In the beginning...

Newsletter, January 3, 2009 - On the evening of December 20th we arrived home with my Christmas gift from Kathleen, an untouched pregnant Mustang adopted from the BLM in Reno, a six-year-old buckskin lady who chose us - well, chose Kathleen. I had missed her completely in our survey of the 150 or so mares in the five-and-over pasture at the BLM facility the week before.

Just imagine being the very first person ever to be touched by a wild Mustang, and being the first person to touch her foal. Shivers skitter up my spine every time I think about it. Two horses who will begin their journey with humans... with us.

Adoptions Manager John Parsons had sent dozens of photos of several possibilities. We flew up from San Diego on December 10 th to make our selection and were driven around and around through the large herd, first isolating John's photos, then trying to check out the other 145 or so. Around and around we'd go.

The black one was very pregnant but seemed a bit sluggish and not very curious. One of the grays was very dominant. Dr. Matt had warned against that. Another gray was being moved around by everyone in sight. And so far only one seemed really curious about us but she was almost certainly not pregnant. It was important that our choice be pregnant because the birth of her foal would be the first chapter of my next book. John kept driving.

Wait, can you back up a bit?

Now forward.

Whoa. What about her?

The buckskin? John asked.

Yes. She keeps looking at us. Doesn't seem too dominant, but not wimpy. Alert. Very curious. Kind eyes. I like her. I like her a lot.

And Kathleen had wondered why I had insisted that she come along.

After another thirty minutes of driving around, always coming back to Kathleen's buckskin, John and I agreed with her and we headed to the office, filled out the paperwork, and were off to the airport three hours earlier than expected. The plan was that we'd drive up three days later to pick her up. I couldn't wait. My portable GPS said the drive from Valley Center would be between ten and eleven hours, much of it through the mountains with elevations up to 8100 feet. What none of us remembered to do when the   plan was made was to check the weather. Weather systems seemed to be running rampant off the west coast, rolling in every few days. Our travel plans were scuttled by five days of snow, wind and rain. I studied the 10-day forecast at weather.com plus everything the California Highway Patrol site had to say. John at the BLM advised that from now through February or March things would only get worse. There appeared to be a 2-day window between storms the following Friday and Saturday (December 19-20) if the highways at upper elevations were clear. I told John this was our target and I began to monitor the CHP site several times a day.

The afternoon before we were to leave home the CHP still had two sections of highway closed due to snow from the last storm, but Friday morning they were both clear. One section well to the north was still showing wind warnings, but weather.com com predictions were 15mph by afternoon, so off we went, sandwiched between two bad weather systems, creating a serious need to have everything work right. Never the best strategy. This would be the longest trip I'd ever driven with a horse trailer and as we started out I was thankful that trucks don't read nervousness like horses do.

The trip, mercifully, was on time and relatively uneventful. CHP was still predicting high winds over a twenty mile stretch of highway maybe 100 miles out of Reno but weather.com said no , so we bit our lips and ignored the brightly flashing wind-warning signs and kept going. Weather.com was right.

I had found a hotel with a big open parking lot that could take a horse trailer, a casino unfortunately right in the middle of downtown. We locked up the truck and trailer and ice-skated across the street to a very mediocre dinner but a very warm bed. The next morning we were at it early. The temperature was a frigid 15 degrees, a condition I had never experienced with a diesel truck. At first it wouldn't start at all, which scared me to death. Finally it turned over, but the accelerator wasn't working, had no effect at all. And an engine warning light was on... on a Saturday morning! And snow was due in Reno Saturday night.

I let the engine run for almost thirty minutes before the water temperature gauge finally reached into its working range. But the engine light was still on. While the engine was still warming up I unlocked all the trailer doors. Well, not all the trailer doors because the key would not turn at all in the lock of the tack room where all the feed and buckets were for the trip home. Kathleen returned to the hotel and called several 24-hours locksmiths, none of whom were answering their phones. She left a cell number. Once the water temperature gauge was in operating range everything seemed to be operating properly so I decided we should drive on out to the BLM, 15 miles north of town. Maybe the engine light would go out as the engine continued to warm up.

It didn't.

