I got picked as one of the top 25 contestants for a wild horse training challenge. I am experienced with training horse, but this will be my first tiem training a wild one (for a competition). I am wondering what methods you think i should use? Join-ups? Clicker training? Old timers type of things?
Also, part of our competition is conditioning/showmanship and stuff. I know hes going to be scrawny when I get him, what have you found successful for putting on weight/ giving a healthy coat and hooves.
Any other tips?
Thank you so much!
Its a competition one class on showmanship, one class on handling, one on conditioning, one on showmanship and one on in hand obstacle, ten top placers from that move on and give a short freestyle having to include walk, trot, spin 360, lead changes, canter/gallop are opt. but most people havit it for the wow factor. Its a three day ordeal.
no no no, i have 100 days, but the actual competition, 100 days from when I get the horse, is a three day ordeal.
the BLM holds an auction after the competition and trainers get half of the price they sell for.
Maybe I misunderstand, but it seems you are in a competition to train a wild horse in 3 days to do lead changes? If that’s the case, it is a bad idea for a competition to encourage people to cram train a horse. If you have more time, and it is an actual 3 day show that is months away, then I see more practicality to it. What is "Old timers" method? Like bronc riding and tying the horse to itself? I dont’ suggest that. Clicker takes a lot of time, but is very effective, and I have never used ‘join-up’ but from what I have read, it’s pretty simple, faster, but may not work on every horse. I was successful with a ‘bonding’ method I read about while (re)training a stallion that had been left to pasture most of his life. And for the record, yahoo Answers isn’t the place to look for ‘how to train a mustang’ advice usually. You could get hurt, so wear a helmet and get some advice from someone who has successfully done this before with a gentle method. And what happens to the horses after you train them?
Wild horses tend to have good feet unless they have been kept in pens and stalls which is bad for their feet. Leave him barefoot, get a barefoot trimmer to do his initial trim and keep him in a dry, sandy or smooth stone paddock. His feet will toughen on their own. Jaime Jackson wrote an awesome book on hoof care methods based on mustang hooves- it’s worked wonderfully on my TBs. Mustang hooves are amazing! I hope he won’t be scrawny, but the BLM is pretty bad at their job, so usually (very) good hay, wormers, and a little pelleted feed will sort that out quickly since they usually have rather efficient metabolisms from being raised in prairie/semi-arid/desert like areas (I assume they aren’t already on a grain feed, so gradually add to the feed program so as not to cause colic or founder). If you really want to add something, I start with regular ‘Source’ in the feed and usually don’t need anything else, but can change up from there since it’s a good all around supplement for body and hooves. Best of luck.
Added: Oh, ok. 100 days is a decent amount of time for green starting a horse. But with a BLM auction, are they screening the buyers or is it anybody with cash? Just want to be sure they aren’t getting shipped to a bad place; So they get good homes.
For training a wild one, join up might be useful, then some form of Parelli to initially establish a good groundwork and trust basis. I don’t know much about backing, as my pony was already backed when we got him, but he had some serious behavior problems such as lying down to get me off ( He is very low energy) all of which we started to solve from the ground upwards.
What type of competition is it? That might impact on the training.
For putting on weight, if you are in the US..14% Fat in triple crown is a complete feed and will put weight on fast and add a shine to their coat and an extra kick of energy. Jus
Get control of the feet.