Doc, 6yo palomino pinto Mustang gelding from Stewart Creek WY has found his person. He joined Cinch on his trip north with hauler Brice Bebout and now lives in beautiful Montana.
I hadn’t listed him as available just yet, knowing it would take the right kind of person for him, when that person reached out, interested in adopting. I love when it works out that way.
She got approved to adopt through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy , and several phone conversations and videos later she decided to move forward. With trainer support, consistency and a flexible timeline.
Steve Mantle taught me that Mustangs tend to progress from avoidance to acceptance and finally to craving. Some can stay in avoidance or acceptance longer than others.
Depending on their personality, physical limitations and past experiences, they may reach craving in some areas while still being avoidant or merely tolerant in others.
Doc is a stoic horse. He quietly holds it together without major signs of upset until he gets overstimulated and has a big reaction.
Horses like that are easily misread and mistaken for “ok” because they’re “just standing there”, when really they’re tense and on guard
A lot of time goes into fostering relaxation, emotional regulation, mutual respect, trust and softness. That’s an open-ended passion project because while we can help a horse adjust and understand, we can’t make them let their guard down.
His color and size (15hh) were working against him in a way because big, flashy horses tend to attract a lot of interest, regardless of their temperament.
It makes our job of placing them into a suitable home harder because we have to disappoint people who, while they may have the means to adopt and care for the horse in question, may not be the right fit based on intended use, time constraints, experience level, trainer support or lack thereof and various other factors.
We advocate for both the wild horses in our care and our adopters’ safety and best interest when matching a Mustang with a person. We will sometimes suggest a different horse instead or ask an adopter to keep in touch so we can help them find just what they are looking for.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and continued support. You enable our nonprofit organization to continue to help wild horses and their humans be safe and happy, long-term.
We have several lovely wildies available or coming available for adoption. Please feel free to reach out and/or or check our website.
Here’s to happy trails for this big boy and his adopter 
Training halter & lead: Rowdy’s Ropes
#mustang#branded#horses#adoption#adventure#joy#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories
