Thanks to everyone who participated in our naming fun-raiser, the four new Mustang mares are no longer “the palomino, the dun roan, the pinto and the dun”.

Instead please welcome…

Eclipse: 3yo palomino Mustang mare – with the most unusual facial coloring – from Little Colorado WY.

Cinder: 3yo dun roan Mustang mare, facility born to a Stewart Creek WY mare.

Rapunzel: 3yo tri-colored pinto Mustang mare, facility born to a Stewart Creek WY mare.

Fiadh (Irish, pronounced Fee Ah): 2yo dun Mustang filly from Twin Peaks CA.

Everyone is curious and reasonably friendly, leads, lunges, is working on body control and has been tied and brushed ( You’d never know. Mud season is my least favorite season). I’m super impressed with all four of them.

They were a little put out about the new rules and expectations the first couple of sessions.

“What do you mean give to pressure? And why would I look at you when I need to be worrying about where my friends are? You want me to do what with which part of my body?Now don’t touch me there!”

With consistency, patience and finding workarounds to explain things in ways that make sense to them, they’re starting to figure out and enjoy this people thing.

These girls will be available for adoption to suitable homes. We want you to be happy and the Mustang you adopt too.

If you’re interested in adopting, we ask that you head on over to: w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g and fill out our adoption application. That helps us match adopters with the right horse for them, and keep track of what you’re looking for if we don’t have exactly what you’re looking for yet.

You’re always welcome to PM or email us with questions.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is located in Guffey, CO. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to help wild horses transition from wild to willing, from holding pens to loving homes. Sustainably, with compassion and competence.

Thank you again to everyone who showed up, had fun, played and donated along with their name suggestions! We’re so grateful for you all and we couldn’t do what we do without you.

Late post today because Monday is my school day (counseling stuff) and I wasn’t cool enough to do this early in the morning before school. Many thanks to Tay Martin and Jennifer Martin who did the drawing of names for us

Want to help but it’s not your time to adopt, donate or volunteer? Like, comment on and share this post to help these horses find the great homes they deserve.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildtowilling#nonprofit#BetterTogether#makingmountainmustangmemories

I’ve decided to let naming the new Mustangs be this evening’s problem, in favor of storytime because it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

With spring in the air, green grass coming up and new (wild)life soon or already coming into the world, I’m itching to get back into the still snow covered mountains soon-ish.

During last year’s solo trips I took lots of pictures and the time to write some of our adventures down. Then I got busy and didn’t share most of them. Here’s a story about creating said new life that really made for a memorable time in the wilderness.

I’d finally made it into camp, a few hours later than I had planned. It was nearing sunset already and when you’re setting up camp by yourself for yourself and several critters – Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Mustangs Tiny and Petrie and the ever-helpful German Shepherds – it takes a while.

First order of business was hobbles on so the horses could graze, followed by unloading the pack horse, both for her relief and to access my gear. I pulled out what I would need that night, fed the dogs, and found a good spot to set up the highline.

The sun had long set and I was zooming around in the last bit of daylight, when I noticed that Tiny was staring intently into the distance.

Doing backcountry riding, you learn to watch your horse for what’s out there, especially a Mustang. I grabbed my binos and of course he was right.

Two moose, a bull and a cow, obviously rather enamored with one another. At about 100 yards distance I wasn’t exactly thrilled about our company but also not too worried about them. Yet.

I’d encountered moose there before, I just hadn’t been dumb enough to camp there during the rut. Whoops.

They weren’t worried about us. Unfortunately they were so preoccupied with making more moose, they also weren’t worried about where they were going.

It didn’t help that it was too dark to pack up and move camp, in either case not knowing where Romeo and Juliet Moose were headed and if another camp spot would have its own moose love story. I was packing heat, but not enough to stop a charging moose in its tracks if it came down to it. Also whoops.

Tiny stared until it got too dark to see them while Petrie grazed peacefully. The crashing and crunching of moose in brush came closer and closer, until they were within 30 yards of camp. I was not happy.

By that time I had finished setting up, put the horses on the highline and crawled into my tent. Needless to say I wasn’t tired and I had decided to sleep in my riding clothes and with my sleeping bag open, everything I might need within reach.

