When I got this guy home, I said to Tay Martin “Gosh, he sure looks a lot like River!”

I pulled this big sorrel boy with soft eyes out of a pen full of young Twin Peaks Mustang geldings, thinking he was one of them.

It wasn’t until the evening after the adoption event that I realized he’s from Antelope Hills, WY, the same HMA River and Gus were out of.

We gentled those two drafty, good minded giants at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy last year. They’ve since gone on to find the most amazing homes.

Lightning Bug combines the same trainability and friendliness with a sportier, yet durable build. He’s 3yo (looks to be a young 3yo) and already measures 15hh. He string tests to an impressive 16hh.

Lightning Bug is low drama, calm for his age, retains things well, and is the most uncomplicated, eager to please Mustang we have here right now.

He’s the kind of horse that the old style Morgan or the Warmbloods of my childhood were bred to be: Something grandpa can plow with, dad can drive into town, mom can joy ride and the kids can jump and ride double on.

He enjoys getting fussed over as much as having a job to do. Lightning Bug is like a smart dog: Most things you only need to show him once and he gets it.

He’s had all important ground work done and is easy to handle. He’s been saddled and bridled, ground driven and ponied. With appropriate and fair training, he will be lovely to start under saddle.

He is Sale Authority and can travel. Located in Guffey, CO.

It would mean the world to us if you engaged with – comment, like and share – this post to help him find the wonderful home he deserves.

WHOA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our number one priority is setting the wild horses in our care up for long-term success by giving them a solid foundation and making sure they are a good match for their adopters.

We rely on adoption fees, training fees (we also gentle Mustangs for their adopters), teaching workshops/clinics, remote coaching, donations and you helping us spread the word to fulfill our mission:

Helping Mustangs be safe & happy by 1) carefully gentling & matching them with wonderful adopters, and 2) inspiring & guiding adopters to train their own.

Thank you for your continued support!

Please PM or email if you’re interested in adopting:

i n f o @ w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

*His mane is chaos atm, it got chewed short in holding. It’s thick, colorful and just past the mohawk stage. I included a picture of it doing what it does in the wind, and one of how content he looks when Taylor tries to fix it*

Halter & lead: Rowdy’s Ropes makes the best!

Thank you Karyn Miller for helping us keep their manes and tails healthy and shiny with your amazing Knotty Horse products!

#BLMmustang#wildhorses#wildtowilling#adoptme#adoptalivinglegend#adoptamustang#bettertogether#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

I’d told myself I was going to ride in the sand this spring. Who can we keep our word with if not ourselves?

It’s been darn busy, we’ve got some cool wildies we’re working with at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy and there’s always stuff to do on the counseling side too.

We’re quickly running out of spring and I had this one day where I could go. I asked some friends if they wanted to come.

The deal was you needed to bring your own trailer because one Spur and one Lacy about fill mine since I’m still keeping him in front of the divider in the larger space.

And you had to require little to no babysitting because these two Mustangs and I have one favorite speed: Fast. Especially in the sand. They channel their inner Arabian horses.

No takers, not for lack of interest – who doesn’t want to ride the sand dunes? – but lack of schedule alignment.

I got up that morning and checked the weather. Ew. Asked friends again. Checked the weather again. Did some office work on what was supposed to be my day off. Procrastinating much? Oh, checked the weather forecast again.

If it hadn’t been for two of my favorite people insisting I get on with it, supporting the nagging little voice inside my head that was reminding me I had promised myself I’d go, I might have stayed home, worked and been sad.

Instead I packed – so much stuff, omg, but it was a great practice run to get back in the groove for bigger trips with the animals – loaded and went.

Stopped once for snacks and once for fuel. Got over the pass just fine. Got there just as the weather turned ugly.

Saddled in 30mph winds with the occasional heavy sideways rain drop.

Rode off by myself with two hotheads, one of them (Spur, isn’t it always Spur? ) very, very green.

We had an epic ride. 10mi in 2.5h. Those two can cover country and they love it. Spur handled the drive, sand, water, traffic, people, wind and deer like a pro.

Lacy hates shapes. Always has. Things become increasingly more shape-y in the late afternoon light.

She doesn’t do much but I sure feel like I’m riding a colt when she’s like a coiled spring and her head corkscrews itself into the air.

“Stop being a silly cow!” I grunted, leg-yielding her mind off of the imaginary beasts lurking behind stumps and sagebrush.

We had a fantastic time. I’m so glad we went and so proud of all of us for keeping it together under less than ideal conditions and without someone else to hold our hand.

