Having Lacy back in the game and bringing the next generation of riding partners along with her help, and with the help of loyal goofy dogs that come running out of the most unlikely places at some interesting times, is something I’m incredibly grateful for.

There’s little that’s more powerful in bringing a green horse along than the combination of a human and another horse/horses as their teachers.

Because the Mustangs aren’t the only ones with lots left to learn, I make it a point to invest in continuing education every year. That way I can show up better and Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy (WHOA) can help the once wild horses and their humans that cross our path more effectively.

This spring (was going to be last fall, but the weather had other ideas) we’re having Steve Mantle of Mantle Wild Horses in WY come out to work with us and our wildies as well as the Ambassador Mustangs that are riding horses.

I’m looking forward to applying what we learn to the Mustangs we gentle and to helping and teaching clients and adopters.

If you’re looking for help with your wildie, anywhere from the pre-adoption to post-title stage, we offer coaching calls as well as in person guidance at your facility or ours. If you’re looking to adopt a gentled horse and want some instruction before you take the horse home, we do that too.

You can reach out via PM, email or phone. We will get back to you ASAP.

Happy spring, enjoy some pictures of Divide Basin BLM Mustang mare Lacy, Forest Service Mustang yearling gelding DG Griffin, the Shepherds, and my friend with her cute mare and pup on a recent adventure!

Griffin is going to have seen more things – including side-by-sides and dirt bikes on this particular ride – than some horses ever do by the time he’s old enough to carry a rider. He gets age appropriate ground work to prepare him for a seamless transition to one day (years down the road ) helping me gentle Mustangs from his back.

I enjoy starting colts that way. Slow and easy. I’m not much of a bronc rider or particularly interested in some of the excitement that can come with starting young horses in a fast-paced way.

“Pony, pack and ground drive” usually makes for an uneventful introduction to riding and is something many of us can do at home without having to send a green horse off to a trainer.

Adopter/owner empowerment is a topic that’s important to me. WHOA can’t gentle and place all the Mustangs in holding, not even enough to put a dent in it. We can “only” help 50-100 wild horses a year.

What we can also do is help adopters and owners of once wild horses help themselves and their Mustang(s) for an even bigger impact.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#makingmountainmustangmemories

We’re expecting!!!

What? Devil’s Garden Mustangs!

6 adorable yearlings (5 fillies, 1 red roan gelding; all but the roan are pictured as weanlings) and 1 gorgeous 3yo dark bay gelding from our friends at the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals in California.

When? Next weekend!

We’re super excited to get to know these kiddos.

If you’re interested in adopting (we will gentle them before they go home), here’s what you should know:

We suggest you fill out an adoption application on w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g ASAP.

It’s free, fillable and submittable online and it makes you an approved adopter through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy (WHOA). That way we can get a head start on reading through what you’re looking for and checking your references.

We speak with every reference (thank you Kelsey ) before making a decision on an application and that can take a little while. Our goal is to pair Mustangs and adopters in a way that both will be happy. We’re all different and so are they.

Bonus: If we don’t have your ideal match immediately, we’re happy to contact you once we find a Mustang that fits your criteria. Having an approved application and sharing what you’re looking for in a horse helps us help you as efficiently and effectively as possible.

We’re happy to schedule a phone call with you to answer further questions or talk in more detail about a horse/horses you’re interested in. You’re encouraged to come visit your potential new family member once your application has been approved.

These are Forest Service (USFS) Mustangs. They come with all of their paperwork, coggins and microchipped directly from the holding facility. The FS does not currently brand their wildies. That makes them no less authentic or any less deserving of amazing homes than branded Mustangs.

We’ve found that adopting gentled yearlings is a great option for many people who may feel intimidated by the idea of working with a mature horse. In addition, I can tell you from experience that bringing babies along adds so much joy and cuteness to your life and is an unhurried way of developing a relationship and a solid foundation with a Mustang.

