Rising Talent Horsemanship Vol. 2 August, 2021 rthorsemanship.com
What “feel” Is. -By Ivy Scott The Mustang Who Left His Mark on Me -By Peyton Moretti
Unexpectedly Falling in Love with Burros
-By Ashlyn Popiwczak
“The First Touch” a Poem
Featuring 5 Up-and-Coming Trainers
-By Erica Milbourn
& much MORE!
“...That's what it's like in a ring with a wild horse. Real, true freedom…” Erica Milbourn with her filly, Skylla Photo by: Meg McGuire Photography
~Rising Talent Horsemanship~
Editorial Page Information Rising Talent Horsemanship seeks to highlight new and established horse trainers.
Rising Talent Horsemanship
Volume 1, Issue 1, July 2021
Legal Any views, opinions, or training techniques expressed in Rising Talent Horsemanship are not necessarily those of the editor, nor can they be held accountable. Rising Talent Horsemanship, VanFleet Mustangs or Samantha Van Fleet will not be held responsible for any copyright infringement or misrepresentation on the part of advertisers or highlighted trainers. Any correspondence to Rising Talent Horsemanship, its editor, or publisher are assumed for publication. All stories (verbal or printed), photos, news items, and any other submitted materials, solicited by Rising Star Horsemanship or not are assumed to be legally released by the submitter for publication.
EDITORS Sarah Burgner Sam VanFleet Contributing Writers Janelle Gibson Emma Lyster Erica Milbourn Peyton Moretti Ashlyn Popiwczak Ivy Scott
www.rthorsemanship.com
Magazine | Page 2
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Meet the Editors... Hey there! I’m Sarah, and I reside in Jonesborough,
Tennessee. Like most little girls, I have been in love with all things equines since I was 6 years old. From pretending I was a horse myself, to starting my own colts, loving on mustangs, to jumping in the show ring, I have never been able to get enough of God’s most gorgeous creation, the horse.
Now, twenty years later, I have started my own natural horsemanship mentoring business and am elated at the opportunity to be a collaborator and editor of this magazine!
Hey guys, I’m Sam, a 22-year-old trainer
whose passion is gentling, training, and rehoming mustangs to get them out of holding. My other passion is helping other horse owners communicate with their horses better. Over the past few years I've developed my business through YouTube, clinics, training, taking and teaching lessons, learning through internships, social media, etc. My goal is to help other young trainers grow their businesses as well and connect the equine community… which is why I began this magazine.
Sarah and I are so excited to bring you this magazine full of content. We hope you enjoy!
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Table of
Contents
Ivy Scott
Learn all about this young horsewoman and the “feel” she uses to train wild mustangs. pg 5
Peyton Moretti
Read every detail of Peyton’s unbelievable journey to her heart horse, Groot. pg 8
Ashlyn Popiwczak
From “TIP” training to trick training with not only mustangs, but with wild burros. Ashlyn shares her thoughts on the similarities and differences. pg 11
Erica Mae Mibourn
Take a look into Erica’s ever growing training techniques and a personal poem written from first hand experience about that amazing first touch. pg 14
Warren Vans Horse Transport
Learn about Emma Lyster’s insight on the hauling industry. pg 17
Janelle Gibson
Check out Janelle’s gentle approach communicating with all horses, especially mustangs. pg 19
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August Features
The Trainers
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Join us in exploring the inside world and personal stories of these amazing young trainers.
Ivy Scott and her mustang, Ranger Photo by RJ Stein
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Ivy Scott TRAINER IVY SCOTT HORSEMANSHIP San Luis Obispo, CA Age 15
My name is Ivy Scott, and I am a 15 year old trainer working out of San Luis Obispo, CA. Starting at four, I rode in hunter/jumpers up until about three years ago. I slowly switched over to western when I began working as a junior wrangler at a local trail riding business. In February of 2020, I attended a clinic at Sweetbeau Horses taught by Mustang Matt and even participated with my personal mustang, Ranger. After the clinic I began interning at Sweetbeau, there I was assigned my first completely untouched mustang.
