Face Up Training & Colt Starting

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

It's Wild Horse and B***o Week! 🎉Here at FUT, we have a passion for America's mustangs and b***os. I began training must...
03/01/2026

It's Wild Horse and B***o Week! 🎉

Here at FUT, we have a passion for America's mustangs and b***os. I began training mustangs in 2019 with the adoption of Pocket, a mustang mare from Devil's Garden HMA in California. Since then, I have trained many other mustangs both for myself and for others. I currently have four here at the farm. Curious to learn more about mustangs? Come see us March 5-8 at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, PA! We will be on Breed Row and partaking in the Parade of Breeds!

DG Pocketful of Sunshine
Pocket was my first mustang. I adopted her as a yearling and trained her all the way up to where she is now. Pocket rides both English and western. She has competed in the hunters, she performs ranch and reining maneuvers, she jumps cross country, and she will trail ride anywhere. She has traveled across the country with me and helped me achieve my trainers certification in Colorado in 2021. She is well known in the local show circuit and I'm pretty sure people get more excited to see her than they do to see me 🤷

DG Nøkkturne
Nøkk is a 14 year old gelding from Devil's Garden HMA. He spent approximately 10 years in the wild as a stallion. He also completed the trainer's certification with me in Colorado. I adopted him in February of 2021. Two weeks after he arrived from California, before I could even touch him, he loaded up and headed to Colorado with me. In the 6 weeks we were there, he went from completely feral to riding walk, trot, and canter. He is the gentlest soul you will ever meet. He babysits weanlings and yearlings and is also my fiance's trail mount.

DG Bodacious
Bodhi is an 18 year old gelding from Devil's Garden HMA. He spent approximately 15 years in the wild as a stallion. I adopted him because I wanted a cremello and he was the first male cremello that had been rounded up since I started following the Devil's Garden horses. Due to his age, I never pushed to saddle break him. He lives his best life in retirement babysitting weanlings and yearlings. He will humor me and let me climb on his back just for fun. Though not as friendly as Nøkk, he is still a gentle soul and he loves scratches on his withers!

AV Draco
Draco is my up and coming pony hunter project. He is 10 years old from the Antelope Valley HMA in Nevada. I have not had Draco long, but I am very impressed by his level-headed personality and pictures do not do justice to just how stunning he is in person. He is already trained to ride, though his training has purely been western. I plan to switch him over to English and compete him in the green pony division this spring and summer. He will be available for sale... As long as I don't fall in love with him 🫣

Do you have a mustang or b***o? Show them off in the comments and tell us what you do with them! Let's see all those wild to mild beauties!

🔴 Anti-round up comments will be deleted. This is a pro BLM/USFS page that supports the appropriate and humane management of mustangs 🔴

Last night, we lost a founding member of the Face Up family.Cirrus was one of my original barn cats who joined the team ...
02/22/2026

Last night, we lost a founding member of the Face Up family.

Cirrus was one of my original barn cats who joined the team in 2023 when I first moved up to New Freedom. We actually just celebrated her "Gotcha Day" last week. Cirrus was deemed unadoptable at the humane society due to aggressive tendencies and was placed on the euthanasia list. She came to the barn along with Citrus for a chance at a different and better life. Don't get me wrong, Cirrus could still be a b!+©h when she wanted to be, but I was blessed to also see the soft side emerge when she found her true calling as a barn cat. She learned to take (most of) her aggression out on the rodent population rather than humans.

It was a freak, unavoidable accident that was unfortunately too severe to fix. The decision was made to humanely euthanize her. Thank you to Mason Dixon Emergency Vet for their wonderful care of Cirrus. Please enjoy these many pictures of Cirrus through the years at the farm she loved so much 💜🩵🌈

02/15/2026

This is one of my favorite exercises to work on, especially because it can be done no matter the weather (ie, it doesn't take much room and can even be done inside a barn). It can also be done both on the ground and under saddle!

A well-trained horse should be able to move all portions of their body independently. In my training, I divide the body into three main portions: head/neck, shoulders, and haunches. An argument can be made that the ribs/midsection make up a fourth portion, but for the sake of simplicity we will say three right now.

This exercise requires only two poles placed at a 90° angle. If you are doing this exercise on the ground, a dressage whip, lunge whip, or training stick is helpful. My preference is a dressage whip. Your horse should also have a general idea of how to side pass, yield the shoulders, and yield the haunches. These three maneuvers can typically be taught in 30 minutes or less.

Depending on the placement of your horse, you can work on all three of these maneuvers with the poles as visual guidelines. The exercise helps horses with softness, responsiveness, and timeliness. The third is what Pocket (video below) struggles with. She is soft and responsive, but she has trouble transitioning from one maneuver to the next because she continues a maneuver even after I take pressure away to tell her to stop. You see a little of this while she side passes right and nearly steps right over the pole. I move her back left to place her where I want her.

This exercise slows Pocket down so that she learns to listen to my cues rather than anticipating and overachieving. If you practice this exercise correctly at home, I guarantee you will see a noticeable difference in your horse within a short amount of time!

My simple pleasure is a wash stall finally free of ice 😌
02/14/2026

My simple pleasure is a wash stall finally free of ice 😌

I know it doesn't feel like it, but spring will be here before we know it.Are those fall weanlings getting big? Perhaps ...
02/12/2026

I know it doesn't feel like it, but spring will be here before we know it.

Are those fall weanlings getting big? Perhaps those yearlings are getting a bit unruly. Have other obligations and the weather kept you from handling those babies every day?

It does not take long for little bad habits to become big problems and big problems are never fun when those cute, tiny babies turn into 1000lb horses. Luckily, big problems can be avoided!

Baby Board is designed specifically for weanlings, yearlings, and coming two year olds. This time is critical for young horses who need to be educated in civilized society.

