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| "Mustang Sally" 4 by 6 Inches Watercolor by LndaLMartinArtist $35.00 |
Here is the story of Mustang Sally in the words of her owner Cherlynn Raffone:
"I have an 2005 bay mustang mare, gathered from Twin Peaks HMA(California) as a yearling. She competed in the '08 Midwest Mustang Challenge and came in 5th out of 50.
From their she was adopted out to a man in NY on Long Island, where I currently reside. He had her for only a few months and sold her. She then went through 7 different owners all saying she was crazy and too much to handle. Well here we are a 1yr 1/2 later.
We have had our ups and downs, but now its just up up up. I love this horse so much! She gives me strength and faith. She is an amazing trail horse, rides english/western, works cows, does barrels and poles like its her job. She loves to jump. She is that great all around horse that everyone wants. I'm proud of her and what she stands for. I'm honored to say I own an American Mustang."
Blogger's Note:
Mustangs are easy to adopt, simply by meeting the requirements set down by the BLM. The most successful adoptions are the ones where the person adopting the horse asks questions and even takes instruction or advice from others who have successfully adopted and built relationships with their horses.
Give yourself a head start in learning how to work with wild horses using natural horsemanship methods and networking with as many mustang owners as you can. This way you can share you successes and learn from each other's mistakes. Don't expect that one class or session will get you there, because each wild horse is different, with different experiences in the wild, during and after capture. Your job is to learn your horse, while he learns you and to build trust and understanding while you do it. It wont always be easy but the rewards are amazing especially the first time that wild horse comes to you to let you touch him because its his idea.
Every day I hear testimony after testimony of how fun wild horses can be. They not only have skills of independent thinking and living in social units but they translate that fun into games with you that develops a bond like no other.
Adopting a mustang also helps with the growing problem of too many wild horses that are no longer on the range. Once a horse has three strikes, meaning they have been offered for adoption 3 times they are then designated as a three strike horse and shipped to a Long Term Holding Facility(LTH) These facilities are also known as sanctuaries. In these sanctuaries as many as 5,000 wild horses run in freedom, with in the confines of a ranch.However, all the stallions are gelded and the herds are kept as same sex groups that do not reproduce.
The horses can be purchased in groups by approved individuals. Sometimes a trainer will offer to purchase a trailer load of these horses directly from the facility or simply buy one or two Sale Authority horses to bring home and invest time in. However, most are never seen by the public again because they are warehoused on private property. Once a horse enters LTH they become invisible, unless you know their registration number or their brand. They can be found via their brands.
Please considerer adopting a wild horse and take the time to learn how to handle it, building a relationship with them. In this way, one by one, we help protect the wild mustang horses that are in captivity, while we are also protecting wild horses in the wild..
If you would like more information on Adopting a wild horse please go to the BLM adoption page: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/adoption_program.html
If you live in the Mid-Atlantic States on the East coast of the US and are already a successful adopter or would like to network with other successful wild horse or burro adopters feel free to message me here or join us on the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MidAtlanticWildHorseProject
To have your horse painted for the Mustang A Day Challenge contact the artist at: llmartisticservices@yahoo.com
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