Sunday-Auction day!

 Sunday was Auction day!  Kirstin and Remy were the fourth horse in the auction ring.  Being a yearling, people just weren't interested in her.  Not one single person bid on her.  Even at just $125 there was no one that wanted a very well trained yearling. Kirsin was heart broken when she left the arena because she knew that if no one stepped up to adopt her, Remy would go back to the BLM and all the work that she did would have been wasted.  The Mustang Heritage Foundation had her come back in the arena and offered to pay the adoption fee if someone was willing to give Remy a loving home.

Kirstin was brought back into the arena.  She demostrated Remy's skills, sidepassing, backing, trotting at a lead, stopping, turning.  Remy does it all very well, she just didn't do well for the show.  Finally a nice lady raised her hand and took Remy.  At least Kirstin knows that Remy is going to a good home.  She was able to speak with the new owner briefly and was assured that she will be well loved and taken care of. 



Goodbyes are always the hardest part of these shows.  Many asked why we didn't want to take this horse home.  Simple we already own 6 other horses and the reason Kirstin does the makeovers is not to get a cheap horse, but to hopefully introduce people to what she already knows; that the Mustang is a wonderful horse and partner.

Tennessee Extreme Makeover

  We arrived very late on Thursday the evening before the competition.  This didn't allow for much time for Remy to adjust to her new surroundings.  The horses; with all of the neighing in the barn, were really making her very nervous and you could tell that by watching her in the stall.  One of the main disadvantages to living on a farm and not stalling your horse at a stable.  Another huge disadvantage that Kirstin and Remy faced was the fact that we never took her anywhere off of the farm so the long trip and the new surroundings really added to the overload.  We knew better from past experience, but we simply ran out of time.  Kirstin has been so busy with her senior year that something always seemed to be on her schedule.   All that considered, I guess Remy did alright.  However, she would not load on the trailer which was a shocker since she has been loading on a trailer since week 2 and she wouldn't back which was a bigger shocker since Kirstin really focused on backing and Remy is a good backer. 

Walk thru for the in hand portion of the show

 Catch and release portion of the in hand course.  Remy did alright but she really liked being set free and didn't want to be caught.

 In hand portion.  Remy was extremely nervous.  Mostly our fault since we were never able to get her off the farm to any other competitions.  We know from past experience that the taking them to other shows is extremely important to the horse being able to calm down.  She was nervous until the auction which was on Sunday.   She did great at the auction.

Kirstin wanted to do a Breast Cancer Awareness theme for her stall decorations.  She had a banner at the top that read "Fight Like a Girl!"

 

Sept. 13, 2011

Remy appears to be flying.  Kirstin's dad is in the process of building some new jumps for her.  This is one of the jumps, there will be a series of 4

Remy trotting over the posts.  Love Remy's head carriage.  She has a very natural, low head carriage. 

Look at this surprise that was in front of our garage.  This is a baby copperhead snake frozen in the striking position.  It was dead and we are not sure why it froze in this position-coiled with his mouth wide open.  The only thing that we can figure is that it got caught under a tire and coiled up like that and died.  Either that or someone is playing a very, very horrible trick on me! EWW, I HATE snakes!!!! esp. poisonous snakes.  

Remy Sept 11, 2011

 Remy has come so far since Kirstin picked her up in July.  Isn't she a beautiful horse. 

Working on the side pass.  Kirstin can side pass Remy around the square.  It isn't the best yet but she is working on it daily.  Hopefully by show time, she will be able to do a nice side pass all the way around the square. 

Sept 2, 2011 Tarp training +

 Kirstin introduced Remy to the tarp.  She doesn't mind walking across the tarp and will even run across the tarp however, she isn't to fond of the tarp being placed on her. 

 With a little bit of help from Kirstin's boyfriend, they were able to desensitize her enough that were able to lay the tarp over her neck.  But, she still doesn't like it very much.  She will require a little bit more work on this one area.

Kirstin was showing how Remy doesn't mind having her legs handled.  She lifted up her hoof and then stretched Remy's leg out a little.  Remy liked being stretched like that. 

Aug 26, 2011 Remy checking out the heifers next door.

