I’m currently sorting through a year’s worth of memories and photos from some incredible rides and pack trips with the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs and various friends both old and new to choose the 2025 calendar photos.

That means reliving moments I had long forgotten and seeing those places and scenes for the first time all over again.

Sunrises and wildflowers in mountain meadows, outrunning thunderstorms (or trying to) and 30 degree temperature drops within an hour in the middle of summer. Gorgeous views, loose rock, steep inclines and a scary fall.

Looking back, all those beautiful photos and once in a lifetime experiences took work, some level of hardship and a good bit of discomfort to achieve.

They say that nothing worth having comes easy. A good horse, a healthy body, good relationships, career success… While we can’t control every aspect of all of those, we can certainly do our part.

I feel fortunate to have friends, neighbors and colleagues to lean on – and hold me accountable – when I need them.

I’m always so grateful when I hear that people are helped or inspired by the work we do, or that they are enjoying a Mustang they adopted from us. That makes all the hard work and rough patches worth it.

We’re all only here for a short time and all we have is each other.

Experiencing a sense of community and being able to use the years I’m given to be of service to others are among my favorite things in life. Some of the others are horses, dancing, tacos, sushi and peanut butter.

Are you doing horsey things this weekend or digging yourself out of a snow drift? Or…?

Pictured: Divide Basin Mustang mare Lacy overlooking a new to us valley during a pack trip this summer. The hackamore (bosal, hackamore and mecate) are from The Colorful Cowgirl

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorse#saveahorserideamustang#wildtowilling

#makingmountainmustangmemories

Aerin’s name would have been America (I mean, look at the shape of that very unique blaze!) had it not been for us going with a Lord of the Rings theme for this year’s Devil’s Garden Mustangs from the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals .

This lovely, fiery little lady is a long yearling (2 in the spring) and string tests to 14.3hh mature height. She’s already well over 13.2hh and has good bone without being too heavy.

She’s very much a mare, quite spirited and very expressive. For those who like an honest, gritty mare that likes to cover ground, Aerin will be a great fit. She’s predictable and manageable even when spirits run high.

To me it’s almost more important how a horse acts when they’re excited or troubled than how sweet they are when they’re “being good”. I want to be sure that they’re safe (or as safe as one can hope for, they’re rather large prey animals after all) when they’re worked up or not happy, because that’s going to happen out in the real world.

This kiddo has had all age appropriate ground work done. She’s easy to catch, picks up feet, loads, ties, lunges, moves hips and shoulders, backs, crosses obstacles (leading and sending), stands for grooming and spraying, is good with dogs and goes for walks outside of the pens.

She’s looking for an adopter who wants to spend time with her and prepare her for future adventures together. She’d do great in English disciplines, endurance, ranch work and on the trail.

Aerin is available for adoption through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . She is located in Guffey, CO. Hauling within the lower 48 can be arranged. We work with reputable haulers we’re very grateful for.

Contact us via PM, info@wildhorseoutreach.org or 719-377-8587.

Our nonprofit organization matches gentled Mustangs with suitable homes to make sure everyone is happy.

Aerin and our other adoptable Mustangs are also listed on w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

We also offer in person and remote coaching if you already have a Mustang and need help or are gathering info prior to adopting.

If you’re not ready to adopt but want to help, please comment like and share, share, share this post. Your support makes all the difference in finding these wildies wonderful homes.

#DevilsGardenMustang#AmericanMustang#wildhorse#wildhorseswillingpartners#adoptalivinglegend

#makingmountainmustangmemories

*Sound on if that caption doesn’t make sense.*

I voted today for the first time in a presidential election. I (politely) said to the lady at the in person voting table that I wasn’t leaving until I got a sticker.

I told her I had just become a citizen and this was a big first for me. In return I received a warm smile and 3 stickers.

We’re buckling down for the first winter storm of the season. By midday tomorrow we’ll have something between nothing and a foot of snow on the ground. Or maybe two. You just never know.

Thanks to Tay Martin we’re ready and the Mustangs have plenty of hay to keep their bellies full and their bodies warm.

We have several wildies pending adoption and we’re so excited for them and their new humans

If you’re looking for a gentled Mustang, for help with one you already have or are planning to adopt, or you’d like to support our nonprofit organization Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in helping wild horses and their humans be successful and safe together, get in touch.

