Rising Talent Horsemanship Winter 22/23 Issue #9

SadieFisherromanridinghertwo GypseyVannermares,ArielandTiana

Information

RisingTalentHorsemanship seekstohighlightnewand establishedhorsetrainers.

Rising Talent Horsemanship

Issue9,December2022

Legal

Anyviews,opinions,ortraining techniquesexpressedinRisingTalent Horsemanshiparenotnecessarily thoseoftheeditor,norcantheybe heldaccountable. RisingTalent Horsemanship,VanFleetMustangsor SamanthaVanFleetwillnotbeheld responsibleforanycopyright infringementormisrepresentationon thepartofadvertisersorhighlighted trainers. Anycorrespondenceto RisingTalentHorsemanship,itseditor, orpublisherareassumedfor publication. Allstories(verbalor printed),photos,newsitems,andany othersubmittedmaterials,solicitedby RisingStarHorsemanshipornotare assumedtobelegallyreleasedbythe submitterforpublication.

EDITORS

SarahBurgner SamVanFleet

Contributing

Writers HelenBuller

SadieFisher LibbyNeily MaleahRedmann

www.rthorsemanship.com

Meet the Editors... ~Rising Talent Horsemanship~

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 23-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!

~Rising Talent Horsemanship~

Table of Contents

HelenBuller

Take a walk in Helen’s shoes as she shares all about her first Extreme Mustang Makeover Experience. pg5

SadieFisher

Sadie shares all the tips and advice she would have given her younger self as a trainer pg11

MaleahRedmann

Read about Maleah’s journey with a very special mustang mare. pg8

LibbyNeily

Learn from Libby as she shares all about how mindfulness can make all the difference in horse training. pg15

~Rising Talent Horsemanship~

The Trainers Winter Features

Gleanfromthetrials andsuccessesofall theseamazingstories.

Helen Buller

Helen’s Mustangs

Lebanon, TN

Age 18

HelenBullerisan18-year-oldhorsetrainerandmustangloverfromLebanon,Tennessee.Helenhas lovedhorsessincebeforeshecanrememberandalwaysknewtheywouldbeapartofherlife. Throughouttheyears,Helenhastakenoninternshipopportunitiesandworkedundernumerous successfulhorsetrainerswhohaveinfluencedherownsmalltrainingprograminwhichshehasbrought alongclienthorsesandpersonalhorses.HelendevelopedaloveforBLMmustangsafterattendingan adoptioneventin2018andhasgentledandtrainednumerouswildhorsesforthelearningexperience.In addition,shecompetedinthe2020KentuckyExtremeMustangMakeoverandthe2021TennesseeTIP Challenge.Sherecentlybegandivingdeeperintoherknowledgeoflibertytrainingwithhermustang, Friday,andhopestofurtherthoseeffortsanddevelophistrainingintheeventingdirection.Helenis currentlyafreshmanartmajorincollegeatUnionUniversityandisvisitingherpersonalhorsesathome asoftenasshecan.Followingcollege,sheplanstomoveoutwestandpursueacareerinequinemassage therapy.Shehopesherbusinesswilljoinherloveforhelpingpeopleandtheirhorseswhileglorifying GodwiththegiftsHehasgivenher.

Photosby:ChandlerMorgan Photography

Photoby:JBishopPhotography

Helenwithher2021 TIPhorse,Sparks

Helen’s First EMM Experience

Dreams.Everyonehasthem.Somethingthat keepsthemawakeatnight;itgrabsholdoftheirheartand neverletsgo.Itmaybethedreamofajobtheyhopeto get,thatcelebritytheyjustcan’twaittomeet,orthe dreamoftheirperfectlifewithagreatfamily.AndI know thatfeelingalltoowell.Forme,thatdreamwasto competeintheExtremeMustangMakeoverandtraina wildhorse.SinceIlearnedabouttheExtremeMustang

