This summer has been a whirlwind of activity at Next Level HorsemanshipTM. We had 10 wild mustangs in for training and preparation for competitions in NJ and TX. We recently competed with 4 of these mustangs in the Mustang Makeover in Gloucester NJ on August 2nd. These mustangs were picked up in April and the gentling process began. Three NLHTM Interns and I worked very hard through the end of July to gentle and train these mares for the NJ competition and in the end they were very successful. My horse Jada and I were 6th overall in the finals! I was very pleased with Jada – she is a very talented and ambitious mare and her potential for a promising future is very high. After the competition in NJ, the mustangs were auctioned to Bureau of Land Management approved bidders and Jada was purchased by a wonderful woman who lives in Long Island, NY.
Many people ask me if it is hard to let these horses go after working with them for so long. The answer is a resounding YES! I’ve been involved in the Mustang Challenges since soon after their inception. In 2008 I won the Midwest Mustang Challenge on a horse named Jazz. I purchased him at the auction and we had an amazing life together after bringing him home. Later, my daughter Brooke and I, and several NLHTM interns competed in other similar challenges and each time we have ended up bringing our mustangs home. The latest competition this month was different – it was the first time I have had to let a horse go after gentling and training it in this venue. It is very difficult to do indeed.