Posts

One Year With Alamo

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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!

Horse Care + Training: My Favorite Things

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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 also use

Why Do I Rescue Wild Horses?

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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 sanctuary,
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Alamo amazes me every day!  He is progressing so well and I'm excited to get more rides on him!
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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
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End of training day selfies with the mustangs (and I couldn't resist adding my mini, Cloud)...
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Happy New Year!  I’m really looking forward to this year.  There are so many exciting things brewing under the surface, and I have to admit that we are keeping a few secrets…😉 Last year was a fabulous year, and there were many changes, experiences, additions, and growth.  Click on the video below to get a review of 2022 and watch some special moments!