Wild Horse -

[mtnmollie]

a poem by Mountain Mollie

Wild horse; mustang you pace; gaited you race
Hundreds and thousands of those
Across the west you did roam; but cattle needed your range
So you were caught; and you were sold.

Just a few to farmers; pulling a plow
Wild proud mustang you go
Mostly for dogfood; for glue in a can
You were caught, and you were sold.

And now the cattle are crowded off the range
The range is turned back to the game
An antelope, an elk; look at the deer
Thirsting for old water holes,
Thirsting for water of old.

The grizzly bear, and the wolf; they do roam,
Where mustangs grazed, and Indians told
Stories from so long ago.
A place where the mustangs did roam.

Wild horse, mustang, you pace; gaited you race
Mostly in my dreams; the west how it was
The west how it's changed; the range is not the same
Only in my dreams of long ago
Remembering the days of a cowboy
name of Will James

Thirsting for old water holes.
Thirsting for water of old.


Words and music by
mountain mollie


Will James books...

Written before I was born....
read when I was a child...

republished by Mountain Press

Smoky, the Cowhorse
Cow Country
The Three Mustangers
Big- Enough
Cowboys, North and South

and many more

online at
'www.mountainpresspublish.com'

or 1-800- 234- 5308

The drawings of Will James mustangs,
and the discription of the mustangs heart
match or describe my Kiy;

my wild Kieger.

Will James was the only person who understood my Kiy.

[mtnmollie]

And my heart is bound by my Kieger.

The toughest little horse I ever rode.

Your toughest horse is your best teacher- Alois Podhajsky paraphrased.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=474

[magayle]

beautiful poem hon! thanks for the tip on the will james books too:)

[Cat]

Beautiful poem - and I just love that picture. The mustang just looks so proud.

[jeezitsjacki]

what a great poem, and wonderful pictures. thanks for sharing

[mtnmollie]

Gosh thanks you guys. :)

[Gypsy Rose]

What a lovely poem! Love the pic, too! Is that a Dressage or an AP saddle? Neat!

[mtnmollie]

Dressage saddle. :cowboy:

[mtnmollie]

The old type Spanish Mustang- their head came out of their body like a flag- like Kiys.
I knew that from Will James books.

Ok so what is the character, endurance, and ability of the old Spanish mustang horse?
Kiy' s job was to answer that question.
Kiy was a Kieger mustang.

When Ron was a boy, Kiegers covered the state.
But then, when Ron and BLM found the Kieger herd in the 1970's,
only 25 were left.

The Kieger's, it has been written, have more Spanish blood, and more Spanish markers,
than any other herd in the wild.
So what is the character of an old type mustang?
Will James said they were smart and spooked at nothing, and everything.

He said only a horseman could ride them.

Kiy's job?
What kind of horses were ridden by Lewis and Clark?
I needed to know, for our research on the Lewis and Clark Trail.


All Indian horses were Spanish mustangs in those days.
Lewis and Clark documented the Nez Perce had the best horses of them all.

[Gypsy Rose]

Dressage saddle. :cowboy:

Thought so, but wasn't positive. You are full of surprises!

I actually can visualize your stories, Mollie! I really enjoy reading them, even when there's no question to ask!

[mtnmollie]

A wild heart was in his blood. So that is why we started with ground work. Four years I played tag with my Kiy- and I vowed a vow to him and myself I would never train him with force- but only with trust.

Kiy taught me the value of a 5 minute lesson. I could never flood him- or push him over the edge if I only had 5 minutes to play with him. This limited me- because I wanted too- much- too soon - too fast for my Kiy. He needed time. I gave him time.

He was the best teacher I ever had.

I did not know at the time he was my teacher.

I thought I was his teacher.

I thought he was a slow learner- but it was me who was the slow learner.

[Gypsy Rose]

That's the wonderful thing we learn when working with horses- how much they teach us!

