A Rodeo?

We would like to announce the arrival of our new son Keoni, born on July 13, 1997. He has been a wonderful addition to our family with smiles and gurgles.

Also, we have had the passing of Celis' and Austin's stablemate Cameron due to a long standing bone tumor and their pal Daisy, who passed away due to Valley Fever/lung cancer.

Celis White and Austin Gray both enjoyed the outings with Chico. As the summer melted into fall, both mustangs began to grow their winter coats. Austin became much more confident without her mother. She was attached as any herd animal would be, but not overly so. The outings with Chico seemed to help both mother and daughter with their separation anxiety and helped to pave the way for Celis' training.

Over the years of competing in gymkhana, combined training, driving and dressage, I saw many methods of starting a horse. But the one that impressed me the most was John Lyon's round pen reasoning. I came across his methods years ago when a friend had attended one of his workshops and purchased the video. I watched the video and was amazed at how calmly he trained a young horse to be ridden. He did not force a saddle on the animal, instead he used a round pen to work the horse on the edge of the ring when the horse wasn't ready to learn and the center of the ring where he stood as a "safe" spot where the horse could rest and learn the new step. I felt this method would be the gentlest and most methodical to teach Celis to accept the saddle and eventually a rider.

On a sunny Saturday morning, I gathered my training aids: a rope, the saddle, saddle blanket, bridle, and my helmet. I did not know if I would actually ride Celis that day or not, but I thought she could become accustomed to seeing the tack. I then ported those items down to the round pen and then went back to groom Celis before her lesson.

I led the little mare to the round pen. As we approached she saw the saddle propped up against the arena and shied at it a little bit. Once she was inside the enclosed area, I took off her halter and started working her on the edge of the ring using an old rope to make her move. The white horse starting trotting and I let her warm up a little bit before making her canter. Once she was loping very well to the right I headed her off to make her change directions.

Celis stopped and then turned by swinging her head to the outside. Once she was headed to the left, I made her move on. I kept her moving and changing directions and the mare continued to turn with her head away from me. After about fifteen minutes of the work on the edge, Celis began to look at me before changing directions. When she did look at me, I let her rest, but as her attention began to wane, I moved her on. Slowly she began stay longer and longer looking at me and as long as she paid attention to me, I let her stand. I had the mare change direction some more, and then she began to turn with her head on the inside. Next I started to approach her.

As I walked up to the little white mustang, she turned her head away from me. I continued my approach, but right before she moved away, I turned my back on her and walked back toward the center of the arena. Celis followed behind. I walked to the mare again and she stood her ground a little longer. Before she moved off, however, I turned away. With each approach, the mustang stood longer and longer so I started to use the touch of my hand.

Like the approach with my body, I accustomed Celis to the touch of my hand with the advance and retreat. The first time I came up to her with my arm outstretched, she moved off and turned her hind end toward me. So I made her lope around the arena and did several changes of direction. When she stopped, she came to the center of the ring where I stood and I tried touching her. This time she stood her ground and I petted her head. After a couple of strokes, I retreated and Celis followed me. I repeated this procedure many more times and gradually petting her head, neck ears and hind quarters.

The next step was to add the lead rope which was a familiar object to her. I used the same technique of approaching and retreat with the rope, gradually letting her smell it and feel it on her face then neck and hind quarters. The first time I let her smell the rope, she shied at it and ran to the edge of the arena. I then made her work with the changes of direction, turning with her head to the inside where I stood. She came to a stop at the center with me and I continued touching her with the rope.

Celis was rather touchy about her hind legs--when the rope would touch them, she moved off and seemed rather nervous. So I started the whole procedure over, beginning with having her canter on the edge of the arena, then approaching her, touching her all over with my hand, and finally adding the rope again. Starting from scratch seemed to give the mare confidence and she slowly began to accept the rope. Once Celis calmly accepted having the rope touch her body, I move onto the saddle blanket.

The white mare was very wary of the saddle blanket which I had folded up into a quarter of its original size. When I turned toward Celis who was standing still in the center of the ring she raised her head up. As I walked up to her, she stood her ground but her head went up higher. When I was a couple of feet from her she moved away, but kept her head toward me. I turned around and walked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the mare--she lowered her head and took a couple of steps toward me.

