Tenaya Wilson is a horse trainer with a knack for discovering the hidden potential in horses that life has tossed aside. She and her husband own the aptly named Rough Diamond Ranch, which has become a home to several on her string while also providing the opportunity for a temporary training bond before others went on to their forever home.
Million Dollar Baby is one of these horses that found her way to the Wilsons. A three-year-old grade horse standing at auction from Richlands, NC, she wasn’t much to look at but caught Tenaya’s eye. She appeared to have a quiet disposition but was malnourished and it was hard to tell if she would change once on a proper diet. She was unusually well behaved but looked sad, with her head hanging low and her appearance almost donkey-like. Tenaya bid on her and brought her home. Within a couple of weeks of quality feed, forage, and hoof supplements, she blossomed from 13.1 to 14.1 h. Tenaya credits Tribute Feed and Redmond Equine’s Daily Gold with these positive improvements and spends a great deal of time researching the best for each of her and her husband’s horses.
Now affectionately known as “Millie” the mare’s body has continued to develop and grow, but her mental approach and gentleness have remained the same. No matter what she is introduced to, she stays calm and mellow, happy to have whatever the object or creature is co-existing alongside her.
Tenaya has been careful to keep the training process slow due to her age and nutritional deficiencies, and her training program is always focused on the horse. She pays careful attention to what they seem naturally inclined towards and where their innate abilities draw them, believing you get the most try out of the horse if you respect that.
Millie’s natural stop and long strides paired with her mellow attitude allow for lots of options in disciplines, and she doesn’t mind a rope. After some research, Tenaya discovered the little mare has a unique heritage with Mangalarga, Andalusian, and Mountain Pleasure horses mixed in. The pair has started some roping training together, getting used to elements like the box and the feel of the rope without doing anything to stress her joints.
Whether she becomes a breakaway prospect or a cow horse, Millie is glad to have a person of her own around and to learn each new thing that comes her way.
