Face Up Training & Colt Starting

08/12/2025

Let's talk about behavioral euthanasia.

Can you already feel the ruffled feathers?

Euthanasia is a tough subject because very rarely is it a black and white decision. Sure, there are the situations where a horse is suffering an immediate emergency, like a catastrophic injury or irreparable colic. While those decisions are still painful, they are typically very clear, cut and dry. Then there are the slightly hazier euthanasia decisions, like older horses that are slowly, but surely failing to thrive or horses that are sick and only going to decrease in quality of life. Those decisions are harder, but still easy to justify.

Then you enter the muck and mire of behavioral euthanasia. This one is particularly hard because it often falls on horses that are otherwise healthy, sound, and even sometimes young.

I support behavioral euthanasia. Since becoming a certified professional trainer, I have recommended behavioral euthanasia six times. Only twice has it been followed through. Now, before the keyboard warriors lose their minds, please understand that this is not a recommendation I make lightly nor is it made without significant due cause. When I recommend behavioral euthanasia to a client, this is my mentality: My safety and my client's safety come first. Always. There are far too many good horses out there to risk injury or death over a bad one. And yes, there are bad horses out there. There are fates worse than death for horses and safe, humane euthanasia at home is far kinder than some of those fates. Finally, horses do not know how long they are supposed to live and we as humans do a great disservice to our horses by anthropomorphizing them to argue otherwise.

Now, if you are still reading and have not permanently deleted my page from your feed, let's talk about the horses I've recommended euthanasia for and why.

1. 15 year old Morgan stallion, same owner for 14 years. He had never been bred, never had his feet done, never had his teeth done, never been broke to ride or drive, and he had never been turned out with another horse. If he became aggressive, nervous, or stud-ish, he was given a bucket of grain "to calm him." He would pace my fences and scream all day, throwing his head in angst even after he was gelded. He would jump on top of you if spooked or annoyed. His feet and teeth were a mess, but no amount of sedation could calm him enough to safely address either. He was not progressing in training due to the 14 years of baggage he had dragging behind him. He could not safely be taken to a boarding barn, but his owner could not take him home nor could she keep him in training for the time he needed. He could not safely be rehomed either for fear of him hurting someone or ending up in auction. For everyone's safety and the well-being of the horse, I recommended euthanasia. My advice was not heeded. I do not know where that horse is now.

2. 17 year old thoroughbred mare. She had lived in total isolation for approximately 10 years. She had no social skills and was wildly unpredictable. One day I could pick up her feet with no problem, the next it would send her into a fit of anxiety. She would bolt in pure, blind panic with absolutely no regard for her own safety, let alone her human handler. She was a danger to herself and those around her. Vets would not even touch her for an exam to rule out health problems because she was so wildly unpredictable and dangerous. She would crash into panels, fences, and walls. She spooked at her own shadow so badly once that she quite literally fell to the ground in fear. Months of training could not resolve these issues. For the safety of the horse and her owner, I recommended euthanasia. This horse is still living in her owner's pasture. I do not know how handleable she is at this point.

3. Mid teens QH type gelding. You could tell this poor fellow had been ridden hard and put away wet for a very long time. He bore the scars of a very rough life, both physically and mentally. He was in training with me for several months and while he did improve in some areas, he was still very behind in several important ones. He was always on guard, always watchful and fearful. The first time I tried to mount him, he wheeled around and double barrel kicked me so hard I thought he shattered my femur. I never was able to ride him. I tried so many approaches and methods, but he remained shut down and one step away from defensive fear aggression. Even in the pasture you could tell he walked around in misery. After many months of trying to bring him around, he was ultimately euthanized after a day full of love and pampering. I still think about him quite often. 🌈

4. 6/7 year old QH type gelding. He had been owned and well loved by the same family his whole life. Unfortunately for him, he was diagnosed with PSSM1. His owner did everything in her power to manage his diet to prevent flare ups and nine times out of ten, this horse was perfect. He was a joy to ride, sweet to handle, and all around a great horse to have in the barn. The problem was he would have episodes, likely caused by tying up from the PSSM1. These episodes were completely random with no observable triggers or causes. Sometimes when you would start to mount, he was simply bolt and then bronc. No warning, no visible reason. It had become a noticeable pattern, but the randomness of it made him too dangerous to sell. I told his owner if she could not keep him, the best option would be to euthanize because he was at great risk of hurting someone or ending up in the pipeline. As far as I am aware he is still living at home with his owner as a pasture pet.

