Thursday, September 1, 2011

kiger mustang auction

The kiger mustang auction is coming up next month, and I am fairly determined to come home from it with a new horse. I'm extremely interested in the kigers because, aside from being beautiful and having obvious Spanish ancestry, they are well known for being extremely trainable. While good conformation is extremely important, trainability may be the most important quality in a good dressage mount.

The one downside to getting a kiger is that the auctions are highly competitive. At the last kiger auction in 2007, the highest bid was $7,800. That being said, there were also 29 horses that went for the minimum bid of $125. Another thing to consider is that the last auction took place before the economy completely tanked. Perhaps low consumer confidence will keep the bids reasonably low.

I have picked out several horses that I would be interested in taking home, and now I'm interested in what everyone else has to say. Visit the BLM kiger adoption website, and vote for your favorite by commenting on the blog (FB works too). Use the horse's ID number when you cast your vote.

4 comments:

  1. Who is going to help you gentle this wild horse? Do you have the six foot fences to keep them in? While I don't want to discourage you from doing it, it takes skill and knowledge to gentle a horse, even a Kiger. You are right in their trainability once they are gentled. Once you have their respect and trust they will do their very best to please you. But getting that is something you earn over time.

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  2. Hi Dianne. I appreciate your concern, and having worked at a rescue where the sole purpose was to take in mustangs that were adopted by unqualified people (mentioned in several earlier posts), I am well aware of the risks involved with wild horses, and have seen what happens when the proper precautions are not taken. Another thing I have previously mentioned is that I do intend to hire a trainer to help with the initial gentling process. There really aren't any boarding facilities in my area with the right setup to train a wild horse, and having less experience with the halter training process than the under saddle work, I have decided that it is the best interest of the horse to get professional help. Again, I appreciate your concern, but I know exactly what I am getting in to.

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  4. Here is a previous post about Ever After Mustang Rescue, where I acted as assistant trainer. http://dressagegonewild.blogspot.com/search/label/feature%20stories

    Check out their website. Mona is one of the most incredible women I have ever met, and I learned so much while working for her.

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