Honor Scholtes Horsemanship & Mustangs
9935 County Rd 28 K0L1B0 Peterborough, ON, Canada

Pendragon (tag #3595) is officially home in Canada. He’s been enjoying the snow, but he has also figured out to go under the shelter already. Usually they’re a little more tentative about going under it. He’s been incredibly reasonable so far, and it seems like he’s gonna be a really cool horse to work with! Super excited about this boy. Thank you so much Dana Marie for picking him up from Ewing and bringing him home!

I touched the butt Lewis has been doing really well lately, and I’m hoping to have some more videos of him edited and up shortly. I’ve been working on petting further back on him, and today he let me pet all the way to his butt and down to the tops of his hind legs on both sides. Super proud of this big boy!

Nessie’s biggest fan Stephanie Frew Knepp was kind enough to bring out a bale of hay today as a tag removal celebration present for Ness. I think she appreciated it Big thank you from me (and Nessie)! It was great to see you today!

Lewis led outside of the barn for the first time today and did great He was a little unsure about coming out, but he didn’t try to pull away at all and stayed with me despite being nervous (as you can see from his expression in the pics). He even walked through a little puddle with some coaxing. Beyond impressed with this boy! The first time he ever went out of his pen he panicked and pulled the lead out of my hands, so I had to spend some time working on getting him to st...ay with me rather than just run when he was scared. I’ve got a good bit of video of this that I hope to have up soon, as it really shows how picking your spots and timing your asks can make the whole process smoother. While I had to get him to a point where he wouldn’t rip away from me, I managed to do so without ever just fighting it out with him. This way it was less stressful for him, and safer for both of us as there was no rearing, dragging, flipping over etc... that can happen when you just put the pressure on and let them fight. See more

All the mustangs (and domestic rescue Ruger) out together. The total cost of every horse in this picture is $525 U.S. Left to right: Vitani, Sparrow, Hecate, Winnick, Saphira and Ruger

Guess what happened tonight.... Nessie is tag #7809 no more. She’s been pretty tolerant of me lately so I decided to go for it tonight, and besides moving away a few times, she didn’t do anything. She showed no aggression at all while I worked the tag off, and it was really on there. I’ll admit I just about teared up haha, while it hasn’t been that long this is the longest it’s taken me to get a tag off. This girl has made me work for it, and while it may not look like much ...yet, the progress she’s made is astounding. This is one of those moments where it would be easy to throw finally around. What counts as finally though? I see it said all too often, and it makes it apparent what kind of timeline many of these horses are being put on. In actuality I’ve only been working with Nessie for less than two months. In the big scheme of things that’s no time at all, especially for a completely wild horse to learn a whole new way of life (that in many ways goes against their natural instincts). Considering everything that they are being made to adapt to, I feel I owe it to them especially to be compassionate, patient and open minded throughout the gentling process (and in all my training with them after). While I definitely have slip ups, my 20yr old impatience and attitude gets the best of me sometimes, I do try my best to honour these horses and uphold those training ideals. It can be easy to get caught up in things and forget exactly where I started with each of these Mustangs, but sometimes the gravity of it all hits me and I’m struck by how amazing this whole thing is. It’s truly incredible to see the transformation these horses go through, and I’m beyond humbled by the trust each of them has bestowed on me

Pendragon (9yr old gelding gathered from Beatys Butte, OR in Nov 2015) is nearly home! We bought him on the internet adoption way back in January, pre-pandemic. He’s currently at a layover in NY while we finalize paperwork for him to cross the border. We already have 3 mares from Beatys Butte: Hecate, Vitani and Saphira, who’ve all been absolutely amazing to work with. I’ve never had a gelding from Beatys Butte though, and this boy wasn’t gelded until 2018, so I’m excited to start working with him and getting to know him. Thank you so much to Dana Marie for picking him up from the Ewing, IL holding pen, and to Andrea Schwarting Reed for allowing him to layover at Hobby Horse Riding LLC!

Here’s a short compilation of clips from my morning session with Nessie yesterday. I’m really happy to see this girl seeking out connection so often now, and I’m impressed with how much she’s softened since we first started working together. I’m starting to work on petting further back on her now, and so far she’s taking it really well. There’s been some half hearted bite attempts, but it’s just a warning/way of showing her discomfort. It’s certainly not the more concerning, sudden, darting type of reaction that she’d shown in the past. I don’t punish her for it, instead I generally go back to somewhere she’s more comfortable with, before working my way back to the less comfortable area. I won’t back right off when she goes to bite though, as I don’t want her to learn that driving me off is an answer.

