TULSA, Okla. — For Laura Newberry, the farm life is the dream life. "I just started dreaming about having my own horses and training my own horses and just never stopped," said Laura Newberry.
Her love of horses started young. She said, "I got my first horse. It was a pony when I was 12. My parents probably got me the pony so I would stop bugging them." Laura's equine affinity grew from there, especially regarding one type. "What I like most about Mustangs is that they're a completely blank slate."
This mom of four fearlessly trains Mustangs. "The really fun part is bringing it home and getting it gentle and finding out the personality of the horse. So it's like I'm unwrapping a gift," said Laura.
It's a dangerous job that takes months of patience.
"The way I do it is I figure out what motivates a horse. So most of them come to me super fearful. They're trying to jump and break the fence to get away from me, so I have to spend some time sitting in the pen for a bit at first. You get them to relax and get comfortable with just my presence first," said Laura.
Laura started working with the feral horses five years ago. So far, she's had success with multiple Mustangs. Some have been adopted, and some she keeps for clients and family. Her kids have been motivated by watching mom's hard work. "It's been like life-changing for me to see her achieve her dream and watch her push through the things that have tried to stop her and go through injuries with her horses and still love the mustangs, and that's been inspiring," said daughter Claire Newberry.
Claire now also works full-time with the Mustangs. She's taken training to the next level, teaching her Mustang Ella tricks.
"Ella is wonderful. She can jump, she can do reining. She can work a cow, do a trail pattern, liberty, and neck rope. She does everything, and that's really true to what Mustangs are," said Claire.
Together, the family works with the Mustangs on their land in Tulsa. Laura says they hadn't planned to open a business, but interest boomed during the pandemic and hasn't slowed since. Newberry Farm offers horseback riding lessons, boarding, leasing, excursions, and even Mustang training lessons twice a week, where you can watch them train the wild Mustangs.
"I like education. I like educating people about the Mustangs," said Laura.
It's a call of the wild that's become a life calling. A dream come true-- taking Laura for the ride of her life. "From here on out, I'll probably only get Mustangs because I love them so much," said Laura.
Newberry Farm has opened a second location in Kellyville. There's an open house and fall schooling show on Saturday, November 18, 2023. You can learn more here: https://newberryfarmok.com/.
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