Come Say Good Bye to a Friend April 11th

Come say goodbye to a friend we have come to know!

The Mustang, who has been named JP, will be leaving Sunday, April 13th to head to the Midwest Mustang Makeover competition in Madison, WI and adoption held by the Bureau of Land Management. Come see his premier public performance on Friday, April 11th, at 6 PM. Ruben will be demonstrating the progress he and JP have made in their partnership as trainer and trainee. JP arrived January 12th as a wild mustang and will be leaving Benton City well on his way as a trained horse. Come help celebrate their successes!

There will be other Horsemen's Western Dressage horses performing as a prelude to JP's debut.

This will be a fundraising event also defray the costs of taking JP to Madison. The Mustang Heritage Foundation (a NonProfit Organization) provides $500 toward costs, which are in excess of $4,000. Donations are appreciated, but not mandatory. Come end the work week with the end of JP's stay here at HWD and probably Washington State. There will be several horses of different breeds performing, to include Lyla the Lipizan, Lluvia the Quarter Horse, Shadow the flashy Polish Arabian and D'Artagnan the Morgan. Riders will include Ruben and family members.

Enjoy the show, eat some barbeque, visit with friends and listen to the music and warm yourself by the bon fire as we say farewell and good luck to JP and Ruben as they go to represent Washington State in the Midwest Mustang Makeover. Admision is free however, donations are accepted. There will be a raffle and more fun and games.

Let's try video again!

I want to see if this will work. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! I have posted some short video clips on youtube.com. Search under RUBEN AND MUSTANG and hopefuly they will pop up. I giveup.... I cannot load video here for some reason. Maybe later. If anyone has a clue about what I am doing wrong, please get my attention and educate me. Thanks!

He's Back!

I do apologize for the last few weeks. Between business away from the facility and technical difficulties I haven't been posting, but now I'm Back!
We are making plans for the actual trip to Madison. We are still looking for sponsors to assist in travel expenses. Presently it is looking like the cost of fuel alone will be over $2,000 round trip. It is not too late to be part of the Midwest Mustang Makeover 2008!

For the most part, the mustang is trained and ready to go. Ruben has been refining movements and having fun. A signature move Ruben likes to end his exhibition rides at horse expos across the country with is the bow. The mustang seems to like doing this and performed it the first time when asked under saddle. I will be sharing videos of it as soon as I work it out with blogger.com Seems there is a problem still uploading videos and I get booted off line and have to start over again. I can be a slow learner at times. I may have to put them on youtube.com. Stay tuned or leave a comment and I can e mail them to you. If you search for ruben mustang makeover on youtube.com, you may find them there.

You can't really see the action in this picture of the passage, but it is pretty and look at the head set!

The mustang does jump them, but he also side passes over the barrels.

I am not sure how big the squares are that they have to do spins in, but we are making it smaller and smaller all the time.

Thank You Hands On Horses!

Ruben watching his daughter in her first exhibition ride at age 6 on Lyla, a 15 hh Lippizan/TB cross Ruben trained and is owned by Rose Martinez of Findley, WA

We would like to say thank you to Silver Buckle Youth Equestrians Center for inviting Ruben and Horsemen's Western Dressage to the Hands On Horses Expo in Vancouver. Silver Buckle Ranch provided three Mustang Socialization Clinics that many enjoyed. It was an opportunity for the public to see one of America's Symbols of the West. It also gave attendees at the expo the chance to watch Ruben work with the mustang in a public setting. We received many visitors at the booth asking about the mustang and the training he had received. The Hands On Horses Expo was at the end of the third week of training. We appreciate the Certificate that Silver Buckle provided for participating in their first fund raising expo. We all look forward to working with them again in the future.

Silver Buckle Youth Equestrian Center ( Silver Buckle Temporary Home Page) is a non- profit organization that provides equestrian programs as a venue to work with at risk youth. The Hands On Horses Expo was the first shot out of the gate using the expo as a fund raiser to replace funds lost in other fund raising venues. Winston Churchill said the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. Silver Buckle has taken that to heart and offers this great opportunity for at risk youth. Please visit their web site and if in the area, stop and visit the ranch. Thanks again!

Sorry for a lack of updates on the Mustang. Next week we should have more videos, pictures and narratives. I can tell you he is progressing very well.

Interested in Bidding on the Mustang at the Auction?

We've been asked many questions about the mustang and the adoption. It's not Ruben's horse to keep after the competition. He only has it for 100 days of training before the competition. At the completion of the competition in Madison on April 20th the mustang will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. At the present time the horse belongs to the Bureau of Land Management (the public).
We would like to offer to those between the west coast and Madison, WI a chance to bid on the mustang. We will be back hauling Diana and Gerwyn Jones's Polish Arabia stallion (Shalwyn Arabians, Walla Walla, WA). Ruben will be riding Shadow in the Dancing With Horses exhibition at the Midwest Horse Expo. Should you be the highest bidder, we will also back haul the mustang for you.
If you would like to bid on the mustang, we will carry your bid to Madison. This way, you are represented at the auction and not have to pay an unknown agent to act for you. If you were to be the high bidder, you would not have to find a shipper and spend the high cost of shipping. We anticipate gas will cost approximtely $2,000 to drive to and from Madison.
How does this benefit you? You could be sending a bid for the winning horse in the Midwest Mustang Makeover 2008. First, you have the opportunity to see this horse in training and be familiar with it. You are buying a horse you know. Second, you have the rare opportunity to bid on a horse trained by Ruben. I cannot say at this time if the horse will need additional training for what the future owner may have in mind for the horse. I can say the horse will be very ridable and safe. Ruben will, as he prfers to do with all the horses he trains, provide riding lessons to the buyer at the HWD facility for a few days so the rider understands how the mustang was trained and how to cue the horse. He will have been exposed to more things than most horses available for sale ANYWHERE. You can refer to an earlier post to what he has done and/or been exposed to at only five weeks of training. You can save in shipping costs. We will be arriving in Benton City, WA 4-5 days after the close of the Expo.
What are the benefits? You get a horse that has already been through a rigorous 100 days of training that you will not have paid for. You will always be able to call on Ruben if you have questions or concerns. You will be buying a symbol of the American West that is NOT wild.
And maybe most important of all, we will act as your agents and we have a vested interest in the horse and will watch out for your best interests monetarily and the horse's interests should you be the high bidder.
The bottom line is you could easily make a bid of a few thousand dollars and be money ahead for what you would get in return. If you are interested in bidding, please contact Ruben.

First Trail Ride of the Year Sunday

For those folks that enjoy trail riding in the southeast part of Washington State, this is for you. Sunday, March 9th, is the Chilli Trail Ride. I believe it is over Rattle Snake Mountain. Ruben will be taking the Mustang on the ride. It should prove interesting. Though Ruben and the mustang have been riding in the open in the same area, it is the first time with a lot of other horses that have not been out riding much yet this year. First trail rides of the year are always fun and full of excitement and surprises.
If you make it to the ride, please say hello and visit with us. Ruben, family and friends will be riding together. For details, you can call Horesmen's Western Dressage.
Happy Trails!!!

We want to thank a few folks

We want to take a moment to thank a few folks that have been behind us from the start on this project.

First is Dr. Richard (Dick) Root, DVM. He has made himself available from day one. The mustang arrived with a swollen knee and a bit of a club foot on the same leg. Dr. Root was there to examine the leg and give him a check up. Dr. Root has donated his time and services to include x-rays of the knees, medical advice, supplement advice and support from the get go. Dick is an avid horseman who has worked with Ruben for several years. Ruben, having done a good amount of endurance riding and always finished in the Top 10 in both time and Best Condition , has trained Dick's endurance horses and works with Dick on technique. It is always kind of funny to see Dick (not a spring chicken), tell his horse to "park" so he can get into the saddle. Dick is a firm believer in Ruben's training and often/usually rides in a bosal from Ruben. As a horseman and as a Veterinarian, it is rewarding to see his belief and trust in Ruben's training philosophy and methodology. His support is very much appreciated.

Nutrena has been very helpful with advice, conditioning charts and feed for the mustang. Ruben feeds Safe Choice to his horses in training to include the mustang. In the first month the mustang grew one inch in height and is filling out and building muscle daily. Safe choice offers a feed "scientifically balanced for horses in all life stages—and carefully designed for simplified feeding, added safety and superior nutrition". The mustang also gets Empower, a supplement for performance horses. Empower is added to make sure the mustang gets the Omega-3 and 6 he needs as well and the trace minerals from organic sources needed, including selenium and Vitamin E as anti-oxidants, which are lacking in the soil and grass forages in the Pacific Northwest. You can learn more about Nutrena, their products and equine nutrition at their web site: http://www.nutrenaworld.com/PageTemplates/HorsePortal.aspx

Ruben teaching the horse to cross over the front end (spin) on day four of training.

Last, but not least, is Pegasus EquiCare, Inc. Pegasus Air Boots are used on the mustang for a few reasons. They are comfortable, easy to apply and remove, reduced sweating under them, easily washed and, most importantly they give the support/protection needed. With a slight club foot and recovering from a knee injury, we wanted to provide the mustang with the support and protection needed while he finished healing and learned he has four feet, where they are and how to move them to maintain balance and move properly. We find Pegasus Air Boots fit the bill. The photos are from the fourth day of training. The mustang was a bit unsure and apprehensive when the first (right) one went on, but then stood perfectly still while the second was applied. Since that day he has accepted them without reservation. They have have taken a beating and that is because the mustang, like many horses being taught how to move properly, often hit themselves as they cross over in the front end. Again, Pegasus Air Boots provide that protection! If we can do it, we will post a video of Ruben fitting the boots for the first time. Eric has seen it as has some of his customers. You can visit Pegasus at The New Spirit HOME PAGE

Thank you akk for your support!