Face Up Training & Colt Starting

Face Up Training & Colt Starting Alyssa Dietrich is a Lyons Legacy Certified Trainer specializing in foundational horsemanship.

I often find myself yawning during my sessions with Benny, and it's not because I am bored 🥱Quite the contrary, actually...
05/01/2026

I often find myself yawning during my sessions with Benny, and it's not because I am bored 🥱

Quite the contrary, actually. Benny is one of my favorite horses to work with. He challenges me to think outside the box for ways to engage with him and earn his trust. Benny was pulled from auction last year with some very, very deeply rooted issues which is why he ended up here with me.

What I love most about working with Benny though is that his sessions force me to slowwwwwww down.

Anyone who has worked with horses professionally or even semi professionally knows it is a fast paced environment. Go, go, go on to the next thing all 👏 the 👏 time 👏. There is always more to do, never enough time to do it in, and deadlines are never fair. When you train horses, there is a very fine line between efficiency and effectiveness. But that's a whole different discussion for another time.

Fast paced doesn't fly with Benny. Benny practically lives life in slow motion as he learns to navigate the world without fear. When I work with Benny, he requires me to slow down everything.

My breathing.
My movements.
My mind.
My emotions.

Everything must be slowed down. Benny is incredibly sensitive to a person's energy. If you approach him with any kind of turmoil even in the back of your mind, he can feel it and he will tattle on you right away.

You should always leave your emotions at the gate when you work with horses, but we are all only human. Sometimes the best we can do is hide our emotions under a couple layers. That doesn't cut it with Benny.

Benny requires me to regulate everything about myself in order to have a successful session. I'm sure my fellow trainers can relate to how difficult that can be sometimes.

Benny will reflect everything that I am thinking and feeling. I find myself yawning because his sessions help me to gain total control and awareness of myself and return to stasis--a state of total calm.

If you don't have a Benny in your life, I highly recommend you get one. It's better than therapy (don't tell my therapist I said that 😉)

Many of you will remember my post a few weeks ago about the 7 mustangs from the Annville event that ended up at New Holl...
04/30/2026

Many of you will remember my post a few weeks ago about the 7 mustangs from the Annville event that ended up at New Holland just days after being purchased. Many people were moved by the swift action taken by the mustang community and the BLM who stepped in, voided the sale, and took the 7 mustangs back.

One of them, tag #0486, tugged at the heartstrings of my long time friend, Shirley, who ended up adopting her and bringing her here to FUT. Sadly, sometime between the sale and New Holland, #0486's neck tag was cut off and Shirley was not able to experience the monumental moment of removing her mustang's tag. For those not familiar, removing the neck tag is a rite of passage in the mustang community; it signifies the moment when a mustang transforms from just a number in government holding to a horse with a name and a future.

We adapt and overcome though. Instead of removing a neck tag, we placed a halter.

Please help me welcome 🔥Kindle🔥 to the Face Up family! I see bright things ahead for Shirley and Kindle. So far she has proven to be a very intelligent and inquisitive mare with a sweet and curious nature. This mare is something special!

Stall filled! Feel free to reach out and be placed on the waiting list!✨ I have ONE (1) Baby Board stall opening the beg...
04/27/2026

Stall filled! Feel free to reach out and be placed on the waiting list!

✨ I have ONE (1) Baby Board stall opening the beginning of May. I am willing to consider other training needs, but the preference is to a weanling/yearling/coming 2yo

What is Baby Board?

Baby Board is everything a young horse needs to know in order to become a solid citizen in the equine world. It includes, but is not limited to:
💜 Daily professional handling
🩵 Leading
💜 Picking up feet
🩵 Other basics of handling
💜 Standing tied
🩵 Basic, age-appropriate ground work
💜 Ponying
🩵 So much more

Baby Board is open to fillies and colts, both intact and gelded. It includes full care with a stall and private turn out with experienced babysitters. Please private message the page or Alyssa Dietrich for more information or to reserve the stall.

Cheesin' 😁Tag #0486 is settling in nicely and phew is she full of personality! This little lady is going to be so cool!
04/24/2026

Cheesin' 😁

Tag #0486 is settling in nicely and phew is she full of personality! This little lady is going to be so cool!

Welcome Tag #0486 to Face Up Training!Last week, I posted about a load of mustangs that ended up in New Holland after t...
04/22/2026

Welcome Tag #0486 to Face Up Training!

Last week, I posted about a load of mustangs that ended up in New Holland after the Annville, PA adoption event. Thankfully all seven mustangs were pulled and one little mustang tugged at the heart strings of my good friend.

