Latest / The Touch of a Mustang / When Keeping Your Mustang Feels Too Hard with Jana Leniger & Brittany Ference | Episode 68

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When Keeping Your Mustang Feels Too Hard with Jana Leniger & Brittany Ference | Episode 68 · The Touch of a Mustang

0:00
We want to keep the horse in the original adopter's hands.
0:03
It is a big dream and it is still a wild animal that is
0:06
living in a domestic environment and they can do some wild things
0:10
that are uncomfortable or scary for an adopter.
0:12
I was getting a lot of these Mustangs and for training and
0:15
people saying I just don't know what to do anymore get them
0:19
gentle, put 30 days on them, do whatever and then sell them for
0:23
me because I I can't do this there's.
0:25
This dialogue out there that if something happens with the
0:28
horse, that's the horse's fault, and we forget that half of that
0:31
relationship is the person. There's this unrealistic
0:33
timeline. They see the horse do these
0:36
Mustang makeovers with professional trainers and they
0:39
expect that they're going to have their horse under saddle in
0:41
three to six months. And that's just not realistic
0:44
for the average person that has other things happening in their
0:47
life. They have this big dream and
0:49
idea in their head of like what this relationship is going to be
0:53
and these horses are so capable of of doing these things.
0:56
They're so capable. How have you guys seen that this
0:58
program has benefited the Mustangs?
1:01
Keeping them home. The whole point of this whole
1:03
thing is to keep them in their homes.
1:06
And that's that's the greatest success because people have come
1:09
into this program saying if things don't change, I have to
1:13
rehome him or find sanctuary for him.
1:16
By the end of the program, they are committed to keeping their
1:19
horses. It's almost impossible to find
1:21
sanctuary for a Mustang at this point.
1:23
All the sanctuaries are almost full.
1:24
There's not enough private land that all the Mustangs are going
1:28
to be able to go into sanctuaries.
1:30
It is finding those people from the public that are willing to
1:34
adopt A wild horse and take on that long term commitment.
1:38
There are healers on this planet with the power to soften the
1:40
suffering of mankind if they have remained in the recesses of
1:44
the world, abused, discarded and labeled as trash.
1:48
This is the touch of a Mustang. I am your host, Shalise Clough,
1:53
and I'm here to tell the story of wild horses, Mustangs and the
1:57
humans who are discovering and sharing their gifts while
2:00
working to protect their well-being and preserve their
2:03
spirit so this divine power won't be lost.
2:07
Join us on this quest with the Wild Mustang.
2:16
Jana and Brittany, great to have you here on the podcast.
2:19
Thank you. Yeah.
2:20
Thanks for having us. Can you guys start by telling
2:24
everybody a little bit about who you are and what you do and
2:27
maybe we'll just start with Jana and then Brittany?
2:29
OK, Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Jana.
2:32
I own Chasing and Dream Equine and I am a virtual coach, like a
2:38
riding coach and a training coach.
2:40
So I work with people who want to kind of do the work
2:45
themselves instead of sending their horse to a trainer.
2:50
And because I do it virtually, I can help everybody, you know,
2:54
regardless of what time zone they may or may not be in.
2:58
And that's what I do. I I'm a virtual coach.
3:01
Awesome. I'm Brittany Ferrance.
3:04
I'm the executive director of Great Escape Mustangs and we
3:07
support with off range like supporting Mustangs off range
3:11
and multi faceted ways that we have sanctuary for horses.
3:16
But mostly what we've been putting our energy into the last
3:20
two years is supporting everyone that has adopted Mustangs that
3:24
are struggling moving forward with their horse in a positive
3:28
way. So that is how Jana and I
3:30
partnered in creating the Wild Horse Partnership Program to
3:35
help all the adopters that don't know how to make a positive path
3:39
forward with their horse. And that's kind of why we're
3:41
here today is to talk about that people know that there is this
3:44
resource. I know a lot of people and I was
3:47
definitely one of them. You see the horses online, you
3:50
see the spectacular things all these Mustang trainers are doing
3:53
with them. And you finally take that leap
3:54
to bring home a wild horse. And it's not always just this
3:59
beautiful connecting, easy path. For me, definitely, it was like,
4:04
oh wow, you got a lot to learn. And so I know for me, like
4:09
there's a point I almost got rid of my Mustang.
4:11
And I think as we can all attest to, there's no better place for
4:14
Mustang than a loving, committed home.
4:16
And so you guys have this program to really help people
4:19
when they get to that stuck point, Is that correct?
4:21
Yeah, absolutely. So coming from the nonprofit
4:25
world, part of our program offerings is like people can
4:29
reach out about relinquishing their Mustang, Our sanctuary is
4:33
full. So that's kind of like what
4:35
pushed us to start this program is realizing that people just
4:39
don't have the right support. So Wild Horse Partnership
4:42
Program really builds confidence in the individual adopter that
4:46
has adopted their horse to make them understand their horse
4:48
better so that we can keep them in their homes.
4:51
Because as a nonprofit, again, we see a lot of just horses
4:56
bouncing around and not really having that like strong
4:59
foundation. So we agree with you that we
5:01
want to keep the horse in the original adopter's hands and
5:05
keep supporting them because it is a big dream dream.
5:08
And yeah, it is still a wild animal that is living in a
5:11
domestic environment. And they can do some wild things
5:15
that are kind of uncomfortable or scary for an adopter.
5:18
And they feel like they've gotten their hands full.
5:20
And I think the other thing that we've heard feedback is they
5:25
just feel like they're alone and they're the only one having a
5:27
problem with their horse. But really, it's like every
5:29
single person that has adopted a Mustang has had a moment.
5:32
They're like, why did I do this? So Jenna, if you want to add to
5:37
that though. Yeah, for sure.
5:39
You know, I've been in Mustangs my whole life and so obviously
5:42
I've had these same struggles too.
5:44
I've been a professional trainer my whole life, you know, my
5:46
whole adult life anyways, So I probably don't have the exact
5:50
same experience that most adopters do, but I've helped so
5:53
many people through the adoption process and through the
5:56
generaling process and all of that.
5:58
And, and I, you know, Brittany and I were so aligned when we
6:01
first started talking because as somebody on the trainer's side,
6:05
you know, she's kind of on the nonprofit side and I'm on the
6:07
trainer's side. I too was getting a lot of, you
6:11
know, these Mustangs and for training and people saying, I
6:14
just don't know what to do anymore.
6:16
Get them gentle, put 30 days on them, do whatever and then sell
6:20
them for me because I, I can't do this.
6:22
And, you know, or they would, you know, send horses to me, but
6:27
they didn't want to take, you know, the lessons necessarily to
6:30
learn how to work with the horse themselves.
6:32
And so then when I would send the horse home, you know, there,
6:35
there was a disconnect between the horse and the human.
6:37
And so that's why I kind of shifted my own program to a
6:42
coaching based program versus a, I'm going to take the horse for,
6:47
you know, thirty, 6090 days and then send it on its way.
6:50
I kind of made the commitment that no, the owner has to be
6:53
involved. The owner has to be the person
6:56
that can connect with this horse.
6:58
And so when Brittany and I started talking, we were so
7:00
aligned in the idea that the best way to help wild horses is
7:05
to keep them in their home and keep them where they've been
7:08
adopted that creating this program kind of became a no
7:12
brainer. There was obviously, you know,
7:13
like how are we going to do this moment?
7:16
But the program itself, in the in the foundation of what we
7:18
wanted to do, was a no brainer. Yeah.
7:20
And I think it is in a way, the horse system is set up in a way
7:25
that's not conducive for Mustangs, because it is this
7:28
idea that you get this perfectly trained horse that you do
7:31
whatever you want with or you send it to a trainer and they
7:34
come back and do everything that you would like them to do.
7:37
And my experience has been that Mustangs are different from the
7:42
domestic horses I've interacted with and that they certainly you
7:46
can break them, get them to shut down and do whatever you want in
7:48
some cases. But a lot of times they really
7:51
hold on to their personalities, to who they are as horses and
7:55
even as wild animals with their responses that come naturally
7:59
and are biologically programmed into them in a different way
8:02
than domestic horses. And So what a valuable thing to
8:06
bring the owner into that so that they're not always frantic
8:09
if something happens, but they're like, no, I know how to
8:12
handle this now. Like, I know why this reaction
8:14
is happening and I know what I can do.
8:17
So talk a little bit about the difference you've seen as you've
8:21
worked to bring the owner on board as part of that process
8:24
rather than it being like handed off to you.
8:26
Get it back and I can do whatever I want with it.
8:28
Right, right. So the biggest thing that I've
8:31
noticed overall is that just just the horse and the human
8:34
have more success. It is the bottom line because
8:37
like I said, when you know people were sending me horses
8:40
and I would just put thirty 6090 days on and send them home.
8:43
There was that disconnect and when the owner is involved from
8:47
from the very beginning, I can teach them the tools that they
8:51
need to be able to handle situations, handle problems,
8:54
read their horses, do these things.
8:57
So the owner themselves are equipped.
8:59
The horse is learning the owner and the horse is learning how to
9:04
work with them. And so the success rate is just
9:08
exponentially higher when you look at the long term.
9:11
So if I took a horse and got it gentle and sent it home, there
9:15
might be some short term success until there's always and until
9:19
there's something that happens, you know, like everything was
9:22
great until the Ferrier came. Everything was great until I had
9:26
to load them in a trailer. Everything was great until and
9:30
when the owner is involved in the owner can learn the actual
9:33
skills that it takes to work with and train any horse really.
9:36
Not just, you know, a wild horse, but any horse really.
9:39
The more that the owner themselves can learn how to
9:41
handle these situations, the more long term success they end
9:46
up having. They might have more short term
9:48
success with, you know, a traditional board and train, but
9:53
the long term success is exponentially better.
9:57
Yeah, yeah. The word that comes to mind for
9:59
me is that empowerment. The people and the horse feel so
10:03
empowered because you're learning this communication
10:06
style and building trust. The humans building trust with
10:09
the horse. The horse is building trust with
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the human and it's like this this path that they they learn
10:15
like how to speak to each other that Jana like brings to a light
10:18
for them and just even understanding like what the
10:21
horse is trying to communicate or those very subtle signs that
10:24
the horse maybe was communicating that the an
10:26
average person's not going to see.
10:28
And then that's when it gets scary or you get in situations
10:31
where you know the horse explodes or whatever is because
10:33
you weren't listening to those subtle signs.
10:35
So Jana's at being like, OK, did you see the horse communicate
10:39
that before? It gets into a bigger, bigger
10:42
conversation, I guess, where the horse has to speak louder.
10:44
Empowerment and confidence for both the horse and human is what
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I see holding the person accountable.
10:50
A lot of times we like to blame that it's the horse doing
10:53
things, but a lot of times it's a reflection of how the human is
10:56
showing up in their life. And the horse is such a good
10:59
mirror for life lessons. Like our conversation last month
11:04
with our group call was boundaries and and a lot of
11:07
times the boundaries is a human thing that we need to practice
11:11
and other parts of our life as well.
11:13
So you can like really, you know, bring all that information
11:16
into other parts of their life and other types of relationships
11:21
outside of the wild horse relationship.
11:23
Two absolutely important points. I think you are right that
11:26
there's this dialogue out there that if something happens with
11:29
the horse, that's the horses fault and we forget that like
11:32
half of that relationship is the person.
11:34
So half of everything that goes wrong is the human in the
11:37
relationship not to like shame or tell people that they're
11:40
wrong, but that you have at least that much control over the
11:44
situation. And you know, if you can then
11:47
learn to work with a horse, you know how much more powerful that
11:50
can be. So that's huge.
11:51
And I think also that confidence piece is just huge when people
11:55
are able to realize like, oh, I can, I can deal with something
11:58
like if it doesn't go quite right, I know how to regroup and
12:01
start again. So being able to teach people
12:04
those skills is so important when working with a Mustang.
12:07
As you guys have seen people come to you discouraged, ready
12:10
to get rid of their horses, probably often getting rid of
12:13
the horses. What are some of the things that
12:15
led up to that from, you know, they started at this point where
12:19
it's like they adopt this horse, they want to do this something
12:21
and them wants to do this. And then to the point where they
12:24
they give up. And you know, as it's not a
12:28
mystery, the horses often end up in a bad place after that.
12:31
I think a lot of times it's kind of what you're talking about
12:34
Shelley's where it's like the timeline and there's this really
12:37
unrealistic timeline. They see like the horse do these
12:41
Mustang makeovers with professional trainers and they
12:44
expect that they're going to have their horse under saddle in
12:46
like 3 to 6 months. And that's just not realistic
12:49
for the average person that has other things happening in their
12:52
life and doesn't have the training behind it.
12:56
So it's a lot of this like dreamy idea of I want to adopt A
13:00
wild horse, and then you realize that you adopted a wild horse.
13:05
Yeah. And so like the reality of what
13:08
that is to Stewart, a wild horse in a domestic situation.
13:12
So again, it's people feeling like they're alone and they're
13:16
the only ones having problems and like the self-confidence
13:19
isn't there. And so they just feel like
13:21
they're not benefiting the horse because they don't feel like
13:25
they have the proper tools. But that's what Janet gives them
13:28
and what this this program gives them.
13:30
Yeah. And I would say that there's not
13:32
usually like one very particular thing necessarily that sets a
13:36
lot of people off. It's not like, you know, 8 out
13:40
of 10 people are like, I can't pick up their feet and that's
13:42
it. And like, you know, that's the
13:44
triggering point. I don't think there's a specific
13:47
thing. I think it's kind of like what
13:49
Britney said. They just have this like big
13:52
dream and idea in their head of like what what this relationship
13:57
is going to be, you know, because whenever anybody
13:59
purchases a horse regardless, you know, they have they have
14:03
something they have in mind that they want to do, whether that's
14:06
trail riding or you know, gaming or whatever it is.
14:09
Most people when they seek out a horse, they have, I don't want
14:13
to use the term agenda, but they have some sort of a, a broad
14:16
plan for sure. Yeah, right.
14:19
And, you know, these horses are so capable of of doing these
14:22
things. They're so capable.
14:24
But most people coming into Mustangs have very little horse
14:29
experience in general. And then you add on top of that
14:32
the actual wild animal elements. And I think it's just simply
14:37
overwhelmed. You know, they, they've had some
14:40
riding lessons before, maybe on a good old school horse and, you
14:44
know, or they rode as a child. One of the biggest things that
14:47
we see is, you know, women who rode as, you know, young
14:51
teenagers and stuff. And then they have a gap.