The joy I found in gentling mustangs led me to compete in my first Youth Extreme Mustang Makeover. During those 100 days, I participated in a liberty and tricks clinic taught by Sam VanFleet. Nearly everything I learned during the clinic I used in the EMM classes, especially in our freestyle. I won the California Youth Extreme Mustang Makeover with my filly, Aspen, who placed first in every single class!
Photos by: RJ Stein
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What “feel” is, Why It's Important, and How to Create It... To me, feel is understanding your horse’s body language, and responding to it in a way that is the most beneficial to the horse and its training. Trainers who have feel are aware of their horses’ mental state, they know if their horse is tense, excited, content, etc by reading their horse’s body language. With this awareness, trainers are able to prevent problems from happening or encourage successes in the training process. While feel makes training safer and easier, it also helps form a relationship with the horse, because the horse recognizes that the trainer is listening to them. The fortunate thing about feel is that it isn't specific to one training method or to one kind of horse. Aspen and Bandit, two of the mustangs I have gentled, were completely different. I didn’t use exactly the same training methods for each horse, I used feel to determine what kind of training each of them needed. Bandit was more fearful of me, so when I started working with him I did a lot of training at liberty where he didn't feel trapped. After about two weeks of building his confidence, I haltered him and took his tag off. When I started leading him, he did not try to pull away once, he was completely calm and soft. If I had overloaded or rushed him, he could’ve just become more stressed or gotten shut down, which would have led to problems further down the line. My first touch with Aspen was when I stuck my hand through the bars of the trailer after we picked her up, and she came over to nibble it. When we got home I noticed her tag was tight on her neck, so I just walked over to her and took it off because I could tell she was barely concerned about me at all.
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I used feel to judge what kind of training each of those horses needed, and they both ended up accomplishing the same things with a confident mental state. In order to create feel, you can watch educational videos, go to clinics, or simply observe horses interacting with each other. Learning how to respond to the horse’s body language is most beneficial to the horse’s mental state and the kind of training their in. Training a horse to be mentally stable is key to any kind of discipline or training. I use feel in nearly every interaction I have with a horse, and it is a foundational part of the training I do.
Currently, I am accepting client/training horses, offering lessons and hosting clinics. I will also continue to gentle mustangs! In the future, I would love to continue competing in Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions and to form my own successful horse training business. If you are interested in learning more about me and my training, you can find me on any of these platforms...
-Emailivykscott@gmail.com
-FacebookIvy Scott Horsemanship -Instagram@ivyscotthorsmanship
Photos by: RJ Stein
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Peyton Moretti Scottsdale, AZ ~ Age 19
My name is Peyton Moretti, I am 19 years old, and from Scottsdale, AZ. My whole life, I was raised around horses and about 4 years ago is when I finally trained my very first mustang. Ever since then, I have been absolutely obsessed! In my 4 years of training, I have worked with about 20 mustangs and burros, which all have found amazing homes. So far, I have competed in four 100 day mustang challenges and yes, there will be many more in the future! I do in fact also own my own amazing mustangs!
Getting to know Peyton’s personal ponies... First, I have my 4 year old NWHR colt, Groot n Groovy aka Groot, and then I have my 3 year old Triple B filly, Serenity! In 2018, I competed in the Arizona TIP Challenge with my mare Serenity, which was my very first show. It definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was for sure worth it because that’s when mustangs became a big part of my horse career. As well as in 2019, I competed in the Las Vegas TIP Challenge with my mustang, Groot n Groovy, were we placed 5th overall! Ever since then, Groot and I have been traveling and so far have taken home a couple champion titles. Such as the 2019 Open Show In-Hand Champion and the 2021 Open Show Walk/Trot Under-Saddle Champion! Mustangs are a big part of my life now and I am so happy I was able to become a part of the mustang family. I now help others with their mustangs if they are having difficulties or want to start under saddle as well as just doing it for fun!
