[Timey]

After a year of large renovations and moving, we're FINALLY ready for the Mustang Makeover, and we couldn't be happier with the beautiful boy that was assigned to us! He's got that spark in his eye that lets us know he'll fit in just fine with the rest of the horses. It may take some time to warm up to us, but we're certain he's going to be in paradise at MCS!

He'll be working alongside our mare from last year, Scandalous, who never did complete her training due to the flood of change that hit Manteca Creek. But now that things have finally settled, we can focus on our mustangs again. We're so excited to get started with them!

We've found a name for him!

Rockstar Status
'Rosco'

[ The Road So Far ]

Info
name: Rockstar Status 'Rosco'
gender: Gelding
age: 8 Years
breed: Mustang
height: 14.3 hh
vice: This boy is prone to getting an itch on his back
left leg and will scratch it when it flares up. Depending on
the style of training used, this could prove to be an issue...

Learning About Him
quirks: To Be Discovered
personality: Extremely curious. Very social.
Total show off. Seems to enjoy being in the spotlight.
Doesn't like surprises.

Checklist
- Pick Up Mustang ✓
- Adjust To New Home ✓
- Gain Trust/Befriend ✓
- The Halter
- The Bridle
- The Saddle
- First Ride
- Return To Wyoming

Bonus
- Fix Vice
- Begin Training In Event

[Timey]

Day 1 - July 22nd

Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

I found Rosco in much the same fashion as we had found Scandalous the prior year, except he wasn't running around trying to threaten people. Our new gelding stood on the opposite end of the corral from me, covered in dust, but standing around quietly and staring aimlessly off into the distance. He looked bored. We'd certainly fix that.

I clicked my tongue at him and his head immediately turned in my direction, and with his ears perked forward in interest, he trotted over to me in an instant. A bold one. Curious too. I couldn't see an ounce of fear in his body. He didn't seem particularly spiteful about being rounded up. I was starting to think he'd been in captivity for a while. That would make things easier on us, because he might already be used to a trailer.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks about halfway across the corral, and as if his life depended on it, put his head down to bite at his leg. I was able to get a small glimpse of that area of his leg, and could plainly see a bare patch where his fur had been bitten off in a desperate attempt to scratch. I'd been told about this vice of his and already messaged Caroline to start searching up treatments, in case it was simply a skin problem. If it wasn't...Well this was going to be an interesting habit to break.

When he'd finally stopped scratching, he resumed his pilgrimage across the corral and finally arrived at his destination. He kept a reasonable distance between us, but seemed interested enough. I reached out to him, and he eagerly stuck his head out to sniff my hand. He wouldn't let me pet him, but was content with just sniffing for now. So was I.

I heard Scandal's shrill call from the trailer, and the dust covered gelding did too. He lifted his head and quickly replied with his own, deeper whinny. He seemed sociable too. In general he just seemed to enjoy the company of someone. Looks like we got an easy one this year.

After our little meeting, it was time to get him in the trailer. We backed it up to the chute as some of the workers began to herd him into it. I watched Scandal from outside the trailer. The blue roan had one ear pointed behind her, listening to the struggles the handlers were having trying to get the gelding to go into the chute. Meanwhile, she ate mouthfuls of hay from the net that had been set up for her, more interested in getting food in her bottomless pit of a stomach more than anything else.

Finally, our new mustang came charging around the corner and flew right into his side of the trailer, seemingly encouraged by the fact that there was another horse in there. He didn't notice the trailer door shut behind him, much more interested in Scandalous. Scandal snorted in minor annoyance as the trailer rocked from his grand entrance, but seemed all around interested in who he was. Two extrovert horses. It was a match made in heaven. So far things seemed to be going well. Hopefully this would be a common theme throughout the next two months.

[Timey]

Day 2 - July 23rd

"Well that's not a naturally occurring mane in the wild! What happened to him?" Angela exclaimed, climbing the wall of the sheltered round pen and gazing upon our new mustang, immediately joined by Peter, Caroline, and Derik. It was now morning after a long drive back to MCS, and everyone was eager to meet the new addition.

"When they brought him in, his mane was so matted with mud that there was no way they could clean it all out. His mane was a little too long anyway, so they just decided to cut the better part of it off. He seems to like it though. Nothing weighing him down. Bet he feels like he can fly." I replied, watching as our gelding seemed to be attempting to do just that. He ran around the perimeter of the pen, jumping around and bucking occasionally. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed at the smaller space, or was simply happy to run around.

