Misty Mountain Training

05/23/2023

CONVERSATIONS WITH LUCIA

Q: How do you deal with pushy clients?
Example: When they ask if you've been on the horse for the first time or wanting a precise forecast of a horses training.

A: First of all, you have to be a good judge of character. Some clients are seriously just excited to see their horse learn and become a good citizen in society. Some clients are pushy because they are financially limited so they want the most bang for their buck. Some clients seriously don't have a clue about horses, (They think they do, but thats another conversation) so thier exceptions are completely uneducated or you have old timer that wants things forced...

I've had all of the above. My advice to you is to be as honest and straight foward the first conversation with that client. I make absolute no guarantees in a horse's progress. But I guarantee that I will try my best with each horse. As you gain experience over the years, I do promise that you will have an accurate estimate timeline of a horses progress. Just remember, the horse comes first, client second. Meaning my job is not to match the horse to the client or client to the horse. My job is to determine where that horse is best suited. And its also my right to not put myself in danger. Dont ever let someone push you to confirm their theory if the horse is rideable or not. Trust the process. Trust your abilities.

-Lucia Clemetson

Have a question? Shoot me a message!

05/23/2023

🙊Don’t be fooled by quick, flashy training⁣🙊

You clap 👏🏼 at the guy standing on the horses back cracking a bull whip all while the horse displays fear in his eyes because 2 days ago he was wild and untouched being forced into a reality show!
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⁣Speed training isn’t impressive. What’s admirable is:⁣
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🦄Being *thorough* rather than fast⁣
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🦄Staying below the fear threshold⁣
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🦄The horse feeling relaxed and enthusiastic throughout the session⁣
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🦄Training results that last long-term, rather than producing flashy yet fleeting outcomes⁣
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🦄The horse is excited to train again the next day⁣

🦄The horse will be good for whomever climbs onto their back

Training fast (using force, manipulate behavior and hours and hours of daily unnecessary rides) is that even a skill? It makes them tired for sure! But in the end are they even trained?

It’s a mutual respect between trainer and horse! When that is met the horse can be and do his best!

We are not perfect in any way,
But trying to be better for the horses is the upmost thing that we strive for everyday as trainers!

The only person that i compete against is myself! As long as i can be better each day, that’s all that matters!

04/10/2023

Training horses…..the reality.

Anyone who puts their horse in a boarding stable with full board pays an average of between $400 and $500 a month. That corresponds to a daily price of $15 average.

To be deducted from this:

-feed (Alfalfa/Grain)supplements (in Colorado) alfalfa $14 bale x 10, safe choice grain $25 x2, amplify $45, gutx $25 = $260
- shavings $8 bag
-salt/protein blocks $15 each
-Staff
-Insurance
-Energy/utilities
-Water (not on a well I pay for water here)
-Fuels (diesel / gas)
-Repairs to stall fences
-mats/footing in stalls
-Manure disposal
-And don't forget the taxes

This leaves the stable operator with around $2.00 to $3 per horse per day. And that number drops in half in winter in Colorado when water tank heaters are used, shavings tripped, blanket laundering and repair and extra feed used.

That's less than the cost of a coffee, a visit to Mc Donald's, a sack of carrots, or apples.

Thank you that there are idealists and animal lovers who run this business 24/7, take care of the owners and their worries, maybe in case of illness of the horse, check on the horse day and night.

Let’s say for training
$500 a month this means 20-25 rides

That Gives the Trainer:

$25 per ride

But first we must:

Pay for insurance
Pay for Groom / Assistant
Pay for arena footing
Pay for arena maintenance
Pay for tack repair
Pay for fly grooming supplies, bathing supplies, fly spray, hoof oil, wound cream, etc.
Pay for diesel for tractor to drag arena
Pay for water to control arena dust
Pay for round pen repairs and maintenance
Pay for tack supplies needed and used
Pay for training tools, poles, flags, barrels, jumps, arena drags, cross ties, lunge lines, side reins, etc.
Pay for business license
Pay for taxes

Being generous, this leaves is paying ourselves $8 a ride per horse.

Eight dollars, to ride in heat, snow, rain, wind. To get bit, kicked, drug, to take spoiled miss flicka poo and make her a decent law abiding family horse, to take untouched fire breathing dragon pony and turn it into your next futurity prospect. To watch it destroy our tack and our fences, to spend hours soaking a abscessed feet for free or walking your colicking horse for hours. To blanket it in blizzards and hose it in hot days. To love it like it’s ours.

Don’t even count the time spent sending written updates with photos and videos of each training horse.