On the way out, Kathleen called both of Reno's Dodge dealers. Again, no answers. Just great I was thinking. We simply could not take off through the mountains with an unhandled pregnant Mustang and an engine warning light on.

When we arrived at the BLM John Parsons and several bright-eyed, eager volunteers were happily awaiting the loading of another Mustang saved.

"Welcome," John said. "Let's get to it."

"Sorry John," I said meekly, "We have a couple of problems we need to deal with before we can load up." I explained the problems. John felt that he could find us a diesel mechanic who could look at the problem... and maybe WD40 would take care of the lock. His diesel mechanic was not answering the phone at 7:30 am so he headed out to attack the lock on the trailer tack room. As he strolled past the truck - I've never been able to "stroll" at 15 degrees - he asked casually, "Are you sure your gas cap is screwed down good and tight? Sometimes a loose cap can cause the engine light to come on."

Kathleen whipped open the flap and turned the cap. "Nope," she said. "It was not screwed down to the click."

I raced to the truck cab and turned the key. The engine light was gone. I felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my heart.

John then tried WD40 on the lock, but that yielded nothing. He studied it for a moment, and said, "Let me try something." Soon he returned with a small blow torch. He ignited it and aimed it right at the culprit lock. Thirty seconds later we were inside the tack room. I asked him if he could ride back to Valley Center with us. "What's the temperature down there," he grinned.

The loading went very smoothly. The BLM's elaborate system of stalls and aisles with closing and opening doors made it very simple. I walked down to look in on her before they started. She was standing all alone in a very large stall. She turned and looked at me with that quizzical cock of a head that is often offered up by my Cash. I couldn't help but smile.

"Hello Miss Noelle," I said.

Noelle would be her name. She was, after all, Kathleen's Christmas gift to me.

"We're off on an adventure, you and I," I said to her. "A new journey for both of us. I will love you. And I believe you will love me." I then turned and walked back down the long aisle to the squeeze chute positioned just before the trailer. One of the volunteers opened a gate to let me out of the maze and I grabbed my camera out of the truck and climbed onto the platform over the squeeze chute. I cannot fathom why we had not brought the video camera but we hadn't so Kathleen was going to shoot video with her tiny digital still camera and I'd shoot stills with the Nikon.

All went perfectly. She trotted down the hallway system, urged on quietly by John and the volunteers. Doors shut behind her at every 20 to 30 feet until she was in the squeeze chute where John tied on a rope halter I had given him. Just in case.

They opened the squeeze chute and she trotted straight into the trailer without urging.

I had wanted to be on the road by 8:30, and even with all the issues, we were. We said our thank yous and goodbyes and left them three copies of The Soul of a Horse. Then we were off. The trip home was thankfully uneventful. The CHP was still predicting high winds in the same area as before but weather.com said light and variable. Once again, weather.com was right.

At home it took a bit of urging to get Noelle to leave the security of the trailer, but she finally did, and trotted right into her new temporary home, one of our original natural paddocks before we opened the bigger pasture on the other side of the hill.

As I write this, today is Day 15, the two week anniversary of Noelle's arrival. She has yet to touch me, but she is eating hay out of my hand, she trots up to the fence whenever I or Kathleen show up, she's very comfortable chomping away as little as three or four feet from us when we're sitting in the pasture with her, but that's her bubble of safety.

And whereas that bubble is getting smaller everyday, at the moment that's about as close as her comfort level will allow. I believe it's an unconscious thing. Horses are hardwired to react first and ask questions later, to be freaky about everything, and I believe in my heart that she simply cannot help herself. That's as close as she can get at the moment without reacting. I can see her wanting to be closer, but after reaching, trying, you can see it in her eyes. I just can't. I can't help it. It's just too much. And I must wait. After all, she has never seen a human who wasn't trying to round her up and take her away from her family, out of the wild, or squeeze her into a chute to stick her with needles, or check out her feet. Or chase her from one place to another.

Patience is not my strong suit. Our horses have all taught me to do better in that department. But I'm going to have to do even better with Noelle. She has already taught me that, much to my embarrassment. But that's another story and I've run on way longer than I intended.

I hope you'll stick with our gentling of this sweet mare and the birth of her foal. Two fewer wild Mustangs under the government's pending death threat.