#horses#mountains#adventure#joy#courage#travel

#solo#adventure#makingmountainmustangmemories

Someone on one of our platforms recently requested a video of catching a Mustang with the neck rope, so here it is for everyone.

Butterfly, a 5yo palomino Mustang mare from Twin Peaks, CA was a lovely demo horse. Thank you Tay Martin for filming.

Caveats:

I’ve done this “once or twice” before.

I’m in a 25ish ft round pen with 7 1/2ft fences.

I can read the room. If I have a horse that’s extra skittish or might want to kick or spin, I take several steps before this one to prepare them and keep us both safe.

The most pressure I want on this rope is the feel of a single use plastic grocery bag full of bananas. So we’re not talking sacks of concrete here. Most of the time the rope will be slack.

I have a hook on a 6ft stick to get the rope off if need be.

When and why:

I don’t catch all of the new Mustangs at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy this way but 80-90% of them I do.

If they don’t approach me or let me approach them within the first session or two, I will.

There’s no sense in first (accidentally) teaching a wild horse to walk away and then going back and teaching them they need to come or stand to be caught every time the human shows up. Double standards make frustrated horses.

This step turns into leading, into directional control, moving hips and shoulders and putting the temporary halter on. The sooner the horse (safely) learns the human is nothing to be afraid of, the better.

From what she’s doing, over a few sessions they stand and face me while I put the rope over their head (that’s where Annie Oakley is currently at). After that, I can walk up to them and put the neck rope on before I turn it into the temporary halter (that’s where Zin is at).

Pretty soon I can catch and halter them like a domestic horse. The process and timeframe looks a little different from one wildie to the next.

The goal is that if it wasn’t for the freezebrand, you’d never know the horse I’m handling or riding is a Mustang.

We’ve got a whole world to impress with these horses and we can best do that when they’re acting every bit as well trained if not more so than those that have been handled from birth.

#horses#mustang#learning#teaching#horsetraining#wild#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

Beautiful moments last night with one the quirkiest Mustangs we’ve had yet.

Last week I took Spur into town for the first time. We rode all around our tiny mountain town and into the school yard. He met the staff and a lot of the students, and was perfectly content sleeping and letting kids love on him while others were noisily playing basketball and on the swings.

Today I ponied him alongside Lacy to help Tay Martin find a wayward bull. Turns out 20 kids on a playground are fine. Riding on the road is fine. Traffic is fine. Dogs, water, group rides, loose horses, trailer loading in the dark: Fine.

Cattle, especially facing him? A death threat. I’ve never seen a horse have a meltdown of such epic proportions over a bovine. I can hold onto a horse and I hardly ever lose one, but Spur up and quit the scene on us today.

We had just gone from 1 problem – loose bull – to 2 – loose bull and loose horse – when our brand inspector texted me, wanting to know if he could come do Ruby’s brand inspection. I told him no can do, that I’d just hard released a horse while having a stand off with a bull and was going to be busy for a while yet.

“You’re not supposed to lose a horse while finding a cow.” was what came back. “Good to know.” I replied.

Ultimately and after much back and forth (Lacy is a tough and willing little wannabe cowpony), the bull found his girlfriends (the wrong ones) and Breanna Engle found Spur with barely a scratch and called me so we could meet. He ponied the last couple of miles back to Taylor’s house like he hadn’t just been on a big adventure.

Yay for living in the middle of nowhere where people know each other and who might be missing what horse, and are savvy enough to catch it.

Spur qualified for the cow camp of shame at the end of a long, eventful day. By the end of it he could not only breathe the same air as Taylor’s colorful herd of Scottish Highland cattle; he could also stand across the fence from them and even follow and *gasp* touch them.

On days like today I remind myself of moments like last night, when the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy herd had wandered off to graze and Spur watched the moonrise with me. And of what a ball of fire and chaos Lacy could be when she was younger.

I like to look for silver linings once the dust settles, the sweat dries and heart rates are within normal limits again. Everyone is in one piece. Important lessons were learned. Everyone was helpful, patient and kind.

Taylor is going to start bringing her show cows over to visit the Mustangs so the horses can see some cattle before they have chance encounters in the real world and the fluffs can get used to traveling. Win-win-win.

#horses#mountains#bettertogether#fullmoon#outdoors#makingmountainmustangmemories

The horse. The trainer. The future owner. Others who may come in contact with the horse: Friends, visitors, haulers, farriers, vets, kids, horsey as well as non-horsing loved ones.

