Please join the happy dance!

Why?

These lovely 2yo Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang fillies have been adopted. Remington and Valkyrie found their humans within days of each other. We’re so happy for them!

They will be leaving at the end of this week to their new homes in Indiana and North Dakota, respectively. Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy has thriving alumni in many states, but these two are new on our list and we’re so excited for these fillies’ futures!

We’re grateful to our adopters who are about to embark on long drives to meet and pick up their new partners and who have been diligent and responsive in navigating the adoption process. We make it our number one priority to commit to these horses until the right match comes along, not the first one who says “pick me!”. It’s gotta be good for both the horse and human and the timing needs to be right.

I’d like to thank Tay Martin for caring for these girls and all of our wildies until they start their new chapters and Kelsey Janosik for all your help with the adoption process.

And of course all of you who support our nonprofit organization and make what we do possible, be that by volunteering in various capacities, donations or helping us get the word out about the horses we gentle. It takes a village and we’re so grateful for all of you!

We have other gentled Mustangs available for adoption at this time, two of them with additional training. Even the website will be current again once I send Danielle Lord the photos she’s been patiently – and sometimes, rightfully, rather assertively – requesting.

You can reach us via PM, e m a i l us at i n f o @ w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . org or text/call 719-377-8587 if you’re interested in adopting or are looking for remote coaching to help you progress with your own Mustang(s).

It took me an unreasonable amount of time to go through literally 1000s of pictures of Spur and pick “only” 20 but, alas, here we are. More photos and videos available.

Spur is a handsome 5yo 15.3hh bay roan Stewart Creek WY Mustang gelding. He’s been with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy since summer of 2024. We turned him out with our Ambassador Mustang herd that fall, not because we needed a giant roan, but because he was…well…special, and was going to need some time to figure himself out in a domestic setting.

Spur is still special and because of that he’s got more nicknames than any other horse here has ever had. At first we jokingly called him “Ed, short for Special Ed”, always accompanied with an eye roll and a sigh. He finally outgrew that phase. Now he’s Emo Kid, Gerbil, Yard Roan, SpurSpur or DammitSpur depending on who’s talking about him and what he’s doing.

The interesting thing about this horse is that a lot of hard things are easy for him and easy things sometimes hard. He can get in his head and overcomplicate simple asks. He can also go in a parade and not bat an eye. He holds grudges and he knows if you know or if you don’t know what you’re doing. He leans a bit insecure and wants a handler who won’t get wound up if Spur has a moment of “I can’t handle my life”. Someone who knows when to pause and when to push through.

He, more than any horse I’ve ever known, wants his person and wants to spend a lot of time with that person. Otherwise he doesn’t rewild himself but he sulks. He loves kids. He’s kind to dogs even when they are making very poor choices. He has oodles of try and zero gelding goofiness. Once he understands what’s asked he applies himself, learns quickly and remains engaged.

Spur is currently at home with me and “helps” with everything: He follows me around when I’m watering horses and steps on the hose every chance he gets. He looks over my shoulder while I’m cutting wood with the chainsaw and quietly appears behind me in the dark to boop me with his crooked nose (old injury, his very first “Spur moment” here). He stands beside the deck wishing he could come inside.

Spur is sure footed in the mountains, knows highlines and 3 leg hobbles, doesn’t get rushy at a trot and lope and stands quietly for mounting and dismounting. He enjoys having a job to do, loves to cover ground and is a comfortable ride.

He’s had more trail than arena miles by far. I ponied him everywhere for a year before starting him. He ground drives, pulls a tire in harness, he’s worn a pack saddle and canvas panniers with no issues. Crosses water. Ties, loads and trailers well. Stands for the farrier. He’s been barefoot here and has done well even on rocks.

Spur is titled. He’s located in Guffey, CO. Hauling can be arranged. While he’s priced above what we offer gentled Mustangs for to reflect his level of training, interested parties will be asked to go through our regular adoption process to ensure a good fit.

We are looking for a herd and pasture home for him with a person or family who can spend a lot of time with him, both at home and out on adventures. Asking lowest xx,xxx.

Please for the love of all that is holy, PM, e m a i l us at i n f o @ w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g or text /call 719-377-8587 if interested. Comments with “info please” are near impossible to keep track of.

Please, everyone, COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE to help this super cool boy find the best home!

Halter and lead rope: Rowdy’s Ropes

Headstall: Southern Nutmeg Leather

Valkyrie is a 2yo Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang filly. She was born on range. Val string tests to 14.3hh mature height and is currently just under 14hh. She appears to be bay with ND1 (not dun 1), meaning she looks dun but genetically likely isn’t. We have not had a color test done.

