Shooting Horsemanship

Shooting Horsemanship

 

Kenda Lenseigne - One of the game’s top shooters is also a trainer.

 

Sometimes, mom knows best. Just ask champion mounted shooter Kenda Lenseigne. When she was just a kid, she got her first bought horse (with a price tag of $75): “It was really an un-broke nag, and I was so disappointed. My mom told me that it was up to me to ‘make her into something,’ and looking back, I really appreciate that she had me take that hard road. It taught me how to make a good horse.”

 

Kenda has kept that in mind over the years. In fact, she’s never bought a horse that was already finished. Lenseigne puts her stamp on every horse that comes through her Hunter Creek Ranch operation.

 

Background

Kenda is a Washington State native who’s always been around horses. As an infant, she rode with her mom. At age 2, she got her first pony, then competed in various disciplines throughout her childhood and teenage years.

 

They start them early in the Evergreen State.

 

After high school, Kenda worked at cutting horse ranches in California and Texas. She was first turned on to mounted shooting in 1998. That year, she won the World Ladies Limited Championship and the Reserve World Champion Cowgirl title. And since then, she’s been one of the top riders in the history of Cowboy Mounted Shooting—man or woman.

 

The Approach

Kenda has a three-pronged approach to her training philosophy. “The first is to develop trust and to learn the personality of the horse, which is the mind part. The second is the body, which is getting the horse fit and balanced on both sides. And third, bringing mind and body together to develop a responsive and polished teammate.”

 

And each prong includes a reward system for the animal. Achievement has to be recognized and encouraged.

 

It’s an approach that requires patience—not just from Kenda, but also from the horse owner. “There’s no 30 day miracle,” she says. “We have to build a foundation, and that takes time.”

 

The Foundation

There are two different scenarios. One is starting colts, or buying a new horse; the other is taking outside horses to train for other people. For the former, the foundation starts with selection. “I look for athletic ability; conformation; bloodlines; heart; a trainable mind; something that is sound and built to last.”  Outside horses are “‘as is,’ meaning, you take them as they come to you and make them from there.”

 

The second building block in the foundation is evaluation. What is the horse’s physical condition? “You wouldn’t expect Lance Armstrong to just wake up one morning and go win a race. He has to be conditioned for it. And so do the horses in mounted shooting. To expect a horse to use itself efficiently, it must have the strength and muscle memory. Most people don’t realize that this strength needs to be built, just like with human athletes. I also ask if the horse is current on its dental work. A horse that is hurting in the mouth will not give properly in the bridle.”

 

Then there is the animal’s background: “I determine what the horse already knows. Some horses I take in for training have never seen the four walls of an arena while others have never been out of the arena to experience the real world. Both may have the same end goal, but each is handled with a different approach.”

 

After the evaluation is made, then the individual training regimen is mapped out.

 

The Process

For the most part all of the horses Kenda trains start off the same way—circles to teach balance and proper use of the front and hind quarters. “It is crucial to go both directions an equal amount of time for balance and efficient use of both sides.” And collection: “I challenge new horses to see how small of a circle they can lope without breaking the gait. If a horse is worked ‘slow and small,’ they will generally keep themselves gathered, even at speed.” 

 

After that, the horse is fine-tuned to respond to the rider and can move on to the next step, adding direction changes and transitions and rate, which are all components of a mounted shooting pattern.

 

For young horses that need a little maturity, she works them in other areas—roping and dragging a barrel, carrying a flag, crossing water, etc. “It is important to build a well-rounded horse at home because the world becomes much bigger when they step out of the trailer in a new place.”

 

And with that, she will actually haul all the horses to a match—even if she doesn’t plan to shoot off them. Kenda says they need to get used to the ‘road’, and exposed to the sights and sounds of an actual competition. “They’ll stand tied to the arena, saddled most of the day. That’s their job.” And you really cannot teach better patience than that.

 

Finally comes the step that most riders want to try up front: shooting off the horse. “The noise is one of the last things you add to the equation once the foundation is built. Anyone can shoot off a horse, but the horses that are out there winning are the ones that use themselves efficiently in their patterns.”

 

Matching Horse and Rider

Most any trainer will tell you—fitting the horse and rider is crucial to their success, individually and collectively. 

 

For Kenda, that comes back to evaluation—looking at the personality and energy of both. Assessing their experience and abilities. And estimating what they’re capable of in the future (with a special emphasis on just how much time the rider is likely to put into the project).

 

“I will not sell a horse unless it matches. Will not,” she states emphatically. “Even if they throw money at me, I’m not going to sell them a horse that isn’t right for them. This business is too small to have that kind of reputation.”  

 

So far, her reputation is top shelf. One need look no farther than Kenda’s primary shooting horse Justin. He was just a trail riding horse when she bought him in 2004 for $2000. After working with her for a year, Justin had a world championship and a world record to his credit. The list of wins and records since then goes on and on—and the two aren’t nearly done competing.

 

Still, Kenda will tell you that what worked for Justin won’t necessarily work for another horse. Her program allows for adjustments based on the individual animal. “Training is a business that one must be open minded enough to learn and grow as you go along,” she says. “Just when you think you have it all figured out, something else comes along.”

 

Sounds like something her mother might have taught her.

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