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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Mark Updike
By Jared Nelson - jnelson@timesleader.net

Taming America's wild Mustangs

90 days to make them rideable

Taming America's wild Mustangs A Princeton man is hoping his participation in a national mustang training challenge will help bring new attention to an underappreciated sector of the equine industry.

Mark Updike, whose Updike Horse Training operation is currently headquarted at CRP Cattle and Farms on Cadiz Road, is one of two Kentuckians participating in the national Extreme Mustang Makeover competition.

Horse trainer Mark Updike works with Gunner, a mustang owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, to get the horse accustomed to human contact. Updike and Gunner are participating in the Extreme Mustang Makeover, a competition designed to spotlight the potential of the country’s feral horse population >>

The event was created by the Mustang Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to bring attention to the nation’s mustangs.

“This event gives the public a unique opportunity to see the results of wild horses becoming trained mounts,” the event’s Web site, www.extrememustangmakeover.com, states.

“The purpose of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is to showcase the beauty, versatility and trainability of the rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the BLM under federal law.”

American Mustangs are feral horses descended from domestic horses that were freed or escaped centuries ago and became free-roaming herds across the U.S.

By the 1800s, an estimated 2 to 5 million feral horses were present in the U.S., according to the Web site.

Wild horses and burros have been federally protected since 1971.

As of February, BLM officials estimated the wild horse population on BLM rangeland at 33,700.

With virtually no natural predators, herd sizes can double every four years or so. As a result, BLM officials said, the agency removes thousands of animals from the range each year to control herd sizes.

Many of those are placed in private care through adoption.

This, Updike said, is where the Extreme Mustang Makeover comes in.

“These horses have been passed over for adoption, because they’re not necessarily pretty or big,” he said.

In the Makeover, 55 trainers from across the U.S. have approximately 90 days to take a mustang and train it for domestic use.

At the end of the training period, the tamed horses are once again put up for adoption in an auction, after their trainers showcase the results of their hard work in a series of skill displays.

“It’s just a fun competition,” he said, “and it’s a great thing to see these wild horses holding their own.

“They really are showing that these horses are just as good as any of these big-time breed horses.”

Updike relocated to Cald­well County from Arizona, and in a search for a training facility, was put in touch with Charles Ray and Jan Phelps, the owners of CRP Cattle & Farms.

The Phelpses recently purchased the former Giannini horse farm and are leasing the stable to Updike.

“They opened the doors for me,” he said.

He provides basic training services for pleasure and trail riding — “problem solving and a lot of tuneups,” he said.

Eight horses are currently in training at the facility, in addition to the mustang in his care.

A full-time trainer since 2004, Updike has developed his own style. “I more or less call it kindergarten for these horses,” he said.

“I end up taking these young horses and building very confident horses, to pair with not-very-confident riders.”

Horses that spook are the cause of many injuries for riders, he said.

The training Updike offers works to “spook-proof” the horses and make them safe for their riders.

“I just want the horses to be calm and gentle,” he said. “I use very gentle techniques.”

The mustang challenge, he said, will involve the same approach, building trust through training. “Trust is a two-way street anchored by respect,” he said.

Updike picked up his mustang, Gunner, from Mississippi and brought him back to the stables Saturday, July 17.

Gunner was captured in July 2006 from a BLM range in Nevada at 6 months old.

From then until now, he has been living in a holding facility.

After the 9-hour trailer ride back to Princeton, Updike put Gunner in the stable’s round pen.

“I sat in a chair in the pen with him for about three hours,” he said, “to let him know I’m not going to hurt him.”

In their first few days together, Gunner is already halter-broke and willing to be led.

But there is much work to do, Updike said.

“They’re wild. They’re not domestic horses, but they become domestic very quickly,” he said.

“He’s doing real well. He’s got a good mind on him.”

Updike works with Gunner in the evenings, five days a week, after spending the day with his customers’ mounts. “My clients come first,” he said.

The 55 adult and 25 youth trainers participating in the Extreme Mustang Makeover will put the results of their training on display in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Oct. 22-24.

<< Updike and assistant Noella Cooper pose with Gunner during a recent training session. Updike has approximately three months to train Gunner prior to the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition.

“You’re going to see what you get,” Updike said. “You’re going to see these young horses doing some pretty phenomenal things.”

Among those horses will be Gunner, and, based on his performance, Updike will be eligible for prize money and a percentage of the auction proceeds.

But money, Updike said, is not the goal.

“If I break even and get my training fees out of this, I’ll be more than happy,” he said.

Updike abandoned a 10-year career in engineering inspection to become a full-time horse trainer.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing what I do.”

He maintains an open barn policy; customers can come watch him work at any time, he said.

Training is available for every breed.

“The bottom line for me is fun and safety,” he said.

“The object isn’t to bully them.
The object is to gain their confidence and trust. By doing that, you get good and safe horses.”

For more information, contact Updike at (270) 365-9498.

Interview sourced from "The Times Leader Online"

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