She’s a lovely, confident and level-headed filly in either case!

Valkyrie has had all age appropriate ground work done and is easy to catch even with time off. She’s energetic without being hot. She enjoys attention, does well with horses and is good with dogs. She respects 5ft fences and enjoys going for walks. Val has hair for days and enjoys being fussed over.

Val halters and leads, loads, ties, stands for grooming and spraying and is good for the farrier. She leads and sends over obstacles and through gates. She lunges, backs, moves hips and shoulders.

She is straightforward, honest and enjoyable to work with. Val is a neat, beautiful youngster to bring along. She could be suitable as a first Mustang or for a youth with guidance. She’s ready to be a fun, engaged, safe and willing partner for her adopter.

Val is located in Guffey, CO at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . Hauling can be arranged. If you’re interested in adopting, please PM, email us at i n f o @ w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h. o r g or call / text 719-377-8587

Please COMMENT, LIKE & SHARE to help Val find her person!

Magic, when it comes to Mustangs or anything else, comes after the work, not before or instead of it.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang Rock is a very good boy. He’s also young, he’s seeing a lot of things for the first time still and sometimes he’s so happy to be going somewhere that he’s not all that concerned with how he’s going to get there, especially when it gets steep. He’s not even stumbly, but it’s like riding a blindfolded spider, so we jokingly count his footfall out loud for him and help him balance his body on tricky terrain.

Tay Martin isn’t a naturally fearless rider. She’s also not willing to sit at home and wait until she’s feeling brave. So when I said we should go play in the sand again, she said “Let’s go!”, knowing Rock had never been there before and that she’d be scared for the first 20min of the ride until she found her sea legs again.

15 riding miles later we’d had so many laughs and gallops, Rock was a better horse than when we unloaded him that morning, Lacy was happy, Firefly, the filly I’d been ponying, was a rockstar on her first big outing and we’d told all the “What if?”s to go sit down once again.

Did we prepare for emergencies, breaks, break-downs and broken tack? Yes. But we didn’t stay home just because stuff can go wrong and we had a wonderful time.

Everyone wants “magical” experiences from working with and being around Mustangs. That’s great. We do too. Magic follows effort. It doesn’t precede it.

My last post thinking out loud about offering personal development/leadership/team building workshops on the basis of horsemanship and with the help of our Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Mustangs was very well received.

It’s something I’d like to start offering in the near future. I’m thinking starting on Sundays, mid-morning until mid-afternoon here in the Guffey, CO area. If that format works, we can do other days too, or make it longer for a 2-3 day intensive.

I had a fellow therapist once say to me that you can’t combine counseling and horsemanship. My belief is that you can’t not do that if you’re involving horses.

They deserve better. Even newbies can learn to communicate with them in a way the horse is able to understand, otherwise they’re just a tool and we’re setting horses up for frustration and putting participants in harm’s way.

So much about horsemanship serves us in real life: We become more self-, other- and situationally aware. We learn to normalize fear and work through it. We learn that sometimes what we say and what we mean isn’t the same thing and how to change that. We learn to step outside of ourselves and consider other perspectives. We also learn goal setting, problem solving, asking for guidance, and about the importance of emotional regulation, fairness, discipline and consistency.

What it’s not:

To be clear, we’re not talking about Mustang gentling workshops. That being said, I’d be happy to adjust content to the needs and desires of the group, so long as we can put the safety of participants and the sanity of the horses first. If the participants are horse people and instead of communication the group wants to focus on ground work, riding prep, packing or ground driving, or even gentling techniques and tips, we can certainly do that.

It’s also not equine assisted therapy. I am a licensed counselor and I can and do bring that to the table but in this case I’m looking for ways to bring together people looking for real-life skills in a relatable and efficient format that pushes them just far enough out of their comfort zone to make it interesting.

We will not be riding. I want to make this accessible to non-horse experienced groups and individuals as well and we simply do not have enough and not the right kind of riding horses to take a group into the mountains or offer riding lessons on a regular basis. I do have recommendations for those looking for riding opportunities.

Input on this developing idea of Mustang Sundays – or Thursdays or Fridays – is very welcome.

Exact location TBD, limit of 6 participants to make it both personal and effective and to allow for hands on horse time for everyone who desires that. Groups and/or individuals can sign up.

Proceeds go to WHOA so we can continue to gentle Mustangs and help them find amazing homes.