She arrived at my farm late last night and I am so excited to start working with her for my friend. She is an adorable 5 year old mare from Twin Peaks HMA. She is already super friendly and allows touches! You can follow along with her journey here on my page! Just look at the boopable snoot! 🥹

04/20/2026

There is something truly special about the older mustang geldings.

If you know me, you know I love to adopt the older mustangs that spent 10+ years in the wild as band stallions. Bodhi was roughly 15 or 16 years old when he was rounded up. He is now between 18 and 20 years old.

He is one of the most gentle souls you will ever meet. He will nicker to greet you in the pasture and loves to be scratched on his withers. He spends his days basking in the sun, babysitting youngsters, and enjoying retirement.

People say the mustangs just want to be "wild and free," but I think Bodhi would beg to differ ❤️

I think my favorite part of working with rescue fjords is when they finally trust me enough to let me roach off their ma...
04/19/2026

I think my favorite part of working with rescue fjords is when they finally trust me enough to let me roach off their manes.

I do a lot of work with fjords who come from shady backgrounds. Many of them are feral or close to feral when they arrive. They end up with long, unkept manes and while I love that look on a mustang, fjords look best with mohawks in my opinion. I equate the first haircut to removing the tag of a feral mustang. It's a badge of honor.

Benny earned his badge of honor today. Benny came to me second hand from the auction pipeline as a very scared young fjord with a major bolting problem. I have been working with him for many months now to address the bolting and his intense flight reflex. He still has a long way to go, but that perfect stripe through his mane shows that we are on the right path 💜🩵

(I'll post some other fjord mane glow ups in the comments)

It's Ring of Fire day! 🔥🔥🔥
04/19/2026

It's Ring of Fire day! 🔥🔥🔥

04/18/2026

Day 2 of the Bill Richey De-Spooking clinic is underway!

Today is introducing obstacles.

Day one of the Bill Richey "De-spooking" clinic is underway!Auditing is still open for anyone who wants to watch! We are...
04/17/2026

Day one of the Bill Richey "De-spooking" clinic is underway!

Auditing is still open for anyone who wants to watch! We are here until Sunday evening!

3555 W Sieling Road
New Freedom, PA 17349

What happened to the Barn Rats?I'm sure we have all seen this question posted now and again. For those that don't know, ...
04/15/2026

What happened to the Barn Rats?

I'm sure we have all seen this question posted now and again. For those that don't know, a "barn rat" typically references a young person, usually pre-teens, teens, and even early 20s, who works at a barn in exchange for more riding time. They may also be refered to as "working students" since that is a more polite title.

The general consensus I see on these posts asking what happened to barn rats is that the up and coming generation of horse people do not have the same work ethic as the older generation and they simply do not want to work.

🤔

While this may be true in a few cases, I must disagree. I think the issue is rooted much, much deeper than that. I think the horse community drove out the barn rats.

😱 What?! Why would we drive out free labor?!

Well, that's exactly why ☝️

I think the horse community treated the barn rats more like peasants and slave labor and it drove them away. All the unwanted chores, or the tasks we cannot or do not make time for, get piled onto the barn rats.

But Alyssa, isn't that their job???

No. No it is not.

A barn rat's job is to LEARN. They are the up and coming generation of horsemen and it is our job to teach them how AND why. We show them how to do the chores and we teach them why those chores are important.

So what does that look like?

"I need you to muck that stall really well." vs "That stall needs to be mucked well so that the horse does not develope hoof fungus."

Or

"Go clean that water trough, it's gross." vs "That water trough needs to be cleaned because horses can colic if they don't drink enough."

If barn rats understand the why behind the chores they do, they will be much more willing to do the job and do it well. It takes an extra 30-60 seconds to simply explain the why and engage them as students of horsemanship.

I do not think the horse community does this on purpose (most of the time). We do this to our students because it is what we do to ourselves. The horse community (sadly) thrives on trainers, barn owners, and managers pushing themselves well beyond what should be an acceptable limit. We in return do the same to our barn rats. We as the teachers get so caught up in what must be done and how it has to be done that we don't even stop to ask the why for ourselves. It is a systematic failure across the board.

The moment barn rats are looked at as students rather than slave labor, the entire functionality of the barn changes and soon you will be swimming in young people who want to come learn from you and help your barn succeed. Then it all comes full circle back to us as trainers, barn owners, and managers who now have a solid team to help us so that we do not have push ourselves beyond limits.

I love my team of barn rats and I don't know what I would do without them 💜🩵

Address

3555 W Sieling Road
New Freedom, PA
17349

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14434178075

Website

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