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June 03, 2019
This blog will go in reverse order from the beginning, through Justice's progress: Current information on top. Scroll to the bottom to start from the beginning.
Don Jessop is taking Carolyn step by step through the process to tame and bond and instill boundaries with her horse Justice the Mustang.
Shona riding Justice the mustang. He looks pretty tame.
Justice the mustang reacts less and comes forward when he is feeling the rope better.
Don applies pressure to Justice the mustang, he lets the rope slide while keeping the pressure on, when Justice the mustang comes forward he releases himself. Don repeats this again and again. Until the reaction is less and less.
Don Jessop loops the rope through a blocker slip tie.
Don helps Justice the mustang to understand that tieing is all about feeling pressure and coming forward.
Don Jessop applies pressure with flag and releases the pressure as soon as Justice the mustang comes forward.
Don Jessop preparing Justice the mustang for tie training.
Someone has been playing in the dirt
Justice the mustang standing on the tarp.
Carolyn drags the tarp behind Justice the mustang.
Carolyn checks that Justice the mustang remembers about the tarp. Looking good.
I can see us flying together. Running wild and free. Justice the mustang sees Julia Lauany Duarte's vision.
I love this intimate moment with Julia Lauany Duarte and Justice the mustang.
Justice the mustang getting the idea of driving with Carolyn.
Carolyn asks Justice the mustang for a nice stop.👍
Carolyn driving Justice the mustang. 👍
A good place to finish our session. Justice the mustang did great.👍
The ultimate. Justice the mustang gets the idea, I can hold the ropes in one hand and follow along after him. Oh yeah, baby.
Justice the mustang gets open forward hands to encourage him to walk forward. Nice job.
Justice the mustang gets the idea to go forward as I release the pressure.👍
Justice the mustang being asked to walk forward with the front line, while the backline wraps around his body.
Neat to see Justice the mustang able to stay calm with ropes around his body.👍
Trying to be as clear as possible for Justice the mustang. I hold one line and make sure the other line is not giving mixed signals.
Asking Justice the mustang to follow a feel with two lines. That is a tricky/restrictive feeling.
Justice the mustang follows the rope all the way around to find me again.👍
Throwing the rope around Justice the Mustang. I like that he is watching but accepting.👍
I check out how Justice the mustang handles the rope throw over his head. Looks pretty good.
Rachel pats Justice the mustang, ready for another session.
Justice the mustang checking out the teeter-totter.
Justice the mustang made huge progress and gets rewarded by Don.
Justice the mustang starts to slow down and realize the tarp will not eat him.
Justice the mustang not sure if his back feet should be anywhere near the tarp.
Justice the mustang investigates the tarp.
Justice the mustang does not think it is a good idea to step on the tarp. Don asks him to follow the halter and Justice gets a release when he does.
Justice the mustang sniffs the tarp.
Don asks Justice the mustang to carry the tarp.
Justice the mustang with the tarp on his back.
Don puts Justice the mustang back into position and rubs the tarp over him again.
Justice the mustang did not like the tarp over his hind end. Don brings his head towards him to stay safe.
Justice the mustang running with the herd.
Don rubs the tarp all the way down Justice the mustangs side.
Don starts to rub the tarp on Justice the mustang's side.
Justice the mustang gets a big rub on the head and Don takes the tarp away to reward him allowing it.
Justice the mustang's reaction when he doesn't like something is to pull back. Don waits steadily until Justice comes off the pressure.👍
Is Don teaching Justice the mustang Levade?
Don starts to rub Justice the mustangs nose with the tarp.
Justice the mustang sniffs the tarp. Yes, good start.
Don helps Justice the mustang follow the tarp and look at it.
Justice the mustang meets the tarp for the first time
Carolyn hanging out with Paisley and Justice the mustang.
Carolyn now asks Justice the mustang to hop on the trailer.
Carolyn now asks Justice the mustang to hop on the trailer.
Justice the mustang jumps out of the trailer. Well done👍
Justice the mustang turns around and gets a big reward and a pat from Don Jessop. Very nice.👍
Giving some love this Valentines Day to all of you from us and Freedom and Justice the mustang.💖
Justice the mustang gets the idea and this time steps all the way into the trailer on his own.
