90 Days with a Wild Sulphur Mustang

[@peelingoffthelayers]

Thank you.

[@jobond3317]

Well done calm confident and kind manner And yes sitting with horses does work. You just need to be aware for their behaviours. You seemed very in touch with this. Having a relationship built on trust with no aggression makes for a great partnership

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

thank you!

[@Tipp_Of_The_Mitt]

Nice transformation video.

[@GallonMilkProductions]

Great mix of leadership and kindness. I like that you deliberately went into her space to hand feed in that clip. She's gentled so well and is so cute. Would love to see her updates.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you! Appreciate the support. Right now its winter in CT, and everything is a sheet of ice. Hopefully I will get some more video up! Right now shes just getting fat and fuzzy.

[@KLG777]

Must be sad for these horses being torn away from the others, I'm sure she will be a great horse, but she won't forget. Lucky to have an owner like you.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I agree. I always try to keep that spirit alive within them ♥️

[@suzystone244]

She is a unique girl. Those classic ears. Her form. Red dun color. Sulfur mustangs have a character that is distinct to the Utah mustang lineage. Very old one I might add❤

[@lindawarrell4281]

Wonderful Beautiful Awesome! You did it correctly! Great job! She’s beautiful and so are you! Best of luck always! 👏❤️

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you very much!

[@moonshadecat]

I loved this video so much. I love how gentle you are. I love how you take your time. I love everything. I know just how awesome this feels. So happy for you.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you so much. It sure is an amazing experience. She’s a special one.

[@lindahollister5530]

Way to go, young lady, GREAT JOB🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you!!

[@ChadSosa773]

what a beautiful horse i love when she comes through from her left brain to her right brain

[@betty-jocarlo5980]

Beautiful horses.

[@janicedorsey3945]

I really really like your style of training‼️💕💕💕💕💕

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you!

[@blessedfire365xgf]

Beautiful

[@BrienaSkysong1]

Love seeing the transformations on these horses. As an aside, would you be open to making a small video on how you added the height extentions to your corral panels? I'd like to adopt a mustang but finding budget friendly panels is a vicious cycle of finding a round pen on marketplace and it's either too short and also too expensive, or tall enough, but also too expensive. And then the unicorns of "right height, right price" end up selling faster than hotcakes. End game plan is rail road tie posts and either milled lumber boards or panels if I can find them by then lol.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you! Yes, I can definitely upload a video of my set up and how I did those panels and my "redneck" shelter logic haha. It was very easy and has held up great.

[@jimmyyounger618]

Well done! This vid could be reference material when someone is dogmatic about positive reinforcement for all horses, all the time. Vega perfectly illustrated when it's time to remove the food/treat motive. I have a mare who's generally laid back and affable, but treats cause her to lose focus and her assertiveness about treats was causing conflicts instead of developing a partnership. (There are strategies to reform a treat mugger, but it seems like another layer of unneeded work in the case of this particular mare, at least for now.) On the flip side, +R was perfect to bring a cautious and reserved gelding my way, and his personality was a match for it - always a perfect gentleman about treats. I could throw away the timing of rewards once he decided I was a good guy instead of someone to ignore and avoid. He was engaged in learning without them and a treat here and there is just an affirmation that we're pals in a process. Vicariously rewarding to watch her transformation from untouched to a quiet first sit. Thank you and all the best going forward with Vega!

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thank you, so much! I 1000% agree with you. I think true R+ (not the glorified treat training I see absolutely everywhere now, but that's a separate issue lol) has its place, just as pressure/release and other training techniques have their place. It is our responsibility as trainers and/or horse owners to adjust techniques as needed for said particular horse. Not every horse responds well to R+ and not every horse responds well to tough pressure/release. Good on you for noticing what your horse needed and didn't need to keep a good and focused relationship together. I will say, once Vega accepted touch-she absolutely loved it. Her favorite thing was to come over and get shoulder scratches. So I incorporated that as my "R+" reward instead of a food reward and its worked perfectly. She also really needed some "come to jesus" moments around food after trying to double barrel kick me and my husband while she was eating hay. She's getting much better now with me...still a brat with my other horses around food but they're tolerating it.

