I’m back. Happy New Year a week into 2025!

Thank you to everyone who messaged me to check in and ask for proof of life.

My mind has felt the way Rock’s face looks in the pic. I caught him mid-itch as he was scratching his head on Lacy’s saddle horn.

I put myself in time-out and told myself I was staying there until I could be reasonable again. So let’s try this.

My last post was the one about Rock’s first turnout, the day after Christmas. That was meant to be a cheerful post that I’d spent quite a bit of time putting together, thinking people would enjoy seeing and learning about a Mustang’s first time truly stretching his legs and being a horse again.

Except that’s not what happened. The internet – and I don’t mean everyone, not even the majority, but enough people to make it painfully noticeable – descended on me.

First of, he’s a mule people were telling me with the conviction a 5yo has that Santa is real. I can assure you, he is not, in fact, a mule. My ears stick out further than they should and my dad used to call me Dumbo when I was a kid (ha ha ), that doesn’t make me an elephant.

Secondly and more prominently, evidently I’m some sort of monster for turning him out with a halter on. A rope halter at that.

It said right in the caption that it was short-term, for the first little while of the first turnout only. And that he was being checked on during that time.

But no. That’s dangerous and how dare I and all of that.

I always carry a knife. So much so that the kids at school who know what I do with most of my week recently looked at me expectantly when something needed to be cut, and asked “Miss Stefanie, do you have a knife??!?” “Not here” I replied sheepishly, “I’m not trying to give Miss Kelli a heart attack” (Kelli is my friend/neighbor/admin/boss at the school…small town living for the win). That sucker is sharp. I can cut a rope halter in no time flat. Lead ropes too. I’ve done it.

Why the halter? The last time I turned one loose for the first time, he ran straight into the fence and I had to cut him out of it. By myself. If that happens it sure is nice to have control of the head to keep the horse from hurting both of us. Also, the ones that unexpectedly decide they’re wild again. It’s much easier to quickly clip a lead rope to a halter than to play catch me if you can with one that’s decided we’re not doing haltering in a big space.

What happened to asking questions, to voicing concerns in private, to “keep scrolling”, to “live and let live”, “agree to disagree”?

What’s the easiest way to deal with something you don’t agree with? Don’t do it! Don’t like a book? Put it down! Don’t want to support a business? Shop elsewhere! Don’t agree with someone’s political agenda? Don’t vote for them! Don’t like a certain bit? Don’t use it! It’s pretty simple, really. I don’t eat processed sugar and yet I don’t go around telling people they can’t either.

What do we need to do to make the world kinder again? We’ve normalized getting attacked on social media. Why? How about we normalize kindness instead? Normalize the need to learn and fail in order to succeed? Normalize asking questions instead of jumping to conclusions? Normalize that only those truly without sin should throw the first stone? Sure seems like there are a whole lot of perfect people out there. Maybe we need a walking on water competition for keyboard warriors.

I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. And a lot that I am proud of. What I won’t do is knock someone else down so I can then stand on their shoulders to feel taller. Going forward, on my and Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy ‘s page and posts, we will treat each other with the same or greater care and concern that’s afforded animals these days. Those who can’t play nice can go play elsewhere.

I hate the idea of deleting and blocking because I believe in freedom of speech and I value differing opinions. I also believe in treating others with respect. We can disagree and be kind. We can choose to disengage. (Cyber) bullying costs lives and I won’t stand for it.

We can all do our part to be the change we want to see in this world. Perfection not required

Rock, 3yo Mustang gelding from Little Colorado, WY got the ultimate Christmas present yesterday: His first ever pasture turn out.

To me that’s one of the biggest steps, right up there with the first touch, the first time leading out of the pens, the first trip off property and the first ride:

Giving them a bit of freedom back for the first time. The first time ever for facility born ones, and the first time in years for those that were gathered.

While they live in larger pens in holding than many boarding facilities and property owners can offer, there’s still something special about seeing them eat, run and play on grass grass the way a horse should.

This step is nerve wracking too. What if they run through a fence? What if they try to rewild themselves?

I must have checked on him 20 times yesterday. He’s turned out with Lacy who’s (relatively) quiet, won’t chase him, and is very respectful of fences. He checked in with me several times and remained very catchable and friendly throughout the day.

There’s also nothing wrong with letting them out for only minutes or hours at the time at first, and/or only during daylight hours.

