As you may have read in last week’s post, the dynamic dun duo from our Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang herd and I were in Pagosa Springs for a packing workshop turned total immersion experience with Gabe and his family at Colorado Pack Company LLC .

I hadn’t planned on completely disconnecting from phone and internet during that time. Once we got started it felt like the right and also somewhat of a daring and adventurous thing to do. The week was not just a whirlwind, but a tornado of meeting mules, learning more about packing, making friends, riding gorgeous country and eating great food.

I got home Saturday night after a 5ish hour drive with just enough daylight left to unload without a headlamp. Lacy was in a foul mood when I loaded her and Echo again only 12 hours later. It had been an exhilarating week for all 3 of us and we were all still tired.

Her attitude changed immediately when she realized what was on the agenda: Moving cows. Lacy loves working cattle and I figured Echo has taken everything else in stride, so why not take the opportunity and bring her along too?

At less than 2 months out of holding and after a week of carrying lightweight packs, crossing a river, seeing ancient ruins and camping in the backcountry in a different corner of Colorado, Echo, a 2yo filly from Twin Peaks, CA went on her first cattle drive.

Lacy is a cow eating machine, ears back and mouth wide open biting slow ones in their hind end if I let her. Echo’s style is different. She’d calmly nuzzle a tiny calf’s tail to encourage it forward. These two Mustang mares are so similar and yet so different and I love them both for it.

More from last week’s adventures to come. I’m catching up on office work, and very, very slowly unpacking because I hit the ground running as soon as I got home.

I’m excited to get back to working wild ones and to update you on what’s new, what’s happened and what’s coming. Thank you all for your patience and support.

Here’s to using social media and the internet for good things and to being brave enough to disconnect when we need/want to. I like to ask myself sometimes “Do I have it or does it have me?”

The mares spent a glorious Sunday morning working cows in their Rowdy’s Ropes halters and leads. Echo doesn’t have anything else yet and I didn’t have time to dig out a hackamore or bridle for Lacy. Spicy as she is, our brakes and steering work well. Quality gear makes effective communication easier, so no problem there.

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#makingmountainmustangmemories

Just a quick check in before we lose service again. The dynamic double dun duo and I are learning more about packing with Colorado Pack Company LLC outside of Pagosa Springs, where the mules sing the song of their people, internet/cell service are scarce, the company is wonderful and the days are long and filled with adventures.

Be back soon. Love you all!

Stefanie, Lacy and Echo

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

These pictures – that I would have posted last night had I not fallen asleep in the process – were taken over little more than 24 hours between Thursday and Friday evening.

Sometimes, often actually, I’m still in awe about this place where just living is an adventure in itself.

Might snow 5in, might snow 2ft. In May. Going to be muddy, which means moving horses around early before the dirt roads turned to soup and parking my rig somewhere accessible even if it got ugly.

Might have power, might not. For days. Split some more firewood because suddenly it got cold again.

Might have a bull elk with new antlers still in velvet sticking his tongue out at you (see photo). Might text the game warden to complain that his elk can’t jump and I’m out fixing fence until dark because of that.

Might have 17 degrees at night and 50 again in the afternoon. The winter wonderland I left behind yesterday morning was all but gone by the time I returned in the afternoon. The grass looks like it grew an inch overnight.

I drove to Cañon City yesterday, with the car, knowing my truck and trailer would sink faster than the Titanic after hitting an ice berg in the mud left behind by inches of wet snow while backing it into the loading chute. I adopted 4 gorgeous new wildies I can’t wait to show you all when they get home after it dries up a bit.

Lots of laughs were had yesterday as we were walking through the rain, surrounded by curious, frisky wild horses and everyone was covered head to toe in mud from dozens of galloping hooves.

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang mares Lacy and Echo are supposed to embark on an adventure of our own with me today, we shall see.

Meanwhile Tiny is watching over DG Griffin like a hawk and having a yearling around seems to be keeping him young. He’s running and bucking like a 5yo and ever the concerned band “stallion” over his two man band. Both boys “helped” me fix fence last night, it was pretty darn adorable.