Photos by: Jacklynn Matthews
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The Mustang Who Left His Mark
The time in my life where I knew for a fact mustangs were always going to be apart of my life was in 2019. I competed in the Las Vegas TIP Challenge. Ironically, I was actually never supposed to compete in the event because my mom said, she was afraid I wouldn’t have time and she didn’t want me risking not being able to make room to work all my horses, so I never applied. When the horses were posted for the challenge, I of course looked at every picture and selected who my top 5 would have been if I had applied. My top pick would have been tag #7557, a scrawny, small, mellow, bay, gelding. He for sure would have been the one! When the time came, and everyone got their picks, I saw that one of the trainers had gotten him. I was so happy for her because I knew she had gotten a good one! Three days before the trainers were supposed to pick up their mustangs in Ridgecrest California, I got a message from the host, Amber Espinoza, saying she was giving me one last chance to send in my application since there were “leftover” mustangs. My mom agreed and I picked out this cute sorrel yearling. Amber replied and said I shouldn’t pick him because he had a leg problem; however, she mentioned one of the trainers had backed out of the challenge and that horse was available. She said to give her a minute and she’d let me know what mustang it was. When I read her text message of what mustang it was, my jaw absolutely dropped. It was him! It was my top pick, tag #7557!
Want to learn more about what Peyton is up to? Find her on...
Facebook: Peyton Moretti Or Contact by email: p6moretti@aol.com
I told Amber immediately I wanted him! When he finally arrived at my place, I knew right off he was going to be my horse forever. I honestly think this was God’s sign to me telling me I finally found my heart mustang. If it wasn’t for Amber, the trainer backing out, and my mom letting me apply last minute, I would have never found my heart horse! Tag #7557 was officially named Groot when he stepped off the trailer and to this day, he is still with me and will always be! Groot and I have been traveling around together competing in shows, winning championships, taking home awesome prizes, and just having fun together. This is a story I will always tell people, because it’s my way of sharing with people that someday you will find the mustang who will become your heart horse. It might take time, but there will always be that one , special mustang out there who catches your eye and will find their way into your life somehow. It’s an amazing, powerful, and heartwarming journey and it will always be very worth it. Once it happens, you can never go back. The American Mustang will always be apart of your life! Photos by: Jacklynn Matthews
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~Rising Talent Horsemanship~
Interested in Owning Your Own American Legend, But Don’t Know Where to Start? Find a TIP Trainer near you! Check this one out...
Horseback Riding Club
. . LEARN MORE 10
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~Rising Talent Horsemanship~
Ashlyn Popiwczak Trainer at Heart of the Wild Horsemanship Georgetown, KY Age 19
Ashlyn Popiwczak is a 19 year old horse and burro trainer who runs Heart of the Wild Horsemanship in Georgetown, Kentucky. She offers TIP training, extensive groundwork, trick training, and problem solving. Ashlyn has loved horses since birth and got her first pony at the age of 9. She started competing in 4-H at age 11, and at the end of her 4-H career, she has a total of 21 State Championships and many top ten titles. She now shows her American Quarter Horse in the Western All Around classes and has been to the PHBA World Show. Ashlyn had always dreamed of training a wild Mustang, and that dream came true when she was approved to compete in the 2019 West Kentucky TIP Challenge. She drew a yearling bay filly from Snowstorm Mountain, Nevada. The following 100 days resulted in a partnership that would change her life and unlock her new passion, gentling Mustangs. Since then, she has competed in three more TIP Challenges and an Extreme Mustang Makeover. She has gentled a total of seven Mustangs and three burros. Ashlyn got into the burros when her mother decided she wanted one for pasture protection.
Photos by: Memories by Chris
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Ashlyn’s story continued...
