Over the last few days, Pecos, a USFS Devil's Garden Mustang, stepped into the arena for two first rides that were big careful breaths before the longer journey. At 16 hands and a very drafty build, he carries his nervous energy with a lot of power. It’s a long way down to the ground if something were to go south on a ride, so safety and patience have led the way from the start. What followed were two very different, yet wonderfully progressive, sessions. ## First Ride We sta

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