A glance out of the corner of his eye signaled that he knew we were watching. He tossed his head and let out a loud whinny, which was immediately responded to by Scandalous who was happily munching on the grass in the shade a few feet away from us. (She was glad to stick around now, and we could have her run around without fear of her bolting into the hills. It made things a lot easier on us.) Our gelding seemed to be trying to show off for us. He pranced around, flicking his short tail and just being generally noisy. It encouraged him even more to see us laugh, and he gradually picked up the pace anymore. He was quite quick. He'd make a good reining horse. Or a cow horse. I'd come back to that later on when more progress had been made with him.

"What a little show off!" Caroline exclaimed, grinning. "The boy thinks he's a rockstar or something." She chuckled.

"Hey. That's not a bad name idea." Peter replied to her. "Rockstar..."

"Status!" Derik finished for him.

I laughed. That was a perfect show name! "Alright, what about his call name..." I muttered.

"I see him as a Rosco. He just looks like one to me. It's kind of a rowdy name. And he's all that and more." Angela stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You like that boy?!" I called out to him from where he was sniffing at the hey that had been put in the pen for him. He looked up at us and whinnied again, ears straight up. I'd take that as a yes!

[Timey]

Day 3 - July 24th

We began trying to do as much work around Rosco's pen as we possibly could so he could get used to the hustle and bustle of Manteca Creek. He seemed generally curious of what we were doing, but also would trot around and try making conversation with Scandalous over the fence of the pen. Sometimes she would reply. Other times she'd just continue on eating her grass. It didn't seem to discourage him though.

One day he was extremely curious about us hosing Scandalous down when she'd wandered off and gotten covered in around 10 layers of dirt. As our little roan more ran in circles and played around in the stream of water, Rosco seemed mesmerized. Angela, who'd been doing the hosing off of Scandal, noticed this. She shut off the water as Scandalous walked off to go and sniff at a butterfly, and then walked over to Rosco's pen holding the house. Rosco slowly slipped behind the fence and backed up a ways. Angela climbed up onto the fence and slung the hose over it. Rosco stared for a moment, before slowly inching his way over to the hose. Angela climbed back down to go to the water controls, and I stood up on the fence and watched him.

Rosco sniffed at the hose, ears perked forward. He even licked some of the water dripping out of it.

And then Angela turned the hose on.

The water gushed out and Rosco took off running to the other side of the pen. He stopped, hooves dug into the dirt, looking extremely offended by the hose performing it's duty.

I started guffawing. "Come on Rosco, it's only a bit of water!" I called out at him. Rosco snorted loudly and stamped his hoof, as if to say "I am NOT going over there until THAT thing goes away!"

I rolled my eyes and took the house off of the fence, then clicked my tongue for him to come back over. He snorted again, and then pointedly pointed himself in the opposite direction and pretended to be interested in the wall.

Brat.

No picture available.

[Timey]

Day 4 - July 25th

Darlin' you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Day four began with Rosco still acting like a bit of a brat after the whole hose thing. But come on, he'd have to get over it eventually. I exited my small cabin in the training hollow early that morning, a mug of apple cider in hand. I looked around the clearing, sipping my drink. A few of the eager songbirds were already singing in the trees, even though the sun wasn't hardly even up yet.

My eyes flicked over to Scandal's pen where she was munching on a bit of hay, her dark silhouette the only thing visible. Not even her little face marking could be seen in the darkness.

The only well lit area nearby was the round pen, and I could very clearly see Rosco lifting his head over the fence. As soon as he noticed me looking over at him, he slipped back down behind it. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The gelding fit in all to well at Manteca Creek. It was like working with a three year old who didn't get his way.

I chuckled and then walked back into my cabin. We'd get to work later on in the day.

By noon, all of us were at the round pen, sitting up on the fence and admiring Rosco, who had darted to the other side of the pen from us. However unlike yesterday, he seemed to be battling a small war with himself. He'd take a few steps towards us, and then suddenly think better and trot back. He just couldn't decide whether he wanted to come over or stay away. Scandalous was even hanging out at the fence with us, waiting for him to come over. Not even the other horse encouraged him to make his way over to us.

I turned and noticed Angela grinning to herself, which considering who Angela was was hardly ever good. "Alright. What are you plotting?" I asked.

The grin grew even wider. "I think I have something that will get him to come over to us." She replied, then turned to Peter, who was currently scratching Scandalous behind the ears. "Hey could you put her in the pen real quick?" Angela requested.

Peter didn't look to sure. "We haven't tried that yet Angie..."

Angela shrugged. "I'm not worried about them. Scandal will let him know if he's being to obnoxious. I'm sure of it."

Peter sighed, then jumped down off of the fence, Scandalous following him closely.

