Mustang Zena and Peter Halay 2020

18/05/2021

Here we go again! We are getting ready to pick up our new mustangs for this year's challenge. Can't wait to see who I get! One of these little beauties is coming home with me for the summer😁

28/09/2020

What can I say... After a long hard summer, our journey has come to an end. The start of competition day was on the rough side to say the least. We began to hit our groove in the early afternoon to real in 2nd place in adult trail and a 3rd over all for the day. I am also honored to have been awarded rookie of the year for the adult riding division!! Just when I thought things were looking up, Zena got kicked in the leg during the awards ceremony! Thank you Vet Solomon for checking her out. "It's gonna be a stinger but she's going to be just fine" he reassured me. Through all the ups and downs, Zena stayed strong and we finished with a bang at auction Saturday evening! Congratulations Kianna on your new horse!!

25/09/2020

Only 2 days left to get signed up to bid on this wonderful horse!! Zena has come so far in the last 100 days and I'm so proud of the horse she has become. You dont want to miss out on a chance to bring this girl home with you!!

The link below will take you to the auction website, where you can place online bids. Thats right, you DON'T have to be present to bid and win this sweet mare! The show will be streamed live on Teens and Oregon Mustangs page for your viewing pleasure. Auction closes the 26th, thats THIS SATURDAY! I can't wait to see who Zena's new family will be!!

https://teensandoregonmustangs.hibid.com/

23/09/2020

More freestyle fun for your enjoyment! 5 years old, with only 3 months training... Zena is such an incredible mare! Dont miss out on this girl!

22/09/2020

Playing around last night and showing off some of what would have been in our freestyle class that got canceled. I'm so appreciative of a horse that I can canter to a stop and then stand up on them and snap a whip without even a flinch. Whoa and go...Zena is the best of both worlds!

19/09/2020

Someone asked me for some videos of Zena's canter so I thought I would go ahead and post a few clips. There's loose rein canter, a couple more collected canter, and a video showing how she works at a trot going between loose rein and collected and playing with speed control :) feel free to ask any questions!

19/09/2020

7 days to go! Here is a clip of Zena picking me up off the fence for you all to enjoy :). Check back daily, I'll be posting various things that we would have done in a freestyle! You dont want to miss it!

17/09/2020

Eight days left before this beautiful girl gets herself the forever person she deserves to go home to!!
Today I'd like to talk a little about my take on horse treats, just in case you're one of the very fortunate people looking to add this special mare to your stable. I'm not against treats. As a matter of fact, I love to give treats to my horses. On the other hand, not everyone shares the same philosophy, and Zena isn't my mare, so I've totally held back. I believe this is a win, win situation. If you aren't big on treats, you don't have a horse expecting or demanding them. But if you want to spoil her in that way, you both get to bond together over that experience for her very first time! Either way it has been my honor trying to set her up for a happy life with you in her new home.

16/09/2020

Special treat with about a week left to auction! Considering all the smoke in the air we havent been able to work like normal, so I thought I would put together these short videos for you all. I really wanted to show how I like my horses to act on a day to day basis with simple tasks, even though we are not on our normal schedule or routine. I know they are far from perfect, but these videos are raw, unedited, and single takes to showcase how Zena handles everything, even when her daily routine is disrupted. I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to ask any questions! Hoping the smoke clears soon! 9 days to go..

07/09/2020

92 days in, with 20 days to go until show time. We are just working on refining everything and haven't done anything new recently, however we may have some suprises line up for sbaw day! Stay tuned and follow along to see whats in store. Zena is doing fantastic and I'm really looking forward to the next 20 days!

31/08/2020

Online Bidding is NOW OPEN!! Get your bids in for a chance to take this fantastic girl home!

https://teensandoregonmustangs.hibid.com/

30/08/2020

Photos from Perrydale trails last weekend.

Photo credit to Perrydale Trails and Rebecca Herron for the first 6 photos! Thabk you so much Rebecca!

30/08/2020

Days 78 and 79

We just received a glowing email from the wonderful, Perrydale Trails and Rebecca Herron, accompanied by some photos she took of us enjoying the dozens and dozens of obstacles on her beautifully groomed property. Thank you Rebecca! I'm delighted there are still people like you in the horse industry! I highly recommend that anyone with a horse goes for a day or two if you ever have a chance! What an experience! Zena had two jam-packed productive days! We had so much fun riding, relaxing, camping, and we even got to sleep in a little Monday morning :-D

Pictures following on a seperate post!

29/08/2020

Update from last Tuesday...

