The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
Issue link: http://thewrangler.uberflip.com/i/1523811
What does it TaKe To be a barreL futuritY trainer? Taking perspectives from north and south, I spoke with Boo Burttschell of Sealy, Texas, and Karson Bradley of Big Piney, Wyoming. We dove into the secrets of success with these two exceptional young trainers and discussed the unique career path of a horse trainer. "It is wonderful and looks really fun, but there is a lot you have to wade through to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not afraid to work very hard, because I know other people are doing it too. When you see people working that hard, you see why the success is there," Burttschell explained. Bradley echoed the sentiment, "You have to work so hard. I spend hours and hours." Burttschell, who grew up attending horsemanship and cowhorse clinics, developed an interest in rodeo. Her desire to be more competitive revealed that she needed the horsepower to keep up with her competition. "I started working for cutting horse trainers and trading lessons for working. That was when I realized I really enjoyed the training part of it. I would get reject cutting horses and get them going around the barrels and sell them. I had a mare and bred her to Firewater Ta Fame and that was my first futurity colt. That sparked something in me and I never quit," Burttschell said. Burttschell could be classified as a professional student of the equine industry. She has worked for cutting, cowhorse, and barrel trainers over the past decade. Burttschell credits her time with industry greats such as Boyd Rice and Ashley Schafer in helping her gain confidence that she could do the job. Burttschell explained how her time in other industries shaped her perspective of a program, "In the cutting and cowhorse deals, there was always a plan. On Sundays, all the cinches and boots were cleaned, things were hung up nicely." A tidy environment helps a trainer focus on their work, but there are also practical reasons to pay attention to detail. "The first thing I do when I catch a horse is check their legs and look them over for anything that needs to be addressed before I take them up to the barn. A sense of urgency is necessary, but taking your time and being diligent is extremely important. I could never say it enough. The professionalism is a game changer," Burttschell stated. Although daily operations may not be particularly exciting, it's crucial to understand what goes into a working equine program. "You have to do it so you know how to run a program. If you've never done it, then how are you going to delegate that to other people in the future? It's so much harder in your own program, because you don't have anyone to micromanage you and you have to do it yourself," Burttschell explained. While working in other equine industries, Burttschell saw the value of a trainer focusing solely on riding horses. With an intern or assistant managing day to day care of the horses and barn operations, a trainer is able to spend more time on horses' backs utilizing their most valuable skills. Burttschell offered sage advice for potential interns, "Go into it not thinking about what you're going to get out of it for yourself. You should always go to work for a trainer with the mindset that you're there to make their life easier, so they can do their best job." On a more philosophical level, she also advised, "Don't take criticism to heart. Don't be emotional. If you're working for someone and they get on you about something, it's not about you as a person and your character. They're trying to teach you something so you can be better. If you're emotional about that, it can get in your way." By Teal Stoll Boo Burtschell Photo Credit: Bee Silva Photography Putting Putting in the in the Work Work