Tarora of The Sand Wash Basin Challenge Painting #86

The First of the Sand Wash Basin 2011 babies has been spotted.



"Tarora"
4.5 by 6 inch Watercolor
by Artist Linda L Martin



The newly named Tarora is the colt of Sophia from Centuaro's Band. Sophia did not produce a foal in 2010.  Sofia has been documented with Centuauro for her third spring.




Sofia with her new born colt, Tarora.
Sofia has been documented with Centuauro for her
third spring. Reference photo by Nancy Roberts,
 used by permission

 



Ready to Adopt Mustang Babies~ Challenge Painting #85

Adoptable Palomino Weanling
5.5 by 5.75 inches Watercolor
by LindaLMartinArtist

Gorgeous! Palomino Colt available for adoption.  Contact Tracey Westbury at Mustang U for more information on this special baby. tracey.mustangu@gmail.com.

Palamino colt ready for adoption/
Reference photo provided by Tracey Westbury.
Used by permission.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this painting benefit the work of Mustang U.

Ready to Adopt Mustang Babies~ Challenge Painting #84



Looking for Adoption Roan Filly
5.5 by 6.75 inch Watercolor
LindaLMartinArtist



Reference Photo provided by Tracey Westbury
Used with Permission

 Beautiful Roan Filly available for adoption.  Contact Tracey Westbury at Mustang U for more information on this special baby. tracey.mustangu@gmail.com.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this painting benefit the work of Mustang U.

Ready to Adopt Mustang Babies~ Challenge Painting #83



Adoptable Sorrel Colt
5.5 by 6.75 inches Watercolor
by LindaLMartinArtist



Reference photo by Tracey Westbury
Used by permission



 Beautiful Sorrel Colt available for adoption.  Contact Tracey Westbury at Mustang U for more information on this special baby. tracey.mustangu@gmail.com.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this painting benefit the work of Mustang U.

" I Will Follow You" Fort Collins Mustang Makeover ~ Challenge Painting #82

"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.

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.

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

Ready to Adopt Mustang Babies~ Challenge Painting #81



"Running Feather"
5 by 7 inch watercolor
by LindaLMartinArtist



Beautiful Pinto Colt avaiable for adoption.  Contact Tracey Westbury at Mustang U for more information on this special baby. tracey.mustangu@gmail.com.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this painting benifit the work of Mustang U.

"Lieutenant North Star" Kiger HMA A Happy Adoption~ Challenge Painting #80

Lieutenant North Star
Kiger HMA
8 by 10 inch Watercolor
by LindaLMartin

A Unique and Special Happy Adoption:

Lieutenant North Star or Lui, as  Lisa and Kevin Sink  affectionately call him, is just such a unique horse. He is one who will obey verbal directions but will not allow touch contact with a human.

In Lisa’s words:

"Lui was captured in 1999 as a 9 year old!!! He was the lieutenant stallion in a herd of about 20 mares. Kevin and I watched the herd and took pictures of them for two years. Attached is a picture of him in the wild. He is on the far right, the lead stallion out in front.
 

Lui refused to be gentled, outlasting Kevin every time in all their training sessions. Kevin and I decided to leave Lui in his wild state and he has been that way for 11 years now! He will not allow us to touch him but will listen to me when I  tell him he can go out to eat grass and tell him when he has to come back in. He loads in the trailer without a problem, we just back it up to his pen and tell him to kennel up. We can take him to an arena and let him run and roll. When it's time to put him back in the trailer, we tell him to kennel and he gets back in! He has been very special to us. Always reminding us of that wild spirit that still lives within him. “

Lisa and Kevin Sink have adopted over 35 Mustangs, are TIP trainers and have competed in Mustang Makeovers.