Makeovereventsin2018,IknewIhadtotryit.Iwantedtoexperiencethethrillofgentlingandtrainingawild mustangin100days.Ihadworkedwithmustangsbefore,butneverwithatimerestraintorrandomdraw.Thesound ofitwasjustsoexciting!WhenIheardtheapplicationswerereleasedforthe2020KentuckyExtremeMustang Makeover,Iappliedthatsameday.Afterthreeagonizinglylongmonths,Ifinallyreceivedmyacceptanceemailand beganpreparingtomeetmynewhorse. March13thcamearound,anditwastimetopickupmynewmustang.Ihadapenbuiltthatmetthe requirementsandaneagerheartwaitingtoseemydraw.Imadethefour-hourdrivetoKentuckywithmydad,and whenwearrived,Ianxiouslysearchedthroughtheholdingpenstopickoutmyfavoriteyearlings.Icrossedmy fingersthatIwouldbeassignedoneofthebeautiful,well-builtfillies,butmyheartsankwhenIwashandedthe folderwithmyrandomdraw.Inbig,boldlettersacrossthetop,itread“baygelding.”.Irantothesidepanelsand eagerlysearchedforthenecktag“7841,”andtherehewas.Standinginfrontofmewasatall,solidbaygelding.His manewastiedinknots,hiseyesseemedtoolargeforhishead,andhislegstookup90percentofhisbody.Icould not believeIhadbeenpairedwiththeugliestandmostboringhorseinthefacility.IdidmybesttoholdbackthetearsI feltwellingupinthebackofmythroatandhelpedtoloadmynewprojectintothetrailer.

.

Ibeganworkingwithtag7841,whomIlaternamedFriday.FridaywasnotthechallengeIwasexpecting,nor thehorseIthoughthewouldbeaftermyinitialimpressionintheholdingpens.Hewasquirky,smart,athletic,filled withpersonality,anddefinitelynotboring.ThishorseIquicklyresentedwasnuzzlinghiswayintomyheart.Thetwo ofusprepareddailytocompeteinKentuckyatthemakeover,butastheweekswenton,thenewlydiscoveredvirus, COVID-19,threatenedtoendmydreamofshowing.Andamonthoutfromthecompetitiondate,itwasannounced thattheExtremeMustangMakeoverwouldbeheldvirtually.Iwasdevastated.Thisdreamthathadbeeninmymind foryearswascutshort.Aftertakingsometimetoprocesstheseevents,IcametotherealizationthatFridayalonewas enoughtofulfillthisdream.Perhaps,Ididn’tneedtohavetheperfectcompetition,butratherappreciateandvalue thiswonderfulhorsethatcameintomylifebecauseofit.

Contact Info:

Email : helengreer03@gmail.com

Instagram: @helens.mustangs

HelenandhermustangFriday.

Maleah Redmann

Athens, WIAge 19Triple R Equines

My experience with horses has been far from average. I did not get into working with horses until the age of 13. Prior to that, I had very little experience with them other than a few day camps over the years. I wasn’t really even that into horses until the age of 13, I knew they were something I liked, but I never had horse toys or played “horses” with my friends when I was younger. When I got into horses it was a bit of a “culture shock” for my parents to say the least. After about three years of working with horses, I made it my mission to adopt a wild mustang. I was severely underqualified and honestly never should have even entertained the idea. However, in the end, it was the best decision of my life. Since 2020 I have gentled 9 mustangs, competed in 4 EMM/TIP challenges, and made a ton of memories along the way. My first EMM was the 2020 KY YEMM, I was the Youth Champion of this event which bolstered my passion and encouraged me to compete in the 2021 Ohio Equine Affair TIP Challenge. I was the Overall Champion of that event as well and immediately dove into the 2021 TN TIP challenge with a burro. Hamilton walked away the Overall Burro Division Champion and I finished my year with the 2021 KY YEMM as the Reserve Youth Champion.

Contactinformation:

R

maleah_redmann

Expectations Don’t Equal Results

This is not a horse trainer’s story- in fact, I don’t call myself a horse trainer for a number of reasons. I have worked with a lot of horses and gentled a few mustangs, but for all intents and purposes I am a pre-vet student at the University of Wisconsin River-Falls and this is a story about a mustang named Roulette that gave me a bit of a reminder of why it is important to go at the horse's speed and stay within their comfort zone, even if you have expectations that need to be met.

