The first time I met David Mitchell I thought he was the perfect trainer. He seemed to be savy with Parelli, which is something I consider to be of the up most importance while training my horse. He had a great trainer named Aldrich whom rode English fairly well. English training with connection from the bit to the mouth is also of great importance to me.
David was suave and a smooth talker. He told you exactly what you wanted to hear, especially when I asked about a few rather thin horses. He told me that they were rescues and he was bringing them back to health. I shouldn't have listened. They were his own personal horses who are kicked out on his back acreage with little hay, no feed in the winter, little protection from the elements, and to top it off, the majority of the horses feet were cracked and overgrown.
Unfortunately, what I didn't realize until after I brought my horse, and paid for two months of training UPFRONT, was that David's horse stalls are NEVER cleaned. Flies were everywhere in the barns and all over the horses. Even though I never measured, there is no doubt in my mind horses were standing in a minimum of 6 inches of their own manure and urine. To say I was horrified upon my first visit is an understatement.
I pulled my horse after the first month but, I never once saw anyone actually ride my horse. Aldrich, who seemed like a sweet kid, always told me my gelding wasn't one of his horses. Once I took my horse home, I was unable to even get a saddle on his back. I was able to do this BEFORE I took him to Trugon Ranch. Unlike the other lady that posted, I never even attempted to get my money back from David. I was very embarrassed for even leaving my horse there a month and wanted nothing to do with this man anymore.
After a little investigation of my own, I found out some interesting facts about Trugon Ranch. It is currently in a civil lawsuit in Fannin County. James David Mitchell (David's legal name), Trugon Ranch LLC, and Juanita Mitchell are all listed on this suit. Also, despite the fact David says Trugon Ranch is his, the property is actually owned by Juanita Mitchell. Both of these tid bits are easily researchable at Fannin County Courthouse in Bonham, Texas. You can find the information regarding the civil suit.
If you look on the home page on Trugon Ranch's website (as of December 20, 2010 at 1:05am), you will see where he claims to have 11 years of horse training experience. However, with a little research it is easy to see he spent the majority of his 30s and his early 40s in prison. In fact, on Collin County Texas's website you can see where he wasn't released from prison until 2006!! It is only 2010 now! There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between FOUR YEARS and ELEVEN YEARS.
I want to make it clear, I'm not here with a vendetta. I'm just here because the truth needs to be known. He is taking people's money and he targets women who love horses, are slightly naive, and have money to burn. This is obvious because 90% of his clients are women who know very little about horses. Please be VERY, VERY careful before deciding to take any animal to David Mitchell and/or Trugon Ranch. You might very well get SCAMMED!
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