14:54
You know, most women have a gap in their horse career because
14:58
they go to school, they have kids, you know, whatever the
15:01
situation is, they get married life things happen.
15:04
And, and so then, you know, in their 30s and 50s, there's a
15:08
shift in their life. You know, their kids are a
15:10
little bit older, careers a little bit more settled, you
15:13
know, these kind of things. And now they have time and adult
15:17
money to go buy the horse that they've always wanted.
15:20
But they have this gap, they have a gap of skill because they
15:24
they stopped doing what they were doing, you know, as a
15:27
teenager, as a young adult. And then they had this gap where
15:31
they haven't been practicing with a domestic horse, much less
15:34
a wild horse. And so I think it's just a broad
15:38
overwhelm and they get this wild animal in the first time it
15:42
tests a fence or, you know, tries to run through something
15:46
or whatever. It's almost like they see the
15:49
visual for the first time of what the horse is capable of in
15:53
a fear reaction. And they're like, I'm in over my
15:57
head and I can't do this. Yeah, I feel like you were just
15:59
talking about me. That's almost my precise
16:02
experience. A few things that you guys
16:03
brought up 1. I think definitely something I
16:06
did is I think a lot of people are drawn to it because they see
16:08
the Mustang makeovers. Definitely with online stuff,
16:11
there's some big videos that have been making its way around
16:14
and it just looks amazing. I definitely run up against the
16:17
comparison thing where I'm like comparing myself to a
16:20
professional horse trainer where I'm, you know, trying to take
16:23
care of six kids and like doing horses in the few minutes I have
16:27
and I'm like, why am I not having the same results?
16:29
Well, I mean, it's not a mystery, but we can still get
16:32
stuck in our head in that way. So I think giving people those
16:35
skills, realizing like you're not at that skill level, but you
16:40
can be, can be a huge help. And then the other one, and
16:44
maybe you guys can talk about both or either of those is just
16:47
the importance of having some type of support, some type of
16:50
mentorship. That is 100% for sure.
16:54
The reason that I was able to keep my horses because I was
16:56
able to connect with a trainer who I felt did things in a way
16:59
that I could feel good about and was like willing to help me,
17:03
especially through those hard spots when I'm like, I can't do
17:05
this anymore. And he'd be like, yeah, no, you
17:07
absolutely can. It's possible.
17:09
And I think that's true for anybody.
17:10
Like I'm not special. I don't have any special talent,
17:13
but I still have my Mustangs. Yeah, absolutely.
17:16
I think people put a very large mental block on themselves when
17:20
they get stuck in that comparison.
17:22
And when they, you know, do kind of hit those brick walls or, you
17:26
know, have a hard moment and they see other people, even, you
17:30
know, some of these super talented people that aren't
17:32
professionals, but they they just, I don't know, have a lot
17:35
of free time. And, you know, when they when
17:38
they hit that wall of comparison, it can it can
17:42
definitely like shut down the whole hope of trying for sure.
17:47
And yeah, I think when people have support, it gives you that
17:51
person to 1 hold you accountable because again, if we're talking
17:55
about, you know, your average everyday person that has work,
17:58
has family, you know, has all of these things, you know, putting
18:01
in the time and effort for your horse in and of itself can
18:05
sometimes feel like a chore. And it's.
18:08
Easy not to. Yeah, it's easier not to.
18:10
It's so much easier to just not do the thing.
18:13
And So what I tell all of my students is I want at least
18:17
three days a week, 1/2 an hour a session.
18:20
That's an hour and a half a week, Yeah.
18:22
Totally doable if you commit to it.
18:24
Do that in an hour and a half and a week and and you will make
18:28
progress. You're not going to go, you
18:30
know, zero to 100 like these Mustang makeover people.
18:33
But if you can commit an hour and a half a week, you're going
18:37
to see progress. And having somebody that they
18:40
have to hold themselves accountable to helps them do
18:43
that because they have to send me videos.
18:45
We have to get on a call, we have to talk, we have to do
18:48
these things. And they don't have that excuse
18:50
anymore to be like just ran out of time today.
18:54
You know, it's something that they have to physically put on
18:57
their To Do List like everything else.
18:59
And so having that accountability speaks volumes in
19:02
and of itself. And then when that person that's
19:05
holding you accountable is also helping you through those hard
19:09
thing, then you start to actually see progress in.
19:11
The more progress you see, the more confidence you get in.
19:14
The more confidence you get, the more fun actually going out to
19:18
work with your horses becomes, and then the more fun it
19:20
becomes. Then you're doing it all on your
19:22
own. Yeah.
19:23
Absolutely. Accountability I think is a
19:26
really big part of the Wild Horse Partnership program.
19:29
It's three months. We make people dive in for three
19:33
months because you know, even that first month you're almost
19:35
getting used to like working with your horse.
19:37
It consists. Of like the struggle probably.
19:40
Yeah, totally. Yeah.
19:41
People have major blocks at the beginning of the program because
19:44
they're like, you know, they're like whoa, I do have to like
19:47
show up and send Jana a video every week.
19:49
And sometimes that is challenging.
19:51
But the accountability part and we think 3 months commitment,
19:56
you're going to get results with your course if you do dive into
19:59
the work. Again, a people problem, not a
20:01
horse problem, of course, is always there willing.
20:03
And after that, after that three months where we see folks like
20:07
dive in deep with their Mustang, then we let them jump on and off
20:10
as needed with support, like maybe they're having a positive
20:12
password with their horse until they get to wanting to.
20:15
Move under saddle and then they can sign back up with us and do
20:18
a month to month support after we learn them and their horse
20:22
and their style of working together well.
20:26
So accountability is a really big part of this program.
20:29
The other thing that sets our program apart from a lot of
20:32
other programs is it's completely customized to exactly
20:36
what that horse and human are experiencing and the problems
20:41
they're running up against. So Jana gets videos that are
20:44
like specifically exactly what the problem is that week that
20:48
they're running into or lip block that they're having that
20:50
week. And then you work through that
20:51
problem and then you get to the you get to the next block.
20:54
And so it's there's no like pre recorded videos.
20:58
It's all live, exactly what you're running up against with
21:02
your horse. So I think that that part is
21:06
really powerful also compared to some of the other programs that
21:09
are out there because yeah, it's exactly what your problem is
21:13
that week. Yeah, I would think that would
21:14
be so beneficial because for me, when I was doing that, you know,
21:16
I'm like searching YouTube to like address the problem that I
21:19
have with trainers that maybe haven't even worked with
21:22
Mustangs, you know? And so I think to have that
21:25
instant feedback or it's like, Oh yeah, I've seen this and
21:27
here's some things you can try I think would be so helpful and
21:31
can't even help with that overwhelm and feeling like
21:33
you're stuck because, you know, we do like to see progress.
21:37
That is what keeps us going is to see like all this is working.
21:40
I can do this. You know, as you say, that
21:43
continues to grow. I also love what you guys said
21:46
about the importance of consistency because I think you
21:49
see the big moments with the Mustangs online or wherever you
21:53
might see them and you think like, that's what I want.
