Mustang Makeover #5001 (No posting please)

[Whatever.]

My stories and art (Mostly stories) for the Mustang Makeover (run by Teresa8oats) will be stored here. Have fun browsing c:

[Whatever.]

Official reference done by teresa8oats

Name: Nova
Age: 7
Breed: Mustang
Color: Sooty Bay
Gender: Mare
Markings: Spotted stocking, stripe, sock
Height: 15.1hh
Vice/Fear/Special: This is a pretty normal mustang, she does not have any vices, but she tends to be squirmy when being led with a halter, or bridle for that matter. She will walk slow, shift around, and turn her rump to any horse that walks by her.
Notes: We are guessing that this mares dad was a black leopard appy mustang, and her mom was a sooty buckskin!

My form~~


Nova


Show name; None yet
Barn name; Nova
Breed; Mustang
Origins; Utah
Color; Sooty bay with sock and spotted stocking with facial strip.
Vice; This is a pretty normal mustang, she does not have any vices, but she tends to be squirmy when being led with a halter, or bridle for that matter. She will walk slow, shift around, and turn her rump to any horse that walks by her.
Build; Nova is 15.1 hh and of a stocky build. She has a large barrel, a short and well made face. Her neck is thick and her dark mane is thicker. She has short tough legs. Her rump is quite broad and well cushioned. She's well made, with great but thick bone structure.

UYbwd

[Whatever.]

Traditional art;

AB

[Whatever.]

Tank; Used in- pickup day - day one -
Goldie; Used in- day 1-

[Whatever.]

Ariel flicked the last few specks of dirt from her stallion, Tank's, coat. The painted sport horse blew warm air from his nose, lowering his head so that it was held only by the lead line tied to the stall wall. The rumble of tires on gravel alerted only the young woman, as the horse beside her could care less. With her heart in her throat, she leaned out of the wooden stall and looked down the aisle to the gravel parking lot where a silver two horse trailer sat waiting for her.

She tried to tell herself that it was only someone coming to board their horse at her stables. But she knew it wasn't true. It was all Ariel could do to not leave poor Tank tied in his stall and run all the way to the trailer. She took the lead from the stallion's leather halter, leaving him to sleep and walked briskly down the aisle, excitement bubbling inside her. It was her first time in the Mustang Makeover challenge hosted by Cottonwood Wild Horse Ranch, and she promptly signed her own stables up as soon as she heard of it. She surely had the time and faculties. Though her stables were full of classical riders, she felt confident this would be good for everyone here.

She approached the truck, her focus training on the driver now. It was one of her oldest friends and boarders who had agreed to go get the new mustang so Ariel could look after the horses she needed to in the morning.

"Go ahead and back the trailer up into the outdoor arena." Ariel nodded to the large, fenced in sand arena cleared of jumps in anticipation for training.

The older woman got back into the truck and reversed it through a wider gate made just for this purpose. Ariel walked through the open space in the gate and lowered the ramp. Undoing the latch, she stepped back, expecting the mustang to come flying out. However the horse did the complete opposite. She walked out with her head lowered, nostrils flared as she tested everything out. She tentatively put a hoof on the sand, dark eyes wide and ears back. She snorted, retreating to a corner with a few weeds and blades of grass peeking out through the sand. She didn't nibble on them, though, and simply stood there with her ears back.




Ariel watched the small mare, leaning on a wooden board encircling the arena. This may be harder than she thought. She'd have to get the little girl's confidence up. And think of a name. She had her work cut out for her.

It was so early in the morning, the sky gray, and the sooty bay mare looked even darker. Ariel went inside the barn to grab some grain, treats, and molasses. She grabbed a black hardened rubber feed bucket, put a few scoops of grain into it, with a few carrots, sugar cubes, even a beet and covered it all in molasses. She hoped to show the mare that all was okay here. Maybe she could put another mare or even a gelding in the arena with her before moving her to a smaller pasture near the barn.

Ariel placed the bucket in the middle of the arena, hoping to get the little mare to come out of her corner. She talked soft gibberish to the mare, stepping slowly away from the bucket. The mare's ears flicked forwards a few times and she licked her lips, showing she was thinking but she didn't move towards the bucket until Ariel was all the way on the other side of the arena. And she only lipped at the grain then, only really digging in once the woman made her way over to the barn.

Little to the little mare's knowledge, Ariel could see her from the barn, and regularly checked up on her throughout the doing of her chores. She's let the mare settle for right now, and become calm in her new environment. The young woman would bring out some hay for her later to nibble on so she had something to eat through the night.

[Whatever.]

Ariel woke up to the sound of a blaring alarm. Her brown hair was in a tangled mess and deep circles had placed themselves under her brown eyes that night. Luckily no one but the horses would see her this early in the day. She brushed out her hair, put on a pair of thick fuzzy pajama pants, pulled on paddock boots, grabbed an apple for herself and was on her way to the barn. Which was only a walk up the drive way away. The walk was a quiet one, consisting of only the crunching if the gravel under her boots and the chirping of the early morning birds. She checked on her little mustang mare first, noting that the horse had retreated back into her corner but had eaten everything in the bucket and about a fourth of the hay Ariel had set out.

