[RC] Cowboy longrider riding wild mustang NV to TX Mustang Makeover - Dawn Simas
I am writing this on behalf of a friend
of mine, his Lucky 13 Ranch is the one that Amigo was at this summer. Matt
took 6th place in the Sacto Horse Expo's Mustang Challenge this summer.
He's an excellent trainer, Amigo is better because of him. :) He is
entered in the Sept Mustang Makeover in TX. He's had the BLM gelding he's
been assigned for about 6 weeks now. He's broke to ride, desensitized to
traffic, night lights, etc, he's come a long way.
Matt's protocol is the spend a lot of time and gain
their trust and represent a leadership role, then the horse responds quickly
after that. His mare in Sacto was the only one fully "in the bridle" and
she was doing lead departures, flying lead changes, he was riding one handed at
a gallop, she walked up steps, I think she'd walk through fire if he
asked.
So, to raise money for the Mustang Heritage
Foundation and John Wayne's Center for Breast Cancer, he is now riding
this new gelding the rest of summer from Las Vegas area to Ft. Worth TX,
arriving there for the Makeover September 20. This gelding is a
young horse, was wild only 6 weeks ago, so Matt is taking it very slowly with
his father following along in a chase vehicle for safety. I
am assuming he is riding trail sections, road shoulders,
bypassing congested areas, similar to the Great American Horse Race
in 1974. He is basically "finishing" this horse on the trail, the way
cowboys did it back in the day. I told him about the time that Wendell
Robie had to ride 100 miles to get medicine to a child when a road was out and
the horse wasn't broke. He said, "He'll be broke when I get back."
:) Matt is very interested in endurance and would love to chat to you all
more about it. He would like to take his mustang mare (which he bought in
the auction at Sacramento) on Tevis someday.
Along the way he is asking for donations and
publicity to promote wild horse adoption. He is encouraging people to
publicize and come see his mustang, and RIDE WITH HIM if you can! He also
needs help with overnight stops and advice on his route. You can email him
on the trail, he just left the other day and is in AZ now. He's quite a
character, great all round guy, excellent horseman. He's asked me to ask
you all for help along the way.
