The Mustang Diaries: Pecos's FIRST Rides

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 started with a ground helper, Joe, keeping Pecos’s attention as I stayed a mostly passive passenger. Pecos wore his wariness like a blanket—jumpy, tense, and anxious.

I gave Pecos no commands beyond a small, simple request to flex his head left and right at a few points to introduce him to the concept of thinking SOFT. That little instruction became a conversation about control, not coercion. We avoided rushing the moment; instead, we leaned into the teachable moments, letting Pecos feel safe. I left the steering and speed setting up to our ground helper, Joe.

I moved around, shifted my weight, and flapped my arms at different points to help Pecos understand that there will be movement from the saddle, and that's okay. Pecos needed to know that these signals wouldn’t threaten him, that he could stand up to the unknown without escalating into panic. The ride required a few resets—a one-rein stop here and there—to head back toward calm if his tension threatened to carry us away. It wasn’t about dominance; it was entirely about communication.

## Second Ride

The second ride followed the same rhythm, but as the rider, I began to nod Pecos toward the forward movement instead of relying entirely on my ground help. I offered small cues: a squeeze and a soft cluck, paired with Joe’s readiness to step in if Pecos misunderstood or wandered too far into fear. The forward cue was less of a shove and more an invitation to participate in the ride.

Desensitizing in the saddle grew more varied. I continued the balance-work: shifting weight, moving around, and flapping arms. We introduced additional touchpoints to help Pecos anchor his confidence: the breast collar was pulled and wiggled, a bunch of pats on the neck, and a casual pats on the rear end to reinforce that contact could be reassuring rather than punitive.

## A Promising Path

Pecos is making great progress. He’s learning to connect the idea of forward movement with a rider atop him, with safety and curiosity, rather than fear. We are choosing to celebrate the small wins here This is the beginning of a longer journey, and Pecos already feels more present, more willing, and more hopeful about the road ahead.