I hope you enjoy these photos of snowy wild horses (Deets looks like he’s wearing his snow camo, he’s practically made for this weather) squinting Shepherds and what happens when I go to Home Depot. I enjoy buying boxes and shovels like other women buy purses and kitchen stuff.

I broke my own record on what I can fit in my little utility car. Michelle Moreland , aren’t you proud of me? I also had a month worth of groceries, assorted horse tack and all my fencing tools in there. You can’t go wrong with a Southwest Motors vehicle, they seem to expand to fit whatever you’re putting in them.

#wildhorseswillingpartners#springtimeintherockies

#makingmountainmustangmemories#snowglobelife

5th winter is moving in and the DG kids are doing well.

Everyone ties now, everyone’s been brushed all over, everyone will lead back to their pen.

Eowyn, Rosie, Pippin and Elanor are already going for walks in the big wide world.

Everyone has started on navigating obstacles in preparation for trailer loading.

They’re interacting with different people already. You’ll see that Eowyn is giving me the side eye for handing her off. It’s an important part of Mustangs learning to “people”.

Tay and Rosie are already successfully practicing sending over obstacles and working on picking up feet with the leg rope.

Kelsey has been processing adoption applications. I’ll be getting back to our newly approved adopters this afternoon. I’ve got wildies to work this morning and will sit down for more office work this afternoon once it’s SNOWING again

These lovely youngsters (5 yearling fillies, yearling gelding Pippin and 3yo gelding Rohan) are available for adoption through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy . We adopted them from Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals to gentle and place into great homes.

I was hoping to retain sooty buckskin filly Eowyn for our herd and she sure is a sweet little lady. We already have 2 DG youngsters we love from last year (not planned) and now Echo, and even though we don’t have that color yet there are only so many hours in the day for me to spend working with and enjoying our Ambassador Mustangs.

If you’re interested in adopting, we have an adoption application that’s fillable online on w i l d h o r s e o u t r e a c h . o r g

Please let your references know to expect a call and check your spam folder for a response. We will email every applicant with an answer or if we need your help tracking down the references you provided.

Our goal is to help you find a great match. We’re all different and so are they. Email, PM or call us if you have questions.

Please comment, like and share to help these cuties find humans that will continue to prepare them for a successful, enjoyable future together.

We’re in Guffey CO, hauling can be arranged.

Training halters & lead ropes: Rowdy’s Ropes

I’m staying warm in winter in May thanks to Outback Trading Company LTD.

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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!

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

I added one of my new favorite quotes to this video from last week’s ride, hoping that some of you will find it as true as I have:

“If you want to be happy, do something to make yourself proud of yourself, every day.”

That’s something I’ve been living by since I came across these words. On a day where I feel blah, frustrated, apprehensive, nervous, disappointed or unproductive, that can really turn the tide.

Good days become better that way. And, little by little, my horses and I as well as the projects I have in the works are progressing too.

I was nervous about the weather that day, it was cold and snow cloudy with high winds in the forecast. I was nervous about bringing the new filly along on this ride. I was nervous about going on that particular trail because it’s getting to be snake season and I didn’t want any of my animals to get bit. Months ago (not that many months, actually) I was nervous about asking either of the lovely ladies who made this ride possible to ride with me because even though our paths had crossed, we didn’t really know each other. This would be the first ride with the three of us.

The weather turned out to be great, we didn’t see a single snake nor did anyone get rattled at, Echo – that’s the name for Lacy’s “big little sister” that we’re currently trying on for size – did amazing on her first ever outing all of 6 weeks out of BLM holding, and the three of us (riders) had so much fun, enjoying our horses, each other’s company and the beautiful scenery.

“If you want to be happy, do something to make yourself proud of yourself, every day.”

It’s wild to think that none of the above would have happened without this quote that has become a mantra of sorts.

Yay for marvelous country, great friends, good horses and loyal dogs. And being happy and brave more often.

I drag myself out of my comfort zone every day, often kicking and screaming. Without that you don’t train Mustangs, or do any kind of hard or scary thing. But it’s worth it.

I’ve been sending out adoption agreements over the past few days. Several of Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy ‘s gentled wildies are about to start new lives with wonderful adopters, making space for us to help more Mustangs find their humans and vice versa.

Thank you for being along for the ride, we couldn’t do this without you!

