"Looking to the Future" Challenge Painting #111 Madeliene and Tango

"Looking to the Future"
Madeleine LeClerc and Tango
8 by 10 inch Watercolor
by Linda L Martin

On May 13^th 2011 R&M Mustang Program announced that since they started making over Mustangs in 2010, they have helped adopt out 20 Mustangs. On June 13^th They will add two more to the list when Tango and Watson are offered for adoption at the Fort Collins Mustang Makeover.

Tonight’s painting is  called: “Looking to the Future”

This post was scheduled for Tuesday, May 17th. However due to violent spring thunder storms it was posted on 5/18/11

The very poignant thing about Amy Spivey’s reference photo  is that Madeleine and Tango have bonded together so tightly that Tango’s complete attention is on Madeleine. He is poised and waiting to see what she will request of him next. There is an important bond of trust there that will take this young mustang very far. Teaching a horse what is what and how to use his body is only part of it. The trust is what will make the horse excel and move into the future with every option of potential at his feet. Every thing a trainer and coach tries to do is to build that trust between horse and rider and to make them into a formidable and unflappable team. Both Tango and Watson are ready to move to that next level, still green and still experience and polish that time will give.. but they are ready to begin. The persons who adopt these two will be getting special horses indeed.

Robert Carlson and his new  Supreme Extreme
Makeover Mustang at the May 13th Clinic on
How to Start your Mustang.
Photo used by permission.

New Beginnings:

Friday May 13^th was  a new beginning. Lots of new beginnings with these mustang Trainers. That morning Madeleine LeClerc and Robert Carlson picked up their three Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover horses that will be exhibited in competition in September.  This time there are a few twists in the training program.

First of all they adopted these three mustangs outright. And they are beautiful! Robert’s horse is an awesomely built athletic black horse from Tobin Range HMA in North West Nevada. This beautiful spirited horse comes from one of the most isolated HMAs and is as wild as a mustang can be. He is presenting all sorts of challenges. However, he is making progress with each day that passes.

Madeleine’s horse is a sweet faced beauty of a roan mare also from Nevada. She is progressing nicely. However I think the surprise horse is the amazing chestnut mare they bid on at the last moment. This little mare is very desensitized to humans and according to Madeleine it only took 5 min to teach her to lead.

I think that knowing where the wild horse comes from is very important when adopting a mustang. It helps a lot to talk with people who have adopted from that HMA.  Horses in the more accessible HMA’s have some knowledge of humans and are sometimes less frightened and trust easier in training.



Madeleine LeClerc on
Tango, prepping for the
Ft Collins Makeover
Photo used by permission.



So now Madeleine and Robert are on their way to competing with these three horses in The Supreme Mustang Makeover, after 4 months of training they will compete for prizes worth $50,000. Pretty awesome!

But here is the really cool thing: Starting on May 13^th R&M Mustang Program held the first in a series of monthly Clinics to show people how to start and train their Mustangs.  These are open to the public and have a reasonable fee associated with the participation. You can come, see how the training is done and it will not only help you understand and overcome the challenges in handling a  wild horse, but it will give  you a information you can even use with your domestic horses as well. 

Here are the next 4 Clinics being hosted by R&M Performance Horses:

Supreme Extreme Clinic 2 - Leadership and Body Control   June 25^th

Supreme Extreme Clinic 3- Controlling the Body Under Saddle Pt. 2   July 16^th

Supreme Extreme Clinic 4 - Confronting Obstacles   August 13^th

Supreme Extreme Clinic 5 - Advanced Maneuvers  September 10^th

To Find out more about the clinics and to follow all the Mustangs currently in training you can go to  the R&M Mustang Program on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/rmmustangprogram

Just word of caution:

If you have never trained or worked around a horse before, a few sessions of a clinic will not give you the experience you need to handle a wild horse safely and humanely. It is always advisable to have a professional do the ground work and guide you through the process for the sake of the horse as well as your safety. Madeleine and Robert are not only experienced horsemen and trainers who have worked with domestic horses of many different breeds, they are also approved TIP trainers for wild horses through the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Madeleine is also an experienced riding instructor and coach. Both Robert and Madeleine have excelled in a variety of Horse disciplines on all levels. If you want a wild horse,  Experienced Trainers like Robert and Madeleine are the kind of winning combination you need to get the most out of your mustang.

