Lots of heavy wet snow today. Yesterday the temperature was 80 degrees. Springtime in the Rockies.

I, for one, am glad to see a little moisture around here. We seem to have missed the April showers and there’s a lot of static electricity. I don’t much like getting a shock when my human intends to caress me.

I celebrated the day with my share of a Granny Smith apple. Sweet and tart and the same time. Like me.

Mandy, the Morgan mare who dotes on me (who doesn’t?) and shares my pen, got some of the apple, too. She’s OK. We always keep an eye on one another.

Spring and summer programs for Equine Insights are starting. I’ve been checking out the herd, making sure that everyone is ready to teach and understands the rules. I’m the leader, you know, and I take my role seriously.

More later about how we work and play with kids, teens and adults.

You shoulda seen it. That little paint gelding lived up to his name: Great Spirit. Gathered as a weanling from a herd of wild horses in Wyoming, he calmly accepted a saddle the first time he encountered it. No complaints or concerns. Due credit to those who have gentled him: his moms, Diane and Paula, and his new dad, Tom Terrific.Spirit has grown from a withdrawn youngster to a confident adolescent. OK, “confident” and “adolescent” don’t belong in the same sentence. But Spirit is coming along nicely.He used to hate having his face touched. Now, he comes forward to ask for caresses.And when he runs—he’s almost as graceful as I am.Montana, older than Spirit, was gathered as an adult. An impressive black mustang (if I say so myself) he came from Cloud’s fabled Pryor Mountain herd. He still sees saddles and riders as malignancies growing on the backs of his pals. He’ll learn. New pictures soon. Check back. 

After watching neighboring horses savor carrots, Montana and Great Spirit decided to try them. Crunch. Crunch. Yum!

If you’re shopping at Amazon.com this holiday season, please click through from our home page. http://www.themustangcenter.com/ That way, your purchase benefits the Mustang Center. There’s no cost to you! Thanks for your support!

Lots of happenings!

SHADOW, the five-year-old gelding, met Fred, a new trainer who will get him started under saddle. Diane had saddled him several times before and had even been on his back, but when a new person comes into the picture, everything changes. It’s like hitting the reset button on a pinball machine!

Even though he has a mustang’s natural fear of predators, he’s adjusting to the idea that having a foreign object on his back is not a reason to panic.

Actually, I thought Shadow did really well. Of course, Fred took time to introduce himself and let Shadow get used to him. He reviewed what Shadow had already learned—like picking up his feet—before he started something new. Took breaks at just the right times. Then ended on a good note. Applause all around.

MONTANA, age six, was next. In preparation for saddling, he’s walked and trotted in the round pen wearing a purple pony-size bareback pad. It’s so small that it looks a little silly on him, but don’t tell him I said that. He had the saddle on for the first time on October 12.

He did really well with it on until he backed into the round pen panel and scared himself half to death. [Snicker!]