The goal is to keep them safe and ourselves sane (-ish, we’re horse people after all, who are we kidding ).

It’s also not wrong to reduce or temporarily eliminate pasture time again if we realize they weren’t ready or if weight is a concern.

*I leave the halter on for the first hour or so of the very first turn out ONLY. In case something unexpected does happen, I can catch them more easily. I do not recommend leaving halters – or anything else – on unsupervised horses because they don’t need any more ways to hurt themselves*

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little video of Rock’s release after a lovely Christmas morning ride… NO GLOVES and manageable amounts of snow, it was glorious.

I’m not complaining, there’s still plenty of time for those of us who practically live outside to freeze our tails off and wade through feet of snow this winter.

This good boy is staying with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy for the time being. We have other wonderful, gentled wildies looking for their humans. Please reach out if you’re looking to adopt

I hope all of you who celebrate had a wonderful and very Merry Christmas

One of the late Zig Ziglar’s famous quotes is “Everything in life is either a blessing or a lesson.”

That’s something I try to live by. Be thankful for the good and learn from the rest. And in turn be thankful for the lessons too, hard earned as they may be.

For years I’d go on rides and pack trips in part for the adventure, the company of like-minded friends, to learn and spend time in nature, but also to get away from the rat race.

Another quote I think of often is “Create a life you don’t need a vacation from.” Easier said than done, or so I thought.

Until life decided to deliver a lesson and show me how.

I have long Covid. What that means for me is when I catch a cold it hits hard, and forces me to slow down, or else. When that happens I have enough energy for what really matters and nothing more.

The hidden beauty in all of that is that those times have taught me to sit with my thoughts, to enjoy my own company, to be grateful for sunsets and sunrises, for time with my animals, meaningful interactions with others and the ability to really be present.

It’s given me more appreciation for the simple things and a whole lot more joy in moments that I used to overlook or take for granted.

It’s given me the ability to tune out noise, make peace with things I can’t control, forgive and walk away, and to force myself to slow down and do hard things more readily than before.

In a way it’s like being on a pack trip, year round. Hard sometimes, yes, but mostly peace- and beautiful.

Am I minimizing illness or anyone else’s experience with it? Not my place or intention.

Instead, I’m hoping this may inspire some of you to look for lessons in the hard things and create something beautiful from it.

Or that you’ll enjoy the photos of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs, the happy Shepherds and some gorgeous country, taken by Tay Martin and me on our first pack trip this summer.

I figured you’d enjoy seeing more pivotal moments in early gentling up close.

Chip (name attempt #3, we’ll see if this one is the charm), is our newest student. He’s a handsome 3yo West Douglas Creek CO Mustang gelding.

His adopters sent him to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy to learn the basics and set him up for success when he goes home. We’re proud of this boy, he’s not been super easy but he’s trying hard.

I recently posted a video of him getting used to touch from a distance and the first “sniff”. Here’s the continuation of that. Short object – hand – halter within minutes and without fireworks. Boom.

With a shy Mustang especially breaking lessons down into bite sized pieces that feel manageable is so important to build their confidence.

Appropriately timed releases and knowing when to quit are equally as crucial. Steve Mantle said to me “Why would you go past a good place to get to a bad one?”

That’s such a good reminder to stop while things are going well. I like to say “Leave some fuel in the tank”, meaning leave them wanting more, feeling good about themselves and us and looking forward to the next session.

I try to put useful captions into these little clips. Is that helpful for you? Are you enjoying seeing our work up close and basically through the trainer’s eyes? Questions? Feedback? Let’s hear it in the comments.

If you know someone who would benefit from this or may want help gentling a wild one, we and many Mustangs would be ever so grateful to you for sharing this video

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#mustanggentling#makingmountainmustangmemories

The Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs are getting ready to move to a new winter pasture, which means dealing with potential hazards, making sure gates are closed and fences intact.

I almost didn’t ride the fenceline this time. I’d checked parts of it recently on horseback and drove by another section just a few days ago. I knew the rest of it is new and tight. Surely, I thought, that fence is solid.

I was so glad I rode it anyway. There’s little – aside from cattle or a vehicle going through it – that’ll mess up a section of fence like 100 elk on a mission to go someplace.

They had plowed right through one of the vintage sections of the fence and left behind tangled, stretched and broken wires and some sad, leaning fence posts.