I decided to take a break from EMMs and TIP challenges as college became my priority and the ability to board a wild mustang was no longer an option due to location and financial strain. I did however make a last-minute decision to attend a satellite adoption event in Windom MN July of 2022. I had no plans to adopt anything unless it met my very specific criteria for a personal horse. I was essentially looking for a unicorn and when I arrived at the event I was shocked to see my not-so-mythical unicorn standing in one of the temporary pens. The only requirement I had for the new mustang was that she needed to be electric fence broken by the end of August, and with my past mustang history, I wasn’t too concerned about it until while sorting her onto the trailer she threw herself into one of the panels so hard it shattered her ilium. In true mustang toughness, she did not show any signs of lameness so the wranglers loaded her onto the trailer, and home we went. I knew there was something wrong right away when the tiny cut that she got from crashing into the panels wouldn’t stop bleeding. She was the flightiest mustang I had ever worked with and the only way I could get close to her without her trying to climb the walls of the arena was on horseback. On the third day, I was able to get a halter on her. At this point, she was lame on her hind right leg and the small two-inch cut would shoot blood and fluid every time she took a step. I knew I needed to get her veterinary attention immediately which meant attempting to halter break a terrified, injured, incredibly reactive mustang while blood was shooting everywhere- not the most ideal scenario. She had begun to build up a pouch of fluid on her abdomen that had formed from the drainage of her hip that wasn’t able to escape. I called the amazing veterinarians that I work for and they were able to come out to the farm the next day and somehow we were able to sedate Roulette enough to assess the injury. The next day the vet came back and we flushed the pocket again in an attempt to help the fluid drain. We planned another appointment for the next week, but Monday of that week on Roulette’s 10th day out of holding while I was letting her graze outside her pen she got spooked and took off back into the wilderness. My heart immediately sunk, I knew right away this horse was not coming back. Three days later a hunter found her in his woods three miles from where we last saw her. Nine days after that I was finally able to trap her in a bait trap a mile from where the hunter found her. After less than 10 days of gentling most of which was spent trying to treat her injury, and 12 days back in the wild when I picked up the lead rope that was still attached to her, she lead like she had the day she took off. I loaded her onto the trailer as if she had loaded a million times before then and off to the vet we went. She lived at the vet for 27 days. We quickly realized the reason the cut on her hip was not healing was that her ilium had been shattered. During her first surgery, we removed seven bone fragments. In the second surgery, we removed two- one of which was the size of a 50-cent piece. A radiograph showed she had broken the bone in half….

Expectations Don’t Equal Results Continued,

Roulette finished learning how to lead in a vet clinic. She had her first hoof trim in the aisle next to the stocks and learned to side pass in between the stalls. For 27 days she did not leave the clinic walls. It was time for me to return to college and the mustang I was hoping to have completely electric fence broke couldn’t even be safely walked outside. She spent an extra two weeks at a family member's property while she healed a little more before being cleared to move to college with me. When she arrived it was the first time I was able to work with her outside of the tiny confines of the vet clinic since our first week together in the gentling pen. She was a completely different horse. I had been so used to doing 100-day challenges that I had forgotten that sometimes slow and steady wins the race. The horse that I had watched throw herself into a panel and break her illium at the pickup event and try to climb the walls of my arena for two days straight was now as calm as could be in a place she had never been to.

Due to her healing progress, she has still not been cleared for turn out or to trot. So she spends her days in her stall and gets about an hour of handling a day. She reminds me every day that although I may not see the progress that same day it is there, building. She may not be able to trot in hand yet, but I have a feeling when she is cleared to trot Roulette will have silk smooth transitions. I was forced to slow things down with Roulette and take each day one at a time. There was no room to rush her or push her into the anxious state she was in when I first met her and because of that, she has become a confident, soft, and willing horse. It is easy to want instant gratification and by setting expectations and deadlines we often find ourselves pushing our horses to be something they are not.