We’re based out of Guffey, CO. If you’re out of state or even outside of the US, that’s not a problem. We can travel, our horses can travel and we offer remote coaching.

You can reach us via PM, info@wildhorseoutreach.org or 719-377-8587

#BLMmustang#AmericanMustang#wildtowilling#mountains#sunset#adoptalivinglegend

#makingmountainmustangmemories

That first picture I took while sitting in the round pen and writing down some thoughts and enjoying the golden late autumn afternoon light.

Doc, with nothing better to do since he was waiting on a woman, glanced over his shoulder and looked his most handsome, slightly winter-fuzzy dappled palomino pinto Mustang self.

Watch for his adoption post. He will be looking for his very own person rather soon.

We’ve had the most incredible, long and warm fall here in Colorado this year. Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy has also had interns and guests back to back this fall, interspersed with some epic mountain riding.

It’s been an exhilarating, stressful, all-consuming, wonderful time. Yesterday afternoon I was working Mustangs by myself for the first time in weeks, enjoying being fully present, alone with my thoughts, and watching the dogs and cats bask in the warm sun one last time before it gets pretty wintery for the next week.

Jen from Nevada and Justin from Arkansas each spent nearly a week with us, helping out, learning, and in Jen’s case getting to know the wildies she’s considering choosing.

I’ve been teaching, watching, gentling, ponying, ground driving and falling asleep on the couch late at night while doing office work. Also sunset riding whenever I could.

Bareback ponying close-up taken by Tay Martin who is still figuring out the multitasking aspect of it all. I received formal driving training as a kid, both in Germany and Hungary. So handling lines, a whip, sitting up, looking ahead, steering and remembering to breathe come easi(ish) for me. Practice makes better, that’s for sure.

We’re working on offering more opportunities for people to learn how to gentle and bring along their own Mustangs. Part of that will be a Patreon membership with training videos. It’ll likely have a packing and backcountry riding component as well, and a way for our supporters to learn, enjoy , and help us help more wild ones.

We’re happy to take your input and answer your questions as we put that together here over the next few weeks. Things are finally slowing down and getting cold enough that I’ll be indoors enough to work on that.

Some of you have been asking, and we appreciate it: Yes, there will be 2025 WHOA calendars! They’ll be ready to order & and ship later this month. Thank you all for your continued support!

In our plentiful free time (ha!) we’re also working on a brand new online storefront, some new items and designs, and having everything in one place. Stay tuned. Progress on that may be slower but we’ll get there.

We do offer in person and remote coaching and we have several wonderful gentled wildies available for adoption. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Guffey, Colorado and dedicated to helping and inspiring wild horses and their humans in any way we can.

Check out w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . org for more and please reach out with any questions/input/feedback.

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#mustangtraining#wildtowilling#adoptamustang#saveahorserideamustang#ridethebrand#makingmountainmustangmemories

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs Lacy (Piglet) and Tiny (Tigger) made their parade debut yesterday at our tiny local school’s Halloween parade.

The kids were excited to see the horses and the Mustangs were brave and calm surrounded by tiny humans, colorful costumes and fire department escort vehicles.

Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh ( Tay Martin ) appreciated the extra layer of silly softness on a crisp late fall day.

I love watching the smiles our Ambassador Mustangs bring to the faces of those who meet them. Lacy and Tiny enjoyed many polite pats and friendly face rubs from children and adults alike.

I’m grateful to live in a town that welcomes dressed up horses and their goofy riders to its Halloween parade.

We went for a short, scenic ride to an old cemetery (it was Halloween after all) following the parade, still in costume of course.

Normally I don’t love the idea of being caught on someone’s game camera. Yesterday was an exception

Share your horsey Halloween adventures/memories in the comments!

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#saveahorserideamustang#adoptalivinglegend

#makingmountainmustangmemories

Long yearling Devil’s Garden (DG) Mustang filly is blossoming into quite the long-legged bay beauty.

She’s got lots of bone and is already nearly Lacy’s height (Lacy is all of 14.1hh), with lots of growing left to do. She string tests to 15hh mature height.

Rosie is an old soul with a lovely mind. She’s independent, sure-footed, sane and quiet without being lazy. The kind to safely gather wayward cattle with alone on a windy day once she’s old enough to be ridden.

Curious and easy to handle, Rosie likes people, going on adventures and is good with dogs. All age appropriate ground work has been done. She’s good to catch, leads, ties, loads, has been ponied and confidently leads and sends over obstacles.