‼️remember this, we do this cause of the love for this Job, we rode for the outcome NOT the income‼️

04/07/2023

Super Excited To Announce This Clinic!

Limited Space!

Let’s have a BLAST 💥

03/30/2023

03/16/2023

People wonder why I only have a list of a handful of people in this world that I would allow to start my personal horses for me under saddle. People also wonder why I would rather adopt untouched mustangs and train them myself than try and buy a horse that’s started already. It’s simple, it’s because I’ve gotten too many horses that people claimed “have a solid foundation“ and just want miles and I have to do a complete restart on a horse and retrain them before I ever consider putting them to work.

Horses that haven’t been started with a finished horse in mind are dangerous. I’ve had more wrecks from horses with a poor start on them and just need miles than I have had from starting untouched reactive mustangs. Horses started in mechanical hackamores, Tom Thumb bits, grazer bits, nylon halters etc. horses that have no idea how to give to any pressure, that are bracey, that run through the bridle, that are heavy on their front end, no body control, over flexed and noodle necked, I could go on and on.

Just because you’ve started horses and they never bucked or you “rode out the buck” and now are puppy dog gentle doesn’t mean you put a foundation on them. You got them gentle, not broke. All you’re doing is creating way more work for someone in the future and putting others in danger.

03/03/2023

“If I was your client, I’d be disappointed in you.”

Those words still hurt as much as they did back in December. Especially from someone that supposedly loved me. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not perfect but I do try my best. Authenticity and being genuine is my jam and because of it, I’m not for everyone. 2022 was so hard for me. I struggled bad, from raising the kids basically alone to starting the summer alone with the future absolutely unknown.

But as I did my best in improving myself and heal, those words ultimately did break me. But not in the way that most people break….

Sometimes getting kicked hard in the teeth, cut off at the knees and salt thrown in the wound is what it takes to persevere. I’ll admit that I’m probably a little salty and bitter right now in this season of my life. Who wouldn’t? I was manipulated to think I was the problem.

All I have to say to this person is THANK YOU.

Thank you for the lesson. It’s the fuel I needed to get back to my career. I have a deeper understanding now of why things like this happen. It was the push I needed unfortunately. I know you suggested multiple times that I should quit but those words is what ultimately prepared me to quit you. Thank you for bringing out a stronger me that I had no idea that existed.

Thank you,

LC

02/19/2023

You will never outperform your own self image.

If you talk poorly about yourself and your abilities, you are only making your starting point further away from where you want to be.

The most important thing you can have for your horse is to have confidence in yourself. Pure confidence means knowing that you are absolutely capable of doing what you need to do to create a desirable outcome.

This is the kind of unshakable confidence that can only come through experience. You have to do the things that are uncomfortable so that, one day, the uncomfortable things become part of your comfort zone.

02/02/2023

Good read!

I am always urging you to stretch your horses, to teach them to arch their toplines like the upward span of a bridge.

“But my horse has a naturally high head carriage!” some of you say.

I get that not all horses are peanut rollers, which actually isn’t active stretching, by the way. Horses who are arching upwards are tilting their pelvises to step further underneath from behind. It comes from the backend, no matter where our horses’ heads are, always the back end.

But here’s the thing. Even if you are riding an Arabian, a Morgan, a Thoroughbred or a Tennessee Walker, a Saddlebred or a Hackney, a Percheron or a Friesian—all higher or more ‘upright’ horse breeds, by nature of how they naturally go and are built—for longevity and wellness, our horses must learn the release of tension—aka working in discomfort—if they are to go their very best.

Such horses are softer and easier for us to ride, as well.

I have shown enough harness ponies, even among the high-stepping Hackneys, to learn that the champions are always the ones who have learned to push off from behind, with their energy lifting through their backs and coming down and around in front. These horses all move roundly, more like locomotives with huge drive wheels pushing upwards and forwards… rather than the up-and-down action of sewing machines.

If you have a good horse—including those that are gaited—with a naturally high head carriage, stretching the topline while moving forward will be the one thing that elevates your horse far beyond the pack of other ‘upright’ showy horses. Yours will go powerfully, yet effortlessly, as though on springs. Those who judge will recognize—whether or not he or she is in full understanding of the reason why—that yours is the horse who is above and beyond all others.

So many people who ride Arabians, to use one example, say that their horses just go naturally with heads and tails in the air. That to try and shape this, in any way, is to fight who and what they really are in nature. Thing is, when we ask them to carry us, they are no longer in a natural situation. When both ends of the horse are ‘up’, the place where you are sitting is hollowed out, like a hammock slung between two trees. These horses can need our help in relaxing, stretching and strengthening their carrying muscles if they are to go comfortably and with longevity. They, too, will release endorphins when stretching that will calm and have them bravely swinging forward with rhythm and beautiful ease.