I want to thank each of you who have caused our year to be so incredibly special by helping to push The Soul of a Horse into its third printing and make it an official best seller. We are indebted to you all and appreciate you very much.

Joe

Day 15 Noelle Accepts Benji; Day 25 She Accepts Rubs from Joe

Newsletter January 18, 2009... Noelle, our new pregnant Mustang who had never been handled before arriving at our place is coming along beautifully. On Day 15 she and Benji actually "joined-up" completely on their own. They sniffed noses and touched each other. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera in the paddock at the time, and the funny thing is that Benji won't get within 20 feet of our other horses, even Cash.

On Day 26, I was sitting on the ground in the paddock with my back to Noelle, talking to Dani, our trimmer. Noelle was down the hill and to my rear. I heard her coming up but did not look around, just kept talking. Dani interrupted me and said "Oh, you should've seen that. Something freaked her down by the fence and she came straight to you. She considers you her safe place." She stopped about five feet behind me and just stood there, head down, for quite a while. After a bit, she exhaled a couple of times and wandered back to whatever she was doing. This was very cool.

I think it was on Day 20 that she first took hay from my hand. On Day 25 she first allowed a few rubs on the face, and now, on occasion, she even allows me to rub her cheek before offering hay.

I see in her eyes that she wants more than she can give right now. With no food offered, when I reach out slowly to touch her cheek, she'll sometimes turn, even slower, just an inch or two... as if she's saying: I must turn away but I don't want to really so I'll just move slower than you so your hand will catch up. But I don't catch up. I stop where her head was, and smile, and withdraw.

When her nose is on the ground, nibbling dregs, I go down with my face and get my nose within inches of hers. She continues to nibble (I think her top lip was once an elephant trunk :), and I blow a little, and she inhales, unconcerned. She doesn't move away. And she's calm as a cucumber.

Which is one of the amazements to me... that she can want so much, and be so calm and trusting, but that doesn't really translate into crossing thresholds. She has gone to sleep just inches from my chest and it's those moments where I must concentrate on issuing no vibes, no "towards" movements or even thoughts... which has its own issues because when I'm concentrating so hard on not disrupting her trust I know there is anxiety creeping through my every pore :)

The very first day I was in her paddock I lay down on the ground and took a nap. After a bit Benji joined me and dozed off next to me. At some point I heard Noelle's feet drawing close, and I rolled over, chin on my hands. She was about six feet away, head on the ground, wanting to sniff Benji. Intrigued even then.

I hope I'm not boring you with these reports but it's our first time with a Mustang from the wild and each new breakthrough is very exciting. I'll keep you posted.

Joe

Rubs and Scratches for Noelle; She Meets Two of the Herd

Newsletter - January 26, 2009 - As I write this we're in Day 37 and Noelle is accepting rubs between the eyes, scratches on her nose, and she's even let me clean eye-boogers out of her right eye... but not the left. All of this while holding a wad of hay in the other hand. I give her a rub, then a bite. I have gotten as far back as her jaw, but no farther. Still have not rubbed her on her neck. Kathleen hasn't taken any new photos since the last newsletter, but we'll do that soon. We shot some video in the beginning but this process moves so slowly it was like watching paint dry, so we quit dragging that camera down to her paddock.

She's been introduced to two of our herd, both complete non-events. When Skeeter came over I spent several minutes rubbing and hugging him all over - for her benefit more than Skeeter's. When I turned him loose they both trotted right up to the fence that separated them and sniffed noses. There was a bit of squealing then they both settled down to eat. The next day Pocket came over for a visit and they got on so well that we opened the gate and let them co-mingle for a few hours. When I took Pocket back to the hillside pasture, she stood at the gate for at least an hour looking longingly back over at Noelle. I think they like each other. And I'm sure that allowing Noelle to watch them being rubbed has had a positive effect.

She's now allowing me to walk fairly close behind her when she's eating without freaking out or running off. The most interesting part of all this continues to be how little transference there is from one thing to another. She will allow me to go straight up to her right eye to clean it out. No flinches or pull-aways. But not the left eye yet. I can rub and scratch on the forehead and the side of the nose (right side), but it's taken a week to extend that to the cheek/jaw area (right side). God has been trying to teach me patience for quite a while. He nailed it this time :)

A close friend in New Hampshire told me, "Every step that always seemed so simple and that you took for granted with your other horses becomes a heart warming gem and memory with your mom mustang." How right she is.

