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"I have a notebook of the tips from your site and I love them... Bonnie Anderson has been wonderful. All the tips I tried of hers worked the first time. I am now in the riding stage and my horse is awsome. Thank you all very much and keep the training tips coming!!!!!!"
Karen Gossard
Fayetteville, NC

Mustangs like a structured schedule. They like to be fed at the same time everyday, and worked with at the same time everyday. Of course, once the mustang is domesticated, you can do away with this and be more varied. But back in the wild, this is how Mustangs knew if something was wrong in their environment. 'New' means 'change' to a mustang, and anything that has changed signals an alarm to them. But once they realize change doesn't mean danger, they learn quickly. They are so cautious, that the structure they adhere to is what grounds them, enables them to relax some.

Another key to training a Mustang is to try to never frighten them. It may take longer to get results, but their trust will be of a deeper kind than regular horses. They depend so much on their herd to survive, and once a Mustang accepts you as a herdmate, his loyalty will be complete. One way of trying to bond with your Mustang is to approach him when he is in his stall or pen, and when you draw close enough where he is ready to move away, kneel down on one leg, lower your eyes, and offer a hand for him to sniff. When he walks over to you and sniffs, then you can rise slowly and scratch his neck near the withers. Signs of bonding are the horse turning his head toward you, chewing with his mouth, and long deep breaths as he relaxes in your presence. It may take several tries to get him to sniff your hand, but when he finally does, you know you're on your way to being accepted by him.

Once he accepts you, he will be more willing for you to touch him and brush him. As far as sacking them out, I think it would be better to just brush them gently on the spots they'll tolerate, and then gradually widen the brush strokes. When your reach an area he doesn't like, stop and try again the next day. When he's comfortable with you brushing his whole body, then you can move on to rubbing him with a big rag, one that flops and tends to lay on him as you rub. This will get him used to the feel of cloth so that when you eventually put the saddle pad on him, he'll be somewhat used to the feel.

Another thing that Mustangs are very aware of is eye contact. When you look them in the eye, they can become nervous and tense. For instance, when you are trying to teach your Mustang to lunge, don't look at his eyes, this will make him stop and stare at you, wondering what you want of him. Keep your eyes lowered as much as you can. Teach him the verbal 'walk' command when you lead him. When he knows this command, gradually let your lead rope lengthen while you continue to walk beside him until he is walking about two feet from you. Make a circle as you go, then slow your pace and if he should hesitate, calmly give the walk command. He should be going around you now as you walk slower and slower to finally halt. Be sure to praise him so he knows he is doing the right thing. It may take a few tries, but hopefully he'll understand and be lunging in no time.

Just remember that anything new to a Mustang brings out their cautious instinct. Patience is the key. Taking the extra time to train a Mustang reaps great benefits. You will learn as much as your Mustang does, and you will become a better horseman for it.