This big guy, a teenage Salt Wells WY Mustang gelding, has been part of our Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador herd for a few years now. He came from Colorado Horse Rescue Network where he ended up because of some…errrr…. unique personality traits.
He joined us as a riding horse for a friend back then, and I said I’d care for him but wouldn’t ride him because I had enough horses to work and ride. So he mostly just sat because his owner had very little time for him.
Tiny is one or the most curious and affectionate horses I’ve ever met. He loves holding things in his mouth, even human hands which he will sneakily try to work into his mouth as he’s licking them (yep, he’s an odd one). He’s also a bit of a bully and food aggressive with other horses, and innately worried about life. Not the kind of horse I would pick but there he was, and as the months went by with Tiny patiently waiting for someone to make him a priority, I felt increasingly guilty.
When DG Littlefoot, a horse that could be trusted to do anything, anywhere, for anyone, got sick early last year, and it became apparent that he may not be able to go on long rides or pack trips, Tiny finally got his chance to shine.
He got worked and ridden more, and he got to prove himself as a pack horse under sometimes difficult conditions.
Is he my favorite horse to ride? No. I like fast, nimble, tough, opinionated mares and he’s a big, drafty guy with odd insecurities, who sometimes still spooks at his own tail. Is he particularly soft and responsive under saddle? Also no, he’s had too much dude string riding (before he came to us; he got fired from a dude ranch) and time off for that, so not his fault.
But is he a horse I can count on to hold it together in a pinch? Absolutely. Is he, even at his age, able to become a better riding horse with time put into him? Yes. He’s surefooted, he goes through any bog, he can be turned loose on iffy terrain and trusted to find his way through just fine. He doesn’t mind a clanky pack that’s leaning, is good with traffic, likes working cows and is cuddly and friendly through it all.
He had never packed – that I know of – until last year, and he took to it and to backcountry living like a fish to water. He’s grown on me over time, even his weird quirks. He’s got a sense of humor too. He can test new riders fiercely, to the point of unhorsing some of them. When someone asks “Do you have a horse for me to ride?”, I give him a sideways glance… I have a horse someone else can get on, that’s for sure. Whether they can stay on or not, that’s between them and Tiny.
Because some of you are going to ask: The riding coat came from Outback Trading Company LTD. Montana Rio Buckaroo Hats made the hat.