Justice the mustang decides to step up into the trailer.
Justice the mustang tries looking at the trailer and lifting his leg.
Don asks Justice the mustang to go forward again. Justice moves towards Don instead. Don rewards Justice for moving away from him.
Don asks Justice the mustang go into the trailer. Justice steps back and pulls on the line then comes forward. Nice.
Freedom the mustang checks out the surrounding area before going back in for more hay.
Freedom and Justice the mustang meet over hay.
Justice the mustang tries different ideas, Don always rewards him for trying in the right direction. Nice 👍
Don Jessop stays clear and calm. Justice the mustang says I can not look at the trailer, watch Justice's his body language as he says no.
Don asks Justice the mustang to put his nose over toward the trailer. Justice pushes his nose the other way from where Don wants it. Don keeps steady and then Justice moves over.
Justice the mustang decides it is a better idea to walk over to the trailer and he gets rewarded with a break.
Don clearly asks Justice the mustang to move over to his left. Justice is asking do you really mean it as he moves in the opposite direction.
Don rubs Justice the mustang with the flag.
Don Jessop picks up the flag and asks Justice the mustang to move away from its pressure. Can you see in the last picture Justice's body language how he leans back against/into the pressure?
Don asks Justice the mustang out of the trailer again, he goes more smoothly.
Don asks Justice the mustang to get back in the trailer again. It is good to repeat.
Justice the mustang gets a little stuck backing out of the trailer, but he makes it and Don gives him a big break.
Don Jessop asks Justice the mustang to take a step back in the trailer when he does Don then he stops and rewards him.
Don Jessop give Justice the mustang a pat and some hang out time in the trailer.👍
Justice the mustang says yes to Don Jessop. I love it when a plan comes together.👍
Sometimes a horse will say no. Justice the mustang is saying no to Don asking him to follow the rope and move forward. Sometimes you have to persist until you get a yes. Don did it!
Don Jessop asks Justice the mustang to try and follow the feel of the rope. He gets a big reward and release when he does.👍
Justice the mustang came forward off the feel of the rope.👍
Don Jessop asking Justice the mustang to follow the steady feel of the rope forward.
Carolyn gives Justice the mustang a clear direction with her hand and helps him back out of the trailer. Well done.
Carolyn asks Justice the mustang to back out of the trailer. This can be very intimidating.
Carolyn asks Justice the mustang back into the trailer. Good to repeat this many times.
Paisley showing Justice the mustang, that it is ok in the trailer😀
Justice the mustang taking a break after being in the trailer. Paisley the photobomber is helping out too. She loves to be in on all the action.
Justice the mustang was hot on Carolyn's heals jumping out of the trailer. A little too close for comfort.
Carolyn gives Justice the mustang a pat while he is in the trailer.
Justice the mustang turns around on his own in the trailer.
Justice the mustang sniffs the trailer while inside. This is a good thing.👍
Justice the mustang got into the trailer so quick I missed getting a photo of it. He did it😀👍
Justice the mustang snifts the trailer. Carolyn asks him to think about stepping in.
Carolyn gives Justice the mustang a pat from inside the trailer. Looking nice and relaxed.
Carolyn asks Justice the mustang to sniff the trailer. 👍
Come on Justice the mustang, we can do this.
The big day, tailer loading. Don Jessop gives Carolyn a pep talk before asking Justice the mustang to load into the trailer for the first time since arriving.
Happy 50th Birthday Carolyn. Carolyn's daughter came to visit her Mum from Beirut, Lebanon for her birthday. Brooke got the meet Justice the Mustang and the rest of the family.
Justice the mustang shows you one way of changing sides while ponying. This requires that the horse you are riding can turn out of the way. Very nice.
Asking both horses to stop together. This takes a while to get good. Lots of practice helps.
Justice the mustang gets a good rub and break. This is a lot of mental work.
Justice the mustang is ponying in the perfect spot, not too far forward and not too far back. Looking good. 👍
Justice the mustang ponying in motion. He is doing well.
