Auction Results

Word on the street is that Jackpot sold for $1800 today.

The Results are in!!

Buddy and Jackpot did very well in the riding portion, but because of the in-hand score, it did not put them in the Top 10. They placed 14th overall. 

Not bad!!

Auction tomorrow, and there is lots of interest in Jackpot. 

Videos to come next week of their performances.

In-Hand Results

Today was the In-Hand/Halter competition. Jackpot got a little squirrelly coming into the arena, so it cost them. They ended up placing 48 out of 69 competitors. However, tomorrow is the riding portion of things and Buddy hopes to do much better. 

Horses were also scored on body conditioning, and Jackpot scored 100% on that! So fingers crossed tomorrow will do better and put them in the top 10 overall. 

That's your update!

Waiting on word

No word on how they did today. Hopefully news tomorrow.

They have arrived

Buddy and Jackpot have arrived and checked into the Extreme Mustang Makeover, as of 8 a.m. this morning!!

A minor setback

Word from Buddy and Kim is that they broke down outside of El Paso, TX. The truck is in the shop and they have gotten a replacement and as of this evening at 9 p.m. are back on the road. 

They are 7 hours from Ft. Worth and expect to be there in time for the check-in Wednesday morning. 

Keep your fingers crossed! More to come as I get updates.

Less than a week now

Buddy and Jackpot hit the road for Texas this Sunday bright and early!!

Thank you again to all who have sponsored this endeavor. It just couldn't be done without your support.

The Benefit Auction was a huge success!! Total money raised:

$4,000!!!!

Remember, anything left over (and there will be leftover $$, Buddy and Kim are not staying in a fancy hotel) goes to the Wickenburg High School Scholarship Fund

So thank you, everyone. You did a great job!!

I'll keep you posted. Check in time is 8 a.m. Wednesday in Ft. Worth, Texas

Starting that Wednesday, there will be daily updates on this blog, so come back soon!

The Auction

It was a great success!

Thank you to all who came out 

and generously opened their checkbooks

Thank you to our many sponsors!!

Fielding questions

Security detail

Buddy and Jackpot

Jackpot

A one minute clip

Tricks

So what should we do today?

Learn to bow

Stand up tall

Rope tricks

Not much longer

till the big day

September 18th!!!

Working the course

All photos courtesy of

Mike Thomas

A walk-thru is always in order

Practice on the ground first

and then in the saddle

Backing the L

Both ways...

A nice jump

They're lookin good!!!

Ready for Texas

Update! Finally...

Sorry it's been so long to update

As the finals draw closer

you'll see less of what's really going on

because I am sworn to secrecy as to

what their Freestyle will be about

and that's what they're working on

We aren't spilling it on this blog

If you want a sneak preview

show up at the Benefit Auction

Sept. 6th 

Gates open at 4 pm

Demonstration at 4:30 pm

Auction at 6 pm

Wickenburg Rodeo Grounds

That's the only time Buddy will show 

the general public a preview of his freestyle finale

But here's some pics from the 9th

Thanks to Mike Thomas for taking them

Working the gate while ponying Big Al

Jackpot is having a fabulous time with this

Big Al belongs to this lady here

Nancy Rae Lee

who blogs about him here

Sending Big Al around

while Jackpot waits patiently

Discussion

Nancy and Big Al successfully

negotiate the gate

Off they go!

Jackpot has turned into a really nice horse

capable and willing to do anything

More updates to come

but remember

we're not giving any secrets away

Big Bear

If any of you are in the Big Bear Lake, CA area

head on over to the Los Vaqueros arena tomorrow

Saturday the 26th 

and meet Jackpot!

They will be there all weekend 

for the Horsemanship Clinic

Come on over!

Jackpot's First Shoeing

Big day yesterday

Jackpot got his first set of shoes

Now before everyone gets all up in arms

wondering why we are shoeing a mustang

 let me explain

Yes, he needs shoes

If you've ridden Arizona at all

you know it's real rocky in this area

If you haven't ridden this area

come on down

we'll show you what we mean

If you expect to ride many miles

or gather cattle

your horse better be shod

mustang feet or not

Buddy's been doing these things lately

and Jackpot needs 

Fearless Farrier Service

to come in and do his first set to shoes

"Are you ready, Jackpot?"

Meet Buddy's brother Wade

The Fearless Farrier

Slow and easy gets it done

Looks like Buddy did the ground work 

Farriers DO appreciate that

Jackpot was very well behaved

Hmm, hard feet?

Hoof stand?