Since the little mare was still sleeping peacefully, Ariel decided to bother her other horses first. She first took Tank out of his stall, threw a flysheet on him, and turned the huge stallion out. He seemed interested in the visitor, but didn't make a sound as they passed the arena on the way to his field. She checked the water tanks in the paddock, then brought a little palomino pony in from the field. This was the horse she planned to use to give her newest mare company. Goldie was a bit older and motherly, commonly used for young riders.

Ariel put Goldie in a stall, and grabbed a bucket of feed full of supplements for the older mare. Seeing that her fully tamed mare was busy, Ariel thought it was about time she brought her little mare her breakfast. She covered the bottom with sweet feed, drizzled molasses over it, threw in a few sugar cubes, and took an apple as a treat for when the mare came near her.

As the young woman came near the arena she noticed the mare was awake and nibbling at the leftover hay. Ariel opened the gate slowly, talking to the little sooty bay mare.

"I bet I'm the scariest thing you've ever seen, huh?" she asked, putting the bucket of grain down. She sat down next to it, hunched her shoulders, and didn't make eye contact. She had read up on methods to get your horse near you, and this was the method she preferred. "No need to be afraid, doll." She muttered, noticing the mare had pricked her ears in interest. "There's some good food here if you want it." she talked to the sand next to the mare's forefeet, not daring to make eye contact as that could break the whole spell. The mare snorted loudly and licked her lips, took a small step towards Ariel and stopped for a few seconds before starting again. This pattern continued until she was barely a foot away from Ariel. The young woman could see the sand coating the little mare's forelegs. She still had her eyes fixated on the sand, but a slight smile had planted itself on her face. They had made progress.

The mare stretched out her neck to nibble at the feed, becoming more and more comfortable as she ate. She moved closer and closer to the human, though still wary and watching. Ariel couldn't help but to talk to the horse beside her. "You'll be getting a friend soon. I think you'll like her, doll. She's hard to not like." the redhead murmured, reaching out a hand to softly touch the hard shell of the mare's hoof. The mare could't exactly feel it, but she sure saw it and jumped a little but allowed Ariel to continue tracing her fingers over her leg. That was all they did as the little mare chowed down. Once she was finished, she glanced over at the human sitting beside her as if asking for more.

Ariel grinned and offered the apple, but the mare would have to take it from her hand. The mare eyed the hand that had stroked her leg dubiously, snorted, and tentatively took a bite from it. Ariel did not reach out to touch her, feeling this may be too much for the little mare. The little mare finished the apple and left a sticky residue all over the young woman's hand. That's where the interaction ended for the day, except for Ariel bringing out more hay for that night.

[Whatever.]

Ariel tightened her grip on Goldie's lead as they neared the arena, it was going to be her little mare's first time meeting another horse and the young woman had no idea on how she'd react. She'd just let them meet over the fence for right now.

"Little Mare" as Ariel affectionately started calling the indeed little mare had ate beside the human again, hesitating less than before at coming over, and took the apple from Ariel's hand, as gently as possible of course, but not as fearful as she had been before. Ariel had the permission she had been looking for the move up to the mare's lower shoulder and did so. She then went and completed chores she needed to do around the farm before attaching a lead to Goldie's sky blue nylon halter and bringing her out.

They were nearing the arena now, and the mustang pricked her ears and trotted over to the fence line. Ariel couldn't help but to notice the floaty gait. She couldn't wait to saddle that horse, but it'd only do harm to get overly excited. Goldie calmly walked where the young woman steered her, interested in the new horse but not excited. The little mustang reached her head over the fence, nickering softly. Goldie met her muzzle with her own and they exchanged breaths. The two sets of ears flicked, and the little mustang squealed, but quickly reunited her nose with Goldie's.

After a while, and the lessening of interest on both mare's parts, Ariel tugged on the rope and lead Goldie back to her field. "Little Mare" called to the older mare however the older mare only flicked an ear. Ariel would try to put them in the arena tomorrow if all went well, but she'd have to take the older mare out so she could work with her new addition. It was vital that they bonded. Maybe she'd take a horse training book out there tonight and just read as the little mare ate. And debate names.

The sooty bay mare seemed almost happy to see Ariel come back, her ears pricking. Ariel, however, decided to grab dinner for her and her horse. Leftovers for her and just a scoop and a half of sweet feed for "Little Mare". The young woman had decided to see if her mustang would eat without these many sweet treats tempting her.

She entered the sand filled arena, gaining the attention of the mare who promptly walked over and stuffed her nose into the bucket. Ariel sat in the sand, stroking the leg of the mare beside her with one hand and scooping the food she got for herself into her mouth with the other. They sat there for a while, and Ariel pulled out her book as soon as she was done eating. Even after "Little mare" had cleaned out the bucket she stood beside the human. The young woman slowly rose up until she was touching the mare's withers. She kept her nose in the book, so as to not spook her mare with sudden movements. Slowly she traced circles on the mustang's shoulder.And that, she decided, was enough stimulation for today. She'd leave the poor girl alone for the rest of the night.

