Most domesticated horses have human interaction from the start. As foals, they are groomed, taught to lead, and learn early on that humans are their friends. But when bringing a Mustang from the wild home to be your new equine companion, the rules aren’t the same. These horses don’t know how to have their feet picked, wear a halter, or accept a pat.

Chelsea Gammon started her nonprofit, Folly & Friends Mustang Sanctuary, in Birdsboro, Pa., after adopting her first Mustang, Folly, and discovering how much the breed had to offer. She now provides a home for many permanent residents and holds programs to teach the public about the breed and their unique personalities and needs.

Gammon also facilitates in gentling Mustangs for potential adopters to help as many of the horses find homes as she can. When she isn’t busy with the herd, she fox hunts—on Mustangs, of course!

We sat down with her to learn more about how she got started with Mustangs and to get her tips if you are considering the breed for yourself.

What prompted you to start Folly & Friends Mustang Sanctuary?

CG: It was kind of an accident that I happened upon Mustangs. I previously worked with off-track Thoroughbreds, transitioning them from racehorses to sport horses. I sold some of my project horses and only had two living at my house, and they became very herd-bound, so I went looking for a little pony or something to keep them company.

I just happened to find the Bureau of Land Management’s adoption website, where they list a handful of Mustangs. I saw a little dappled palomino, who I named Folly—no video, just a handful of photos—and I instantly fell in love.

I then had less than two weeks to figure out how I was going to bring her home. You need 6-foot-tall fences to be able to adopt a Mustang (and for good reason—they do often try to jump out at first). I had experience with very green horses, but not untouched horses, so I found a Mustang trainer in Virginia and enlisted his help. He worked with Folly every Monday through Thursday, and then I went down every Friday through Sunday to learn what she was learning.

I was so impressed with how Folly came along that a couple years later, I started looking for a second Mustang. I found Luna on the same internet adoption that Folly came from. After winning Luna in the auction, a photographer sent me a photo of Luna in the wild, and I realized that a second buckskin in that photo was also at the same facility. She was emaciated and heavily pregnant. One of her legs was swollen and she was lame. I couldn’t leave her there, so I arranged hauling for her to ship home, too.

After working with another Mustang, Astra, who we trained to be a therapy horse for a friend, I realized this was something I was very passionate about. I loved it and I was fairly good at it. I began the process to start a charity—and adopted another Mustang during that process—and got our 501(c)(3) charity status.

Soon after, they rounded up Cedar Mountain horses again, and I came back with 14 of them. I kept four of them, and the rest went to other adopters.

It’s been a journey that I never really saw for myself, especially being from the East Coast, where Mustangs aren’t very common. But they are just so versatile with everything I’ve ever asked of them, and I want to promote the breed all over the United States and try to get more of them adopted.

There are more than 50,000 of them who are sitting in holding pens right now, and I want to do my part to provide permanent sanctuary for several and promote adoption and training of the breed.

Can you tell us a little about Folly, the namesake behind the organization?

CG: Folly was my first Mustang. She is from the Calico Mountains in Nevada, and is 14.1 on a tall day. For such a little horse, she has a bigger stride than anything I’ve ever ridden. She is sassy and gritty and the lead mare of our herd.

I named her Folly from a line in National Velvet: Velvet wants to enter the Grand National steeplechase race], and her mother gives her money that she won for being the first woman to swim the English Channel: “I too believe that everyone deserves one great piece of folly in their life.”

When I told my family and friends that I was going to be adopting an untouched wild Mustang, everyone thought I was crazy, and she was my one little bit of ‘folly.’ And it worked out.

I’ve done everything with her from trails and dressage to show jumping and eventing. She’s given lead-line rides to kids. But her favorite thing is fox hunting. I’m the field master of our first flight at our fox hunt with her now, and she loves that job. She can run and jump as much as any of the other horses out there, and she doesn’t stop. She’s the most incredible horse I’ve ever owned.

What attracted you to Mustangs as a breed?

CG: There’s a Mustang out there for pretty much anything you want to do. Each herd has different breeds that influence the horses, so you have larger ones in Oregon (15-16 hands). Horses who pulled on the Oregon Trail ended up there, as well as some cavalry horses, so they’re a lot bigger.

Then you have the more gritty Nevada and Utah horses. There’s a herd called Pine Nut, and some of those are 12 hands. Then the Kigers have more direct Spanish influence.

There are a lot that look more like sport horses and have proven that they are great for sport horse work. They are very versatile no matter how they are built, and seem to be able to do pretty much anything you ask of them.

They are extremely intelligent in a way I haven’t seen in domestic horses. I don’t know if that’s from their survival instincts, but it makes them try so hard once you gain their trust.

I also love working with them because they’re completely blank slates. You are installing every button on that horse yourself. I really like being able to do that myself, and they come along so quickly once you lay that foundation.

What should you do before bringing a Mustang home?

CG: You need at least 6-foot-tall fencing and a pen that is at least 20’x20’ with an attached 12’x12’ shelter. You can expect to not be able to touch them right away or have them haltered for a little bit.

When I bring them home, I let them go in and check everything out, get a bite to eat and drink, and then I’ll go in and start with an approach and release method. Sometimes just being in the pen sets them off, so as soon as they stop running around, I’ll back up or leave the pen.

Eventually I can take the pressure away when they turn to look at me. I start to build a language with them where they understand that when they give the right answer, the pressure goes away. It builds to them starting to reach out to sniff my hand.

Having this language that you can use for all their other training is very helpful. Once they understand treats, I can begin using positive reinforcement, too, by giving them treats as a reward.

Before you bring a horse home, make sure you are totally prepared. To get approved if you are adopting directly through the BLM, you have to make sure your facility requirements are up to par.

Have a plan for how you are going to gentle your Mustang and what methods you are most aligned with and want to use. The more tricks up your sleeve the better; they are all different and learn in their own ways.

Also, be honest about your capabilities. If you don’t want to dive right into the deep end and get a totally wild horse, you can get a TIP-trained horse (Trainer Incentive Program). If you want them to have a little more training than that, a lot of TIP trainers can be hired privately to start them under saddle, and there are lots of other Mustangs out there privately that are a little further along in their training.

The Mustang Makeovers are a good option for that; those horses have 90-100 days of training on them and are usually started under saddle, so you can have a green-broke horse.

What does it mean when a Mustang is “gentled”?

CG: We consider a horse “gentled” when you can halter, lead, brush them all over, pick up all four feet, and load them on a trailer. They are usually still a little wary of people at that point. You have to be aware of their body language and willing to put the work in to keep the horse progressing.

Once they are trained and love people, I find that my Mustangs are tamer than most domestic horses. People are shocked when they visit the sanctuary that the horses come up to them and want all the attention. They are just so sweet and puppy-like; I call them my Golden Retrievers.

Can you tell us a little about your facility?

CG: We have an old bank barn with a large run-in. We usually only stall the horses when they eat or if we need to keep them in for some reason. But for the most part, they just come and go as they please. There is a stream in their field and a heated water tank in the winter, so they have options. When we have new Mustangs coming in, we use the 6-foot-tall pens until they can be caught and we aren’t worried about them jumping out, then they join the rest of the herd.

Right now, we have 10 permanent residents. Occasionally we get other untamed Mustangs in for training. My goal is to get the funding to fence in the back of the property and then take in an additional eight Mustangs, whether they be permanent residents or to give space to bring more in for training.

We have visitors come to interact with the trained horses, and we also hold different programs. We’ve had veterans come out, special needs kids, people from a women’s center. I really like to promote Mustangs’ versatility as riding horses. I have five of them out fox hunting right now.

I’m also a Mustang Heritage TIP trainer, so people interested in adopting can contact me and we can find a horse from a satellite event or one of the recent round-ups out west and I’ll do the initial gentling, and then they can adopt them for $125. I also take in other Mustangs that are in need and find them homes.

I do most of the work myself. A woman rents my front field in exchange for helping with some of the feeding, but aside from that, it’s just me. We do have occasional volunteers, but it really is my labor of love. It’s a lot, but it’s also my greatest happiness. It’s certainly a lot to balance on top of a full-time corporate job, but it gives my life purpose and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

What’s the biggest challenge when working with Mustangs?

CG: The biggest challenge is that they are wild animals at first. They might try to charge you, kick and rear. They are scared. They don’t know to trust you, so winning that trust is the hardest part. But it’s also the greatest reward when you become the first person that the animal has ever trusted.

You can ask pretty much any Mustang trainer, and that first touch when they reach out and touch your hand with their nose is the most magical experience. There is nothing else like it, and having the trust of these animals is the greatest honor.

This article about Folly & Friends Mustang Sanctuary appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Sometimes horses, like people, need a leg up in life. That’s where Joe Misner comes in. Growing up in Alaska for much of his boyhood, the creator and director of the Wild2Ride Academy is no stranger to wild country. These days, in Missoula, Mont., he is offering the only wild horsemanship certification program of its kind anywhere in America.

While appearing as a panelist at the EQUUS International Film Festival four years ago in Billings, Mont., he heard about a horse facing a dire plight. The owner of a green-broke BLM Mustang was leaving town, and with winter just around the corner, he threatened to abandon the hapless colt in the mountain wilderness if someone didn’t come up with a better solution.

For a horseman who likes to live by the motto, “Come on and let me show you,” solutions are easy.

Misner was just starting to work with Melinda Corso and Montana Reins of Hope (MROH) when Janet Rose came to them for help. Rose was organizing a benefit for a local rescue, Horse Haven Montana, and told them how a foster option for the colt, Dante, had proved temporary.

“At that time, Montana Reins of Hope was still early in its formation,” says Corso. “Taking Dante in really solidified MROH’s commitment to the American Mustang.”

Horsemanship That Creates Second Chances

Creating second chances for wild spirits—both horse and human—is what Misner has been doing for the last decade. That has included connecting horses with high-risk youth; working with Wounded Warrior veterans and Mustangs; and offering Rio Cosumnes Correctional inmates in Sacramento, Calif., a certifiable skill after their incarceration while giving wild horses a chance to earn release from their own federal pens.

Misner discovered during his West Coast horsemanship clinics that people wanted to learn what he had to teach. But unless they went to jail, they weren’t finding his unique curriculum.

That’s how the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center Wild Horse Program, developed with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department (one of only five such horse/inmate programs in the country), became the model for the curriculum now offered by Wild2Ride Academy at MROH.

Misner’s program in Sacramento County honed a successful wild horse gentling approach through retreat-pressure-release, which works with an untouched horse’s natural instincts. It also incorporates leadership horsemanship training for people, based on what he calls the five C’s: Calm, Confident, Caring, Clear and Consistent.

And Dante? As MROH’s first rescue horse and four-legged instructor, he has a forever home.

“Dante started it all,” says Corso, who has brought more than 25 years’ experience in children’s mental health and education to her role as Director at MROH. “We can make this world a better place for horses and humans through quality equine education programs that focus on building relationships with horses on a foundation of trust.”

That’s why Misner, considered one of the premier Mustang trainers in the country, is there.

Cross-Fit, Ranch-Style

A veteran of 16 Extreme Mustang Makeovers, with nine Top 10s, and 2014 NORCO Extreme Mustang Makeover champion (with Kenai), Misner has built a 90-day wild horsemanship certification course progressing through six levels.

After completion of a level, students earn a Wild2Ride Academy certificate. At the end of 90 days and all six levels, they are fully certified in the skills necessary to train wild horses.

The name, Wild2Ride, comes from Misner’s experiences in Mustang makeovers since the early days, and from firsthand experience.

“I’ve worked with ‘wild’ men and horses,” he says. “I’ve watched guys who have gone through lots of failures find something to feel passionate about in horses. Here, we teach from the ground up: with a pitchfork, cleaning stalls. I like to call it ‘ranch cross-fitness!’” All joking aside, the program has proven to be transformative for the living creatures that go through it.

“It’s life-changing for everyone,” says Misner. “You can get an organic transformation.”

Wild Horse to Rider Hours Ratio

It starts with his thought-provoking wild horse hours to rider hours ratio.

“Over a year, a horse runs wild for 8,760 hours,” says Misner. “In comparison, 90 days in training adds up to just 60 hours of human interaction.”

That’s 8,700 hours of wild left in an animal apt to behave more like a deer in horse clothing. Take for example a 14-hand, 3-year-old Mustang mare that Misner watched clear a 3-foot fence from a standstill as easily as any whitetail.

“Horsemanship with wild horses is a lot of oxymorons,” he says. “You learn to stay calm but are ready for chaos.”

His 90-day wild horsemanship certification program is also unique in its freedom from traditional semester formats. Applicants do not have to commit 90 days all at once. Like the training approach they hope to learn and apply to horses, students go through the program pressure-free, learning at their own pace.

“One of the most important things about this program is its flexibility,” Misner explains. “You can start any time. You can stop at any point and then come back for more. You can come for a week at a time.” For students learning how to relax a wild horse, it helps to show them they’re not under pressure either.

Riding Forward

Misner is excited to see more students scheduled to enter Wild2Ride Academy through the rest of this year. Two Academy graduates, Hayden Sunshine Kunhardt and John Sullivan (who left a job with the U.S. Forest Service to learn wild horsemanship), have come on board as full-time, paid assistants.

Misner estimates that since 2019, Wild2Ride Academy has seen two dozen burgeoning trainers enter the program and eight complete the full Academy, despite the pandemic.

“I know it sounds crazy, but COVID really got us going,” he says. “It’s been fantastic. People’s lives changed and more of them than ever want new and better connections.”

That’s on top of the hundreds of horses and inmates he estimates he has helped over his five years working with Sacramento County.

“My dad had a saying, ‘Aspire to inspire before you expire,’” he says.

It’s not something the quiet horseman brings up in casual conversation, but the courage and tenacity his own father displayed in life made an indelible imprint.

While born in Minnesota, 57-year-old Misner recalls how his father chose to take his family home to his own roots in Alaska. Misner was still a boy when his father, a heavy equipment operator, sustained a grievous spinal cord injury in an accident.

“My dad is my inspiration,” says Misner. “He was a veteran, and I saw what he went through as doctors held his spine together, as he went into rehabilitation to learn to walk again, and to hold his body upright. He showed me how you can do anything. To keep moving forward.”

A Horse Named Mohican

Another lesson about tenacity came from a “plain brown wrapper” of a Mustang, one of the last to go down the chute and into a BLM pen, who Joe nicknamed Mohican.

