Training a wild horse is different from training one that has been around people since birth. It’s important to be realistic about your expectations, as each horse is unique and will have different needs. Annie MacDermaid, a top trainer with the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Trainer Incentive Program, shares six things you need to successfully train a Mustang and a wild horse:
The public lands where Mustangs roam freely are divided into Herd Management Areas (HMAs) under the supervision of the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM).Look for horses that are curious and show an interest in humans.
MacDermaid has found that different HMA herds tend to have shared characteristics, so when looking for a horse for a for a specific discipline, she keeps the following sources in mind:
For more information, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
Read more: Out of the Wild Part 1: Mustang Matchmaker
This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
Shelley Paulson is an equestrian photographer and filmmaker based in Minnesota. She shares an inspiring look at some of her favorite images and the stories behind them in her new book, Horses, Portraits & Stories, available on Amazon.
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