Mustang Mission

Recently, Georgia’s only wild horse herd, living on Cumberland Island, has suddenly been thrust under the spotlight.  The reason?  A few organizations and individuals filed a lawsuit, demanding that the National Park Service (NPS) manage the wild horses by causing them to die out (via fertility control). Cumberland’s Wild Horses need some management (there is not enough forage) due to the lack of natural predators on the island, but the NPS has never managed them.  That is the cause for this sudden push to eliminate horses on the island. However, we’re advocating that the horses remain on the island, where they’ve been and survived for the last 300 years.  We’re also advocating for minimal management using the safe, effective, and reversible PZP fertility control vaccine and that mares are carefully selected to ensure genetic diversity within the herd. I really encourage you to read more about this issue on my website. Now, I’m launching a campaign to “Save the Cumbe...

You can now join Mustang Mission on Patreon to get access to fun and educational content every week for just $4 a month !  It’s easy to join and you can cancel your subscription at any time.  Not only will you receive interesting content about caring for and training wild horses, but you will also be supporting us at the same time. Yesterday, I posted a fun video of Rocket meeting my mini, Cloud (who thinks the world of himself).  Join to watch it! Join on Patreon>>

Well, it’s been a busy week!  Rocket has been doing great with his training and has learned to lead very well.  Last Thursday, I decided to work on him standing relaxed in the gateway of his pen to prepare him for moving on to another paddock soon (often mustangs are wary of gateways).  He did well and was comfortable with standing there.  Right when I was about to back him up and close the gate, he decided to step forward and eat the grass a few feet away.  He took a mouthful and then suddenly ran away from me into our front yard!  I was shocked.  Another adventure had begun… Two hours later, I was still trying to get him back, but he was enjoying his freedom.  I could approach him and lead him a little, but he was having the time of his life galloping laps around our front yard.  Some of my family came out to help and even got Ember out to see if Rocket would follow her, but that didn’t really help. At around 3pm, Rocket decided that the fr...

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...

This past weekend was filled with much fun and hard work! We started and nearly completed a huge project - fencing! The fencing we installed enlarged the horses’ area and replaced the temporary pallet fencing I had put up a year ago. I am so grateful for the completion of this. My family and a few friends came to help and we had a wonderful time together. We’re also thanking the Lord for good weather and safety throughout the project! Please watch the video I put together of installing the fencing! Because of this, I have more exciting news on the way! Stay tuned!

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...