I wasn’t going to die in or have to run from a moose in the middle of the night in my pajamas, nope. Around 11pm the crunching stopped, the dogs stopped grumbling and all was quiet until 4.30 when a loud snort from one of the horses startled me awake. The Shepherds’ giant ears were on high alert.

Shining my headlight out of the tent, I didn’t see any intruders, just two highlined Mustangs wide awake, watching something in the dark meadow. I convinced the dogs to keep quiet, apparently moose strongly dislike and will attack dogs, and distracted myself with an audiobook until first daylight.

I can’t carry a tune in a bucket and when I get scared out there I usually sing German folk songs, loudly. That’s always kept moose and people away from me yet.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#horsepacking#adventure#backcountry#makingmountainmustangmemories

Lorena, 2yo Twin Peaks, CA Mustang filly, left with hauler Brice Bebout for her new home in MI a few days ago, just in the nick of time before another storm.

I’d like to thank Tay Martin for taking care of and loving the wild ones that come through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy to get ready for finding great homes,

Photographer Linnea Helander for your epic photography skills and for working horses with me when you have time,

Kelsey Janosik for meticulously reviewing adoption applications and providing feedback,

Rowdy’s Ropes for the best, prettiest custom rope tack we could ask for,

Cassie Krzeczowski for making the first trim a good experience for these kids,

Rocky Top Veterinary Service for getting our wildies ready to travel and attending to their medical needs,

our funny, pain in the neck of a brand inspector,

our land owners, reputable and experienced haulers, reliable hay providers and other service providers who make what we do possible,

the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program and Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals for working with us and the relationships we’ve built over the years,

and of course our clients, adopters, donors, volunteers and friends because we couldn’t do what we do without you!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate, a sunny spring weekend to those who don’t, and remember, tomorrow we’ll be drawing names for the new kids so if you want to support our naming fun-raiser, head to Tuesday’s post and put in your name suggestions for a small donation that goes towards the Mustangs!

Read below for what Lorena – now Wren – is up to in her new home. That’s what makes it all worth it! (Shared with permission from her adopter.)

“I love her! I was up until after midnight that first night, just being out there (doing nothing but I didn’t want to walk away, either). I find myself trying to juggle other commitments so I can go out there (the “oh, I have this meeting I have to attend, maybe I can slide out for a little bit beforehand. Oh, but what if we hit a little hiccup or I lose track of time or am right in the middle of something and I am out there longer than I have before the meeting – drat. I have to wait til after…” kinda thing – the literal conversation I had with myself this morning ).

I see some of the same things in her that I absolutely love about Radar. And some things I see I like better than when I’m working with Radar. So, first impressions: I think she’s going to be perfect! We’ll undoubtedly have some disagreements along the way (can’t expect anyone, especially a teenager, to be 100% with everything in my experience / even if it’s just a matter of “I don’t want to today” ) and everyone has off/bad days. We’ll adjust and figure out the best way to work through whatever that ends up being (even if that means making a phone call to ask questions/get advice if there’s a sticky spot we can’t get through on our own). I’m always up for learning something new in that respect,

Once she’s fully settled in and really starts to show all of her personality here (and the quirks that will go along with it, I’m sure) will be the real tell but I think this is going to be a great relationship.

***

Wren met [the farrier]. He wanted to extend his appreciation for putting so much work into getting her used to picking up her feet – and so nicely, too. He went and picked each one up after just the short introduction and she didn’t hesitate an instant

She also walked right up when I came in this afternoon. She hasn’t been hard to catch or anything, but it was just the first walk up (which just makes it special )”

#wildhorseswillingpartners#ittakesavillage#nonprofit#bettertogether#makingmountainmustangmemories

Deets and Woodrow, our 5yo NV Mustang boys, an appy and a silver bay, earned their roommate privileges yesterday.

They were in a pen together when we picked them up and are really good friends, zero drama and personalities that mesh well. We separated them for gentling when they got here and they’d been living fence to fence since.

When the 4 new Mustang mares came to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy last Friday, we first kept 2 and 2 together, before separating first one pair, and yesterday the other. We tried keeping them together for their benefit and realized we really weren’t doing them any favors.

I think we can all agree that horses need the company of other horses to thrive.

In the short term however, if it’s going to take me 10min to separate horses, and another 10min for those upset horses to calm down, the one that’s with me and worried about where his friend is, and the friend that’s left behind in the pen and considering jumping, crashing or digging out (welcome to the world of unhandled Mustangs) and then however long to get something accomplished now that everyone is exhausted, we’ve found it better, and safer, for everyone involved to opt for separate bedrooms.

We’re not talking solitary confinement here. They have neighbors – we make sure everyone has neighbors they can at least peacefully tolerate, even if it’s not a deep friendship – and free choice hay, some room to move around and regular training sessions. And we’re talking temporary.

When they get here, most Mustangs have never lived by themselves. That’s a whole new experience for them and an important one if they’re going to make it in our world.

After seconds or minutes of WTH?! they usually find their food and water, make sure their neighbor is in sight and start eating.

When I pull them for sessions, they might at first still be looking for their friends but there’s no added stress from sorting horses and it’s easier for them to turn to me for interactions because, like humans, they are social creatures.

Once Mustangs are relatively easy to catch and if we have someone they get along with but not so attached to that they lose their minds, we put them together in one of our larger pens.

Husbandry – aka care – is an important factor in training any horse but there are some special considerations we need to make when working with wild horses to set everyone up for success and keep them safe.

This is not a black and white issue, the answer, as with many things, is “it depends”. We’ve kept horses together that we thought we wouldn’t and we’ve separated some we figured would be fine. I appreciate Tay Martin ‘s input and watchful eye and we decide what’s best on a case by case basis, prioritizing their safety and ours and making sure the Mustangs are mentally in a good place to learn.

How well do you learn when you’re hungry, stressed and just got forcefully separated from your best friend who’s calling of the top of their lungs for you? Exactly.

These two boys are happy this morning and the four princesses seem to accept each having their own palace for the time being.

All of these kids are available for adoption. Located in Guffey CO. Please PM or email if interested.

Thank you to all who have participated in and donated to our naming fun-raiser! There’s still time if you haven’t, so go back to Tuesday’s post and take a look.

We’re happy to hear your experiences in the comments.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#mustanggentling

#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

I’m going to do a little myth busting here, based on my experience. Not just mine, I know. I also appreciate if your experience has been different, this isn’t about right or wrong.

These four young Mustang mares are the most recent kiddos to join our program here at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . Two are facility born, two were gathered as babies.

None were the type to just crawl into your pocket in the pens, but several of them – not the dun – would at least come up for a look and a sniff.

The 2yo dun would look inconvenienced and walk off when approached. The dun roan would look from a few feet away. Both the dun roan and the pinto will back up to the gate for butt scratches. The other 2 come up to the fence now to check you out and may sniff a hand

So you’d think they’d be super easy to gentle, right? Well, not necessarily.

They’re a little bit like cats. They’re habituated to people. What they’re not used to is having anything asked of them or being alone with a human and expected to pay attention to them.

For people-habituated yet otherwise untrained Mustangs, humans are a welcome distraction that might bring food or provide entertainment, on the horse’s terms. They’re not worried about our presence, so much so that if they’re upset and we’re in the way, we might just get flattened, not out of aggression, more in a collateral damage “I don’t actually care that you’re standing there” sort of way.

That’s these guys, to varying degrees. Am I expecting them all to turn out well and become attentive, well adjusted, willing partners for their future humans? I absolutely am.

Is it easier to gentle one that’s a little leary of people still? In my opinion it is. They tend to want to keep an eye on us and be more likely to yield to pressure rather than bulldoze through it.

We’re getting some important work done with these mares, and they’re not only learning a whole new set of skills, objects and rules, they’re also learning that two-way communication with humans is possible. And that it requires that both parties, speak AND listen, and pay attention to one another.

Feel free to share your experience with gentling more and less people-habituated wildies in comments.

Rowdy’s Ropes rope tack and Tay Martin ‘s support for the win yesterday. She worked the other kids while I did haltering, body control and touch practice sessions with these ladies.

Also, there’s still time to participate in our naming “fun-raiser” for them. See Tuesday’s post for details! We’ll draw names from your suggestions over the weekend

#wildhorseswillingpartners#makingmountainmustangmemories

This guy though… He’s a Golden Retriever puppy that accidentally ended up in a rather large horse’s body. He’s a coming 4yo Antelope Hills WY Mustang gelding. He does all the things and then some and is technically ready to find his person.