Ashlyn then proceeded to pick up her TIP Challenge Burro, Gidget. Gidget is a yearling Jenny from Shawave Mountains II, NV. Gidget was selected for the 2021 TN TIP Challenge. Ashlyn and Gidget won Reserve Champion overall and won the Freestyle class. Ashlyn stated, “The burros are completely different from the Mustangs, and I did not expect to fall in love with them as much as I have. In some ways, they’re easier than the Mustangs, and in other ways, they’re harder.”
Ashlyn says that in her experience with the burros so far, it’s easier to get your hands on them, but a little tougher to teach them to lead. “Burros don’t respond to pressure in the same way that a horses do. If they don’t want to do something, they often will plant their feet and you just have to be patient and encouraging to get them out of it. A lot of things have to be on their terms so patience is definitely key.”
Ashlyn has decided she’ll be keeping her competition Burro, Gidget. “Gidget has bonded with my entire family, we really love her a lot. It has been a while since I’ve kept a competition Mustang, but I can’t see us parting with Gidget. She’s such an awesome Burro and I definitely encourage gentling a Burro to anyone wanting to try something new. I’ve adopted out two burros since gentling Gidget, including one through the TIP Program, and I definitely see myself working with more.”
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I definitely encourage gentling a Burro to anyone wanting to try something new.
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Want to follow along with more of Ashlyn’s Adventures? Follow her here... Instagram - @ashlyn_and_handsome Facebook - Heart of the Wild YouTube - Ashlyn and Handsome Photos by: Moments by Jen N Jam
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Have you ever dreamed of Training a Wild Mustang?
There’s nothing like the first touch of a wild mustang… If you are an experienced trainer/colt starter, give us a call about our mustang training opening! Generous salary and housing for the right individual. Contact Sweetbeau for more info. email: info@sweetbeauhorses.org phone: 805-591-0533
Sweetbeau YouTube Channel “Sweetbeau Horses”
@sweetbeauhorses Located in Creston, California
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~Rising Talent Horsemanship~
Erica Mae Milbourn TRAINER
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Erica Mae Horsemanship Acworth, GA Age 20
Erica Mae is 20 years old from Acworth,
Georgia. She began her horse training journey when she was only 10 years old by signing up for the Texas Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover in 2012. Her competition pick was a buckskin filly from Nevada whom she named Sunni Side Up. As Erica’s first personal horse and first training horse, Sunni came with many challenges, but Erica fell instantly in love with training horses. After competing with Sunni, Erica has continued to compete in a total of nine mustang competitions, being a seven time top ten finalist, and overall champion of the youth division at the 2019 Georgia TIP Challenge. Erica chose to keep Sunni and her champion horse Skylla, who she now uses as a trick pony. She is now a TIP trainer for this amazing breed and has now trained twenty mustangs and counting...
How to get in touch! Instagram: @mustang_skylla Facebook: @EricaMaeHorsemanship Email: EricaMaeHorsemanship@gmail.com
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Erica Mae
Training Techniques In my 10 years of training mustangs, the biggest advice I could give anyone is that no two mustangs are the same, so your training style must always change with them. I began training with no knowledge of what I was doing, but I very quickly learned the term “pressure and release.” This terminology is very straightforward meaning you put pressure on the horse whether it be from a whip, rope, or your body and the moment you get the desired response, you release the pressure as a reward. This term has been a constant in my training style, however I have discovered many new techniques to put in my tool belt. I started my equestrian career riding in english disciplines, but I have branched out into western riding and discovered my absolute favorite discipline is any type of ground work and trick training. I try to have an “everything, but the kitchen sink” approach when it comes to training styles; because, I believe it equips me to give every mustang in my care the best training style for them as individuals. With this approach, I find it is crucial to always learn from others. A few years ago, I began to learn more about clicker training and I absolutely love the outcome I have when used with all the other techniques I have learned. I find that by using the clicker and a treat as positive reinforcement, the horse is able to find and understand the desired movement faster than with nothing at all. Both of these techniques, and many other training styles have given me and the horse the ability to communicate freely and create a bond during the training process.
