Perryville teen builds relationship with mustang in advance of contest

This story has been edited to correct the term "lead," used to guide horses.

Asking Jade, a mustang, to walk across a tarp on the ground is more of a daunting task than one might originally think.

Sometimes when Kylee Lukefahr, 15, her trainer, asks Jade to do so, she has to pull on the lead and eventually apply training pressure to just have the horse take a few steps.

Every step makes an unfamiliar, scary crinkle sound. To not be afraid of unfamiliar noise or things is no easy feat for Jade. Lukefahr said the wild horse's instincts tell her to avoid the unfamiliar since she fears it could kill her, and most things in the human world are unfamiliar to her.

A large part of Jade's training is learning that most things she doesn't know and hasn't experienced before are not all bad, especially if Lukefahr is introducing it.

Misty Abbott and Kylee Lukefahr, 15, review the required routine for the competition during a training session at Evans Equestrians in Perryville on Friday, May 21, 2021.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

Jade and Lukefahr have met almost every day since early March to train for the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition run by the Mustang Heritage Foundation in late June. Since the competition is virtual, she plans to record their entry in the same arena they have been practicing in at Evans Equestrians in Perryville.

At this point, Jade can wear a halter, saddle blanket and saddle. She can have her feet touched, picked up and trimmed. She can follow Lukefahr in a walk or trot and do those things in a circle by herself, too. She can back up, move her hips, pivot and sidepass. She can walk across strange surfaces, such as wood or tarps. Some tricks she has learned are bowing, smiling and hugging. She can also load into a trailer. And, overall, she can follow directions.

"She's a really quick learner. I have to only introduce it like once or twice, and then she takes it like a champ." Lukefahr said.

It is a stark contrast to the horse who was shy and hesitant when the two first met almost 90 days ago.

One of the techniques Lukefahr uses, especially in the beginning of training, is to let Jade "freak out" when she gets scared while still not relieving her fear by taking away what scares her.

Kylee Lukefahr, 15, and Jade take a break from crossing the tarp, something Jade does not like to do, during a training session at Evans Equestrians in Perryville on Friday, May 28, 2021.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

Lukefahr also finds that if Jade won't do a movement because of a hesitancy or fear Jade has, Jade will not learn. By applying pressure indicators such as verbal cues or pulling on her lead, Jade will begin to do something she is afraid of, and Kylee will keep the pressure on until Jade does it.

The goal is to have Jade realize there isn't anything to be afraid of, so she learns to accept new things and not react out of fear.

Respect is a big part of their training and relationship too. Lukefahr likes to ask Jade to do things rather than force her.

"I wanted to go more towards getting her where I can move her wherever I want, whenever I want, that kind of stuff. Where we have enough respect for each other, so when I ask, she just goes, 'Okay, fair enough,'" Lukefahr said.

She has helped train multiple mustangs and domestic horses through her time at Evans Equestrians, although never from the ground up like she is doing with Jade. Some were respectful, like Jade, but others were not.

Kylee Lukefahr, 15, tries to rub a plastic bag against Jade so she can teach Jade that strange things aren't harmful at Evans Equestrians in Perryville on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.Sarah Yenesel

"So then if you were to ask people, I'm a little hard on [the horses she trains] because if I asked you to stand here, I want you to stand here, and if you don't stand here, I'm going to make you stand here. That's just kind of the way that I work, just kind of that respect thing. And every single horse that I've messed with comes out good. So I guess I do something correctly," Lukefahr said.

According to the website for the competition and Lukefahr, one of the reasons the Extreme Mustang Makeover exists is to bring attention to the capabilities of mustangs. Lukefahr said that in the equestrian world, mustangs get "a bad rep," which she thinks is why lots of them are in over-crowded holding pens with other mustangs, such as the situation she found Jade in.

Mustangs are seen as undesirable horses to own because they are thought of as very difficult to train. Domestic horses, those with a long lineage of being trained by humans, are seen as the opposite.

"But like [Jade] and Eco, who lives in the other pasture, they like humans. It's a good thing added to their life. And I think that's good to see that mustangs, they are great companions. Like as soon as you gain a mustang's trust, you gain them for life," Lukefahr said.

Lukefahr thinks they have a really good shot in the competition. They are one out of 17 competitors in the youth division, so the way she sees it, she just has to make it to the final 10 to show off their entire capability and talent.

Jade smells the tarp before walking across it while her trainer, Kylee Lukefahr, 15, guides her at Evans Equestrians in Perryville on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

Misty Abbott, Lukefahr's mother, said she is super proud of them and hopes they do well in the competition, but thinks they have already won.

"It's more so not necessarily about who wins or loses, Kylie's already won because she has an amazing horse and an amazing relationship with the horse. And that's what it's about."

Additionally, Abbott said Jade has helped Lukefahr realize her love of horses again after the somewhat recent tough loss of her best friend and beloved horse, Cricket.

"So I think she's kind of won because she just kind of gave me my kid back a little bit," Abbott said.