Appalachian
Trainer Face Off: An Interview with Devin Young
by Gina
McKnight
No duplication with permission
The
proprietor of Painted Lady
Ranch, Somerset, Ohio, Devin Young is an up-and-coming name in the world of
horses. She is a trainer, riding instructor, mentor, and much more. Recently, she
was accepted into the Appalachian Trainer Face Off, a 100-day competition where
rescue horses are assigned a trainer. After the 100 days, horses and trainers compete
for top honors. Horses are rehomed and trainers receive kudos for their accomplishments.
It’s a tough challenge! I met up with Devin and we talked about the Face Off…
Welcome,
Devin!
GM:
We are excited that you are a participant in the Appalachian Trainer Face Off.
What prompted your application and what was the application process?
DY:
The 2019 Appalachian Trainer Face Off is the 3rd year of the training
competition, the last two years I was very interested in applying, but it
wasn’t the right time for me. This year I had seriously considered it multiple times
but wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to apply still until another trainer, who
is also in the competition, encouraged me to do it which I took as a sign to
follow through and apply. I couldn’t be happier that I did as this has been a
unique and rewarding experience.
There’s
an application process which includes information about ourselves, our
experience with horses and why we believe we would be a good fit for the face
off. As well, we were asked to send in videos of personal horse and a client
horse to show our skills and training methods. We also needed to provide
several references including vet, farrier, clients, personal references and
peer references. The last piece for my application I sent in was a video and
several photographs of my facility and property so Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue knew
the horses would be safe and have quality care and management.
GM:
Once you were accepted, how were horses assigned?
DY:
Heart of Phoenix announced the selected trainers May 1st, later information was
sent explaining how horse selection and pickup worked. On May 15th all of the
trainers drove to meet at Winfield riding club in West Virginia and each
trainer was a given a raffle ticket. The corresponding ticket was placed in a
bucket and the founder of Heart of Phoenix, Tinia Creamer pulled tickets
blindly and whenever the trainer’s ticket number was called, we chose our
horse. This was a bit tricky as before the tickets were drawn each horse was
ran into the round pen for all the trainers to view and many of us were making
lists of our top choices. As tickets were drawn some horses were picked so I
had to move down my list. I personally started with a list of horses I liked
then before we started choosing me and my husband discussed them and rated
them. Luckily, I got my second pick and am more than happy that I was able to
bring Cherry home.
GM: Cherry
is a beautiful mare (I’ve been watching your progress!). Are you happy with the
horse you were given?
DY:
Cherry was my number two choice, so I am in fact quite satisfied with her. She
has turned out even better than I could have expected. Cherry is a 6-year-old
chestnut quarter horse cross mare that seized in a severe neglect case in Ohio.
She was living in a very small area with 3 other horses, fortunately for her
she made it out alive unlike the other 3. Cherry has one of the most amazing
personalities and dispositions of any horse I’ve has the pleasure of working
with. Cherry Pie is affectionate, sane, and so intelligent (almost to a fault
haha). She faces challenges head on with a steady mind and doesn’t become
flustered easily, I believe this is mainly due to the trauma she’s been
through, yet we have molded that into something useful for her to become a good
citizen. Cherry is a bit quirky as she is almost more like a puppy than a
horse. She is constantly demanding attention and kisses. Cherry is known best
for her smile she gives constantly especially if there’s a treat in your
pocket.
GM:
Bringing Cherry back to your ranch, it probably took her a couple of days to
settle in. What training methods do you use to start a horse?