Being comfortable will not dim their sparkle! Sadly, a lot of ‘fiery’ horses are exhibiting classic pain signals, whether in real life and in so much of art. It is time for us to train our eyes to really see this!

The horse who uses himself, swings through his back and roundly goes forward is the happier, healthier horse. No matter his age or breeding, no matter our riding goals. Training is all about comfort, longevity and correct biomechanics… or, I believe it should be.

When we are feeling good and working well, we all can shine from within.

We maybe didn't worry about such things in 'the good old days' but we know better now. Because of better care and our quest for knowledge, today's horses are living useful lives decades beyond eight or ten, which was equine old age in times past.

📷 The Museum of the Highwood.

01/30/2023

Something to chew on a bit.
I believe you can learn something from everyone, but you have to find a baseline as well.
What I like the most about this is the "homework", the work you do in between lessons, thats what separates those that progress and those that are on a slower path.

01/12/2023

With the new year upon us it’s time to start thinking about our 2023 goals for our horses! Especially the young ones! It’s time to start thinking about building their foundation!

I have a few spots still left for c**t starts, will be taking on behavior issues/spring time ups/trail miles/hunting preparation as well. Please PM what you are looking for and what I may be able to help with! Here’s to a great year and an early spring! Let’s get to riding!

09/15/2022

If riders knew how to move their hips and bend their horse, 90% of riding instructors and horse trainers would lose their jobs.
(a handful would be reserved for those with seriously high goals)
If you can move your hips with your horse, (make sure it’s your hips and not your lower back) and get your horse to bend AT ALL (it doesn’t even have to be correct bend- pretty much any amount of bend would do) it would completely cure 90% of the problems that most people have with their horse.

When we go to clinics and meet new students, the horses and humans are all just so stuck! We literally cannot work on anything else until these two things are at least somewhat in place.

So do yourself a favor and make sure you can get your horse to bend, and that you are moving with your horse through the hip joint.

Also, a lot of life happened in the last eight months and I lost a lot of momentum on this page. So I would really appreciate comments and shares.
And if you’ve hung in here this long, send me a 10 to 20 second video of you riding (any gait, any movement, as long as we can see the horse and rider clearly) and I will do a review and post it on this page. Yes it will be public and shareable. 

05/31/2022

>>>SPEND GOOD MONEY ON YOUR C**T STARTER.

>>>PICK SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST AND LET THEM DO THEIR JOB.

>>>DONT RUSH THEM.

>>>THIS IS SETTING YOUR HORSE UP FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

>>>THIS IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.

I see so many horses that COULD HAVE been outstanding and instead I’m putting back together mistakes from the laying of a bad foundation.

🗣 Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

And THANK YOU to my great c**t starters! With you guys on my team; I can accomplish anything!!!

05/21/2022

Come on out to the fairgrounds tomorrow!!

05/08/2022

Of all the horse training tools available, the best one might still be the 'wet saddle blanket'.

I learned that we’ve strayed from this humble, old-timey thinking, when I’d written the phrase in an earlier post and several people had commented that it was a stupid idea.

“How can a wet saddle pad be of any benefit to a horse’s back?” several of you had written. “Do you dip it in warm or cool water and then ride? And why?!”

I realized that this slang phrase of old—referring to the sweat of a horse who is ridden regularly and to the point of exertion—has fallen out of favour. For some reason, ‘earning his oats’ has got a bad rap these last few years, as though making a horse work for his living is somehow abusive. While none of us wants to go overboard and ride a sore or unfit horse beyond what is kind, of course, we’re seeing a lot more horses in the other extreme.

We’re seeing horses who don’t have pasture turn out, ridden only once or twice a week. We’re seeing horses who are not brought to a point of showing any sort of a sweat pattern once they are saddled up. We’re seeing horses who are emotional, pent up rides and when they are not, we’re seeing horses who are suffering the ill effects of being sedentary and overweight.

When we go to the gym, ourselves, we expect to exert enough to sweat. Raise our heart rate. Consciously breathe. Learn to move in a rhythm and let go our wild, jumbled thoughts. Our fitness coach will let us feel the work load and then, he or she will allow us to slow down, to cool out and return to a state of calmness. We feel refreshed and our muscles are glad of the break. We are no longer feeling so stressed.

We learn that while hard work can feel uncomfortable, it will not kill us… and if we become fitter, we will actually begin to enjoy working out.