Photography  Provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography for the Mustang A Day Challenge.

Please check out their page and photography Specials. Amy Spivey of Lightning Bug Creek Photography will be at R&M Performance Mustang Clinics and also the Ft Collins Extreme Mustang Make over event  You can contact her through her  Facebook page prior to the events for photographic services. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/LBCPhotography

"Night Riders" with Robert and Watson Challenge Painting #106



This week with Watson(Robert Carlson) and Tango (Madeleine LeClerc)  We have a painting of Robert and Watson.



"A Very Useful Horse"

8 by 9 inch watercolor
By Linda LMartin



In an effort to  steadily work toward the Ft Collins Makeover where both horses will be up for adoption. Team R&M Performance Horses Spent some serious time doing a variety of activities under the lights.  Not only did they bring the two Ft Collins horses, they also brought several horses in  different levels of training including one of their new TIP horses and Their Tennesee Extreme Makeover winner Artista.

In-sync
Photo by Amy Spivey
Used by permission

Because Makeover  events are held underlights in an areana with strange people and horses, its important especially to aclimatized the horses to  noises and lights and of course the shadows that make every thing normal in daylight seem frightening to some horses. Night work become as much play time as it was serious work.



Saddling up
Photo by Amy Spivey
Lighning Bug Creek Photography
Used by Permission



To read more about Robert and Madeleine and their Ft Collins Makeover Horses training for the June event go to their Facebook Page for 2011 CO Mustang Makeover with R&M Performance

The amazing reference photo and the photograhy on this page are provided by Amy Spivey of Lightning Bug Creek Photography. I found out earlier that she is running a photography special for the month of May. Amy is a very special photographer in that she is able to capture the passion and the intimacy in each shot she shares.

Lowering the Head
Photo by Amy Spivey
Lighning Bug Creek Photography
Used by Permission

Please check out her page on facebook for more information about her photo special. She can do event  photos, portraits of children, landscapes and of course horse and animal portraits. As a mom, a horsewoman and a mustang owner she is uniquely qualified to bring her special charm to each photo she takes. And she will gladly accomodate groups.http://www.facebook.com/LBCPhotography

"Going for a Spin" with Robert and Watson Challenge Painting #96

Robert and Watson "Going for a Spin" 

Training for the Ft Collins Mustang Makeover

"Going For A Spin"
Robert Carlson and Watson
8 by 10 inch watercolor
by Linda L MarinArtist

Today’s painting features Robert and Watson and is based on a wonderful photo by Amy Spivey of Lightning Bug Creek Photography of Robert literally taking Watson for his first spin. What starts out as a warm up exercise to help the horse soften to turn in both directions will eventually  be able to work into a reining spin.

Taking a Mustang through the stages of training can be one adventure after another on a good day. But try  keeping to your training schedule when you are threatened with a tornado, hail and more severe weather than you can imagine and the treat of raging brush fires all in the same week.

Madeleine and Tango crossing the bridge.

The Last few weeks have been a steady  introduction of new things  and  consistent repetition  of  what the mustangs  Watson (Robert Carlson) And Tango ( Madeleine LeClerc) have learned.  Besides introducing the horses to all sorts of obstacles one would find on the trail, both horses have been trailered to different locations to be ridden in doors, outdoors , with strange horses and through strange obstacles and at one location through a stock tank.

Robert and Watson loping in full saddle and
cowboy halter.

The most dramatic location training session was when Robert was  riding Watson at a lope as a threatening storm loomed up. Through the high winds, a churning sky, and sirens, Robert rode Watson until Watson was calm and the two could end on a positive note.  This was probably not  what Robert had originally planned for this location training session, but it was definitely an opportunity to build more into to the partnership. Every opportunity must be taken to help the horse reach that level that requires a wild horse to trust the human  and build confidence in all situations.

To read a more detailed account of all the training activities of the  Madeline and Robert  log into facebook and  follow their daily updates on their Fort  Collins Makeover blog  page.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806

To see more of Amy Spivey’s wonderful Photography check in to her facebook page  for Lightning Creek Photography: http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806#!/LBCPhotography

 Photographs provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography. Used by permission.

"Lean On Me" Tango and Madeleine ~ Challenge Painting #92

 Fort Collins Makeover Horse Tango and Madeleine LeClerc:

At this point in the training both Madeleine LeClerc and Robert Carlson are consistent and repetitive, adding a little more activity to the horse to give it confidence and build a connection.  Every thing is serious work, but it is also fun for the horses. There is lots of affection and encouragement. Already they have both ridden their horses, led them through an obstacle course, ramped up their grooming by teaching them to pick up feet and yield their feet. And Both horses have had their first bath. These are just a few of the daily activities the two trainers from R&M Performance Horses have accomplished with their Fort Collins Colorado Makeover Horses.



Madeleine and Tango. In this photo Madeleine is
getting on and off Tango on the wrong side.
 Generally the proper side to mount is the left side.
 However, in an emergency or in the case of
someone who is unable to use their left foot
 to mount, it is helpful that the horse be trained
 to mount from both sides.

 One very important thing in the training of any horse is teaching it to feel comfortable receiving weight.  The horse should be quietly unconcerned and attentive to its handler whether that weight is just someone leaning on its neck, standing on its back, leaning across the saddle, or mounting on either side.  Really good trainers teach the horse how to accept weight very early on in the training. Not just the weight of someone sitting on their backs but weight that shifts, weight that pushes, weight that drags and weight that pulls. All of these aspects of training not only keep the horse safe  for those riders a little on the clumsy side, it also prepares the horse for all sorts of opportunities to partner with its rider on the trail,  in unexpected  pleasure riding activities and in work.



Robert  and Watson working
on mounting and dismounting.

 This painting "Lean on Me" shows Madeleine leaning with her arm on the saddle with the reins on either side. This is the first step to mounting alone. Through this exercise she stands with one foot in the stirrup, then actually sits in the saddle, then dismounts. Then repeats, sometimes getting on and off on the wrong side. Sometimes she standing with one foot in the stirrup, so that Tango becomes use to having someone high above him. 

You can follow Madeleine LeClerc's and Robert Carlson's  weekly training updates and more amazing photographs provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography documenting the training of their  Fort Collin's Makeover Horses Tango and Watson on their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806

Prints of this painting are availalbe for sale begining Wednesday of this week on http://www.fineartamerica.com/  Search LindaLMartinArtist

Reference Photography for this painting were provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography and used by permission.

"Just A Bit" Watson and Robert Carlson Painting #87

"Just A Bit"
Watson and Robert Carlson
8 by 10 inch watercolor
by Linda L Martin



Robert leads Watson using the halter while
Watson becomes comfortable with the bit.
Photo provided by Lightning Bug Creek Photography
Used by permission

 First the Saddles and then the bits. This painting shows Robert Carlson's Ft Collins Makeover Horse getting used to wearing a bit. it will be sometime before Watson is ridden using reins on the bit. In the mean time Robert will do a series of bending and give and take exercises to prepare Watson for  the full use of the bit.  He is currently riding Watson using his cowboy halter.

Madeleine and Tango.
Getting used to wearing his bit.
Photo provided by LightningBugCreek Photography
Used by permission

 Madeleine LeClerc’s horse for Ft Collins also has been Named. His name is Tango.  Both Madeleine and Robert will continue working with their horses  for response and suppleness beginning first riding in the cowboy type halter and later and very gradually but consistently transferring control through a bit In the horse’s mouth.

You can follow the training of Watson and Tango on the  R&M Performance Horse page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806