21:55
You don't see all the little moments behind where it's like,
21:58
oh, I just noticed when there their presence changed, that
22:02
they were alerted to something that's making them nervous.
22:05
And that's the first time I've been able to do that.
22:07
So a lot of times we don't see those little steps.
22:09
But that consistency is really the key is when you're building
22:12
all those little tiny stepping blocks that feel like you're
22:15
maybe going nowhere, that are helping to also build that
22:19
relationship. Yeah.
22:20
And what Jana does a really amazing job of is she, you know,
22:24
there's no judgement. Like this is a space where it's
22:26
like we've all, you know, pushed our horse past that threshold
22:31
building exploded or yeah, like it's a it's very like open and
22:36
it's OK to make mistakes. And also like this is how you're
22:38
going to be able to read your horse better in the future.
22:41
So Jana builds like this really wonderful safe space for people
22:44
to open up and even talk about their personal life stuff that
22:47
they have going on. You know, it's like, it's almost
22:49
like a form of therapy with your.
22:52
It always is with Mustangs I think.
22:53
Exactly, like there's just so much mirroring happening, but
22:57
again, Jana creates this like very safe space for people to
23:00
open up and be vulnerable. It's a vulnerable thing to not
23:04
like know everything or what to do or like you got in over your
23:08
head with this one situation. And so I love that with her
23:11
coaching style and it's very positive and cheerleader and
23:14
like you got this, like you can do it.
23:16
And just confidence building again, because a lot of times it
23:19
is that people just like, lacking confidence in
23:21
themselves. So yeah, we try to just make
23:24
sure everyone feels comfortable being vulnerable and like it's
23:28
OK to make mistakes and you didn't mess up your course and
23:31
we're going to keep going. Yeah, exactly.
23:32
Because so many people like it. And I, I've noticed this a
23:36
little bit more in the Mustang world than in like the domestic
23:39
world where a lot of Mustang people get so afraid to make a
23:44
mistake that they're frozen and can't move forward to do
23:47
anything. And, you know, something that I
23:50
really encourage people is to just try because, you know, even
23:54
if you make your, even if you make a mistake, like these
23:58
horses are so forgiving and they'll be over it in seconds.
24:02
So as long as you're moving forward with a, a good mindset
24:06
and an honest willingness to try, it's OK if a mistake
24:10
happens. Like there's nothing that you
24:12
can do that is going to be unfixable at some point or
24:17
another. And part of learning is, is
24:19
trying. Yeah.
24:20
That is so important too, because I from my experience and
24:23
what I've seen in the horse world can be pretty critical and
24:26
judgmental and you know, you put something online and people will
24:29
just tear you apart if you did something wrong.
24:32
And so I think there is a fear that if you admit you made a
24:35
mistake or you don't know what you're doing, there is kind of
24:38
this fear that like you're going to get attacked or you're going
24:40
to, you know, you're going to sell worse than you already do.
24:43
And a lot of times, you know, it is a learning.
24:45
I mean, always it's a learning process.
24:47
So just having a place where you can go where it's judgment free.
24:51
Like we realize the way forward is not some pretty perfect path.
24:54
It's full of trips and mistakes and oops, and let's back up and
24:59
restart. I think that is huge and, and
25:03
you were also talked about how, yeah, we feel we're going to
25:06
mess up and ruin the horse. I definitely had that my first
25:09
ride. I remember I did the first ride
25:11
and then it was three months before I did the next one
25:13
because I was, I wanted to be so calm and nice, you know, and I
25:17
was like, if I prepare to ride, that's what it would be like.
25:19
And when I look back at it now, she really did good.
25:22
It wasn't crazy, but it was not home walking.
25:24
We had some little bolting and explosions and stuff, but I was
25:28
just beating myself up about it and so it really halted my
25:32
progress. So just that idea that you don't
25:35
have to be perfect, that's not the point.
25:37
And I can guarantee my horse has.
25:39
I don't think she has. Maybe she remembers it.
25:41
It does not bother her at all. Everything wasn't this perfect
25:44
little path going together that she didn't get a professional
25:47
trainer, you know? I think she's happy.
25:49
She gets food and loved on and places to run.
25:52
Exactly, exactly. And, you know, just like you
25:56
said, like she may or may not remember it, but the fact is, is
26:00
that even if she does remember it and maybe it wasn't perfect,
26:03
she got over it, right. And and that's what, you know,
26:07
so many people need to hear is that the horse moves past it.
26:12
They live in the moment. They're not thinking about, you
26:15
know, all, all they can do is what's happening right now in
26:18
this moment. And, you know, we do the best
26:20
that we can with the moment that we have.
26:22
And that's it. That's all that there is to it.
26:25
You know, check your you go at the door.
26:26
But bring plenty of sense of humor.
26:28
Yeah, keeping. It light and not being so harsh
26:31
on yourself with judgement and then also just you know how any
26:35
relationship is, if you're willing to still show up and try
26:38
and you know, showing up is the thing your horse is gonna be
26:42
like, heck yeah, let's show up. Let's you know, we're I'm here
26:45
for it and you know that can again reflect on any
26:48
relationship that you have. You just have to keep continuing
26:50
to show up and try and like hold yourself accountable and you're
26:53
going to keep moving forward. Yep, 100%.
26:57
One thing I've noticed with Mustangs is a lot of times they
27:00
are very personable. They, I feel like they really do
27:03
enjoy and participate in the relationship in a way.
27:07
Talk a little bit about how you have seen that change things for
27:11
the owner, the person that the horse is going to be with,
27:13
hopefully forever to be the one that steps in that role where
27:17
they're learning this human world, these dynamics together.
27:22
How does that change compared to like, send your horse away,
27:26
bring it back, cross your fingers, hope for the best?
27:29
Yeah, for sure, for sure. I, I think one of the biggest
27:33
reasons why coaching is so great for the human is because there's
27:39
no question at that point, you know, how your horse is being
27:44
treated. If if you're getting what you're
27:46
paying for all of this kind of stuff because guess what, you're
27:50
doing the work. Yeah.
27:52
There's that question can just be left over there and it
27:55
doesn't need to be addressed anymore because you're the one
27:58
doing the work. So, so you have complete
28:01
autonomy and control over that. And, and I think that sets a lot
28:05
of people at ease. And, and so that just changes
28:08
their energy about it #1 And so that allows the relationship to
28:12
start better. And in my opinion.
28:15
And when I'm looking at like comparatively, like I said, the,
28:20
you know, if you send your horse to a trainer for, you know, say
28:23
90 days or whatever, the short term success is probably going
28:27
to be a little bit more. It's going to feel that way.
28:30
I'm going to say that it's going to feel that way because you're
28:34
getting a horse fresh from a trainer who has probably worked
28:37
5-6 days a week. And you know that in that time
28:40
they were obviously taught a lot of things and everything.
28:43
And so they get home and that horse is still in that I'm being
28:48
worked six days a week kind of mindset.
28:50
Everything is still fresh for them.
28:53
But that doesn't mean that the training transfers, the trust
28:56
doesn't transfer because that horse doesn't know that you're
29:00
paying the bills. That horse doesn't know, you
29:02
know, you're the one responsible for the hay showing up every
29:05
morning. They don't know that.
29:07
They just know who's feeding them every morning, right?
29:09
But because that horse is fresh from the trainer, it's going to
29:13
feel like you're having a lot of short term success because you
29:16
can get that horse home and you can probably fumble through a
29:20
good handful of rides all on your own with no issues with
29:24
relatively no issues, right? But what you're not noticing in
29:27
those first few rides with your freshly trained horse is that,
29:32
oh, he was kind of ducking his shoulder over by the gate, but I
29:35
didn't notice. And then every time you ride
29:38
now, he's ducking his shoulder a little bit more, a little bit
29:41
more, a little bit more. And then the next thing that you
29:43
know, you can't get him away from the gate, right?
29:46
So now your short term success has turned into long term
29:50
frustration. OK.
29:52
But when we're working in a coaching situation where it's
29:55
the owner doing the work and there is somebody on the outside
29:59
saying, hey, pay attention to that.
30:02
Did you see that? Did you notice that?
30:03
Because your average person doesn't.
30:05
But when there's somebody there to point it out, that sticks in
30:09
their brain and they will forever notice that.
30:12
From that moment on, they will forever notice when a horse does
30:16
XY or Z, right? So your short term success feels
30:21
tedious. Sometimes will say tedious
30:24
because it's not that you're not seeing success, it's just that
30:28
it might feel a lot slower. But in that moment, I'm not just
30:32
teaching the horse, I'm teaching the human.
30:34
So I have two students instead of one.
30:37
If I was just working with a horse by myself, I have two
30:40
students that I need to teach, right.
30:41
And so your short term success might feel slower, but in the
30:45
long run, you're not going to have those same problems because
30:49
you have learned to read your horse, the horse has learned to
30:53
read you. And through working together,
30:56
you've developed that bond between the two of you that you
31:00
never developed when the horse was at the trainers.
31:02
The trainer developed with that horse, but you didn't.
31:05
Yeah. And so because you're doing the
31:09
work, you're creating that bond. And then like I said, I have two
31:13
students, so both the horse is learning and the human is
31:15
learning. And so long term, that whole
31:18
relationship as a whole is going to be better and more successful
31:23
than if you just send the horse to a trainer and hope for the
31:26
best. Because the human didn't learn
31:29
what it needed to learn at the same time.
31:31
Yeah, yeah. That's why again Wild Horse
31:34
Partnership became a thing is because Great Escapes model was
31:38
we were we had five to 15 Mustangs that we were training
31:43
and sending on and adopting out. And we were kept getting
31:46
feedback that we had professional Mustang trainers
31:50
that we believe in their training style and they were
31:52
very, very much so successful with the horse.
31:56
But then if the adopter could not work directly with the
32:00
trainer after that horse is adopted out, we kept getting
32:03
feedback from the adopter that the horse didn't know as much as
32:08
we let on. And that's not true.
32:10
It was that the the human, the adopter didn't understand the
32:15
communication style that the professional trainer, that horse
32:18
didn't do exactly the right like spot on the horse for whatever
32:22
cue that they were asking. And so it became kind of like a
32:26
huge money pit because they want to like return the horse.
32:31
And it wasn't the horse's problem.
32:33
It was, again, a people problem. And so this is filling a gap
32:37
that I've heard over and over again, even with what Jenna was
32:41
saying with trainers, they take on the horse 30 or 60 days and
32:45
then the adopter gets them back. And then the adopters like this
32:47
horse isn't doing what you said you train them to do.
32:50
And it kind of becomes like a negative thing for trainers and
32:55
for folks. They're like, really, they
32:56
really are putting in the work for everybody.
32:59
Yeah, for everybody. And so again, wild horse
33:02
partnership became this crucial gap in education for the adopter
33:08
and the horse to move forward together.
33:09
And yeah, really just like resolving an issue that everyone
33:13
was seeing over and over again. The person has to show up and be
33:16
accountable for the horse that they have taken on.
33:19
Yeah, let's talk a little bit about that.
33:21
How important do you guys think it is for someone who adopts a
33:25
Mustang to be willing to work on themselves?
33:28
Crucial. That's like what?
33:33
It's a doubt. Yeah, I, I mean, absolutely
33:37
crucial. Now with that, I will say that I
33:40
think what's even more important, I mean, obviously a
33:43
willing to work on yourself, a willing to work on your horse,
33:46
you know, just just understanding that it's going to
33:49
take work one way or the other is important.
33:51
But I think the other part of that is being humble enough to
33:56
know and understand that you are going to need help.
33:59
Even the average horse rider who has a lot of experience with
34:05
domestics, even that average person, if they're not a
34:09
professional trainer, there's going to be hiccups that they're
34:13
not prepared for because this is a totally different animal.
34:17
We all know that. So just being able to be humble
34:20
enough in the 1st place before you ever even bring anything
34:23
home to say I'm probably going to need help and I should
34:27
probably know where that help is going to come from before I sign
34:31
these adoption papers. Because then you don't get 6910
34:35
months down the road with 0 progress and get to that point
34:38
where you're like, I'm done. Yeah, and I think the reality is
34:42
you should always be learning. I just talked to a professional
34:45
trainer, someone who gets paid to train horses, and he was just
34:48
talking about, he bounces ideas off other trainers, He asks
34:51
other trainers, he's watching videos.
34:53
So I don't think that's even like a skill level thing
34:57
necessarily. It's more a mindset that there's
35:00
always stuff to learn and horses are going to be different and a
35:02
horse may come up and do something that you're like, I'm
35:05
not sure what to think about that or how to approach that.
35:08
And then this outside perspective can come in and say,
35:11
yeah, you know, why don't you try this or I've seen this.
35:14
So I think that is absolutely essential.
35:16
Let's talk a little bit about someone who wants to adopt A
35:19
Mustang and the different things that you guys have seen lead to
35:24
successful adoption from the costs of it.
35:28
Because I think a lot of people, I got my Mustang total
35:30
transparency because it was cheap and I have lots of kids.
35:33
I'm like, I can get a cheap horse, you know?
35:35
So let's talk a little bit about that.
35:38
It was not cheap in time. And anyone who has a horse knows
35:41
that like buying the horse is probably the smallest expense
35:44
you're ever going to have. Where that commitment needs to
35:47
be to like the mindset, you need to have the commitment that's
35:50
important. What are the things you guys
35:51
have seen is important for an adoption to be successful if you
35:55
decide to bring a Mustang into your home?
35:58
When our model was that we were taking on a lot of Mustangs and
36:01
training and putting a good foundation on them and then
36:04
adopting them out. People get really set on color
36:07
and size and very, very interesting things that people
36:12
have in their their minds that they think they want in a horse
36:15
and they totally ignore the character of the horse or like
36:19
the the behaviors of the demeanor.
36:21
I, we just saw this, we went to a, an adoption auction and Jana
36:27
and I were kind of, you know, like laughing in the corner
36:30
because these horses, some of the highest bid horses were
36:34
based off of how pretty they were, their size.
36:38
And then like the ones that had the best like character in front
36:42
of a crowd of people went for, you know, the some of the lowest
36:45
prices and people are just totally not paying attention to
36:49
the horses, like natural character.
36:51
It's kind of funny. I'm sure this horse is going to
36:53
do just fine. The trainer just didn't
36:55
necessarily like, train the horse to hear clapping and
37:00
screaming because the horse went for like, I think over 8000.
37:04
Yeah, it was, it was amazing. It was great.
