ADOPTED WILD MUSTANG FESTIVAL

Horse clinic in the morning, Extreme Mustang Makeover Contestants show off their Mustangs at noon, and Fun Horse Show in the afternoon. Join us with your horse or without. Everyone is welcome. Come experience America’s Mustang.

http://www.adoptedwildmustangfestival.com

ADOPTED WILD MUSTANG FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2009
Pittsboro, North Carolina

"Team Iceman"

It was a big day for Iceman today. Dave, Eric, and Yvonne all spent some time working with him. Leading.......leading......and more leading. Sometimes, it was kinda hard to tell who was leading who, but as you can see...Woody was right there the whole time just cheering Iceman on. :)

Local National Wild Horse Adoption Day Event

Wild Horse Advocates Set 1,000 Horse and Burro Adoption Goal

Fort Worth, Texas, July 1 -- Wild horse and humane animal advocacy groups from across the nation are joining forces for a single cause: to encourage the American public to consider and act on the adoption of a wild horse or burro. A goal of 1,000 adoptions has been set for the first National Wild Horse Adoption Day to be held September 26, 2009.

Local wild horse advocates and fans can take advantage of National Wild Horse Adoption Day by attending an event September 19 & 20, 2009 at The Wild West Extravaganza in Pahrump, NV. The National Wild Horse Association will have gentled horses available at the event on a first come first served basis both days.

Nearly 33,000 mustangs roam federal lands across the West. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the Bureau of Land Management oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 220,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.

Horses between the ages of 1 and 6 years old are typically selected from the herds for adoption, but a horse of any age can fit into the right farm or ranch. For many mustang adopters, having the opportunity to work with a horse or burro with a storied past and an unconventional upbringing brings a unique and special element to their relationship.

The groups supporting National Wild Horse Adoption Day, in addition to the BLM and NWHA, include Wild Horses 4 Ever, the American Horse Protection Association, the Mustang Heritage Foundation and The Humane Society of the United States.

The goal of 1,000 horses adopted through a National Adoption Day program could create a savings of more than $1,500,000 for the BLM and the American taxpayer.

For more information on events or how to volunteer, go to nationalwildhorseadoptionday.org, nwha.us or call The National Wild Horse Association at 702.452.5853.

Iceman Update 8/25/09

Iceman is doing great. He and Woody are still sharing their area and are enjoying each others friendship. They spend most of their day exploring the turnout and sharing meals together, but sometimes can play a bit rough....unfortunately for Iceman, his color shows the scrapes and scratches alot more. Iceman is coming along pretty good. Our project manager, Eric, has a great team of folks working with Iceman on a fairly regular basis, and they are helping out tremendously with socialization and other basics of the gentling process. Iceman's recent escape seems to have cause a slight setback with his progress, as he is again hesistant to have anyone in his stall and try to make contact with him. But, once you have the end of the rope, he knows he has been caught and work can continue on as normal. Hopefully before too long, we will be able to lead Iceman further across the property and he can explore and experience new territory.

Escape!

On Saturday, Iceman had a chance to break out of his area and explore new territory. When Dave arrived before 7 AM at the ranch, Iceman's gate was open. A few minutes later, Dave spotted Iceman. He hung out by the bungalows, then he was spotted by the boarder pasture, then someone caught site of him by Mesquite trees, and then finally he made his way back to his area, and Dave and Felipe were able to get him back to his stall. Unfortunately, we have no pictures of Iceman's escape...but luckily, he is still wearing his fly mask :)

Iceman Update 8/14/09

Nice breeze today, cooled things down to what felt like 90 degrees. Sharil got in the ring today and spent some time with Iceman. They got to know each other a little better and Sharil enjoyed grooming and brushing his mane. Eric worked some more with his face, trying to work out those kinks. Iceman spent the rest of his time with his pal, Woody. :) Hope you enjoy the photos of Iceman's August 14th adventure.

Go Wild!!

Go Wild on September 26th for National Wild Horse Adoption Day!

Maybe its the first time a whiskered nose brushes your hand,

or the slight twitch of a muscle as he stands,

but when a Mustang allows you to become part of its world

you know the bond is more than you expected.

It's a trust that can't be defined.

And even better...It's America's REAL horse.

Rugged. Earthy. Authentic. Legendary.

Our local National Adoption Day event will be through the National Wild Horse Association and will be held in Pahrump, Nevada during the Wild West Extravaganza on September 19th and 20th.

Sept 19th, 2009 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Sept 20th, 2009 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

For more information:

National Wild Horse Association

www.nwha.us

National Adoption Day

www.adoptawildhorse.com

Yvonne and Iceman

Hello everyone! It was a great day at the ranch today. Lots of boarders, new visitors, and volunteers were out taking advantage of our "cooler" weather and we managed to get lots of work done. If you are ever in the Las Vegas area and feel like lending a helping hand and don't mind getting dirty, then stop on by...we can always use the help. :)

Yvonne and Iceman spent some quality time together today. Eric has primarily been working with Iceman, but its great to have others who are interested lending helping hands as well. The more interaction and socializing Iceman recieves means that his progress will move along that much better. Well, today Yvonne stepped up to the plate and worked with some leading. Iceman seems to be warming up to Yvonne nicely and the two of them should make a great duo.

Also, Woody and Iceman are still "stallmates" and spent all day together. They are definitely a great match.

Iceman Update 8/4/09

It was a peaceful and quiet Tuesday out at the ranch today. Even though it was 110 degrees, it was not completely unbearable due to some cloud cover and a light breeze.

Eric spent some time with Iceman today and made some great progress. Iceman has been coming along wonderfully as you know, but he is still quite head shy. Once you make contact, you can rub him down from the neck to tail and down to his hooves, but if you get near his ears or nose its a different story. Eric's main focus today was working out those kinks. He used his impromptu "carrot stick" and rubbed Iceman all over the face. After some resistance, Iceman soon settled down and Eric managed to slowly shorten the length of the stick and started rubbing his nose slowly. It's a good start, and hopefully soon we can leave that shyness behind us.

On a different note, Iceman and Woody are becoming the best of friends. They are spending more and more time together in the same stall, just keeping each other company. Once they have had their fill of hanging out, Iceman still wanders over to check out whats going on with his buddies, Poker and Seemore. Like I have said before, its so great to see Iceman interacting and socializing with other horses. Its a sign that he is settling in and becoming more comfortable with his new surroundings.

Iceman Update 8/2/09

Great day with Iceman today! Eric handed over the rope today to Shiloh Regulars/Volunteers, Yvonne and Patricia. They went over the basics, quirks, and game plan, but most importantly...the focus. Yvonne and Patricia did a wonderful job handling Iceman and working with him. Yvonne worked with some leading and socializing first, then Patricia stepped in and finished off with some grooming and socializing. It's nice to have others on the same page so that the progress can happen faster. Out at Shiloh, everyone is there on their free time, so unfortunately not everyone can be there every day. Before too long, we may be lucky enough to have somebody working with Iceman during most days of the week.

On a different note, Iceman now has a stallmate of sorts. A few gates down is Woody, another Shiloh horse who is available for adoption. We have been keeping his gate open as well to allow him to move freely back and forth from the attached turnout area. Iceman and Woody seem to be getting along great and enjoying each others company. Today, they spent alot of time together in the same stall sharing their breakfast. Its so awesome to see them interacting! :)