No Halter, No Bridle, No Ropes – Horse Training Has Never Been This Beautiful!

When Madison Shambaugh picked up her latest mustang, she decided to challenge herself. She wanted to see if she could go a week without haltering or using any physical restraints (including bridles, saddles, and any kind of rope attached to her). She thought of it as an experiment and the results are beautiful.

On her Facebook page she wrote,
“My experiment yielded results beyond imaginable and now I am sharing them with you all. I am calling this method the “Liberty Start.” Its purpose is not to avoid any type of guidance with halters, bridles, etc, but rather to smooth the transition horses go through in learning to live in the human world. My conclusions are this: Refraining from physical restraints and rather, allowing the horse to accept humans in a way that honors their bodies and free will is incredibly effective at making this transition. And not only is it powerful for the horse, but it is also powerful for the humans engaged in the process, opening up a wealth of opportunity for healing programs, such as U.S. vets, sexual abuse victims, etc. Of course, I will continue to apply this method to other horses to further test its effectiveness across personalities, etc… but it is important to note “Amira,” was not an easy mustang to gentle. She did not want anything to do with humans at first; which makes the fact that she decided to accept me by her own free will all the more rewarding. Furthermore, it is important to note, as stated in the video, that Amira is a “3 strike” BLM mustang, meaning she has been passed over in 3 adoption events and was sale eligible. No one believed in her; no one saw her potential for greatness… But I did.”

The video below is Amira after just one week of training.

This video is so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Madison continued to write,

“Imagine if we could all believe in these mustangs. Imagine if we could see the potential inside of each one of them. Imagine if we could see that the mustangs are not all that different from us; They have experienced hardships & pain. They have been rejected. Imagine if we could humble ourselves enough to try one thing every day we’ve never done before. Imagine if we could believe in the impossible…Because just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Impossible is an opinion, held by those who do not wish to seek more. Impossible is potential…to grow in extraordinary ways. And perhaps if something is said to be impossible, it just hasn’t been imagined yet.

Discover what’s possible!!! Believe in the American Mustang…Believe in yourself…And believe in your dreams!”

Thank you Madison Shambaugh for sharing this amazing story with us. Share this on Facebook if you love reading stories like this!