weeks. Mostly the issues I deal with are young horse, inexperienced horse things--things I'd expect with a young, inexperienced horse.

Fly and I get along well. We are making progress. He likes me; he comes to me in the corral or the arena. He is sweet and affectionate, likes attention, and is curious and interested in the things we do. He has a good attitude, and lots of go. We are going to be great partners. He is definitely not what I thought I was looking for--not a mare and not an Arab, but I am SO glad I found him!