[Whatever.]

Ariel put a few scoops of sweet feed into a bucket, grabbing an old, old halter and putting it in the food. Her little mare trusted the food enough now. Maybe it'd be okay to mix it up a little. if she spooked, it'd take a while to earn her trust again. But Ariel had to at least try.

She brought the bucket out to it's usual resting spot in the sandy arena and the little mustang promptly walked over, lowering her muzzle into the bucket. She snorted loudly as she found the halter, licking her lips. Her ears flicked and she glanced over at the human but tentatively lipped the grain she could get to through the halter.

Ariel sat quietly, letting the mare adjust to the new object in her grain. The little mare got brave enough to drag the halter out of the bucket and ate the rest of the grain. As she finished the feed, a small white butterfly landed on her tangled forelock. Ariel had been researching Native American names from the area the mustangs came from and there was one that fitted with this moment almost perfectly. Nova, she who chases butterflies.

"What do you think of Nova, huh?" Ariel asked, grinning as the mare looked over, giving a little snort. The butterfly had traveled down to her muzzle. "Nova it is, then." The newly named Nova nudged the bucket, flicking her ears and glanced over at the human next to her. Ariel moved a bit closer and reached for the halter She held it loosely, only staring at Nova's hooves. Nova snorted, sniffing the old musty nylon. She snorted, her ears flicking back for a second but she allowed Ariel to touch her with it. The young woman rubbed rubbed it all over the mare before resting it on Nova's muzzle. She slipped the noseband over her mustang's muzzle and slid the strap dotted with holes through the buckle. Ariel placed it on the loosest hole she could manage and let little Nova get used to it. Ariel left to do farm chores, only retuning that night with a bit of feed to see if Nova kept the halter on, which she did.

[Whatever.]

Ariel lead little Goldie out to the arena. She had already fed miss Nova her breakfast and hoped to give Nova a friend today. It had been four days since she got her mustang, and she wasn't trying to rush things. She had already gotten a halter on the mare and it had stayed there for the night. Ariel figured it was time for poor Nova to have some company other than her human. They had the beginnings of a great bond, and the right horse won't get in between that. Goldie was one of those horses.

Ariel swung open the gate, leading the older palomino mare into the arena. Nova whinnied loudly, trotting quickly over. Goldie only responded once the lead was taken off her sky blue nylon halter, her ears pricked. They both arched their necks as they touched muzzles, snorted and settled down walked over to graze on the extra hay set out for the two.

Ariel grinned and set out to do chores.

~A small entry today, I know. Longer ones are in store for more eventful day~

[Whatever.]

Little Nova and Goldie had sent the night in the arena together, simply bonding by grooming each other and nibbling on hay together. They were such cute friends, and it almost broke Ariel's heart to take Goldie away so could start Nova's training. Almost. Goldie was lead easily, and Nova didn't make much of a racket, just following Goldie to the gate and pricking her ears once she could follow no longer. It was a better reaction than expected.

Ariel came back with and old lunge line, a few scoops of sweet feed, and a new halter. One she bought just for Nova. It was a light yellow nylon breakaway, and it looked better than the old ratty one Nova had currently. If she's going to keep her halter on, then she should at least have a nice one. Ariel opened the gate, giggling slightly as the mustang nudged her arm gently. Ariel placed the bucket down on the sand and allowed the mare to eat. Nova dug eagerly in, looking up in between bites with grain falling from her mouth.

During on of those little look-ups, Ariel reached slowly for the halter, undid it, and slipped it off Nova's face. Nova flicked her ears, becoming a little uneasy, but allowed the human to do her work. The redheaded woman held u the new halter for Nova to insect before slipping it over her muzzle. Nova took this well, and didn't spooked as Ariel tightened it to a place where it'd be more comfortable.

Nova finished the feed stuck at the bottom of the bucket, pulled her muzzle out of the bucket, and wiped it on Ariel's t-shirt. Gaining another laugh.

Nova stood quietly as Ariel clipped the lunge line on the nice nylon halter, jumping only slightly at the metallic click. She snorted and licked her lips at this change. But she complied. Ariel walked away from he mare so she was at a right angle. She tugged on the line, hoping to persuade the mare to come closer. However Nova stood there, just looking at her. The young woman moved so that the angle between her and the mare was steeper, and tugged a little harder. Nova got the message and turned to face Ariel.

Ariel grinned, "Good girl, Nova! Good girl!". Nova's ears pricked at the praise, and she lowered her head. Ariel clucked, tugging the lead once again. Nova walked towards her human friend, stopping only an inch away. "You're such a good girl, baby doll." Ariel murmured, stroking the mare's neck. Nova snorted gently, and Ariel took the lunge line off her halter. It was enough for today.