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In The News!
HARMONY -- Knowing the whereabouts of "horse hotels" has come in
handy for horse "gentler" Karina Lewis, who was on another rescue
mission this week.
Toting her newest mustang, ShoGun, Lewis made stops to facilities in
Kentucky and New Jersey. As part of her ongoing effort to shelter wild
horses that need a home, Lewis had picked up ShoGun from a holding
facility in Illinois on Sunday. "There's a network of people who make
their properties available to people like myself who travel with
horses," Lewis said Wednesday. She made it back to her Harmony farm late Tuesday night. But not
before Lewis picked up two more wild horses in New Hampshire
ShoGun is some horse, and more of a challenge than the last one Lewis
adopted.
"ShoGun is raw right now," she said of the 1,100-pound mustang. "He
is a lot more horse and he's much more excitable than the last one. But
I should be able to ride him within a week."
People like Lewis adopt wild mustangs at holding facilities managed
by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and "gentle" the horses, in order
to better care for them. Illinois is the closest such bureau for the
wild horses, which are indigenous mostly west of the Mississippi River.
Lewis, born and raised on a Montana cattle ranch, has called Maine
home for two years. She and her partner, Kirk Stanley, have five
mustangs and raise organic vegetables at their 400-acre Lakeview Farm
and Equestrian Center on Great Moose Lake.
She is founder of Adopt A Mustang and her book, "The Mirror Effect,"
details personal enlightenment. Sometimes described as a horse
whisperer, Lewis acts on her ability to read horses.
At Lakeview Farm, Lewis helps horse owners and even mounted cavalry
to better know their animals. That's how she spends her typical day.
"I really try to create harmonious relationships between horses and
people," she said. "My gift enables me to gentle them rather quickly and
that's why (Bureau of Land Management) has me on their adoption program.
I'm a certified trainer with the Mustang Heritage Foundation."
Anyone calling the foundation, based in Bertram, Texas, might well
speak with someone who is familiar with Lewis. Just mention the state of
Maine to Kali Sublett, a manager at the foundation.
"I know exactly who you are talking about," Sublett said. "She is our
only trainer in Maine."
Sublett said that the foundation's goal is to increase awareness of
mustangs, whose numbers are growing. Most live in Nevada, northern
California or Oregon, either in the wild or in holding facilities. There
are between 20,000 and 30,000 in all, she said.
"Too many is never good," Sublett said. "There is not enough food,
for one thing, especially in Nevada. The land can't sustain that many
horses."
ShoGun, the latest mustang to benefit from Lewis' compassion, might
prove a bit more of a challenge than her last project. She has 100 days
to get him ready for the second annual Extreme Mustang Makeover,
scheduled for Sept. 18-21 in Fort Worth, Texas.
A "makeover" entails three parts:
• Trainers engage in "hands-on" competition, showing and then walking
or trotting their horses with a halter through the obstacle course.
• Trainers ride the mustangs through the course, and judges select
the top 15.
• Trainer and horse go through an obstacle course, followed by four
minutes of freestyle.
Soon, horse and rider will make a trail run for Extreme Mustang
Makeover. Lewis and Shogun will appear at the Equine Extravaganza in
Raleigh, N.C., on July 11-13.
Lewis is among 100 trainers nationwide, chosen by the foundation, to
be nominated for Extreme Mustang Makeover.
Larry Grard -- 861-9239
lgrard@centralmaine.com
Through federal program, wild mustangs go to
loving homes
By KANDACE MCCOY
BONNIE — Karina Lewis of Harmony, Maine, loves to train horses. But the
horses she and fellow trainer Michael Gerald work with are a bit unique,
as well as adoptable — wild mustangs.
Lewis and Gerald have been in Bonnie the past few days working with wild
mustangs that have been rounded up by the U.S. Department of the
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. Trainers are nominated for this
duty by the BLM to work with the animals for the Extreme Mustang
Makeover, which will be held in September in Fort Worth, Texas. Lewis
and Gerald collected their trainees from the BLM holding site in Ewing.
According to Lewis, about 30,000 of the animals have been gathered by
the BLM, with more than 68,000 still roaming freely over public lands
throughout the West, where they are protected by the BLM under federal
law.
“It’s fairly important they’re separated [from herds] because the herd
size doubles every year,” Lewis said.
The BLM protects, manages and controls wild horses and burros under the
authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to
ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. The BLM manages
the animals as part of its multiple-use mission under the 1976 Federal
Land Policy and Management Act.
To help restore the balance of the herds, the BLM gathers some wild
horses and burros and offers them for adoption or sale to individuals
and groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care,
information states.
Trainers like Lewis and Gerald then work with the horses to “soften”
them for their new owner, which could take anywhere from a day or two to
even more than a month, Gerald said.