Reno, Nev., was where Misner was headed in 2009 to find his second Extreme Mustang Makeover project. He’d finished reserve champion with a horse named Laredo in the previous year’s Western States Mustang Challenge, and 16th nationally. Misner was feeling pretty good about his “formula” for training wild horses within limited timeframes as he stood along the pen watching a new herd of candidates emerge from a trailer.

But it got off to a horrific start. The horse he intended as his makeover candidate “ran right into the fence and broke its neck.”

Next to go was a 5-year-old gelding, taken from the wild a year previously and kept in a holding pen ever since, who was Misner’s resentful replacement. The horse was Mohican.

“He charged and grabbed my chest and front of my shirt as if to say, ‘I have four legs and teeth, and I’m not afraid to use them,’” recalls Misner. “‘Don’t tell me anything. Ask.’”

He had exactly 90 days to ask Mohican for a makeover and to travel from California to Texas to compete together.

For 59 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes, Mohican didn’t offer much progress. On Day 60, Misner mounted up and started riding in the round pen, but couldn’t get the horse that had once galloped free across the prairie to break into a trot.

“I tried one little spank,” he recalls. “He blew up, rolled over on me, and this time, told me if I ever tried that again he’d squash me like a bug.”

With not much progress to show for those last 30 days, Misner resolutely loaded Mohican and began the 1,200-mile trek to Fort Worth. If he was lucky, he imagined the recalcitrant Mustang would only humiliate and not hurt him in front of all those spectators in the Will Rogers Equestrian Center.

“I purposely entered the Intermediate division,” he says. “I wasn’t expecting much.”

Misner certainly wasn’t expecting what came next. If Mohican saw him as one terrible, two-legged predator, the Mustang’s eyes pretty much popped out of its head when he realized there were thousands of such predators outnumbering them in Fort Worth.

“He stayed glued to me,” Misner recalls.

Maybe it was Mohican’s “come to Jesus moment,” but it worked. Man and Mustang finished 8th nationally, while also performing a freestyle Misner could never have predicted with this horse: “It included jumping over a barrel while holding a flag in one hand!”

In the happiest of all endings, Mohican was purchased at the auction following the competition, raising money for the Mustang Heritage Foundation and finding a forever home.

“I told the woman who bought him that he was very … particular,” he says.

Roses From a Devil’s Garden

Horse Illustrated caught up with Misner the same day he was preparing to welcome five new U.S. Forest Service Devil’s Garden Mustang mares—with foals—to MROH.

Named for a 500-square-mile patch of dense brush and jagged stone so inhospitable only “the devil himself” would plant a garden there, the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory lies within Modoc National Forest outside of Alturas, Calif. According to the USDA and U.S. Forest Service, Devil’s Garden is the largest wild horse territory managed by the U.S. Forest Service in size and wild horse population.

“Devil’s Garden Mustangs have proven their adaptability, trainability and versatility since our first adoptions in 2018,” says Misner. “None of this would be possible without Reins of Hope and its 400 acres that house the facility and program. It couldn’t be done without them.”

It allows Misner and Wild2Ride to keep dreaming bigger and better, including filing for nonprofit 501(c)3 status and launching a fundraising campaign, because “we sure need a covered arena during these Montana winters.”

Mustangs need help, too.

“I know I can make a difference,” says Misner. “Mustangs gave me a master’s degree in empathy for horses, and for trying to do better, every day, with what I have to give.”

This September, Misner and his wife of 30 years, Missy, plan to compete a pair of 3-year-old BLM fillies in the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth. A teacher for over 20 years, Missy is also curriculum co-creator of the Wild2Ride program.

“She’s been a huge inspiration in my evolution as a natural horseman,” says Misner. “Without her, I’d be a broken-up old bronc rider, for sure.”

Follow Joe and Missy, Wild2Ride, and the Devil’s Garden Mustangs at Montana Reins of Hope (available to forever homes after 90 days training) at www.montanareinsofhope.com and on Facebook @Wild2Ride and @MontanaReinsofHope.

This article about Joe Misner and his wild horsemanship certification program appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Run by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, the “makeover challenge,” as it’s known by many, launched in 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. Since then, more than 16,000 Mustangs have been trained, adopted, and auctioned off to individuals across the country.

In 2019, Courtney Jo Wexler, a 28-year-old horse trainer and North Carolina native, won the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Lexington, Ky., and found a whole new life in the process.

Also Read: Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge Raises the Bar

Ready for a New Challenge

Wexler has been on the back of a horse since she was 3 years old. A certified riding instructor through the American Riding Instructors Association, she’s also been training horses for the last 15 years and has done numerous equestrian disciplines.

For the past five years, she has managed a small barn in Williamston, a town near Raleigh, N.C., where she grew up. There, she led a riding lesson program for kids. Despite the satisfying work, Wexler was burned out and felt lost.

When her best friend, Carey Stewart, first said she was participating in the 2019 EMM and suggested they do it together, Wexler refused. But after careful research, she submitted her application to compete—just one hour before the deadline.