Rosco made no move towards the gate as it opened. But he seemed to get extremely happy when he saw Scandal making her way in. Peter shut the gate behind her, and Rosco was about to canter over to her when Angela called out her name. Any attention she had been giving Rosco was immediately diverted back to us.

I think she could smell them before she saw them, and when she did she galloped over to us, skidding to a stop and immediately taking the molasses covered carrot from Angela's hand. I laughed, looking up at Rosco who was ever so slowly making his way over to us as Scandal happily munched on her treat.

Angela shoved another carrot into my hand. "Here. He's your's. Might as well get the treat from you." She stated.

I looked back down and Rosco was gazing up at me expectantly. "Do you promise to stop being a brat now?" I questioned, giving him the treat. He bit into it, tasting it. A second after he yanked the rest of it out of my hand, and I laughed. Getting an idea, I slowly reached out the hand that wasn't covered in molasses, and began to slowly scratch the area behind his ears. He either didn't notice, or didn't want to protest, cause he allowed me to keep doing so.

A few moments later he was done eating, and now he was completely focused on what I was doing. For a second he tried to jerk back, but then slowly settled into it, even moving his head so my hand could scratch an itchy spot. He liked it!

A few moments later Scandalous cantered off around the round pen, and Rosco, noticing that there was no barrier separating him and his new friend, he turned and took off after her. Energy flowed through the two of them, and I grinned as Rosco kicked up his heels in play. I sighed in content. Today had been a big milestone.

"Now we still have to try and get that dirt off of him..."

No picture available.

[Timey]

Day 5 - July 26th

The fifth day brought along with it a blistering heat that was expected to last the next few days, with very little relief on the way. The grass already felt dry and crispy under my boots and this wave had only just started. The horses had been brought back into the barn because of it, and all of us were gradually changing into cooler clothing. It had gotten to the point where I was walking around in a tank top and basketball shorts. Not really ranch attire, but needs must.

Rosco was feeling it too. He wasn't nearly as active and lively as he had been the last few days, and was not eager to be moved from the spot he had selected for himself in the center of his pen. Not even Scandalous's company roused him, and the blue roan mare stood off to the side, halfheartedly nudging at the ball we had placed in the pen for them to mess around with.

All in all, it was a depressing day at Manteca Creek.

I still had various chores to do, and by the end of it all I had resorted to spraying myself down with the house because it was so hot out. The noise of the jet seemed to lift Scandal's spirit, which in turn sparked Rosco's curiosity once more. He seemed to have a lot of trust in her. Whatever was okay with her was okay with him. Which would really help us later on.

After I'd sprayed myself with the hose, I went over to the fence where Scandal was patiently waiting. Climbing up onto the fence and sitting on it, I sprayed the water at Scandalous, who instead of playing around in it, simply stood there and enjoyed the cool jet of water.

I smiled a bit. "No better way to beat the heat is there girl?" I questioned. The deep, content sigh that came from her was a good enough answer.

My gaze flicked back over to Rosco, who had stood up and seemed to be debating whether to walk over to me or not. He put one hoof forward, and then stopped again, ears perked in my direction, tail flicking. Seeing this, I turned the nozzle down to a lower setting, until all that was coming out of the house was a soft, powerless stream of cold water. Looking back up at Rosco, I ran my hand under the stream. "Come here boy!" I called out.

After a moment, Rosco finally worked up the courage to make his way over. When he was close, he slowly reached out his muzzle until the water was pouring over his muzzle. He jerked his head back, seemingly torn about his opinion on the hose.

After a moment of consideration, he put his face under the water again.

And then his neck.

And then his rump.

Rosco seemed to be enjoying this.

When he was facing away from me, letting the water run over his back, I turned the water power back up to a slightly higher setting. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was enough to knock the dirt off of him a bit quicker. Gradually, dark brown gave way to a pale gold. White markings were uncovered one by one, and soon I finally had a full, unobstructed view of my handsome mustang.

And the giant bare patch on his back left leg. When I noticed it I cringed. When they had talked about the itchy spot on his leg, they were not kidding. He'd absolutely torn it to shreds. We'd need to do something. Quick. However I knew it'd take some work before he'd let us tend to the bare area.

I made it a mental note, and then sat back and enjoyed the full view of my handsome gelding. Another milestone reached. He was finally clean.

[Timey]

Day 6 - July 27th

Day six was a bit more tolerant weather wise, but it was still a rather lazy day at Manteca Creek. With no chores to attend to I had voted to just sit on the fence of the round pen with a cold water and admire Rosco. Now that he had all the dirt off of him and I now had the full view, it was hard to stop watching him.

