“ Training him from the ground up has allowed me to create a horse that has all of the buttons that I ’ d like and who has a unique way of going that allows me to do things like riding bridleless or hacking out literally anywhere in a halter .”
Riding him completely tackless for the first time truly was a highpoint for Shelby and one of the most amazing things she has been able to do with a horse . “ Also , looking back at how far he ’ s come and how he ’ s transformed on the outside and inside is truly amazing and a large source of pride for me .”
Some of Shelby ’ s proudest moments and achievements with him have most recently come when the pair started their show career , consistently placing and seeing how much he ’ s improved off property in the show ring . “ Recently , he won his first cooler at a show for High Point Champion . I ’ ve never been so proud , even if it was just a small and otherwise “ easy ” class !”
Ultimately , her goal is to take him as far as he can go . “ He ’ s a beautiful mover and will be an amazing dressage horse . He ’ s also an incredible jumper and I firmly believe he will at least make it to the 3 ’ 6 ” ( 1.15- 1.20m ) ring when he ’ s older , I ’ d like to take him as far as I can and prove that money isn ’ t necessarily needed to get and produce a nice horse .”
She also wants to hit the point where she can ride him bridleless virtually anywhere and fine tune their tackless riding so she has more consistent control riding without anything- even a neck rope ! “ Another goal of mine is to improve our liberty work and have him focusing on lunging without a line and staying with me even when I give away all forms of control . I just want him to continue to flourish and amazing people , doing things I ask of him because he wants to and because of us being a team ; not because he ’ s bitted or bridled or attached to a rope ,” she explains . “ Improving our connection and liberty work is important to me , along with trying to go where we can in the show world . Milo is so special and there are so many quirks and good parts to him that I love .”
“ I think my favourite thing about him is his intelligence . He ’ s so smart which allows him to express himself in ways that are almost human-like . He will literally “ point ” with his nose to where he wants to be scratched when he ’ s itchy and he ’ s also very obvious in telling people when something is bothering him , where it ’ s bothering him and how to fix it . His smarts also bring out a multi-faceted personality . He plays with jollyballs , exercise balls , picks up ropes , plays tag and is just so much fun to be around ,” she laughs .
“ I ’ ve been told a number of times in the past that you need to spend lots of money to get a good competition horse , but Milo has proved everyone wrong . No one ever guesses that he was so cheap , let alone a rescue that used to look like a mess . I ’ ve never taken him anywhere without getting a compliment , most people think he ’ s some fancy show horse that I paid a lot of money for , but in reality he ’ s a bargain basement rescue animal with a sad past .” Her message to people is to take a chance . “ Consider a rescue , they will love you unconditionally and appreciate everything you do for them and they are always out there needing a person . They are awesome , they can do anything , you just need to find the right one for you !”
They say the most difficult horses are the ones that teach you the most and this is certainly proving true for Shelby and Milo . Only bright days lie ahead now for the quirky , little rescue horse . Through hard work , grit , determination and passion for the wellbeing of her horse , Shelby has overcome the odds , she is a true horsewoman and an inspiration to all who know her .