Melissa Bigler Horse Training LLC

11/04/2024

3 week update:

All I had to do was post that we were making millimeter progress to have a huge jump ahead yesterday and today. Everything up until yesterday was Juniper tolerating some contact, but not really participating. Acceptance, but just barely.

Yesterday started with Juniper acting especially feral and ended with curiosity and engagement! I believe this was likely one of many "extinction bursts" that she'll have. The short explanation of an extinction burst is when you are trying to change a behavior you get a burst of the undesirable behavior before it goes away or significantly lessens.

Today, she started off right where we ended yesterday and she ended today with a huge difference in her attitude, draw, and attention. Her uncomfortable personal space bubble shrunk significantly. I tried so hard not to push it because she was trying really hard and clearly had some huge mental breakthroughs. 🤎🤎🤎

We're going to have some wintery weather this week, so we'll see how that affects her willingness. 🤞

11/01/2024

🍑She is built!

Juniper is not the easiest Mustang to gain trust with but, we are still making progress every single day, so can't be upset by that. I still wholly believe once I can get a halter on her she will start making progress in miles instead of millimeters. The journey to get a halter on her is just taking longer than I anticipated.

I still walk up to her and pet her muzzle, but I'm shifting my focus a little bit to get her more used to humans being weird humans and that the things us weird humans do should mean nothing to her. She is getting more comfortable with me being all around her, swinging the stick around, walking around her on all sides and behind, approach and retreat on her whole body, etc.

10/28/2024

Juniper was so good today. We worked on getting her used to me spending more time on her left side as she heavily prefers to keep me in her right eye. Every time she did things right, she got a break to have a few bites of alfalfa mash. You can really see her long lashes in this video. She has Disney Princess eyes!

10/27/2024

Alfalfa mash is lip smacking good. 🤎💋

10/23/2024

Some clips and photos from Juniper's adoption day. 🤎🐎

10/23/2024

Don't get greedy! In the first 5 minutes of our session today, Juniper let me walk up to her and rub her nose 5 separate times and for a longer duration than yesterday. It's easy to want to ask for more and more, especially when you get more than yesterday in the first few minutes! Sometimes it's best to just let them simmer. So, Junie worked for 5 minutes today and then I hung out with her while she ate.
Quitting while you're ahead is how you keep a willing horse willing!

10/22/2024

"Wait, wait, wait... that's all you wanted? Ooohhhh..." - Juniper

Day 10, finally got first touch! After I rubbed her nose she processed for a minute and then decided I was cool and followed me over to the camera and then out of the roundpen. 🥰

10/20/2024

Juniper is making me work hard for every millimeter. Patience , skill, and focus.
This might look like first touch, but it is not. I could feel her breath on my hand and was grazing her whiskers. Any closer and she said "Absolutely not!✋️".
I don't think she is necessarily terrified of people, but all she has known of people is that when they're around she is supposed to move. So, we're working on a bit of reprogramming. She is smart, but fighting her instinct and prior knowledge to run.

10/18/2024

Yesterday, I was able to rub Juniper's face with the stick. Today was cold and windy with a cold front coming through. I think it put her a little on edge. Just happy we didn't lose progress.

10/16/2024

So, so close to touching with the stick.

10/16/2024

Closer and closer. Junie B is super cool. She is unfazed by just about everything going on around her. She's just curious about it all. I really think once I can touch her, and get a halter on her, progress will skyrocket. 🤞🤞 Hopefully soon, but I'm taking it at her pace. Slow steady progress.

10/14/2024

✨️Official Name Introduction✨️

I'd like to officially introduce you to Juniper, AKA "Junie B". 🤩 Her sponsor, Maggie Lambert, met her this morning and named her. I love it. I think it suits her perfectly.

Also, check out her trot! 😍

10/14/2024

Introducting tag 9439, still no name, but that will have to change soon because referring to her as "the mustang" just isnt cutting it. 🤣 She has had a good first full day at home. She's is a 6 year old mare from the Piceance-East Douglas HMA in Colorado. She spent 2 years in holding and I picked her up at her very first adoption event.

So cute. I cant wait to get closer photos of her eyes. Her eyelashes are amazing and she just looks like a big cuddly teddy bear. She seems very chill and interested in her surroundings. She's also notably shocked by the other horses actively looking for human interaction and you can see the puzzlement on her face. While still very unsure of me, we are making our way toward first touch. I've gotten 5 solid steps toward me and have spent time with her eating next to me while I sit on the ground by her gate.

She will be my 2025 Mustang Classic horse. Super excited to see what this next year brings. 🤎

I also have a ton of pictures and video from adoption day, I just need to find the time to sit down and edit it together.

10/12/2024

Bringing home my 2025 Mustang Classic mare today! More updates later!

10/09/2024

✨️Mustang Preparation Journey✨️

Video Title: We don't have a tractor 🤪

The pen is on track to be completed Friday. Possible Mustang pickup on Saturday!

It took us a little bit to figure out the best way to use this "one man auger", but I think we're doing pretty good! 🤣

https://gofund.me/087d6898

10/05/2024

✨️Mustang Preparation Journey✨️

A good husband is worth his weight in farm help. 🤪 We marked out all the post holes today. This week we rent an auger and get it done. 💪

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mustangs-help-build-their-safe-spaces

10/02/2024

✨️Mustang Preparation Journey✨️

I'm approved to adopt! I have 2 adoption events in mind this month. One is in Colorado and one in Wyoming.

Still building the Mustang pen and herding all the ducks in a row.

Really looking forward to competing next year at the Mustang Classic event and seeing everything this mustang and I can learn from each other over the next year.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mustangs-help-build-their-safe-spaces

09/27/2024

✨️Mustang Preparation Journey✨️

My barn owners and I have been hard at work this week collecting materials we thrifted to build a mustang pen. Posts, boards and gates aquired with a whole lot of manual labor. Today we went up to Laramie, WY for some super sturdy, big, fence posts.

To donate to our mission to build a mustang pen so I can start pulling mustangs out of holding and placed into new homes, follow this link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mustangs-help-build-their-safe-spaces

09/19/2024

If you feel the desire to donate or share, I would be super grateful!

A heavy duty 6ft tall roundpen is $4,500.
A normal duty one is $3,500, but all of the panels may not last through multiple Mustangs.
I can also piecemeal together shorter panels and modify them to meet the BLM criteria, but it will not be as sturdy.
I'll do what I can with whatever I can raise. Any donation is greatly appreciated! ❤️

I am always super moved by the messages of support from my community. Thank you!

From Melissa Bigler at Melissa Bigler Horse Training: I am trying t… Melissa Bigler needs your support for Support Mustangs: Help Build Their Safe Spaces

09/16/2024

2 riders up on Teatime today! He had 2.5 weeks off and this was his first ride back. He's only approximately 11 rides undersaddle. When you start horses undersaddle with emotional soundness in mind and building a solid foundation of communication, they can take some time off and start again exactly where they left off.
I always say work 3 days a week for greenies during their first 6-12 months undersaddle, but a little time off every once and a while will happen.

09/01/2024

This is super cool!

Figuring out when, why and how horses became domesticated is a key step toward understanding the world we live in now.

08/30/2024

🤌