Ideally we help the horse become confident, comfortable and competent in all areas of life with humans.

That makes for a happy, well-adjusted, trusting and respectful partner that’s safe and enjoyable to be around.

For some that’s a long road and all we can do is work towards that goal in small – sometimes very, very small – steps.

When I’m working with a Mustang, whether it’s going great or less smoothly, the guiding light is always to set it up so that everybody wins.

Not in a “participation trophy”, “congratulations, thank you for being here today” kind of way, but in the sense that the horse and handler both are making progress towards getting what they are looking for.

Here NV Mustang mare Zin – her adopter sent her to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy for gentling – is learning that when she gives to rope pressure rather than fighting or running from it, she makes the pressure go away.

She’s learning that ropes don’t hurt. She’s learning she has agency and how to think through pressure. She’s getting more confident in herself, me and calmly interacting with a human.

I’m getting her closer to picking and holding up her feet, because I want her to be able to confidently stand for her first trim. I want to be safe, and keep her and our farrier safe when we do that.

Sometimes we need to be creative in our approach, especially with Mustangs. “Everybody wins” is a good goal to have with people, too.

*We call this exercise leading by a foot. It’s also an important step towards hobble training, which in turn is more than just for backcountry grazing. It’s also broken leg and nasty cut prevention because it teaches horses not to fight if a leg is caught*

#horses#learning#goals#progress#winwin#teaching#trust#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

This is why people say that horses are “good medicine” or simply good for the soul.

So many smiles that evening.

It was also the occasion for me to admit that big dopey geldings with a PhD in energy conservation make great friends.

The Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang herd had friends over for an evening visit.

Rock (pangare bay gelding from Little Colorado, WY) and Tiny (sorrel gelding from Salt Wells, WY) were so happy about so much attention and so little work.

Lacy (dun mare from Divide Basin, WY) and Spur (bay roan gelding Stewart Creek, WY) were weirded out by all the commotion and politely made themselves scarce.

You can see them sneaking the heck outta Dodge in one of the pictures.

Spur is my shadow when it’s just him and me. He’s serious about work and a ground covering machine. Lacy is one heck of a saddle horse who has one favorite human and I’d like to think I’m second on her list.

Those two are particularly near and dear to my heart. I love a serious horse that enjoys having a job and covering country. They will visit with people but usually need to be on a lead rope or in an unusually sociable mood for that.

Rock and Tiny are the gentle giants of the herd. Cuddles over effort any day.

Turns out that when it comes to bringing non-horsing humans around them, they go right into puppy dog/jungle gym mode.

New people, hugs, cameras, dogs, impromptu bareback rides…No problem, the more the merrier.

It was adorable and they both earned major brownie points for being the bestest Ambassadors for our “wild” horses.

I’d love to hear about your favorite experiences of just “being” with horses!

#horses#love#family#mountains#sunset#joy#fun#happy#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

We can teach a horse how to feel about learning and themselves by how we prepare them, read them and present new things or tasks

Yes, horses are individuals with their own personalities, strengths and insecurities.

We can also set them up to win.

The idea is that everybody wins.

That has nothing to do with whether or not you’re using food rewards. It has to do with what outcome we’re looking for and how we work towards it.

Here Lightning Bug – a 3yo sorrel Antelope Hills WY Mustang gelding – is meeting the spray bottle for the first time.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me “My horse doesn’t do fly spray”, I’d be independently wealthy.

We’ve never had a Mustang that “doesn’t do fly spray”, not even the ones that had a really hard time with a lot of seemingly simple things.

That’s s because fly spray is something a horse has zero internal programming for. The way we present it is the way they’ll see it. Good, neutral or bad.

I don’t have any fairy dust for magical training outcomes and I’m not here to tell people what to do.

What I do have is years of experience – academic and hands-on – with behavior and behavior modification.

When we obtain knowledge in a nonjudgmental way, apply it – there’s trial and error involved – and use it to better ourselves and to benefit our horses, we can achieve the “everybody wins” goal and the quiet training sessions more and more often.

*Yes he is a Mustang. The freezebrand is under his mane*

This handsome boy is looking for his adventure human. He is available to an amazing home through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in Guffey, CO. He is Sale Authority and can travel.

Lightning Bug is currently 15hh tall, string tests to 16hh. He’s built to be versatile, safe and fun, both inside and out.