Day number 73

Zena got her first vet exam and a dental! Veterinarian Heather Baumholtz D.V.M. with Carlton Veterinary Hospital was kind enough to sacrifice some personal time to float her teeth, remove sharp points (which had caused lacerations in her cheeks making it uncomfortable for her to chew), extract a wolf tooth, and put in some bit seats after examining her. A huge thank you to her and Shelby, her assistant, for their dedication and caring! Zena did great through all of this. She was a champ, making their jobs as easy as possible. :-) Also a very special thank you goes out to Erica Fitzgerald with Teens And Oregon Mustangs program for facilitating this appointment. Her commitment to these horses is unparalleled!

27/08/2020

Apologies for not updating for a while but we have been very busy! A lot has been going on, so here are a few highlights...

First things first! Beach trip!! (Day 71-72) Our first over night at the beach from Sunday morning returning home Monday was the very best Zena had to offer from start to finish. She loaded perfectly, trailered carefree, unloaded calm and got tacked up in a crowded parking lot without a worry in the world. She crossed the dunes and approached the ocean as if she had been doing this sort of thing all her life. She got to be an amazing example for her friend Song who was at the beach trying to make sense of it all for her very first time! Both her and her owner did great and had a lot of fun :-D

We walk, trot, canter, and galloped. We sidepassed. We did leg yields, bending, and backed up quite a bit. At one point we had been cantering along nice and relaxed on a loose rein for some time when I thought "We've been on the left lead for a while. I wonder what would happen if...". So I shifted my weight in the saddle and she immediately did a flying lead change to the right! I'm not sure if it was a fluke or not, but I'm still equally surprised and impressed! Nothing spooked this amazing mare once all weekend long, not even when a loose dog charged us while at a full gallop! I simply asked her to come to a stop, turn and face the dog for a few terrifying moments. She complied like it was no big deal as we went nose to nose with the big white dog barking and showing his teeth for a few circles alternating between Greta with Heather Longshore and Zena with myself. Finally the dog's
owner had a chance to call him off and we went on like nothing ever happened.

The more horses we saw there, the more pleased I was to be with ours. Not to take away from anyone else's enjoyment of their own horse, but no matter how pretty, expensive, or experienced the horses there, in my mind Zena out-shown them all. Such a smart and willing partner, she made me feel so proud she was there with me the entire trip!!

14/08/2020

Special shout out to Jackson Connor of Country Financial for his very generous donation! We appreciate you, thank you so much! And Thank you Trish for being the go between! You rock!

11/08/2020

Here is a quick video of a bridge crossing we had fun with 😁

11/08/2020

Day 65-66 Zena's first overnight camping trip went amazing! She settled right in with no issues and we had some lovely rides! We worked on rating her speed and keeping it consistant with my seat, stopping and backing, haunch turns and forehand turns, sidepassing and leg yielding, bending around my leg, being soft in the bridle, and speed control in all 3 gaits on a loose rein going up and down hills. It was also her very first time hi-lining! She did amazing all weekend! The cherry on top was that she didn't require a single step of groundwork all weekend. She's not just trusting, she's becoming trustworthy too!

09/08/2020

Going camping tonight!! Excoted to have some fun! Pictures to come!

03/08/2020

Day 58 and we went for another trail ride. I was working with some clients during a "training on the trail lesson" so didnt get any pictures, but she was so excellent and helped me explain and show what we were working on! After we got back, she got some well deserved pasture time. Actually her first time being out on the pasture. She loved every second of it!

02/08/2020

Day 57 With Zena. We spent the morning in a crowded arena, full of strange horses and people, for a trainers clinic.Thank you Erica Fitzgerald for providing such wonderful resources for the trainers and their horses. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to better my horse and myself! Zena did very well after a brief period of distraction. It was only her 2nd time in an indoor arena so she started a bit high headed but after a couple minutes she calmed down and went right to work.

After the clinic we headed up to Flying M Ranch to ride some new trails. I had never been to Flying M before, but it did not disappoint! The trails were great and Zena did really well. She's getting better and better about being out front. The trails at Flying M offered a little bit of everything; uphills , downhills, wide trails, narrow trails, creek crossings, places to walk, trot, and canter, and we even ran into a new friend we had just met that morning.

29/07/2020

Yesterday was day 53. Zena is moving right along and doing really well. We went to the beach for the first time yesterday! There were tons of people and kids, dogs, kites, tents, and bikes and Zena didnt bat an eye at any of it. She was very popular, children screaming "HORSEY" and running over in our direction. She loved the water and had no problem with the waves coming at her. The only thing she balked at was a large hole someone dug out in the sand. Other than being a tad herd bound for the other horses, she really impressed me! Even at a full gallop down the beach, she kept her cool and stayed with me. I'm very happy with where she is at!