No problem

Nailing that first one on

with a few distractions....

Look - monkey children

Nothing bothers Jackpot

The back end - no problem

He even enjoys and uses the Hoofjack stand

If you're a farrier of any sort

and you don't have one of these stands

stop right now

go. get. one.

Almost done...

The finished product

A job well done

A family portrait

Brothers Buddy and Wade

Mom Zona

kids Jet and Mercy

and Jackpot!

Let's not forget Jackpot's favorite

Kim

aka

"That lady with the grain"

******************************

Did y'all catch the July Bridle and Bit article?

and

Did you see this in the August Western Horseman?

Wickenburg residents Jeff Alder, Carson Thomas,

Beaver Bird, and Russ and Mary Dolven

on page 114 in an article about Wickenburg

If you see them around town

get an autograph!!

Jackpot's First Clinic

Today's clinic in Wickenburg, AZ was a big success

Thank you to everyone who came out!

That's Buddy, but not Jackpot

Jackpot got to participate in the second half

The first half he got to stand around and watch

That's him on the right there

Buddy has a word with Jet

Buddy's wife Kim works the cows

in the holding pen

Look!

It's Jackpot!!!

The idea here is to make that cow weave 

thru the poles set up

Let me just say

WAY harder than it looks...

Some uncooperative

non-pole-bending

 cows in that bunch

Jackpot again

Jackpot quickly got the hang of things

Rest while you can...

Jackpot and Buddy

gettin it done

Then

they built a "rodear"

This is used out on working cattle ranches

A group of cowboys will hold a bunch of cattle

and cut out a cow at a time that needs 

to be branded or doctored

Beautiful lady,

beautiful horse

and the author of this blog

could not resist taking this final photo

for the ladies...

Week 3 - Jackpot goes to a PRCA Rodeo!

19 days into it on the 4th of July, 

we find Buddy and Jackpot at the....

That's right!

The Worlds Oldest Rodeo

Prescott PRCA 4th of July Rodeo

This a big one folks!

Jackpot says "_______??!!"

you fill in the blank

Bulls

Buddy's more interested than Jackpot

Working in the arena

and in the warm up arena

complete with rodeo queens riding around

The only issue all day was this one gate...

the rodeo queens whizzing around made 

Jackpot unable to concentrate

but never fear!

rancher and friend Jeff Solper 

appeared to lend a hand

and a big grin

you can do this Jackpot

The following picture is perhaps one 

of my all time favorites

Jackpot spooks his way out

but Buddy never loses his cool

or his light hands

It looks like they're doing a waltz

Jackpot composes himself and

pulls it together

which is good

cause the Grand Entry is coming

A family portrait

Buddy, Kim and Jet 

(he's 6 years old!)

There's the Grand Entry lined up to go in

That's a lot of flags waving

not to mention the NOISE

Can you BELIEVE this horse was wild 3 weeks ago???

They sneak closer

A lot going on in that arena

Next to the stock pens

Buddy says to Jet

"Son, lend me a hand,

and lead us up this alley"

Obviously, horsemanship runs in the family

Good job Jackpot

and Jet

and

God Bless America!

Superman and Jackpot

2 weeks into it

Lots of great things are happening with Buddy and Jackpot. I'm a little bit behind here. These were taken 2 weeks into the 100 days. Thanks to Mike Thomas for taking all these great pictures!

I should also mention this fact. It's been 112 degrees here for the last 10 days. At night the lows are in the 90's. It's HOT.

Working with ropes and feet

This teaches Jackpot to give his feet

Also makes it easier to pick up his feet

for the farrier

Not to mention in the future

if he catches a foot somewhere

he's not going to panic about it

Buddy is using a long soft cotton rope

See that crazy tarp thing in the background?

It's a teaching device

Buddy rides horses thru that

The rope is also the first step to teaching a horse 

to stand hobbled

It's the big scary rug again!

It gets closer

and closer...

and Jackpot handles it real well

don't forget... both sides

Buddy swings up

and they work on some basics

What a nice pair

It makes me want to adopt a mustang

Please adopt more mustangs!

Feds consider euthanizing wild horses

Clinic and Comments

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********************************

Saturday July 12th

6 a.m to 11:30 a.m.

Horsemanship

and 

Cattle Working Clinic

plus a 30 minute

demonstration by 

Diane Johnson

of Double Docs Horse Chiropractors

Wickenburg, AZ

Jackpot will be there!!!

So come one - come all 

and meet the mustang in person!

