Teaching Tavik to trust. Mia's Mustang 2022

14/01/2024

Well, today was a big day for me. Super long post warning, but it includes a never before shared story and some real raw and honest stuff.

I rode Tavik in the saddle for the first time since July, 2022! So, a little bit of background on that. Most of you have probably heard that if you get bucked off you need to immediately get back on or it will be so much harder the next time. This was a similar situation to that, except I didn't do it again for a year and a half! For me it was just riding Tavik in a saddle.

So, going back to the beginning of this story, I prefer to start my horses ba****ck, I think it is an easier gradual transition from leaning over them, putting some weight on them, and then working up to sitting on them. Plus it's easier and safer to bail if things go south. Anyways, I started Tavik that way and was riding him steadily ba****ck before ever trying to ride him saddled.

Now, another important piece of information is, I nearly didn't even get Tavik because I lost the place I was going to do the challenge at and I didn't have anywhere to keep my mustang or work with him, I actually nearly had to drop out because of that. But through friends lending me the panels and some serious figuring work we were able to get him set up in a workable area. This was not the ideal set up for mustang starting, but it as all I had. One of the downsides to the place I had available to work with him was it was in a bit of pasture that was adjacent to a junkyard area and part of the only space I had to work with him was a loop around the junkyard. Not ideal but it's what I had to work with.

Anyways, enough with boring details, here is the story I haven't shared with ya'll yet... The first ride I ever did in the saddle we rode the loop around the junkyard, he was like any normal horse with their first time riding in a saddle and was interested in checking out the stirrups and a bit wiggly because it was a new and weird experience. It felt different and funny so he was a bit more all over the place than usual. Anyone who has ridden a green horse knows when you first start them they're a little loose on the steering and sorta swervy, this was just more so. This day he happened to move over at exactly the wrong time and bumped into a lawnmower handlebar sticking out into the road we were riding along. What happened next can only be described as a freak accident. The handlebars caught on the stirrup and dragged it behind us a few steps. Keep in mind he was, at this time less than a month out of the wild and very green. He spooked big time and this was the one and only time he has ever bucked me off. I rode out the first few launches but he is POWERFUL and he dumped me over his shoulder and I landed on the ground directly in front of his hooves. I remember the split second of laying on the ground, waiting for his hooves to come crashing down on my back, but they didn't. I honestly believe God saved me in that moment and also that Tavik was looking out for me and purposely avoided trampling on me. He actually jumped right over me. After this he was thoroughly freaked out and the stirrups were flapping so he continued to bronc across the junkyard and through the lawnmowers that were there. I was sure he would break his legs and tear and shred his belly and legs to ribbons. A tribute to his amazing mind though, as soon as he made it to a small clearing in the center of the junkyard and the metal things quit attacking his legs he immediately stopped and waited there quietly for me to get to him. Then we had a test of his trust as he followed me out and we picked our way around and through until we were able to get out of the mess. He followed me completely trusting and had perfect faith in me and we were able to get out of the junk. I knew I immediately needed to get back on him or I would become afraid of riding him, but I also knew that that was his first experience being ridden in the saddle and I didn't know if he would connect the trauma with the saddle or not. I was hurting and shaken so I decided to go back to what we were both familiar with and remove the saddle and ride ba****ck. He did amazing and I was so impressed that he was able to relax so quickly after such a freak accident and traumatic experience.

That was the beginning of my fear of riding him in the saddle. I worked on it quite a bit in the weeks following and was able to overcome it and got to the point where I could get right on and had no anxiety at all.

Fast forward to July '22 I'm sure you all remember the epic weekend horse camping trip we did with Lydia Dedera’s Horse Training and Mild at Heart - Mustang Gentling & More. We were saddling up for our long ride on Saturday and I remember noticing that Tavik was sorta anxious already. He was in a new place along with quite a few other things that were all adding together to cause him to be stressed. There was just too many stressors all coming at him at the same time. My fatal error was to try to fly spray him, which I know he is not ok with, and that was the last straw for him. He panicked in that wooden corral area and went to bucking. I had to just get out of the way so I didn't get hurt and he was able to settle down some. I went in there and was able to calm him down and take off the saddle. Not the best thing for training, but, it wasn't the right place to work through it, there was too much all going on at the same time and he was already stressed. The best thing for him was to go back to what we were familiar with. So we went ba****ck.

It may have been the best thing for him in the moment, but it was not the best thing for me, that was the last day I ever rode him in a saddle. I developed a huge fear and psychological trauma response to riding him in the saddle. That is the real reason I competed ba****ck, I couldn't ride him in the saddle, he could've been, but I couldn't. (even without all of this I probably would have chosen to compete ba****ck though because he was so much smoother and more fluid ba****ck)

This year I decided it was time to conquer my fears, I began on the first, saddling him every day to get him re-trained to getting saddled and wearing the saddle. He took to it really well, just the same as he was when I first saddle trained him. Then today was the big day. It was a huge deal, but I did it. As John Wayne would say: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway" or "If you can't beat fear, just do it scared" -Glennon Doyle Melton. I was scared to death, but I did it! I'm a long ways from being comfortable and relaxed with riding him in a saddle but I am on my way. The first step is always the hardest.

My encouragement for anybody else who has developed a fear of riding or any other thing is to set yourself up for success, don't try to do too much at once, and just do it scared. I'm rooting for you!!

**Note: This post is super honest and I'm sharing all the facts that happened to give you all the full picture. I'm sharing this to hopefully encourage others. I am not looking for any criticism on what I did or what I should've done differently. I know I could've done things differently and avoided most of all these problems that happened but I can't go back and change the past, all I can do is learn from it and change for the future.

05/01/2024

Fun with Tavik! Cool fact, I've worked with him every day this year! I know I've been putting him on the back burner too much lately so I finally decided to make time for him and get him back where he needs to be. I didn't even realize I started it on new years though. Thankfully he's such a forgiving horse, after essentially having 15 months off (I'd I'm being honest I haven't really worked with him since the competition) he is still very respectful and retained a significant part of his training. Pretty much just giving him a refresher on everything and I'm restarting on training him with the saddle, for his sake and mine. My goal for this month is to take him out on a trail ride with friends, saddled! I love my handsome boy! Enjoy the pictures!

16/12/2023

Big boy things today!! Tavik got his first teeth float! I was so impressed with him. This was a new person he's never met and we had to stab him quite a few times to find a vein for the drugs cause he's a thick boy. lol Also interesting to think about, since I ride him in a halter this was his first time having metal in his mouth. He took it super well and I think it would be really easy to train him in a bit if I ever decide to. All in all, here we are a year and a half later and he continues to impress me and be fantastic at everything I ask of him.

24/11/2023

Woah! Somehow I hadn't noticed we've reached over 1,000 followers!! 1.3k to be exact. That's crazy! I'll try to get some more updates going when I get the chance but Tavik is out living his best life in the pasture with his buds most of the time. He has gotten big time fluffed out for winter and is cute as ever. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

10/11/2023

I got a new saddle!! Tavik is looking fantastic in it! It's hard to believe he hasn't worn a saddle in a year and a half, he'll always be my best ba****ck boy but it's nice to have a good saddle to ride too. For having so much time off he was great with the saddle, a little wiggly when I was getting it on but we'll practice some more and he'll be good to go. It's got a nice matching breastcollar too but Tavik has never worn a breastcollar so I decided we wouldn't use it this first time. I can't get over how cute he is though!! Look at those ears! 😍😍

26/07/2023

For all my fellow mustang friends, or really anyone with horses. This is your friendly reminder to work with your horses on being ok with having ropes around their legs.

