Post by hitchinpost on Aug 2, 2007 15:02:00 GMT -8
I THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING www.clifftiptonhercules.blogspot.com/
ERDA, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Horse trainers really have to know what they're doing to train a wild mustang. But three trainers from Utah are among one hundred across the country taking part in a competition called the "Extreme Mustang Makeover." It's sponsored through the Mustang Heritage Foundation, and $25,000 in prize money is up for grabs.
Cliff Tipton of Erda is one of the trainers accepted to take on the challenge of calming a wild spirit. He named the horse he was assigned "Hercules" because of his size...1300-1400 pounds. "When I got close to this guy for the first few times, all I could think was 'Man, this is a big horse,'" Tipton said.
He's the biggest horse he's ever trained. Tipton has been working with Hercules since early June when he picked him up near Reno, Nevada. (The horse is originally from the Warm Springs herd from an area near Winnemucca, Nevada.) In his training sessions, Tipton shows Hercules everything he's going to do with him first. That keeps him calm when the saddle actually goes on.
He rewards Hercules with a pat on the head when he does well, and the horse has really come to trust him. But that doesn't mean he isn't skittish. Putting a saddle on an animal that isn't used to being confined is touchy.
"Now I'm going to ask him to just casually move off for me," Tipton says as he shows us parts of the training. Hercules gets a little jumpy as he feels the cinch of the saddle around his midsection. "This way he starts to feel it. He might get a little anxious there and that's okay, I'll let him just move off and feel it. I've got that back cinched maybe a little snugger than he's used to."
Herc gradually works into it, and is even getting used to having a bit in his mouth. Tipton is firm, and doesn't let him get away with bad behavior. "He gets nervous, and that's okay," Tipton says. "We'll allow him to be nervous but we won't allow him to be totally stupid."
Tipton is just now able to get up on the saddle. They'll go to Fort Worth, Texas for the competition on September 22nd. They'll be judged on the mustang's calmness, obedience, and ability to walk or trot through obstacles.
After the contest, the horses will go up for adoption to the highest bidder, and because Tipton has grown so fond of Hercules, he's hoping to place the winning bid and bring his mustang back home for good.
Nearly 29,000 Mustangs roam federal lands across the country. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the BLM oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 216,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.
Horses between the ages of 3 and 6 years old are typically selected from the herds for adoption, while older horses are placed on privately-held pasture lands to live out their normal lives. However, some horses aged 11 or older or that have been passed over for adoption three times can be sold, according to a law passed by Congress in 2004. Since that time, the BLM has worked with livestock owners and ranchers to encourage the purchase of this population of horses.
For many mustang adopters, having the opportunity to own a horse with a storied past and an unconventional upbringing brings a unique element to their relationship with the animal.
For more on mustangs or the "Extreme Mustang Makeover," visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.com.
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ERDA, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Horse trainers really have to know what they're doing to train a wild mustang. But three trainers from Utah are among one hundred across the country taking part in a competition called the "Extreme Mustang Makeover." It's sponsored through the Mustang Heritage Foundation, and $25,000 in prize money is up for grabs.
Cliff Tipton of Erda is one of the trainers accepted to take on the challenge of calming a wild spirit. He named the horse he was assigned "Hercules" because of his size...1300-1400 pounds. "When I got close to this guy for the first few times, all I could think was 'Man, this is a big horse,'" Tipton said.
He's the biggest horse he's ever trained. Tipton has been working with Hercules since early June when he picked him up near Reno, Nevada. (The horse is originally from the Warm Springs herd from an area near Winnemucca, Nevada.) In his training sessions, Tipton shows Hercules everything he's going to do with him first. That keeps him calm when the saddle actually goes on.
He rewards Hercules with a pat on the head when he does well, and the horse has really come to trust him. But that doesn't mean he isn't skittish. Putting a saddle on an animal that isn't used to being confined is touchy.
"Now I'm going to ask him to just casually move off for me," Tipton says as he shows us parts of the training. Hercules gets a little jumpy as he feels the cinch of the saddle around his midsection. "This way he starts to feel it. He might get a little anxious there and that's okay, I'll let him just move off and feel it. I've got that back cinched maybe a little snugger than he's used to."
Herc gradually works into it, and is even getting used to having a bit in his mouth. Tipton is firm, and doesn't let him get away with bad behavior. "He gets nervous, and that's okay," Tipton says. "We'll allow him to be nervous but we won't allow him to be totally stupid."
Tipton is just now able to get up on the saddle. They'll go to Fort Worth, Texas for the competition on September 22nd. They'll be judged on the mustang's calmness, obedience, and ability to walk or trot through obstacles.
After the contest, the horses will go up for adoption to the highest bidder, and because Tipton has grown so fond of Hercules, he's hoping to place the winning bid and bring his mustang back home for good.
Nearly 29,000 Mustangs roam federal lands across the country. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the BLM oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 216,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.
Horses between the ages of 3 and 6 years old are typically selected from the herds for adoption, while older horses are placed on privately-held pasture lands to live out their normal lives. However, some horses aged 11 or older or that have been passed over for adoption three times can be sold, according to a law passed by Congress in 2004. Since that time, the BLM has worked with livestock owners and ranchers to encourage the purchase of this population of horses.
For many mustang adopters, having the opportunity to own a horse with a storied past and an unconventional upbringing brings a unique element to their relationship with the animal.
For more on mustangs or the "Extreme Mustang Makeover," visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.com.
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