Before anyone asks, the answer is no. I tried too 
. His adopters love him and he’s not going anywhere.
Gus is a 2yo NV Mustang gelding adopted from the IA who had apparently decided that gentling was for losers. He made that known in some less than diplomatic ways.
His free-spirited self expression and refusal to be haltered or consistently allow touch is what brought him to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy to see if we could help him.
I was surprised to hear from previous adopters with not only a happy update on the handsome, goofy gelding they adopted from us, but also the request to work with their new boy Gus.
A few days ago they dropped him off for summer school. So far he’s doing great and a fan favorite.
Gus is handsome, brave and a smart boy who can occasionally get a little big for his britches.
Here are photos from the first 3 sessions in reverse order.
We’re leading and lungeing now, he got fly sprayed, is learning to back up and respect my space. Halterung wasn’t a big deal after breaking it down and I can touch him most anywhere.
It all still needs solidifying and refining, but I’m happy with his progress.
I’m also really grateful to his adopters for reaching out for help when he wasn’t progressing like they had hoped, and for being up front about what behaviors he’s exhibited that caused them to decide to send him off for gentling.
Most of the time we don’t get client Mustangs sent to us because they’re doing so well at home. I get that. Still, knowing what to expect, what has been tried and what the outcome was, makes all the difference for keeping us and the horse safe, and for making a plan to set them up for success.
There’s nothing wrong with needing help. Not having the tools to help a specific horse doesn’t take away from the skills adopters do have. It’s in everyone’s best interest to seek help sooner rather than later.
Once Mustangs develop evasive or even aggressive behaviors, become pushy or destructive, it takes much longer for them to unlearn that and learn more desirable behaviors than if bad habits hadn’t been allowed to form in the first place.
As for Gus, I’m very optimistic that he’ll turn out to be a wonderful mountain adventure buddy for his adopters when the time comes. He’s certainly bold and stout enough to do just about anything they might want to try.
#BLMmustang#horse#training#learning#progress#bettertogether#makingmountainmustangmemories