[@jimmyyounger618]

@@heritagehorsemanshipct "Come to Jesus moments." 😆 I say this too! And I've heard more than a couple of trainers say what you've described about you and Vega. "No treats needed - I'm the treat." I'm such a treat for one of my geldings that I can't even worry him with a chainsaw running in a tree. No joke - he startled the crap out of me. I was kneeling and cutting a thorn tree. I obviously couldn't hear him sneaking up behind me over the chainsaw, and all of a sudden he pressed his mouth on my neck to nibble on my collar for attention. Funny what can go through your mind in all of a second. A snake has fallen out of the tree and landed on my neck! A rabid coon has come out of the woods! I didn't see a nest, am I being attacked by a huge hawk?! Nope, it's just Smarty. I was so relieved I accidentally rewarded him with scratches for that. While I'd like to say I've never planted a harsh reprimand on any animal, it wouldn't be true. I think I've gotten pretty good at knowing when it's needed and keeping it to only what's needed in the moment. A horse kicking or even threatening by swinging a butt my way with pinned ears is just such a moment. I'm not willing to die trying to prove somebody else's coddling methodology. An old hand I used to know talked about a progression in training strategies while figuring out individual horses: Friendly, Fair, Firm, Forceful, but a horse who needed Forceful lessons was better off with an old Amish trainer. When I cringed at the last suggestion he asked, "Would it be better if the horse went to slaughter instead?" May we always have horses where friendly and fair are all that's needed. I've known a pro trainer in the neighborhood for over 20 years, and a few years ago he got fed up and quit taking outside horses. This culture has emerged where some number of new owners have their hearts set on training without a bit, all positive reinforcement, basically asking for the impossible for the personality of their horse, and they want it all in 60-90 days because that's how it worked out for someone on the internet with a different horse. Quitting on the public worked out very well for him. He was the high quarter horse seller at one of the big auctions for something over 30K after exhibiting the horse. People are looking at the finished product, not arguing with him about how he should train despite never starting a colt themselves. Up vote and subscribed!

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

@@jimmyyounger618 Yes! "No treats needed- I'm the treat", I totally love that. Ideally you want a working partnership with horses and I think people forget that. They're not our "friends", they're our "children", and sometimes children need discipline. I have gotten hurt, and so many people I know have gotten hurt because the 1000lb animals can be very dangerous. I also totally agree with what that hand said-when training horses you need to make a well trained animal that can tolerate pressure. That is good for vet and farrier. That can take a bit if needed, even if YOU want to ride them bitless-maybe someone some day wont. I just want all my horses to be "ok" with everything so if something ever happened to me-I know they would be ok with someone else and, like you said, not end up in a slaughter house. That pro trainer is so right. I used to do travel training, and I stopped doing it because people either A. had unrealistic expectations of what an hour a week could do, B. thought "R+" was the ONLY way, or C. didn't do the homework I asked them to. It cost's thousands of dollars, time, and energy to make a good finished horse. People want cheap, and cheap ain't good. Thank you for your support :) Its good to know there's others who still have the same training philosophies out there!

[@arribaficationwineho32]

The restrictive neck bands are dangerous

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

They can be, I was happy to get it off.

[@blessedfire365xgf]

Thank you for the video it's great i wish i had one

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Thanks for watching!

[@earthbybike]

what beautiful ears this horse has. How tall is she?

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Doesn't she?! We will give her a little bit and say shes about14hh !

[@barbhorses]

Her type looks nice! I have been involved with Sulphurs since 2001. Best breed (yes, breed) ever. They are registered with the Livestock Conservancy and the Equus Survival Trust as being critically endangered. They are DNA tested to be Spanish by breed and not influence. That is why they are difficult. They are warhorses.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Amazing! She is not my first mustang, but my first Sulphur and is oh so special and has captivated me in every way. I have read they can be registered with their own registry and also sadly are endangered. Here’s to keeping their heritage safe! Thank you for watching

[@arribaficationwineho32]

Her ears are a clue of Spanish or other heritage

[@eileenf2286]

She should watch some Steve Young videos about training a horse. He is very good at what he does.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I know who Steve Young is. He is good. There are techniques and philosophies from many trainers I pepper into my training.

[@johnnorman1793]

Damn flies weren't helping during the initial gentling process. I hope she is trained to be sprayed with fly spray now...?? With the patience and procedure you employed, she trusts you now that is very obvious. Best wishes from Australia

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Omg yea, they were awful. It was so humid and wet here in CT. She is trained with flyspray now -though it’s winter so not needed haha. Thank you for your kind words.

