First off, as the country sweats through this heat wave and the flies are out in full force… I want to remind you of the Equi-Spa July special.

You get 4 products for the price of 2!  Order 2 Peppermint Summer Protection and receive FULL SIZE *Lavender Cleansing Spray* and a pocket size Peppermint Summer Protection !!  Click here to go directly to their sale page.

Also, while you are there, you might want to order THE BALM. I use it on everything, I swear.  Just this week I put it in BG’s ears to keep away the tiny flying things… (All shipping charges are donated to our Bucket Fund!)

PRISON GENTLED MUSTANGS!

I’ve written about these programs before.  (If you’d like to read my original post which has all the background information, click here.)

Now, I AM NOT in favor of rounding up any Mustangs.  I think we need to manage them properly out on the range.  We sure seem to be able to manage the cattle on the same rangelands…

Anyway, I AM a fan of this prison gentled mustang program.  Basically, if they are already rounded up and not going back to the range, we should help these horses become adoptable citizens.

But just to be sure, I traveled out there and watched… amazing what this learning process does for both the horse and the man…

PROGRAM

As you can imagine, this mustang gentling job is one of the better occupations in the prison.  So, men covet the position and usually don’t mess with it.  They have to do well in order to be able to go outside 8 hours a day and work with the horses.

Of course, the horses are not tame – just like the men – so it takes hours of patience, humility and kindness to succeed.

Hmmmm.

8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 months –  patience, humility and kindness…

(I think we need to send high school seniors into this program, too!)

TRAINERS

Yup.  They aren’t trainers.   However, they are guided by a master mustang handler.

(I’m quite certain that my trainer doesn’t spend more than an hour, if that, on my horse per day.)

So, they might not be trainers, but they spend enough time to train each other (horse and man) naturally.

 

 

THE ADOPTION

The adoption I attended was mind-blowing.

I went up there, I was sure, to see inmates whomp on poor mustangs.

What I saw was astounding.  There were 12 horses, lined up right next to each other, calm and happy.  The riders were calm but very sad to adopt off their friends.

One at a time, the inmates showed their horses’ skills.  Most of the horses were quite impressive.  They certainly worked better than my Wrigley.

In the end, all the mustangs had been shown well and were adopted off for decent sums which went back into the program.

THE MISTAKE WE MAKE

Often, I have seen regular, honest and well-intending folks adopt wild horses.  I know, I have one myself (Sam).

What one doesn’t realize when adopting a wild horse is that they are wild.  Not domestic.

Big difference.

It takes time, patience, perseverance and much much generosity.

Sadly, this is why so many BLM adoptions fail.

BUT, with this BLM adoption, the hard part is done for you!

A CHANCE TO OWN A MUSTANG AND BE SUCCESSFUL

Here is a chance to own an already gentled mustang!

And, you can speak directly to the trainer and ask about all the quirks and nuances.  You can pick the one whose work ethic and skills you like the best and you are putting your money back into a great program.

I’M GOING

So, I am going again to the adoption on August 20th.

I’m not really in any position to take on another horse, but I want to observe and report.

Truth to tell, I totally crave a sure-footed, good hooved, sensible, great on the trails, smart but tractable horse.  For me, bonding with a mustang and riding the trails would be a dream come true.

Sadly for the inmates, they don’t get to take their friends onto the trails… but it certainly helps to point them in the right direction.  As the inmates say themselves, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Stacey Coleman

phone:  775.843.1314

email:   twowild1s@gmail.com

http://wildhorseandburroexpo.com/prison-mustang-program/

 

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

JULY BUCKET FUND

ITSUKO, ADMIRALTY and BHFER

Please help rehab Itsuko, a great granddaughter of Native Dancer who had 99 starts, won 100K, had several foals and then was … forgotten and starved.  And, Admiralty who was winched to a trailer.  Click here to learn more.

 

Copyright

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