The Mustang Diaries

Pecos arrived at our facility the beginning of February. He has come to the facility for a restart: a full reeducation of groundwork and saddle training that begins not with speed or flash but with the patient art of listening and creating a bridge between fear and focus. Pecos is, in presence, a perfect image of drafty power—broad through the chest, sturdy through the withers, and every bit of 16h. The Devils Garden name carries stories of wind and wildfire, of stubborn land

Yesterday, Axl graduated into a new chapter of his life; being ridden. It was his very first ride and then today marked his second, a monumental moment in every young colt's life. Axl is eleven years old, and for ten of those years, he lived as a wild stallion in the White Mountain management area. The knowledge of that wildness does not disappear with a saddle and a halter; it glows in his eyes, it hums beneath his skin, a reminder that freedom is not given up lightly. Axl i

We are soooooo excited that Atlas has found his family!! Atlas will continue to live at our facility while his new mom and him deepen their bond, develop their skill sets together, and as she integrates him into her business. He's really a workin' man now! It's always a special moment to be part of bringing a horse and person together that were just meant to be... Charity is a therapist who works with high-risk teens—the ones many people shrug off as untamable, fierce, diffic

I met Auggie a few weeks ago and did a groundwork session with him. His people decided that we might be able to help him and he came to us for "boot camp" yesterday! Auggie is a 5-year-old OTTB with the attitude to match the OTTB stereotype. He wasn't dealt the best deck of cards to begin his young life and found himself bouncing around before landing with his current family. They are definitely the blessing that Auggie needed, and any horse would be lucky to have such a wond

We had a secret! I have been spending the last few weeks quietly preparing Peaches for her owner, Brenda’s, first ride. I wanted to embrace the Christmas spirit and gift Brenda a memory she would undoubtedly carry through the years to come! The weeks leading up to this day were spent in careful, quiet sessions—no dramatic breakthroughs, just small, steady conversations between Peaches and I. Groundwork formed the backbone of our time together, with eventual short riding sessi

Axl and Peaches have been progressing in tandem over the last few weeks and have recently shared one of the most profound milestones in a colt's life: their first saddling. An experience that can either be an incredible step in the foundation of a horse's education or a traumatic disaster, leaving substantial fear and bruised egos in its wake. Thankfully, Axl and Peaches have had extensive groundwork to prepare them for this day, and I would not have progressed onward to sadd

Welcome to our home, Dixie! We just picked up this absolutely ADORABLE black mare with a bunch of chrome from the Elm Creek NE facility when the government reopened. She has some atrocious feet, so we are giving her extra time to get adjusted. Now that she's on the dry lots here, hopefully they will begin to chip off on their own. So far, Dixie seems to have a great brain. Many times, she's sought us out and approached us on her own out of pure curiosity. She acts level-heade

We had a GREAT time last month representing the United States Wild Horse and Burro Association at Equine Affaire by bringing three of our mustangs: Cash, Penny, and Atlas! What a big test for these horses to handle the immense amounts of stress and pressure at this event. I am extremely proud of how everyone behaved despite the commotion of kids, dogs, bikes, golf carts, other horses, loud noises, new arenas, the coliseum, and PURE CHAOS all at once! We were present for all f