Sweat does not have to be allied to injury or abuse, not if we are mindful of our own fitness and that of our horses. I think that we are wise enough to keep ourselves between the ditches of too much and too little, don’t you?

There is a big difference between cantering circles in sandy footing and walking up and down hills in the open air. Both will have a great demand on cardio and keeping the body in balance but one is more demanding, mentally and physically, than the other. Green horses, especially, find their fitness less of a mighty struggle when riding out across country at a good, ground-covering walk.

In this case, the young pony, Atticus, has been learning to stay light in front and not bore down into his rider’s hand. He’s not being naughty, his teeth are on a regular schedule, he is just unbalanced at this stage in his growth and this is something he must learn. His build doesn’t help, as he’s very strong behind and his forward thrust is greater than his ability, as yet, to carry himself and his rider. Most times, he really wants to move out and is quite keen. Oh, the purgatory of his early cantering, which is just starting to develop!

The choice of his little pelham comes about as brakes are always a good idea when riding a green horse miles out in open country... when he has yet to clock more than two dozen rides.

We don't worry about the positioning of his head out here. He is learning to watch his own feet, to sidestep holes and on the long walk home, to put his head down on a loose rein and really swing. When the young Welsh Cob hits his rhythm at the walk, he effortlessly pulls away from just about every saddle horse on the place. He begins to build on that core fundamental in all disciplines, the exemplary walk.

So, we begin by putting a dry saddle blanket, or pad, on a horse and then, putting the miles on. Ideally, this is done out in the great outdoors. We get the exertion and 'sweat equity' by insisting that the horse works hard enough at the walk, that he is puffing and freely perspiring. We'll see this under the reins on his neck, behind his ears, under his saddle and girth area and between his hind legs.

Bit by bit, through stretching at the walk and trot, by learning to rock back over his hocks using enjoyable hillside exercise, Atti is learning to 'rate' and balance himself and not use his rider as a fifth wheel. In the process, he is slowly building his wind and getting fitter all the time, without risk of damaging his young legs.

Best of all, when we put those ‘wet saddle blankets’ on our horses, no matter their ages and abilities, we are building the partnership that comes from time spent together, solving problems and seeing the real world. It’s a win-win.

04/12/2022

⚠️PSA⚠️

My prices have gone up for anything 2yrs and under unhandled or untouched is $1000 a month and 90 day minimum . Anything over that unhandled and untouched is $1200 a month and a 90 day minimum.

Why so high?! I’m glad you asked.

▪️The first 30 days is getting them use to pressure of basic things like touching, space, haltering, lounging, relaxing under pressure. If you want an unhandled horse to be a broke horse ready to go ride where ever you want in 30 or 60 days, go find someone else.

▪️I also now have to pay for 3 new panels (making no money off of this horse this month). These are twisted and can’t be used. 10/10 horses (haven’t had one yet untouched or problem horse) have broken something. Halters, panels, gates, snaps, saddles, you get the picture.

▪️So while you’re sitting there letting your young horse “be a horse”, there is a trainer somewhere dreading your phone call for you to understand the amount of work that will go into just the first 30 days.

▪️My body is my tool. I will have to spend more time and effort with those untouched or problem horses the first 30 days.

🔺This does not include for horses just needing finishing, tune ups, starting on the barrels or regular training.

Side note: thank you to those great clients that understand and trust what goes into this training process and what goes into those horses that y’all save or want to get that chance. I understand as long as you do to. ❤️

I did not expect this to get the attention it did. So a couple of things.
This client is not an issue and was made aware of the situation with their horse before this post was made. This is just me making aware of my price increase and to show why for those potential clients that message me telling me my prices were already high before( they’re really not).

This horse had already had her session and was good but is very buddy sour. She was climbing the panels as I was working with another horse then tried to jump. And this is the after math. IF YOU ARE NOT THERE DURING THE SITUATION STOP MAKING ASSUMPTIONS FACEBOOK TRAINERS!

Also, if you don’t like my facility (really don’t care) you are more than welcome to donate for any upgrades of your choosing. 😊 I’ll post my Venmo in the comments and you can write a note on what you would like me to upgrade on in my facility. 👌🏻I upgrade when I can and bring in sand, change fencing out when I can, buy better tack. But stuff cost and people don’t want to pay but like to have an opinion. So unless you are willing to put the money up for someone on Facebook who you do not know or know the whole situation. Scroll on 😁

03/11/2022

Check out these 4 must-know dragging patterns!

