Morgan grew up riding horses before she could walk, which suited her well since she came into the world obsessed with them. Her childhood was spent showing on the American Quarter Horse Association circuit, participating in 4-H, riding trails and camping on horseback. “My mom is just as passionate about horses as I am and made sure I got all the opportunities that she didn’t growing up,” Morgan says.
Morgan’s journey with Downunder Horsemanship started on a whim with three $25 mustangs. “A local cowboy town rounded up wild horses and I went to go see them. They were basically untouched. They were jumping fences and plain feral. When I found out they were $25 and I’d get paid $1,000 to take them on, I ended up coming home with three of them,” Morgan says, laughing at the memory.
While Morgan had the grit and the facility to take the mustangs on, she’d never started a horse before, much less a wild one. A friend used the Method to train her horses, so Morgan decided to investigate Clinton’s training approach. “I was glued to the videos and loved how the emphasis was on building a partnership with mutual respect between horse and rider,” Morgan says.
The first mustang she worked with was a challenge, but Morgan was able to gentle him and earn his respect and trust. “He gave me confidence, but Annie, the second mustang, just about destroyed it. I was roping her every single day for five and a half months to be able to touch her head and neck,” Morgan says.
After nearly six months of no progress, Morgan knew she needed help. That’s when she reached out to Method Ambassador Janis Scott. Janis helped Morgan work through her issues with Annie and became a trusted mentor. “I owe everything to her,” Morgan says. “When I was ready, she encouraged me to keep taking my horsemanship to the next level.”
Morgan became devoted to the Method and took every clinic and lesson she could, including those at the Intermediate and Advanced levels. “Finding the Method has been absolutely life changing and helped me achieve goals I never thought possible,” Morgan says.
Becoming an ambassador was a dream come true, and Morgan enjoys helping horsemen find the same success she did. “I know how helpless and frustrating it feels to be stuck with your horse. I’ll never forget my excitement when I learned how to communicate with my horses and actually accomplish something,” Morgan says. “To be able to help others and share what I’m most passionate about is literally the best thing ever.”