Her assigned mount was one of the youngest horses in the competition. Kayah seemed gentle and easygoing, although territorial. After picking her up, Wexler convinced herself that she wouldn’t get attached to Kayah. She’d compete in the makeover, her Mustang would be auctioned off, and they’d say goodbye.

The next morning, Wexler groomed Kayah’s mane and described how they would compete in the makeover in June. As she told Kayah about the auction at the end of the event, Kayah exhaled deeply and nuzzled Wexler. She started to cry.

100 Days of Training

“Some trainers felt comfortable enough to put first rides on their Mustangs early,” says Wexler. “I wanted to develop a deeper connection and understanding between Kayah and myself before I got on her back.”

On the fourth day, Kayah got a bath. As Wexler washed the mud from her body, Kayah nickered toward her and nuzzled her nose into Wexler’s neck. Wexler helped relax Kayah’s muscles using pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Ten days into training, a saddle was placed on Kayah for her first ride. A week later, on Kayah’s fourth ride, the pair participated in their first horse show, put on by the Inter-County Saddle Club in Edenton, N.C. When they were named champions of the ranch division, Wexler thought they might have something special.

“At this point, I became dead set on putting everything I had into this horse,” Wexler recalls. “For the next three months, Kayah and I participated in every event I could find. We were together every weekend for horse shows, trail rides, or clinics.”

She and Jesse Chase, an accomplished reining trainer who has worked with Mustangs before, helped them fine-tune Kayah’s circles, spins and steering.

“As Kayah became more gentled, I let kids touch her at training camps,” says Wexler. “We also visited barns to discuss the Mustang breed and the makeover challenge with the public.”

Competing in the Makeover

After hundreds of hours of training, Wexler, Stewart, and 33 out of the original 70 trainers arrived in Lexington, Ky., for the EMM. After two days of competing, Wexler had won 9th in ground handling and conditioning, 2nd in maneuvers, and 1st in trail.

She had the most points of any competitor in their first Mustang event, so she also won Rookie of the Year. Stewart placed 12th and joined Wexler’s friends in the stands to watch the freestyle routines.

When Wexler made it to the top 10, she realized that she hadn’t prepared a freestyle performance. She had no props, song or outfit. Competitors rushed in to help. One of the volunteers was named Justin. He had come to watch the competition with his father, who owned and trained Mustangs.

“Justin and his dad were so kind,” says Wexler. “Justin held himself so well and that drew me in. He also had one of the best smiles, and every time he looked at me, it caught my breath.”

Impromptu Freestyle

Wexler choreographed her freestyle routine only two hours before the performance. Her routine had none of the tricks that other riders had built into their routines.

To start the routine, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” blared through the speakers.
Wexler and Kayah, who was wearing a large tarp, walked toward the center of the arena. Wexler stripped off the tarp and mounted Kayah as the crowd cheered. Kayah traversed a bridge and then sidepassed poles.

Wexler used a pole to pick up another tarp and dragged it behind Kayah. Then the pair maneuvered around a 3-foot inflatable ball, followed by a 5-foot ball, which Kayah then pushed around with her nose. They trotted over a final jump and sprinted to the center as the song ended. It was enough to secure the win.

But Kayah was scheduled to be the first horse auctioned off.

“Not even five minutes after I had won the makeover, I was holding a paddle in the air and bidding on Kayah,” says Wexler, who used the $4,000 she’d won as the makeover champion to buy her horse back.

Finding Two Loves

A few weeks later, she and Justin began dating. In 2020, Wexler moved to central North Carolina to be closer to her family before moving to Louisiana to live with Justin.

She completed her bachelor’s in business administration—the first in her family to earn a college degree—and now runs her business, Absolute Pulse Therapy, which offers PEMF to speed recovery in injured horses and people.

Kayah and Wexler have been giving lessons and offering demos to promote the American Mustang, which Wexler calls “America’s horse.”

“Competing in the Makeover Challenge was my destiny,” says Wexler. “I was supposed to take part in it. I was supposed to find Kayah. To meet Justin. The real star in this story is Kayah, though. I wish she could tell everyone her side of the story.”

This article about one Extreme Mustang Makeover trainer’s experience originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Since 2014, MacDermaid has trained and placed close to 300 Mustangs. Over the years, she has gained valuable training experience that can be applied to a wild horse just off the range or the domestic horse in your pasture.

A Strong Foundation

As a Mustang Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) trainer, MacDermaid’s job is to train Mustangs from the BLM pens so they can be safely handled on the ground before being adopted.

MacDermaid believes in laying a strong foundation of groundwork so they are ready to be trained for any discipline under saddle.

“Building a good foundation on a horse is like building a foundation on a house: if you skip blocks or leave holes, your foundation will crumble. But if you take your time and build the foundation properly, the horse will have something to fall back on when faced with difficulty or uncertainty.”

“Building a good foundation on a horse is like building a foundation on a house: if you skip blocks or leave holes, your foundation will crumble,” she says. “But if you take your time and build the foundation properly, the horse will have something to fall back on when faced with difficulty or uncertainty.”