1. Dragging by working circles through the center of the arena pulls ruts out of the rail. Start by turning through the center half way down the long wall to create your first circle then move down by one notch with each new circle until you have covered the whole arena.

2. Dragging in a figure eight pattern helps to shift deep footing to worn out areas. Start by turning down the center then cut across back to the long wall at the 1/2 way point, changing directions to start the next loop. After completing the first figure eight move over by one notch to start the next one.

3. Dragging lengthwise helps to level off the footings and firm up the ends of the arena. Start by turning through the center half way down the short wall to create a long rectangle then move down by one notch with each new pass through the center till all the footing has been smoothed out.

4. Making half-arena circles between the centerline and the rail helps even out the footing if it's starting to develop high and low spots. This is usually a result of previous poor dragging techniques, uneven moisture, or both, causing sand in some areas to move or build up or become too shallow.

Check the full range of our favorite arena groomers here: https://trutexfooting.com/product-category/arena-drags

02/08/2022

The 21/90 day Rule.

"Let's be real. I'm really tired of 30 day c**t start requests. Im tired of 30 day tune up requests.. If it worked, I'd promote it. I'm also exhausted of the question of why is it 30days and my horse has been barely riding out and/or not all? Why can't you teach a horse to collect in 30days? Or why am I not seeing a lot of progress after the FIRST couple weeks? Here, we are about the long term results. That's what separates us from others."

"It's all about the 21/90 day rule. Humans and horses I believe are fairly similar. It takes 21 days to form a habit, 90 days for a lifestyle change. I follow this rule in my fitness journey. Not saying it takes either/or that long but I do firmly believe this theory applies to horses in a fashionable timeline. How does it fluctuate? A horse that's 2 and not 5yrs old. A horse that has been guided through the steps with trust or was it rushed? Was the foundation solid or were some unfavorable habits formed? What's the horses genetics? Are the genetics favorable in a born broke mentality horse or is he a little fearful in starting? Does he trust humans or are we going to spent a fair amount of time convincing him that humans are a good deal? This all plays to the 21/90 day rule. Timing is critical in horse training, just like the timing in your progression with life. I've had horses that progressed fabulously in a 30 day tune up, some I was barely riding after 30 days for a c**t start. Long story short, stop being in a damn hurry! Now I didn't say, get your horse so broke and bored on the ground that hes now dead to your energy. Just make sure your horse trusts you when it's time to add the pressure."
- Lucia Clemetson

Please follow this page for more inspirational posts
Lucia Clemetson Performance Horsemanship

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11/08/2021

This!!

For years trying to carve out a living as a trainer and teacher, I lost work for being too slow, felt pressure to do more faster, and struggled to compete with other trainers putting out results faster. I tried to go along with the expectations, but thankfully, a couple big injuries shook me out of that frame of mind for good.

Sometimes people still get frustrated with the slow basics, and sometimes they leave. But more people seek me out than ever before because they want what’s right for their horse, and they want to either do it right the first time, or to salvage a relationship with a horse who’s been pushed past their limit.

Don’t ever compromise your principles if you know they are right. My biggest regret is pushing horses too fast to try and keep clients and keep a barn full. Injuries and set backs slow you down way more than slow basics ever will - and I’d rather clean houses or wait tables every day of my life than push a horse too fast ever again.

Do what’s right. The right people will find you.

09/11/2021

"This is why your turn does not come from pulling on the rein. Note the riders hand and leg position and hip angle in each sketch. Note the development of the horses muscles in each sketch. Note the shape of the horse in each sketch. A truly supple, truly bent horse is working through their entire body. It is OUR job as the rider to guide the horse to become soft, supple, and through in all movements.

Rider one is pulling the nose around, and trying to push the haunches in, with a following outside rein offering the horse no balance, and a hardly supportive inside leg to wrap around. This has created a rigid, stiff horse that will surely be back sore, weak in the hind end, with front end bulk in all the wrong places. This horse has every opportunity, and will likely be so uncomfortable that it will try every time, to run out of his right shoulder.

Rider two is pushing the horse from his inside leg to his outside rein. The outside rein is providing a balance point for the horse, allowing him to be both comfortable and willing to carry himself. Because the riders rein is supportive and blocking the shoulder, the horse can not blow out the shoulder, and can only become truly bent along the entire length of the spine.

In order to build the athlete you want, and to allow your horse the opportunity to have a long, successful, and most importantly SOUND career, it is important to understand how we ride, even in seemingly simple tasks such as the walk or trotting circles, is effecting each muscle in your horses body. Not all muscle is good muscle!" - Ali Hamann South Coast Sport Horses LLC.