But only technically. He was gathered as a baby and doesn’t have a scratch on him. He loves people, literally everyone. But he moves funny. Not Stringhalt, maybe Shivers.

I don’t want to send him out in the world not knowing how his body is going to hold up to what’s asked of him. Per vet recommendation (thank you Patty & Jim) we’re starting him on a Vitamin E supplement and he’s learning to pony and explore the world outside of the pens so he can have turnout and more exercise. We’ll see how he does with that and go from there.

BLM has offered to take him back, which I appreciate. I think this guy enjoys doing the people thing very much though. He’d sleep on someone’s couch if he was allowed to and could fit through a human sized door (he’s huge).

Am I set on making him a permanent member of our herd? No. But if it ends up being what’s best for him, and he can pull his weight somehow, then we’ll consider it. Part of setting him up for success is getting him as healthy as possible before he leaves, if he does.

We’ve had several requests to adopt him, we’re thankful for people willing to adopt. A caveat: Gus is cool. But Gus is not for the faint of heart or people who just want to “save” him or love on him.

He’s a giant, insecure, overly friendly, sometimes easily distracted goofball of a young gelding. In the wrong hands it’ll take about 2 weeks (I’m being optimistic here) for him to become unmanageable and dangerous.

He needs love, yes. But love that looks like exercise, boundaries, someone who exudes calm confidence, provides exposure, stimulation, consistency and lots of reinforcing good and redirecting not so desirable behavior. Constantly, because he has baby brain.

When this 15.2hh hunk of a Mustang says: “Ew, scary!”, “I don’t like that!” or “Oh look!”, that hits differently than when a smaller one does that. He has to duck to get in my trailer and he has (small) dinner plates for feet.

He’s been saddled, bridled, ponied and taken for walks. So if we can get him physically right, the right adopter is going to have a lot of fun with this guy. Pictures of him climbing a 4ft snow pile just because he thought it was fun. That’s Gus, aka Gus the bus.

If you’re supporting Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy , thank you. Making sure these horses end up in the right home, not the first one willing to cough up the $, is a big part of what we do. We do have other Mustangs available for adoption and are bringing more in later this spring.

PM or email us if you want to help, need help gentling a wild one or want to learn how, or are looking to adopt.

Training halter and lead rope: Rowdy’s Ropes

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#nonprofit#mustanggentling#makingmountainmustangmemories

We’re a few days into having these 4 lovely ladies here, it’s currently 3rd winter here, headed into 2nd spring, so everything is snowy and soggy.

The new “kids” are eating, drinking and doing well. We’re starting to give them nicknames and some of them I really would prefer didn’t stick so we’re asking for your help in naming them.

To do that let’s have a little fun with a naming fundraiser! Here’s why: There’s no incentive program for any of this right now.

What that means is that any wild horse we bring out of holding for gentling and rehoming, we adopt and assume all risks and costs until they are successfully reassigned. Nonprofit organization or not, we need to buy hay, pay our farrier and vet and make sure we can continue to operate, help Mustangs and educate humans.

How it works: We’re asking for a $5 donation per name suggestion. If you want to suggest a name for several horses or the same name for the same horse 3 times or 5 different names for 3 different horses, do the math.

Comment names below

We’ll put all the name suggestions in a hat and draw, for each horse, then announce their names.

Tag numbers, colors “Toad” (don’t ask), “Lacy Junior/L2” “Barbie” (guess which ones) are all unsustainable ways to move forward, so please help us out.

You can donate via this post, for those who prefer other ways, I’ll put additional info in comments. For questions or if you want to send a check instead, send us a PM or email.

They are all mares, the dun filly is 2yo and from Twin Peaks CA, the dun roan, palomino and the pinto pony are 3yo from WY (dun roan and pinto are facility born to Stewart Creek WY mares, the palomino is from Little Colorado WY).

All will eventually be available for adoption, some possibly later with additional training. Located in Guffey CO.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, registered with the IRS and the state of Colorado. Donations are tax deductible.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#letsdothis#bettertogether#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

This pretty seal bay mare is one of the kindest horses we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. She’s also DG Griffin’s dam.

Minerva, or Ms Kitty as she was known at the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals , is a 5yo Devil’s Garden Mustang mare standing between 13.3 and 14hh tall.

