2023 Mustang Magic Celebrity ​​with mustangs Right on Trac and Nike

To "The Spirit of the Horse" by Victoria Venier and "God Bless the USA" by Dolly Parton

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• TOP 5

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I had been preparing Mustang Marvel for a "BIG" performance of this caliber for 4 years. Training her completely bridleless the entire time. I was preparing diligently and was very excited for the opportunity to show off her talent. On December 12th, 2022, Marvel's cornea was unfortunately accidentally perforated during an attempt to insert an SPL to treat a floating fibrin. We made the decision to try to save the eye via an emergency surgery at the Auburn Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Sanchez pealed a layer of Marvel's eye lid and covered the problem area. Marvel has since then recovered well, but she could not perform in the 2023 Mustang Magic Celebrity due to this injury and rehab.

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So, 5 weeks prior to the event, I had to regroup. Mustang Right on Trac was given a break after the 120-day training for the 2022 Florida EMM, since he was just a 3.5 year old.  Given 5 weeks to train, I decided to use the maneuvers which he already new from the EMM. 4 week prior to the performance, I got the idea to ask my student Kelly Stewart, if she would allow me to tune up her mustang Nike (my TOP 5 - 2016 Mustang Magic mare) and add her to my performance. Excitedly she said "YES"! Nike had spent 3 years of training after the Mustang Magic with Jesses Chase and her cues were different from what I was used to. I called Jesse and he very graciously guided me through his cues. This helped us find more harmony tremendously!

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With just 5 weeks to prepare, I still felt confident, because both of the mustangs were spot on during our practice. I made sure to only ask for what I felt like they could handle in the limited time that we had. I wanted to make sure that they came out of the MMC arena confident. 

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Never having competed in the MMC as one of the main competitors, I didn't realize that unlike during the EMMs, we were not given any prop set up time. I found this out during the competitors' meeting two days before our performance. Trac wasn't used to having the props come in, in the dark and unfortunately with a spotlight mistakenly placed on top of the people carrying the props, instead of on us after we entered the arena. So Trac and I were in the dark, couldn't see and all off a sudden a big spotlight came on top of the moving shiny props behind us and we were at liberty. Then finally the spotlight comes on us, but it was so bright I could barely see Trac. I didn't expect it to come from the side. I thought it would come from the top. So each time he came around me, I got blinded by it, trying to see what Trac was doing and feeling. I had a neck rope on him and I held on to it to help him settle down some. Trac is one of the edgiest, most sensitive mustangs I've ever worked with. He does well with consistency, but new things can surprise him. I was holding on to the neck rope till I felt him settle a little and then it was a moment of truth. Letting go! I thought, it's now or never! The time was ticking. We had a lot prepared for the 6-minute performance. 

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I let go of the neck rope, stepped back and cued him onto a liberty circle. From then on Trac's liberty performance flowed just like at home!

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One of my favorite moments of our performance. Mustang Right on Trac lays down gently and gracefully, right after he canters and completes an adrenaline filled liberty jump in front of a large electric Mustang Magic Celebrity Freestyle audience, inside the spotlight and takes his treat (relaxed enough to do so). Just 150 days of training since he was wild and untouched. Trac is such a blessing to me! He brings me so much joy!

 

This is a great example of the emotional fitness which I work towards with horses I train. They say everything is fine, when everything is fine. I try to train for the tough situations which I may find myself in with my horses when something changes in the environment for example.

I cause the horse to get up on energy, which often brings up the horse’s emotions, sometimes adrenaline and then I see how quickly I can help the horse relax. With practice they learn to do this quicker and quicker. I practice laying a horse down after a cantering circle or a cantering draw. Add a jump and it adds a ton more difficulty to this. But it’s such an important part of them learning how to handle their emotions and adrenaline. 

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It still amazes me what all horses will do for us. When Trac soared over the jump and gracefully laid down, in the dark, with a spotlight on him, in front of 4600+ people in the audience, with 150 days of training since he was wild and untouched, I was in so much awe. It was hard to believe! It felt like a dream but it was so real. In that particular moment, the timing was perfect, as rehearsed, my friend Victoria Venier was singing that "We chose the eagle, but we could've easily chose you (the horse)". I have and owe much gratitude to all the horses that I have been blessed with to cross my path.

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To get to perform at LIBERTY with a mustang Right on Trac, with such a limited time to train him, has been a result of a 25 year learning process. I owe much gratitude to my mentors for being willing and for taking the time to share their gifts, their life long experiences and their skills with me, as well as the platforms which provide the opportunities for my growth and my work being seen. They all have been an important key to my liberty journey! I have been so very blessed with the World's greatest liberty mentors and platforms which have helped me take my liberty horsemanship to the next level, in chronological order, as they came into my life; *see the list of them below. 

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Once I got on Nike, feeling her relaxation, I took a deep breath. As the first few words of the song "God Bless the USA" started during my leg yields, I looked up and saw myself on the big bright screen. I thought of the work that I have put in to get to this point of recognition, as well as my journey of becoming a USA citizen, the opportunities this amazing country offers and I got teary eyed. It was a moment I will never forget. 

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Towards the end of the performance Trac absorbed the audience's electric energy and not knowing what to do with it, he sped up and passed us. While I held the American Flag with pride, I had no way to help him through this feeling. I eventually was able to position Nike close to him and take them both for a run around the whole around to highlight the American Flag and show off the two mustangs in a fast canter. After this run I positioned Nike close to the jump, hoping Trac would get the signal and he did! He came around in a sweeping circle 20 feet away from us at liberty, eagle focus on the tall jump of standing barrels and soared right over it, without any cue or any guidance. He knew the routine, he knew what to do and he was willing to do it. That was the cherry on the top, the icing on the cake, the moment I hoped for. It had never been done before. Unfortunately, the spotlight did not follow him, but a lot of people could still see it since I had a small light on the jump. 

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*Honza Bláha ~ Honza Bláha - has been a great friend and a mentor of mine since 1997. He was the FIRST person ever, whom I have seen perform with his horse Gaston in bridleless collection and liberty collection. Honza has been my life long greatest inspiration. https://linefreecollection.cz/en

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David Lichman Parelli Professional ~ Liberty Training - Challenges and Support with David Lichman - David taught the first ever natural horsemanship clinic in the Czech Republic, I believe it was 1998. This was where it all started for me! I got my liberty foundation from David and the Parelli Natural Horsemanship Program - both Pat Parelli and Linda Parelli.

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Karen Rohlf ~ Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material has helped me understand the swing. Swinging from one quality to the other (for example relaxation ~ energy). This has brought much balance to my training approach. I picked up many important pieces of how to change and shape my horse's posture from her. How to bring play into my training sessions.

 

Lisa Aldridge, YES, my reining mentor, has helped my liberty! SHE has been my key mentor in understanding the horse's lateral and vertical balance and the importance of it. I then took her teachings and transferred them to my liberty and bridleless training.

 

The Mustang Heritage Foundation which has provided me with an amazing platform to perform at liberty with now 3 mustangs from the wild, during the Extreme Mustang Makeover and has given me an opportunity to work on my skills as an entertainer, a tough task for an introvert like me, in front of large audiences. I love getting to highlight the mustangs' abilities of connection with people.

 

Dan James ~ Double Dan Horsemanship has been one of my most recent mentors. After 20 years of playing with horses at liberty, you would think I had it all figured out:-) When I met Dan, I had trained probably over a 100 liberty horses, I could do some fancy maneuvers with them, but the connection was often lost at greater distances, in larger areas. Not only did Dan help me with that, he also brought more clarity and understanding to my horses, which resulted in even more relaxation, which is always my main focus.

 

Elizabeth James ~ the founder of the International Liberty Horse Association who has created the discipline of liberty. This has provided me with platforms to practice liberty as a discipline, in precise patterns as well as freestyles, sometimes invitational freestyles and become more confident as an entertainer. Being an introverted person, this has been very hard for me. The ILHA has placed me in front of large audiences ~ at the Road to the Horse, during the Liberty Festival and the Liberty Championships and has exposed my horses to different arenas.

 

THANK YOU ALL!!!

The Sky is NOT the Limit:-)

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PHOTOS CREDIT (all but 2): Pro Equine Productions

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