This is excellent advice for any horse owner. While it’s tempting to skip over groundwork and head straight for the saddle, taking your time to build a strong foundation means you won’t have to go back and fix gaps later.

“Eventually, everything on the ground translates to the saddle,” says MacDermaid.

Slow is Fast

The two best things you can bring to a training session with any horse are patience and understanding. “Become a student of the horse,” says MacDermaid. “Every horse is going to react to you and to your training differently because each one is a unique individual. Just as with humans, horses have different personalities and learning styles, so it may take some time for you to determine how your horse learns best.”

Before starting any type of training program, it’s good to establish realistic goals. While MacDermaid sets goals for each horse, she doesn’t set a specific timeline for reaching them. This allows her to let the horse set the pace of learning.

MacDermaid’s basic goals for her TIP horses are as follows:

• Catching and haltering
• Leading and tying
• Grooming and hoof handling
• Trailer loading and unloading

If you do plan to train a Mustang at home, you should be able to devote a minimum of one hour a day, five days a week.

“There is no substitute for time invested,” MacDermaid tells her clients. “You will get back what you put in.”

She also emphasizes that training Mustangs, in particular, is a huge undertaking and there is no shame in asking for help from professionals if you get stuck.

Establish and Maintain Boundaries

Horses are herd animals and are always looking for a leader. If you are not the leader they will take on that role, which can lead to the development of unwanted or even dangerous behaviors.

With any horse, it is essential to establish yourself as the leader in the relationship. With wild horses, this is even more critical.

“Wild horses need to be taught how to interact with humans,” says MacDermaid. “In the wild, they may bite or kick each other, but that’s not safe with humans. We don’t want them treating us like another horse.”

This doesn’t mean that you become a harsh dictator and dominate your horse into submission. “Keep in mind that your desired relationship with the horse is a partnership, so be clear, kind, firm, and fair.”

MacDermaid recommends starting by creating a consistent physical boundary with your horse. The primary reason for this is safety. If a horse is in close proximity to you and is startled or pushed by another horse, you could get caught up in the shuffle and get hurt. The extra space also allows you the room to redirect his feet if you need to.

The boundary you set should stay the same whether you are training or interacting with the horse outside of the training session.

“If you bring a horse into your personal space for treats and petting, but correct him for being that close when you are training, then he can get confused,” says MacDermaid. She likes to keep a full arm’s length away because she is mostly dealing with wild horses, but the boundary for a domestic horse might be less and will depend on personal preference.

Round Pen with a Purpose

A round pen is an ideal environment for training horses, especially those that have never been handled. You may not be able to actually halter a wild or untrained horse right away, but with a round pen, you have a safe, secure environment where you can start training immediately.

If you don’t have access to a round pen, and your horse is already halter trained, some of these steps can also be done on a longeline.

The purpose of working with a horse in the round pen is not to tire him out, but rather to establish communication, build a solid relationship, and help the horse learn to trust you and accept you as a leader.

For MacDermaid, the purpose of working with a horse in the round pen is not to tire him out, but rather to establish communication, build a solid relationship, and help the horse learn to trust you and accept you as a leader.

Getting a horse’s feet moving gets him thinking and focused on you. It doesn’t matter how fast he moves as long as he is moving his feet.

“I love doing slow work,” says MacDermaid. “It’s easier to bring the energy up on a wild horse, so I focus on getting him to relax in the pen.”

Signs of Relaxation

Learn how to identify the signs of a relaxed horse:

• Head drop
• Licking and chewing
• Blinking
• Ear in
• Glance
• Relaxed frame
• Sigh

When entering the round pen with a horse, MacDermaid says you should pay attention to the horse’s energy level. If you think of energy in terms of a scale of 1 to 10, and the horse’s energy is at a 7, you need to keep yours at a 3.

The most essential thing to learn when working with a horse in the round pen is when to release pressure.

“You need to know what you are asking for in order to release properly,” says MacDermaid. “Release your pressure when you get the desired result from what you asked the horse to do. Too soon or too late and the lesson can be ineffective.”

Her main goal in the round pen is to gain control of the horse’s body. She starts by establishing the direction she wants the horse to go by focusing her body and energy on the horse’s hindquarters and then pointing to where she wants him to go. Pointing is key because it translates later to working with the horse in a halter. She uses the pointing gesture to send them forward over an obstacle, through a gate or into the trailer.

To ask the horse to stop, she puts her body at a 45-degree angle to the horse’s shoulders, steps in front of his driveline, and says “whoa.” When he stops and turns in to her, she releases the pressure by taking a few steps away from the horse. This allows him to relax and let the lesson sink in before moving on. She repeats this process in each direction.

“It’s important that you don’t move on to the second step until the horse has learned the first step, just like you don’t teach a child to walk until they can crawl.”

Haltering and Leading

After MacDermaid has good control over the horse’s body, she moves on to working with him in a halter.