I left Tavik tied loose so he could graze while I was working on the fence in the other side of the barn. Somewhere during his munching he stepped his back leg over his lead which got his hoof caught on it. He then backed up and laid himself down. This is where it could've gone so much worse, if he had been unfamiliar with the rope pulling on his legs he probably would have panicked and flailed around trying to get free and almost certainly would have at the very least pulled and strained his muscles and tendons of that leg, or likely even broken it. Instead, he realized he was stuck and his leg was caught and waited there calmly and quietly until I found him a few minutes later and got him out. I 100% believe this would have been a very different and scary situation if I hadn't spent so much time teaching him to be ok with ropes all around his legs and giving to pressure on his legs.

I'll be making some videos soon of some of the ways I work with my horses on ropes around their legs and some exercises I do that help me get them accustomed to having their legs caught. Hopefully you never end up in this situation but if you do, it pays to be prepared!

26/07/2023

Sneak peak at what we've been up to in the last week.

15/07/2023

New trails to blaze, new paths to follow, new places to discover, new memories to be made. ♥ So glad I get to do it all with this boy.

29/04/2023

Had a ton of fun with Tavik today! Got together with Lydia and brought Adalee and baby Zephan on a trail ride! (Trained by Mild at Heart - Mustang Gentling & More ) Tavik was fantastic as usual. He got to meet the baby and did really well with him and was awesome out on the trail. He's such a cool horse! ♥ This was my ultra-belated birthday ride and it was so worth the wait!

Also got to meet Firefly (Lydia Dedera’s Horse Training) at the very end! He's so handsome!

21/04/2023

Hey everybody! It's been a while! But I have good news, since I'm not doing another mustang challenge over this summer I will be devoting much more time to working with Tavik and enjoying him this summer so you guys will get to see a lot more of him! Today I got him out with a friends and we went on a ride. It was really fun! We got to meet another Teens and Oregon Mustangs graduate, JD (who by the way is gorgeous!) and I got to hang out with another mustang trainer which always fun! Thanks for pivoting me to ride, Sarah Gent, it was a lot of fun! Tavik, of course, was his usual wonderful self and was pretty much perfect other than being a little wiggly when I tried to get on. We even tried all his tricks after the ride and he remembered them all. Then he wouldn't quit doing his funny lip face the rest of the time cause he was hoping I'd give him a few more treats. 😂 That his way of begging, he knows I'm a sucker for the "Tavik face"! Lol

23/02/2023

Hey everybody! Just thought I'd give a quick update on my Tavik boy. He's still my heart and my favorite partner. ♥ Since I've been putting so much work into River, my current mustang challenge horse I haven't worked with him in a while but he's been enjoying hanging out with his buddies Dakota, Misty, and little Stormy. He has become a total fluff with his THICK winter coat. He looks like a fluffy teddy bear! 😍 I am planning to take him out on a trail ride for my birthday which is coming up so I am excited to get back with my best boy! Here's a picture of him and his pals with the snow we got this morning.

21/11/2022

As promised! Here is my new mustang page for this girl's journey! Be sure to follow to get all the fun updates as I written with her through this winter! 😊

03/11/2022

Here's a video of the mares we will get to pick from for the competition. They are all gorgeous but I see a couple that look especially really nice! Are there any that stand out to you? Comment what your pick would be! 😍

https://fb.watch/gz0L3cncR9/

03/11/2022

Big news everyone!! I have applied to participate in the winter Teens and Oregon Mustangs challenge!!! It will begin in December and competition will be in March at the Northwest Horse Expo in spring! If you can't get enough of my mustang training updates then stay tuned for my next page where I'll bring you along on yet another training journey!

This competition will be composed of entirely mares so that will be something to adjust to. Another big difference is this horse WILL be available at the auction this time! So for those of you disappointed to have missed out on Tavik you'll get a shot at this girl! Stay tuned! Much more info to come!!