37:06
But like, right after that moment, the horse like totally
37:09
became a bronc because it never had heard clapping or screaming.
37:13
And so it's just like lost all control.
37:14
But it was like kind of funny because it's like the highest
37:16
bid horse, like still has that behavior.
37:19
It's still a wild horse. And you know, that was the, that
37:22
was the crowd's fault. And maybe, you know, the trainer
37:26
didn't just, you know, think about that part of like, oh,
37:29
everyone's like clapping and screaming and this horse is
37:30
like, why are we all screaming? And it was just like a moment of
37:35
like laughter though, cuz you're like, oh, you're just like
37:37
totally ignoring character. So I think I have two bays and
37:41
like, sometimes bays are like bypass cuz there's like basic
37:45
Bay Mustangs, but they're all the time so solid.
37:48
They're so solid. So don't get caught up on color
37:51
and size. The horses that are just very
37:54
basic looking and not flashy are sometimes like the best, the
37:58
best ones and the most solid minded ones.
38:01
So yeah, that's my advice. Don't get attached to color.
38:04
Right. Yeah, don't, definitely don't
38:06
get attached to color. I would say the same thing for
38:08
don't get attached to sex. You know, everybody has their
38:11
preference of mirror gelding, but you know, if the horse is
38:13
right, the horse is right. But I think in a broader sense,
38:17
you know, what you brought up, I actually, I just posted about
38:21
this exact thing on, on my social accounts is so many
38:24
people get into Mustangs as a cheap way to get into horses.
38:27
And it's it's common, you know, when you have horses for $125
38:33
and you have people who, you know, don't have ten $20,000 to
38:39
go spend on a well broke horse, they're going to see the price
38:42
tag and they're going to see an Ave. into horse ownership.
38:45
And and that's not necessarily wrong, right?
38:50
But as far as like what people should be prepared for is you're
38:54
going to and, and trainers preach this so often it almost
38:59
feels like beating a dead horse, right?
39:01
That you're going to pay it in the purchase price or you're
39:04
going to pay it in training, whether you are training that
39:07
horse and having coaching or whether you send it to a
39:11
trainer, whatever the case, you're going to pay it one way
39:15
or another. It's just, how would you like to
39:17
pay? I, I think people also need to
39:21
understand that the industry itself has shifted as well as
39:26
the economy. So, you know, the days of
39:28
sending a horse to a trainer for $500 a month are over.
39:32
They're just simply over. And the day of, you know, $2000
39:36
well. Broke horses is also over.
39:38
Coaching is no different. Ching expenses have come up as
39:42
well. And if you want a good coach,
39:45
you need to expect to pay them well as well.
39:50
Because what we're seeing in the industry overall, again, not
39:54
just in the Mustang world but in the industry overall as
39:56
trainers, is that we're losing a lot of good trainers because
40:00
they can't afford to stay in business.
40:02
Yeah. With the cost of living, and so
40:04
if you're getting into horses, horses cost money, whether
40:08
they're domestic or wild, whether you're paying it in the
40:12
purchase price or whether you're paying it with training, horses
40:15
cost money. And there's no way around that.
40:17
If you want to be involved, you need to budget for it.
40:19
Tell us about some of your the success stories that you guys
40:22
have seen since you've started this program.
40:24
How is maybe help some people? How to help the horses?
40:27
One particular student that we had in our first session last
40:31
year, she, she just dove right in.
40:35
She's never missed a session. He continued education with me
40:40
after after the initial 90 day program and when we first
40:46
started, she and her horse were so disconnected.
40:50
Have any, you know, like round Penny basics down or anything?
40:54
He was snorty and high headed. Like he was gentle.
40:57
She could lead him around and stuff, but he was definitely,
41:01
you know, a kite and on his tip toes, you know, and as of just
41:07
the last month or so that she's been working with me, we're
41:11
like, we're like this close to putting the first ride on him.
41:16
And and that's just, that's so exciting.
41:19
And the only like hiccup that we've had in the last month is
41:23
she had some personal things that she had to take a little
41:25
bit of time for. Otherwise we would have already
41:28
done it. It's you know, she started up
41:30
again last week and and we're just doing a few little
41:34
refreshers and then we're this close to putting the first ride
41:37
on. You know, nine months ago, it
41:39
was her wildest dream. She was like, I just, I just
41:42
want him to acknowledge that I'm in the same space as him.
41:46
And now they're getting ready to to ride.
41:49
Yeah, that's awesome. And what a great story of
41:52
success too, because it wasn't a 30 day, you're riding out on the
41:55
trails. And I was like, what a year that
41:57
she's working with him and that is still success.
42:01
Yeah, yeah, 100%. And you know, again, that's why
42:05
I keep kind of going back to that idea of, you know, you
42:08
might have, it might feel like you're having more success in
42:11
the short term when you send your horse to somebody for 90
42:13
days. But when you look at the long
42:15
term success with this girl and her horse are going to have in a
42:19
partnership by the time they actually hit the trails is epic.
42:23
You're not going to be able to separate those two with a
42:27
crowbar. Like it's just not going to
42:29
happen. They're going to be so melded
42:30
together because she's the one that's put in the work that
42:34
their long term success is unlimited.
42:37
Unlimited. Yeah.
42:38
And when the girl that Jana's talking about, like when I had
42:41
the original Discovery call and she was deciding if this program
42:45
was a good fit for her, she pretty much was at the point
42:48
where she's like, if I don't have a like, if I don't move
42:50
forward with my horse, I'm going to have to like, you know, move
42:53
him along at some point. And so, yeah, now they're
42:57
following their dreams, her biggest dreams in the first
43:00
year. Yeah, great success story.
43:02
Yeah. And at this point, I don't
43:04
think, I think you could offer her $15,000 and she would sell
43:09
him. I don't, I don't think you could
43:10
buy him from her. And you know, a year ago she was
43:13
like, if he doesn't get his act together, he's got to go.
43:16
Yeah, Jana has a lot more intimate individual
43:20
relationships. I just lead the group calls and
43:23
do the discovery calls and I'm support.
43:24
But it's kind of cool because I do come in like once a month and
43:28
see we have like kind of like round table discussion of where
43:31
folks are AT and just, I still know them because I'm still
43:35
having the onboarding calls with them at the beginning.
43:38
But then like month by month, I get to almost see like a bigger
43:41
growth, I guess, because I'm not seeing them on a weekly basis.
43:44
And it literally like brings me to tears because, again, we're
43:47
like, this program is just doing so much good work for the
43:51
Mustangs and for the doctors. Like, it just makes me so happy
43:55
to see the amount of confidence and excitement that these folks
43:59
have that they didn't necessarily have when they enter
44:01
the program. They're like, you know, feeling
44:03
not sure what to do. Overwhelm, I guess.
44:07
And so yeah, now everyone's like super happy to tell their
44:10
success stories to the rest of the group.
44:12
And it just, it literally like brings me to tears because it,
44:15
the work that we're doing is just so important.
44:17
So. Very cool.
44:18
And that's something I would add to someone.
44:20
If you're thinking of adopting a Mustang, I would say go in it
44:23
wanting to have a partnership with a horse.
44:25
There's a lot of horses you can buy that you can just take out
44:28
and go riding. Probably not a Mustang, maybe
44:31
some Mustangs, but the typical Mustang.
