I've been so busy since the mustang challenge.  I really missed all the other trainers when I got back.  It was so great to be around my peers and people who were all doing the same things.  I miss Westie but I had so many new horses to work when I got back that helped me get thru quickly.  Hearing from her new owners and their happiness with her made the trasition easier.  The picture is from the challenge.

I wanted to let anyone interested in a mustang know that I have the oppurtunity to offer you one free month of training.  All you have to pay is the $125 adoption fee.  E-mail me or call me for details.  It is a great way to get a piece of American history.
Honey had her baby and we still haven't named him. He's very curious and has a strong personality. 

The equine chiropractor class went really well and we met some nice people from all over the country.  Thank you Dr. Kamen for coming to our barn to educate us.

We've also attended our first horse show where everyone did well.

I'm at the fair with Westie and a group of supporters that were gracious enough to come this far and cheer us on.  Thursday was check in day and a meeting.  Friday was our 1st day of showing.  My stomach was a nervous wreck.  The crowd was huge and it really affected the horses.  Westie did pretty well but got nervous too.  She wouldn't stand still for the feet pick up which we practiced a million times.  We ended up 20th out orf 50 in the standings for that day.
Today was the riding portion.  I got up at 4:30 am to work her because we had designated times to work the horses in the coliseum.  She did great and so did the other competitors that got up that early but the actual competition was hours later.  You could tell who the crowd favorites were and who everyone thought was going to win.  Everyone really liked Westie.  It was late afternoon by the time we got to show.  The pattern was tuff and the horses were reacting to the thousands of people in the stands and the fact that they were in there by themselves.  I finally got my nerves under control but as soon as we walked up to the gate to go in the ring Westie's attitude changed.  She anticipated and couldn't wait to get out of the ring.  She was fine outside of the ring and walking thru crowds of people, baby strollers and automobiles. We fell in our standings and were sad to realize that we weren't going to be able to perform in the finals.  We had practiced so hard and had something put together bigger than anything that been done in the past or that was performed tonight.  Oh well, at least some of you got to see it at the barn.  I'm starting to feel tomorrow's emotions coming on.  It will be hard to see this little mare go.  She has given me a lot in the last 100 days and I am going to miss her.  I know she will make someone very happy and that I did the best job I could in getting her as broke as possible in the time available.
I'll let you know how it goes on Sunday.  Thanks for your support.
Nadia

Annie finally had her baby.  It is a beautiful colt with the longest legs.  She didn't have any signs of having it so we didn't get to see him be born.  I went to put her feed in the feeder and I saw two heads instead of one and went running back to the house screaming we have a baby, like I had won the lottery.

Well, Westie and I are coming to the final stretch.  This has been an amazing journey that I am going to look back on and always feel honored to have been a part of.  I think horses are our teachers in this profession.  Every time I'm on a horse they teach me something new.  People are always shocked at how I can sell a horse after putting in so much time.  I just can't wait to see what the next one will teach me.  Westie is one of the best horses I have worked with.  She has so much try.  Even when she is giving me a hard time I feel that it is just her huge will and determination to get her point across to me that drives it.  The best horses are sometimes the hardest to teach.   I love this little horse but I know she will go on to make someone else a great life partner.  
I took Westie out on some road rides last week.  She liked that a lot.  She even led most of the way.  She is a little afraid of culverts and bikes but not cars.  She got her first sudsy bath and liked it and what a shine afterward.  
Tuesday brought me a scare and I saw a lot of things flash before my eyes in a few seconds.  I had Westie out by herself and she was quiet.  One of the kids from the barn ran up to the fence to see her and startled her and she started running around and jumped over the gate and got her leg caught for a few seconds.  I watched it all happen in disbelief.  It ended up to not be that bad but she did take quite a bit of hair off her leg.  It is amazing how quickly things can change.  
I feel like time is flying by but that we have just enough time to polish up our final performance and a few other things we've been working on.  I can't wait to meet everyone and meet the lucky person who will take home this very special piece of history-an American Mustang.
Good luck everyone!
Nadia