[@shortbarrel6781]

BRAVO!

[@arribaficationwineho32]

Would you explain why you work with 3 at a time?

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Hi there, in this particular situation I had just introduced them all together and Vega was being a little too aggressive for my other two-so I asserted myself in as "herd leader". But I would love to do liberty work with them in the future!

[@arribaficationwineho32]

@@heritagehorsemanshipct thank you for the response!

[@SurfahSistah]

Is there a reason you are wearing boots with spurs when trying your first sit?

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I had just finished riding my other horses right before working with Vega. The first sit wasn’t planned-just happened during the session. But those spurs are basically an extension of my heel at this point. I know exactly where they are and what they’re doing. So I wasn’t concerned/thinking about taking them off first. During first rides with equipment like saddles and such I def don’t ride with them. Dont want to get hung up on anything.

[@juliekeeney1538]

I’m sure getting that tattoo or brand made her appreciate humans all the more.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

That’s a BLM freeze brand. They do that after they’re gathered to keep track of them throughout the rest of their lives. I believe it’s relatively painless. However I agree the experience in general isn’t great for them.

[@jabrams875]

The freeze branding has saved untold numbers of mustangs from being sold illegally to slaughter.@@heritagehorsemanshipct

[@darilynadams7281]

Is she 1 of the poor "trapped" horses taken from the wild bunches? Taken from her family & friends? How sad for her! Has she got any horse companions @ your place? I hope you treat & train her: kindly! Give her apples & carrots, too! What's the thing on her neck?

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Yes, the BLM gathered her in 2022 from Utah. I have mixed feelings on gathers. But she is safe now. Yes, I have 2 other mustang mares. The tag is what they put on them after rounding them up for identification.

[@mousiebrown1747]

Spurs?????

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

What is the question exactly? Did I have them on? Yes. Did I use them on her? Absolutely not... I only use spurs for an enhancement of leg yields on my more experienced horses. :)

[@faibishclassical]

I think it is better and much safer not to have the spurs on at this stage, can be dangerous.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

If you were an amateur and didn’t know where your feet/spurs were, sure. I had just finished riding my other horses, and impromptu sat up on Vega for the first time during our session. Didn’t ride her in them. And was sure not to bump her sides with them. Though she will eventually learn to tolerate that. They’re also so mild, the feeling of them is no different than someone poking you with their thumb.

[@LindaScott-r2u]

I’m not sure whether mustangs are due for slaughter and this is why they are rescued… But horses are herd animals and when you deprive them of their herd they have no option but to accept a human companion who wants to control them - bridle them - saddle them - ride them What is the purpose of this exercise? Is there no other option for these wild horses than to be subjugated to human use? I watch a lot of these videos and it seems it’s often more about extolling the patience of the human rather than the spirit of the horse 🤷‍♀️

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

First, you should probably do a little more research on why the BLM gathers wild horses; then you can form your opinion on whether you think it’s right or not. Second, now that my mare is gentled she is out 24/7 with my other two mares and is very happy. She has access to hay, water, shelter. And gets vetted and her hooves done. She is very happily enjoying domestic life-trust me. I take my training approach very lightly and as natural as possible. She chooses to be with me over the other horses, and absolutely adores me now. None of this is forced. If she didn’t want to do it-trust me she wouldn’t.

[@karenleute5377]

A large portion of wild mustangs are being slaughtered by the BLM.. in round ups. Unfortunately if not controlled they starve themselves out due to not enough open space/ pastures

[@archangel807]

Poor Mustang should never have been captured...Now she is isolated

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I have mixed feelings about BLM gathers. In some cases they are very much needed. In Vegas case, with her herd-who knows. However, she’s not isolated. She is with my other two mares now and they have their own herd. They don’t have to travel 20+ miles a day for food and water. They have access to shelter 24/7. And they are totally loved by my family and I. Not a bad deal. Unfortunately that isn’t the outcome for all of them.

[@stormrider9831]

Transferring their bond from horses to human is a process.