“Still in the round pen, I start by desensitizing him to being touched using a stick with a string on the end,” she explains. “I let the string lie across his back, shoulders and around his legs so he gets used to being touched by it.”

Once he no longer reacts to the stick and string, she approaches him for haltering. Because a strong foundation has been established through round pen work, the horse usually accepts the halter without much resistance.

The next step is to teach the horse to lead at the end of a rope. MacDermaid’s approach is to teach him to “send” (move forward without pressure while holding the rope and encouraging him to step forward) rather than by dragging the horse forward on a lead rope.

“It’s key to understand that horses don’t learn from pressure but from the release of pressure,” she says. “When teaching a horse to send or lead, reward even the slightest try.”

Once a horse has learned to send, it’s easy to transition him to willingly walking next to you on the lead rope.

Another concept MacDermaid teaches horses before she leaves the round pen is to stand tied for long periods of time. She will leave a horse safely tied and monitored for one to two hours. Tying teaches a horse good life skills such as patience, confidence and independence. There are many scenarios in a horse’s life (competitions, trailering long distances, camping trips) where he will need to stand tied for hours at a time.

Building Confidence

Once MacDermaid is comfortable with handling a horse in the round pen, she takes him out into the world and begins to build his confidence through desensitization. She likes to teach horses to walk on different surfaces by going over obstacles like a wooden bridge, a tarp and water. She uses the “send” skill she taught the horse in the round pen to ask him to go over the obstacle while keeping herself where she can control his body.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes you have to step back and try something else.”

She also introduces horses to unusual objects like pool noodles, umbrellas and giant stuffed animals.

“I’m not trying to desensitize a horse to a specific object. You may never come across a pool noodle on the trail, but you’re teaching him to learn how to handle himself in novel and stressful situations,” says MacDermaid.

If there’s one thing she has learned over her years of training Mustangs, it’s that there is always more to learn.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” she says. “Sometimes you have to step back and try something else.” She regularly attends clinics, reads books and seeks help from others if she gets stuck.

While training a Mustang might not be for everyone, taking the time to lay a strong foundation on the ground with any horse will ensure you create a safe and willing partner in the saddle.

Trainer’s Toolkit

Round Pen

Mustang trainer Annie MacDermaid prefers a 40-foot wide round pen. Anything larger creates more work; a smaller one doesn’t allow a safe distance from the horse.

Rope Halter

Rope halters send clearer communication to the horse because they create more direct pressure than a flat halter.

14-Foot Cotton line

If you have to send the horse, you can maintain control with a 14-foot lead rope. It’s also easier to regain control and maintain a safe distance.

Stick and String

To be used as an extension of your arm and for desensitizing, not for force or punishment. Sometimes the first touch is with the stick and string, not with the hand.

This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Out of the Wild Part 2: Think Like a Mustang Trainer appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

1. Time: “There is no substitute for time invested,” MacDermaid tells her clients. “You will get back what you put in.” She suggests you plan to spend a minimum of one hour a day, five days a week, training your Mustang.
2. Consistency: It’s important to commit to handling Mustangs daily or they will revert back to being a feral horse.
3. The Right Facility: The BLM requires a 6-foot fence and a strong 20×20 pen.
4. Patience: Take your time and don’t get frustrated if the horse doesn’t respond to you right away. It can take a few weeks before a Mustang starts to come around to the idea of being around people.
5. Gentleness: In her experience, MacDermaid has learned that it doesn’t work to try and muscle a Mustang. “Force does not work well with these animals,” she says. “Natural horsemanship techniques work best.”
6. Humility: It’s OK to seek help from a professional if you get stuck. There are a lot of Mustang trainers who are happy to help!

Find Your Kind of Mustang

The public lands where Mustangs roam freely are divided into Herd Management Areas (HMAs) under the supervision of the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

MacDermaid has found that different HMA herds tend to have shared characteristics, so when looking for a horse for a for a specific discipline, she keeps the following sources in mind:

• Salt Wells and Divide Basin herds in Wyoming

  Draft influence; suitable for ranch and working horses.
• Triple B herd in Nevada
  Leaner with a lighter build; level-headed, quiet trail horses, ideal for first-time adopters.
• Cedar Mountain and Four Mile herds in Utah
  Taller, leggy horses; great for fox hunting, eventing and dressage.
• Chloride Canyon and Tilly Creek herds in Utah
  Smaller, pony-sized Mustangs for younger or smaller riders.

For more information, visit www.blm.gov/whb.

Read more: Out of the Wild Part 1: Mustang Matchmaker

This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Do You Have What it Takes to Train a Mustang? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The passion for horses began when Elizabeth was a kid. Then when her oldest daughter, Michelle, was inspired by the animated movie “Spirit” and became serious about adopting a wild Mustang, Elizabeth did her research, and together they adopted their first Mustang.

“It all began when I was 8 years old,” says Michelle, who is now 22. “I really wanted my own horse and I wanted it to be a wild horse. So I saved my pennies and nickels because I was going to adopt a Mustang.”

