Our newest friend – the name situation is still under construction – is learning all the bare bones gentling basics.
This 3yo bay Mustang gelding from West Douglas Creek, CO came to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy last Friday for gentling. He has a home 
His adopters entrusted him to us, a responsibility we take seriously.
He’s curious yet aloof, brave-ish and reserved all at the same time. Not crashing and darting around the pen, not exactly running up to me for sniffs and scratches either this early on.
So what do you do with a wild horse you can’t get your hands on yet?
A lot of useful things to prepare for that touch and lay the foundation for important skills he’ll need later on.
Neck rope, establishing directional control, moving hips and shoulders, leading, touching with objects all over his body, speed control.
Reducing the distance between us and touch with shorter objects. Teaching him to turn towards rather than away from me. Yielding to pressure.
Teaching him to give me either side or both eyes and how to read my body language.
Sharing space and relaxing together.
Building draw and creating softness.
He’s working on all of that while getting more comfortable with touch and me up close.
I caught our actual first touch, offered by me and initiated by him, on video, and thought you would appreciate it 
A very happy update: Our 2025 calendars are almost gone. If you ordered one (or several) you helped us pay for Rosie’s new gate, reinforcements to Rohan’s shed and a substantial amount of work on our trailer. Putting in the new floor and rewiring it are next.
Mustangs and dirt roads are hard on equipment. We so appreciate your continued support in helping us help them! I hope you’ll enjoy your calendars even more, knowing you are making an immediate difference for the wild ones in our care 
We currently have two lovely gentled Mustang mares, Aerin and Tillie, looking for their forever person. They are both such a joy to work with and would very much like to find a family for the holidays and beyond. Hauling can be arranged.
Check them out at w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g
#BLMmustangs#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#mustanggentling#adoptalivinglegend#wildtowilling
