Two things can be true at once, often are. Holding space for both is where the challenge lies. Also the reward.

What do I mean?

This:

We want to be around horses so they can meet some of our needs. And their needs matter too, even when they’re different from our own.

Horses are sentient beings with highly developed nervous systems. They’re also prey animals that may outweigh us 10 to 1 and have no clue how to function in our world without guidance.

Horses deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. And they require boundaries so humans can safely care for and interact with them.

Softness has is place. So does pressure – as little as possible, as much as necessary.

We can build wonderful partnerships with horses. And horses aren’t funny shaped humans or giant dogs. Or furniture we can ignore indefinitely.

Fun, contentment and joy are important in our journey with horses. So are learning, consistency and growth.

You’re allowed to have your opinions and methods. That also means others get to have theirs.

It’s great to have a very trainable horse. And the word train in this context is a verb.

Never before in history has most horses’ workload been this low. Never before in history has most people’s need for a quiet, unshakable mount been so high.

We’ve never wanted so badly to feel connected to our horses. And never been more disconnected from how nature actually works.

The duality of realities in the horse world is wild. We can bridge those gaps and make the bridges something beautiful when we become aware.

Batteries need plus and minus poles for our devices to work and your car to start. Many less tangible things in life do too.

Picture of me having some fun while gentling Little Colorado WY Mustang gelding Huckleberry at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . He’s very smart, expressive, playful and just learning how to “people”.

Shortly after this I got to explain to him that some play behaviors are only ok around other horses, not humans. It’s all part of it.

Lacy, my first branded Mustang, turned 11yo on March 17th. She was born at the Cañon City BLM holding facility to a Divide Basin WY mare.

We celebrated her birthday doing one of the things she enjoys most these days: Going FAST. Footage of that adventure to come.

I brought Lacy home as an unhandled 2yo. She was my first TIP horse, meaning the plan was to gentle and place her. Well, I did both but she didn’t go far

Nobody else wanted to take a chance with her because she was tiny, gangly and admittedly a bit jug-headed. I thought I’d be less likely to die if I started with a small one. I was right but she sure had a big personality, even then.

I can’t tell you how many people have since tried to buy the once ugly duckling – who later turned out to be gaited and outgrew the ugly phase just fine – right out from under my saddle, or lack thereof.

At 8yo we almost lost her. That was 8 months of uncertainty I’ll never forget. A partial ligament tear, lameness in both fronts from compensating for the injury, then a corneal ulcer that took part of her vision in her right eye. Finally a mild colic, presumably because she was unhappy being locked up for so long.

It’s also made me that much more grateful that she’s still here. This horse finds new ways to challenge me every year. It’s good for me. It keeps me thinking, listening, problem solving and paying attention.

Lacy is the matriarch and lead mare of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang herd now and my go-to training assistant for green Mustangs learning to be ponied, to pack and be ridden. She keeps riders on green horses safe, as well as green riders on sometimes still rather green horses.

That responsibility and exposure to youthful chaos have made her a bit hypervigilant at times. She’s also grown into herself in the sense that she’s discovered a need for speed. She used to happily walk, shuffle, trot or lope everywhere but had to be pushed into a gallop.

Not anymore. I keep joking that she’s in her race horse era. She loves to channel her inner fire breathing dragon and just fly. She doesn’t take off, she asks permission, but you can tell when she needs to blow off steam. Blanca, the mare who brought her along, was like that. A good gallop or two and they’re content again. Until then they expend all sorts of unsolicited energy, usually in subtle, only just obvious enough ways, hoping to get that gallop. Mares man. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The headstall from Southern Nutmeg Leather was her birthday present. A dragon wearing dragons. Her reins with cowboy quick connects are from Rowdy’s Ropes

In very happy news, Sergeant has been adopted. He went home to the Western slope over the weekend. We’re very excited for him and his adopters!

We currently have 4 incredible young gentled Mustangs looking for homes: Commander ( due to being in the Forever Branded partnerships adoption incentive program), Chaos, Remington and Valkyrie (not part of the incentive program).

All 4 have recent posts on our pages with photos and relevant information. We’re happy to answer additional questions.

The important groundwork is done, we know they are trainable without reverting back to their wild ways overnight, and get along with humans (and dogs).

All that’s left for you to do is find your match, get to know them and start them your way, continuing to help them become enjoyable adventure partners.

You’re welcome to meet and interact with them – with an approved adoption application through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy – and see if you click.

We are located in Guffey, CO. We work with reputable, Mustang-friendly and -experienced haulers if you need transport.

We value long-term happiness and success, for both Mustangs and adopters. Our posts about our adoptable horses are detailed and honest, so are our conversations with you when you reach out. We want to see you succeed and be safe.

Sometimes that means guiding you towards a different horse than the one you originally reached out about. They are all individuals with different personalities, quirks and talents, just like people. We know them well and we’re here to help you find the one (or two or…?) that’s right for you.

Please COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE to help these 4 wildies find the amazing homes they deserve.

Responsible, thorough Mustang gentling and placement takes time, effort, expertise and the right equipment, as well as lots of hay and several farrier visits. If you’d like to support our work, please reach out. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and we can’t do this without you.

Rope tack by Rowdy’s Ropes . Knotty Horse healthy detangler for wild manes and tails from Karyn Miller , filming help from Tay Martin and a hat that puts up with my shenanigans and the wild Colorado weather from Montana Rio Buckaroo Hats.

I’d like to shed some light into the gap, when our socials went quiet for a time. I’m not fond of using social media as my journal because time and place and privacy matter, but so does transparency. Here’s my compromise.

This winter I shed:

Saying yes to things I’m not comfortable with. Not the “It requires growth” kind of uncomfortable. The “This is not aligned with what we do/not a priority right now” kind

Making exceptions – once you set a firm boundary, it gives you lots of headspace back and makes things fair for everyone

Feeling like social media has me, rather than me having social media. Some time away has been a healthy perspective shift. I’ve scooped myself out of the soup if you will

Worrying so much about being liked and therefore not speaking my mind or always being afraid to upset someone. Sometimes the internet (and real life) weirdos arrive in droves and it feels like the zombie apocalypse. I’m better at navigating that now

A really nasty cold/flu and a concussion, right back to back. 0/10 do not recommend. There went 10 weeks of trudging through the day with no energy to do anything but the bare necessities and feeling pretty crummy much of the time

The worst grief I’ve ever experienced. I usually joke that there are 2 kinds of people, humans and Germans (I’m German, right off the plane for those who don’t know. Naturalized American citizen now) and I really struggle when the two intersect and the “human” part catches up with me. That one hurt, still does, but life must go on, if nothing else to honor those for whom it doesn’t

Summed up, if you were wondering why WHOA went radio silent for a bit over the winter:

Taylor and I both, like a cruel joke from the universe, spent a lot of that time being really sick and very sad, while still working because humans and animals needed to be cared for and as many horses as possible worked. There was literally nothing left of either of us when we got done with that. Brain off. Words not working. Heart aching. Body tired.

We’re really sorry for those who missed our posts and our calendars. We did too. We’re only human – dang it – and needed to focus on the essentials and on getting well again.

Glad to be back now and grateful to all who stuck with us. And on a happy note, the non-client wildies we’ve been quietly working with over the winter are now ready for amazing homes and boy are they nice ones

You can find them in recent posts and on our website if you’re looking. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this picture of Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang fillies Firefly (bigger) and Goose playing and just being goofy youngsters.

Firefly will likely be available for adoption at a later point in time with more training. We will update if and when that happens.

We want to offer a select few horses to adopters who prefer a horse with additional handling and skills. That helps more people be able to get Mustangs and more Mustangs find great homes.

… aka Remi and Val

It was such a beautiful morning and it had finally snowed, so we decided to clean up these two still wet and winter-fuzzy 2yo Mustang fillies and take some fun pictures. I have about 200 more, they were having so much fun!

Remington is the buckskin, Valkyrie the bay. She has a dorsal stripe and black ear tips. The consensus is Val is bay with ND1 rather than dun. We have not color tested her. Remi has what looks like a faint dorsal stripe as well. Both were born on the range and are from Bordo Atravesado NM, a very colorful HMA.

Remi currently measures 14hh, Val 13.3hh. Both string test to 14.3hh mature height.

They are both smart, spicy, athletic young mares. These pictures represent their personalities well. Val is a tad quieter than Remi. Both are sane and love to cover ground. Both are beautiful, effortless movers.

I like what I’ve seen of that HMA so far: Tough, athletic, hardy, smart horses. So much so that we’ve retained Goose for our Ambassador Mustang herd.

Remi is our survivor. She injured her left front leg last fall and had us worried about her for months. Thanks to a team effort and much luck she’s sound and happy today and only a scar tells of her misadventure.

Both fillies are gentled and know all age appropriate groundwork: halter and lead, load, send and lead over obstacles, back, move hips and shoulders, lunge both directions. They are good around dogs and tie reliably.

Both have been trimmed by our ever patient farrier Cassie CK Hoof Care CBT, APF-I and did well.

We do not expect to adopt them out together. They are great friends but rather than overwhelming someone with two young horses needing continued training, we trust that they will make new friends easily. We are not opposed to them staying together in the right situation.

They are available through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in Guffey, CO. Hauling can be arranged.

All rope tack, as always, custom made and Mustang tested, by Rowdy’s Ropes .

Please COMMENT, LIKE & SHARE to help these two beauties find amazing homes!

It’s something I think about often, and we see it play out all the time.

To be successful with and enjoy our horses, two main factors need to be there, in this order:

1. It needs to be a fit, we and our horse. We need to be “appropriately horsed”, not violently “over-, under- or mis-horsed”.

2. We need to do what it takes to get ourselves and our horse(s) to where we want to be. Which is a completely miserable, if not impossible, thing to do if it’s not the right horse for where we’re at today. Not 20yrs ago, not 5yrs down the road, not in our wildest dreams. TODAY.

Stretching ourselves a little, compromising a little, getting help, sure. But a major discrepancy? That’s no bueno.

I’d personally rather be a little under-horsed than majorly over-horsed or have the wrong horse altogether any day of the week.

At the end of a long day, when I’m finally free to go see and work with the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs, I really don’t want to feel on edge the majority of the time.

I’ve had some horses that have literally made me want to dust. Those same horses ended up being great for someone else. They just weren’t my type. And you know what, that’s ok!

I’ve also had horses that made others want to give up riding and take up quilting or stamp collecting instead. I thought they were perfect – for me, at that point in my journey with horses.

Because of what I enjoy about working with horses, Mustangs specifically, I always have spirited and/or young horses. It’s what I love and I embrace the challenges that come with that.

However, within that I’m super picky about what I like. Tay Martin and I joke that we’re never going to fight over a horse because our preferences are so different.

Her Mustangs are great too – for her. That’s how it should be, that’s what gets more great horses into more great homes!

We’ve gentled dozens of wildies we waved off with a sigh of relief. To adopters who love them dearly for exactly who they are. Win-win-win, that’s always the ultimate goal. That’s what we love to do and why we’re thorough in our adoption process.

At the same time I see so many people who have dug in their heels with a horse they would have enjoyed 20 years ago or that would be perfect for the girl next door who’s got more time to ride or has different expectations. Meanwhile they’re not happy, the horse is sitting and nobody is getting any younger or out on adventures.

I check in with my nervous system when I’m around a horse. If it feels like coming home – in a good, safe, comforting way – that’s the horse I’ll keep.

Sergeant is a 5yo bay (presumably with ND1, has countershading in place of an actual dorsal stripe) Mustang gelding, facility born to a Stewart Creek WY Mustang mare. Sergeant stands 15.2hh tall.

We chose him before the Cañon City holding facility closed because of his calm demeanor and soft eyes.

All Stewart Creek horses we’ve ever had have a tendency to get a little spicy at first when uncertain. Sergeant is no exception: “This is horrible!!! Under no circumstances will I…!!!!! …. Oh ok. I can do that. You could have said that that’s all you wanted.”

Sergeant’s ideal person will not get in his washing machine when he gets upset but will calmly yet persistently point him in the right direction, breaking things down as needed to set him up for success.

He’s a quiet, matter of fact guy a lot of the time. As he matures further and continues to get exposure and guidance, he’ll be even more so. He could do well in a number of disciplines.

Sergeant is friendly, enjoys attention and is easy to catch. He has very little stranger danger and gets along well with other horses. He ties, stands for grooming, picks up his feet and has been trimmed. He leads, loads, lunges, sends and leads over obstacles, backs and moves his hips and shoulders.

He is located in Guffey CO and available for adoption through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . Hauling can be arranged.

We’re grateful to Forever Branded for helping more bay and sorrel wildies get the attention and loving homes they, too, deserve!

Sergeant is here as part of the Forever Branded partnerships program, a new adoption incentive program through which we have already placed Helga, Ragnar and Lieutenant.

Commander is still waiting for someone who would love to add a proud, handsome and lovable sorrel boy to their herd. You’ll find him in an earlier post.

Adoption s for these boys are more than reasonable due to the incentive program.

Please PM or email us with interest in adopting. We’re here to help you find a good match for both you and the Mustangs, and will help guide you to ensure a good fit.

Please COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE to help Sergeant find his person!