44:33
You're going to have to put some more time and energy and effort
44:36
into that. So I think that's really
44:37
important. Tell everybody a little bit more
44:39
about how they can connect with you guys.
44:42
Find out if this program might be right for them.
44:44
Yeah, so we have, it's the wild course partnership program on
44:48
Great Escape Mustangs org. We can link it in the in your
44:52
show notes. And how it works is you do a
44:56
discovery call to learn if it's a good fit for you and your horn
45:00
with me. And then you also are more than
45:03
welcome to talk to Jana about her training style to make sure
45:06
it's a good fit for you. I know a lot of folks have had
45:09
hired trainers maybe that weren't a good fit and they kind
45:11
of have some like trainer anxiety or whatever to make sure
45:15
that they feel like it's a good environment for them.
45:17
So we of course want to make sure that it feels good and
45:20
aligned for them just as much as it's aligned for us.
45:23
And we run 3 three month long programs.
45:28
So three times per year we take the winters off because a lot of
45:31
times folks don't have the proper facility for winter work.
45:34
So it's a little slower. You're still able to do, if
45:38
you've gone through the three month original program, you
45:41
still can do like monthly support through the winter.
45:43
But a lot of folks have taken the winter off is kind of how we
45:46
felt like the the vibe was this past year.
45:48
And then they dive back in in the spring when the the grounds
45:51
dry. So yeah, we're doing three.
45:54
We're on our second one. It starts in June, right?
45:58
Yes. Second one starts in June.
45:59
They're coming up soon. Yeah, Yeah.
46:01
So open enrollment will start in May.
46:03
And we're also planning to do a week long intensive this year
46:08
and just kind of do the basics of I can let Janet talk about it
46:12
more in depth because she's leading the program.
46:14
But we are trying to get folks to just like even learn the
46:18
basics and that weak one intensive is more of that
46:21
platform. It's not so much customized
46:24
stuff, even though we are allowing them to send in one
46:26
video with their horse and kind of get an overall review.
46:30
But if they want to deep dive with their horse, the Wild Horse
46:32
Partnership Program is the way to go.
46:34
Yeah. And the, the intensive, I would
46:36
say the intensive is more talking training philosophy and
46:41
different types of training and how they work and why versus,
46:45
you know, if you have a problem with XY and Z, Z, this is how
46:48
you fix it. It's more of a, hey, this is how
46:51
positive reinforcement works. This is how negative
46:54
reinforcement works. This is how you can combine the
46:56
two for a lot of success. Whereas the actual health force
47:01
partnership program is that one-on-one.
47:04
What are your actual issues? How, how is this applicable?
47:08
How can I help you very specifically?
47:11
That's kind of the biggest difference between the two.
47:13
Is there anyone that this program might not be a good fit
47:16
for? The only thing, the only person
47:18
that I would say that this would not be a good fit for is people
47:21
who cannot commit to the hard work.
47:24
You know, like I said, I, I asked for an hour and a half of
47:27
your time out with your horse on a weekly basis.
47:29
And that's hard for some people. Sometimes that's too much.
47:33
And if that's too much, there's no judgement, but you have to
47:37
give us at least that if you want to see any success in the
47:39
program. Yeah, I 2nd that.
47:41
It's I think where when I do the discovery calls, if the folks
47:46
you have to want to do the work and if you want to send your
47:49
horse off and have the problems fixed and then get it back and
47:52
not be intimately involved with your Mustang, this program is
47:54
not a good fit for you. We, we want people to really
47:58
commit to the the partnership of them in their horse and the
48:02
relationship and the deep dive. So if they're not willing to
48:05
dive deep, then yeah, that's where we see people get blocked
48:08
sometimes. Yeah, and I think even a good,
48:10
if you're thinking about getting a Mustang, like I think that's
48:13
something important to have in mind.
48:15
Are you willing to commit to this horse?
48:16
Are you willing to do what it takes if the journey doesn't
48:20
look pretty, Are you going to stick in there when it's hard
48:22
and ugly and mistakes happen and it gets scary?
48:26
Definitely important things to consider if you're going to
48:30
bring a Mustang into your home. Do you have any advice or
48:33
resources that people can use if maybe they're it's in between
48:36
programs, they can't access it right now, maybe they don't have
48:39
the money right now. What suggestions might you have
48:43
for those adopters? I mean they can always like
48:46
follow my stuff. I do tips and things like that
48:49
on my pages, short videos, you know reels and stuff like that.
48:53
But sometimes have tips and stuff in them.
48:54
But I would say in the meantime, like if you are in the middle
48:58
of, you know, programs and it's, you know, it's going to be a
49:01
month or two before you can get in on it, I would say still show
49:05
up for your horse, even if you don't know what you're doing,
49:08
just get to the barn. Just show up and do something in
49:12
the meantime and you know when that window opens up, jump in
49:16
and we can go from there and really start to steamroll your
49:20
success, but in the meantime still show up.
49:23
That's my biggest thing is just show up.
49:25
Agreed. Yeah, yeah, any relationship
49:28
requires you to show up and that's kind of why we have the
49:30
intensive. Again, it's, you know, a way to
49:32
dive in and feel like you can ask questions directly to Jana
49:36
and get support, but it's not going to be that deep dive in
49:39
that like really progressive route.
49:43
And then as far as like finances go, it's more affordable than
49:47
hiring or sending it off to a trainer.
49:50
It's in your learning the work. So I feel like again, like if
49:55
anyone has a financial block around it, then that's just them
49:58
having a block around it. If you really want to do
50:00
something, you will find a way to pay for it.
50:02
And we do have payment programs. We have early bird discounts.
50:06
Like I am more than willing to support folks with the even a
50:09
longer payment program. It is all about the Mustang and
50:11
supporting the Mustang from the person and making sure that they
50:15
again have a positive path forward.
50:17
So that's why I do discovery calls is because that is kind of
50:20
more like individual information and what a person needs in order
50:25
to commit to the program. But there's definitely different
50:27
routes that they can take with payments.
50:29
Yeah, we don't like require everyone to pay upfront and
50:32
again, like if anyone has an argument on cost, send their
50:36
horse to a trainer, but it's going to be more expensive in
50:39
the long run. It's going to be more expensive
50:42
and, and again, you don't have that autonomy over what's
50:45
happening with your horse. And that's, that's huge.
50:48
I, I cannot stress that enough. That is so huge.
50:51
And, and then the second piece of that is this is, you know,
50:55
anytime you learn, knowledge is power.
50:57
And so the value that you are getting from learning how to do
51:02
this yourself is so much more than passing the buck to
51:06
somebody else because let's say in five years you go to adopt
51:10
another horse, you still have the information that I taught
51:14
you. So, so the value is so much more
51:18
than than just the face value of what you see in the idea of, oh,
51:24
I got three months of coaching. There's so much more involved in
51:27
it. And and that's knowledge that
51:29
you get to keep versus like I said, if you hand it off to
51:32
somebody else, you don't know what they did to get those
51:35
results. You have no idea.
51:38
So you can't apply that to any other aspect of your
51:41
horsemanship or your partnership with your Mustang.
51:44
Yeah, I agree. It is such a great long term
51:47
investment. It's one that will serve you
51:48
over time. I had that exact experience also
51:51
when I was at a point where I was really struggling.