23/07/2020

Well 3 days ago, Zena revealed to us the true size of her abcess. I was working on trimming her feet and uncovered a hole that actually covered 3/4 of her sole and her entire frog. There were several abscesses that were connected together under her sole and frog, detaching and killing it. So it all shed off and we are starting from scratch with this foot. It seems backwards but Zena showed immediate relief once we got that dead material off and out of the way! Heres to moving forward and building better feet! She will unfortunately be tender on uneven or rocky ground until she rebuilds calous. She will be wearing boots to protect the sensitive tissue until then.

20/07/2020

Day 44. We went on another trail ride today and Zena was much more confident leading the group. She found the correct lead both directions today, which is another sign her feet are healing nicely! She's getting to be a fine trail horse!

19/07/2020

Zena in the news!

Trish Waters, who owns Flawless Aesthetics, assists program committed to finding a home for horses

19/07/2020

Day 43 was another chill, easy day. We loaded up and Zena accompanied me for lessons and then we went for a trail ride at Stubb Stewart state park. Joining us was Heather on Denali, Matt on Charlie, Shyla on Mesa, and Sarah on Pal, as well as Trish and her daughter Teagan hiking along. Oh, and don't forget Rue the wonder dog!

Zena's feet are almost completely good again, although I did have to get off and walk with her over some rocky places. Considering the entire outing was completely uneventful, I'm especially proud of our green horses and green riders with us. Nice job everyone!

19/07/2020

Snapshpts from our trail ride today

19/07/2020

Yesterday (Day 42 ).. Our Wonderful sponsor Trish Waters of Flawless Aesthetics wrote an update for Zena ❤

Woohoo!! What a day we all had!!! Zena was fantastic!! Not only did she get to play frisbee with her favorite friend Greta, she also proved to be a very sturdy base to a Peter statue. Both Zena and Greta got to bring the other horses in from the pasture while shooing the sheep out. Plus, my personal favorite part, her and I went for a little ride as well! This is a pretty big deal for me, I’m still fairly new to horses, so getting the opportunity to ride this mustang who has only been handled for some 40+ days is quit an honor. It say so much about her trainer/partner, Peter. I’ve had the pleasure of watching these two progress since day one and it was been an incredible experience. I can’t wait to watch as Peter and Zena do more fun exciting things together. ❤️ Trish

19/07/2020

Snapshots from yesterday to go with Trish's write up

13/07/2020

Yesterday was day 37 and Zena had her 2nd ride out on trail. Her feet were much better and she did fantastic! She rode in a slant load trailer for the first time and did great! She got to see bikes and scooters for the first time and handled it perfectly. She met new people and loved the kids petting her. She loved the water! We have some catching up to do for sure, but I'm very proud of Zena, especially after losing almost two weeks to that abcess.

09/07/2020

I would like to take a moment and thank our wonderful sponsor, Trish Waters of Flawles Aesthetics.

"Flawless Aesthetics is a leader in advanced skin rejuvenation, anti-aging, cosmetic injectables, skincare, wellness and nutrition products & solutions. Our goal is to help our clients look and feel their best "inside & out." Beauty & Wellness Studio"

Trish has gone above and beyond to help us out every chance she gets. Often times she is on the other side of the camera, making sure our journey is well documented for us to share with you all. She also donated sand for our roundpen so we would have an area with good footing and fencing repair supplies so our horses would be safe and secure. We so appreciate you Trish!!

Please contact Trish at Flawles Aesthetics for all your skin care needs!

503 616 9429
[email protected]
www.hello-flawless.com

09/07/2020

Zena's abscess finally popped! It came out in a pretty tough spot though, so now we are focusing on keeping it clean and wrapped so it can heal up. She's been a trooper and is already so much more comfortable! Keep an eye out for us! We will be back to training soon!!😁

05/07/2020

Day 29 yesterday, the 4th of July. Zena remain calm, cool, and collected all night while the fireworks screamed around us. We are in the middle of several cities so the show was loud and came from all directions. There was no reaction or concern from Zena, a horse that was wild and scared just 29 days ago. I'm loving how trusting she is becoming.

05/07/2020

Day 29.... Ground tying for her foot soak. Come on you stinking abcess, pop already!!

02/07/2020

Struggling. Frustrated. Zena is lame with what I think is an abcess and She's been down for several days with no end in sight. I need to get her out and about on trails, but there's also the problem of my broken trailer that I cant afford to fix. Feeling pretty down right now. I'll update again when I have better need. Hopefully that will be soon!

29/06/2020

Day 23, 11th ride. We rode out in the big field and worked on some straight lines and steering, which Zena picked up very quickly. Shes really starting to move off my seat well. I can't wait to get her out on some trails.

28/06/2020

Day 22. We had another special visitor today. HugZy the purple unicorn was a big help today! The amaZing Zena welcomed her like an old friend, and then accidently bucked her off (at least, that's HugZy's story) 😂