So much so that I “accidentally” (sorta) kept a weanling and a yearling from last year’s load. I absolutely love watching DG Cedar and DG Griffin grow up, play, nap in the sun, explore the world and through age appropriate education become wonderful, well adjusted young horses that will make a seamless transition into more serious work when the time comes.

If you’re not looking to adopt, but you’d like to support us in helping these horses transition from holding pens to loving homes, I’m putting donation information in the comments to this post on my/WHOA’s Facebook page.

We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on your support in order to continue to help Mustangs and match them with the right adopters to ensure their long-term safety and well-being.

Location: Guffey, CO.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#bettertogether

#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

This guy has been a joy to bring along, spots, quirks and all. Deets is a coming 5yo Appaloosa Mustang gelding, facility born to a Pine Nut, NV Mustang Mare. He is located in Guffey CO. Current height 14.3hh. Deets string tests to 15.2hh mature height. He is available for adoption through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy to a suitable home.

He’s an athlete with a balanced built, effortless movement and lots of heart. He enjoys jumping (obstacles, not panels) and covering ground, and interestingly enough would rather do something scared than not do it at all.

He can still be shy at first but is kind and gets along well with humans and other horses. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by or interested in bothering dogs.

Deets retains well what he learns. So far he leads, lunges, and sends over obstacles and through gates. He moves hindquarters and shoulders, loads, ties, stands for grooming and picks up all four feet.

During lungeing with the belly rope he has not shown any inclination to buck, kick or bolt, a good indicator that he’s going to take to the saddle well. Surcingle, bridle and ponying are next for this cool dude.

Deets’ tail got munched on in holding and will grow back in time. He has at least a dozen colors in his mane and tail. On the subject of eating, this boy is an easy keeper whose weight will need to be monitored. Regular work will help with that.

Because Deets is a sensitive and athletic horse, and will, in his infinite wisdom, just throw himself into a task, he is going to do best with a human who will give him a job that eventually requires movement at all gaits, who is confident and able to keep Deets’ mind engaged.

He is one of those horses who even when he’s being “bad” (i.e. showing less than desirable behavior or gets startled), he’s still really, really good but checking in with and looking to the human for guidance rather than taking matters into his own hooves is something he still needs to occasionally be reminded of.

With his coloring come the Appy eyes, so he often looks at least mildly miffed or like he’s seen a ghost. That’s something I’ve slowly gotten used to and “that’s just his face”, not an indication of incoming fireworks. It’s important to read his entire body to keep track of where is mind is at.

See our adoptable Mustangs on w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

Feel free to contact us via PM or email. We are happy to answer questions over the phone if you’d like to schedule a call.

Training halter and lead rope: Rowdy’s Ropes

Vest: Outback Trading Company LTD.

PC: Photographer Linnea Helander

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

One of the best parts of life, and this Mustang journey, is not doing it alone. Having friends and mentors to talk to, work alongside, learn from and ride with is so important.

I feel incredibly grateful to have several horsewomen around me whom I respect and enjoy riding and spending time with. I’m also excited for several super cool learning opportunities coming up soon.

I love learning and growing, even if it’s not always pretty or comfortable. It doesn’t just benefit me, it also helps the horses that come into my life, and their humans. And I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy ‘s learning opportunities.

Here’s to lots of trail adventuring, finding Lacy’s left lead, getting better at riding in the two rein, learning to rope, as well as packing and Mustang gentling fun this spring!

Little video of Danita and I letting our mares stretch their legs, the dogs zooming ahead and little Griffin (look closely) bringing up the rear.

Trust and respect are important components of any relationship, with two- and four-leggeds alike. They create a sense of safety from which many things are possible.

Comfort (as in feeling safe), competence and confidence are the three Cs that lead to great results in life and in our partnerships with our horses. They need to be developed on both ends of the lead rope or reins.