More soon. Hopefully with photos.

Joe

Noelle Is Crossing Major Thresholds; Photos and Video

Newsletter February 6, 2009 - Day 46...This morning Kathleen said to me, "Do you realize that you're always saying, 'I wonder when I'm going to be able to do this or do that with Noelle.' Just a few days ago you were saying you couldn't wait until you could scratch her on the neck. Seriously, just a few days! And here you are scratching her neck, her chest, her leg, her ear, her face and are you satisfied, even just a little bit? Have you taken a moment to just sigh happily and say gee this is only Day 47 and look how well we're doing?"

"Well, I thought it," I said. "I think I thought it."

"I don't believe it. You only thought I wonder when I'll be able to do it all on her left side... or when will I be brushing her tail and trimming her feet for goodness sake."

"Gotta think ahead," says I.

She tossed a look Heavenward and said, "It's not working. That business about teaching him patience, it's not working."

Fortunately, she said it with a smile. But she does have a point. As I finally stepped up to the task of writing this newsletter I actually had to go back and read some of the earlier newsletters just to see where we were when, and I was amazed. Only nine days ago I couldn't even touch her on her jaw. She's leaping thresholds like an Olympic champion.

And the fascinating part to me is still how completely independently wired everything in her brain is working. I can do all of the above that Kathleen mentioned... with my left hand when I'm on her right side. But if I so much as lift my right hand to touch her she pulls away. Never mind getting over to her left side. All the trainers and clinicians tell you that whatever you do (training, desensitization, etc) on one side you must also do on the other because horses have monocular vision with each eye when only one eye is on the subject. And they have virtually two separate brains, each getting the feed from each eye. But even so, with horses who have lived their entire lives in domestic care, at least for us, it's never really been like starting from scratch when you move from one side to the other. With Noelle it is. And I've come to believe that the reason is that she has spent five and a half of her six years in the wild having to constantly be on the lookout for predators and is truly hard-wired to accept no information, on either side, as safe until proven to be so. Consequently, me on one side is totally different than me on the other... until proven to be the same. But that's how we are able to know and love horses today. Because as a prey animal, a flight animal, with no defense against predators except to run, they probably would've never made it to the twenty-first century if they weren't wired the way they are.

Our guys and gals who have spent all of their years in domestic care are genetically the same as those horses in the wild, as Noelle, but they have spent their entire lives, for the most part, learning that me on the right is pretty much the same as me on the left, as long as I don't appear out of nowhere in a flash of light.

I've had many offers of help from folks who have had a lot more experience with Mustangs than I have (none!) and I appreciate them all, but in this adventure I only want one teacher. Miss Noelle. And these daily revelations are why. This should be terrific news to all of you who have dreams of doing something like this but perhaps have felt that you weren't up to the task. You absolutely are. Remember just a bit more than three years ago, Kathleen and I didn't have a horse or a clue. So it can't be rocket science. If I can do it, so can you. You do need a measure of patience. And persistence. You need to commit to doing it on her terms, not yours. But you can do it.

Another reason I want this rank novice, this neophyte, to do this by himself is that I believe in my heart that every horse on the planet wants to be in relationship. With everybody. Remember, as a prey animal the horse's number one concern is safety and security. And both are satisfied when the relationship is good. And if I can reach a good relationship with this Mustang who had never willingly touched or been touched by a human until me, if I can bond with her, and become her leader, then to me that pretty well proves the point. As the New York Times said in an editorial after Barbaro died: You would have to look a long, long time to find a dishonest or cruel horse. And the odds are that if you did find one, it was made cruel or dishonest by the company it kept with humans. It is no exaggeration to say that nearly every horse - Barbaro included - is pure of heart.

Did I really believe, in the beginning, that it was going to take this long just to be able to scratch her on the neck... on one side? Probably not. But I did know that I was going to take the time that it takes, and that Noelle would be calling the shots. Not without leadership, where possible and appropriate. But every advance would be her call. That's why I have not put a rope on her, even now when it would be easy to do so. All of our sessions are at liberty.

