Kidd Cool - Top ten!

Well the Kidd really came through!

We tied for 1st place in the in-hand course and took 8th in the riding.(Cool had a pretty good spook when the audience applauded part of his course or I believe we would have been 3rd or 4th) Anyway we made the finals! Woohoo!

We drew the last spot to go so we had plenty of time to watch the competition, everyone did a great job.

Finally, our turn to go!

Cool entered the arena and caught sight of the fire ring as we passed it and had a pretty good spook, but after that he was back on track.

As usual he jumped right on the flat bed as it was moving and proceeded to do everything else that was asked of him including walking into the ring of fire like it was nothing and pivoting both ways before backing out.

When the dust settled we proudly walked off with the 5th place spot and $1,000 dollars.

Not bad for a very young mustang that in the beginning started off so underweight and flighty that I couldn't believe we would ever have a chance at top ten!

I am also proud to say that Cool was adopted by Julie Bryant who does PR for Mustang Heritage and all of the Extreme Mustang events. I take it as a great compliment that Julie goes to all of these events and ended up adopting My Mustang.

Congratulations Julie you got a great horse with many great years ahead of him.

Thanks again to all of Team Cool and my sponsors, I couldn't do it without you!

Stay tuned to see which Extreme Makeover I'll be competing in next!

Cool & the Kid

This is Hayley Goodridge.

She is an amazing rider and at eleven years old is my "star" student.

I want to thank Hayley for spending the last two weeks riding with me on her horse Deja so Cool had some company while we put in our final hours.

She and Cool became quite good friends and Hayley has really helped me to make him a kid safe horse.

Thanks Hayley!

Cool under Pressure

Since they cancelled fire at the finals, let me show you how brave this little mustang has been.

This is a shot from several weeks ago when we first started working on Cool walking into a ring of fire.

What a "cool " horse no fear, just curious!

Cool & Lorrie - Having fun!

Can you tell that I'm having fun and beginning to like this little mustang?

Kidd Cool - Amazing transformation!

Today I ran across a picture of Cool the day after pick-up and a more recent picture.

I believe this is what is called an "amazing transformation!"

What a task it has been to gentle, train and put approximately 300lbs + on a horse but we did it!

Kidd Cool meets Dr. Schafer - Aug. 25th

Today Dr. Schafer came out to work on Mr. Cool

Dr Schafer is a retired veterinarian who practices chiropractic and acupuncture on horses and all kinds of animals(even dolphins!) all around the United States.

He has been wonderful enough to sponsor all three of my competition mustangs and treats my horses on a regular basis. He is a Godsend!

His only fault is that he vacations in Colorado each summer so we anxiously await his return each August so everyone can get adjusted.

Cool had a few ribs out of place and was also in need of some acupuncture.

All in all he did pretty well but he was not too crazy about the needles in his back and tried his best to reach around and get them out.

He settled down after a while and did some pretty good yawning, licking and chewing.

When I rode the next day his lateral work was a little better on the side he's been having trouble with and I'm sure it will improve even more as he settles into his newly adjusted body.

I have seen remarkable results after having Dr Schafer work on both my own horses and my training horses and highly recommend chiropractic and acupuncture to anyone who wants the best for their horse.

If you would like more information on equine chiropractic and acupuncture please contact Dr. Rick Schafer at (361)939-8379.

Thank you so much Dr. Schafer for your sponsorship, support and all you do for God's wonderful animals!

Beach Cantering - Aug 19th 2009

Cool and I went back to beach today and what a great time we had!

He was even more confident on this trip to the beach and seemed to light up when I unloaded him and he realized where he was.

It is amazing what great work you can get done with these youngsters when you keep it fun.

We worked on canter departures, correct leads and leg yielding while enjoying the sand and surf so it didn't seem like work at all.

This is my favorite picture to date of the two of us enjoying our good fortune in living here on the coast in beautiful Corpus Christi.

Oh yeah, everyone had clothes on this time!

Cool on the mend - Aug 18th

Cool is back!

After taking a week off following his injury I am glad to say that his leg is healing nicely and we've gone back to work.

Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to lose 2 - 3 weeks from working on certain maneuvers such as pivots, jumps and side passing as they could re-injure his leg.

As his leg continues to heal I will reintroduce these manuvers into his training.

Here are a couple of my younger student's giving a little "Cool" down walk for me.

Thanks Ginger and Chianna for giving Cool some kid time.

Kidd Cool - Down and out - Aug. 12th

While Cool was out getting to be a horse and play with his buddy Little Man on Saturday he managed to run into something very hard and cut his fetlock.

At first I thought no problem, a quick hose off and we'll ride a little later.

That was not the case, an hour later he was hobbling on three legs.

By Tuesday he was still extremely lame so it was difinitely time to go get an x-ray.

The good news is there is no fracture, the bad news is the vet said it could be several weeks before he's ready to work.

We are also unable to do any real ground work as that stresses the leg too!

Down to the wire and even more pressure on!

Kidd Cool's - "Exposure on the beach"

Cool did get a little more exposure at the beach than just waves and riding.

In Corpus Christi we have a small “strip” of beach where naked sun bathing is allowed.

Rarely do we encounter anyone, but as luck would have it on our way back a nudist couple asked if we could take their picture with the horses.

My friends who were riding with me quickly said “That’s a wild mustang, you need a picture with that one”, so Cool and I stepped up.

Once again, Cool took things in stride, we got our pictures and off we rode.

I’d like to challenge all the EMM trainers to top this for getting their mustang’s out there and exposed!

Kidd Cool Goes to the Beach - Aug. 4, 2009

Well Cool went to the beach today for the first time and did awesome!

We started on line and he immediately went into the water like he goes to the beach on a regular basis. In fact he stepped over the line, spooked himself and managed to get loose but immediately ran back into the water as though it were a safe place to be.

Before long we were saddled up and headed down the beach with my friends Julia and Yvonne with Cool in the lead much of the time.

The only thing that bothered him during the whole ride was seeing people off in the distance, but by the time we headed back he was handling it much better.

All in all it was a great ride and I will definitely take him back again before the competition as he and I both enjoyed it probably the most of any of our rides.

Cool did get a little bit more exposure at the beach, but I will save that for my next post.

Kidd Cool(Goes to the vet) July 30th

Today Cool went to the vet clinic to have his teeth floated. Dr. Underbrink and his trusty assistant Kim were both impressed with his calm demeanor and how good he was during the procedure, they both gave him an A+!

I cannot express how important it is to have these mustangs(and all other horses) dental work done to give them the best advantage during their training. Poor Cool had a cap that was half on and digging into the side of his mouth and another tooth on the other side that needed removing.

I was noticing some resistance to the right side where the bad tooth was located so he should do much better in his training now that he has had his dental work.

Thank you to both Dr. Underbrink and Kim for their patience and understanding in working with now three of my competition mustangs and for sponsoring me during this EMM competiton.(Thanks also to Richard Olsen for offering to ride along and observe, assist, and photograph during our vet visit)

My personal horse(and love of my life,sorry Robert) Sky also went with us to visit Dr. Underbrink as he has had five minor colic episodes in the last five weeks! We are quite certain that the problem is mesquite beans. It seems that during a drought mesquite trees start producing more beans as they are in survival mode and as luck would have it Sky has decided he is absolutely obsessed with mesquite beans even leaving hay and feed to go on bean patrol.

Although my horses won't be happy(at least they'll be healthy)I'll be confining them to a smaller paddock until the beans are done producing. Cool's paddock has minimal beanage so he should have no problems as we continue our training.

Apologies for promising beach pictures this week and not producing them but extremely high winds all week and tar on the beach have postponed our beach ride until this coming Tuesday.
Look for pics soon.

Kidd Cool - July 21st

This was Cool’s first road trip. We went to visit my friend and fellow trainer Jack Lieser in Chappell Hill, Tx.

We visited the beautiful Watt’s Way arena and got some really good exposure not only in a covered arena but with cows, weed eaters and golf carts.

Cool did great during the whole trip and came home unbelievably confident. I personally have never seen a bigger change in any horse just because of taking one trip down the road.

He is way more confident with everything in general, but people in general which has been his biggest hurdle. It seems as though he’s become a lap horse now and seeks out attention!

Stay tuned this next week as this will be Cool’s first ride on the beach and I can guarantee some incredible photos from photographer Richard Olsen.

Kidd Cool - July 18th

Cool’s back is healed and he’s under saddle again and doing great.

We continue to work on all of our fundamentals at all gaits and continue adding new obstacles like gate work, working the “L” and anything else we can think of.

Kidd Cool - July 14th

Today we went back to driving since my gelding Sky decided to bite Cool on the back right where the saddle sits. It will need a few days to heal so I decided to make the most of it by driving Cool while I can’t ride.

Cool caught on quickly and though we didn’t get it caught on film he ended up doing some pretty excellent sliding stops and roll backs!

Just goes to show what great work you can get done from the ground while you can’t be on their back.

Gifted River & Caruso July 13th

This picture has nothing to do with Kidd Cool. This is my 2008 EMM mustang River and his friend Caruso.

Caruso is a Gypsy Vanner stallion that I currently have in training and River has decided that he is his best buddy! We call them Ebony & Ivory.

Kidd Cool July 8th

Today was Cool’s first trim. What a good boy!

My wonderful farrier and EMM sponsor Johnny Brandon commented that he was the best of my mustangs that he has worked with and was surprised that he could use the hoof stand on the very first visit.(not only on the fronts but on the back feet as well) We’ll be nailing on shoes in no time and headed for hill country for a little bit of conditioning riding.

Thanks Johnny for the wonderful job you do with all of my horses, but particularly for your patience and understanding with these amazing mustangs!

Kidd Cool July 5, 2009

Cool and I continue to cruise along with our progress.

I’m really beginning to like this kid. He has a great mind and a willing attitude. What more can you ask for in a horse? He’s also finally decided he likes to eat. Woohoo!

Here are some more wonderful photo's my friend and sponsor Richard Olsen captured at the end of our ride around the ranch.

Kidd Cool July 4, 2009

July 4th 2009

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends, family and fellow mustang trainers!

Let’s all give thanks for what a wonderful country we live in and celebrate our independence and good fortune!