5. 6 year old thoroughbred mare. This mare had been a bucket baby. Her mother died at birth and no other horse would accept her (horses know when something isn't right with one of their own kind). This mare was outright dangerous both because of her personality and her upbringing. I'm told she was allowed to run around kicking at people as a foal and she was the horse at the track jockeys drew straws to see who was forced to ride her. She was sent to me because she was out of control and running through fences. Her first week here, she broke my hand after kicking me in the field. Just leading her to and from her stall/paddock was dangerous chore. I often wore a helmet just to lead her because she loved to rear up, strike out, and try to wheel and kick. She was so dangerous that I couldn't even hire a barn worker until she was gone because I didn't not want the liability of her hurting someone. I recommended euthanasia for everyone's safety, including the horse, but she was sent to a "trainer" on the Eastern Shore of MD. I use that term very loosely. I do not know where she is now

6. 17 year old fjord gelding. This was one of my fosters. This poor gelding had been passed around through the auction circuit for a very long time before he was finally pulled by a rescue. I was his second trainer. He was scared of everything and even basic handling was becoming dangerous. He had a tendency to wheel and bolt and efforts to rectify that habit were proving fruitless, both at the previous trainer and with me. Handling his feet was impossible. He would either bolt or he would kick. His kicks were hard and very, very fast. We feared that if he became sick or injured, we would not be able to treat him due to his nature and he would then suffer. He could not be safely adopted out with these habits. Given his age, the time it would take to retrain him just wasn't a feasible option. He was given a wonderful last day here at my farm with treats and goodies and as much love as he would accept (he hated being pet/groomed) and then he was peacefully let go. 🌈

When we choose to work with and care for these magnificent animals, we are willingly taking on a huge responsibility and liability. They cannot make certain decisions for themselves so it is our duty as their providers and protectors to do the right thing. Sometimes it is necessary to love them enough to let them go.

08/06/2025

This month I am starting a new series called "Let's Talk About It." Every Tuesday, I will post a reflection on a topic with discussions welcome in the comments. I started this past Tuesday with a reflection on stallions and stallion ownership.

I am looking to hear from YOU. What do you want to see discussed in an open, public forum? Controversial and hot button issues are welcome and encouraged so long as they are equine related! If I am not particularly knowledgeable about certain topics you comment, I promise to educate myself on it! After all, that is why we work with horses--to continue learning!

Post your topics in the comments below and I will get to work! Stay tuned for next Tuesday's topic. It's going to be a spicy one!

08/05/2025

*steps up on my soap box*
Let's talk about stallions 🍒

This is a topic I am very passionate about. Stallion ownership has become a bit more of a novelty with the rise of social media. We see breeders posting behind the scenes looks into the every day lives of their stallions which is great! It is certainly interesting to see what these high end stallions do when they aren't breeding.

And then there are the other people...

We see the flip side of this with other stallions such as Sox on TikTok. For those not familiar, Sox is a UK-based stallion whose owner posts videos of him on TikTok. I watched 2, maybe 3 of his videos, and then had to turn him off and block him because the videos made me so angry. If Sox was my horse, I would have lopped his testicles off a long time ago because he is a danger to his owner and a danger to everyone around him. He is not cute. He is not funny. He is an undisciplined menace and what he does should NOT be considered "normal stallion behavior" by any stretch of the imagination. But I digress.

So, how do we prevent stallions from becoming this way? What IS normal stallion behavior? I could teach an entire college semester on this topic, but I will narrow it down to my two biggest pet peeves with stallion ownership. And for the record, I am not anti stallion. I own two.

1. It has become common practice for stallions to be turned out alone, if they are even turned out at all. Some stallions only leave their stalls to bathe and breed. I'd be a menace to society, too, if that was my life. If they do get turned out, a lot of times they are turned out alone or they might have a paddock neighbor. The worst horse I have ever trained was a 15yo stallion who had never been turned out with another horse. From the day he was weaned, he lived alone. He had no idea how to interact properly with another horse, let alone a human. He was socially crippled in a way that was completely irreparable. He left my farm with a recommendation for euthanasia because his behavior was so dangerous that I feared for the safety of anyone who came into contact with him. The second worst horse I have ever worked with was a mare who had also lived a majority of her life alone, but that's a story for another day. My point is, these horses were forced into a life of solitude, a crime against the very nature of equines. Even in the wild, stallions form bachelor bands until they have harems of their own.