Would a rope speed up the process? Undoubtedly. Would it harm the relationship in the final analysis? Probably not. But would she be as willing a partner if I took her choice out of the mix? I doubt it.

In addition to the photos throughout, all taken on Day 44, Kathleen shot video on Day 46. Take a look at the difference just two days can make. She is such an amazing girl and for those of you who have been following our progress you will probably enjoy seeing her thresholds crumbling even as we were taping.

Here's the video link:

http://www.thesoulofahorse.com/NoelleVideoDay46.htm

A final note. I'm actually writing this on Day 47, the day after shooting the video, and I started this morning working on her left side with my right hand, completely reversing the setup. It took at least 20 minutes for her to even take a bite of hay and another ten minutes for me to be able to touch her favorite spot, right below her eye. But finally she allowed and I was even able to pick out an eye booger ?. That's probably all we'll do for a few days because the next four days are supposed to be pouring rain. But I'm very convinced that it will not take as long on the left side as it took on the right. And now I'm wondering, once she accepts my right hand on her left side, will she accept both hands on both sides... or not.

Shhhh, don't tell Kathleen I said that.

It is fascinating.

Joe

P.S I think I saw the baby move today ?

Omigosh y'all! Noelle is bagging up!

Newsletter February 18, 2009 - Day 60 - Dr. Matt was here this morning and pointed out that Noelle is bagging up and will probably foal within the next 30 days... at least two months before earlier predictions!

Holy moly! The best laid plans and all that. Did I ever tell you that this is our first, as in FIRST, experience with birthing a foal, never mind one from a mustang who has never been touched (willingly) by anyone but me! Gleep and gulp! Even this morning when Dr. Matt got too close Noelle had to leave my side.

Since the last note I have been able to rub and scratch on both her right and left sides, down to the withers and down the leg to the knee. This morning on her right I even reached down her side toward her flank, and down her spine a bit. And I'm cleaning out eye boogers on both sides ?

I've begun a bit of halter desensitization, putting just the weight of my hand on the halter loop. At first, of course, she pulled quickly away. But the first time she didn't she was instantly rewarded with a bite of hay. Now she rarely pulls away and - on occasion - she'll even drop her head a bit, or give to a slight tug to the right. Again, instant reward. A rub, a good word, and a bite.

Today I'll begin trying to approach and get approached without hay in my hands. And we'll begin a new supplement for mama and baby.

Now, to shake off the sudden onset of tension and pledge to embrace whatever happens and deal with it at the moment. As you've heard me say before, God has obviously never felt obligated to let us know what's in store. He does keep things interesting.

Joe

Noelle - Day 70 - Accepting Both Sides - Molting, Not Foaling. New Photos and Videos

I threatened to send his email address to all of y'all :)

Day 70, today, Saturday, February 28, was a good day. Perhaps not the best day Noelle and I have had, but still good. And Kathleen did take some photos and video. It was an unseasonably warm 87 degrees (for an unusually warm winter) and the flies (the little bitty bitey ones) and bees were bothering all of us. You'll hear Kathleen complaining on the video.

Notice in the photos below that Noelle has been shedding - more like molting - and underneath all that long white-ish hair which was helping her keep warm up in Reno is a rich golden patina. You can see it on her shoulders and in the flank area.

When I last wrote you, I had not been able to touch her on her left side. I began working on it the next day and it only took a couple of days to be able to touch her on the face and around the eye and maybe a couple of days more to be scratching her neck down to the withers. It's still not as comfortable for her as the right side, but I think she's doing fantastic.

I've gotten all the way down her front legs to her hoof on both sides, and between her front legs underneath her chest from either side.

Still I can only use my left hand on her right side and my right hand on her left side, which fascinates me. On the right side I've worked my way all the way back to her butt.

Notice the look on her face when I'm back in those "dangerous" zones. Clearly unconcerned. Even less concerned than when I scratch her neck or around her ears. Why? I don't know. But it's interesting. I stay up nights wondering about these things.