She lunges, backs, moves hips and shoulders, stands for grooming, spraying and picking up feet. She has been trimmed and did fine.

Rosie came to us from the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals . She is a Forest Service Mustang, Modoc National Forest in California to be exact. Unlike BLM, the Forest Service does not currently brand the wild horses they gather and care for. Rosie is microchipped and comes with paperwork from the corrals.

If you or someone you know is looking for a wonderful youngster who would be suitable as a first Mustang or for a capable young person with a support system, please reach out to us / send them this post.

You can reach us via PM, email us at info@wildhorseoutreach.org or text/call 719-377-8587

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Guffey, CO. Hauling is possible, within as well as out of state. We work with reputable haulers for that.

Your engagement with adoption posts through commenting, liking and sharing them makes a huge difference. Thank you for supporting our work and helping wonderful wildies find great homes! Please do the same on this post!

Thank you Rowdy’s Ropes for the beautiful training halter and rope, Karyn Miller for the amazing Knotty Horse conditioner, and our guest and friend Sandra from Germany for handling Rosie.

#DevilsGardenMustang#AmericanMustang#adoptme#adoption#wildhorses#adoptalivinglegend#nonprofit#bettertogether#makingmountainmustangmemories

These eyes, ears and feet have covered some incredible country this year. After we thought that we might never experience another sunset on a mountain again.

Now I’m collecting sunsets and spending as much time outside as possible, sometimes sleeping outside even at home, just so I can see the stars.

I got Covid for the first time in the fall of 2022, and several times since. I felt the symptoms of long Covid through much of 2023.

In January of 2023, Lacy partially tore a ligament in her left hock. For a long time we thought she’d never take another sound step.

Just as I was feeling better last fall, I took a hoof to the head. Even though I never stopped working, that set me back a few months.

Right after Lacy was allowed out of a pen again last summer, she poked her eye and got a corneal ulcer that took forever to heal. We almost put her down then. She was – allegedly – lame on 3 out of 4 legs at the time, with no clear prognosis.

I started riding her again in late fall of last year, when her legs, eye and my head were feeling better.

In the spring of this year, we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to 2yo DG Cedar after she broke her coffin bone in a pasture accident. It was an articular fracture, meaning it went through the joint.

Between all of that, and some other hard hits I didn’t see coming, life’s brought me to my knees a few times these past couple of years. Between sometimes desperate resilience and the right people saying and doing just the right things at the right times, we’re still here.

I still have weird headaches and I get so sick now every time I catch a cold. Lacy has some permanent damage to her eye. Very occasionally she takes a funny step behind.

Life is fragile, fleeting, and good horses, dogs and friends are important.

I’m a scaredy cat by nature, always have been. I’m scared of something almost all of the time. I’ll let the video tell you the rest.

Let me know if any of it resonates with you.

From tonight’s ride with the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs Lacy and Tiny and the best second-hand German Shepherds Denali and Ranger.

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#sunset#mountains#love#resilience#bettertogether#adventure#fall#makingmountainmustangmemories

2yo bay Twin Peaks CA Mustang filly Tillie is ready to find a lover of tall athletic mares who know what they want in life and are not afraid to express it.

She currently stands 14.3hh tall and string tests to 15.3hh. She has a freezebrand, it’s under her mane.

Tillie has all the heart and grit one could ask for. She’s spirited and a quick study. Things that are scary the first time are not that way for long.

Tillie is level-headed without being lazy, an effortless mover and a joy to work with. She is also young and has opinions. She does take feedback in stride when she’s trying something that’s a less than great idea and is easily redirected.

This pretty lady is friendly, curious and easy to catch. She likes attention and mental stimulation. Once she’s old enough to find a job she enjoys she’s going to be unstoppable.

Tillie halters and leads, lunges, crosses obstacles, is a cute little jumper, moves hips and shoulders, backs, is good with strangers and dogs, stands for grooming, spraying and picking up feet. She’s had her first trim, she ties, ponies and goes for walks in hand. She’s being introduced to tack and taking it in stride.

Who is going to love her for the princess she is (the last photo says it all) and foster her athletic potential in and/or outside of the arena?

We believe she would excel in endurance, on the trail and/or in English disciplines. Movement videos available upon request.

Tillie is at Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy in Guffey, CO. Hauling in and out of state is possible. We work with reputable haulers who get the wildies we gentle safely and happily to approved homes when adopters aren’t able to pick up in person.

Please comment, like and share and send this post to friends who need a lovely young mare in their lives. Your engagement with our adoption posts makes all the difference for finding these guys great homes.

Our adoption application can be found at

w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

PM, call/text or email if you’re interested in adopting Tillie. 719-377-8587

Halter & lead: Rowdy’s Ropes

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#adoptalivinglegend#mustanggentling#wildtowilling#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

I recently went on a lovely ride with a friend whom I hadn’t ridden with in way too long. She was taking me to a lake I hadn’t visited before. I’m always grateful when people share their favorite places with me.

We got to the lake and sat down for lunch after letting the horses and dogs drink. Looking at my favorite GPS app, I said “You know there are 3 lakes here, right?” “No…”

We looked at the downloaded topo map (always always ALWAYS download the map for the area before you go and be generous about its size) and decided reaching at least the next lake looked attainable.

A friendly lone hiker reached the spot near the lake where we were getting ready to mount. Curious, I asked him about the route to the lakes. He readily provided helpful information (footing and trail quality are near impossible to judge from a map, that’s what reviews, friends and fellow trail users are for) and then some:

“There’s a waterfall up there too, look up to your left when you get back there. I only found it by accident.” We thanked him enthusiastically and went on our way to explore further.

The ride would have been lovely and totally worth the rock scramble for the first lake. The other two and the waterfall (pictured, I wish photos had sound!) made it an epic adventure.

I did do a silly thing that I finally realized and rectified at lake #1: My external GPS with satellite tracker and two way messaging capability was off and in my saddle bag. That’s bad practice.

I promptly and guiltily activated it and shoved the precious device into a zippered inside vest pocket.

Anymore I like using 3 different apps to navigate and see what’s what. I find that I learn more and miss less that way. And it’s just fun to notice the differences in information each app provides.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs Lacy and Tiny and the happy German Shepherds were good sports for yet another epic high country adventure.

If you’re looking for your very own once wild horse to build a partnership, grow and explore with, check out our adoptable Mustangs at w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h.o r g

We have long yearlings to 5yos available and waiting for their adventure partners. PM, call/text or email us with questions! # 719-377-8587 , email address on website.

Hackamore (bosal, hanger, mecate): The Colorful Cowgirl

Best Ever Pads saddle pad: Karyn Miller

Packing halter: Outfitters Pack Station

Lead rope: Rowdy’s Ropes

Saddle bags: Rawhide Gear LLC

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#explore#adventure#backcountry#mountains#fall#adoptamustang#makingmountainmustangmemories

If I had a dollar for every time someone has contacted me, saying “I want Nash”…

Don’t get me wrong, Nash is super cool. He’s also taken a long time to let his guard down and he’s not for everyone.

The hard facts: He’s a grey 4yo (5 next spring) Antelope Hills WY Mustang gelding. He’s already over 15hh and string tests to 15.2hh mature height.

The “softer” stuff: Nash is a thinker. Not just that, he’s a sensitive overthinker sometimes. That makes him a horse that needs a human who can appreciate and guide the nerdy, delicate professor type horse.

He’s very Spanish in both mind and body, making him a less than ideal first horse or first Mustang unless you’re very comfortable with Spanish horses/Arabians/Warmbloods/Thoroughbreds or other independent thinking, spirited breeds.

This video contains some of what he can and loves to do as well as additional info on Nash.

Not shown: He’s good to catch, ties well, lunges, moves hips and shoulders, backs, has practiced standing next to a human on a mounting block and has been introduced to objects on his back. He stands for grooming, spraying and picks up all four feet.

Have other horses here learned more faster? Absolutely. But he’s not other horses.

Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy gives every horse the time they need to be and feel safe around humans. We find them the right human partner because we want our adopters to be happy and our wildies set up for success.

*It would mean the world to us and Nash (literally, because his future depends on it) if you comment on, like and share his video far and wide to help him get seen and find his person!*

He is located in Guffey, CO. Hauling in and out of state can be arranged through reputable haulers we work with.

Please PM, email or call/text us to adopt. Phone: 719-377-8587. Email in video.

Thank you for your continued support, you are making a difference!

#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildhorses#adoptme#adoptalivinglegend#adoptamustang#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories