NF Equines

Mustang Makeover Competitor
Liberty-Tricks-Horse Training

11/27/2024

A nice easy first sit for mustang Disco🪩

10/19/2024

Happy 1 year Celesta🩵

10/07/2024

Tried a little something new with these two the other day and they blew me away❤️

Anyone who knows Arrow knows that this is an incredibly difficult concept for him for many reasons. The main one being that he used to be absolutely terrified of other horses around humans, and was especially terrified of being ponied. While I haven’t specifically worked on either of these things, I have done a lot of emotional regulation work with him which transferred beautifully to his fear of other horses. There were moments where he started to get nervous, but he was able to come down and find relaxation.

Celesta is less than a year out of the wild and is still somewhat green undersaddle. She wasn’t sure she liked having Arrow close to her and having my attention divided between them. While she typically has a been-there-done-that attitude about things, she is still touchy about things unexpectedly moving near/touching her hindquarters. When Arrow would brush up against her hindquarters or my whip would accidentally bump her, she stayed calm and did her best to listen to me.

I’m so proud of these two and how far they’ve come recently. I thought this moment was years away just a few short months ago, but they told me that they’re ready. I’m still mostly going to be focusing on working them individually, but it’ll be fun to occasionally play around with them as a team and see what we can do together❤️

09/17/2024

2024 Mustang Classic recap

We moved into the Kentucky Horse Park on Thursday and Celesta settled into her stall like a champ. When it came time for our practice ride, she was scared of white rails, the fountains in the pond, and was really struggling with bending left and picking up her left lead. I focused mostly on keeping her relaxed and not on technicaities because I could feel she was already tired. I knew we had 3 classes within 24 hours ahead of us and I didn’t want to use up all of her energy in a practice ride.

Friday was dressage. I was very nervous right away in the morning and my anxiety grew as my ride time kept getting pushed back. The rain and gloomy weather worsened my nerves. On the way to the Rolex, she had a big scare by someone wearing a raincoat, which shook both of our confidence. At the warmup ring, Celesta bulked at the thought of moving forward and was getting heavy on my hands. Cue the nerves and anxiety skyrocketing. When it was our turn to go to the Rolex, I decided not to push her or force her into anything that didn’t feel comfortable and relaxed. She entered the ring calmly and I felt myself relax and even found myself smiling. As we did our last down transition before going down the centerline, I found myself tearing up and had tears of joy streaming down my face as we came to a halt at the center. Our ride was far from perfect, but she tried her heart out for me and I couldn’t be more proud of her. I had multiple people compliment me for how relaxed and prepared she looked, some even saying that she was the calmest horse they’d seen all day. Unfortunately, she was so relaxed, she didn’t have much impulsion(which I recognized, but didn’t want to risk getting her amped up by pushing her forward) and I wasn’t about to force her face into frame to look pretty, so we scored a bit low, placing 36th in the class with a score of 55.431%. I’m still super happy with our test and know that I gave my horse the best experience I could, setting her up for success at future shows.

Saturday morning started off with working equitation. I had no idea what to expect from this class other than it’s kind of a mix of dressage and obstacles. The course was a bit tight in places and there were a lot of transitions and potentially scary obstacles(particularly the bull line). I wasn’t sure how Celesta would do, but I went in hoping to get through without being eliminated(it’s very easy to make a small mistake and get eliminated - 3 of the 5 people before me got eliminated😬). She was a bit nervous with all of the obstacles, but kept it together - and did fantastic with the bull line. I was so focused on the obstacles and where I was supposed to be going that I didn’t ride my best and wasn’t cueing her clearly. Nonetheless, we completed the class. I didn’t think we scored very well, but it turns out I’m my biggest critic. We placed 3rd with a score of 62.813%! I was shocked when I heard the announcement!

Saturday afternoon brought us showjumping. We were entered in the 1’ class because I’m not a jumper and feel like a fish flopping around😆 It was very far from perfect and we almost knocked down half of the jumps, but it was fun! I couldn’t help but laugh as we tripped our way over the final jump, Celesta somehow keeping the pole from falling to the ground. Not to self: take more than one jumping lesson before the next competition😆 Despite our bobbles, we placed 28th with a score of 56.667%.

Out of 56 total competitors, we placed 28th overall. I’m not an English rider and learned as I went, so I’m very happy with how things went. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner for this competition. We had many hurdles along the way and I even thought about returning her to the BLM at one point, but something told me to keep going. She is the horse that has taught me the most about developing a horse under saddle. She is the sweetest, kindest, most forgiving horse I’ve ever met and I’ll forever be grateful for her patience with me as I learned.

And of course, I got very attached to this pretty little gray mare. Who wouldn’t? She’s adorable and has the biggest heart. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to keep her and find a new home for one of my personal horses. Welcome to my herd Deja Blue🩵

09/12/2024

Celesta and I made it to Kentucky!

We are 34th to go tomorrow, which will put us around 1:18pm.

We are 6th to go in Working Equitation and 16th to go in Showjumping on Saturday.

You can watch the livestream on Equestrian Plus. We are hip 13 and her show name is Deja Blue.

08/31/2024

Celesta and I just had our last ride at home before the Mustang Classic!

We leave for Ohio tomorrow and then we’ll arrive in Kentucky a few days before the Classic. I’m definitely feeling the pressure and the nerves start to set in. Celesta is amazing at home and local shows, but I’m not sure how she’ll handle the atmosphere in KY. She gave me a darn near perfect run of the dressage test and felt very relaxed jumping today. No matter how we perform in KY, I’m very proud of Celesta and how far we’ve both come. We’ve had more than our fair share of struggles, including a bad fall and injury that delayed our progress. She’s become my go-to horse and is a joy to ride. This girl is special in many ways and will make someone an amazing partner.

08/25/2024

9 mustangs and b***os worked today 💪
Didn’t get pictures of the b***os because I forgot 🤷‍♀️

It’s so fun to work with mustangs on so many spots in their training journies. From wild to the fanciest horse I’ve ridden, these guys are quite the bunch of horses to work in one day. Individual notes on each picture to see what each horse worked on today!

08/18/2024

Celesta had her third show today!

Junior Horse English Pleasure 1st
Senior English Pleasure 3rd
Senior English Equitation 3rd
Ranch Rail 1st
Ranch Riding 3rd
Junior Horse Western Pleasure 2nd
Senior Horsemanship 4th
Discipline Rail 4th

She did really well and handled the environment like an old pro. Most of the horses there were seasoned show horses, so I’m really happy with her placings! She was getting gate sour by the end of the day, but it was a long day and she was just getting tired of working. We got multiple compliments on how nice she is and how good she looks in the arena. There were a few mustang people there and it was fun watching their mustangs show and kick butt!

I didn’t get any pictures, but Dill tagged along too! He just stayed at the trailer all day to get used to the show atmosphere without the stress of showing and was a little champ!

08/08/2024

Just a mustang helping other mustangs learn about domestic life.

Today Celesta got to help me work Dill. She gave me her all and was a great calm presence for Dill when he became nervous.

She is only 10 months out of the wild…and now she’s helping other wild mustangs learn humans aren’t so bad. This little mare truly has the biggest heart 🩵

08/06/2024

Dill

This little guy has got to be the easiest mustang I’ve ever had. He had 1 day of training when I got him followed by 2 weeks off while I finished my internship and he didn’t miss a beat. He now leads outside of the pen like a pro, ties, wears a saddle pad, loads into the trailer, and has been turned out into the small pasture. He’s got such a great brain and is super sweet.

He has a spot in his lumbar spine that concerns me. It looks almost like his spine is twisted. Thankfully, it does not seem to bother him at all, but I will be having a vet examine it when I have his teeth floated. For now, we’re just continuing his handling and groundwork as normal.

07/21/2024

Just having some fun with the best boy🥰

07/13/2024

Excitedly introducing…

Pickle Me Surprised aka Dill formerly known as tag 1376. He is a 2 year old gelding from Antelope, NV. This boy is quite the character…he acted like a spoiled baby instead of a wild horse…which was interesting😂 I was able to pet him pretty much everywhere, teach him about halter pressure, pony him, and fly spray him today.

I’ve Dunnit Again aka Disco formerly known as tag 1343. He is a 2 year old gelding from Antelope, NV. This boy is super bold, curious, and sweet. I was able to pet him to his shoulder, teach him about halter pressure, pony him, and fly spray him today.

Daisy formerly known as tag 0034. She is a 5 year old jenny from Seven Troughs, NV. She is an absolute sweetheart and let my dad hug and brush her right away this morning. I could touch her everywhere and taught her to lead today in just 2 short sessions.

These are the kids that I won off of the May IA. Dill and Disco will be available next year once started undersaddle.

05/26/2024

Celesta’s first show!

W/T Pleasure 8th
Western Pleasure 4th
Western Horsemanship 3rd
Discipline Rail 2nd
Ranch Riding 3rd
Trail 6th
Barrels 8th
Streaking Poles 5th

She took the show grounds in like a seasoned show horse…until she heard the announcer. I’ve never felt her get so vamped up over something before, even on her first rides. Our first class was pretty shaky because of this, but she came back to me for our second class and tried really hard for the rest of the show. I could nitpick our patterns all day, but this was her first show and I’m very happy with how she handled everything and how hard she tried.

Thanks for inviting me to be part of team Natalie Squared Natalie Clark! You and Whiskey did awesome and looked fantastic! I couldn’t have asked for a better show partner. You made things fun and I look forward to more shows this year!

05/16/2024

These are the mustangs I won on the most recent Online Corral event!

Tag 1376 is a 2 year old bay gelding from Antelope NV…sound familiar to anyone else? He has the same description that Arrow did when I got him a little over three years ago😉

Tag 1343 is a 2 year old red dun gelding from Antelope NV, who I was given a second chance on after the auction. I had originally won a mare from CA, but the top bidder for this guy backed out and I was the next highest bidder…I couldn’t say no to that face❤️

Tag 0034 is a 5 year old jenny from Seven Troughs NV. She is going to be Burt’s b***o buddy.

I will be picking these three up in the middle July, but won’t officially start training until the end of July. The two geldings will be available in the summer of 2025 once they’re started and going well undersaddle.

03/01/2024

Basil’s fifth ride!

She was very sticky going to the left at first, but she figured it out and was going nicely both ways. She also had to learn the rein does not always equal slow down and that she needs to maintain speed though a turn. I’m happy with how she’s progressing and am excited to continue teaching her!

Don’t mind the shakiness and weird angle, the wind was terrible today😅

12/28/2023

I’ve got big news!

I am moving to Texas! I will be attending the Texas Horseshoeing School for my farrier certification. I took a 6 week virtual course with another school last year and have been trimming my less complicated horses since, but I’m excited to get hands on coaching and be able to trim and shoe any horse.

Arrow and Celesta will be moving with me, so there’ll be updates on them! I’m super excited to start the new year in Texas and can’t wait to make more memories in 2024!

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Videos

A nice easy first sit for mustang Disco🪩

Team Practice With Arrow And Celesta

Tried a little something new with these two the other day and they blew me away❤️ Anyone who knows Arrow knows that this is an incredibly difficult concept for him for many reasons. The main one being that he used to be absolutely terrified of other horses around humans, and was especially terrified of being ponied. While I haven’t specifically worked on either of these things, I have done a lot of emotional regulation work with him which transferred beautifully to his fear of other horses. There were moments where he started to get nervous, but he was able to come down and find relaxation. Celesta is less than a year out of the wild and is still somewhat green undersaddle. She wasn’t sure she liked having Arrow close to her and having my attention divided between them. While she typically has a been-there-done-that attitude about things, she is still touchy about things unexpectedly moving near/touching her hindquarters. When Arrow would brush up against her hindquarters or my whip would accidentally bump her, she stayed calm and did her best to listen to me. I’m so proud of these two and how far they’ve come recently. I thought this moment was years away just a few short months ago, but they told me that they’re ready. I’m still mostly going to be focusing on working them individually, but it’ll be fun to occasionally play around with them as a team and see what we can do together❤️

Liberty with Arrow!

Just having some fun with the best boy🥰

Bareback and bridleless with the best boy💪

Celesta’s first liberty session! She tried very hard and exceeded my expectations. I love her amount of try and effort!

Basil’s fifth ride

Basil’s fifth ride! She was very sticky going to the left at first, but she figured it out and was going nicely both ways. She also had to learn the rein does not always equal slow down and that she needs to maintain speed though a turn. I’m happy with how she’s progressing and am excited to continue teaching her! Don’t mind the shakiness and weird angle, the wind was terrible today😅

Celesta’s first ride! This may not look like much, but being able to walk around calmly with a rider is huge for her. We have had many hurdles and setbacks while working towards this, but she’s finally given me the green light to get on. We just walked today, but my main goal was to keep her calm and make it a good experience for her. Once she has a good experience with something, she takes it like a champ, but if she has a bad experience, she holds onto that for a long time. We’ll go for a trot and canter within the next couple of rides, but for now I’m very happy with how this first one went. #coltstarting #blmmustang #firstride #blmmustangtraining #proud