Even when rubbing under her belly she was fine. I was trying to feel the baby move but must admit I didn't feel a thing. Just a very tight belly. But she was still unconcerned. Only after seeing these photos did I realize how calm she was as I cannot see her face when I'm rubbing. I am aware when back near her butt or belly that I'm vulnerable to both right-side legs... but my instinct said go for it. And it's nice to see how unconcerned she is.

I've also been playing with the halter loop, pulling it lightly to the right and to the left. And she is now responding nicely. Not so much to "forward" or "down" but left and right is coming along. See it on the Day 70 video.

Kathleen and I read the "foaling book" every night, stacking the information in the book up against what we've seen in the paddock that day. As far as we can see nothing causes us to believe that Noelle is going to foal in the next day or two.

Joe

View the video of Day 70

Morning Surprise - It's a Boy!

Newsletter - Day 73 - March 3, 2009 - We're giddy. Last night everything was normal. No liquids anywhere. And this morning there he was. And mommy is very much a mommy. And very protective. This morning I couldn't touch either one of them, even with a handful of hay. About ten feet was the closest.. which is fine by me as it's always a worry that mom won't accept the baby. This evening once again Noelle accepted hay from my hand and I was able to rub her. The foal (not named yet) strolled over to me and I couldn't contain myself. When he was about a foot away I reached out to touch and he turned back to mommy. We'll play it out on their terms. The birth all happened as it does in the wild without human help. Dr. Matt is very pleased with his looks, weight, and temperament (which is curious and sweet already). Matt thinks he's gonna be palomino. A palomino stallion! That would be a God thing since those who have read the book can guess who will be presumed to be his daddy to be in the next book :)

I won't keep you. We're just proud parents wanting to let everyone know. Enjoy the photos from the first day of his life.

Joe

Newsletter - March 11, 2009
Noelle's Day 81 - Malachi's Day 8

Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Hebrew the word means messenger, and in the Book of Malachi the message is that change is coming.

Malachi intended to write a book about change.

I didn't.

In fact I didn't set out to write a book at all. Kathleen and I were just trying to figure out how to keep and care for a small group of horses that had somehow landed quite unexpectedly in our front yard. We were asking a lot of questions and getting a lot of answers that didn't seem to make any sense. After stumbling through mistake after mistake, amassing an enormous amount of research, and spending a great deal of time with our little herd we discovered that either we were stark raving nuts or there was something very wrong in this world of horses. That's where The Soul of a Horse began.

Thankfully for us it turned out that we weren't nuts. At least not in the clinical sense.

We had little choice but to follow this journey. It was too late to turn back and in truth it held great fascination for me as a storyteller. I've spent most of my life telling stories, usually involving animals, and here we were: two complete neophytes who, a few short months before, didn't have a horse... or a clue. Yet we were leaping face first into uncharted and very controversial waters on a collision course with the ultimate discovery that most "domestic" horses were being kept and cared for in a manner that is diametrically contradictory to their genetic design.

But even at that point, with that knowledge, I was not trying to create a book about change. It was a book about our mistakes, our astonishment at what we were finding, and how somewhere along the journey Kathleen and I both began to realize that what we were learning about relationships, leadership, persistence, and patience didn't apply just to horses.

It seems that part came alive for some. Not a day goes by that we don't hear from readers telling us how the book has changed their lives. People who love horses and people who have never laid hands on a horse. This is all very humbling for us.

The next book, the one you are reading the Preface for, is the continuation of our journey, the extension of our learning curve, and I suppose, once again, it will be called a book about change. Which is the reason we chose a very special name for our first-ever foal, the offspring of an unhandled pregnant mustang we adopted from the Bureau of Land Management. Considering the death sentence they were both living under - a sentence issued by our federal government - we feel the name is particularly appropriate.

So with all due apologies to my Cash, hero of the The Soul of a Horse and author of its Introduction, the next book will belong to a new life on the planet. His name is Malachi... for all the reasons above, and all the reasons to come.

Joe Camp

The above photo and the two below were all taken yesterday, on Malachi's eighth day of life.

He's already driving Noelle crazy with his racing and frolicking arond the paddock.