DY:
When we first arrived with Cherry, we put her in the round pen to acclimate to
her surroundings as from there she is able to see the majority of the property
and the other horses that are in the pasture. Every horse is different and due
to that I tailor my training methods based on the horse’s mental state is as
well as their learning style. With the time frame given we went right to work
the following day and to my surprise Cherry offered quite a bit that first day,
so we made quite a bit of head way immediately. The first day with her
specifically, and with all of my training horses I work them in a rope halter
with a long lead. Cherry I knew had an issue with personal space, so we started
working on backing up and coming off the halter, from there I did several other
ground work exercises that help set some basic boundaries that translate to all
aspects of her life and training. I also introduced desensitizing objects in
the first day to gauge her reaction and how quickly she was able to realize the
object wasn’t meant to hurt her and to test her tolerance for what she was
going to be open to, if I needed to scale back and go slower or if she was
quickly able to discern this as non-harmful and continue on. Considering how
smart she is I wanted to see if she would allow me to show her the saddle which
quickly and easily ended up with her being saddled and lunged the first day
with no qualms. Typically, once I’m able to get a horse saddled a few times
with no reaction and desensitize them to the noises of the saddle I will work
on putting weight in the saddle. Some horses don’t care at all and I can get on
the first day, some take a few days to feel the weight and get used to it
without fully sitting in the saddle. Cherry was quite easy to start; it took a
few days of practicing putting weight in the stirrups before getting on and
that went extremely well. From there it’s just keeping forward motion on the
horses, not knit picking them and lots of praise/ rewards. Of course, as they
progress there’s a whole other side to training that would take a lot more
writing and time to discuss.
GM:
How has Cherry progressed? What has been her main stumbling blocks? What are
her main assets?
DY:
Cherry has progressed rather smoothly and with a lot of ease for the most part.
Her biggest stumbling blocks have mainly come from her learning to deal with
her trauma. She was almost closed off when she came in just completely shutting
out what had happened to her. At some point in our training that started to
bubble up, so she needed to learn how to work through it and deal with it. With
lots of positive reinforcement training and turnout with the other horses she
has been able to start healing and continue progressing. Everything about
Cherry is an asset! She’s willing, loving, has a huge personality, works hard
without much guff (she is a red mare after all), and learns quickly! She’s a
little too smart for her own good as she can figure out if you forgot to latch
the gate or if you’re zoning out riding, she will stop. She’s by far one of the
neatest horses I’ve trained and with her outgoing personality and willingness
she will be able to go in several directions and be open to new adventures. I
can’t forget that Cherry adores children. We have had a few kids on her, and my
4-year-old is her main caretaker at this point; feeding, turning her out, hand
grazing, applying fly spray and so on.
GM:
With the Face Off ending the end of August, what are your expectations for the
upcoming sale? Where would you like to see Cherry at the end of the event?
DY:
My main expectation is that I will be able to do my best as her trainer and
partner to show the potential in her in front of everyone. I am not as
concerned about placing and winnings as I am with doing my due diligence to
prepare her and let her shine. At the end of the event I would like to see
Cherry finish each part of the competition confidentially and comfortably.
Mainly, I would LOVE to see Cherry be adopted by someone who will continue with
her brilliant mind and enjoy her every bit as much as I do. I’d love to be
handing her off at the end to her new partner(s) knowing she and I did
everything we could to positively represent her, Heart of Phoenix and rescue
horses.
GM:
Will you participate again next year?
DY:
I have enjoyed this experience so much that I have given thought to applying
again next year. I’d say it’s highly likely I will send in my application for
2020.
GM:
Do you have advice for next year's trainers who are looking to participate in
the Face Off?
DY:
The best advice I can give those wanting to compete in this competition or
others similar is to not focus on the timeline, don’t think about the money or
the marketing or any of that. Focus on your horse and what they need. If it
takes more or less time that’s fine, do right by your horse and chip away at
progress. Don’t compare yourself to other trainers. Each of us have our own way
of training, each of us have a different horse who came from different
circumstances. The goal is to help your horse be the best they can be, it will
come. “Take the time it takes, so it takes less time.”
GM:
Overall, Devin, what have you derived from this experience and how has it
helped you grow as a trainer?
DY:
I mainly wanted to do this competition not only to help these horses who have
been disadvantaged but to challenge myself as a trainer. I wanted to learn more
and find the holes in my own education and help myself grow as a person and a
Horse Woman. The biggest take away I have learned from this experience is to
always put the horse first no matter the time frame, no matter the
circumstances. By putting the horse first, you learn more about them
personally, you’re not just putting them through the paces of your training
program. At times during the competition I felt the weight of the 100 days
closing in or didn’t believe we were far enough but focusing on my horse’s
needs and what she can mentally and physically handle is the most important
part of all of this, as from here she will go on to a new family to be a
successful citizen.
Connect
with Devin…
Gina
McKnight is a freelance writer from Ohio, USA. gmcknight.com
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