Does Lewis not have the sweetest face? He’s an absolute darling. Goes to show that the older Mustangs can be just as (or even more) wonderful to work with. This boy haltered up really nice the first time I put it on last week, but after that he was a little nervous with it. Most likely due to a situation where it was mostly on and then the other horses in the barn spooked, startling him as well. Instead of trying to force him back to that point, I slowed things down. With hi...m progressing so fast there were definitely steps to my regular process that I skimmed over. So I went back to rewarding him for smaller things, like having my hands touch both sides of his face, simulating tying the halter by moving both hands on one side, getting him more used to touch on his off side, rubbing the halter all over etc.. I was worried for a while as we seemed to have lost progress, but taking a step back worked as today he was amazing. He was super calm, and is seeming to start to actually enjoy my presence and touch, rather than just wanting the reward. I haltered him up a few times with no issue, other than him being so relaxed that I had to lean down to tie it with his head basically on the ground I’m seriously loving working with this sweet boy See more

Day 8/9: Lewis wore a halter for the first time! The clicker process may look tedious, but it’s personally been the best way I’ve found so far when it comes to halter training. I haven’t found that any of the horses regress, and they’re all more than happy to be haltered anytime. Super proud of this big guy, it’s truly not often that I have a halter on this quickly. He’s just amazing!

I’m still working on compiling and editing videos of my sessions with her, but here’s a little clip of Nessie from today. I’m really impressed with this girls progress as of late. She’s actually started to walk up to me seeking out attention, and is enjoying some petting. She also hasn’t offered to do anything overly aggressive lately, and I feel that it’s safe enough now to be in her space a little more (and to go in with without a stick). The transformation these Mustangs go through is truly remarkable to see, especially with one who started out like Nessie did!

Day 6 (pretty well 5 as I didn’t really work with him on Tuesday) and the tag is off! Lewis is a 13yr old gelding who was gathered from Devils Garden, CA. He has been incredibly easy going and sensible. He wasn’t really nervous, but didn’t have much interest in me at the start so I’ve been using clicker training with him. I don’t usually introduce it so early in their training, but he’s level headed enough that I figured it should work well with him. Second oldest Mustang I’ve worked with as of yet, and he’s definitely in the top 5 for easiest so far.

There has been a lack of updates lately due to me being laid up with a broken foot for the last few weeks. I had an unfortunate incident with one of the horses here, where she spooked and lost her balance which resulted in her landing on my leg/foot. The mare is all good, and I’m off crutches now so it shouldn’t be too long until I can get back to working with the horses more I’m going to be missing this girl though! She’s a 9yr old BLM Mustang mare gathered from Warm Spring...Continue reading

Love this. I’ve met/seen so many horses who could do any number of manoeuvres, but did them all with a level of anxiety or panic. I’ve come to kind of resent the idea of everything having to be instantaneous with horses (which doesn’t bode well for me when it comes to showing but ). I’d much rather have my horses think through the maneuver, then follow through calmly and mindfully, than react instantly as they scramble to comply before they’re punished for being too slow. I was once told that when teaching the backup the horse should eventually move so fast that they were basically trotting backwards. At the time I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but now I can’t figure out why that level of obedience (actually fear) would ever be something to strive for...

Meet Mocha! She’s a 5yr old Thoroughbred x Rocky Mountain Horse. She will be spending about 30 days with me to be restarted under saddle and hone her groundwork skills. This girl is just the sweetest! Thank you to her owner for letting me work with your lovely girl!

Everyone meet the new TIP Challenge Mustangs! They are currently staying with Stacy Garner in PA until transport and paperwork can be set up/finished. Thank you so much for looking after them in the meantime Stacy! Pics 1&2: tag #8060 5yr old mare gathered from Snowstorm Mountains, NV. I don’t have much info on her personality, but so far I’m liking the vibe I’ve gotten from her pictures! She is my partner for the 2020 PA TIP Challenge, and she WILL be available after the Ch...allenge. I know I’ve said it before but I’m serious this time! Morro really was supposed to go like I said, but unlike me, most people don’t love horses who try to kill them (though Morro is great with me now). So if you, or anyone you know, is interested please let me know. I’m more than happy to provide training updates and/or have someone over to watch or participate a bit in her training. Pics 3&4: tag #6131 12yr old gelding gathered from Devils Garden, CA. He’s my partner for the 2020 Devils Garden Challenge. He will be the first Devils Garden Mustang I’ve ever worked with, and also the oldest Mustang I’ve ever had, so I’m really looking forward to meeting this boy! He will also be available after the Challenge. Pic 5: tag #7809 5yr old mare from Snowstorm Mountains, NV. This girl is Petrie’s partner for the PA TIP Challenge. Looking forward to watching her glow up once we get some groceries into her! We can’t wait to meet the new arrivals

Meet Ember, she’s a 4yr old Morgan mare who was dropped off today to spend some time here for gentling. Isn’t she stunning!? I can’t wait to get to work with this girl. Thank you to her owner for entrusting me with her for a while.