Pictured: Some fun in the sun and sand with WHOA Ambassadors Lacy and Firefly. Lacy’s annoyed look at Firefly’s unwelcome sniffs is pretty on point. PC: Tay Martin

I’ve been thinking about a few things I wanted to put into words. Let me know how it resonates. I’m happy to have a conversation and/or go into more detail about any of it down the road. PM if you’d like.

The Mustang world was in uproar very recently, and is on an ongoing basis – rightfully so – about wild horses getting adopted, sometimes in multiples, and then dumped at auction. Sometimes it’s greed, sometimes good intentions gone sideways, sometimes it’s someone at their wit’s or financial end.

This, guys, is why Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy works so hard on the front end to gentle horses and vet adopters. Can that still go wrong? Absolutely, we’ve needed to make changes and network horses into different homes. But the dozens of happy, safe and productive WHOA graduate horses and adopters all over the country speak for themselves.

So many people I never hear from again when I tell them there’s an adoption application, we will be calling references and I won’t let you adopt a horse that I know is going to be a bad fit just because you saw “that spark” in its eye. That’s fine. We’re looking for good matches and reasonable people. Have your instant gratification and fantasy ideas elsewhere.

I sometimes don’t post as consistently as you or even I would like. It’s happened before, it’s going to happen again. I tend to squeeze every bit of life out of each day because I’ve seen, and way too much lately, how fragile and short life actually is. I often go until I very literally fall asleep mid sentence. Between gentling wild horses, managing the behind the scenes stuff that comes with it, working as a counselor, and needing to eat, sleep and spend time with two and four legged friends, there’s not enough energy at times to put words on a screen. I’m also just sensitive enough, believe it or not, that when things get to be too much mentally or emotionally, my words don’t work. At all. Shut-down is real and sometimes it takes me a bit to get out of my head and my words unstuck.

I’m throwing around the idea of offering personal development workshops based on good, solid, completely non-magical horsemanship with the assistance of our Ambassador Mustangs. No harps and no fluff. Helping people gain actual life skills while working with well trained once wild horses in a way that’s fair to the horses too. I’ve been thinking for years about a responsible way to combine my background in mental health with my work with horses in a way that’s a win for all. Thoughts?

Pictured is Remington, 2yo buckskin Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang filly who is available for adoption. We’re a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Guffey, CO. Hauling can be arranged.

She’s wearing her Rowdy’s Ropes Mustang training halter. Brushing and handling: Tay Martin who was not in the mood for baby Mustang photoshoots that day (we did 2 and there’s always some wiggling and repositioning before we get the right shots), but did it anyway and for that I’m grateful.

A few glimpses into life with Rock from Little Colorado WY.

Lots of cuddles while also teaching the 16-something hh behemoth of a 5yo Mustang gelding rules and boundaries because good manners and marketable skills are life insurance for horses.

Teaching him to stand stock still while ground tied so I can trim his enormous feet. Yes, with an angle grinder. I trim all of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs that way.

Ground driving so he can continue to work on balance, voice commands, going out alone and be prepared for when it’s time to drag the pasture again.

Riding with others and alone so when I ask him to be a good boy for others, including being a confidence builder for a 12yo aspiring horseman, he knows what’s expected of him.

Lots of ponying still so he stays in shape for longer rides and pack trips, and remembers how to maintain his composure whether we’re going fast or slow, down the road or up the side of a mountain.

A lot of time, effort, learning, frustration, sweat and yes, joy and laughter too, go into turning a young, green horse into a solid one. It’s totally worth it and it’s anything but easy.

Our sweet and spicy, sassy and spunky, friendly and kind little red Stewart Creek WY Mustang gelding has been adopted and is now making New Mexico cuter.

He was part of the Forever Branded partnership program and we gentled him here at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy

Thank you for getting him there safely Kevin and Michelle Arrick !

He came with a fan club because he loved everyone he met, including at the holding facility. He didn’t care whether you wanted to come see him, he would make sure you had no choice.

We wish Commander, now Sunny, and his adopter so many great adventures on the trail and moving cattle.

Thank you for helping us do what we do!

We currently have several lovely Mustangs with very different personalities, ages 2-6yo, looking for their person.

If you’re interested in adopting a gentled Mustang that’s ready to start building a partnership and going on adventures with you, let us help you find a good match you can enjoy, make memories and feel safe with for years to come!

Reach out via PM, email: info @ wildhorseoutreach dot org or phone 719-377-8587

We’re located in Guffey, CO. We work with excellent, Mustang experienced haulers.

We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and depend on your support to continue helping wild horses get a great start and find amazing homes.

This is – I promise – the last load of horses we brought home from the Cañon City BLM holding facility just before they closed.

It was so sad. They had so many nice horses. Everyone there was kind to them and it showed.

