People like all kinds of different horses, all for their own reasons. They all will make us better humans and horsemen and -women if we let them.
I’m fortunate to have a lot of horses – all Mustangs now – in my life, many only for a short time on their path to hopefully becoming someone else’s partner and friend.
I like a good mare with grit who wears her heart on her sleeve and her thoughts all over her face. That’s these two for me, now coming 9yo Divide Basin Mustang mare Lacy and coming 2yo Devil’s Garden Mustang filly Cedar.
They’re so similar that they couldn’t stand each other for months. Finally now I’m seeing what’s starting to look like affection between the two and it makes me happy.
They’re both forward, easy traveling horses who love to go see the world. They are serious about a job needing done and outside of the occasional manageable spook don’t do anything silly.
They know who’s who, pick their people and are not shy about expressing whom and what they like. There’s only one person Lacy is friendlier with than me and I don’t blame her at all. Cedar at this point considers herself mine – or me hers? – and it’s pretty darn cute.
She’s had to learn to let others touch and handle her because while the one person horse thing may sound romantic, it’s not fair to the horse or those around it.
They can also feel my energy shift and keep me honest. If I’m in a hurry or grumpy I can’t catch either one of them. Not lovely but it helps me check and ground myself and not take my agenda out on them.
If they need to learn something I teach them and if they understand they apply it. If I’m unfair or rushy or grabby with either of them they tell me. And I reflect, listen and adjust, often quietly at the end of the day. That’s how a partnership should be.
It always amazes me how most every Mustang here finds someone who loves them for just how they are. I sure love these two and I love it even more that they’re starting to bond – without being herd bound because that’s just not who they are.
Both of them are Ambassadors Mustangs with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . One of them just might make an appearance at The Mustang Summit at Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in March.
Lacy was my first TIP horse when that was still a thing and the first Mustang I gentled. She came from the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program , Cañon City holding facility in 2017. Cedar joined us in 2023 from the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals .
We have gentled Mustangs available or coming available year-round. Please contact us if you’re looking or have a Mustang needing gentling. Located in Guffey, CO.
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