[@kleineportugiesin9784]

@@heritagehorsemanshipct does that mean Vega can stay with you?💛 good job! Grüße aus Deutschland, ich bin neu hier bei dir

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

@@kleineportugiesin9784 yes , she’s with me for the rest of her days ♥️

[@arribaficationwineho32]

@@heritagehorsemanshipctI don’t agree that BLM “gathers” are “needed”. The cattlemen demand that and use cruel means for their helicopter games where they harass herds with mares with foals. The herds do NOT need “management. BLM demands it

[@jobond3317]

All I would strongly encourage for goodness sake wear a helmet. You have a beautiful brain protect it. And can you answer me why oh why do American western people feel their skulls will protect them and they do get brain injuries? Wear a helmet

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Yes, helmets are good. I ride with a helmet 98% of the time.

[@jobond3317]

@@heritagehorsemanshipct well during ne. I was bought on a farm and had horses all my life. Rode bareback and no helmet. Times and knowledge has charged. Now days bareback with no pad not great for your horse but I do miss that close skin-on-skin connection. Traumatic brain injuries no fun for anyone so know hard hats helmets a must. However I do miss these carefree days when you just jump on and gallop round the paddock. Can't remember how I steered or how I got the horse to stop

[@Davideo50]

You deleted my comment about approaching a dangerous horse naively. At least put "DO NOT TRY THIS!" You were attacked and didn't even understand what it meant. You have set yourself up for legal trouble should anyone follow you and be injured thinking you can train a wild horse from a lawn chair. I do what you do in 90 minutes - not days. And I do it to save the animals that are going on kill trucks because they were never put into herd position. Good luck. The rest of your work and heart and soul in this is impressive.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I did not delete a previous comment, and I’m only responding to this for others reading this. Not for you. Horses are inherently dangerous animals. They themselves have a warning sign attached to them. Anyone who thinks differently are the naive ones. As are the people who think they can judge someone’s horsemanship and training capabilities off of a 20 minute KZbin video. Everything we do with horses is training them. They learn every day. The videos of me in the chair are me “training” her by existing with her and getting her ok with the pressure of a human (who up until being gathered she’d never have seen before as her HMA is so isolated). So yes, you can train a horse by “sitting in a lawn chair”. She also never once attacked me, she was just doing what she has been doing her whole life-surviving. She hasn’t once displayed aggression since she figured out her role in the herd. I specialize in horse behavior. I knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it. She would have been deemed “aggressive”, “dangerous”, or “untrainable”, if pushed over her threshold, or if all I did was run her tirelessly in a circle until she “gave up”. And broke her. Unfortunately the people who think they can train a wild untouched animal to trust and truly be ok with what’s happening to them after their world has been turned upside down in 90 minutes; are the same people who ruin them so they end up shipping to slaughter. Those people are also the reason I have clients who need me to “fix” their horses. Because they’re stuck in “freeze” mode. Though I’m taking as much time as she needs, and not rushing her-she will and already is turning out to be the best horse I’ve ever had. Hope this clarifies some things for you.

[@SurfahSistah]

@@heritagehorsemanshipcti love your approach, along the lines of the Carol Resneck method. You create a willing partner with you being a trusted leader.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

@@SurfahSistah thank you!

[@ValC-vn5vl]

I think you are too big for her.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

I’m not. She’s a very well built girl now that’s she’s gained weight and muscle, and I’m pretty petite and a very balanced rider which is more important!

[@ValC-vn5vl]

@@heritagehorsemanshipct what’s the rider horse weight ratio? You are too big for her. That’s a child’s horse.

[@MaddyR747]

@@ValC-vn5vlEquine vet tech here. The 20% ratio is old data; she's a horse trainer and can clearly ride well and balances which is more important. This horse is more than capable of carrying her without problem. Also, people like you make the internet a crappy place.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

@@ValC-vn5vl Im only 5'3, though I have long legs, probably why I look a bit taller on her. She is 14hh and about 800lbs, and while we are under the 20% ratio with tack, that has been revised as there is much more than weight that plays a role in what a horse can carry. She handles me just fine and has never shown any soreness or apprehension. Thanks for your concern though/

[@krisbaker9427]

You shouldn’t stare at her face all the time. That is pressure for her, learn to take away pressure.

[@heritagehorsemanshipct]

Should I not give her snoot smooches either anymore? You’ll have to tell her that as it’s one of her favorite things now.