Mustang Mission

There’s a new face around here! Rocket, a mustang from the Sand Wash Basin Herd in Colorado, has made his way to Mustang Mission after being in the holding pens for a year and a half. Rocket is twelve years old and was a very successful band stallion when he lived in the wild. Sadly, he was separated from his entire band when he was captured. A few months ago, one of Mustang Mission’s board members, Mary Ellen MacDonald, approached me with the idea of rescuing Rocket and bringing him to Mustang Mission for gentling and training. He had been one of the first wild horses she had seen when visiting Colorado, and she felt a strong connection to him. I agreed to take Rocket in, and she won his bid during the auction at the end of January. Rocket was a Sales Authority mustang (like Alamo), meaning he was offered for sale without limitations. Horses like him frequently end up in bad situations. On March 24, Rocket arrived safe and sound! He has settled in very well and is proving to be one of...

It’s hard to believe that today is exactly one year since Alamo stepped into my life .  Alamo’s gentling and training process has been an incredible journey, and I wanted to honor this special occasion with a video of Alamo’s story.  Please take a moment to watch it - I think that you’ll be inspired by Alamo!

I've wanted to write a blog post of my favorite horse "things" for a while, mainly to have an available list when people ask me what I use.  I thought it would be an interesting topic, so here it is!  First, I'll take you out for the horse's morning feeding! Feed & Treats About 1/4 of what I feed my horses is from Triple Crown.  The rest is Standlee's Alfalfa & Timothy Pellets .  When I train them, I use DuMOR's Alfalfa Pellets for treats since they are larger and easier to hand feed.  I use Alfalfa Pellets for training instead of bagged treats or apples and carrots because they're a low-value reinforcer (not as high in sugar = not as desirable)! My favorite treats are Standlee's Apple Berry Cookie Cubes .  My horses love them!  The only time I use these treats in training is when I ride Alamo (because they are more reinforcing).  Since they are more reinforcing, I only use them because I have taught Alamo manners around food.  I als...

Throughout the past year, I often asked myself questions to help me reexamine this mustang rescue purpose and how I can continue in this work successfully. Often, I have to remind myself why I began Mustang Mission. I’ll be honest, at times I’ve doubted my decision to start a mustang rescue. It hasn’t been easy, but as I continue pressing on, I realize more and more how blessed and honored I am that rescuing animals is a main part of my life. I want to share with you the questions I’ve asked myself and the answers to those questions. Why do I think that rescuing mustangs and burros is important ? Mustangs and burros are amazing animals. They are incredibly smart and talented. None of them should be wasting away in holding pens since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) won’t consider releasing them back into the wild.  Most mustangs removed will become willing partners if given the chance.  Some mustangs aren’t great candidates for being gentled and should be released onto a s...

As you know, there are a lot of sad and horrible situations that come to light when rescuing horses. In this email, I wanted to give you a peek into something I recently saw on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) online auction coming up. I believe it’s important that you know what is happening to our mustangs and burros. The grim reality. This gelding is extremely thin - noticeable ribs, a thin neck, and protruding hips. This sorrel mustang is the face of mustangs that suffer in holding due to lack of care. Sadly, our tax dollars are paying the BLM to “care” for this mustang. I can’t know all the details, but it is very likely that this mustang is at the bottom of the pecking order in his holding pen and is being chased away from food. The holding pens are so crowded there is likely nowhere for this gelding to go where he can eat in peace. Honestly, he is so thin that he’s a horse I would’ve expected to see in a kill pen, not in the care of a government organization that receives bi...

There are thousands of older mustangs in holding and most people won’t even consider giving one a home, and I understand why.  I’ve trained an older gelding myself - it’s not easy.  I’ve seen many older mustangs be passed up for adoption multiple times or sold for as little as $25.  They’re unwanted by most people. That’s one of the main reasons why I started Mustang Mission, to give these older mustangs a chance .  On this Giving Tuesday, will you consider donating to our facilities expansion fund to enable us to continue rescuing older mustangs?  Even a donation of $5 would be a huge help and we have a gift for you, too! It’s been almost a year since I won Alamo on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) online horse auction.  When I began browsing through the auction a year ago, I decided that I would choose between three older geldings.  One was dark brown, one black, and then there was Alamo.  After much prayer, thought, and speaking with a per...

Ember: Before (June 2022) Ember: After (September 2022) Ember’s rehabilitation is complete ! Yes, she will still be with me until Summer 2023 (due to a requirement) for training, but her recovery process is over. She has filled out so much since she arrived in June, and she has fully healed from her past trauma caused by humans. She loves people and loves to be cuddled (see photo below), and she is extremely talkative when she sees her favorite people. Ember loves to be trained, and I look forward to starting her under saddle in a few months. I can’t get over how much different Ember’s expression is in the second photo - she’s so much happier. I wonder if the people who sold Ember to the kill buyer would’ve ever guessed what a gem this horse was under that wild appearance. We must stop the stigma that says equines in kill pens aren’t worth anything. This little mustang has certainly been worth everything. ❤️ Ember loved when this girl came to visit!