Mustang Melissa Horsemanship

12/10/2021

This right here! 👇

Trainer - What day is it
Student - Wednesday
Trainer - What day is it
Student - The 5th
Trainer - What day is it
Student - 😡
Trainer - I kept asking you the same question and you gave me the right answer, but I didn’t accept it as right. So you changed your answer, got frustrated and confused. This is exactly how your horse can feel if you miss the release!

09/03/2021

Sometimes a good training session needs to be short and sweet. If horse training has taught me anything, it is a constant self-check on my
mindset and energy I bring to the session.

Last week, after so much progress had been made, Dakota fell back into some old habits. It is completely expected because I have only been teaching her a new way of approaching things for a short time vs. what she has been accustomed to doing her whole life.

So today, we did a short session and she did beautifully. I made sure my head was clear and that my energy levels remained low.

Part of the session included just hanging out with her. She has gotten so used to me coming in to her space and making her work. Dakota is a huge anticipator, so it was only fitting to just chill with her for a bit before putting her away.

Part of being a good trainer, in my opinion, is not only establishing respect but also a bond.

Hope everyone has a lovely day!

08/01/2021

My client shared this photo with me the other day and this photo speaks volumes and is the perfect reminder in life and when training horses. It also is a fantastic reference when I talk to someone regarding the training it takes to get a horse from A to B. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are many small steps that need to take place in order to get to the end goal. Sometimes it takes multiple small steps to start seeing the bigger picture. Always be patient with your trainer and your horse. As much as you want to see results, remember how many small steps it takes to get to the results you want to see.

P.S.
Thank you to all of my clients for understanding what it takes to get you and your horse to where you want to be! I appreciate every single one of you!

07/25/2021

I don’t post nearly enough, primarily because there just isn’t enough time in the day. I have been working with this horse named Dakota and her mom for a few months now. Dakota came to me with holes in her training as well as “drama-queen” type attitude.

What I have had to do is work on quieting this girls mind down. Where she was once a nightmare to fly spray or do anything regarding medicine, she stands quietly now and allows you to do whatever you need to.

From exploding to being quiet, from being hard to soft, this girl is slowly turning into a nice solid partner for her mom.

Her mom is also learning how to clearly communicate with Dakota and when to ask for pressure and release. These two really shined yesterday and I am so proud the work is paying off. It’s days like this that make me feel fulfilled. I am happy to help build long lasting relationships between horses and their humans. Great job Charlene and Dakota!!

07/18/2021

Good morning and Happy Sunday to all of you beautiful people!!!
What are you all up to this fine Sunday?

I will be working with this beauty later in today!

04/21/2021

Is it a horse or is it a giraffe?

03/14/2021

Teaching Trooper how to move his shoulders over. He actually picked this up pretty quick. One step closer to getting him ready to side pass. Both shoulders and hind quarters should be able to move away nice and loosely. One day at a time for this smart baby.

02/20/2021

Trooper did a great job this past week during his session. He’s getting better and better every time I work with him. I think we finally have the “whoa” down as well as “walk” on lead. So today I decided to try him at trotting on the lunge line. And he did great. He was not out of control or reacting, but actually thinking. Have I mentioned I love this little horse and the mind he has? Oh and don’t mind me in my active wear. Ahaha. Great job Trooper on becoming more responsive to cues and using the thinking side of your brain.

01/30/2021

After the rain shenanigans

01/22/2021

Valor decided he wanted me to help muck the arena. What a character... funny thing is he didn’t help me pick up one piece of p**p 🤔

01/04/2021

Last session of 2020. 2021 is going to be a great year. Don’t let it tell you any different.


Charlene McMullen

01/03/2021

One of my earlier sessions with Trooper. He’s a smart little horse. I love his mind and mentality. I think he’s going to make a great partner once he’s all grown up!

11/04/2020

Since 2003 when I went out on my own, my commitment to myself was to be a great horseman– a student of the horse first. My primary responsibility is to teach the horses to learn. No excuses– if they can't figure it out it's because my approach needs to be different. To me, that challenge becomes contagious and addictive. I'm empowered by the art and skill of watching, learning and teaching– my name is always on my work.

09/27/2020

Trailer loading a problem horse.

Who’s ready for the full footage?!?!

Yesterday on my personal Facebook I posted just a teaser of this mares session yesterday. We didn’t plan on turning it into educational footage but we figured a lot of people could benefit from the good, the bad and the UGLY. And boy does it get a little ugly.

If nothing else it’s entertaining in a lot of spots!

The thing about a spoiled horse is how quickly they can turn and get good once they understand it’s not really up to them. They’ve got to follow the feel of that rope even if they don’t want to. We’ll make another video real soon explaining why that’s important, but for now...enjoy! 🤠

Follow the link 👇🏼

https://youtu.be/aW4-3HTGdUE

09/18/2020

Had an opportunity today to work with this fine duo! Westley is a Quarter/Arab cross who is learning to respect space as well as not to be so lazy. His mom has done an awesome job with him but has hit a few snags. Today we worked on moving the shoulders and disengaging the hind end to prep him for side passing. He actually knows how to do it but Westley feels he doesn’t have to listen to his momma. It was a training session dedicated to teaching both horse and human how to communicate with one another, how to ask, and when to release or give more pressure. Its all about timing. At the end of the lesson the two of them were able to communicate with one another. Looking forward to working with these two again in the future. Great job Jamie and Westley!

09/12/2020

Remembering 9/11 and how united of a nation we once were. Never forget!

09/12/2020

Just two mustangs hanging out! If that fence and post weren’t in the way it would have been an awesome picture to print and have framed