That journey isn’t easy but it is worth it, and because humans, like horses, are social creatures, sharing it with others makes life feel so much richer

Music: All that really matters by Teddy Swims

Peep my favorite hackamore setup by The Colorful Cowgirl

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

*Original audio. Sound on for explanation (pardon the wind and my accent). Try to click on the video and watch full screen so you can read the text.*

Tay Martin gave all the new kids a spa day after I sprayed their manes and tails. I joke about my X chromosomes not being long enough for me to enjoy that kind of thing, so I’m grateful she does.

Bonus: It’s a great, low key way for new Mustangs to become acquainted with new people, also an important step in their transition towards new homes.

Eclipse, coming 3yo Mustang mare from Little Colorado WY, is a little right side shy with new things and people.

Prior to this video, she’d stand for a few seconds of detangling and then back up. As I was filming and walking Taylor through finding different approaches to ‘problems’, Eclipse finally settled into it.

That’s where it’s easy to get greedy and keep going. The magic lies in knowing when to quit (it’s that way with a lot of things in life it seems).

Even more magic lies in taking a few steps WITH the horse and then, unless you have a cuddler, giving them space to soak in what just happened.

Both the walking and the processing time help them integrate what they are learning. IF you timed your break right, chances are they’ll learn what you want them to learn.

I’m happy to have caught all of it on video. The processing and the whole different horse afterwards are pretty sweet to watch. Thank you Eclipse and Taylor for being awesome!

Is this helpful? Questions?

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is committed to helping Mustangs and their humans. We offer in person and remote coaching as well as gentling for clients. Email or PM if it sounds like that would be helpful for you and your wild one. We also have gentled Mustangs available for adoption.

*PSA for the people in the back, you know who you are; so if this shoe doesn’t fit you just don’t wear it: Smack talking, ghosting and being copy cats who don’t quote their sources and give credit to their mentors… That’s what kids do. And they get in trouble for that. Most things in life are “and” rather than “or”. Be a good human. That’s all.*

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

As our snow has been turning to mud and crazy winds helped dry that some, we’ve been enjoying working with these four ladies.

Eclipse, Cinder, Rapunzel and Fiadh are doing well and I feel incredible fortunate to have them. Mustangs are individuals and some take more easily to the people thing than others. These mares make my work extra fun and have me excited for their futures.

Eclipse tends to be initially reserved but warms up quickly and is a thinker with a quiet mind. Cinder is a bit of a busy body who melts when you touch her. Rapunzel has turned from sassy pony to “pick me!” attention hog and Fiadh believes everything in her environment is there to serve her in some way.

These ladies will make wonderful partners for their humans once they find them. They have shown that they retain well what they’ve learned and are eager to participate.

Leading, lungeing, tying, body control, backing, crossing obstacles, grooming, they’ve taken it in stride. We’re practicing sending, picking up feet, loading next.

Tay Martin is looking forward to giving them a spa day so we can turn those wild, fairy stirrup donning manes into silky flowing ones. At least for a little while. That means spray bottle practice too. I don’t foresee much trouble with that.

We are accepting adoption applications on these ladies. For those of you who have submitted one already, I’ll reach out to you once we’ve spoken to all of your references. Kelsey is doing her best on that, while also having a day job and her own Mustangs.

The application is fillable and submittable online and can be found on w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Guffey CO.

All horses are adopted out with training that goes beyond TIP requirements and can be tailored to the adopter’s needs. We make sure you and the horse you pick are a match, we want both parties to be happy, feel safe and be successful.

Adoption vary based on the horse. For every horse that can command a higher adoption , we have several that cannot, need more time or require special care. Adoption go directly back into our program and help us adopt, gentle and place more wildies into suitable homes.

We’d like to thank the anonymous supporter who sent Gus a bag of Vitamin E pellets. We couldn’t do this without you all.

PM or email us with questions.

Training halters by Rowdy’s Ropes

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

What are we looking at here? Frosty Bob’s big butt for one. Also 2 women who decided to walk 4 Mustangs – 2 from WY and 2 from CA – and 2 Shepherds for a couple of minutes to get past a scary (to us, we both don’t love narrow trails with drop offs) section of the trail. This is us just getting to the spot where it was wide enough that we felt comfortable getting back on.

Many other people would have ridden this part. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not other people. I owe it to my horses and to myself to know when I’m going to become a burden to them. When I get scared I either freeze or get grabby on the reins. Neither helps my horse navigate a challenging trail. So I dismount and feel safer that way.

I’ve been in a spot that was so steep, wet and narrow, we ended up putting a person on each end and sending the horses one at a time because it would have been to dangerous to even lead them. It was literally a 20 yard section of a day ride. The horses did fine, and from what we could tell, the humans staying off of their backs and out of their way was the best thing for them in that moment.

It’s not for others to tell you what to do if it’s not something you’re ok with, or for you to override your judgement to impress someone. It’s ok to want to ride and not be fearless. Fear is a survival mechanism. It is important, should you choose to ride with other people, to choose those people wisely.

Compatibility is important, between you and your horse, and also the people you ride with. Expanding our comfort zones is great. We also get to be where we are at and meet ourselves there. And to surround ourselves with people who accept and respect that.

Frosty Bob is from Fifteenmile, WY and was gathered with frost bitten ears. Lacy, DG Cedar and DG Griffin are Ambassador Mustangs with Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy and so much fun to go exploring with.

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

This was Lorena’s (2yo Twin Peaks CA Mustang filly) first time being ponied. Lorena, now Wren, has since gone home to her adopter in Michigan. I just got an update yesterday.

Kiddo is doing well, turning into quite the ham, and from the sounds of it landed exactly where she needed to be. I’m happy for Wren and her human. Thank you to all who support Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in doing what we do. You are instrumental in making these success stories a reality.

What do I mean by “difficult” side?

When I first introduce ponying, I start with the horse I’m ponying on my right. Later I’ll practice on both sides. To make it easier on them we go clockwise first.

That keeps the newbie to the inside of the circle, meaning they don’t have to hustle to keep up and if they jump around a bit trying to figure things out, they have somewhere to go and space to do it.

Wren settled into that effortlessly, so we checked that box and went the other direction. This is a tiny round pen and being in between my riding horse and the fence makes some of the greenies feel claustrophobic. And it’s harder because they’re on the big circle and have to walk faster.

Everyone first learns to step forward at a tap behind the shoulder, something Mustang Matt taught me when he was here a couple of years ago. It’s made a huge difference. That really helps when encouraging a horse forward while ponying.

Wren took to it really nicely and was wonderful about taking feedback. Timing and feel are important so they can understand what to do. Ideally I want the ponied horse’s nose at my knee, with about a foot in each direction still being in the tolerance zone.

FYI, original audio in this video, so if you want a bit of explanation to go with it, you can listen to me ramble My camera shy self loved none of that BUT I said I was going to grow and do hard things, so here we go.

I’m carrying a 5ft buggy whip with a short lash. I like the feel and the weight of it, I can reach where I need to and there’s no long lash to get stepped on and confuse horses when it’s flopping around. I have a 6ft one too, I like them both.

Do you need to do this bareback in a halter? No. You do you. Lacy is used to it and it keeps my backside warm (see all that snow?). I also didn’t want to be tempted to dally. I spent most of last year nursing the princess back to health and I don’t want other horses tugging on her.

Questions? Your own experiences with ponying? Let’s hear them!

Want to learn how to do this? We do have learning opportunities available, both on and off site, so get in touch via email or PM.

Thank you Kelsey for filming.

I’m staying warm out there all day because Outback Trading Company LTD. makes great gear for all seasons.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#BLMmustang#wildtowilling#adoptamustang#makingmountainmustangmemories

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” – Andrew Grant

Some of you know I’m a counselor in my other life. I work with kiddos and sometimes with their adults. (Un)fortunately, I’m just as feral there as I am the rest of the time.

I recently met with someone who had just taken over caregiving for some youngsters and was asking me when they should implement the expectations for living together in their household.

We’re talking very basic cleaning up after yourself and keeping your area organized type stuff. I said “Now, unless you’re planning to give them to a zoo when they’re 18!”.

I believe – and regularly need to remind myself too or life will do it for me – that we set the tone for any relationship, be that with a friend, loved one, professional relationships and our relationships with the animals that come into our life, early.

We don’t say to a partner 5 years in “You know, actually, honey, I expected you to be faithful to me” or to an employee after 2 months “It would be really nice if you showed up on time”. No. Ideally we communicate what we expect straight out of the gate to avoid confusion, resentment and unnecessary arguments down the road.

The same is true with horses. Especially Mustangs. They are smarter than your average bear and often much more in tune with their environment than many domestics who have learned to tolerate or just tune us and our shenanigans out.

Whether a horse comes into your life at 6 months or 5 years of age, unhandled or already trained, the time to explain what you expect from them is now, in a way that they can understand.

That way -hopefully – you’re not revisiting and undoing self-inflicted mess ups days, months or even years down the road. It’s much harder then, on the horse too.

I needed these 2 babies like I needed a hole in my head. I did get a hole in my head too, so why not do both. The point is though, that from the very beginning I’ve been teaching them to become the horses I want to ride and be around a few years from now, in a developmentally appropriate manner.

You pick up your feet, you stand quietly, tie without fussing, cross water, don’t eat when I’m holding you. You lead and pony on a loose rope, are nice to the dogs and ok with them running around, and don’t nibble or push on people, just to name a few.

DG Cedar and DG Griffin came to Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy last summer from the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals . Now coming 2 and 1yo, respectively, they’re good little citizens that are a joy to explore the world with, and still have plenty of opportunities to just be babies and time to grow up both physically and mentally.

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

Here’s Fiadh (pronounced Fee Ah, not like the car), 2yo Twin Peaks CA Mustang filly, confronting our curtain about its audacity to blow in her face on a particularly windy afternoon. Then she walked over to me like “Did you see that???” She’d never ‘met’ the curtain before.

I adore this filly. Not just because she looks like Lacy with a mule mane, but because this girl is a war horse in the making. She takes NO crap. Not from me, not from the curtain, not from anything. And she loves the dogs.

I tend to tell people when it comes to picking a horse “Watch their immediate reaction to something that upsets them and see if you like that.” In my experience it takes a second or two for learned behavior to (hopefully) kick in.

If you can more or less comfortably sit or deal with whatever the horse does right after she gets caught off guard, you can probably get along with her, assuming you get along with her in general.

That’s a little bit like human relationships. It’s the hard moments that make or break those too, assuming those involved enjoy each other on the good days.

I like dogs but I’m a bit of a closet crazy cat lady. I think that’s why I’m drawn to cat-like traits in Mustangs too.

Some sass, lots of opinions, a bit of mischief paired with that look of arrogance and “you realize I don’t HAVE TO do what you want, right!?”. That’s my kind of horse. The more dog-like ever-friendly pocket crawler type not so much. To each their own.

I’ve had several people gently encourage me to keep some horses that aren’t exactly my type because those would one day make nice riding horses someone else would enjoy. I’m trying.

Personally, I appreciate a horse that talks back a bit and makes me work for it. This filly does. At the holding facility she would look miffed and walk away when approached. She shows exactly how she feels and we’ve had a number of conversations about what appropriate ways to express one’s opinion look like.

She needs to be able to do that. Still, she needs to not rear or plow people over. She also needs to learn a certain level of frustration tolerance and develop the ability to think through challenges and respond to cues rather than react.

That’s part of the joy and responsibility of working with Mustangs: To help them learn, enter into two-way communication with us, and yes, in a way override their instincts and develop new ways of interacting with their environment because most of what humans ask of them goes against what any self-respecting wild horse would do. No easy feat at all. I have a lot of respect for how resilient and capable of adapting many of them are.

If you’re interested in learning more about Mustang gentling or in adopting a gentled wildie through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy , send me an email or a PM.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#BLMmustang#wildtowilling#adoptamustang#makingmountainmustangmemories