Now, obviously we do not want to simply throw stallions into the gelding herd and hope for the best. You need to pick their herds carefully. They have heightened testosterone, that is just science, but they are social animals by nature. My c**t, Oslo, has been turned out with other horses since the day he was born. He lives among my geldings who teach him manners and social skills that I as a human simply cannot. At 2 years old, he is a model citizen who understands boundaries and respect. My stallion Snax, a 6yo thoroughbred, was just introduced to herd life with my two mustang geldings that spent 10+ years in the wild as stallions themselves. Let me tell you, that introduction was more peaceful than putting two new geldings together. My eldest mustang established himself as herd leader and that was that. Snax will now have company and he will have constant reminders to tow the line. Since going out with them, Snax has been more pleasant to be around and much easier to handle in day to day life. I firmly believe a stallion must earn his testicles every single day. The vet is one call away if either of my stallions step out of bounds.

2. My second philosophy for healthy stallion ownership is that they need jobs. The best stallion I have ever met is No Better Cat ("Boon") while he was being ridden and shown by Josh Lyons. You know you have done something right with your stallion when nobody knows he's a stallion. I was able to stand my mare right next to Boon in the ring during a clinic and he never even twitched an ear in her direction. Part of that I'm sure is personality, but 95% of it was solid training. Boon has jobs when he isn't breeding. He traveled around to clinics and shows with Josh Lyons. His owners work him on cattle ranches. He is learning roping. He does reining. He does ranch riding. He does reined cow shows. Breeding is secondary to all of these jobs that channel his testosterone into productive avenues. We don't like men who only think about sex--why should our stallions be any different?

That was a long rant 😮‍💨 but I'm not sorry because it is trainers like me who have to try cleaning up the mess of stallions like Sox. Stallion ownership is a huge responsibility and an even bigger liability. Do everyone a favor and just contact 1-800-geld-that-sh*t ✂️🍒

08/04/2025

Come see Pocket and Oslo for the first ever Parade of Breeds at the Howard County Fair this evening starting at 5pm!

07/29/2025

‼️PSA

Beginning the week of August 4th, 2025, I will be altering my operating days schedule. New business days will be Tuesday through Saturday with hours open to clients from 8am to 4pm Tues-Fri and 9am to 5pm Sat (these hours may vary depending on weather and events).

With the exception of clients who have horses on the property, these business hours also apply to messages/texts/calls. Unless urgent, I will only be answering during the above listed days/times.

With these new changes, I have plans to open my books for a handful of lessons each Saturday. These lessons are for intermediate to advanced students ONLY unless you haul in your own horse. I apologize for any inconvenience, but I simply do not have any beginner/child friendly horses in my program. Lesson scheduling will be announced soon in a separate post so stay tuned!

Thank you everyone for your understanding!

07/23/2025

I took a break to work on some of my own projects, but now I am opening up 1️⃣ training stall and 1️⃣ baby board stall at my facility in New Freedom, PA.

Training stall available for:
💜 Tune ups
🩵 Track restarts
💜 Fine tuning
🩵 Exercise/Fitness
💜 Consignment

Baby board is meant for weanlings to two year olds who aren't quite ready to start under saddle, but need to learn the age appropriate basics such as manners, general handling, and ground work.

I am willing to consider the right permanent boarder for modified training board or a boarder who can take on a couple evening feed shifts. Please pm the page or Alyssa Dietrich for more information.

07/21/2025

I found my lovely weekend workers, but now I am in search of a Monday morning worker! Due to a planned change in my schedule, I am looking for a Monday morning worker to fill an easy shift.

Duties include:
💜 Bringing horses inside
🩵 Feeding
💜 Filling water buckets (with a hose)
🩵 Turning back out when weather is nice

This person must be comfortable working independently with all ages and levels of horses including training horses, young horses, and stallions. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, no exceptions, though preference given to applicants over the age of 25. Extensive equine experience is required!

Morning shift typically runs from 9am until 10:30am (earlier if it is very hot). I am willing to consider working off board, lessons, or a lease to the right candidate. Otherwise this is a paid position. Please reach out via pm for more information or to apply.

07/20/2025

We see posts about how to be a better horseman, a better trainer, and a better rider, but never how to be a better client.

Disclaimer: this is not directed at anyone specific or prompted by a certain event (but hey, if the boot fits...).

I'm sure every trainer can agree: if they have been in the industry for more than a year, they have had at least one bad client. If your trainer tells you they haven't, they are either lying or you might just be their bad client 🤷 I don't make the rules.

