Justin Caylor Colt Starting

We love seeing horses we were blessed to have a hand in go on to succeed in their careers! We are proud of Hynley and Ana and all they have overcome and learned throughout!

✨ Some horses teach you how to ride. Others teach you patience, perseverance, and faith. Ana has taught me all three. ✨

Let me introduce you to SWFtellemshesfuego, aka Ana.

Three years ago, Ana was standing in a field full of unstarted 3 year olds. My mom stopped by, and I took her to look at the horses they still had for sale, hoping I could convince her to buy one. 😂 She pointed to Ana and said how much she liked her, but we didn't need a 3 year old right then.

Or so I thought.

Fast forward to May, when I was completely surprised with Ana's papers and the news that she was mine! My parents had been working behind the scenes to buy her for me, and I couldn't believe it.
The catch? I had never started a horse completely from scratch before then putting them on the pattern.

Thankfully, Justin Caylor stepped in and helped guide us every step of the way to get her started. He rode her, made adjustments, provided weekly help, and gave me plenty of study material to learn from. Then I put the pattern on her.

As Ana started competing, I entered her in a few futurities. She showed promise right away, consistently placing in the 2D. She was young, figuring out where all those long legs belonged, but she kept trying and improving.
Then everything changed.
Just as she was starting to run really well, she colicked and had to undergo colic surgery.
What followed was a long six month journey back to riding. There were plenty of uncertain moments, but Ana never quit.
When she came back, she was ready. Justin took the first few rides on her, and from there she just kept building.
Now, in 2026, everything is finally starting to click. We've been consistently running in the 1D, taking her to rodeos, and watching her step into the horse we always believed she could be. She even clocked a 13.6 at Cowtown!

I'm so excited about her future and the big races we have coming up.

Ana's story is far from over, but one thing is certain...

She is FUEGO. ❤️🔥

Tip for those with yearlings, two-year-olds getting started soon. If you are planning to send your c**t off to a c**t starter, don't saddle it at home "to get it used to it." Don’t overdo the groundwork. Nothing is worse than a c**t that’s been to "desensitize or dull.” All the young horses need is to lead well, handle feet, and load in a trailer. Let your c**t starter do the rest. Most owners mean well by doing groundwork, but often times when done incorrectly, it only gives more work to the c**t starter.

Here are a few tips:

1. Don’t saddle your babies. It's such an important step in the training, and we see people do it incorrectly, causing unnecessary problems for the young horse’s future!

2. Don’t desensitize your c**ts to bags, flags, or logs. If you want to desensitize, desensitize them to YOU. Just touch and brush. I only desensitized a c**t to get him to soften and be curious about scary things. My flag can be used to sensitize and desensitize. That means my c**t will not be dull, stay soft, curious and responsive to cues regardless of what scary things are going on around them....not pulling, not speeding up or slowing down freezing, or losing curiosity. The worst c**ts I’ve worked with are the over-desensitized ones.

The most stressful experiences a horse goes through in life are weaning and getting started under the saddle. Both are life-changing for them and require a HUGE shift in their view of how to get along with people. So as spring is approaching and you are thinking about sending your young horse off, make sure you make wise choices. Pay a little extra for a good c**t starter that will set your babies up for success.

There is nothing worse than when a client says, “All the groundwork is done, he just needs riding.” Trust me when I say less handling is more on babies. I'd rather have one that has never been touched than one that has been imprinted and over-handled. They are not pets because they grow up with that mentality. It just causes more stress and problems for us to undo before we can even start.

Elsabe Hausauer

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Happy "FALSE SPRING DAY in North Dakota!! 😃

📸 Marci Jo Photography

Rowdy and King getting some work in at the stockyard today! **tstarting **tstarter