Jumping Bean Mustangs LLC

05/11/2026

Pepi has a farrier appointment coming up, so in addition to working on her patience with hoof handling, we are working on oral med administration through cooperative care. She has the option to walk away and leave the training. I dipped an empty syringe into molasses, so when she does get it in her mouth, it’s nice and tasty! She picked it up so fast 🥰

05/04/2026

Well! This girl definitely brought the chaos for a bit but it seems like she’s finally settling in and on the right path 🤞🏼. A few weeks after I got her, she had an explosive reaction to me pulling her away from grass with the intent to put her in a grassy pasture. Long story short, she landed 2 kicks on me and left me with a pretty neat scar. I was lucky to have only torn a little muscle in my calf and walked away with some bruising.

Since then, we changed up her management to be completely through protected contact. Any touches or scratches are entirely up to her, and she does ask for them! Working with her through protected contact not only keeps us safe from her reactions, but it can also help her feel safer. Her reactions stem from anticipation of pain from touch. Slowly but surely, she’s coming around and calming down! She still has her moments, but overall, she’s showing a lot of improvement.

This week, we started working on verbal cues for walk, trot, stop, and various body targets. I’m really enjoying watching her finally enjoy her time with us and not be so quick to defend herself.

Go Peps!!

03/14/2026

Snow day 💜

03/12/2026

Well, it’s been a crazy week to say the least 😂. Last week, I was called for a consultation of this mare’s behavior. She was described as volatile and dangerous. During the consultation, I could see a horse wanting to engage but highly insecure and nervous. She’s quick to react and has some BIG feelings.

A few days and conversations later, she ended up with me at Sound Stables PNW. So here’s a warm welcome to the newest member of the herd, Pepi! My first goal with her is to help her be comfortable with handling so that she’s safe to be around. After that, I will evaluate her under saddle training, as she’s been under saddle since she was 3, then we’ll determine her next steps.

I’m so excited to start working with her more. She’s a really special mare with a lot of potential and a LOT of emotions.

02/20/2026

Kota’s “under saddle” training is progressing beautifully! He’s been trained mostly ba****ck and bridleless with the occasional ride in his halter.

During groundwork, I taught him verbal cues for walk, trot, woah, left, and right. Now we have gas, brakes, and steering while riding! I can’t explain how proud this big guy makes me.

Side note: he’s MASSIVE and I can’t get over it. Here’s hoping he’s done growing 😂😭

02/19/2026

About a year ago, I came out to this farm to meet this mustang who was having a hard time with hoof care. He would pick up his foot, then he would paw and get overstimulated. He was unable to see the farrier without sedation. With time, patience, and +R training, I am now able to pick up and clean all 4 feet as well as trim and rasp his fronts at liberty. This makes life easier for Boon, our farrier, and his owner!

01/29/2026

💜

This is a space for curious trainers and anyone who values thoughtful, ethical training. Together, we explore evidence-based insights and real-world inspiration.

And yet it also feels wrong for us not to acknowledge what is going on in the United States, as, together, citizens and non-citizens have been demonstrating against the activities of federal immigration agents in their communities, and these agents' repeated pattern of extreme force, violence, and intimidation.

But what does this have to do with animal training, some ask? Everything. The laws of learning and behavior change are universal and apply to humans as well. Moreover, the well-being of animals is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of their people and the safety of the community that surrounds them.

We know that fear-based methods erode trust, damage relationships, and lead to further fallout. We know that force and intimidation may suppress behavior in the moment, but they create anxiety, unpredictability, and breakdowns.

The enforcement actions we're seeing, the use of overwhelming force, the climate of fear, the unpredictability, mirror exactly what we've moved away from in animal training because we know it doesn't work. Not ethically. Not effectively.

This isn't just about principles aligning with our methods. It's about the people in our communities, our clients, our neighbors, our fellow humans, who deserve the same compassion, safety, and dignity we advocate for on the other end of the leash.

As trainers, we understand behavior change. We ask: what sets the occasion for that behavior? What are the reinforcers? What can we change in the environment if we want to change that behavior? These questions are the foundation of how we approach change, whether we're working with a reactive dog or confronting systemic problems in our communities.

So, we will continue doing what we do: connecting with the ideas, principles, and people that ground us in compassion, evidence, and effective change. We'll keep using our understanding of behavior to work toward the world we want to see. And we encourage you to do the same, in whatever way feels right and possible for you.

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Resources our team has found helpful:
https://bit.ly/49YXaEu
https://bit.ly/4t6CqDm
https://bit.ly/49YXbZ4
https://bit.ly/4bXeLza

01/21/2026

Today, I introduced Kota to tires. This is not how I expected things to go, but I love seeing what he comes up with to get through obstacles 😂 clever guy

01/13/2026

Last week, I set a goal for this horse to be on trails by the summer. I did not expect that goal to be reach within a week! Cross consistently exceeds all of my expectations, and I’m so proud to be his trainer!

01/09/2026

I’m so proud of Cross today! This was our first ride in the arena AND with reins. When he came to us last year, he was incredibly traumatized, to the point that he even charged at me once for trying to take an empty feeder. Saddling and riding was entirely out of the question after our first attempt, though he had been previously started under saddle. His reactions were so explosive that it was impossible to ask him to do any of the things he was made to do in the past.

We took a slow approach to get him back under saddle. I counter conditioned the different aspects of riding through rewards based training. Most of his training has been at liberty, including my first sits on him. I’m no longer seeing the same energy we saw. He’s a completely different horse than the one that walked off the trailer.

This is the power of science based training. 💜