 There are a few heifers that we keep on our place.  Remy doesn't see these very often so one day when they happened by during training, Remy was more than just a little interested in getting a closer look at these creatures.  She approached slowly at first and then...

she stuck her head through the fence to get an even closer look. 

August 21, 2011

 Kirstin is still working of perfecting the jump.  Remy will now jump from a standstill.

 Kirstin was shocked the first time she tried to get Remy on the pedestal and she walked right onto the pedestal.  Not this time, she was having nothing to do with stepping up on the pedestal. 

 After several tries, Kirstin was finally able to get Remy to step up onto the pedestal. 

And then both of them took a much needed break!

Remy was outfitted with her protective boots today.  She didn't mind having these on at all. 

Remy jumping the barrels.

Working on a bow! Not real good looking just yet, but will keep working on it.

Pedestal training.  Kirstin was shocked when Remy walked right up to the pedestal and didn't hesitate taking the step up onto the pedestal.

She gets a short break while on the pedestal!  What a good girl Remy is!

Remy update

Remy meeting Eli!  Eli wasn't too sure about her sniffing his ear.  I think he was afraid that she would bite him. 

Remy the first time Kirstin tried to make her jump.  She is now jumping barrels.  Pics to come soon!

Kirstin's nephew; Daniel, sitting on Remy!  He loves all of Kirstin's horses but claims Patriot as his horse.

Kirstin using the one and only domestic horse that is on our place to pony Remy.  Trigger is the most reliable horse in the world; calm with an easy going attitude! Trigger is the first horse that Kirstin took an interest in 11 years ago!  He is the horse that turned her into the horse person that she is!  The remaining 5 horses on our place are all Mustangs!

What a difference a year makes

Patriot a year ago; July, 2010

Patriot now; August, 2011!!! He has grown so much in just one year!  He is a beautiful horse!

Bath time

Kirstin had the neighbor's girl hop on Remy's back.  Remy doesn't mind having someone on her back. 

After this training session; Kirstin decides it is time to introduce the water to Remy.  Remy is very itchy so Kirstin wanted to give her a bath with some special shampoo.  Remy did very well with the bath. 

Trailer loading

 Remy has been in this trailer once and that was the long trip from Oklahoma.  This is Kirstin's first try to load her since she started training her!  Most horses will not go in on the first try without fighting it a little bit, but not Remy.  She really trust Kirstin and follows her right onto the trailer.

 She loaded Remy 2 different times just to make sure Remy got the lesson.  Kirstin was even able to back Remy out of the trailer the first time.  Usually she turns them around and then leads them off because they don't have the backing down real well, but Remy learned backing in the first week and backs willingly off the trailer even better than some of our older, more experienced horses!

Remy meeting Eli!

Trotting

Trotting at a lead always seemed to be a problem with other horses that Kirstin has trained, but not Remy.  She loves to trot at a lead!

Remy's first time in the open arena!

When I received a portion of my inheritance, the first thing that I had done was a riding arena!  With a total of 6 horses, and plenty of people coming out to ride all of the time I felt it was important that we had an enclosed riding area.  But also knowing that Kirstin might be training a yearling again was a major reason I wanted the arena.  The nearest arena is 30 miles away and was hard to get to on a regular basis so Kirstin never got to do much arena work.  Now she has a full size arena that if the horse escapes, can't get out of! This was Remy's first time out of her pen since she came home a little over a week ago.  She was a little nervous at first, but calmed down very quickly.  Kirstin walked her around the entire arena. 

 Then she trotted the arena.  Remy did great!

 Worked on stops.  Remy has a great stop!

 Fly spray and spraying medicine on Remy has never been a problem! Kirstin started using Vetericyn the very first day we arrived with Remy.  The cut that she received on our trip home is looking great.  Hair is already starting to grow back. 

Chilling while Kirstin talks to all of us onlookers.

Working on standing still!  She is doing really well. 

Working on turns. 

Picking up hooves.  She doesn't mind this at all.

What horse doesn't love to be brushed??? Remy loves the grooming time.

Picking up the rear hooves.  She doesn't mind this, but she loses her balance very easily!