I take a steady hold on the line, asking Justice the mustang to move his feet first, then we move together with slack in the line
Now we put our training to the test ponying. We get all our ropes organized and hurry up and relax.
Justice the mustang getting a big break. He did a great job👍.
Justice the mustang learns how to lead on the other side. 👍
Justice the mustang gets the idea of trotting beside me. We trot together in time for a short distance, then a big reward for his effort. He is doing so well.👍
Justice the mustang and I start to move together in time 😀
Asking Justice the mustang to move forward. Rewarding and moving with him after he moves his feet.
I ask Justice the mustang to walk forward beside me. He gets a big release when he does.
Now Justice the mustang has leading from in front better, we need to help him with Leading from beside. First just getting him into position and relax and rub.
Justice the mustang learning to follow the pressure better. Well done. We want this really good for ponying👍
One of the most helpful things to teach a horse is leading. Can I apply pressure on the line and they follow that steady hold? Justice the mustang does well on this ask.
Diamond and Justice the mustang, another day out ponying.
Justice the mustang is pretty tame for catching and leading.
Justice the mustang having a big day, getting into the stall to see inside the barn. He found it very scary, then he decided to try and get curious. Carolyn did a great job with Don Jessop's guidance. Well done a huge step.
Justice the Mustang being lead into a scary, shaded, horse eating stall in the barn. Or at least that is what Justice thinks.
Justice the Mustang really started to let loose and relax and enjoy his friends.
Carolyn Rae Maier grooming Justice the Mustang and they are both having fun!
Diamond accepting and bonding with Justice the Mustang.
Justice the Mustang Learning to handle the approach and touch of Bill ElmoreGreat job.
Justice the Mustang learning to handle other people and their energy approaching and rubbing. Kaile did a great job.
We would like to get Justice the Mustang out of the pen and into the field, but we have to be sure he is ok to be caught in a larger space and caught with different energy. Lots of repetition, come in and go away.
The vet said Justice the Mustang is not contagious, it is a fungal infection from the mudhole that he had been living in. And cuts he acquired from the stressful trailer loading experience. His immune system went down. He is already on the mend and relaxing in his new home. Here is Carolyn giving him his daily betadine bath.
The vet came out and was surprised how good Justice the Mustang was at letting him approach and check out his skin infection. He didn't think we could get a hair sample, but Karrie was able to rub and pluck a few hairs at a time until they had enough. Waiting for results and in the meantime will be using betadine steroid solution.
Justice the Mustang started to break out with a skin infection. It was very itchy for him and spread quickly. Half of this was a blessing in disguise as he wanted to be itched and around humans, the other half was a little scary, what is it, why is it spreading so quickly, where did it come from...
What an honor it is to say 'We are Friends'. Respect and trust have to be earned. Carolyn has earned and continues to earn it!
Carolyn asks Justice the Mustang to come to her and Success!
Carolyn getting the dreads out of Justice the Mustangs mane. There was a lot of conditioner and brushing. Way to go team clean up Justice!
Carolyn introducing Justice the mustang to brushes. These will be your friends.
Cava the Kitten, Mustang trainer, doing his job with Justice.
When scratching just gets better and better...
It is nice to spend lots of quality time with your horse. Carolyn does this really well with Justice the Mustang.
Now the halter is on. Carolyn asks, can you please follow a feel Justice the Mustang? The answer...
This is a funny photo. Pauli saying "What did you say". Cute expression.
Pauli saying Hi to Justice the Mustang. 'Hi, I think I really like you." How do you like to say hi?
I like these pictures of Justice the Mustang hanging with his friends. He is really relaxed.👍
Justice the Mustang has a word for you. TODAY IS A GOOD DAY!
Incredible photo's of Karrie and Justice, grooming and bonding. There are hours and hours of time involved to create a great bond. Well done Carolyn Rae Maier
Practice takes time. Lots of halter on and off with Justice the Mustang. These are beautiful photo's of Carolyn Rae Maier.
What can I say... Justice the Mustang gets kitten training. So cute.😍
Don guiding Carolyn to take the halter on and off and ask Justice the Mustang to follow a feel.
