We accompanied Sebastian Nolewajka and his Mustang mare Equiteam's Shy Miller aka Day 3348 for one day during their daily training. The Horseman is one of 15 coaches who face the challenge in Mustang Makeover Germany to win the trust of a true Mustang within 90 days.
Carefully, Sebastian approaches the small, brown Mustang mare. A real brown is not really. Her coat shimmers slightly anthracite colors. She is standing with a Haflinger mare and has her head deep in the hay rack. Sebastian takes the knot holder off the hook and opens the gate to the paddock. Of course, the mare has noticed us long ago, but does not even think about coming to us, nor to let the hay out of her sight. Only when Sebastian has approached two meters, she suddenly sets in motion - not hurry, but still determined.
Sebastian remains calm himself and keeps taking a few steps towards the mare and stops again. Curious, she watches him and finally lets him approach him. He gently puts her halter over her. Although she has been with him for almost 60 days, it still does not make a routine impression. Sebastian gets moving again and the mare follows him without hesitation.
With passion
Sebastian Nolewajka is a Horseman and successfully runs the Heide Horse Trail - an extreme trail park for horses with seesaws, bridges and various hurdles made of natural materials. He is one of the 15 coaches in the Mustang Make Over Germany and has picked up his mare on 30 April 2017 from the airport in Frankfurt am Main. She came directly from the US from a Mustang reception center and was already prepared for transport and trained. Sebastian became aware of the "competition" through one of his riding students - he had been in the USA several times and had the opportunity to look over his shoulders and to meet Mustangs as well as his horsemanship role models.
So it was inevitable that he has applied as a coach. However, he has moved after the departure of another coach, but still or maybe even more passionate. 90 days are not a long time and require a lot of trust, time and patience from the trainer and the animal. "Of course I would like to ride on the CHIO grounds in Aachen on the 5th and 6th of August, but unfortunately, that's not what her body does. Of course, Mustangs are late developers and of course have lost much of their muscle due to the long time spent in the recovery stations, but I think we can still get through the substance of the competition well.
What could be better than winning the trust of a wild horse? And that's intriguing enough. " 90 days are not a long time and require a lot of trust, time and patience from the trainer and the animal. "Of course I would like to ride on the CHIO grounds in Aachen on the 5th and 6th of August, but unfortunately that's not what her body does.
Of course, Mustangs are late developers and of course have lost much of their muscle due to the long time spent in the recovery stations, but I think we can still get through the substance of the competition well. What could be better than winning the trust of a wild horse? And that's intriguing enough. " 90 days are not a long time and require a lot of trust, time and patience from the trainer and the animal. "Of course I would like to ride on the CHIO grounds in Aachen on the 5th and 6th of August, but unfortunately that's not what her body does.
Of course, Mustangs are late developers and of course have lost much of their muscle due to the long time spent in the recovery stations, but I think we can still get through the substance of the competition well. What could be better than winning the trust of a wild horse? And that's intriguing enough. " Of course, Mustangs are late developers and of course have lost much of their muscle due to the long time spent in the recovery stations, but I think we can still get through the substance of the competition well. What could be better than winning the trust of a wild horse? And that's intriguing enough. " Of course, Mustangs are late developers and of course have lost much of their muscle due to the long time spent in the recovery stations, but I think we can still get through the substance of the competition well. What could be better than winning the trust of a wild horse? And that's intriguing enough. "
Patience is the A & O
Twice, three times a day Sebastian works with the mare Day 3348 aka Equiteam's Shy Miller - the number serves as an identification feature and is typical of the Mustangs who carry their brand along the mane ridge. Due to the repeated training Sebastian gets more time and can almost simulate almost a year. It was also important not to overstrain the animals. Many riders and coaches are too impatient - if a horse has made his lesson even rudimentary correctly, even if it were only two centimeters in the right direction, the training should theoretically be terminated. "Training with Mustangs is a very special challenge.