We had a huge turn out at the open house on Saturday.  Thank you to those of you that came to see the mustang.  Westie really enjoyed the crowd.  It was great to be able to practice in front of a large group of people.  Thank you to Lisa Munniksma for helping me with marketing the event.  It was our best one ever.  Thank you to everyone that helped set up and just came out to enjoy the day with us. 
Westie and I are working on things for our performance at the finals as well as just exercises that help calm her.  She anticipates a lot and wants to please me. 
I received a blog comment on the picture of us walking thru the turned over hay rack.  This person was concerned with the safety of this and what its actually teaching the horse.  You can actually see this on Craig Cameron's show Ride Smart.  They actually go through this obstacle at a run.  I do a lot of ground work and use many obstacles in training my horses so they won't get scared or hurt while doing so.  No matter what the obstacle, your horse could get hurt if the foundation wasn't first established.  I want my horse to go through anything I ask it to.  You never know what you will find on the trail.  I'm not sure who sent the comment but please feel free to e-mail me. I hope this will ease anyone's concerns. 
We had a nice article in the American Riders Instructor Association magazine.   Also, the local news came out on Saturday and we were on the late Saturday night news.  I hope the warmer weather is getting everyone out to the barn to ride.
Talk to you soon.
Nadia

Sorry its been so long since I posted any updates and thanks for checking.  I have been busy with Westie and all the goings on at the farm.  No baby to report.  Annie is not due until April, I was corrected by the breeder.  Colleen and I agree that we were willing her to have the baby and that's why she was coming into milk.  I was sure I was correct on the date since I counted it out a hundred times.  I now know that there are these great breeding calculators online.  Imagine that. She is so large I keep checking for baby legs to pop out of her belly.  
Westie and I have been working on refining what she already knows and building on her strengths. She has a lot of personality and stamina.  Now that we have her moving out she really likes it.  I have to work off her energy before I can really ask her to stop or go slow.  At the end of a hard workout she loves a good role in the indoor.  We have been traveling to other barns on the weekend to get new experiences.  She seems to enjoy the new scenary.   We played with some new obstacles today and noises.  She wasn't afraid of the mounted shooting guns while I was on the ground with her but wanted to stand behind her buddy Petey when I was mounted.  Its not something I will use in the finals.  I think the sound scared me more than it did her.  I'll leave that one for one of my other competitors.  
I can't believe how fast the end is creeping up.  We have come so far but I know we have a long way to go with such great trainers and horses involved.  
In other news,  we have an open house planned for March 29th from 12-4.  We have it packed with great speakers and demos.  I will put on a performance of some kind with Westie so be sure and stop by if you are local. We even have an animal communicator who will be doing seesions with your 4 legged companions. www.KarinGose.com  I'm very excited about this one.  E-mail or call to sign up, she's filling fast. The 30th Colleen will be hosting a clinic for youth and 4-H riders to warm up for show season.   I wish I had something like this when I was younger.  April 26-27 Dr. Kamen will be at the farm doing a hands on workshop on Equine chiropractic.  I took his class a few years ago and really enjoyed it.  Its great to be able to check your own horse for sore areas and be able to help them out.  Its worth the money.  www.Animalchiropractic.com
I'm getting filled with a nervous excitement already about the finals in Wisconsin.  I love to hear your comments so keep'em coming. Thanks, Nadia.

Hello everyone. For those of you who read the paper there was a small blurb in the Journal and Courier about me and Westie and the Mustang Challenge last week. Bigger than that though is an article about the farm in this months Lafayette Magazine. Check it out if you are in the local area.
Annie hasn't had her baby yet but she is getting closer. Sometime this week or weekend, I'm betting. Honey is already coming into milk. She's an old pro at this now so I'm not too worried about her. I just don't want them to have them on the same day. That would cause some chaos.
Westie is doing great. We have worked around our set backs. I'm sure there will be more ahead but I'm not too worried. I gave her the weekend off and we started fresh on Monday. Thank you Colleen and Petey for helping out. Also, thanks for all the e-mails and blogs from trainers who are also entered in the challenge. Can't wait to meet you in Wisconsin.
That's all for now.  Nadia