I end up riding by myself most of the time. Not so much on the big scenic rides but on the every day ones for sure.

This was one of the bigger rides I did solo last year. My friends were otherwise occupied, we were going to be running out of fall and I wasn’t going to not go.

Getting ready for a day ride for one person, two horses (I like putting miles on and giving exposure to young horses/pack horses too while I’m at it) and two dogs is a bit of a chore, but so worth it.

Anytime I ride into the backcountry, I keep in mind that for a number of reasons I may have to spend the night or be able to survive until help arrives in the event of a problem, and I pack accordingly.

I’m not going to lie, there’s often a little voice in my head telling me I should be working when I’m not “showing someone else around” as a convenient excuse to get out and explore.

That took me a bit to wrestle with on the morning of this ride. Add drive time and I ended up starting what most would consider a day ride at midday. Oops.

Thankfully Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs Lacy (Divide Basin WY) and Rock (Little Colorado WY) and our trusty German Shepherds Denali (forgot his sunshades that day) and Ranger can cover some serious ground quickly and we made it back to the trailer before dark. I carry the mother of all headlamps everywhere but I didn’t need it. That was the goal.

We rode just shy of 15mi with a lot of elevation gain and we freaking crushed it. I even had time to explore on foot a bit at the lake.

The views, experience and hours spent basking in crisp mountain air were phenomenal. I rode Rock part of the way too, he was the best boy.

Idk about you but I say silence the voice, prepare, pack and plan responsibly, let someone know where you’re going and do the thing. Otherwise life will pass you by waiting for someone to hold your hand as you go after your dreams.

Chaos is a 5 1/2yo (born in holding 8/1/20) sorrel rabicano Mustang mare. Her dam was gathered pregnant out of Antelope NV. She stands 14.2hh tall.

She has a long flowing mane and once her tail recovers from being chewed off in holding will have a thick, colorful tail too. She’s rather unique with subtle rabicano coloring and one partially blue eye )not the blind kind of blue, the pretty kind).

Chaos is calm, curious and friendly. With appropriate continued training she will make a confident, personable adventure buddy. She learns quickly and has proven to be extraordinarily brave when being introduced to new things.

Saddle? Sure. Bridle? No problem. Boots with Velcro? Non-event. She’s good with our dogs and enjoys leaving the Mustang pens to go for a walk. We foresee her being straightforward to start and laid back under saddle.

Chaos is easy to catch and remains so even when she sits for a bit. She leads and ties, lunges, leads and sends over obstacles, stands to pick up her feet and has been trimmed by CK Hoof Care CBT, APF-I .

She moves hips and shoulders, backs and understands speed and directional control in hand.

Chaos was one of the horses we picked up from Cañon City right before they closed. She found Tay Martin in one of the mare pens, latched onto her and wrapped her right around her hoof with her soft eyes and outgoing yet cuddly and quiet demeanor. “Can we take this one too, pleeeeease????” asked Taylor and so we did.

It took Chaos a bit to figure out that domestic life meant more than scratches. She was initially a bit disappointed to learn that when you’re asked to move your feet in a certain direction at a certain speed you should do so, softly and promptly at that.

She has since made friends with that idea and we’re excited to find this lovely mare an amazing home. Chaos is located at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in Guffey, CO. She is SA and can travel. Hauling can be arranged.

Please PM or email if interested in adopting as comments can get lost. If you’re not looking to adopt but want to help Chaos find her person, please COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE!

Goose is the youngest of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs, a coming 2yo buckskin Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang filly.

I’ve been quite impressed with the youngsters we’ve gotten from that HMA. Athletic, smart and sane. We have 2 more available now and 2 coming available for adoption later this spring. Goose will be staying with us.

I love her built and personality. I’m also very excited that she should mature to a manageable 14.1hh. For me I prefer 14.2hh and shorter horses for both riding and packing. The goal is for her to one day, when it’s time for Lacy to step back and take it easier, be my primary riding horse.

At only 2yo she has plenty of time to learn and grow up. She ponies, trailers great, does all age appropriate groundwork and wears lightweight tack.

This year she’ll start tagging along on some off-site adventures, get introduced to ground driving, the harness, pack saddle and hobbles. She’ll take some trips into town and we’ll go on lots of walks and “ground drives” together.

With all that prep work she should be a breeze to start lightly under saddle next year. Goose is sure footed and a quiet, old soul with just the right amount of sass and opinions.

She’s also Firefly’s bestie. They enjoy being together yet separate quite well, something that’s important to me. I work with them both separately and together.