For every makeover I have competed in I made sure not to set any expectations. I had goals, yes, but no true expectations. By removing all the pressure from myself and the horse I found that we were able to develop a deeper mutual understanding of one another so much faster than in the instances I set expectations for my horses. The only requirement I had for Roulette was that she be electric fence broke within a month- and although her breaking her ilium and escaping back into the wild is a bit of an extreme example as to why my expectations were not met I hope it puts into perspective how much unnecessary pressure is placed on an animal when we as humans don’t take the time to learn at our horse's speed. Next time a horse is struggling to understand something take a step back and break it down to the simplest step. Take each step one at a time, and if you only get through a single step in a day be proud in your accomplishment and remember that that single step forward always could have been a single step backward.

Maleah riding her 2021Youth EMM horse, Tally Mark and working with mustang mare, Roulette

Sadie Fisher

Millerstown, PA -

Age

29

Owner & Trainer of Unbridled Equine

Growing up my dad always had ponies around

for my siblings and I. As long as I remember I was riding and driving horses of various breeds and sizes. We are with the Amish community, have our own schools, and would drive our pony there as our transportation. After school I would ride that same pony on trails and did quite a bit of jumping with him. At age 15 I met Tommie Turvey and learned a lot about trick training and liberty from him. I started helping him at expos working backstage during performances and training demos. At age 20, I completed John & Josh Lyons’ certification program and started my business titled,

Unbridled Equine. I break colts, trick train, drive, trailer load, work with problem horses, give lessons, and do clinics and demos. Between two helpers/trainers, and I, we work horses on trails, obstacles, to basic reining and bridleless riding. My husband, Ivan Lee, now works at home starting his own business of PEMF therapy for horses. I won 4 out of 5 obstacle course competitions I competed in and won the Horseman’s Mission colt starting competition in 2019. I also travel to events Roman riding with my two Gypsy Vanner mares, Arial and Tiana, thus creating the motto, “From Training to Entertaining!”

For more about Sadie, follow her on FB at Sadie Unbridled Equine

Things I’d Tell My Younger Self

by Sadie Fisher

SarahandBishop

First of all, horse training/owning a business, takes tons of dedication and hard work. It takes getting up and going out even when it’s minus 5 degrees, even though you’re sick.. Spending yet another day in the barn even though your friends are at the pool, climbing on 1200 LB animals that can throw you off at any time, stacking 200 bales of hay at the end of your already exhausting day, and when you finally call it a day, you have owners to update and bills to pay.

With everything, there are pros and cons. Ask yourself if the pros outweigh the cons. ( in exercises with horses, life in general. ) The pros to being a trainer/business owner are innumerable. Going outside to a stable full of horses as the sun is coming up on a 70 degree and sunny day, the satisfaction of a “breakthrough” with a horse, the fulfillment of seeing an owner drop off an untrained colt and seeing them leave with an excellent trail mount, the ability to help a person who is scared of their own horse, the opportunity of helping people through helping their horses. And for some of us, life would be unimaginable if we wouldn’t pursue our passion.

Sadiewitha clienthorse gelding namedJack Sparrow.

Sadie’s List:

*80% of horse training is knowing how to keep your horse healthy and sound. When I first heard this from Josh Lyons I didn’t take it seriously. Now I realize it’s 100% true.

*Learn to feel and read the horse, always improving your cues and releases.

*It’s not so much what you do that matters as how you do it.

*You can always learn from anyone! The day you think you know everything is the day you stop learning.

*There will always be others better than you. (As a person who is competitive this was good for me to hear. Why would we not want others to be as good or better?! That just means more horses are being started correctly or being helped.)

*There’s never just one way to do something right. There are thousands of correct ways. Because I do what I do, it just means it might work for me and might not for you.

*Horses react out of 2 reasons. Fear or Aggression. If you can figure out which it is you are on the way to solving your problem. Treat fear with patience and aggression with fairness and firmness.

*Be confident, in your work and with your horses.

*Keep quality over quantity. Rather charge more and spend more time per horse. It will build you a better name when you spend quality time with each horse and it eliminates barn work having less in your barn.

*Don’t let pride get in the way of sending a horse back if he’s too difficult for you. You are irreplaceable and it’s not worth getting hurt. Maybe recommend a trainer you think could handle the situation, etc.

Last of all, be the best you can be, give it all you’ve got, and leave the rest to God.