Besides the bare patch on his leg, his coat had no flaws to it. I deduced that he probably had never had a mare of his own, or hardly ever attempted to get one. Hard to believe considering he was 8. Rosco was a bit small though. Perhaps where he came from he just wasn't band stallion material. Poor guy. But it made things easier on us. He wasn't possessive of mares, and seemed more interested in being friends with them rather than claiming them. Whether this was from being gelded, or having simply never had a band, I'd never know.

Rosco was mowing down some hay I'd given him earlier. He was quiet and calm today. Perhaps the heat was just as terrible for him too.

He lifted his head from the pile with a mouthful of hay, eyes flicking around at his surroundings. A few strands of hay floated down from his mouth and back down into the dirt.

'Hmm. This might be a good time for some more trust building.' I mused. I set my water down on the fence, and then ever so slowly, slid down the other side of it. I landed in the round pen with a soft thud, and then slowly sat down. Rosco watched, intrigued by the fact that I was actually in the pen with him now. He wasn't quite sure what to do. He took a step towards me, and then stopped again.

"It's okay boy. I'm not gonna hurt you. In fact if anyone could do any hurting here it's you." I stated softly. His ears perked forwards. He took a few steps closer to me, pausing once again. He sniffed the air, and then apparently happy with the results, began to walk lazily towards me.

He was right in front of me now, and slowly lowering his head towards me. I stayed absolutely still.

His warm breath tickled my face, smelling heavily of the hay he'd just consumed a few minutes prior. I refrained from giggling in case it spooked him.

He seemed really curious about everything that I was. He lifted his head a bit more to sniff at my hair. And then to my surprise and slight horror, he started nibbling my hair for whatever reason. I had no idea what he was trying to accomplish here. What did my shampoo smell good enough to eat?

And then I remembered.

The shampoo I used had a green apple scent.

That explained things.

Not really enjoying the whole experience as much as him, I slowly moved my hand up over my head to block his mouth. He complied without jerking away. Just simply lifted his head and looked down at me, as if questioning why that wasn't a good thing to do. There was no sign of aggression though.

I decided to take things a step further.

As slowly as possible, I began to stand up. As I lifted myself to my feet, Rosco backed up a little bit, ears perked forward. He kept a safe distance between us, but still seemed to want to come over here and possibly try and eat my hair more.

I was now standing up right in front of him, not moving a muscle. He stood in place for a moment longer, and then walked back over to join me again, sniffing me over as if something about me had changed when I stood up. He seemed pretty confident that I wasn't going to hurt him, probably now that he saw he was much bigger than me.

Most people probably would have thought of me as crazy for doing this so early on, but mutual trust was a big thing at Manteca Creek. If this was going to have to work, we'd have to both trust each other in situations like this. He had to trust that I wouldn't hurt him, and in turn he had to trust me. Without that bond, this would probably never work.

After a while of him investigating me, I slowly reached out my hand. He took one step back, but began sniffing my palm a second later. His muzzle was in my hand now, and I had to resist the urge not to let my joy overcome me in this moment. I gave him another minute to investigate my hand, and then finally moved it up to rest on his face, slowly stroking the lower part of his blaze.

He didn't even back away.

No picture available.

[Timey]

Day 7 - July 28th

Not much happened today. It was slightly cooler, and there was a nice breeze providing some minor relief. It energized the horses, and they were once more galloping all over the pastures and playing like they always do. Once more, Rosco was doing laps around the pen and feeling pretty darn good. I decided to join him inside the fence once again, and he seemed happy to welcome me in. He didn't come up to me and sniff me again, choosing instead to show off and gallop in circles around me. He was a smart horse, making sure to keep a safe distance from me. He seemed to know that if he got to close he might injure me. And it seemed to be mutual that neither of us wanted that to happen. He was also very vocal, whinnying every other lap he did.

Someone felt like being a show off!

No picture available.

[Timey]

Day 8 - July 29th

Well, Rosco is moody again.

I brought the halter into the pen to get him introduced to it, and he acted like I had committed some horrible offense against him. He walked up to me, and then as he got closer, I began to pet him. (He liked having his face stroked now. It almost put him into a trance it seemed.) After about a minute of this, I lifted the halter up for him to sniff it. It was the closest look of disgust I've ever seen on a horse's face as he lifted his head up to get a better look. He was clearly not thrilled about the idea, but also seemed somewhat curious.

I lifted it to let it sit on his head briefly, and then it was all over. He snorted, and then backed away and trotted to the opposite side of the pen from me.

My shoulders sagged. "Really?!" I called out at him.

My reply was a stamp of the hoof and a rather sassy snort.

Fine then. I'd have to try another strategy. After some brainstorming, I realized I had just the trick.

No picture available.

[Timey]

Day 9 - July 30th

WIP