When you live in a small mountain town where the mayor is a cat (true story) and deer graze in the school yard, magical things can happen.
Our tiny three classroom K-8 school has a counselor all of once a week. That’s me, they call me Miss Stefanie 
Our admin is also my neighbor. Rural living stuff. She says “Bring your horses to school anytime.”
On Thursday after our winter wonderland ride, I pulled into the school parking lot, unloaded 3 of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy (WHOA) Ambassador Mustangs and took them for a quick spin while I waited for the teachers to get their students rounded up and herded outside.
The kids were so happy to see and pet the horses. They thought it was funny that Tiny was the biggest one, and DG Griffin the yearling got so many hugs and cuddles. Lacy, who normally doesn’t have any patience for these kinds of things unless someone is really sad, has developed some kind of crowd/kid mode. She puts her head low so they can reach and lets them rub all over her face.
Outreach, getting more people involved with, informed about and interested in Mustangs, can have many forms and faces. This is definitely one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ones.
The kids that were a bit afraid at first gained confidence when they saw their friends loving on the horses and joined in. They learned about the freezebrands and that those 3 started their lives without human handling. The students shared many horsey experiences and stories with us.
We’re going to make a greater difference for wild horses if we can get more people involved, especially children. Outreach is part of what our organization does, hence the name, and I’m grateful for every opportunity to let the Mustangs advocate for themselves in front of people who may not know that they exist or what they are capable of.
WHOA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping wild horses transition from holding pens to loving homes, sustainably, with compassion and competence.
To our supporters, donors, clients, adopters and volunteers: You are who allow us to do what we do and your support is making a difference. Thank you!
Rowdy’s Ropes makes all of our rope tack for us, including the halters and lead ropes pictured here. If you’re looking for halters, lead ropes, reins, long lines and the like, that’s who we recommend!
We’re grateful to the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program (Tiny and Lacy) and Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals (Griffin) for working with us and for entrusting wild horses to us for gentling and placement into suitable, capable and committed homes.
I’d love to hear how you became involved with/interested in wild horses. Feel free to share in comments!
