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| "I Will Follow You" Madeleine LeClerc and Her Fort Collin's Makeover Horse 8 by 10 inch watercolor by LindaLMartinArtist |
“I Will Follow You”
With in the first week Both Madeleine LeClerc and Robert Carlson had saddle their Fort Collin’s Makeover mustangs for the first time. By the second week it was time to put some mileage on them, leading them, bonding with them and introducing them to all manner of obstacles and surprises that might be found on the trail or anywhere humans are for that matter. This by most horsemen is called ground work. For domestic horses it usually starts before they are weaned, for Makeover Mustangs it’s a new a period of discovery and building foundational trust for horses that never interacted with humans until they were gathered.
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| Madeleine LeClerc leads her Makeover Mustang through obstacles that include a wooden bridge, tarp on the ground, plastic bottles, up, down and through ditches and other obstacles Reference Photo provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography Used by permission |
The first thing I noticed when I saw Amy Spivey’s (Lightning Bug Creek Photography) awesome photography documenting each mile stone in the process, was that the horses willingness to trust no matter how scary, unusual and ridiculous it might have seemed to the horse. Part of the bonding process seemed to be That point at which the horse is so comfortable with the trainer that they seem to say I will follow you, even to the ends of the earth.
It’s a pretty remarkable feat to have a horse decide that so fast, when they are this age and have never been handled except to be gathered and herded into a chute for branding , gelding and all the other medical requirements that a domestic horse has. There is a gentle consistency tempered with firmness and lot of , dare I say, “ loving” petting and hugs that inspires, reassures and encourages. The hallmark of good trainers is to get the best out of their animals. Madeleine and Robert of R&M Performance Horses do just that.
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| Robert Carlson leads his Makeover Mustang through the "car wash" I have to admit this is one of my favorite obstacles. Remember there are lots more photos and commentary by Madeleine and Robert on their Facebook page. Photo provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography. Used by permission. |
To see more of Robert Carlson and Madeleine LeClerc’s progress with their Fort Collin’s Makeover horses please follow them on their facebook page. If you have any questions I’m sure both Robert and Madeleine would be glad to answer them. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806
Since this is Adoption week. I also want to remind my readers that both of these wonderful Mustangs will be auctioned for adoption at the Fort Collins Mustang Makeover event. You can find out more about all of the Mustang Heritage Foundation activities and dates including the Extreme Mustang Makeover event in the Fall by checking out their official website: http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/
A portion of the proceeds of this painting will go to the Mustang Heritage Foundation
You can see all the Fort Collins Makeover Art on Fine Art America : http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/llmartin+fort+collins/all
Wonderful job Linda!!! Madi will be very excited to see this one!!
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