[Gypsy Rose]

I have heard that mustangs can get by on less fed, yet have more stamina- apparantly, this must be true!

[mtnmollie]

I have heard that mustangs can get by on less fed, yet have more stamina- apparantly, this must be true!

Maybe some mustangs? Our mustangs are crossed with draft, TB, Morgan and other breeds.

What is the round pen for?

Kiy's first ride he took off like a rocket!
He was headed for the trees, and there was enough room for him, but not me. I managed to turn him. I thought for sure my leg might come off when we hit those trees.
He slowed, and I dove off.

I wuz skeerted.

Second ride, Gene can lead him. Then he can't run. Right?
He is fine, and then he is not.
Like that light switch.
He can't run.
He can't deal with his fear.
He is bucking.
I am riding him.
Wonder of wonders.
He is going to go over backwards, I know it,
and Gene knows it.
How do you get off a bucking horse?
Somehow I managed to fall off.

Wow.

But he would come to me, when I called his name.

I spent all winter putting my foot in the stirrup and bouncing up and down.
How much ground work does a horsie need?

Isn't 4 years of ground work good enough?

Maybe not for my Kiy.

But he would come to me, when I called his name.

[mtnmollie]

I got out of position on my walking horse like this and she dumped me.

Colts need to learn people sometimes lean.

Mollie leaning right and Kiy.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2534

[JackieB]

There is no way on God's Green Earth that I would have gotten astride of Kiy, but I'm sure enjoying hearing you tell us about him! Is Kiy still with us?

[mtnmollie]

Kiy will always be with us for as long as books are written and stories are told-

for my heart is bound to my Kieger.

Not only are the toughest the best teachers-
they also steal your heart.

Whatever happened to Kiy?
Everyone wants the end of the story at the beginning.

to be continued...

[mtnmollie]

There is no way on God's Green Earth that I would have gotten astride of Kiy, but I'm sure enjoying hearing you tell us about him!

But he would come to me, when I called his name.

Kiy was not a horse for me to ride- he was a story to tell.
But I did not know that at the time.

Impossible horses make great stories;
along with good teachers, and heart friends.

[Gypsy Rose]

You're worse than me for leaving stories hanging! Sheesh!

[mtnmollie]

And my heart is bound to my Kieger.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2542

[Gypsy Rose]

Some horses maybe are never meant to be tamed or trained, lol!

[mtnmollie]

I think that is one thing Kiy taught me.

I read about the "watch hose" who is always on the aleart - watching for the enemy.
I think Kiy may have been one of those; the herd gets to graze, and the "watch horse" protects them all.

[mtnmollie]

You're worse than me for leaving stories hanging! Sheesh!

hehe

Johnny Wilsen

I did what Ray Hunt did.
Ray had a horse he could not train.
He went for help.

I called a local cowboy.
Told him about me and Kiy and bucking and falling over backwards....thought.
It was just a thought.

He said he could not train him. I said I understood.
Cowboys know cowboys.
I asked him who to call.
He said call Johnny Wilsen.

So I did.

[Gypsy Rose]

Did Johmmy Wilson agree to train Kiy then?

[mtnmollie]

to be continued...

[sugarsgirl]

Great poem!

[mtnmollie]

Thanks Sugars girl.

I could never write poetry when I was in school. :)

[JackieB]

Kiy will always be with us for as long as books are written and stories are told- ....

Whatever happened to Kiy?
Everyone wants the end of the story at the beginning.


You are a phenomenal story teller, Mollie. No doubt about that. You do tell your stories around campfires, too? That would be so much fun!

[JackieB]

You're worse than me for leaving stories hanging! Sheesh!

She's got us eating out of the palm of her hand. :):):)

[JackieB]

Did Johmmy Wilson agree to train Kiy then?

Like she's going to tell us that before she's ready. :p

Wow! What a story. I'm falling in love with Kiy myself. Such an indomitable spirit. I'm glad you brought him home from the rodeo that day.