I've had one session a day with him (definitely a him :) since Day 3. Today he's 10 days old, the second day he's worn a halter. He turned tight circles in both directions, backed up a couple of steps, and learned to lead forward in a straight line. Only a few steps at a time, but he was figuring out that a step forward meant release of pressure. I lift and tap all four feet, rub him all over, including his ears, over and around his eyes, and in his nose. I put a finger in his mouth and rub his tongue. And we sit together on a hay bale. The first few days he would lie in my lap but he's already getting too big for that. He's a rambunctious little bugger and I cannot say that he's in love with his exercises but he's accepting them and trying hard to figure things out. Even while mama hollers next door. I suspect that he'd be doing even better had we been able to isolate him before the third day. It took us that long to figure out how to gain separation. Remember Noelle has never been on a rope and is a very protective mom. We had already built one stall in the paddock where we thought Noelle might want to deliver. She didn't. We built a second adjacent stall and rigged a long line to the gate where I sit in a folding camping chair with my laptop waiting for Malachi to wander into the "play pen" without mama. Then I pull the "secret" line to shut the gate.

Kathleen's having a grand time just watching and shooting video as Malachi romps and plays. She predicted that he'd be a boy, only because I had been calling him a her since we first decided to adopt. Another smack down from God :) And probably why I'm approaching all this a bit nervously. I've only been face-to-face with one stallion in my life. And I've never had a hand on a foal prior to Malachi. But I wake up every morning alive and anxious to get back to Mom and babe.

Stay tuned.

Malachi Is Turning Into a Horse

Newsletter - March 21, 2009
Noelle's Day 91 - Malachi's Day 18

I'm writing to you on Saturday, March 21st, Malachi's 18th day on the planet, but this photo and all the ones below were actually taken on his 13th day. I'm spending so much time with him and Noelle that I'm sorry to say I'm having trouble keeping up with everything else, like photos, newsletters, even email. By the way, all the fantastic photos you'll see in this newsletter were taken by Kathleen. A big round of applause please :)

The boy is growing so fast we're afraid to blink, afraid we might miss something. Kathleen has shot an enormous amount of video which I haven't been able to edit down and get onto the website yet but hope to do so soon. I will drop you a link when it's up. I think the piece will clearly dramatize how much he's growing. When he began lying in my lap (on day 3) we were using two bales of straw but you can see below how On Day 13 he's almost off the far end. Today I had to add a third bale.

Above, the process of lying down begins.

He's such a good boy. Boy for sure, but a good boy. He wore his first halter on Day 9, was leading in circles and taking a few forward steps by the next day, and on Day 11 he was leading every direction on a loose line. Today we had a stroll outside the "playpen" as Kathleen calls it, being careful to never leave mama's sight and she actually handled it well with no snotty remarks :).

Kathleen put her foot down and said this boy was not going to wear a pink halter (she ordered blue) so today he finally got to eschew hot pink and take that first walk outside the stall wearing a very handsome marine blue.

Good friend and trick trainer Allen Pogue wouldn't leave us alone until we built a platform. He uses it to give his babies a quiet safe spot to hang out, always near mama, and in very short order his horses will go to any platform or pedestal on a point or cue and stay right there until asked to go somewhere else. So I finally got out the saw and with a little help built Malachi a platform. He was introduced to it on Day 13 (March 15th), the day these photos were taken. Initially he needed some encouragement, but by the end of the day he was climbing right up on a loose line. He even went up once by himself when my back was turned. I looked back and I swear he was actually beaming with pride. I couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud.

Note Noelle taking notes on the first picture immediately above. I think I've mentioned before that Malachi is so bright I worry about staying ahead of him. Well nothing has changed. Look at the photo below as he takes charge of the "secret" rope that allows me to lure him into the playpen and shut the gate from afar. At least now he will usually come to me to get a rub or a bit of powdered baby ration certainly helps the time expended. The first several days I spent hours sitting in a camping chair with my laptop waiting for him to go into the playpen, without mama, so I could pull the rope that would close the gate.

How does life get better than this :) Now if I can just get this strapping young boy to pass the good word on to his mom. Sorry this got so long but I'm definitely a proud papa.

Joe

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Also NEW: Videos of Day 1 and Day 18. Day 18 is a long but an especially significant study of how fear is hard-wired in horses.

Day 1

Day 18