What’s Currently Going on... Currently, Erica is a full-time student attending Middle
Tennessee State University for a degree in Horse Science. She plans to focus on equine nutrition and massage therapy to gain a deeper understanding of what each horse needs for a happy and long lasting life. In her breaks outside of school, she trains mustangs full-time for clients within and outside of the Trainer Incentive Program. In the future, Erica hopes to own a training facility catered towards BLM mustangs and burros and be an equine nutritionist/massage therapist to give each equine a positive foundation before finding their next adopters.
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The First Touch You walk in there Not knowing if you will live or die. Your intention isn't to kill the freedom; It's to embrace freedom with them. They run around you, wild and free; You follow their hooves with your eyes Listening to every step they take. Then, you get the courage to begin running. You run with the wind in you face Not thinking about what will happen next. Turning ears pull you back to reality. You stop. They turn and face you All hooves planted firmly; breathing heavily. They stare into your eyes and you into theirs; You watch every breath, They’re reading you So you open your book. With courage of a lion you step forward, Adrenaline pulsing through your veins. Eyes widen in fear, A snort from a dragon releases in the air. Soon you are inches apart You reach your hand out; They watch like deer in headlights. Curiosity builds, They reach out their muzzle, A touch like no other. Chills run through your body. You are with them, free. That's what it's like in a ring with a wild horse. Real, true freedom. -Erica Mae
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Horse Power of Two Kinds by Emma Lyster
My name is Emma Lyster, I am 32 years old and was born on the other side of the world in New Zealand. I am currently a resident of Kentucky in the great US of A and it was horses that got me here and how I make a living. I have moved around the world working predominantly with racehorses but dabbling in other disciplines along the way as well. I have tried my hand at every discipline with horses that I have had the opportunity to and in doing so I feel have deepened my understanding of horses and what makes them tick. My husband and I founded and run Warren Vans a Horse Transportation business and having the experience we have with horses helps makes our hauling business one of the elite and sought after carriers.
The Ins and Outs of Hauling Before I started working with my husband hauling horses I was everything from an exercise rider, to an assistant trainer then a fully licensed racehorse trainer and one of my jobs was to travel with horses around the country to the races. I got accustomed to many different rigs, how horses like to travel and tricks to successful travelling before I got into the hauling industry. *Some horses like to travel facing forwards-back of the trailer facing forward in the direction the truck and trailer is going *Some horses like to travel backwards- in the front of the trailer facing the opposite direction of travel. *Some like box stalls, some like stall and ½ also called slip stalls, some like to travel over the axles etc.. Part of our job is to monitor how the horses travel and see where they are most comfortable, so they travel with the least amount of stress.
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“Horse Power of Two Kinds” continued... For hauls over 6 hours like I like to travel with the horses loose in box stalls with a hay net hung and a water bucket with about ½ a bucket of water. It is important with longer hauls that horses can move about if they please and that they are able to drop their heads. I tend to check on them whenever I fuel up but recommend at least every 3-4 hours. In these checks I monitor how the horse seems mentally, fix hay nets if they are getting loose and top up waters. We have hauled horses in slip stalls on long hauls, we just make sure that they have long enough cross ties that they can lower their heads, and have hay and water hung within reach. I highly recommend having cameras in your trailers as we do so there’s never a question as to what’s going on back there and you can monitor them 100% of the time while on the road.
How to Work in the Hauling Industry An unfortunate side to working in the hauling industry is that it is a government regulated industry and to legally haul horses and be paid you need to be registered with a DOT (Department of Transportation) number and an MC number along with commercial insurance. If hauling horses is a career you are thinking about getting into, I would suggest that you start off with a company that is already legal with the required registrations. Most companies will have their own trucks and trailers that they will require you to drive but if you have good equipment some may be willing to contract work out to you or lease your equipment. Having horse experience isn’t always required but it is ALWAYS a bonus. You will be handling the horses while loading and unloading as well as on the rigs when needed. Sometimes there’s horses that don’t want to load and you must work with the horses to get them on the trailers. Working with horses doesn’t always mean riding or training them, hauling is an awesome way to be around horses if you love them but don’t ride or just prefer them on the ground.
