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The second day started out slowly. We hadn't any clear idea at first how the initial gentling would go and sorting the weanlings was starting to take longer than we expected. The best we could do was two animals at a time, one in the round pen and one in the square pen. We introduced some problem solving with some of the older horses which were brount in for that purpose, but most of the mentors wanted to get their hands on some weanlings.
We appointed Cher Eastep as Drill Sergeant and she started logging the horses. Some of them had been adopted by mentors and we wanted to get them assigned to their adopters and handled right away. We formed handling groups in hopes of having people follow specific horses and rotate through the trainers, but this proved to be an unworkable strategy. By the afternoon, however, some horses were being handled by the mentors and the pace was picking back up.
On the third day we set up an obstacle course near the announcer's stand and demonstrated and practiced Learn-Learn techniques with some older horses which had been brought in by their owners while the last of the yearlings were being initially worked. Some of the adopted horses were being worked by their adopters and handling groups. Dennis Bright started his safery program. We found this simultaneous activity format to be more workable as people who weren't handing yearlings could migrate to the other activities and participate as their interests dictated.
Hue Simpson came back and did some more TTeamwork and focus training on the problem older horses as well as some of the yearlings.
The yearling work was moving pretty well at this point. The BLM wranglers, who were pretty skeptical at first, seemed to be getting into the swing of things. Throughout the program they were very helpful, but they seemed to be getting more relaxed with the goings on and being surrounded by a couple dozen "greenhorns."
Some of the yearlings were getting calm enough that they could be worked outside the BLM adoption corrals. Before the end of the day, some of the simpler obstacles had been moved into the arena and the young horses were exploring them and going through or over them, as the case may be. It was quite a sight to see a former wild horse quietly walking over a blue plastic tarp!
Wednesday night we had a correct trimming and horseshoeing symposium conducted by AFA Journeyman Farrier Danny Love. This seemed to be a popular feature as few people wanted to leave the covered barn when the formal presentation ended.
By Wednesday, mother nature was also cooperating, bringing sunny skies and afternoon breezes which were typical of September weather in Antioch.
Willis teaching LC (Quincy) to
stand quietly for the shoer
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