“They’re really smart animals,” he noted, adding that once the mustangs
get used to being around people and learn basic commands, they become a
“really good friend.”
“Once you socialize them, they’re friends to everyone,” said Lewis.
“When they’re smothered with love, kindness and patience, they come to
expect it.”
Lewis and Gerald both say people may have misconceptions about wild
mustangs not being trainable. “It’s not too challenging,” Gerald said of
training the mustangs. “I look at them the same as domestic horses.”
“When you approach a wild horse, you have to apply patience and time, a
lot of it. All horses speak that language,” Lewis explained. “If you
apply that, you’ll have a friend for life. They’re kind and want to be
your friend.”
One horse Lewis has been training, ShoGun, is a 3-year-old mustang that,
as of Friday, had been out of the BLM holding facility at Ewing for
about four days. Another horse, Smoky, also out of the holding facility
for a few days, recently discovered a new favorite treat — carrots.
“They’re a joy to work with,” Lewis exclaimed. “They’re the pure essence
of a horse.”
Mustangs and burros can be adopted for $125 prior to a scheduled
adoption at any of the BLM holding sites. However, during a scheduled
adoption at a site, adoption fees are set by competitive bid with
initial fees being determined by the level and quality of training each
horse has received.
Mustangs like ShoGun and Smoky will be participating in the Extreme
Mustang Makeover competition Sept. 19-20 at the Will Rogers Equestrian
Center in Fort Worth. Three- and 4-year-old mustangs will be judged on
conditioning, groundwork and a “Horse Course” that requires maneuvers
and includes obstacles. The purpose of the competition is to showcase
the “beauty, versatility and trainability” of these horses. Following
the competition, the horses will be available for adoption at the Fort
Worth facility.
To qualify for adoption, those interested must be at least 18 years of
age with no record of animal abuse. In addition, adopters must have
suitable facilities and can adopt no more than four animals.
The next scheduled adoption is set for Sept. 5-6 at Ewing.
For more information about the Wild Horse and Burro Program, visit
www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call 866-MUSTANGS.
Trainer Michael Gerald of New Jersey and
Karina Lewis of Harmony, Maine, check over ShoGun, a 3-year-old wild mustang rounded up by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. Gerald and Lewis are one of many trainers chosen to help “soften” wild mustangs for adoption or sale to individuals and groups willing and able to provide long-term care.
Jenny the donkey
This story was featured on ABC, NBC, ran internationally and
was translated into several different languages.
Here you will find recent articles posted in the Morning
Sentinel Newspaper and the Mirror Effect's exposure on CNN, FOX, and the
Associated Press.
Elusive donkey
still on lam ~The Morning
Sentinel
Media herd trots
to donkey dilemma ~The Morning Sentinel
Jenny The Donkey
Corralled! ~The Morning Sentinel
Media Kit
COVER LETTER and INFORMATION
Dear Media Representative:
Thank you for your interest in The Mirror Effect.
The Mirror Effect is a powerful process of communication facilitated
through the special skills and talents of Karina Lewis. Karina’s work is
focused on the most problematic cases.
Karina was raised on a cattle ranch in Western Montana. At the age of 24
an act of random violence changed her life forever. Shot by a stranger
while repairing fence, she had a near death experience that both
heightened her appreciation for life and magnified an already present
talent. The ability to communicate uncommonly well with both human and
horses.
A trainer with a Master’s degree in Psychology, Karina is sometimes
described as a psychic, sometimes a “horse whisperer”. She is best known
for her ability to resolve even the most severe problematic cases.
What sets Karina apart is her method. This method has enabled her to
travel extensively. Such is the strength of her presentation that news
of her work has largely spread by word of mouth as excited participants
share with others their experiences.
She has been featured on FOX, ABC, NBC, WABI-TV, CNN and many other news
outlets. News of her work has been carried in the Denver Post,
Missoulian, Bangor Daily News, Morning Sentinel and many others.
Magazines such as Horses Maine, New England Horse Talk, Horse and Rider
and more have printed articles about Karina and her work. She has
authored numerous articles and a book and DVD about The Mirror Effect
are available.
Business Outline:
The Mirror Effect is about the participant and begins with an interview
wherein the client’s problem and future goals are outlined. Karina is
both a compassionate listener and motivator whose affection for
another’s well being is marked by her empathetic approach. By applying
her gifts, Karina is often able to resolve the most difficult issues
during the first visit.
What makes her able to resolve these issues so quickly? Karina has an
uncanny ability to connect immediately with both the human and the
horse. It is often she knows information she otherwise has no way of
knowing. The messages she receives are conveyed cordially and with
integrity, often resulting in the client’s amazement. She is able to get
phenomenally quick results. With over 20 years professional experience
Karina’s best work is reflected in her customer’s testimonials. |