Warren Vans Horse Transportation If anyone is interested in a career in hauling, I am more than happy to help answer any questions my email is lysteremma@gmail.com
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Janelle Gibson Trainer at JG Mustangs Brockton, MA Age 22
Janelle Gibson is a 22 year old riding instructor and horse trainer in Massachusetts. She started riding as a young child, but really found her passion when she joined a 4H club focused on miniature horses. It was there that she learned the wonders of groundwork and started to understand how to train behaviors. Her first miniature horse, Misty, taught her the most during that time. After graduating high school, she used the techniques learned on the ground with minis to start training wild mustangs. Janelle has trained horses for two Extreme Mustang Makeovers and two TIP Challenges. She kept her first mustang, Duke, and hopes to use him for demonstrations in the future. Janelle is going to school for psychology which heavily influences her training and lesson instruction. Her goal in her teaching is to use as minimally aversive methods as possible and emphasize kindness in everything we do with horses.
Janelle has an English background which helped her develop a strong feel and connection to the horse.
Contact Janelle Here: Instagram: @JGMustangs Email: JGMinisAndMustangs@gmail.com
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Follow Your Gut
Janelle Gibson
Have you ever been in a situation where everyone said you should do one thing, but you felt like you should do something else? Where nobody believed you could do it? Where logically, it made sense to listen to everyone else.. but something deep down was saying you shouldn’t? Me too. In February 2019 I picked up my second mustang. I watched her scramble down the ramp off the truck with a group of other horses arriving at the pickup location. She was sorted into a pen where I was able to confirm that her neck tag matched the numbers on my adoption paperwork. She was covered in frozen mudballs, hanging off her stomach like icicles, but she was beautiful. A 14.3hh, chestnut mare with a star and a snip. On day one of being home I had her tag off and a halter and leadrope on. She was standoffish but smart. She was progressing really quickly and I was pleased. A week or so in, each session was like going back to the beginning and we couldn’t make it back to where we were before. I couldn't figure out why we were backtracking but I had lots of trainers around to help me so didn’t worry. Fast forward a few more weeks and she was getting aggressive and highly reactive. I had some really good trainers trying to help me and was told I should probably return her, that she wasn’t a good one. I was overfaced and wasn’t ever going to be able to get through to her. I thought I agreed with them and called the authority to discuss my options if I were to drop out of the makeover. I couldn’t stop crying though, I didn’t want to give up yet. For some reason my gut was screaming at me to keep trying.
Trusting the Process There were weeks on end where I couldn’t catch her even though I had been able to previously. She would turn into cement when strangers were around, tensing so hard you’d think she was a statue. She thought purple flowers were terrifying and the sound of the hose turning on was evil. She is still convinced that ropes are snakes. What was supposed to be a 120 day journey turned into a 665 day journey. A lot of people told me I should give up or that she wasn’t worth it. It took me 415 days to ride her. But something told me to keep pushing to get to that point, so I did. Rosie is now the sweetest, gentlest mare I know. She’s one of my favorite horses I’ve ever ridden and is the easiest horse to handle on the ground. She was the hardest horse I’ve had to say goodbye to but has the best home now. She was worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears. I wouldn’t know nearly as much as I do now if I hadn’t kept trying with her. It may have been easier to give up when everyone told me to, but trusting my gut gave me the chance to change a horse’s, and my own, life.
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Additional Photos of our Featured Trainers
Ivy Scott & Aspen - Photo By: RJ Stein
Ivy Scott & Ranger - Photo By: RJ Stein
Peyton Moretti & Groot - Photo By: Ronda Gregorio
Ashlyn Popiwczak & Elton Photo By: Meg McGuire Photography
Janelle Gibson & Duke
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Every horse has something to teach and every person has something to learn.
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~Rising Talent Horsemanship~
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