Christian Davis Performance Horses

08/04/2026

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛?

I think one of the biggest mistakes we make in horse training is mistaking compliance for confidence.

A horse can stand perfectly still… and still be terrified.

That’s where I think a lot of people accidentally get fooled.

We all want that horse that stands quietly through the tarp, the rope, the plastic bag, the chaos of a horse show, or a long day’s work.

I do too.

But here’s the question…

Is your horse standing there because he trusts you… or because he’s learned he doesn’t have another option?

From the outside, those horses can look almost identical.

Both stand still.

Both tolerate the tarp.

Both tolerate the rope.

Both look “broke.”

But underneath, they can be in two completely different places mentally.

And if you don’t know the difference, you can spend months—or even years—rewarding the wrong thing.

A desensitized horse isn’t one that never gets scared.

It’s one that’s learned what to do when it does.

When something surprises him, he thinks.

He looks.

He processes it.

He comes back to you.

He’s learned that not everything is out to get him.

That’s confidence.

That’s the horse I’m after.

A numb horse is different.

He may stand there just as quietly, but not because he’s confident. Sometimes he’s simply learned that moving isn’t an option.

That’s compliance.

That can happen from too much pressure, too much repetition, poor timing of the release, working on one thing long after the horse understood the lesson, or flooding a horse with more pressure than it knows how to process.

I think this is where a lot of people accidentally miss the mark.

If my only goal is getting the horse’s feet to stop moving…

Then compliance looks like success.

But my goal isn’t the feet.

My goal is the mind.

I’m not trying to teach a horse to ignore pressure.

I’m trying to teach him how to process it.

I’m trying to create a horse whose first instinct is to think instead of react.

Because if all we’ve taught is “don’t move,” eventually we create a horse that’s heavy.

Heavy in the hands.

Heavy to the legs.

Heavy mentally.

Every cue starts getting bigger because the horse has learned to tune pressure out instead of understanding what it means.

That’s not refinement.

That’s a dull horse.

And here’s the part I think gets overlooked…

A horse that’s mentally shut down can look dependable for a long time.

Until one day it isn’t.

You can teach a horse to stand still around a plastic bag.

You can teach him to stand still around a tarp.

You can teach him to stand still around a flag.

But eventually life is going to throw something at that horse that he’s never seen before.

If all he’s learned is “don’t move,” he doesn’t have anywhere to go mentally.

He doesn’t know how to work through it.

He reacts.

That’s when people say,

“He’s never done that before.”

And this is why I think the difference matters so much.

I don’t want a horse that’s carrying around a bunch of pent-up fear and frustration, just waiting for the day something finally pushes it past its limit.

Because that day eventually comes.

It may not be the plastic bag.

It may not be the tarp.

It may not be the flag you’ve shown a hundred times.

It’ll be the one thing the horse wasn’t mentally prepared to process.

The truth is…

I’m not training for the plastic bag.

I’m training for the thing I can’t predict.

I want a horse with enough confidence in me that when life gets chaotic, his first instinct is to think instead of panic.

I want a horse that trusts me enough to stay mentally present instead of carrying around fear that’s just been buried deeper and deeper.

Because I’d rather spend months building a horse that’s difficult to shake than spend years wondering what finally will.

To me, that’s what real desensitization is.

It’s not teaching a horse to ignore the world.

It’s teaching him how to move through it with confidence.

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This is the standard I hold every horse in my program to.

Whether it’s a c**t needing a strong start or a horse that needs a fresh foundation, my goal is always the same: build confidence, softness, and a horse that can think through pressure.

We’re currently accepting a limited number of training horses.

For availability, call or text:

📞 Christian Davis — (731)-659-1005
📍 North Mississippi

07/27/2026

I currently have availability for training. Message or call if you would like to discuss what my program has to offer for your horse.

My program specializes in starting young horses, restarting horses with gaps in their education, and helping horses work through training challenges with a fair, thoughtful approach. I take pride in producing horses that are soft, willing, and responsive enough for the show pen, yet practical enough to gather cattle, rope, and handle a day’s work without sacrificing the quality, feel, and responsiveness of a well-trained horse. Every horse is developed with confidence, consistency, and long-term success in mind.

* C**t Starting
* Advanced c**t training
* Behavioral issues

Christian Davis - (731)-659-1005

06/17/2026

A conversation with a friend recently led to an interesting question:

"Isn't a horse considered broke after 30 days of training?"

It's a fair question, and one that highlights a common misconception about horse training.
The short answer is: No.

Thirty days doesn't produce a broke horse, it produces a horse that has been started.

When beginning a horse's training, there are countless variables that influence progress. Age, breed, bloodlines, gender, diet, previous handling and treatment, temperament, and overall life experience all play a role. Just as no two people learn exactly the same way, no two horses do either.

Every horse is an individual with its own strengths, challenges, and rate of development.