At the time, the Dedens didn’t know a lot about gentling and training horses. So they started watching horsemanship DVDs, reading books, attending clinics and doing whatever they could. It wasn’t until they participated in their first Extreme Mustang Makeover (EMM) that things began to come together.

“From the very beginning, working with Mustangs has been a learning experience for us all,” says Elizabeth. “We started out not really knowing what we were doing, but we knew we loved Mustangs. Once we got involved with the EMMs we began to find mentors, and that’s really when everything changed.”

One Sister at a Time

The Deden family didn’t realize how much the EMMs and training mustangs were going to change their lives, not only as competitors, but also as a family. Excited and eager to take on a new challenge, Michelle was the first to sign up for an EMM.

Immediately after finding out what Michelle was doing, her youngest sister, Jennifer, decided she wanted to do it too. However, being young and physically small, Jennifer needed some backup. That’s where her sister, Virginia, stepped in.

“I think I was around 10 years old when I got my first horse for the EMM,” says Jennifer, who’s now 17. “I remember being small and the horse I picked up for the competition was very high-strung. I didn’t mind, but thankfully my sister Virginia was able to be my muscle so we kept things under control.”

After helping Jennifer with a few Mustangs, Virginia finally decided to try it for herself. However, things did not go as planned. At her first event, her Mustang passed away from colic before she had a chance to compete. Although she was devastated, she did her best to learn from that experience and stayed at the event to watch, taking notes for the next year.

Since the beginning, Michelle has competed in two Mustang events, Virginia and her mom have competed in four, and Jennifer has competed in seven. Throughout that time, they also adopted additional Mustangs on the side to train just so more Mustangs could have the chance at a new life.

Learning by Doing

When the girls talk about Mustangs and the journey they’ve had, they physically light up and passionately tell stories of the Mustangs. They can recall every Mustang they’ve had for the competitions, what their favorite characteristic was about that Mustang, and how much they learned from the experience.

“When you get a Mustang, try to have an open mind to really see what you can do and what you can accomplish, but also realize sometimes things take time and experience,” says Michelle. “You’re going to mess up a lot before you get one you feel proud of. It’s just one of those things where time sculpts people, and if you’re willing to commit to it then you should give it a shot. You can really find out what you’re capable of and what kind of person you are through this experience.”

A New Focus

By keeping an open mind and committing to the Mustangs with time and hard work, the Deden family each found out a little more about themselves. For Michelle, working with Mustangs helped her realize that she enjoys helping others who are having problems with their horses.

“Training and teaching has become such an important aspect in my life now,” says Michelle. “There’s nothing that pleases me more than getting to show somebody there is a better way to do things and, if they’re willing to listen, we can help them achieve their goals.”

Mustangs have opened a unique door for Deden family members Virginia and Jennifer. Working with the formerly wild horses provides them with a chance for a better life, which the girls say is the best part about the experience. Similarly through their church, they have assisted in creating a camp in Haiti to help the people there have a better quality of life. They’ve helped build cabins, provide filtration systems and improve sanitation.

This year, instead of competing in an EMM, Virginia and Jennifer decided to adopt a Mustang and do something different that could benefit both America’s wild Mustangs and people in need in Haiti.

“We adopted a Mustang and named him Robin Hood, and we will train him until about November, then sell him,” says Virginia. “The hardest part in Haiti is fundraising, because it’s such a poor country. So we thought we would do this fundraiser and create awareness for the Mustangs and the kids in Haiti at the same time. All proceeds from the sale of the Mustang will go to the Haitian camp.”

Just like her daughters, Elizabeth has found hope in the Mustangs. She faces many physical obstacles with her scoliosis and spinal problems; however, earning the trust of a Mustang and having a solid companion has helped her remain positive.

“Over the years I’ve had a lot of accidents that can sometimes slow me down, but I just try to move forward and do what I love,” says Elizabeth. “Mustangs are so trusting once you earn it. If I fall, they just stand there. I can grab their mane and do what I need to, and the horses just understand.”

Although Michelle and Virginia have been focusing on their careers and less on Mustangs, they still may compete in the adult division one day. Michelle has especially enjoyed sharing this experience with her younger sisters, and couldn’t be more proud of them.

“For the longest time I felt like I was their role model and it was my job to teach them how to be better horse trainers and riders,” says Michelle. “Now they’ve surpassed me in a lot of ways. It’s just amazing to see what they’ve molded themselves into, and it makes me proud to call them my little sisters.”

What’s Next for the Deden Family

Elizabeth says traveling with her daughters for Mustang events has been a great journey, and she’s sad to see it come to an end. However, she’s grateful to have these experiences with them and is looking forward to seeing where their future takes them.

“I’m so proud of them for how far they’ve come and what they’re doing now,” says Elizabeth. “The girls have such gifts with horses and people. It truly amazes me to watch them work with the Mustangs and then teach me or other people what they know. I’m so thankful to share this experience with them and watch them grow.”

This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Training Mustangs is a Family Affair appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.