Beautiful poetry, Mollie. Such a way with words is a true gift.

[mtnmollie]

I'm doing better becaue I used to get whacked at when I told these stories. :cowboy:

[mtnmollie]

Beautiful poetry, Mollie. Such a way with words is a true gift.

Thank you. I needed some encouragement today, because of family skelotons in the closet coming to bite me.

Thank you. :cowboy:

[JackieB]

Thank you. I needed some encouragement today, because of family skelotons in the closet coming to bite me.

Thank you. :cowboy:

You're welcome. Sorry to hear. I've been in that position with my dad before. Fortunately, we reconciled.

[mtnmollie]

I am so sick and tired of riding colts for people who lie to me, I quit riding for the public.
Also I had problems getting paid.

I was not about to lie to Johnny. He told me Kiy didnt sound so bad.

Really, what is a bad horse to you, Johnny?

One that will run you out of the round pen.

Kiy could of been like that- but I did ground work with him real slow.
So he sailed past everything with flyng colars until Johnny got on his back.

When Kiys feet moved he was off like a rocket and he ran- and ran- and ran- untill he stopped.
And that was Johnny's first ride.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=1405

[Gypsy Rose]

And did Johnny stay on?

[Gypsy Rose]

Who did you meet?

[mtnmollie]

And did Johnny stay on?

Kiy never bucked. Everyone can stay on a horse that is just running circles in a round pen. Not everyone would get on Kiy bridleless though. :)

[mtnmollie]

Who did you meet?

I met a horseman named Johnny Wilson that year, and he kind of impressed me a bit.

:cowboy:

[JackieB]

Not everyone would get on Kiy bridleless though. :)

I was wondering why you would want to get on Kiy bridleless. Would you mind including that in the story somewhere? I wouldn't get on Buster bridleless in anything bigger than a round pen and he's been my horse for years! He still loves to run and I have only marginal control getting him to come back down with just a voice command once he gets to canter. Walk, trot, OK, but he reverts to genetic material pretty quick at the canter if I don't communicate at all through his mouth. :eek:

[mtnmollie]

Well I never asked Johnny why he got on Kiy bridleless. Here is my guess.

Teach a colt one thing at a time. First Kiy learned you could mount and he would not die. Next he learned he could carry you on his back when he moved his feet; and he would not die.

The next step is for him to learn to carry you without bucking and to let you guide.

If you rattle a colt with too much too fast to soon- sometimes they come undone bucking.

Johnny Wilson was a follower of Ray Hunt- when Ray came to the ranch- the ranch horses quit bucking. Rays first ride the colt without guide. Leave the head alone and forget where they go and just let them pack you.

If you are teaching cowboy colt startig class- like Ray did- and folks are liable to grab the head, just take the bridle away and then there is no way the student can pull on the head.

Sometime after Johnny's ride on Kiy, he quit starting colts bridleless.

If Johnny had got on Kiy with a bridle- the chances of Kiy bucking are higher.
Kiy could only learn one thng at a time, kinda like me.

Teach me 3 new things on the computer maybe I will remember-
teach me 4 and I can't remember anything at all.

Kiy was like that too.

[mtnmollie]

I was wondering why you would want to get on Kiy bridleless. Would you mind including that in the story somewhere? I wouldn't get on Buster bridleless in anything bigger than a round pen and he's been my horse for years! He still loves to run and I have only marginal control getting him to come back down with just a voice command once he gets to canter. Walk, trot, OK, but he reverts to genetic material pretty quick at the canter if I don't communicate at all through his mouth. :eek:

The stop is in the turn in the roundpen. Turn, turn turn and the feet stop.
Kiy raced straight forward until he ran out of gas. That was just what he needed.
You can wait a horse out in the round pen and they will stop running.

If Johnny tried to turn Kiy before he stopped, there would have been a wreck.

When Kiy stopped, Johnny let him rest. Then they went forward again, at a walk- Kiy choose the speed. Johnny turned him with his lariet rope on Kiys neck or in his face- turn away from the rope. Step left and right. Then Kiy stopped.

That was Johnny's first ride. It was just what Kiy needed.

I think it is a rare unusual way to start a colt.

[Gypsy Rose]

Now the natural horsemanship way is to do that from the ground in the round pen- Johnny just had a different way of doing it, then.

[mtnmollie]

Kiy on red aleart-

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2682

[mtnmollie]

One of the goals of training is to get the head down and the muscle relaxed. I did not understand this before my Kiy.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2686

[mtnmollie]

When you take off the halter or bridle, you don't do anything to the horse, without his permission. You can not saddle the colt in the round pen with no halter or bridle- unless he lets you. He tells you when the training steps are broken down in small enough steps for him to get it. A bridle or halter can wreck communication with a colt. kiy's body language is going " I'm not sure about this" - so I am going to back off and try again.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2687

[JackieB]

This is fascinating!

[mtnmollie]

Johnny had Kiy for 3 months before I began to ride him. And Kiy had about two weeks of colt school in him after all that time. He was still ready to spook and explode and run from any known or un- known danger. All the training in the world would not take the wild heart out of Kiy. I never rode him out of the round pen, because I really did not want to die. He is in my 120 foot hog- pannel round pen in this picture.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=2688

[mtnmollie]

Why take off the halter and bridle? So you can learn to read the horse in the round pen. And when you learn to read the horse in the round pen, then you might be able to see into the hearts of men.

John Lyons can read the hearts of men, and so can I.

It is the greatest gift the round pen ever gave me.

But I did not know what I was learning, back then.

I thought I was just learning to train a colt without force.

And I did not know Kiy was my best teacher ever.

I asked Johnny what Kiy taught him.

He said to never - ever train another Kieger mustang horse. LOL>

[JackieB]

I asked Johnny what Kiy taught him.

He said to never - ever train another Kieger mustang horse. LOL>

That's pretty funny! :):):)

[Gypsy Rose]

Horses can teach us many thing- in this case, obviously, what NOT to do!

[mtnmollie]

I started finding out my i- net friends had a horse like Kiy- too much horse for me or them.

I love him but... he bucks or or spooks and dumps me - or his is afraid - or he bolts.

Some of this is temperment and some is training.

WE tell them to find a trainer- but will Johnny fix it so that Kiy is solid and trustworthy old reliable? We tell them to go to ground school- or we may go get help from a friend like Ray Hunt did with his problem horse. Ray unloaded his horse at the Dorrance ranch-and the horse was transformed into no- porblem there; on that ranch. Amazing.

Can horses see into our heart- and know what we think?

[Gypsy Rose]

Makes a person wonder, doesn't it!

[mtnmollie]

Once upon a time Kiy had some foals.

I have heard it said,
Wild mustangs, born in the wild are afraid,
but mustangs born with people are different.
More domestic.

Ruby, my QH had a 1/2 Kieger foal.
Person who bought her (I did train and sell my horses) promised to give me the foal, if she did not want it. She later changed her mind, and sold Ruby's foal. He was wild.
Ruby was a great horse. Great mind, willing and easy to train. I wonder why her foal was so wild?

Amanda, my difficult Morgan, had twins.
Bambi was a 1/2 Kieger buckskin filly, only she was a premie who weighed just 20 lbs. She should have weighed 80. Her brother died in the womb. He was born dead. She died her first night of life.
A horse gets a better chance at life;
In the abortion wars, where we kill our healthy unwanted children. Bambi ended up in one of my songs.

A horse gets a better chance at life;
In the abortion wars where everyone dies.
And your momma, she cries.