Don guiding Carolyn to help Justice the Mustang learn to follow a feel.
Don pretends he is the horse and Carolyn just got the halter on. Don explains what to do in various situations that could arise while leading a wild Mustang on its first halter experiences. Very exciting!
Don Jessop sets Carolyn and Justice up for feeling the halter. Carolyn takes the halter and rubs Justice the Mustang with it. Trying to help him to see it as a friendly thing.
Don instructs Carolyn on how to Introduce Justice the Mustang to bailing twine. Carolyn rubs the string all over him to get him used to its feel and having it around his face as a halter might be.
Huge Day, Removing the 'BLM' registration tag from around Justice's neck! He is now owned and loved! The Mustang has a home!
Carolyn Rae Maier and Justice spend more time together. Carolyn Rae Maier is rubbing and loving on him.
First contact with Carolyn. Justice the Mustang made the decision to be curious about humans. That is a huge honor! Very exciting to have a Mustang want to touch you.
Justice the Mustang is getting curious about humans!
Carolyn Rae Maier helps affirm for Justice the Mustang, facing and handling humans in close proximity.
Don helps Justice the Mustang learn to face a human and get rewarded for it. This is all done slowly using phycology and reward. Justice catches on quickly.
A very happy Carolyn Rae Maier Justice safe and home. Justice the mustang is very happy in his shelter, with food, despite the rain.
Justice the Mustang made it home safely! He seemed to know life was only going to get better from here. He stood quietly and took in his surroundings, ate some hay. With soft encouragement, he got out of the trailer, not too quickly and ate some more hay. Our horses were very excited to meet a new herd mate.
After getting Justice the Mustang into the trailer they are starting their journey home. Also, this is Carolyn's first time driving the trailer with a horse loaded in the back.
Here is Justice at the facility moving towards the trailer. Although this is a beautiful photo of him, he was very scared while being pushed through the shoots towards and into the trailer.
Loading Justice the Mustang, did not go smoothly, Karrie was upset when she called me after watching the BLM’s attempts at loading Justice, the Mustang. It was not going well, Karrie was frustrated and heartbroken, the BLM had tried loading Justice half a dozen times. Justice was scared and his flight instinct was so heightened he was attempting to jump over the panels and was crashing head first into the fences in a blind panic. He could not find his way into the trailer. Finally, they listened to Karrie and Bill’s suggestion of repositioning the trailer and shoot to help him see more clearly where to go. At last, he was in the trailer and the relief was huge. On the way home they hit pelting rain and hail for a couple of hours, Karrie could only imagine how terrified Justice was in the trailer.
Karrie and Bill on their way to pick up Justice. Carolyn driving the truck and trailer for the second time ever. Go Carolyn Rae Maier!
Justice hanging out at the BLM waiting to be adopted.
The decision was made, Justice the Mustang was chosen. Now just figuring out when to pick him up and bring him home.
There were a lot of Mustangs to look at. Trying to decide was difficult as the few that Carolyn Rae Maier liked had a roadblock, one was too small (13 hands), one had scars and bumps on his legs, one was going to another sale and not available. Don Jessop Mastery Horsemanship helped Carolyn Rae Maier to see the horse for its nature and try. Justice was closest to Carolyn Rae Maier in this picture and stopped first and turned to look first. A very sweet nature, with a lot of try. It was difficult to make a clear decision and the brand inspector and vet were waiting on Carolyn Rae Maier. Make a decision or we are going to leave. The pressure was too much and we advised waiting, as this is a big decision and you do need it to feel right and find the right horse for you. On the drive home, Carolyn Rae Maier got to drive the empty truck and trailer for the first time on the highway.
It all starts with an idea. Carolyn Rae Maier wanted a Mustang. Don Jessop Mastery Horsemanship decided to help her make that dream a reality. So Carolyn Rae Maier and Don Jessop Mastery Horsemanship and Bill Elmoreheaded up to Wyoming, an eight-hour trip one way, to look at the Mustangs.
Mastery Horsemanship
1730 Sutherland Lane
Corivallis MT 59828
406-360-1390
10-4pm M-F Mountain Time (MT)
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