For example, I could not lure her with food at all because she just did not know it, she was very distant at the beginning and just moved into a corner. We also had some teething problems: in Frankfurt, we only got a five-minute instruction and then we were on our own. After we arrived, I took off her halter, a stupid mistake that cost me almost a week of training, but now she trusts me more and more, "explains Sebastian. The fact that there is a deep trust between the two becomes clear at the latest when training in the hall: Sebastian prepares the little mare for the 'Show' in the CHIO Arena and is therefore already training with a smoke machine. Day 3348 is always vigilant and at least always has an ear and eye on us - after all, we are new to their surroundings and they can not really judge us. After careful approach but we can finally caress our first real Mustang.
Be a friend to the horse
Gradually, the machine blows more and more steam into the riding arena, in addition Sebastian gets a large plastic tarpaulin and confronts the mare with it. "It's easier to train with horses that follow their flight instincts. This is similar to the Join Up - at some point, the horse deals with the situation and accepts you as a manager, "says Sebastian. He prefers to call himself a manager, a leader or a herd leader - the word implies a certain compulsion, while the manager remains more neutral. "The horse ultimately needs no one to lead, but someone to trust," explains the horseman.
Sebastian picks up the tarpaulin from the ground, the mare loosely on the rope, and brings it loud to crackling and closer to the mare. Day 3348 does not run away as we would have thought, but remains relatively quiet. Not because she is not afraid of it, but because a Mustang has just grown up in the wild and is therefore confronted with permanent survival stress. Constant running away would only consume the necessary fat reserves and that could mean death. "This is also the difficulty of the training," emphasizes Sebastian, "if she does not run away, she does not deal with the situation, but it builds up a lot of pressure and then it explodes at some point." Fortunately, we do not experience this 'explosion' in the training session. but because a Mustang has just grown up in the wild and is therefore confronted with permanent survival stress.
Constant running away would only consume the necessary fat reserves and that could mean death. "This is also the difficulty of the training," emphasizes Sebastian, "if she does not run away, she does not deal with the situation, but it builds up a lot of pressure and then it explodes at some point." Fortunately, we do not experience this 'explosion' in the training session. but because a Mustang has just grown up in the wild and is therefore confronted with permanent survival stress.
Constant running away would only consume the necessary fat reserves and that could mean death. "This is also the difficulty of the training," emphasizes Sebastian, "if she does not run away, she does not deal with the situation, but it builds up a lot of pressure and then it explodes at some point." Fortunately, we do not experience this 'explosion' in the training session. but it builds up a lot of pressure and then it explodes at some point. Fortunately, we do not experience this 'explosion' in the training session. but it builds up a lot of pressure and then it explodes at some point. Fortunately, we do not experience this 'explosion' in the training session.
Love is (not always) through the stomach
The little Mustang mare makes a very balanced impression. She looks at everything carefully and does not even let her irritate her by the fog machine, as she emits a full load of water vapor again - she is only fixated on Sebastian and thinks hard. At the end of the training, Sebastian also demonstrates sitting down on an oversized beanbag. Every millimeter the mare takes backwards towards the beanbag is immediately rewarded by Sebastian.
He does not work with treats. "The mare would not accept anything in these situations anyway, and it's worth much more if the animals want to cooperate with us and not just because of the food. Mustangs are honest horses from the ground up - either they love you or they hate you. But once they have closed you in their hearts, you have found a friend for life, "says Sebastian and looks at his day 3348 almost a bit in love. Whether Sebastian might even take part in the auction, he has not betrayed us.
Mustangs - the wild horses of North America
The Mustang is one of the last wild horses in North America. There is no particular breed type, nor can the Mustangs be described as 'real' wild horses, as they are simply the offspring of various European breeds. Convicted to America during the colonial era, some of the horses have been run away and feral - a population has developed that has not only fascinated the Indians and cowboys. The myth of the wild horse continues to this day and inspires many people around the world. Overpopulation and low living habitats have severely worsened the Mustangs situation. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for the Mustang population and has set up reception centers to sustain the number of wild Mustangs.
Mustang Makeover Germany 2017
For almost ten years, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has been running the EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER in the US to make the wild horse more popular and increase the number of adoptions. This year, the Mustang Makeover takes place for the first time in Germany to promote the fascination of wild horses. 15 coaches have 90 days to train their assigned Mustang and finally present them on the CHIO grounds in Aachen - the animals will then be auctioned off.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar