Frank Stetson again, coming 4yo sooty buckskin Sand Wash Basin Mustang gelding. He’s with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy for gentling and to learn that interacting with humans is actually pretty cool.
If you’re drooling now: Yes, he really is that cute. No, sorry, you can’t have him. He has a home, and no, sadly not with us .
Frank Stetson (I call him Fuzzybutt and things like that because his name is a real mouthful) is the kind of horse that’ll fool you. He was the first of the Sand Wash Basin boys to be touched and haltered, took well to leading and I thought “Oh nice, an easy one!”
The thing with him was that everything I presented to him was either a “heck yeah” or a “hell no”, nothing in between. He either liked something and was great at it, or he hated it and wasn’t about to try. It wasn’t always pretty, I’ll say that.
Some of his “hell no” points were: Having me on his right side, being touched past the hip on either side, picking up front feet, sending/lunging clockwise, staying out of my space.
He came here with Cary (9yo) and Schatzi (14yo), also from Sand Wash Basin. After getting to know each of them, this guy is hands down the toughest out of the 3 (even though he is a good horse and very smart) and has made me think and work the hardest for the progress we have made.
Working hard doesn’t always mean doing more. It means seeking to understand, reading the horse, changing my approach if it’s not working, identifying triggers and strengths, looking for the smallest common denominator and building from there.
It also means setting and enforcing boundaries. This sweet boy isn’t at all afraid of being close to people, so he’d try to spook right over the top of me if something bothered him. That doesn’t work either. We both need to be able to be and feel safe.
With Mustangs it’s so important to remember that young doesn’t equal easy. Not easy doesn’t equal bad or hopeless.
They are who they are, just like humans, and if we can meet them where they are at, establish two-way communication and start working together we can build a connection that allows us to get through the tough stuff together.
Frank Stetson is always going to be a strong-willed horse. He’s going to ask questions and may present his own ideas. At the same time he is incredibly brave, curious, and affectionate.
His adopter is a capable, experienced horse woman and is going to do have a great partner in him once they get to know each other. He may not be for everybody and he’s not ‘perfect’. But then again, who is?
*That last picture is for everyone who thinks this work is all fairydust and rainbows. That’s after a couple of hours of handling muddy ropes and scratching dusty wild horses. It washes off, but this is pretty real, raw work.*
PC: Tay Martin
Training halter and lead: Rowdy’s Ropes
Hat and hatband: Montana Rio Buckaroo Hats
Staying warm in stupid cold temperatures with Outback Trading Company LTD. and The Original Muck Boot Company