#bettertogether#wildhorseswillingpartners

#nonprofit#makingmountainmustangmemories

Gus aka Gus the bus is everyone’s friend and we’re going to miss him terribly. He’s pretty far along in his training. Riding and continued exposure and confidence building are what’s next for him, with his own human.

He’s the tallest Mustang we have had here yet, measuring over 15.1hh at 4yo. He sting tests to 15.3hh so there might be more coming. He’s a big drafty boy from Antelope Hills WY.

I’ve not struggled to let one go probably ever. I love this guy and he makes me unreasonably happy, but it’s not fair for him to stay and not have a job. Bottom line is he’s too big for me and I like them just a little bit braver.

Gus has a 2-15sec spook when he gets startled. He jumps, hits the end of the rope and doesn’t keep going. You only have to show him once, he doesn’t spook at the same thing over and over.

Gus loves people. All people. When he can see you he’s hanging his head over the panel to get your attention. There’s nothing sadder than tying Gus because he ALWAYS tries to go with you and makes the most devastated face I’ve ever seen in a horse when he realizes that the rope is holding him back. That said, he ties well and doesn’t fuss or fight the rope.

He has been trimmed and hobbled, wears saddle and bridle, loads like a champ, ponies, loves going for walks, has been started on ground driving and will cross any obstacle we’ve pointed him at.

Gus loves to cuddle, enjoys getting out and doing things. He’s good with my dogs and kind to my itty bitty mares. He has been a punk teenage boy to some horses here, pushing their buttons to see if he could get a reaction out of them.

In holding he peacefully lived and ate with geldings his age that were half his size. I’d like to see him live in a herd where not everyone is a pushover and he’ll be fine.

He is not a dog or a stuffed animal even though I think he would like to be. He needs someone capable to continue his training and keep him on a good path. He’s got an incredible mind and a bright future ahead of him.

If you have applied to adopt and not heard back from us yet, please check your spam folder. We have reached out to everyone, either with a yes or no or a request for you to have your references call us back.

You can find our adoption application – fillable and submittable online – at 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 nonprofit organization located in Guffey CO. Hauling can be arranged, we have a list of reputable, reliable, experienced haulers.

Please comment, like and share to help Gus find his very own person!

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

I was determined to post this last night and despite my best efforts I ended up like Denali and Ranger the Shepherds look in some of these photos.

I tend to turn a bit (extra) feral this time of the year. Spring, the precious few weeks after mud and snow and before heat and bugs is when I practically live outside.

The weather has been glorious, making for long days working Mustangs. Then I sit down to write – or do anything – and instead I crash, much to my chagrin and the entertainment of those who’ve ever watched it happen.

So here we are, it’s a gloomy, cold morning here on the mountain and perfect for a bit of storytelling.

This past Thursday I went riding with friends and had this wild idea that maybe I ought to take the new 2yo dun, currently Fiadh, who still doesn’t have a permanent name, and pony her off of Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustang mare Lacy.

The filly was exactly 6 weeks out of holding, had only met a few new people, never been off the property, been ponied all of a handful of times, and reliably loaded into my old stock trailer.

What could possibly go wrong if I asked her to hop into a tall slant load trailer behind two other horses, tied her and then took her on a group ride with dogs on thousands of acres of public land that’s also frequented by cows, hikers and bicycles? A whole lot actually.

This isn’t entirely my first rodeo, so I followed my intuition and experience. She had nothing but impressed me thus far and I decided that if she’d load into that trailer – and if my friend would even let me bring her – she could handle the rest.

She did. We rode 10 miles through a beautifully diverse landscape, climbed over lots of rocks, encountered cattle, and other public land users on foot and two wheels. I even pulled a piece of cholla out of her leg.

3 riders with 3 dogs and a total of fun colored 4 horses – a roan Azteca and 3 dun Mustangs(!!!) – and she never once made an attempt to leave. She stood tied like a big girl during our lunch break atop a cliff – no grass and I wasn’t hobbling the mares 20ft from a several 100ft drop off – and kept up with Lacy’s often ridiculous pace.

She never spooked at the dogs and quickly got over being weirded out by riders behind her and by a big tire tank full of water.