So many friendly ones. All of them well fed. We brought home as many as we could, certainly more than what was “reasonable” and we were still heartbroken over the ones left behind.

They’re well cared for still, in other holding facilities in other states. But we knew these horses and it’s not the same not having them so close.

Why didn’t I post about them sooner? Frankly because the internet is a finicky place. We show an unloading video and 40 people message me “I want that one!!!” (It’s always a big and/or colorful one, ideally with lots of hair).

Explaining that we literally just unloaded them, that we don’t know them yet and no you can’t have them unhandled or without an approved adoption application because we take this work seriously takes up a lot of our time.

Nevermind that there are several Mustangs at any given time that are ready to find homes, that we know, that people can meet and interact with. No. “I want that one.”

I knew I’d be working through the last of the Cañon City jail birds (the facility was on prison grounds) in stages, I saved these 5 and their unloading video for last.

So anyway, please welcome:

Abraxos – 2yo palomino Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang gelding

Hissley – 3yo White Mountain WY Mustang mare

Gizmo – 6yo sorrel Little Colorado WY Mustang gelding

Casita – 2yo grey Bordo Atravesado NM Mustang filly

Huckleberry (last one out) – 5yo sorrel Little Colorado WY Mustang gelding

Ages as of this year.

They are in training now and not available yet. We reserve the opportunity to retain 1 or 2 for continued training to make available at a later time to people who need or prefer a horse that’s further along than just the basics.

As they come available we will post about them here and in our stories across our social media platforms, please stay tuned. If you are an approved adopter with us and I get the sense that one is just the horse for you, I will do my best to reach out to you.

We currently have 17 Mustangs in full feed (thank you Tay Martin !). 3 of those are still here on short term board but are owned. Commander is going home next week (yay!!!!). 13 have not been adopted yet. 5 of those are ready and just waiting for a human of their own: Remington, Valkyrie, Chaos, Karma and – almost there – Vengeance (Vinny).

Everyone is on free choice hay, our feed bill alone is around 5k a month, not counting farrier and extras like salt and mineral blocks, dewormer, etc.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We can’t do this work alone. If you’d like to help us care for these horses while we prepare them for amazing homes, you’ll find how you can support us in the comments ON MY PERSONAL AND THE WHOA PAGE (not on posts shared in groups).

If you’re interested in adopting a gentled Mustang, please reach out. We’re in Guffey, CO. Hauling can be arranged.

If you’re not in a place to do either and you still want to help, please comment, like and share. It really means the world to us and them.

This was last summer, and Spur’s first outing with the pack saddle and (empty) canvas panniers. He’d worn it all before at home.

It was also the first time he’d seen this much water, surrounded by scary willows at that. He handled it the way he handles everything:

“This is horrible, I’m for sure going to die!!!”

“Oh.”

“Just kidding, this is amazing, where has this been my whole life!?!?!?”

If you own or have ever worked with a Stewart Creek WY Mustang, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

A lot of them are smart, emotional, a bit dramatic and great horses once you get them past all that.

Spur has 3 favorite things besides food: Lacy, me and kids. He also thinks the world would be a better place without cows. One scared him once and while he may have forgiven, he does not forget.

This goofy roan has taught me more about handling big emotional Mustangs than all the horses before him combined. Spur is pretty darn close now to his string tested height of 15.3hh.

I don’t think there’s a single horse that took so much mental and physical energy out of me to get to the point of being a sweet boy who can handle himself nicely in most situations.

I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned working with him and that even at his most frustrated and overstimulated, he’s always been willing to come back to earth and try again.

I got him as far as I could, both on the ground and under saddle, and found him someone who can get him further.

I’ve learned to honor the sense of “too much horse for me”, and that’s him. Not because I can’t ride him but because I enjoyed riding the Thoroughbred types in my teens and early 20s. Not today.

We’re even, Spur and I. I love him and he still comes to me for cuddles when he sees me. We’ve learned a lot from each other.

This big horse melts with kids around. I’ve used him for a lesson with a very green youth rider on their 2nd ever ride and he acted like a 30yo horse in slow motion so he wouldn’t lose or scare the kiddo.

He’s doing well being ridden. Dogs running, horses running, deer running, darkness and questionable footing? No problem. He’s still learning to be confident by himself. From a rider who gets quiet when Spur is not. That’s what he needs and I’m happy for him and glad for the help.

Is there a chance he’ll be up for adoption later? Yes. We’ll cross that bridge (or creek?) when we come to it.

Shout out to Tay Martin and Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs Lacy and Tiny for being game for these kinds of shenanigans.