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Charles Wilhelm
has been chosen as one of the top trainers to qualify for the
Western States Mustang Challenge. The Mustang Challenge brings
together thirty top horsemen and women and thirty wild American
Mustangs. Challenge trainers have 90 days to gentle and train their
mustangs. The mustangs will be judged on conditioning, groundwork,
and a “Horse Course” that requires maneuvers and includes obstacles
found in trail and recreational riding situations. The trainers and
their previously wild American Mustangs will be featured at Cal Expo
in Sacramento on June 6 - 8. Read on as Charles Wilhelm chronicles
the experience.
We picked up
the mustang on Friday morning, March 7th. We haven’t picked a name
for the horse but we ought to call her Reindeer. This is a wild
horse but when the other horses under pressure were running around
scurrying in the pens, maybe even banging into the fences, she
wanted to go over them. The mustang is a very willing horse and she
wants to please. She gives to pressure right away, trying to figure
out what I want from her. She has a good mind and a soft eye.
Personality wise, she is a Nervous-Nelly. If you refer to my book,
I talk about the Nervous-Nelly type of horse that has a tendency to
bolt, and this mustang is definitely a bolter, but not necessarily a
bucker. On an emotional scale of 1-10, she can get to an 18-20. She
really over reacts but we made good strides in the first week.
Today is the 14th
and we’ve had the mustang for a week. Without going into the
details, I can tell you what we have accomplished. The first day I
was able to get her attention. I was able to go up to her and pet
her head and rub her neck and withers. We had dropped her at the
round pen the first day and I wanted to move her to a regular
paddock. When we picked her up at the loading chute we put a
halter and lead rope on her. I started teaching her to yield to
pressure with the halter and lead rope. I was able to exchange
halters and to sack her out with the lunging whip around her legs,
face, neck and back. I worked with her the first day in a 60-foot
round pen with a 30-foot line, sending her off and around and
teaching her to stop her feet, turn and face me.
On the second
day, working in the round pen, we did more work on yielding to
pressure on her face with the halter. I had her able to stop and
face me within 30 seconds on that day. Her feet wanted to leave
but every time she wanted to leave, I clucked to her and brought her
attention back to me so that I could get a hold of the lead. We did
some leading exercises and I was able to lead the mustang over the
bridge that crosses the creek and down to her paddock. From the
second day I was able to lead her from her paddock to the covered
arena or to the covered round pen to work.
I then started
teaching the mustang to lunge, stop her feet and change directions.
When she was doing that pretty well, we went into the training ring
that I use to teach horses to tie. She began learning to stand tied
and like most horses, the first day she wanted to paw. The second
day she pawed the ground but by the third day she was standing more
relaxed and accepting. Once she was comfortable being tied, I was
able to flop the rope around her left and right sides.
During the
remainder of the week, I worked with her and I was able to sack her
out with a plastic bag around her feet and belly. She is now able
to do a concentrated circle, meaning she is bending her body, moving
around and moving her hips over and then backing up. I have her
standing on and walking over a tarp and I am now able to groom her.
By bumping on her leg with my training stick, I have taught her to
pick up her leg. I bump with the training stick until she picks up
her leg and then that becomes the cue. This is so that she horse
won’t over react when I finally get down to her feet with my hands.
I am able to play with her ears and mouth and by the end of next
week, I will definitely have a bridle on her and have her accepting
and carrying the bit. I am taking her to different parts of the
ranch to get her exposed to different elements. The plan for next
week is to have a bridle and saddle on her. I’ll start driving her
with driving lines, teaching right and left directions, to stop and
back up. More on the mustang’s progress next time.
Charles Wilhelm
Charles Wilhelm and the Western States Mustang Challenge!
Mustang Challenge Finals are
scheduled for Saturday Evening at 7:30pm in the Main Arena at
Western States Expo in Sacramento! The Western States Mustang
Challenge comes to the Expo for the first time June 6-8 and will
feature 30 top horsemen and women and their previously wild
American Mustangs. The Western States Mustang Challenge is the
progeny of the highly successful Extreme Mustang Makeover held in
September 2007, which focused on 100 trainers gentling 100
American Mustangs in 100 days. Challenge trainers will have 90
days to gentle their Mustangs and the trained mustangs will be
judged on conditioning, groundwork, and a "Horse Course" that
requires maneuvers and includes obstacles found in trail and
recreational riding situations. Mustang mares and geldings ranging
in age from three to four years old will be available for adoption
on June 8. Even though the animals have been handled and
trained, the same adoptions conditions that accompany any Bureau
of Land Management adoption will apply for the new owner when the
animal is adopted. Potential adopters will apply for the
opportunity to be included in the competitive bidding process at
the event with BLM personnel available to review and approve the
application on site. In order to apply, applicants must be at
least 18 years old, have no prior conviction for inhumane
treatment of animals or violations of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses
and Burros Act and be able to demonstrate that adequate housing,
food, water and facilities will be available to humanely care for
the animal. Specific facility requirements also apply that pertain
to type and height of fencing, as well as shelter from the
elements. Adopted horses remain with the adopter for one year
before "title" of ownership is provided from the BLM. For full
adoption requirements and information, go to http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/ado
ption.htm "This event will be a real treat for any horse lover,
whether they plan to adopt or not," said Mustang Heritage
Foundation Executive Director Patti Colbert. "Seeing how well
these animals respond to training and handling after only 100 days
is something the public has never seen before, let alone having
the chance to own the horse. This is absolutely something not to
be missed."
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