This is a post for and about the newest member of our Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador herd: Petrie, a coming 3yo Devil’s Garden Mustang filly and one of the 10 DG Mustangs from the 2021 gather on U.S. Forest Service-Modoc National Forest land that were passed over for adoption and sent to us by our friends at Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals in Alturas, CA.
We gentled them and by now 8 of them have been placed into wonderful, loving homes. Some are already under saddle. Peanut is still with us to give her time to calm down and learn to trust humans. And then there’s Petrie.
I knew I wanted to retain a youngster to bring along, for one because evidently I’m a sucker, and because I really did need an up and coming pack horse as well as something that would be big and tough enough to work horses off of one day.
I said 4 youngsters ago no more baby brains and starting young horses for me. Apparently I don’t actually mean it, and here we are.
I also knew what wanted in the Mustang I would keep: A mare – I’m a mare person, what can I say. One with grit, courage, sass and opinions. A horse that faces challenges head on, is curious and will stand its ground in the face of perceived threat. Some of these are necessities for the kind of riding I do. Others are personal preference.
The good news: Petrie is all of that. The bad news? Petrie is all of that. My friends and I often joke about how men tend to want a strong woman, until they have one and she starts holding him accountable and voicing her opinion.
That’s pretty much what happened here. This filly cuts me no slack. None. If I’m not on top of my game, she tells me. If I don’t take my time teaching her something thoroughly, there’s a fight. And I mean a FIGHT. I’ve swallowed my pride and backtracked so many times, making sure that she actually understood the assignment, rather than me just casually introducing something to her and then expecting her to fill in for me.
She’s into absolutely everything, afraid of nothing almost to a fault. She slimes all over my car, opens doors, knocks on walls, tries to climb stairs, paws at and digs through things she finds interesting. She first introduced herself to Tiny, the boss of our Ambassador herd and twice her weight, by running at him backwards and double-barreling at him. She’s growing like a weed and getting thicker all the time.
She’s not only what I thought I wanted, she’s exactly what I needed. A horse that makes me earn it rather than wing it, every step of the way. She’s definitely a case of “be careful what you wish for”, in the best possible way.
For those who want to know:
Hat: Montana Rio Buckaroo Hats
Riding coat: Outback Trading Company LTD.
Halter and lead: Rowdy’s Ropes
