The wild horse population has been on the minds of concerned residents as the lack of food and water worsens. A push for a solution has one group of young women stepping up to the corral to show the Grand Circle area that saving wild and abandoned horses can be done.

Horse whisperers Jessica Shorthair, Jessie Yniguez and K.C. Johnson started the Border Towns Horse Company with hopes of making a difference using a bit of patience and a whole lot of love, one horse at a time.

Their story began with two of the Border Towns’ partners, Shorthair and Yniguez, participating in the Arizona Wild Mustang Tip Challenge. Yniguez won Challenge last year (2017) and Shorthair took second this year in Gilbert, Ariz.

The Challenge sets a 100-day time frame to gain the trust of the wild mustang they chose to adopt. Once trust was established they each trained their mustang for a show of skills competition with other participants.

Meeting their adopted wild mustang was a turning point for both of them and the foundation for a non-profit rescue organization began to form. Shorthair realized they had not only given their mustangs a second chance at life but she also realized a second chance could be given to all horses and burros in need.

By using the training theory she practiced with her mustang, Arrow, she knew the horses and owners were capable of more than they had been given credit for.

“I used a slower approach. There was no stress involved. I waited till she accepted me and then it was easy to work with her because I had that trust.” recalled Shorthair.
The stress-free approach of Arrow’s training was, in part, due to the Florence Prison’s Wild Horse Inmate Program used where Arrow had been held five years prior to Shorthair adopting her. The WHIP program brings the wild mustangs to the prison to gentle them enough for adoption. The WHIP program uses flags, yelling and chasing them into a chute comparable to the way cattle is herded which is their first impression of human interaction.

Sadly many mustangs reside there for years under the stressful conditions until adopted. The equine mind, however, is capable of higher intelligence and deeper emotions and though the Florence program has a success rate of its own defhorses that have experienced that stress or worse with a more gentle approach. They will provide them with a second home until they can find ‘a forever home’. This chance is extended to all kinds, such as; “three strikes” horses, retired rodeo horses, wild mustangs or orphaned ponies found starving due to drought and the old burro in need.

Animals labeled with “three strikes” need to be saved from termination. The three-strikes horses require their attention first for health reasons because they have been mistreated or malnourished because a former owner or handler felt the horse no longer had a need. The Company makes it a priority to bring the weight back up and exercise them until they are ready to begin training, which is crucial to bonding with the horse.

One of the goals of the Company is to hold tip and trail challenges for wild horses from the Grand Circle, specifically the Tuba and Gap area.

 “My mom, Jessie and I were wondering if we could round them up. All these places have an abundance of horses… and there is not enough for them to do out there, so the horses are growing wild,” said Shorthair. “We want to figure a way set up those horses for a mustang challenge. But we are not just going to throw a wild mustang to the people who sign up and say ‘see you in 90 days’. We want to help them through the journey and offer support through it all.”

The Company Experience
Norma Tsinnijinnie was impressed after she met the ladies of the Border Towns Horse Company for a demonstration.

 “They say wild mustangs are the ‘Heart of the West,’” said Tsinnijinie. “They have so much history and life, I mean, you can never really tame a horse and sometimes you wish you had that kind of energy in you. I saw that energy in those young ladies.”

Tsinnijinnie witnessed a rare approach to bonding with the animals that she had not seen anybody else accomplish with wild or traumatized horses.

The three women introduced an alternative to saving equines by translating the horse whisper to help others find a bond with rescued horses at their boarder. Tsinnijinnie adds the most impressive part of her experience was, “their interaction with the horses uses a lot of body language rather than talking. They used the expressions on the face and the way the body moves towards the horse.

“They travel all over the U.S. to save these horses. They are constantly working with them on a day-to-day basis, one on one.”

Tsinnijinnie and her husband both tried the training clinic where they immediately felt welcome and humbled by the program. They began with technique games and “how to lead challenges” before they were introduced to the horses. Then they met the horses for the first time and spent another 30 minutes learning how to train the horses to respond to them.

“My husband has never been on a horse and he was able to get the horse to lie down. We both didn’t want to leave. The way they run their boarder is awesome.

“I own horses, and horses and mustangs have been misperceived. I was taught never to mistreat a horse; they have their own prayers and songs of protection. As a Navajo I have a higher respect for animals and, with that mindset, I cannot see how to give a horse three strikes. Horses are like children; they require time, lots of patience; you can’t yell or whip them and expect them to do what you want.” Tsinnijinnie says. “You have to be soft enough, yet strong enough to let them know you are training them. There are no bad horses.”

The BTHC believes that every horse still has life in them and they take that belief to a new level by proving it. Starting a boarder and training clinic is the first milestone for a larger impact.

“When I was living on the rez with my husband, so many people had questions about how to work with wild horses” says Shorthair.

Those questions became the seeds of action.

“I think the [Navajo Nation] should try a free clinic or to figure out how to get a vet to help with the teeth and shots. When I heard [teeth care] is a three-month class I was like, `Right on, I’m going to do it.”

Setting up shop is the top project for now. However, the fledgling non-profit’s major obstacle is finding steady funding for their passionate cause.

“I really think we can really make a difference with the company. It’s hard to say what we are going to do first because we are still new but we hope to make a difference in the commercial horse business.”

For more information on the Border Towns Horse Company check out their website or Facebook page. To experience a training session or schedule a visit call J.C at 435-899-0654 for a unique experience.