35370 S. Hwy 89

Take Hwy 93 out of Wickenburg 

to Hwy 89 toward Congress

on left side

look for signs

See you there!!

Day 4 - The FIRST RIDE

That's right folks

The first ride happened on Day 4, 

the 19th of June

Ground work first

Before you put pressure on in the saddle

do it on the ground

Buddy tests to see if Jackpot is ok with weight

Looks good

Jackpot says "What are we doing now?"

Saddling up

A kind word from Buddy goes a long way

More ground work

Working the stirrups

to let Jackpot know it's ok if he sees them 

out like this

Sometimes horses will catch that out of the 

corner of their eye and it's very scary

Best do it on the ground first

Both sides

Buddy's thinking on putting that foot in the stirrup

But first

He puts his weight onto the saddle

and this happens

Jackpot didn't like that so much

Buddy remains calm as always

and tries it again

This time is much better

So Buddy puts a foot in the stirrup

and he will do this again

and again

and again

As many times as it takes

until he feels the time is right

the horse is comfortable at this point

and he swings a leg over!!!

A moment to let Jackpot figure out what happened

and at this point Buddy isn't guiding him

just reassuring him

and around they go

Now the next picture is a rare thing

don't faint

Buddy cracks a smile!!

A good first ride

Buddy dismounts

and gives lots of love to Jackpot

Strip off the saddle

and rub all those sweaty spots

That makes a horse feel goooood

Excellent first ride

THAT is how IT'S DONE

More to come soon!

The rest of Day 3

Buddy says "Hey, let me show you something"

I imagine here he's saying

"Now don't kick the stuffing out of the other horses"

Cinch adjustment

Tying up the lead rope

Jackpot learns that other horses have

flapping stirrups and a saddle on

and it's OK!

Buddy swings up on Disco and moves some horses

Jackpot says "Wow, that horse is ok with that"

This exercise gets Jackpot used to a person

being above him and also being moved around by

a person on a horse

He's not so sure he likes it

Here comes a lesson in ponying

Jackpot says "I don't think so"

Buddy remains calm 

and talks Jackpot into it

There you go!

Lots of maneuvering 

Jackpot's getting the hang of it!

More Day 3

Going by the calender and time stamp on these pictures (and I will credit the man who took them, as soon as Kim tells me again) these were taken Day 3 of having Jackpot. He was trailered home Saturday the 14th, given Sunday the 15th as a day of rest, and then started on Monday the 16th. These are dated the 18th, so Day 3.

A lot happened on Day 3!

There was a lot of this

Jackpot says "WHAT is THAT?"

Buddy introduces the saddle slowly

They walk it around

Notice here what Buddy's doing with his body?

His hips are leaning out in case this horse

 blows up and/or kicks out

If that happens he's got control of the head 

to pull it into him and push the hind end away

and his body will swing out, hopefully avoiding a kick

Adjusting, feeling the saddle

Learning to move with the saddle

*Very important*

BOTH SIDES

You should be able to saddle a horse from either side

Jackpot says "Oh-kay"

There's the goat!

He'll make a few appearances as we go along

He must really have a thing for Jackpot

Saddling again from the off side

but a different saddle..

Buddy has switched from the old

 "can get kicked 1,000 times and drug in the dirt" 

stripped down saddle for first-timers,

to a saddle that he rides in

with full gear - front and back cinch

Jackpot's fine with this part

The cinching up process

done very slowly and gently

Buddy says to Jackpot

 "That's excellent"

A moment of reflection....

Partners

The First Days

When I (Mikey) first moved out to this area, I used to frequent a little 5 stool, one room bar that only served beer, just down the road. I went there to listen to the old timers talk. It's a good way to hear all the gossip about where you live. I learned a lot.

Buddy frequently came up in conversation. This being a few years after The Horse Whisperer movie came out. Those old boys would say over and over "That Buddy, he's the real deal. He's a true horse whisperer." Then they'd relate stories they'd heard or times they'd seen Buddy work his magic. 

He makes it look easy. 

The following pictures are from the first few days with Jackpot. I have a slew of pictures and I'll be doling them out over the next few days, so check back to see what's happening. 

I don't want to give it all away, but I'll tell you this much. They're way ahead of schedule. 

I'll let the pictures tell the story now.