She’s good to catch and halter, ties, leads and loads, picks up feet and just had her first trim.

She’s nicely built, a beautiful mover and athletic without being “hot”. She would make an amazing riding partner for a small adult or an experienced young person. Maybe driving or packing could be in her future too.

Minerva is shy and a bit introverted. She would benefit from an adopter who is willing to make her a priority and build a partnership, without making her a “one person horse” (unless you’re also a vet, farrier, body worker, and never get sick or go on vacation).

Introducing a shy horse to different people is part of helping them come out of their shell and building their confidence so they can feel good about themselves and the world they live in.

Minerva is good with other horses and never looking for a fight. She will do anything we take the time to help her understand and she retains what she has learned.

She has a scar on her left front fetlock that is not causing her pain.

Located in Guffey, CO. Contact us via PM or email if you’re interested in adopting her through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . She is titled.

First official step towards adopting is filling out the adoption application on our website. I’m happy to chat with you about her to see if she could be a good fit for you.

Please comment, like and share to help Minerva get more visibility and find a wonderful home!

PC: Photographer Linnea Helander

Rope tack: Rowdy’s Ropes

Jacket & vest: Outback Trading Company LTD.

Hat: Montana Rio Buckaroo Hats

#DevilsGardenMustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

Right now we might as well call him “Muddy” but that too shall pass. This little palomino cutie is a yearling Mustang gelding, facility born to a Triple B NV mare.

Buddy is here for gentling for a client who adopted him through the internet adoption and who wanted to make sure he was prepared for domestic life when he got home.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who thinks these decisions through and does whatever it takes to set their Mustang up for success.

This was Buddy’s first session, a whopping 15min or so, including little breaks, because baby brain is real.

We took tags off – he came with two – put the neck rope on, then the temporary halter, touched him all over, practiced giving to pressure and leading, then ended on a calm, good note and shared space for a bit.

He went from “Yeah I’ll sniff you when I want to but ew don’t you reach for me” and “Why does this thing have my head and how can I get rid of it?” to “Ok, I’ve got this, what’s next?” with the help of some basic training tools and techniques to break it down into manageable steps for him.

A lot of issues arise when we ask them for things but don’t know how to follow through or when we can’t help them move beyond what they offer on their own. That’s where timing, tools, techniques, being able to read the horse and knowing when and where to ask for help are important.

Buddy is a brave, independent, level-headed little guy who bravely explores the world around him – including carrying his halter around before it was ever time to wear it, and calmly sniffing every object within reach – and just needs a little help understanding that he’ll need to accept input from and look to the human for guidance.

He’s going to make a great trail partner for his adopter one day, who is well versed in bringing youngsters along who have basic handling skills.

Thank you for giving Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy the opportunity to gentle this boy for you!

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

Meet the new Mustangs!

2yo dun (roan?) filly from Twin Peaks CA,

3yo palomino mare (with a face that’s chocolate on one side ) from Little Colorado WY,

3yo bay roan mare facility born to a Stewart Creek WY mare,

3yo tri colored pinto mare (NOT a paint, for my fellow color/terminology nerds) facility born to a Stewart Creek WY mare.

No names yet, I’m thinking maybe we’ll do a little naming fundraiser. Thoughts?

They settled right in last night and I’m looking forward to working with them today. I’m toying with the idea of starting one or two of them under saddle before placing them because I believe there’s a huge need for saddle trained Mustangs and the more marketable skills a horse has, the safer it’s going to be.

You’re always welcome to electronically submit an adoption application through our website. Even if we don’t have the ideal wildie for you right now, we’re happy to work with you to help you find a good match… It needs to fit not just for you but also for the horse.

Many thanks to the Cañon City BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program staff for having us, for helping everyone find what they were looking for, patiently shuttling people back and forth, answering endless questions and walking through the pens with us, and for quietly sorting and loading the selected horses.

Thank you to Tay Martin for muffins and for getting the new kids’ pens ready. It was so nice to just be able to unload and sort them into their pens after a long day and 20min of navigating post-snowstorm mud while backing the trailer up to the loading alley.

We’re excited to welcome our new students here at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy and grateful for the opportunity to facilitate their start into domestic life.

Keep checking our stories for updates.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#BLMmustang

#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories