PRYOR MOUNTAIN MUSTANG BREEDERS ASSOC. NEWSLETTER

October 2007

PMMBA MEETING

The fall meeting was cancelled this year.  There are currently 202 horses registered.

 FAMILY FUN DAY

 In place of a horse show this year, the PMMBA hosted a family fun day at Todd & Cathie Nunn’s arena. 

Emily, Kim, Bethany, & Dale riding Gus, Sykes, Dutch, & Nickles

Logan (7 years old)  riding Dutch, barrel racing

 Most of the activities for the family fun day were focused around the kids.

Teaching young children to ride is very important, here is Gene Nunn leading Peanuts and Ryan around the cones.

Todd & Cathie Nunn

Thank you for a fun day!!

WYOMING WILD HORSE FESTIVAL Todd Nunn & Trigger, first place adult Logan Nunn & Dutch, second place youth Ryan Nunn & Dutch, first place lead line Dale Hartman & Nickles, third place adult

 

Dale & Daphne Hartman riding Pryor horses Nickles & Sykes, riding horse in the North Dakota Bad Lands, October 2007.

 

It has been just over a year now, on a beautiful autumn day here in Northwestern Ontario, that my first horse, a Pryor Mountain mustang named Spanish Star, arrived at my home.  It is hard to believe that so much time has passed! 

 My entire life, beginning from the time I could speak, I begged and pleaded my parents to buy me a horse.  Every birthday and every Christmas it was my only wish.  Of course, my parents knew nothing about horses, and weren’t prepared to make such a purchase, but did their best signing me up for riding lessons year in and out. 

 As the years wore on there was always one reason or another for not taking that big step.  First of all, I really didn’t know anything about horses in the practical sense.  What I did know were the details of every breed.  I studied and read everything I could about the breeds in trying to determine which would be the perfect one for me.  When I finally figured it all out, it made so much sense.  The undeniable beauty characterized in the Spanish horse and the unparalleled mystique of the mustang.  The more I learned about these incredible Spanish mustangs the more I had to have one… but, not just any one.  It had to be a Pryor Mountain Mustang.  The purest of the Spanish mustangs, upwards of 90% Spanish, undiluted blood, hardy, highly intelligent and particularly kind and willing.  These horses were apparently known for developing a lifelong bond with their human owners! 

 I was on a mission.  My 40^th birthday was in 2006, and come hell or high water, this was going to be my gift to myself.  When I was finally really ready, I found Dale and Daphne’s web site and started writing and asking questions.  They had two fillies for sale and sent pictures.  My biggest hope was that I would get a grulla filly with lots of stripes, but at that point I wasn’t going to be too choosy.

 I managed to steer our summer holiday which started at the Calgary Stampede, through Yellowstone and finally into Wyoming.  We had only a short amount of time, and my husband wasn’t thrilled at the idea that I might really go through with this!

When I first saw the herd, I tried to determine which ones I had seen on the internet, all the while snapping pictures of this particularly pretty grulla filly and all of her markings.  When I found out she was actually for sale as well, my heart went thump!

Almost three months later, it all came together and Spanish Star arrived.  I will never forget my children and I standing on the corner watching the big white trailer coming around the bend and heading down the road!  When she came off the trailer every one gasped.  She was spectacular! My parents were there, in full support, standing at a “safe” distance and taking pictures.

 I was overjoyed….and all at once, I was terrified!!!

What I did know was that she was beautiful, and she was a life-long dream come true.  What I didn’t know was everything else.  Food?  Water?  Care?  I couldn’t believe that I had actually thought that I could buy myself a mustang and train it with absolutely no experience with horses…I thought I had made a huge mistake.  I have two small children at home; I am a busy Mom, teacher, and now horse owner and trainer?!!  I am sure everyone thought I was nuts, but Dale and Daphne thought I would be fine.  I believed them.  Shortly after Star’s arrival I met a young woman who practices Parelli Natural Horsemanship.  She got me started with the program and I worked at it through the winter.  By April of this year I actually started Star under saddle and while it has been a slow process, Star and I are learning together and making progress. We are now trotting around the round pen, sticking to the rail, doing direct and indirect turns, bending to a stop, and having great fun doing it all.

The Parelli program has been a God-send to me. It starts with safety; it has helped me to understand horse psychology and has given me the tools I need to communicate with my horse.  The program is based on the premise that people can learn to teach horses while preserving the horse’s dignity, strengthening the bond between human and horse, all the while learning to do amazing things together using the three “L’s”: Love, language and leadership.

When I go to the fence she gallops over to see me.  When I bring my tools she comes to play with me.  When she is wound up and unable to think, I know how to keep safe and get her calm, focused and thinking again.  She is so smart and learns quickly.  She is curious and enjoys learning.

 I am now working on the level two Parelli program, and preparing to take the level one test.  We are taking baby steps since I have started her myself.  As Pat Parelli says “Slow and right beats fast and wrong!”

 Finding Star was such a gift.  She has fulfilled far more than a childhood dream.  She is a partner, a friend and an honest soul.  She has taught me so much about myself.  It is hard to believe that the journey has just begun…

 Thanks Dale and Daphne, from the bottom of my heart.

By Margot Freitag

Star’s sire is Sundance and dam is Little Spanish Annie, she is the grand-daughter of “Little Orphan Annie”