There are many things that can shift a person into the category of bad client, so let's talk about them! Here 5 ways to ensure you don't fall into that category.

1. Always remember that your trainer is human, too.
I know it may seem at times that your trainer is super human. They often push themselves far past the limits of an average human for the sake of getting the job done; however, your trainer still has physical, mental, emotional, and financial limits just like any other human. They can only do so much with the resources they are given, the time allotted to them, and the horse they have in front of them. Unreasonable expectations and lack of gratitude from clients will burn out any trainer faster than the long hours and hard labor. Be kind and be grateful. These things will go a long way.

2. Pay your 🤬 bills on time.
I cannot stress this one enough. I, and I'm sure most trainers will agree, will tolerate a lot more nonsense from a client and horse if their training fees are paid and paid on time. Your trainer's bills do not stop just because you aren't paying on time. Your horse, and others, still need to eat. Rent still needs to be paid. The electric bill still needs to be covered. Employees still need their paychecks. Vets, farriers, and the hay guy still want their money. If you do not pay on time, it creates a catastrophic chain of events that completely upends the functionality of a barn. Pay your bills and pay them in a timely fashion or your trainer will find someone else who does.

3. Close your mouth and open your ears.
You sent your horse to training for a reason, that reason being you can't do the training yourself. Maybe you don't have time, maybe you don't have the knowledge, maybe you don't feel safe. Whatever the case may be, you sent your horse to a trainer to get the job done for you. Let them do their job. Trying to micromanage your trainer is a surefire way to land you on the bad client list. We encourage our clients to ask questions. We want you to be part of the training process so that you may learn how to work with your horse once he goes home. To get the most out of the training experience, you must be open and receptive to the advice your trainer gives you. We don't talk just to hear ourselves talk--in fact, a lot of us hate talking more than is necessary. We spend our days working in a world of silence. We speak to the horses in a language that does not use spoken words. If we are speaking to you, chances are we have something important to say.

4. Listen to your trainer!
Piggybacking off of #3, if your trainer is speaking to you, they are telling you something important. When they are speaking, listen to them. And I mean really listen. Take their words to heart and take time to process them. Ignoring the advice from your trainer is the fastest way to get hurt or ruin your horse. Sometimes your trainer must give you hard truths. They aren't trying to be mean or heartless or callous. They are trying to keep you safe and keep your horse safe. You are paying for their knowledge. Don't waste your money.

5. Don't waste your horse.
When you send your horse to training, your trainer pours their heart and soul into that animal. No matter what your horse is there to learn, your trainer puts everything into that horse to make sure he leaves a better version of himself than when he arrived. Nothing breaks my heart more than to see all that hard work waste away in a pasture once a horse goes home. When you send your horse to training, you are making a commitment to him. You are promising that you will give him the best education possible and then continue maintaining that education at home. An educated horse is a safe horse, meaning that horse is less likely to end up in a bad place if he must ever pass out of your hands. You owe it to your horse not to waste that time and hard work that your trainer poured into him.

Trainer friends, please feel free to add your own thoughts into the comments. I'm sure there are many other reasons a client can end up on the "naughty list," but these are my top five. Hopefully this can be a helpful education for some folks because these are the hard truths of the equine industry.

07/17/2025

These are the hard truths of horse training. Whether you like it or not, horses are not pets. They are 1200lb prey animals that can kill you in a split second.

Safety is ALWAYS my top priority. Safety for my clients, safety for the horses, and safety for me. In my barn, there are consequences when safety is compromised and consequences aren't meant to be sunshine and rainbows.

If you cannot handle the "ugly" of horse training, or at least step back and let a professional handle the ugly for you, this isn't the right sport for you. You are going to get hurt. That is a hill I will die on.

Horse training (or retraining) is a lot like peeling an onion, and people are going to complain about the smell.

Hear me out.

Retraining specifically is ugly business sometimes. It’s a balance of patience and understanding, but also standing firm in boundaries and hard work.

I will never know what happened to Spade fully. No matter the story, his perception is different and I can’t dwell on staying in the mindset of coddling him because of what he went through.

It is the same for abused children or of that nature. They don’t need pitty-it CRIPPLES them. They need a job, structure, consistency, something they can depend on if they do ABC then XYZ happens.

