August 14th...
I want to dedicate this blog to all the people and all the horses who have helped me along the way and gave me the tools and
support I needed to achieve the win at the Trainers Challenge.
I want to thank my parents for always having and loving horses. For teaching me compassion and sparking my desire in
training.
I need to thank my Dad for making me ride. Once upon a time I was terrified to ride, he stood by me and made me ride
for years. I don't think he had any idea the horse crazy woman he was creating!
I'd also like to thank my Mom for standing by me, supporting me, and being there to help when I first started training
horses for other people.
Christy Krueger, my inspiration, taught me about groundwork, roundpenning especially. She opened my eyes to the snaffle bit, and that's
where my interest in training really started. Thank you Christy for standing by my side at the challenge and crying with me as
I said goodbye to Miss Journey.
My dear friend Lorie Boodry turned me on to Clinton Anderson. I had a little mare that "quit" riding. She was a 3 year old that I
raised and started. I had just finished a summer of trail riding her in Tipler. When I brought her home she rode fine for a
couple days, then she absolutely refused to move. She wouldn't lunge or roundpen. I was sure my training was fine, it was the
mare that had the problem. But Lorie asked me to just give the Clinton Andeson videos a try. And so I did. I was very skeptical
in the beginning, but I'm a die hard believer now. I wouldn't train any other way now.
Clinton Anderson has the training method to look to if you want to create a soft, supple horse. If you have a problem horse
that just doesn't get it, has no respect for you, runs you over, won't load, etc. Clinton has the tools to help you solve the
problems. Anyone can do it. It just takes time and patience. Most importantly, it works!
Princess was a grade brown tobiano mare that I got several years ago. She threw me on my head more times than I count.
I owe so much to that mare. She taught me more about safety than any other horse. I like to say "To know how to land on your
feet, first you must land on your head a few times." I have the best emergency dismount one could imagine thanks to that mare.
Along the way I have bought 30+ horses of my own. I have started and/or finsished 30 horses, including some of my own
and some for others. Each one of these horses taught me a little something. I owe a monstrous thank you to the horse owners who
have hired me to train their horses along the way. You enabled me to build more skills to be the trainer that I am today. Some
horses turned out nicer than others, but I truly did my best to make each horse what their owner was looking for.
Romeo is my own favorite personal horse. He showed me I could teach a horse to do "fancy manuevers". There's more to
riding than just going forward.
Coyote, Hustler, Max, Chase, and Journey were horses I have started using Clinton Anderson's techniques. Each one of
them is a little nicer than the one before. Journey is by far the nicest horse I've ever trained.
Journey is the key part of this whole thing. She is the first Arabian I have trained. I was hesitant to participate in
this challenge, but I am so glad I did, and not just because I won. I was already convinced I'd participate in a future
challenge long before the final day.
From the very beginning Journey has been nothing but pleasant to train. She never put up a fuss about anything. She was
always quiet and always willing to work. Some horses are usually lazy and dull or hyper and over reactive. Journey was the
ideal happy medium. She could be a little over reactive at times, but not hyper at all and certainly not dull or lazy. She made
my job as a trainer as simple as it could have been. She was consistent and always tried to find the right answer. I could not
have asked for a better horse.
Without Jill there would have been no challenge. These horses would have been God knows where. Thanks to her each of
these horses are headed in the right direction in their training. They are well socialized, working individuals. They all
have a chance at a better future now, a dependable home with good feed and care, and a job.
Aside from Jill, there were so many other people involved in making this challenge happen. I do not know any of the
folks personally, but I do know without them this challenge could not have happened.
My thanks to Grace Michaud especially. Grace is the mother of Niles Hiltunen and started the Niles Hiltunen Family
Support Fund last year after the loss of her son. The fund is to help family's with special needs children. She was kind enough
to accept these horses and the challenge to her benefit. As Grace says, special needs children, special needs horses, great
idea!
The sponsors of each horse, inparticular Ernest & Beverly Beauchamp for sponsoring Journey - it was extremely kind of
you to go out on a limb and and sponsor these horses. Please know you did make a difference, and we all appreciate it!