I was the one who spooked at a rock pile on a narrow section of the trail, so in one of the photos you’ll see how we got across that. When you’re a bit wimpy sometimes but still want to ride in cool places, sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of springtime where the mountains meet the desert.

Many thanks to my friends who put up with me, the clueless baby horses I like to bring along and my two big, hairy and completely oblivious dogs.

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories

Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy adopted 7 Devil’s Garden Mustangs from the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals for gentling and placement into suitable homes. They recently arrived and we’re thoroughly enjoying our time with them.

Training and matching Mustangs with the right human partners goes a long way towards their long-term success and safety.

Most of these pictures are from session 3 (yearlings) and 4 (Rohan). 3 of the babies have started practicing tying, everyone is tagless, has been haltered and touched all over.

The yearlings have all been brushed… May the defloofing begin. Photo of DG baby future bird nest material included.

The day the before the photos were taken (sessions 2 and 3 respectively) yielded one of my favorite flowers: The tag flower.

The first 2 kids lost their tag during session one, the remaining 4 yearlings during session two and Rohan during his 3rd session.

All 7 have started leading, most of them are doing really well, a couple are still figuring it out. Meanwhile everyone is learning directional control and backing.

We’re very excited about this diverse group: There’s everything from petite to stout and mild to spicy.

Tay has been successfully working with Rosie, her first wild one to gentle from untouched (actually untouched, Cassie tried).

These weren’t little pocket crawlers (other than Pippin who needed some human intervention growing up and would come up for sniffs and a bit of touch), so it speaks to their good minds how well they are taking to learning all the new things they are encountering and asked to do.

We have not yet introduced food rewards. They are very curious and rather fond of scratches.

If you are interested in adopting, please 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

If you have questions, including about personality, height and temperament, we’re happy to answer them via PM, email or phone.

More updates to come in future posts. As always, keep an eye on our stories for updates also.

We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization located in Guffey, CO. A list of reputable haulers is available for adopters needing transport for their Mustang(s).

Training halters and lead ropes: Rowdy’s Ropes

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Yes I’m easily entertained. By long shadows on a warm spring afternoon, mountains under a moody sky, sharing space and time with a young, developing horse.

I took DG Griffin out for a walk the other day and we had some big teachable moments that I’m glad I had the opportunity to address rather than waiting to deal with them until he’s 3 or 4 or chalking them off to “Awwww, he’s just a baby, he’ll grow out of it!”

Yearling Devil’s Garden Mustang Griffin, youngest of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs, is usually a quiet old soul. He doesn’t spook or fidget when he’s on the clock. He’s as patient in public appearances as his older friends. He does, however, have a strong desire to be with his herd.

That’s wonderful when I let him follow along loose on our rides. I also know it’s something I need to help him with because he’s going to be expected to go out alone, confidently and without fuss.

So we go for walks together, just me and him. On those walks we work on things. A bit of lunging, moving, hips, shoulders, backing, standing quietly.

On this walk he experienced some pasture magnetism. He’d trot around on a circle and at the spot closest to the pasture he’d stall. I asked him to maintain his pace. He told me in no uncertain terms that I should shut up and leave him alone.

As you might imagine, that’s not my strong suit so we had a meeting of the minds and the little guy discovered that he could, in fact, maintain a trot all the way around me.

We continued walking until I stopped to take in the views. Good boy Griffin stopped too, except he made it a point to leeeeaaaaannnn into me. So we talked about space bubbles. At the school we do that with hula rings to give the kids a visual. I don’t hike with hula rings but I got my point across regardless and the issue was quickly resolved.

When we got back to the pasture, the little guy was more interested in scanning the horizon for Tiny than paying attention to me and calmly lowering his head for me to take his halter off.

Instead of 2sec, the process took 5min. Goal was achieved, no foal feelings were hurt and he soon trotted off to go find his friend.

If you get a horse young and make good use of those early years, many conversations don’t need to be had at all when they are older, or are much briefer and easier than if you wait.

If you don’t get your horse young, the best day to introduce the rules of your household is day 1 of working with him. How often have you seen a horse herd give a new member a 2 week grace period before they explain to them what’s what? Doing otherwise is misleading and confusing for them.

#wildhorseswillingpartners

#makingmountainmustangmemories