A

Natural Approach to Health for a Happy Horse and Human!

Have you ever thought about using natural remedies and supplements for your equine partner? As a natural horsemanship and natural living mentor, I'm passionate about properly taking care of our equine partners.

Essential oils and holistic products are a great way to show your horse the love they deserve. From emotional support to gut health, sore muscles to cleaning up cuts and scrapes. No matter what you and your pony's goals are, I can help you understand and implement a regimen using safe, natural, and effective products from the inside out.

Interested

It’s All in your Head: How Practicing Mindfulness Made Me a Better Trainer

by Libby Neily

As equestrians, we understand how working with horses can challenge us mentally as much as physically at times. Still, rarely do we spend much time doing anything about it. I have spent decades trying to improve connection and understanding of these animals that I love so much. But for some time, I struggled to understand and work through my emotions that inevitably come up. What started as “show nerves” morphed to a crippling self doubt and fear of failure. As a young professional, the pressure to excel in and out of the ring became overwhelming. I felt depleted and discouraged. I had to take a step back and learn to just be with my horses again. I would learn to partner with my horse in the way that we both deserved.

In 2015, I was introduced to mindfulness through a therapist. Mindfulness is simply present moment awareness. Typically our mind is either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, and mindfulness allows us to shift our mind back to what is in front of us. Horses are always looking for safety over everything. They look to us to be someone who notices,observes and responds to their needs and keeps them safe. They want stability and assurance. Mindfulness can teach us how to acknowledge emotions and work through them and not fight against them. It helps us to be a stable and supportive partner for our horse. Over time, I have incorporated the principles of mindfulness into my horsemanship. Allowing me to increase connection, become a more effective trainer and most importantly, to savor each moment with them. In every session, I incorporate these four exercises:

The Four Exercises….

Be Where Your Feet Are: Pay attention to where your mind and body are at before you step in the arena. Take a moment to anchor yourself feeling the ground beneath your feet. When you approach each session fully present and calm, you are giving your horse the best opportunity to hear you.

The Body Scan: When beginning a session, notice where you are holding tension. I like to do a quick body scan from head to toe. Lower the shoulders, unclench the jaw, wiggle your toes. Same goes for your horse. Instead of getting right to work, take a minute to connect with some relaxation exercises. My favorite is letting them lick applesauce out of my hand! It encourages them to unlock their jaw and release their tongue muscles.

The Power of the Pause: When something isn’t working, pause. This is my mantra. A pause gives you time to observe what you see and feel. Are your emotions clouding your effectiveness? Are their emotions clouding their ability to understand what you are trying to communicate? If there is a miscommunication, how can you break it down further? A pause also allows both horse and human to recalibrate, breathe and think before we act.

Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself! The act of self-compassion allows us to forgive our mistakes, to grow and evolve. Look for the moments of connection and growth in each session. When you feel self doubt inevitably creep in, all of those beautiful moments will be there to assure you that you are doing just fine.

Remember, Mindfulness is a skill. It can be developed and practiced with your horse as much as feel, timing and technique. Emotional intelligence of yourself and your horse is vital in horsemanship. Without it, there can be no true partnership. But with it, comes true connection, trust and the ability to thrive as our fullest selves.

photo credit: Ogden Gigli

Libbywithher2021EMMmare,Clara

About Libby Neily,

Libby is a Certified Advanced Equine-Assisted Learning Instructor and is a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator with the Mindfulness Without Borders Program. Residing in Sarasota Florida, she has owned Dragonfly Farm for nearly 20 years.

Owning and showing horses for nearly 40 years, Libby Neily has competed at the national level in multiple disciplines such as Hunter/Jumper, AQHA, Reining and Ranch Riding. Having taught hundreds of students to ride, her desire was to develop a program that goes beyond riding, teaching people how to connect with horses through the lens of mindfulness. She is dedicated to helping people discover the benefits of practicing mindfulness in a very practical and approachable way. She has developed a fun and unique program model that helps clients find the peace of mind that comes from living in the present and connecting to the world around them. She specializes in liberty and foundational training as well as helping horse people improve their training through the development of mindfulness skills.

Monicaasalittlegirl