51:53
I was thinking, OK, this is almost embarrassing, but I
51:56
couldn't walk my horse outside the corral without her freaking
51:58
out. And then my anxiety would just
52:00
go crazy. So I was like, maybe I'll just
52:02
send her to a trainer so she can walk out of a corral, you know,
52:06
And I went and like checked this trainer out and the horses she
52:09
had didn't want anything to do with her.
52:11
They were as far away from the stall as they could possibly be.
52:14
And I just thought, I don't like, I don't want that, you
52:16
know, I don't want to be able to walk my horse out of the crowd
52:18
at the expense of her wanting to be around me.
52:21
I loved that she had some connection with me and wanted to
52:24
be around me. So just the idea that you can
52:26
find someone to support you in a way that is the way you want to
52:29
work with your horse, that you can develop the type of
52:31
relationship that you want to have with your horse, not
52:34
outsource that and hope that it comes OK.
52:37
And we did kind of talk about like you can't mess up your
52:40
horse will forget it. But on the same hand, if they're
52:44
consistently treated in certain ways, that's going to stick with
52:47
them a little bit more. So if they do go to a trainer
52:49
that's using harsher methods that you're not wanting to
52:53
incorporate into your training, the results are going to be
52:56
different for good or bad. So just that idea that you do
52:59
have that autonomy, you have that control over the way that
53:01
it all happens is a huge one. It's definitely one that was
53:05
important for me and I'm so grateful I never sent her away.
53:08
And I really was scared like if I send her to this trainer, she
53:11
might come back and, and like we all the trust that we did build,
53:15
even though we couldn't walk outside the trail together
53:17
without us both being anxious like that might all be gone.
53:20
So. Right I.
53:22
Just can't advocate enough for how important it is for you to
53:25
learn and have really relationship with your horse.
53:27
And I think this program you guys have is such a perfect way
53:30
for you to be able to do that and to to build that partnership
53:33
and to be able to have all your dreams come true of what you
53:36
wanted to have with the Mustang when you adopted it.
53:39
Yeah. 100%. To wrap up, can you guys share
53:43
where people can find you? We'll also include these in the
53:45
notes. Both of us are super active on
53:48
social media, Instagram and Facebook.
53:50
We do combine combo posts like pretty often, but ours is Great
53:55
Escape Mustangs as the handle for Facebook and for Instagram.
54:02
And then we also have our website greatescapemustangs.org.
54:06
Jana's are the partner for Wild Horse Partnership program with
54:10
Chasing a Dream Equine. And then my handles for both
54:14
Instagram and Facebook are also just chasing a dream equine and
54:19
you can find me both of those places and all of my contact
54:21
information is on both of those. One last thing I wanted to ask
54:24
you guys that I forgot. How have you guys seen that this
54:26
program has benefited the Mustangs?
54:29
Keeping them home. That that that's the whole point
54:32
that that is the whole kit and caboodle of this whole thing is
54:35
that the, the best way to help these horses is to keep them in
54:40
their homes and not have to rehome them, not have to find
54:43
them sanctuary, not have to, you know, have people feeling like
54:47
they need to give up. The whole point of this whole
54:50
thing is to keep them in their homes.
54:52
And that's that's the greatest success is because people have
54:56
come into this program saying if things don't change, I have to
55:00
rehome him or find sanctuary for him.
55:03
And by the end of the program, that's just not the case
55:06
anymore. And they are committed to
55:08
keeping their horses. And I think that that's
55:10
everything. Yeah, I agreed.
55:11
There's a coming from the nonprofit side.
55:14
It's almost impossible to find sanctuary for a Mustang at this
55:17
point. All the sanctuaries are almost
55:19
full. There's not enough private land
55:22
that all the Mustangs from the public land are going to be able
55:26
to go into sanctuary. So it is finding those people
55:30
from the public that are willing to adopt A wild horse and and
55:33
take on that long term commitment.
55:34
And again, it was, it was like an answer to the problem that I
55:40
kept seeing over and over and over again.
55:42
And the off range support model of Great Escape is folks wanting
55:47
to relinquish their horse or not feeling like they have the right
55:51
support or feeling very overwhelmed, like this is the
55:55
answer to the of a problem. And so when Jana and I connected
55:59
at the beginning and we were like so aligned with what we
56:03
both were seeing, it just flowed like it was, it was one of those
56:07
things that was like manifesting for almost like a year and a
56:09
half in my brain. And then Jana and I met and it
56:13
just like it just like was burned.
56:15
It just happened automatically. Yeah, we're like, we're doing
56:17
this, which I am so thankful for Jana, because if it was like me
56:21
trying to do this on my own, it's like it's impossible
56:23
because I'm not a trainer. So I'm just so thankful for our
56:27
partnership. And it's, it's been like, again,
56:30
it just was like divinely aligned that this is coming in.
56:33
And now, yeah, now our goal is to just get more and more folks
56:36
to know about it. And we're just doing organic
56:39
marketing, which is again, challenging to be seen sometimes
56:42
in the very busy social media world.
56:44
So thank you Shalise for allowing us to come on here and
56:48
speak and get it out to everyone.
56:50
Absolutely. And thank you guys so much for
56:52
being here, for talking about the program and talking about a
56:54
lot of the common things that people are running into.
56:57
I think from my own experience, even you can feel very alone and
57:01
feel like maybe I'm the only idiot over here that doesn't
57:04
know how to, you know, work with these horses.
57:07
And that's not the case at all. Like it is a process.
57:09
It is different than probably anything you've ever experienced
57:12
with horses. Thank you guys for the work
57:14
you're doing, for the help that you're offering people.
57:16
And I really just want to put a plug in like if you need help,
57:19
if you're thinking about, you know, maybe you're not the best
57:22
home for your horse, I guarantee that you are and that you can
57:26
learn the things that you need to.
57:27
And this program offers awesome support for anyone who's at that
57:31
point where you really have this desire, but you need a little
57:34
help to get over those hard moments.
57:37
There are going to be hard moments when you have a Mustang
57:39
in my experience. And if you are needing some
57:42
support, just such a really great place to go.
57:45
So thank you guys for coming on, for doing what you do, for
57:48
working for the benefit of not just the horses, but the humans
57:51
that work with them also. Because I think it is that
57:53
partnership that's going to make a better world for the Mustangs
57:57
and for us as people. Because as we've kind of talked
58:00
about, when you work with Mustangs, you learn a lot about
58:02
yourself, whether it's from setting boundaries to gaining
58:05
confidence. There's just so many great
58:06
lessons that the horses can teach us when we stick with
58:09
them. Yeah.
58:09
Thank you. Thank you so much for having so
58:11
much. For having us.
58:12
Thank you for joining us and learning about Horses that Heal
58:15
and the humans who help them. We hope you'll continue with us
58:18
on this journey. We'd love for you to subscribe
58:21
on your favorite platform and follow the touch of a Mustang on
58:24
any of the major social media outlets.
58:26
Please share with your friends anyone who loves horses or
58:29
anyone who might be struggling and could benefit from this
58:32
message. If you have felt the healing
58:34
power of horses or help them in their divinely appointed
58:37
mission, please reach out. We want to hear your story.
58:41
As we say goodbye, always remember that the horse is
58:44
always there to help you heal.