Baby Board is full care board with the added bonus of daily and consistent handling by both a professional trainer and experienced staff. It also includes training sessions throughout the week that cover all of the basics such as leading, tying, loading, ground maneuvers, age-appropriate lunging, picking up feet, and so much more. Baby Board clients are turned out with experienced, kind, and gentle babysitters that help them learn all the herd manners a young horse should know in a safe environment.

Baby Board is open to both fillies and colts, intact or gelded. I will have openings beginning in March. Message the page now for more information or to reserve your spot!

Very lightly listing a project pony to the appropriate home‼️ BEFORE YOU READ FURTHER, this pony is a major project with...
02/08/2026

Very lightly listing a project pony to the appropriate home

‼️ BEFORE YOU READ FURTHER, this pony is a major project with some learned behaviors. If you do not have the experience to train yourself or the money to pay a trainer for the time this pony needs, please do not waste our time.

Benny is a 4yo (aged by teeth), ~14.2hh fjord/fjordX that was bought from auction in the summer of 2025. He is not registered. He was advertised as broke and ridden through the sale, but this was not entirely true and he is being advertised as unbroke.

It was quickly discovered that Benny had been very roughly handled and developed a habit of wheeling and bolting away while leading and he was difficult to catch and halter. Benny came to me for just over two months of training last summer/fall (Aug - Oct 2025) and he made fantastic progress on the ground. He learned to halter, lead, tie, catch, pick up front feet, lunge, tack, and had a couple rides.

Unfortunately Benny is still just too green for his current owners and requires a consistent program with an experienced person who can ensure the learned behaviors do not return. Benny is not at all aggressive and can be incredibly sweet/friendly like a typical fjord, but he is still scared and unsure when not kept in a program. Benny is being offered to the perfect home that can offer him the security of proper, consistent training. References will be checked!

Pictures are from this past summer/fall when he was originally with me for training. I will also post videos in the comments from that time. Benny is being offered for 💲2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ which will increase the longer he stays here with me for training. Buyers are welcome to keep him with me as well for additional time.

It has been a hard winter here in Pennsylvania. Prolonged cold temperatures (well below normal) coupled with extreme win...
02/07/2026

It has been a hard winter here in Pennsylvania. Prolonged cold temperatures (well below normal) coupled with extreme wind and snow that just will not melt have made even the simplest of farm tasks 10x harder than usual.

At least it makes for some pretty pictures of the horses and around the farm. Let's see all of your winter wonderland pictures!

When you work full time as a trainer and barn manager, finding time for your own horse(s) is hard. Then you add winter i...
02/02/2026

When you work full time as a trainer and barn manager, finding time for your own horse(s) is hard. Then you add winter into the mix and all the extra labor and misery that comes with it, it's nearly impossible.

My mentor, Josh Lyons, once said that your horse is your business card--make it a good one. If you want a good business card, you need to invest in it.

Pocket has always been my business card and I am beyond blessed that she is naturally a good horse, but expecting her to perform without practicing is hardly fair. This year, we joined the Michael Lyons Horsemanship Challenge as motivation to keep working through the winter months. I am excited to see what a consistent schedule does for both Pocket and me!

It is my hope that I can win the scholarship to the two week apprenticeship program at Michael Lyons Horsemanship. I firmly believe that even trainers need trainers and two weeks to focus purely on me, my horse, and our partnership without every day distractions would allow me to continue expanding my tool belt--the same tool belt I use to train the horses of others.

Keep your fingers crossed for Pocket and me 🤞 the weather is already working against us.

I am beginning my search for a small handful of "sometimes employees"What are "sometimes employees?" you ask 🤔I am looki...
01/28/2026

I am beginning my search for a small handful of "sometimes employees"

What are "sometimes employees?" you ask 🤔

I am looking for experienced people who ✨sometimes✨ want to earn a little extra money because ✨sometimes✨ I need a little extra help if it is a busy week, I have a full training line up, or if a current employee needs time off.

Duties would include, but are not limited to:
💜 Feeding
🩵 Turning out/bringing in
💜 Stalls and other care-related chores
🩵 Assisting me with the training routine

Days and hours will vary since this is an "as needed" basis. Applicants must be 18 years or older and must have extensive horse experience. This is a training facility with a wide variety of horses. If you would like to be considered for this list, please message the page or Alyssa Dietrich to apply.

Please note that this is a professional business and I expect all candidates to present themselves as such. This is not "just a stall mucking job." I value all of my employees and hold them in high regard with equally high standards.

I think these two fjords are the only ones looking forward to Snowmageddon this weekend 🥶We are here to batten down the ...
01/23/2026

I think these two fjords are the only ones looking forward to Snowmageddon this weekend 🥶

We are here to batten down the hatches and endure whatever snowy nonsense mother nature has in store for us 💪

(But I'm still going to complain the whole time because I hate winter)

01/17/2026

In the horse world, little things matter. Little things add up to bigger and better things.

Something as simple as warming up your bit under some hot water before a ride can make a huge difference. Now, instead of starting your ride frustrated because your horse refused to take a cold bit, you are both calm, happy, and set up for a great ride.

It's so easy when you work in the equine industry to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and chaos that is the daily routine on the farm. There is always more to be done and never enough time to do it which leads to inadvertent rushing.

Stop. Take a breath. Ask yourself what you can do to make your horse's day better.

Sometimes it is as simple as warming up their bit.

I think one of my favorite parts of training is the privilege to ride the more unusual breeds that I otherwise would nev...
01/15/2026

I think one of my favorite parts of training is the privilege to ride the more unusual breeds that I otherwise would never have a chance to meet.

Jasper is a gorgeous gypsy cob gelding here for a refresher!

Address

3244 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

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