Honey's 1/2 Kieger foal...
Honey is a paint mare of Gene's I broke and sold for about $1750.00 She was paint breeding stock, solid color, and
she bucked me off a few times. Every time she bucked, she was fast, and I fell off.
Her foal was a pretty buckskin that died.
Imprinted when born. Halter broke at 6 months.
I put the halter on, colt ran into high tensile hot fence.
Any normal horse would get off the fence. This colt knew he could get the fence to give with just a little more pressure.

Seemed like an eternity- 5 minutes? - before he came off the fence. Instead of going west through that fence, he went east, through 6 fences. Stopped in our horse pasture.
I went to check on him.
He starts running blind again, like a wild thing, and ran into Philisha, who was also running, but she kicked him. His leg came off, broken below the knee. Gene shot him.
What do you do with a colt with a broken leg?
My forum friend, Tish asked, " What did I learn?"
If you are going to halter break one of Kiy's foals, use a round pen. And no matter how gentle they are, expect a wild change, like a light switch. Tame, wild, just that fast.
He was imprinted too.
Geeze.

Next baby. Cally's foal. 1/2 Arab, 1/2 Kieger.
The light switch change from tame to wild was when she was 3.
She was out at pasture, and refused to load.
I have never been in a trailer before!

Strange behavior?

I am not used to that kind of behavior in the horses I train.
Once they have 1 day or 2 weeks in them they stay broke forever.
Unless I let someone ride them that messes them up.
Then I have to fix them, but that is my fault.
I am getting real careful about who I let ride my horses, anymore.

1/2 Kieger-Arab went to the sale with 2 Morgan colts,
because we had more horses than we could afford to feed, and someone had to go.

Of all Kiy's babies, maybe one or 2 survived?

They were wild. All of them were wild.
Dependable as the wind.

Just like my Kiy.

But he would come to me, when I called his name.

[Gypsy Rose]

Horses minds can be very different, just like humans.

But what would make their attitudes change for seemingly no reason?

I understand about other people riding your own horses and messing them up, believe me!

[mtnmollie]

The light switch. I 'm fine- and I'm not - booger and run from nothing. Will James wrote about these mustang horses.

[Gypsy Rose]

Definitely would not be very safe, riding these horses!

[mtnmollie]

Will James said only the best cowboys could ride them, and not just every cowboy.

He also said they were the best horse in the whole world.

Will James got me curious.

Will James nearly got me killed. :)

[medicine hat]

you know, my Spanish Mustang has had 3 moments of this light switch thing you keep mentioning~ thank you for putting it into words for me. one was just a couple weeks ago, actually~

[mtnmollie]

I went to a Spanish mustang herd in Oregon and talked about Kiy- and the owner started telling me about all her horses like Kiy.

Except for one dependable solid mare. None of her colts were for sale.

[medicine hat]

my guy is 3rd generation in captivity, descended from Yellow Fox, one of Bob Brislawn'a horses. originally from Arizona, I believe. the fella who broke my horse out said it took the longest time for him to come around, he had "trust issues" but once he likes you, he's bonded for good. which reminds me~have any of yours ever saved you from danger? mine has saved me from a mean mare charging at me while in the pasture~Cody came running too, turned her away, then he went back to grazing...
okay, sorry to interrupt your flow, back to it!!

[mtnmollie]

Thank you for your post. Tell me more. I kept waiting for Kiy to come around in the trust department. I guess I got as much trust from his as I ever would because he always came when I called him.

He never saved me but we did have several wrecks when he got upset and knocked horses off the trail. Gene once- husband was not impressed. And he knocked over my mare Justa Dunn when she was a packhorse. We had to get her up on her feet again.

We had to find her first- after they all ran off with Kiy.