We just got back from dropping Rumi off at her new home While it’s hard to part with the Mustang’s, she really did find the perfect home. This bold little filly didn’t even bat an eye at all the new things. I swear she walked off the trailer like she owned the place, and I think she’s already the boss of her new 29yr old pasture mate Can’t wait to hear about all of her adventures with her new person! While I’m posting about Rumi, I wanted to let everyone know that Boon al...so found his perfect fit a few weeks ago. It was hard to let this guy go, as he was my first horse I bought and raised myself. I spent a LOT of time with him, watched him grow up, and made many good memories with him. However, his new owner clearly loves him already and has the time to really appreciate him. He’s got lots of buddies in his new home, and is fitting in very well. Thank you as well to Heather Young for giving this guy such a great start! I’m glad to have had the chance to work with such an awesome horse! See more

This is why I’m so adamant about taking the time it takes with these horses. If you take the time they need, the bond you build with them is incredible. I won’t lie, I don’t always keep my patience, I can be temperamental and that’s no help when it comes to horse training. I lost my patience with this guy a few times, and every time I felt horrible afterwards, as I KNEW that if I just took my time eventually he’d be amazing. As you can see here, the wait was worth it because ...he’s a sweetheart now. Anyone who’s followed Morro’s journey from the start, knows what he started out like, and how upset he was by even just my presence in the beginning. The other day we turned him out in the big field for the very first time, I’ve felt like he was ready for a while but I wanted to keep him in as a buddy for Syren for a bit. Even when he was excitedly stretching his legs in all the new space, he still kept stopping close by to check in. It might not look like much, but it was a really important moment for me here. Despite having a huge pasture and other horses to go to, he came right to me when I approached Moments like this are why Mustang training has become such a passion for me.

Spent some time with my boy this evening I also took a picture after his trim, as I wanted to show the comparison between that and the pictures I took after I trimmed him back in May. He’s been getting really good about holding his back feet for me too (it was a real challenge for him to be okay with me even touching his back end, which means getting him comfortable enough to let me pick up his hind feet has taken a while), so hopefully I can properly trim them soon. Until then we do have rocks in there for him to do some self trimming on. So impressed with how far this boy has come!

Yesterday marked one year since these three Mustang’s arrived and started their gentling journey. Remus, Cole and Syren have all become completely different hor...ses in both mind and body. Remus in particular had an incredible transformation. I nearly left this guy at the pen because I was worried he wouldn’t be able to handle the haul from Illinois to Ontario. We ended up coming to the conclusion that his best shot was to come home, and I’m so thankful that we did. He had a lot to overcome: being emaciated, having an injured front leg, turning out to be only 2 not 3yrs old and (as we found out when the vet came out to x-ray his legs) having an OCD lesion in his left hock (thankfully the other legs were clean). He’s been sound on that hock so far, but the option of surgery is there if we decide he’s going to be a light riding horse in the future. Despite all this (and with just over 60 days of handling), he was able to become the winner of the first PA TIP Challenge, do a freestyle completely at liberty and win the open trail class with Petrie Scholtes handling him. I’m so grateful that I was able to get this incredibly special guy. Syren and Cole are also doing great. Cole has become an absolute sweetheart, and has settled so much in the last year. He’s not nearly as flighty as before, loves cuddles, is easy to handle and is a great buddy for our rescue Mustang with a lot of trauma. Syren was about as wild as they come but she’s also settled a lot throughout the year. A few months into our gentling I could tell she just wasn’t ready, so I turned her out with the herd (kept an eye on her feet but they self trimmed well on the stones) and let her get more used to people that way. Now that I have some time, and she’s relaxed quite a bit, I have her in a paddock with Morro so I can pick her training back up without all the assistance from her other pasture mates lol. Though she has a way to go, she has become really sweet and truly WANTS to be with people, which is a huge improvement from before. I’m so lucky to be able to work with these incredible Mustangs, and to be able to watch their transformation first hand. Sometimes it’s hard to believe they’re the same horses I started with! Thank you to all those who support my work with them, and make it possible for me to do this.

I hesitated to share this as it’s very far from refined but I figured it’s good to share the not so polished stuff too. I decided to film a couple classes with Amalthea last month for the American Competitive Mustang Club. Unfortunately this happened to be right after she’d had quite a long break due to quarantine, and at the same time that we had a heat wave (So Thea being Thea, wanted to expend even less energy than usual lol). I knew it wouldn’t be perfect, so I decided ...we’d try it at liberty because why not. Despite our poor placing, I was impressed that she stuck with me through the whole course. I’m planning to take a bit of a break from shows so I can get some of the horses going nicely again, then try showing again after that. Hopefully this way I can avoid some of the frustration and stress that I feel when trying to show, and can make sure I’m as fair to my horses as possible.

Morro out grazing on the grass the other day. This is the first time I’ve led him outside of the round pen and his paddock (other than when we moved him to that paddock, but that was more him following Llyr than being led). He still has some sass, but has become such a sweetheart. Still has his moments, but I can hardly believe he’s the same horse I got back in December. He’s a great example of why taking your time with these horses is important. When I took him out he was h...esitant about the gate for a while, but then calmly walked through. Once he realized he was outside of the pen he had a moment were he froze and started to panic though. I kept relaxed, reassured him and he quickly settled back into a worried but fairly calm state. He became slightly fearful a time or two after that, but each time he looked to me and calmed back down when I reassured him. Taking the time to build his confidence and his trust in me has been essential for working on his ability to come back down from a heightened state of fear. It often builds a sort of fail safe where, when the horse is uncertain, they look to you and assess your reaction rather than going straight to flight. I’m not saying it will always go well, I’m sure if Morro was scared enough he would still bolt, but it’s much easier to help a horse work through something if you’re a comfort to them rather than just another thing that they’re fearful of. See more