Claire Walsh- Mustang Trainer

My love for horses began when I first read the Black Stallion. Afterwards, I visited the wild mustangs at an offsite adoption and fell in love. By age 12, I was volunteering to pay off my riding lessons. A few years later, I worked to earn my first horse! My primary teacher has always been the horse and in those first few months my mare, Smart Little Montana, taught me many invaluable lessons.

At the age of 16, I was selected to train for the youth division of the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, TX. I had never trained a wild horse before. In May 2015, I was randomly assigned a tall, scrawny bay gelding that would change my life. I named him Dare to Dream ("Dream"). Under the guidance of my mentor, we trained nearly everyday pushing through each obstacle including the loss of a friend. One hundred and twenty days later, we completed a freestyle performance partially at liberty and placed third overall in the Extreme Mustang Makeover. However, our journey was far from over. We went on to compete in several events including the San Antonio Stock Show and Texas 4H State Show. We won the Mustang Open in 2016 after accomplishing our goals of a bridleless performance. "Dream" has inspired me to promote the 45,000 mustangs remaining in holding. Aside from shows, we perform demonstrations to raise awareness for the plight of the Mustang. I have also trained through Mustang Heritage Foundation's Trainer Incentive Program gentling mustangs for adoption.

My goal has always been to learn from the mustangs when training and caring for them. After the makeover, I dove into learning about the mustangs and creating a natural environment for them to excel in. With the help of Green Horse Organics, I have been able to accomplish this.

In the future, I hope to continue to develop as a trainer and participate in the Trainer Incentive Program and Extreme Mustang Makeover promoting the adoption of America's wild horses. I have studied Madison Shambaugh's methods for a successful relationship without the use of ropes and will continue to train under her. We welcone Claire and her many talents and intense love of Mustangs to our Natural Horse Family. She will be a wonderful Ambassador and teach us many lessons on Mustangs as well as natural horse care.