Slow easy introduction

In some of these pictures you'll note 

the saddled horse behind them (and a goat or two)

I call them the "comfort animals"

Apparently one goat is particularly taken with Jackpot

and sleeps next to his fence at night

Ahhh there it is

That first touch

Jackpot gets a little scared as Buddy moves on

"But it's ok" Buddy says

It's OK

More reassurance

Introducing the halter

Buddy works slowly and calmly

Jackpot takes it in stride

He trusts Buddy at this point

Big freaky rug on the ground

that's ok

Hanging out like old friends

I call this "getting personal"

Jackpot's not real sure

He says "I don't know, man"

"Whoa! That's a goosey spot there"

Buddy says "Trust me, it's ok"

and Jackpot relaxes

This is where they were the second day

but I want to keep you in suspense

There is more

lots and lots more

coming soon....

Jackpot!

That's his name!

Congratulations to 

Susie Disser for coming up 

with such a great name!

Thanks to all who came out

Friday night 

and please note all our new sponsors

on the right side of this page

We feel so blessed to have such a 

wonderful supportive community

Naming the Mustang

Name the Mustang Party!

We'll be having a get together this Friday the 20th of June

at the Elks Lodge in Wickenburg

to name this mustang

Anyone can come!

It starts at 5:30 pm

******************************

Catch Buddy this morning at 11 a.m. on 

our local 1250 a.m. radio station talking about

The Extreme Mustang Makeover 

******************************

Stay tuned

There's a lot happening

Pictures to come soon of those classic first moments

between horse and horseman

The Mustang has arrived

click on any picture to view larger

An overview of Palomino Valley, NV

Mustangs

Wild burro and baby

This is the herd of contestant mustangs

You get whichever one is brave enough to run in this chute first

This one's the winner

This is the mustang

you'll all come to know and love

Stay tuned

They're on their way

I saw them leave at 5 a.m this morning. 

It's happening! 

Updates and pictures by tomorrow evening!

A Huge Thank You

To everyone locally who has generously sponsored us!!

Please when you visit these retailers, tell them that you saw them here and you appreciate them supporting local horse people and events. It means a lot to all of us.

Matthew Bean at Serenity Farms Feed & Tack. 

Jones Ford in Wickenburg generously donated for fuel.  Thanks Jones Ford! 

Wickenburg Oil also generously donated for fuel. These wonderful folks are a great place to get gas, oil, and diesel fuel. Thank you so much!

Big O Tires of Wickenburg donated for fuel.

Last, but definitely not least

The Elks Lodge #2160

Ron & Jeanne Moulton

Jack Lutch

Lou Disser

Lee Morris

Burnie Wilson

Doc & Pam Carlisle

J.D. Johnson

Ted & Pam DeBoer

Ken & Ruthie Hettinger

Dennis & Marj Hastie

Mike Mattingly

Scott & Pattie Colbath

Ray & Jonelle Brewer

You folks are the absolute best! We're so excited to have you on board and your contributions have made it possible for us to make the trip(s) with this mustang. We hope you'll follow along and be with us every step of the way. This is your horse too!

We thank the communities of Wickenburg and Congress, Arizona for their never-ending support. Without you this just couldn't be done. Thank you!

PS - 18 days to Palomino Valley, NV and picking up the mustang!! Stayed tuned!!

First Press

From the Wickenburg Sun

The Apple Valley Clinic

Thanks to all who came out

We had a great time!

The Very Beginning

Local horseman Buddy Uldrikson has been selected to compete at the 2008 Extreme Mustang Makeover to be held September 18-21st at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Buddy is one of only 200 trainers nationwide selected to be given a BLM mustang to train in 100 days. They travel to Fort Worth and compete in the Extreme Mustang Makeover Finals. The trainers will compete in three areas - conditioning, citizenship (ground work) and riding the "Horse Course" (trail riding with obstacles). A panel of accomplished judges, including John Lyons, J.D. Yates, Guy Woods and Chris Cox will determine winners. $50,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.

The purpose of the competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the Bureau of Land Management under Federal law. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to ensure herd health and protect rangeland resources. Thousands of removed animals are then made available each year to the public for adoption. All of the animals involved in the "Makeover" competition will be available for adoption at the Fort Worth event in September.

This is the second year the Mustang Heritage Foundation has sponsored this event. Last year debuted to standing room only crowds and the top selling adopted horse went for $50,000.

Buddy will be traveling to Palomino Valley, Nevada on June 12th to pick up his mustang. He invites all of you to come along on this journey with him, week by week with updates, pictures and video. 

Buddy will be having a clinic on Basic Horsemanship on Saturday May 10th in Morristown. Stop by or join in. It will start at 8 a.m. at 38448 N. Grand Ave (mile marker 123). For more information, call Buddy or Kim Uldrikson at 928-684-7392.