He and we would very much appreciate your comments, likes and shares on this post to help LB find the incredible home he deserves

#horses#learning#teaching#horsemanship#growth#winwin#calm#makingmountainmustangmemories

I see so many people want to neatly micromanage the world around them into submission to create an artificial bubble to ride or work their horses in.

I don’t have that luxury and I don’t think it’s good practice. Not for us. Not for our horses.

Do we want to set an animal and a person up for success when they’re learning and not overwhelm them to a point that they shut down? Absolutely.

It’s also a disempowering feeling when you know you’re at the mercy of your environment holding it together just right in order for you to be ok. In more ways than one.

Feel free to read into this whatever fits your situation.

For working with young Mustangs, I like to get them used to controlled chaos so that when the uncontrolled chaos happens, they’re prepared.

I focus on riding the horse I’m on – meaning make sure they’re responsive and prepared for the task at hand, and know I’m there to have their back – instead of carefully orchestrating what the others are doing.

Spur was mighty excited the first time Rock came flying up behind him and wanted to take off. I let him know he’s with me, and with Lacy who knows how this works.

I also ride Lacy solo so she doesn’t become dependent on the horse I pony. When I do pony, my little hothead Mustang mare has become quite the steady mentor.

All this “I don’t ride when it’s windy, we can’t trot, no dogs …” is great and all until it isn’t. We exist in the real world and not in a vacuum.

I can leave my dogs at home only to have my horses literally get attacked by someone else’s. I can insist on single file until someone falls off and their horse takes off. I can say nice weather only until the weather changes.

I have never met a single hornet, bear, deer, snowshoe hare, ground nesting bird, moose or afternoon thunderstorm out on the trail that cared even the tiniest bit about my precious little feelings or my safety.

That’s my job. It’s my job to educate myself and to put in the time with my horse(s) to make sure we can withstand the unforeseen. Because it’s not a matter of if, but when and what.

I’d rather enjoy the ride than cower up there, waiting for some kind of shoe to drop.

Thoughts?

Somehow the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang herd has turned into a colorful collage of Wyoming Mustangs from 4 different HMAs. Somehow the dogs are always right there and still manage to stay out of harm’s way.

#horses#mountains#sunset#joy#growth#learning

#together#goals#makingmountainmustangmemories

Whether you’re curious, just getting started or looking for new ideas and connections, we’re looking forward to meeting you!

Please share with anyone who might be interested in/benefit from this event!

We cover gear needed for equines and humans in the backcountry, putting on a pack saddle, throwing the box hitch, navigation, stock containment, feeding equines and humans in the backcountry, and preparing equines and people for pack trips.

Plenty of opportunities for questions and hands on practice.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Help us spread the word please! Proceeds go towards supporting our work with wild horses

$125 per person if paid in advance (Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, Square, cash or check) or $140 if paid on arrival.

#horses#mountains#outdoors#outside#explore

#adventure#learning#workshop#community#fun#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

We’ve got Rock, a giant, sweet, game for everything young Mustang, a work harness, single tree and a tire drag.

This was right after we unhitched him and he was still figuring out he wasn’t leaning into weight anymore.

He’d pulled the single tire before and then me on it. This was his first time “working”, dragging part of the pasture.

It’s unexpectedly, ridiculously rewarding seeing the before and after of manure piles when you’re breaking them up with the help of an eager young wildie.

Rock was totally invested once he figured out what to do and how to lean in and get and keep the drag moving.

I’m all for teaching Mustangs to be versatile and to give them the confidence to navigate different tasks and situations.

A horse with a “yes I can” attitude that’s willing to look and listen to a trusted and respected human for guidance will take you most anywhere, keep you and itself safe and it’ll most likely be fun too.

Tay Martin came to learn about putting the heavy harness on and stayed to be Rock’s side walker and emotional support human for his maiden voyage as a work horse.

*Yes, he can survive 20min of pulling without a collar pad. I need to get a bigger collar for him so that the pad will fit*

In 31 years of working with horses of all shapes and sizes on two continents (crazy to think about, where’d the time go!?), I’ve done a little bit of a lot of things.

I was first dragging pastures with previously barely handled Shetland Ponies in rural-ish Germany almost 30 years ago, and riding draft horses whose main job was logging in the Czech Republic just a few years later.

So fun to see it all come together, and to mentor and inspire friends along the way. I recently went cart and harness shopping with Taylor and Cassie and I’m so stoked to watch them enjoy bringing their young Devil’s Garden Mustang mares they adopted from Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy along.

#mustang#horse#workhorse#spring#mountains#work#fun#learning#teaching#joy#progress

#makingmountainmustangmemories