Tell me more about your horse. :cowboy:

[medicine hat]

wellll~
he cannot be near a miniature horse. period. freak out major.
we were tacking up in the barn isle last year, while our tack shed was being built. Cody is always edgey in there; he's always been on pasture. well, after a few months he was finally mostly calm in there.
then a miniature horse came to be boarded there.
the woman led her little guy out of the stall (he was pretty cute, by the way), about 10 stalls away. Cody went from calmly standing to jumping, pulling, thrashing, you get the picture. I untied him & we did tight circles all the way down the isle till we got outside, where he calmed down. plus i was too dizzy to go anymore, so i had to lean on him. he went from 0 to 100 back to 0.
i figure it is a good learning day, so we go back into the barn.....he's shaking, snorting & blowing, but follows me back to the stall where mini is at, but never calms down. the owner of the mini is nice & working with me. we decide to go outside where he can watch the mini move & interact with the other horses. it didn't help. we brought Cody's friend Midnight over to check out the mini, and Cody got even more agitated. any ideas why? maybe he was afraid it would hurt his friend. even when Cody was in the main pasture & the mini was 2 pastures over, Cody would pace up & down the fence, snorting & blowing & looking tough. for a couple weeks. then the mini went to another barn. I will admit I was relieved.
now all my buddies tease us about it~ "that wild mustang!" one says Cody probably wanted to bite him on the neck & just toss him~
maybe it was the combination of the mini being in the "scary" barn that set him off, I'll never know forsure. but it is funny how careful all the people are around Cody now!

[JackieB]

Cody went from calmly standing to jumping, pulling, thrashing, you get the picture. ?

Perhaps looks about the size of a mountain lion? Foals are small of course, but they don't have short stubby legs.

[mtnmollie]

you know, my Spanish Mustang has had 3 moments of this light switch thing you keep mentioning~ thank you for putting it into words for me. one was just a couple weeks ago, actually~

What were the other 2 moments the light switch thing happened? :cowboy:

[medicine hat]

a mountain lion or an angry bear! with me by his head and inbetween 2 large wooden tack/storage boxes~I am thankful we made it out of there alive!
that is kind of a funny picture in my head, mtnmollie, of Kiy plowing down horses & them all taking off~in a chaotic-I-can't-believe-this-is-happening sort of way. and hubby got to share in the fun! I hope everyone was ok there, too! and Cody only saved me that one time. once I got attacked by a pig while Cody just calmly grazed not 10 feet from us~I ended up climbing a fence hollering for help! maybe Kiy knows and trusts you can take care of things & doesn't think you need his help~ that he comes when you call is a pretty big deal, I think. it's his way of showing you.
the other light switch moments aren't quite as exciting~the episode a couple weeks ago went like this~
we were calmly, slowly, peacefully walking down a rut on a hill, behind Midnight & Sara (our trail buddies). kind of a steep hill, too. the next thing I know~Cody is crowhopping this little move he does that is really difficult to ride out, especially when it's outta the blue & my balance is off while on an incline. I go over the right shoulder, then manage to land on my feet on the left (off) side by his head. I am thinking "hold onto the reins, I don't wanna walk back" don't ask how I land on my feet, the only excuse I have is I have fallen off so much & Cody is short and I really don't want the embarrassment of going back to the barn (a public facility) with mud on my backside. well since I am on an incline I am leaning back, but since I am holding on to the reins, I managed to stay upright because he planted his feet & was holding me up!! maybe he felt bad for tossing me.
at this point Midnight & Sara (still calm) have turned & are watching, enjoying the show. there was nothing we saw that could have spooked him, tack & everything was fine. he has also done this outta-the-blue crowhop thing once before, years ago, and we never figured out what caused it then, either. I get back on & on we go, calm as an 'ol broke schoolhorse.
so now I will refer to these moments as his light switches!
Cody also will put his nose to the ground & track something, on occasion. if I give him his head he'll go off with his nose to the ground & sniffing into the brush following some trail~deer in heat, maybe? ever seen that? what do you think that is about?

[mtnmollie]

Cody also will put his nose to the ground & track something, on occasion. if I give him his head he'll go off with his nose to the ground & sniffing into the brush following some trail~deer in heat, maybe? ever seen that? what do you think that is about?

