SANDERS COUNTY - On a ranch off of Highway 200 between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek there is someone who has taken up a challenge involving a great feat of skill and perseverance. Jason Helvey for the past month has been breaking in a five year old wild mustang mare he picked up April 16th in Boise, Idaho. He will be using the mare in a competition for wild mustangs. The mare was part of a roundup that happens every year for population control.

The competition that Helvey will be in is the NAPA Extreme Mustang Makeover. As part of the competition, Helvey must break in the mustang for 90 to 100 days and then showcase his accomplishments in a big show. He named the mare Starbuck. Helvey explained what the show consists of, “...You go back down to compete in a trial course, trail obstacle course, a reigning pattern, halter course, and then out of those the top 10 go back into a finals course and you’re competing for a $20,000 prize.”

The show will be July 24th and 25th. After the competition, the mustangs will be auctioned off. Helvey said that he could buy her or let her go to the highest bidder. “Who knows who might buy her, maybe they buy her just as a pet,” he said.  

After about a month of working with Starbuck, Helvey is capable of putting on a saddle and riding her around a small arena. “I’ve started several horses, but this is the first one for competition and it is the first wild mustang and they are a little bit different,” Helvey said with a laugh.

Still having to maintain his regular job of helping keep up his family’s ranch and breaking in other horses for people, Helvey spends about an hour every day with Starbuck. With the advances he is making, his typical routine consists of building trust and conditioning Starbuck to be used to ropes, flashy items and unknowns. He then works on leading. Eventually he works on riding.

Last Wednesday Helvey worked her for about two hours. “She was really nervous, so I took her out to the obstacles and led her around, let her settle down a bit before I decided she might not buck me off today.” Once in a while Starbuck would rear up or resist Helvey, but Helvey was able to regain control and with petting, reassurance, and patience he was able to settle the mare down.

Helvey feels he is making great headway with Starbuck. “When walked in the pen the first couple weeks, I could leave the gate open and she would come at me rather than run out the gate, and she was coming very aggressively,” he said. Helvey explained that it was part of Starbuck’s natural flight or fight response and that she felt she couldn’t escape. He went on to say, “She’s not really settled with people yet.”

Despite having broken horses before, Helvey feels he has much to learn. One of his biggest tools in learning how to break in Starbuck has actually been Youtube, as well as just watching other people at competitions and other ranches.

Helvey will continue to work with Starbuck for the next two months, and gradually get her to become used to riding in larger arenas, outside in the open and to be accustomed to people and the unknown, such as cameras or flags. He also wants to improve his skill as someone who works with horses, and he wants to make it more of a profession.