I've worked with young horses that required significantly more time and patience than expected, and I've started older horses that progressed quickly and confidently. Age alone rarely tells the whole story.

As Clinton Anderson often says:
"There are only three ways to get a well trained horse: buy one already trained, pay a trainer to train it, or train it yourself.”

While simple, that statement reflects an important reality. Training is a process, not a deadline.

Owners can choose to purchase a finished horse, develop one themselves, or invest the time and resources required to bring a horse along through professional training. Regardless of the path chosen, expectations must align with the horse's individual needs and abilities.

One challenge many trainers face today is balancing realistic timelines with public perception. A horse that has received 30 days of training may be safe, willing, and progressing well, but that does not mean it is fully educated or finished. Yet when expectations exceed reality, responsibility is often placed solely on the trainer.

The truth is that training doesn't end when a horse leaves a professional's program. In many ways, that's when the next phase begins.

Whether a horse has 30, 60, 90, or even 120 days of professional training, consistency after it returns home is critical.
Horses require ongoing education, exposure, and reinforcement. The first year of a horse's riding career often has a greater impact on its long term success than any specific training milestone.
Once a horse goes home, the owner becomes an active participant in its development. Maintaining fair, consistent handling and continuing the horse's education is essential. A horse that has recently been started is still learning, still gaining confidence, and still developing habits that will influence the rest of its career.

A horse that leaves training after 30 days is not a finished product; it is a horse with a foundation that must continue to be built upon.

There's another reality worth acknowledging. The trainers who are willing to take on the difficult cases, the horses with little handling, significant behavioral challenges, limited experience, or complicated histories, are often taking on far more risk and investing far more time than most people realize.

Many trainers have become increasingly selective about the horses they accept, not because those horses are beyond help, but because they understand that some horses simply cannot be brought to a reliable standard within an arbitrary timeline.

When a horse leaves after 30 days and struggles due to unrealistic expectations, inconsistent handling, or a lack of continued education at home, the blame often falls back on the trainer.

When trainers are publicly criticized for circumstances outside of their control, it creates a ripple effect throughout the industry. Eventually, the very professionals willing to take on the challenging horses begin turning those horses away. Not because they don't care, but because the professional risk outweighs the reward.

The unfortunate result is that owners of difficult or unstarted horses are left with fewer options.

If we continually criticize the trainers willing to take on the hard cases, we shouldn't be surprised when those trainers stop accepting them. The people willing to help the "project horses" are often the same people absorbing the most risk, investing the most time, and doing the most unseen work behind the scenes.

That doesn't mean challenging horses can't become excellent horses. In fact, many of them do. They simply require additional time, consistency, patience, and effort, often far more than anyone sees.

The horses that need the most help frequently demand the most work, yet they often provide some of the most rewarding outcomes.

So, if there's one takeaway from this discussion, it's this:

Thirty days is not a broke horse. Thirty days is the beginning of an education.

Good training is a process measured in consistency, experience, and continued development, not simply in days on a calendar.

And if you're fortunate enough to have a trainer willing to invest their time and expertise into your freight train project horse, appreciate them. One day they may decide the risk is no longer worth taking, and the industry will be poorer for it.

05/18/2026

04/29/2026

If you have been keeping up with the HOH Trainers challenge you have probably seen me with a red dun mustang mare named Monarch.
She is from the Sulphur Springs HMA located in the Needle Mountain Range of Utah. They are an extremely interesting herd of mustangs that are considered one of the purest of Colonial Spanish bloodlines. The sulphur herd is in a unique area of the mountains that has kept them from being exposed to outside breeding from other herds and escaped ranch stock, so they are still very true to how they originally were. There are multiple stories on how they got there two date back to the 1500s being either the were lost horses of war rode by Spanish Conquistadors, another being they were traded along The Old Spanish Trade.

Some identification indicators of the Sulphur mustangs are their color they typically come in shades of dun and garulla and almost always have primitive markings (dorsal stripes and leg stripes) which has given them the nickname the Zebra Horse of Utah or to some the Zebra Dun. Another unique characteristic of these horses is due to their Spanish descent they typically have five lumbar vertebrae instead of six.

For the past three and a half months I have had the pleasure of getting to know and enjoy one of these Sulphur mustangs. They have some amazing history rooted in their genetics and due to the removal process of them they are declining in numbers rapidly. They are now becoming an endangered mustang herd. So if you’re considering adopting a mustang I would gladly suggest researching into the Sulphur Springs herd.

All this being said I have enjoyed my time with monarch so much, I am offering a 20% off per month on my training rates on Sulphur Springs mustangs with the condition of a 90 day minimum.

So if you have a Sulphur mustang or are thinking about adopting one contact me for your training needs. Also come check out Monarch where she will be up for adoption at the Heart of the Horse Trainers Challenge in just a couple of weeks

03/26/2026

We’re gonna be on Heart of the Horse live tonight!
Tune in at at 7!



Christian Davis Performance Horses