The Mustang Diaries: Penny Found Her Home!

Jul 29

4 min read

Some horses come into your life to stay forever. Others come into your life so you can help them become the horse they were meant to be for someone else. Penny, turned out to be the second kind.

We adopted Penny when she was just two years old in September of 2024. Originally, she was supposed to become my boyfriend Joe’s horse. We had visions of the two of them growing together, but as Penny matured, one thing became pretty obvious—she simply wasn't going to be big-boned enough for him. Joe is 6'2" and over 200 lbs, and although Penny is 15hh her bone structure wasn't conducive with someone of Joe's stature learning to ride on her.

That didn't stop us from falling in love with her.

For the next two years, Joe and I trained her, worked with her, hauled her places, challenged her, loved her, and watched this curious little girl grow into an incredible young horse. Eventually, though, we had to acknowledge that keeping her simply because we loved her wasn't necessarily what was best for Penny. It was time for her to start looking for her forever family...

Finding the Right Person

Several people came to meet Penny. They were perfectly nice people, and there wasn't necessarily anything "wrong" with any of them. But something was missing.

When you spend years working with a horse, you get to know the little things. You know what they look like when they're comfortable. You recognize when they're holding tension that someone else might not even notice. You know when they're simply tolerating something—and when they're genuinely happy.

None of those meetings felt quite right.

And then Kim came along.

I don't know how else to describe what happens between these two except to say that Penny melts for Kim.

This young Mustang, who can have plenty of opinions, energy, tension, and all the normal antics that come along with being a young, formerly wild horse, turns into an absolute slug around her.

She exhales.

She relaxes.

She lets go of the tension.

She listens to Kim differently. She behaves better for her than I've ever seen her behave for a new person. There is a softness between them that you can't manufacture through training or force into existence. Penny chose her.

Watching them together made the decision surprisingly simple.

Penny had found her person.

The Empty Spot in the Trailer

Last weekend, I loaded Penny into the trailer and took her to her new home.

Dropping off a horse you've spent two years loving and training is a strange experience.

I got Penny settled, said my goodbyes, closed everything up, and eventually climbed back into the truck to head home.

And when I looked back at that empty spot in the trailer, there were definitely a few tears to wipe away.

It doesn't matter how many times you remind yourself that this was the goal.

Goodbyes are still hard.

But underneath those tears was something much bigger: happiness.

I am absolutely elated for Penny and Kim. I'm excited to see where their journey takes them, and I'm hopeful we'll still get to be a small part of it through updates—and maybe even the occasional outing together. Because as bittersweet as that empty trailer felt, this is exactly what it's all about.

This Is Why We Do It

One of the hardest parts of training horses, especially Mustangs, is eventually watching them take their first steps outside of my care.

You put so much of yourself into them.

You celebrate the first touch, the first haltering, the first trailer ride, the first saddle, the first ride, and all those tiny breakthroughs in between that most people will never see.

You learn their quirks. You figure out what scares them, what motivates them, and what makes them feel safe. Somewhere along the way, whether you mean to or not, you fall in love with them.

And then, if you've done your job, sometimes you have to let them go.

That's the hard part.

But then you get to watch that horse walk into someone else's life and touch their heart.

Maybe they become someone's trail partner. Maybe they're the horse waiting at the gate every afternoon. Maybe they help someone regain confidence, teach a kid how to ride, carry someone through adventures, or simply become a beloved member of a family.

And suddenly, the goodbye makes sense.

Every horse that leaves creates an empty space in the barn, the pasture, and our hearts—but that space also means there is room for another Mustang who desperately needs a good start to domestic life.

Another horse gets a chance.

Another Mustang gets the time, training, patience, and foundation they need to succeed.

And, hopefully, someday I'll find myself driving home with another empty spot in the trailer, wiping away a few tears while knowing that horse found exactly where they were supposed to be.

For Penny, that place is with Kim.

Happy trails, sweet girl.

We can't wait to see what the two of you do together. ❤️