22/10/2022

Hey all! I haven't checked in in a while. Tavik is still his lovable steady self and is beginning to grow in his fuzzy winter coat now. He has gained some weight since he is no longer getting worked and conditioned for competition but I don't mind, a few extra pounds will help him keep warm with the chilly weather that is coming. Without the pressure of the competition I have not been riding him as much as I was before, but every time I do we settle right back into our perfect harmony and trust that really convinced me to keep him. He has befriended Koda, my other mustang gelding, and they love to hang out and groom each other over the fence. Here's a funny video of how he eats apples, he takes tiny delicate bites out of it like a perfect gentleman! 🥰

22/10/2022

Hey all! I haven't checked in in a while. Tavik is still his lovable steady self and is beginning to grow in his fuzzy winter coat, he's also gained some weight since he is no longer getting worked and conditioned for competition. But I don't mind, a few extra pounds will help keep him nice and warm as the weather gets chilly. He has befriended Koda, my other mustang gelding, and they love to hang out and groom each other over the fence. Without the pressure of the competition I have not been riding him as much as I was before, but every time I do we settle right back into our perfect harmony and trust that convinced me to keep him in the first place. Here's a funny video of how he eats apples, he takes delicate bites of of it like a perfect gentleman! 🥰

15/09/2022

Competition pictures! There are some really epic ones in here!

Picture credit to Jenn Koenig photography. The pictures speak for themselves but additionally she was a really cool person and it was fun to meet her there. She made sure to get the best shots and was very nice when we got to chat.

13/09/2022

Look who made it on the cover photo for the competition picture album! I totally love that one and there are more really good ones in there as well! Photographer Jenn Koenig did a fantastic capturing the heart of this competition and the relationship between horse and rider!

Photo collection by Jenn Koenig Photography

06/09/2022

Can I tell you guys what the best part of this competition was? These people right here! I cannot imagine going through the challenge without these amazing trainers' support and encouragement. The comradarie and sportsmanship between all these people who are literally in a competition against each other is amazing. It's such a breath of fresh air compared to much of the horse world, or really any area of life. I've never before had such a strong group of people get behind me and unconditionally believe in me and support me in a difficult challenge. Thank you so much to all of you trainers I got to know through this and for Teens And Oregon Mustangs providing this amazing opportunity! I cannot express how blessed I've been by your friendships this summer! ❤

Lydia’s Mustang Challenge 2022
Mild at Heart - Mustang Gentling & More
PMR - 2022 mustang adoption challenge.
RAW Mustangs

05/09/2022

This girl! I am so beyond proud of her and her FANTASTIC mustang Rojo! She has been my training buddy this entire journey, we got our horses together quite a few times over the summer and they were adorable buddies by the end. We couldn't finish off this crazy, amazing, challenging, difficult, special, emotional, beautiful, perfect summer full of fun and shenanigans without doing one last crazy ridiculous stunt! Lydia is an amazing trainer and an even better friend! ❤ I love you girl! Lydia’s Mustang Challenge 2022

05/09/2022

What. A. Weekend!!! I cannot even express how proud I am of Tavik! He was so willing, every single thing I asked of him he stepped up and took the challenge! I heard from so many people that they were inspired by our performance and amazed with our freestyle. We breezed through the obstacles with ease and flew around in perfect synch for our freestyle. I was happy with our showmanship even though we didn't score super well, mostly due to it being foreign to me and little things that weren't quite "perfect". Body conditioning was great we scored high but there were so many fantastically conditioned horses there it was difficult to compare.

In the end we won the novice adult riding trail course (and freestyle!) Which got some blingy, bright new stirrups! I also got 5th place overall for the combined body conditioning, showmanship, and trail course/ freestyle scores. Top 5 receive a fancy, shiny belt buckle which was one of my goals. When I looked over the prizes earlier my thought was first of all I wanted a buckle, that was my most coveted prize, the second one I had my eye on was the stirrups! I can't believe I got both prizes I had wanted most. I also got a pretty pink ribbon (which i never did get a picture of on Tavik 🤦‍♀️) and a cool multi colored, native type style bag/ purse. Check out the last few pictures to see my prizes!

04/09/2022

Cowboy church!