How did I get here...Why a mustang?

In the 22 years of my training and competition I have been blessed to study under some great trainers in my younger years. Trainers that were not looking for end results but were interested in what was going on with the horse at the moment. They were conserned about how their training made the horse feel and how they would retain the lessons that they were given. Even though I was able to learn these ways and rise to the top in competitions during my high school and college years I still felt as though there was more out there then just the run against the clock or the win. I found myself looking at other horse men and women and wishing that I could do more in depth training then my disipline required. That has driven me to learn in the last few years more natural ways to treat and train horses. Eventhough my business has increased drastically and I feel successful in the barrel racing world I still felt I needed more.

In Nov 2011 I was in my hotel in Las Vegas, NV at the 2011 Finals for the Professional Bull Riders was the "Ah-Ha" moment that I needed to start my journey. Earlier that day I was in the Thomas and Mac Building standing in the same ally way that the greatest barrel racers in history had run in and out for decades. I realized that I had always dreamed of doing something that would never really fulfill me. I knew that I was one that had to do something for someone else, not something that was just for me. I realized that I really love training way more than I did running competition. The idea of being on the road away from my family for more than half the year suddenly didn't seem all that appealing anymore. Which made me ask why am I competing in barrels...Why don't I enter a training competition?

Suddenly in the hotel pondering all that I had thought about God brought to my memory the Extreme Mustang Makeover that I had previously seem on RFDTV. I immediately ran to the laptop and started figuring out how to enter. The months following I found all the entry dates, talked to the MHF (Mustang Heritage Foundation)..multiple times, and made friends with other proven Mustang Trainers. All of a sudden I began to have fun with horses again...and I didn't even have a mustang yet. The idea of being a "rookie" in something was refreshing. I knew that in some of the areas of the competition I was over my head, but I am more than excited to learn. I started watching videos online of what other trainers had done in their freestyle the previous years and I felt intimidated. Riding bridle less, jumping into pickup trucks, and firing guns over a horse's head was amazing being that the horses hadn't even been touched by human hands 120 days prior. I felt the challenge and I was excited to take it on.

After months of prep work and study of 200 horses, today finally came. I was able to enter and adopt my first mustang for my Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover. In September I will see where I stand among other great trainers. It is going to be a wonderful experience. May 11, 2012 I will officially meet my 5 year old gelding (that still is nameless) that I purchased from the BLM today for a shocking $250 dollars. He is short and stocky and is very quick on his feet. I am very excited to see how I will do. People around me have many different opinions, some skeptical, some doubtful, but most supportive. But in the end I have to go with my gut and know that this is the direction that God wants me to move and only through that will I feel fulfilled.