I then turned around and approached her again, this time the mare shied off, so I worked her on the edge of the arena. After she ran a couple of times around, she came to halt in the center of the ring where I stood. I brought up the saddle blanket to her nose and turned and walked away. Celis did not follow me, but she did not turn and shy away. I approached her again, and just touched her nose and walked away. I did this several more times and then I held the blanket by her nose to let her sniff it. Celis had her head held high, but she stayed in the center of the ring. Her nostrils were flared and just before she started to back away, I walked in the other direction.

Again and again I held the blanket to the mustang's nose before touching her neck. When I lifted it to her neck, Celis flinched and took one step. I touched her neck and then walked away. As I left, the mare lowered her head and followed me. I continued with the procedure, slowly touching her more with the blanket. Finally, I was able rub Celis' neck with the saddle blanket without her moving even a step. I then worked the blanket on her back and hind quarters and legs, finishing by placing it on her back like I would for the saddle. She stood still for it all.

I went back to the mare's head with the blanket and started to work the other side. Celis was not too happy with this side and took a step back. When I tried to approach her again, she shied off, so I worked her on the rail. After one circuit around the ring, Celis came back to the center of the ring and I tried approaching her with the blanket again. The little mare did not move away this time, but she did hold her head high. I worked Celis with the saddle blanket like I had with the other side, and slowly she became accustomed to the saddle blanket on the this side as well.

I decided to try the saddle with the little horse. I brought it into the round pen. Celis looked at it with her head held high, but she did not run away. I picked up the western saddle and started to approach her with it as I did with the saddle blanket. When I came up to her head with it, she looked like she was going to turn away, so I walked in the other direction. I approached her again, this time she stood her ground. Next I touched Celis White on the nose with the skirt of the saddle. She did not try to move away, so I backed up a step and did it again. Celis again did not walk off so I approached her shoulder and touched her on her shoulder. She flinched when she felt the saddle graze her shoulder, but she stood her ground. I then began to stroke her shoulder with the corner of the skirt before going to the other side and doing the same thing.

Celis stood still for this part and I went back to her off side, placed the stirrup over the saddle and set it gently on her back. I put the saddle on her via the off side because then only the stirrup would flop down if she moved instead of both the stirrup and cinch. I then took the saddle off and put it back on several times before going to her near side to let the stirrup down. I went back to the off side and unhooked the cinch and went back to the near side to cinch her up.

I wrapped the latigo in the cinch and prepared it for fastening. This way I could tighten it without worrying about fastening it in case she walked off. Then I tightened the cinch so it would be ready for riding. When I tightened it, Celis' head went up and her ears went back, but she did not move. Once everything was in place, I had the mustang walk around to get used to the saddle.

Celis did not want to move. I used her lead rope to slap against my legs and said "Celis walk". The mare took one tentative step and stopped. I asked again, slapping the lead on my legs a little harder. The mustang walked a few steps and turned to the inside. She made it clear that she wasn't happy with the saddle strapped on her back. I finally chased the mare and she started trotting around the ring. To my surprise Celis did not go any faster with the stirrups slapping against her side. I slapped the rope against my leg and said "Celis trot". Repeating "Celis trot" I slapped the rope and chased the mare a little bit. The mustang broke into a trot. After a few times around the ring I had the mare change directions and go the other way as well.

Celis seemed to relax a little bit. I brought her to the center and started yanking the stirrups which made a yanking noise. I wanted the mare to become used to the noises and feel of the stirrups. She stayed next to me, so I pushed my hands down on the center of the seat of the saddle to accustom her to the feel of weight.

After pushing on the saddle from both sides, I went and got Celis' halter and lead rope which I would use as a bridle since she was already used to it. I put the halter on Celis and my helmet on my head. Celis was very wary of my helmet so I used the advance and retreat with the helmet first in my hand and then on my head. When Celis accepted the helmet, I snapped her lead rope on her halter and went to her side. I put my foot in the stirrup and my left hand on her neck and put some of my weight in the stirrup. I went to the other side and did the same thing. I went back to the near side and added more of my weight and repeated on the off side. I added more of my weight by increments before I put my full weight in the stirrup.

Celis stood still as I lifted myself in the stirrup. I then slowly lifted my right leg over Celis' back and rested lightly on her back. "Wow", I thought. "This isn't the rodeo I was expecting!"

Celis White ponied with Chico	Advance and retreat with the helmet
Celis becoming accustomed to the feel of my weight	Mounted!