The other trainers are so very important to me. I wasn't sure where Jill would find enough trainers for these horses,
but she did it. I'm amazed at the talent and the diversity in every one. The results in each horse was amazing. You all did an
excellent job. Some of those horses I'm sure were tough as nails to train. I commend everyone that took a horse and tried their
best. To the folks who took the aged horses - you took a huge risk and I would say you were all successful! Everyone is a
winner here. You guys did an amazing thing with these horses and I hope to see everyone participate again in the future!
To Rick Cornwell - thank you for being so friendly and fun to compete with. Twinky is an excellent horse, you did a
phenomenal job training her. I followed your Facebook page through Twinky's training and always knew she was something special.
I give you credit for taking on such a big, challenging horse. I enjoyed talking with you Saturday.
To Amanda Lane, I loved your photos online of Jazeera. I missed your freestyle performance on Saturday, but my Mom took
pictures. Very impressive. I knew you were a talented trainer right away - I'm impressed how far you brought her in such a
short time. Kudos to you for stepping up so late in the challenge and taking on the task of training a needy horse. Jazeera is
on the right path now thanks to you!
To my Dad for talking me into this challenge - I sat back and looked at that application for weeks before I submitted
it. Without his persistence there would have been no Team 1 - Serenity & Journey. Some other lucky trainer would have had her.
To Dan & Bill, our Trainers Challenge judges, thank you for taking the day to watch every horse with the same
perspective as the horse before. It was a terribly long day for you gentleman. Thank you for seeing the quality in my little
mare, and thank you for showing me our weak points.
This challenge was so much fun, training and riding side by side with my Dad through the whole thing. We went about the
training with entirely different methods. Giving each other hints and tips along the way. We watched each other as each horse
made improvement day after day. Funny how the road traveled was entirely different, but the destination was the same. Encore is
a great horse... he has been a huge challenge for Puddin'. I have experience with two-swirl horses, and this was Puddin's
first. I warned him this horse could be perfect one day and totally arrogant the next. Two swirl horses tend to be emotional,
and that Encore is. For years I've been trying to make my gelding a finished barrel horse, and just this year we are finally
getting it together. He has his good days and his bad... Encore is just the same.
I need to thank all of my personal helpers, everyone that helped me along the way in Journey's training, the folks who
took her for a ride and tried her out for me, everyone who just helped groom and care for her. All the people that came to the
challenge and held Journey, helped me change her tack. To my Mom for always taking pictures of us. To Christy for video'g our
performances at the challenge.
I want everyone to know, all the people that met Journey in person, everyone who attended the Challenge and all those
that followed her blog - to anyone who believed in me, who believed in Journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
To my Grandma, who passed away August 5th, I had promised her I would bring her to the Challenge. I know she was
watching over us that day - she loved horses with so much passion. She believed in rescuing horses and was against horse
neglect and abuse more than anyone I know. Thank you Grammy...I know you were there with me Saturday!
Journey is my biggest accomplishment yet, and I will remember that mare with fondness and pride every day for the rest
of my life. The tears are falling now - I'm certainly missing that girl.
Thank you to Nikki Stachowicz for bidding on Journey and giving her the home she deserves. Nikki is a lucky woman to
have such a nice horse in her pasture.
So what do I think gave me those extra couple points to put my horse at the top of the list?
My tips for success, to anyone that may want my secret to creating the winning horse...
Do your groundwork.
Teach the horse to move his front end, hind end, sidepass, back up, lunge w/t/c, and flex from the ground. It becomes so much easier to teach from the saddle then.
Desensitize your horse to things such as plastic, ropes, sticks, all of your training tools. You don't want him to fear your lunge whip or your lead rope - you want him to respect it.
Do not mount your horse until he is ready to ride, walk, trot, canter, and back up on the very first ride.
If you need a handler to lead your horse or hold your horse for the first mount - he's not ready to ride.
Always treat your horse with respect and compassion. Don't overwork him, and always reward him. The training is in the reward, not the pressure.
Consistently demand respect from your horse - he is way too big to be walking on you, smashing you in the head with his head... he can be a happy, well loved horse without climbing on top of you. ...possibly a tip I should consider for my own personal horses, but when I am training new horses, this is something I always insist on.
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