Appaloosa Mustang Deets has a birthday coming up. He’s turning 5yo on June 1. The reason we know that is because Deets was facility born to a Pine Nut Mountains NV mare.
That means that this little walk was the first time he’s walked on pine needles and grass in his life, his first time in an actual forest, and the first time being in a world that feels vast and open.
I took my sweet time before taking this boy out for a walk because I wanted it to be a success, i.e. not overwhelming and I wanted to teach him to trust me and to respect rope pressure enough to stay with me.
Deets is a sweet boy. He’s also initially aloof, athletic and powerful, and rather self reliant. He has what I call “happy feet”, and when he gets nervous sometimes the feet engage before the thinking does.
Therefore we’ve been working a lot on “checking and untracking”.
What’s that?
Checking in with me and staying connected, or at least coming back to seek that connection frequently rather than just being out there doing his thing, trying to navigate this scary new world on his own.
Untracking those feet and bending. A horse that’s rigid in his body is also rigid in his mind. We’ve forever been building that bend on a circle, seeking softness, disengaging hindquarters, moving shoulders.
I wanted all that in place before we left the safe area inside of tall fences. It was a short, successful walk and he seemed to enjoy getting out and taking it all in.
You can see his focus shift away, yet he comes back to what I’m asking each time. Especially during the last part his attention stays with me just a little longer than early on.
Deets has been with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy for gentling and finding his person. He is pending adoption.
We have several of his friends looking for humans and great homes of their own. You can find them at w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g
We do gentle outside Mustangs also, so if you want to adopt a wild one and bring him/her home gentled so you won’t need the tall fencing or to try and convince your loved one or boarding facility owner to let you bring a completely unhandled horse home, we’re happy to help! We’re located in Guffey CO, hauling can be arranged.
Let us know in comments or via PM if you have any questions about adoptable horses, the work and training we do, upcoming plans and adventures!