It’s ugly sometimes. Let me fill you in.
Yesterday specifically, instead of effortlessly loping to the left on the lunge line for me, Spade instead opted to turn his head to the outside, get his head bent and fly backwards toward me offering to double barrel kick me. Home boy was FLYING backward at me. He did this about 7 times, one of the times knocking me into the ground and burning my hand woth the rope.
Would YOU want a horse like that? Would YOU want to come fix this issue?
Better yet… would giving him a pet and a cookie solve his behavior and discourage him from trying to hurt the human and actually listen?
Sit on that for a moment.

I tried everything. This horse normally freely lunges. Atleast… he did with ease when I sold him. I’ll never know where the bad habits and intense fear he experienced be from. All I’m rationally capable of is CORRECTING and TEACHING.

I can be as soft or as firm as the horse requires me to be. Fear and needing to be walked through it is one thing. But being a bully and being unsafe, will NOT be tolerated. Your hinny is gonna get popped. ESPECIALLY when I know what this horse is capable of when he left my barn. I KNOW he knows how to lunge.

If they’re rearing up and striking at me, kicking at me, running me over etc there will be consequences. The different levels depend on how dangerous they are being. And it’s not to offer punishment because I like to do it—it’s to freaking TEACH. “We don’t do that!”

I know I may lose followers for this- and that’s okay. The ones who are busting their ass to also be in the same line of work as me will fully understand. I am all for horses having an opinion, in fact I encourage personality and goofiness and being their own person. What is not acceptable is being dangerous. Have you caught on to this yet?

At the end of the day, these are 1200lb animals that can seriously injure in a split second. If I’m on the edge of a cliff and I ask the horse to move over and they throw a tantrum because of my cue or me asking them to simply step over, we have serious problems. To be in my barn- you have to respond with yes. In these situations- there is no “no” allowed in our vocabulary.

The kicker though— when do you prepare for such situations? Do you wait until you’re met at the edge of a cliff to beg and plead them not to slip or jump off and kill you both? No. Because that’s insanity right??
So.. why wouldn’t I properly prepare my horse BEFORE we get in that situation so they know how to receive my cues? Well.. where does that start? The round pen The arena. The pasture. Anywhere.

I may be ruthless for asking these horses to work in all sorts of weather temperatures but guess what? That’s my damn JOB!!
I don’t have a climate controlled facility to make sure conditions are perfect for these teaching moments so I make do with what I have.
What I can PROMISE— Your horses you send to me are learning, they are growing, they are expected to be model citizens, they are being taught manners, they are being worked, they are getting handled, they are being asked to do hard things. Every day!

That’s the whole reason you’ve enrolled them into training. TO LEARN.
To BECOME something of value.
Not to be tiptoed around and put away when situations get rough.

If you think you can do a better job- I would GLADLY invite you to come spend an afternoon in the heat and you can sweat your ass off for me and ride the horse. Please. Actually. I’d love that.

I’m going to leave this with saying- please understand my heart and soul goes into every freaking horse I put my hands on. I care about their well being immensely. I WANT them to succeed wherever they go. The majority of the public won’t be able to ride like me, or be able to put in the effort and time I put in. So I do- in turn you get to just enjoy your animal when they go home. I love each horse like it’s my own and they get the treatment like they are my own.

**tstarting

07/04/2025

Wishing all of my clients and followers a wonderful Independence Day! Here at FUT, we take patriotism very seriously and celebrate the American grit along with the great sacrifice of all the men, women, and animals who keep our nation free. Home of the free because of the brave 🇺🇸

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
-John Dickinson

07/01/2025

Just another day in paradise 😌

(One day the weather will cooperate to finish our new ring down there)

06/30/2025

Are you looking for flashy? I've got ✨flashy✨

Lilly
DOB: 04/08/2024
Sire: Cat Smart Boonsmal
Dam: Blu Aint Your Color
AQHA Registration Pending

Located in New Freedom, PA

This little filly is all cow horse. Catty, quick as a whip, and smart! Her phenomenal color is just an added bonus. Lilly has been in professional training for several months and knows everything a young horse of her age should. She leads, loads, ties, picks up all four feet, stands for baths and grooming, and is great for the farrier. Lilly also knows her basic ground work such as lunging walk, trot, and canter both directions, yielding the hindquarters, backing, and is started on basic maneuvers such as yielding the shoulders and side passing on the ground. She has worked on desensitizing to tarps and water. She has been ponied from my mare. She is a well rounded yearling with a proper foundation to make an excellent mount in another year or two.

Lilly is listed at 💲6️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for an uncomplicated sale. Continued training and board is readily available because I do not want to see her leave! Video is available upon request.