The "Education of Li'll Lone Ranger"......

The second week Range was getting more and more relaxed, he was getting used my presence in his paddock….his was the cleanest, because every poop was picked up immediately. Not because I am “obsessive-compulsive”, however it gives me an excuse to go in there and busy myself. He would walk calmly at a safe distance, turn around and just give me that level, bit weary look; so who are you? What do you want from me? His shaggy coat was full of matted fur with clumps of mud caked to it. It was hard to restrain myself from Jumping on him with a currycomb. I raised several little Mustang colts, my Cerbats were the easiest, because this strain has proven to carry mostly Andalusian  blood markers, and Andalusians are known to have been bred for outstanding disposition. I decided early on, that I will use a unique approach with Ranger, and allow him to set the pace of the training, as his comfort level dictates. I could feel that he was very inquisitive and a gentle soul. He would hesitantly move closer and closer, however the slightest movement sent him fleeing. What truly broke the ice was my cat Tiger. One peaceful afternoon he decided to check Range out, sauntered over to his paddock, and started rubbing up against the fence on the outside. Ranger immediately came alive, slowly lowered his head, and gently blew into Tiger’s face. Tiger bravely stood the scrutiny and started purring. Then as if he sensed that Ranger was kind, he started rubbing up against Range’s face and legs. So here we go, I have my “Wild Mustang Assistant Trainer. So from here  on, I carried Tiger in the paddock and Range came right up to me, how cool is this I thought, most colts would have stumped on a cat, from just being playful, Ranger on the other hand was gentle and treated Tiger like a friend; licking him and grooming him gently. Tiger liked the licking part, however was not particularly fond of the little “love bites” on his ears.  It was very evident from this every day show of affection and developing friendship, that Ranger was starved for love and a friend, and that he felt safe with Tiger. I was trying to win his heart with food, but he would not eat anything else but hay. He probably never had any fresh grass either, it took quite a few days for him to discover that grass was tasty. So I handpicked a bucket of fresh grass for him every day. I still needed to introduce junior pellets, and he definitely did not like pellets. Then my friend recommended Omolene-300.  Then “Range Salad” was created; fresh grass and clover with shredded carrots and Omolene sprinkled on top. It looked good enough to eat. Ranger could not resist and decided he liked it. Within a  week, probiotics and other supplements were introduced. He started looking better and acting more like a normal colt. I do not exactly remember the magical day, when he allowed me to touch his nose, then put his little face in my hand. The magic of that moment stays with me forever. I do not believe in “force” and always do everything at liberty, the halter is the very last thing I put on them. Where as most people do it the other way around….wanting to establish “control” and dominate the horse. Ranger in his short little life, has never had a choice or freedom….it has been taken away from him on that fateful day at Thanksgiving, when he was separated from his Mom and his Family. We will never know how he suffered the horrible facial fracture….it was more likely a kick….was he orphaned in the wild, or it happened during the round up. It made no difference to him….he was left alone and in terrible pain. I am still wondering why he was not euthanized? The scar depicts a horrid injury.  In my heart, I feel it was ultimately his charisma that saved him. Here is this tiny colt with the bright eyes and determination to live…...his message was hard to miss and worked even on the callous BLM personnel. When I picked him up everybody knew him, John Neill referred to him as “feisty” with grudging approval.

To me he appeared an “old Soul” in the body of a small horse colt. I started calling him my little “Boy horse. My “Freedom Training” worked perfect for Range, and he did not take advantage at all. Once he figured out that human touch could be light, the shelter protective and warm, food tasty and abundant, water fresh, his trust has grown in leaps and bounds.