Our lovely sunset ride ended as a walk in the dark by headlamp light so I could better assess the damage. With no horses in the pasture yet, I opted to kick that can of worms down the road until the next day.

Grateful to the guys who over the years have taken the time to teach me how to fix fence, I had the fenceline back in working condition by mid morning. Even without breaking any of the old wire and having it whip across my face.

I’ve learned to be gentle on those old fences until it’s time to roll up their brittle remains and put in all new strands.

Tonight I’m thankful for great horses, good dogs and winter grazing. Also for fence tools that work and for knowing how to use them.

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses

#adoptalivinglegend#ridethebrand#mountains#sunset#winter#thankful#makingmountainmustangmemories

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

#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

Tay Martin and I have been packing and shipping Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacycalendars all over the US and to Europe.

Thank you all so much for supporting what we do!

I love the images we selected for the 2025 calendars. Our Ambassador Mustangs, the two second hand German Shepherds and this beautiful state are just so photogenic

We hope that these images bring you joy and inspire you to get out there with your horses or to chase your dreams, whatever it takes and whatever they may be

Which one is your favorite?

We use the calendars, as well as our E t s y sh0p to raise funds for the wild horses in our care. To everyone who’s ordered calendars and items from our little sh0p, thank you! We’d love it if you tagged us in pictures with them and let us know how you like them!

L¡nk to sh0p: w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . e t s y . c o m

To get your own calendar – we have a handful left – PM us or reach us via or text. Info in video.

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#bettertogether#backcountry#mountains#Colorado#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

Watching DG Rohan play on grass for the first time since he was gathered last fall was truly a sight to behold.

Rohan is adopted and while he’s waiting for a pick up date, he’s learning and doing some things that will help him be even better prepared for the transition to his new home.

Going off property, learning to respect different kinds of fences and being caught in a larger area are among those things.

It seems every mountain town around currently has a loose Mustang or two. I get it, stuff happens. Most of that stuff is preventable though.

At Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy our fencing is between 7 and 8 ft tall. Our wildies have to prove themselves as pretty trustworthy on a lead before we take them outside of that.

Even more so to go off property. And more so yet for me to take the lead off and let them play in an area where jumping out might actually be doable.

I like to do a whole lot of catch and release with a Mustang that’s just getting used to bigger spaces, ideally first alone and then with a herd.

Breaking things down in such a way that it’s really easy for these guys to make the “right” choice sure beats having to undo the aftermath of rushing, in all areas of their training.

What has worked well for you as you’ve transitioned a gentled Mustang from pen to turn out and maintained the relationship/kept them catchable?

This lovely Twin Peaks, CA Mustang filly was born on the range in 2022. She’s tall, nearly 15hh now, and string tests to 15.3hh mature height.

Tillie has requested a home for the holidays and beyond, someone who is going to enjoy a curious, affectionate and spirited young mare to bring along, grow and adventure with.

Tillie would do well in English disciplines, endurance, on the trail or on the ranch. Anywhere a tall, smart, strong, ground-covering horse is desirable.

This is how Tillie learns: “You want me to…what??? Absolutely not!!! Wait… Nevermind, I’ve got it. We’re good. Moving on. Next?”

New things are a big deal the very first time and a non-event after. She doesn’t get dangerous, just outraged, and channels her usually dormant inner Thoroughbred.

She always greets us at the gate, eager to interact and go do something. She has been trimmed and thoroughly enjoyed annoying our farrier, wiggling just enough to be a pest but not enough to actually jump around or pull her foot away.

Tillie is easily entertained and always looking for low-key mischief to get into, as you can see in this video.

She’s easy to catch, halters and leads, ponies, loads and ties. She’s been saddled and bridled, gets along with other horses and dogs and enjoys going for walks.

She likes crossing obstacles, leading or sending, knows how to back, move hips and shoulders. She stands for grooming and spraying.

Tillie likes people as well as other horses, making her less prone to being herd bound/buddy sour. That’s important in a future adventure partner that may be asked to go out alone.

She is Sale Authority (SA), meaning she can travel outside of the US, to a suitable home approved through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy

Tillie is located in Guffey, CO, hauling can be arranged.

Please comment, like and share to get this cutie seen by someone who is just the right fit for her and she for them

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#adoptme#adoptalivinglegend#wildtowilling#wildhorses#makingmountainmustangmemories