That's cool! Cows will follow other cows by following scent.

Will James said these mustangs are too smart.

They spook at nothing we understand- but they are very aware of their suroundings.

I too spook at things other people dont understand.

[medicine hat]

I know you are a Will James fan~I like him too. especially his style. another good read is "The Mustangs" by J. Frank Dobie. I have read & re-read & will read it again~ inbetween reading your posts here, that is!!!! :)

[mtnmollie]

Back to Kiy and Johnny-

So Johnny accepted my wild Kieger to train.
I took Travler too, Genes ugly Morgan.
Johnny said,
"When I start horses, folks useally bring one to see if I can train."
I said, "Kiy is no test of if you can train.
Kiy can not be trained."

Kiy takes off, like he is shot out of a cannon.
He runs round and round, and round and round, and round and round, and round, the round pen.
Johnny and Kiy are both tipped to the inside of the pen, because of the speed.
and we know then Kiy stopped.

Next at the walk-
Johnny had him step left and right, directing him with the coiled lariet rope.
Then Kiy stopped, and that was the first ride.
He never bucked again.

For 6 weeks, Johnny coasted on my 4 years of Ground School.

Then Johnny started flooding Kiy, with too much too soon too fast.
You know, I had to check on Johnny once a week to see how he was progressing. Oh yes, and I had to tell him not to expect too much, or train too fast.
He said, "But I train for a living, and the horse has to progress at a certian speed."

I said, he was training Kiy for me, and he had to progress on Kiy's scedule, not ours. We spent one or two weeks just getting Kiy used to the hat. Kiy hated hats.
Johnny said Kiy had a big fright from a cowboy hat.
I said humm~ remembered the rodeo later.
Kiy remembered.
I also use my hat to move my herd out of my space....
like when feeding or something.
I remembered that years later!
But Kiy remembered.

When Johnny started flooding Kiy~ 6 weeks into his training,
because Johnny was frustrated, because Kiy was untrainable,
I almost took him home.
Johnny said, "I can't train this horse."

Oh! I was waiting for that! I waited forever for him to say that!
I said,
"I know. I told you that before I brought him here.
But you taught him day one in the round pen.
He can do that. That's all I expect, Johnny."

And I let him off the hook, with those words.
No expectations, except, train Kiy at his speed.

I asked Johnny, "What did you learn from Kiy?"
He said, "I learned I never want to train another Kieger."

When Johnny said, he could not train Kiy,
I taught Johnny how to train Kiy.

Kiy had several secrets he taught me,
that work on training every young unbroke colt.

I told them to Johnny,
because now the door was open,
for Johnny to learn from me.

To be continued...

[Gypsy Rose]

So Johnny thought Kiy was supposed to progress according to his schedule? Each horse is an individual, mustang or not.

Maybe that's why I never wanted to send Gypsy to a trainer, even if I had had the money. I have seen way too much of that, lol!

I am curious to see what Johnny learned from you- patience?

[mtnmollie]

So Johnny thought Kiy was supposed to progress according to his schedule? I am curious to see what Johnny learned from you- patience?

This is a common problem; for trainers who have 30 days to make a horse.

Johnny could ride a bucking horse that I would never try. He is a hard worker, an honest man, and cowboyed all his life. He had skills I don't have, or maybe never will have.

Kiy was a too smart horse, a too slow learner, and he could learn one thing at a time. Just one thing and he would retain it if you did not flood him. Flooding Kiy was easy, because his emotions were on his sleeve, just like mine.

I come undone, just like Kiy.

You can teach me maybe 3 things on the computer, if you teach me 4 everything is erased;l forgotten, not learned.

I started giving Kiy 5 minute lessons so I would not flood him, and so I would only focus on one lesson at a time. Kiy hated cowboy hats. Johnny started focusing on just that one thing. Kiy wasa challenge that Johnny could enjoy, because I told him I did not expect much- not from that horse.

Kiy had several secrets he taught me,
that work on training every young unbroke colt.

What were the secrets that Kiy taught me?

1) Teach one thing at a time.
2) The value of the 5 minute lesson
and 3) the story of the coffin.

to be continued.

ps- I learned the lesson about head placement after he was gone.
I think Les Vogt calls it, ' get the neck.' * See head placement photos on page 5.*

[mtnmollie]

I was wondering why you would want to get on Kiy bridleless. Would you mind including that in the story somewhere?

Getting on Kiy bridleless was a really smart plan, because Kiy could learn one thing at a time. 1) Can you pack me around, carry me while you move your feet ( and not just when you are standing still? )

yes.

Can you carry me while you move your feet, and let me guide you with a bridle?
Two requests at once? No way with this horse.

Kiy made me break training into smaller steps.

Day one in the round pen for me is
1) Stand still while I saddle / bridle you.
2) Stand still while i get on.
3) Move your feet and carry me calmly relaxed at the walk.
4) turn left
5) Turn right
6) Stop.
7 ) Back up
8) stand still while i dismount.

This is all any horse ever needs to learn, barrel horse, dressage horse...
reiner, jumper... well add the trot and canter... :p

Its more than one step. How many horses do we flood and they never tell us?
Or we do not listen, or can not hear them?

Day one in the round pen was nothing to me, until I met my Kiy.
Then it became everything.

[mtnmollie]

I met a horseman named Johnny Wilson that year, and he kind of impressed me a bit.

:cowboy:

...because he rode unbroke horses bridleless. Egads.

Johnny does not do that anymore, though he is still starting colts.

[mtnmollie]

The story of the coffin...

Johnny flooded Kiy one day to help him overcome his fear. This method works on some colts. I myself flooded colts I started in Colorado. How do I communicate clearly what I believe? I needed a word picture...

to be continued.

[oursarge]

Wow all of this is so interesting. I love the photos. I have a Colonial Spanish Baca horse. He's from New Mexico. I'm not sure how far back his family was in the wild, I think his grandfather maybe. He is so smart and so gentle. Every Baca I have met has been like that. One friend has one and he's a total clown, can dress him up and play games with him. Mine is so silly too. He loves running with sticks and his ball and everything else. When you talk to him he'll shake his head yes or no. People think I'm nuts when I say that but he is so smart it's spooky and when you look in their eyes it's like they've seen it all and know it all. His name is Relampago, Lightning in Spanish, and he is like lightning. I wish these horses were treasured more but they aren't. One of his pasture mates and his father were both shot. It's so sad that someone would shoot a horse because of what it is.

If you go to the Red Road Farm website John Fusco [Hidalgo] has a beautiful story written about the Choctaws. I had to read that a few times because I cried through it the first few. How those horses were treasured then slaughtered. Made me sick. I stole this from the site, I love what it says:
“If you don’t catch an Indian Pony in the first two miles,” General Crook is reputed to have said, “then give up the chase, because they’ll run a hundred miles in a day and be fresh to do it again come morning.” Watching Rompy run I believe that, I wish he had more land so he could do more running, running is his favorite thing. He really is a treasure, like all I have met. We had 4 Bacas here visiting and not one was any bit of trouble. I haven't met a Kiger but have met the Bacas, Choctaws, A Northern Mountain Horse [I think that was what her strain is called] and one other kind and have loved them all. I don't think we'll be getting another horse but if we did I'd get a Choctaw or another Baca.

[mtnmollie]

Thank you - your post made me cry.

Wild Horse Annie, ranchers wife in Nevada, is driving down the highway and blood is running out of the truck in front of her; Mustangs headed for slaughter. She rallied the school children to write congress to protect them...

How many did we have then, and how many do we have now?
Too many, or not enough?