Mustangs Help Urban Kids Grow Up Well.

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"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire.

it is a grand passion" author unknown

Throughout recorded and pre-historic history the horse and human being have had what may be the most significant mammal to mammal relationship. Humans harnessed the magnificent power and strength of the horse to accomplish it's need for something bigger and stronger than itself. Horses of all breeds shaped our lives as we manipulated there's. Today, while an estimated thirty thousand wild horses are rounded up from their lawful free roaming range lands, some find homes through adoption.

Westernaires, founded in 1949 provides training in horse care, western riding and precision drills for children between the ages of 9 and 19 who reside in the metropolitan area of Jefferson County , on the outskirts of Denver Colorado. It is a non-profit, operated entirely by volunteers and run by donations. It provides a model for others to replicate who want to help both America's Mustangs and urban children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to learn from and work with horses. Sixty of there current one hundred and seven saddle horses are mustangs.

Westernaire's director, Glen Keller, works full time without pay in dedicated service to a program he knows for certain makes a positive contribution to the lives of the children who commit to the program. Commitment is key to being involved and one of the many lessons learned in the process.

Adhering to strict rules, values and discipline are part of the commitment students make to stay involved. "Responsibility is what helps children grow up to be good adults." Keller states.

The mustangs as saddle horses blend into the mix of drafts and ponies being ridden in the indoor and outdoor arenas. School season weekends and daily throughout the summer, the small acreage, smack in the middle of a metro sprawl is an energetic blend of adult trainers, kids of all ages, social status, creed and color. In this case 60 once wild horses are given a chance to fill a human need, consequently be saved from indeterminate years of confinement.

"Our country has a problem with accepting mustangs," Keller says. "This is one situation that helps get some of them out of trouble."

A wild horse, although genetically the same as most domestic breeds, brings with them a deep seeded wisdom gained from learning how to survive harmoniously with nature. As an animal of prey, a mustang's intuition and senses are keenly honed.

Westernaire's has a military feel to it. Kids and trainers all in uniforms, orders yelled from adult trainers for kids to control their horse as they line up for precision riding drills. These animals weigh around one thousand pounds and if out of control could cause serious hurt so...... control is part of the exercise. Willingness between rider and horse is also apparent.

I observed an inquisitive and grateful attitude in the air of excitement, an among the young girl riders an understanding of the importance of gentleness that comes from needing one another. The wild horses, after they've been rounded up, make a choice to collaborate with humans. I imagine -- it's innate wisdom, that leads them to partner with us for their own survival, and maybe in some cases because they carry an innate understanding that, their ancestors throughout eons served humans, so why not now?

Regardless of all the misguided excuses used for the violent and excessive round ups of wild horses from their lawful free roaming public lands and there consequential confinement in long term, crowded holding facilities, they need our help on every level. I hope we step up for their welfare any way we can. Westernaire's has been helping urban kids grow up to be good adults through working with horses for over sixty years. We need more programs like this one---an investment in our heritage and future: children and America's wild horses.

Get involved politically, help organizations like Westernaire's by donating, consider adopting a mustang or starting a sanctuary, rescue organization, therapeutic riding center, donating to various NGO's already helping the plight of America's mustangs. If you're a horse trainer, sign up to help train them for riding. Search the web to find which niche to help wild horses fits your sensibilities, get informed, be proactive, and help find solutions.

The 90 Day Mustang

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Quotes by Will Rogers from Never Met A Man I Didn’t Like.

“if I wanted good horses I would never leave America for ‘em.”

“Horsemanship: through the history of all nations has been considered one of the highest accomplishments.”

“The man that doesn’t like a horse----there’s something the matter with him.”

A Will Roger’s photo hangs on the welcoming wall of the Leach home in Tucson Arizona. I grew up hearing stories from my Claremore Oklahoma Dad about Will Rogers who lived on the adjoining property. I’ve since written a series of young adult books, based upon Will Rogers’s wisdom.

Antiques and photographs of a life filled with values for family, love, God and horses decorate the Leach’s inviting home. I knew I was going to like these people as soon as I met Kathy Leach who picked me up from the airport. She grew up in Valentine Nebraska where I used to stop to visit my Lakota cousins and get to ride Indian ponies (nearly wild horses).

Logan Leach, her son, is the horse’s trainer I was following for this piece. He spoke of his Mom and Dad with genuine respect as he demonstrated his work training his next mustang for competition and auction, at the “Extreme Mustang Makeover” in Heber City Utah. He and his Dad both were given a wild horse by the BLM to saddle train in ninety days. I arrived in Tucson a week before the competition. Dillon, Logan’s horse, had some spirit left in his eyes, a unique gait and a lavish, long mane. Logan said “even though I make him work, he comes up to me rather than the two women who dote on him through the fence everyday. I think that shows we’ve built a bond, and he sees me as a leader.”

Lanny Leach, Logan’s Dad is a quintessential cowboy who comes from a long line of Nebraska cattle ranchers. Now as a horse trainer, working with his son at stables in Tucson, he’s on or beside a horse from dawn to dusk. Although he would never call himself a “horse whisperer”, I and many others would. He shows a deep understanding of what the horse needs to be assured of in order to learn. He’s also doesn’t refer to himself as a “natural horseman” because he believes in long in the saddle tried and true methods. His listening and respect for the horses he trains is gentle, efficient and honest.

Logan and Lanny Leach are proficient horse trainers selected to saddle train a wild mustang in ninety days. Dillon and Ruger, the two mustangs featured in this piece, were picked up by the Leaches at the Palamino Valley holding facility in Nevada. The four-year-old horses had been in holding for a couple of years. They had not been gentled or ridden, but somehow fit the characteristics of what the BLM selected to be a saddle-trained horse.

Logan tells of how wild Dillon was when he first got him. He found the opportunity to work with him rewarding and challenging. He, like his Dad, takes great pride in training a mustang.

“The mustang is a symbol of how America was settled. I don’t know how we could have done it without them. I hope some mustangs can always remain on the range, but for those who can’t, I hope they’ll be able to find good homes.” Lanny tells me as the desert sun sets behind him and his ninety-day horse

A good home for a mustang doesn’t come easily. Many biases about them still exist among various “horse camps.” Horses seem to do well with routine and impress their knowledge into their genes so each new generation of horses, bred by an ever smaller gene pool, does well what it’s parents did. A quarter horse, which came from cutting horse genetic stock, is assumed to be good at being a cutting horse. A race horse, a carriage horse, a trail rider and so on.

A mustang comes off the range knowing how to be part of a community of other wild horses that survive by working with their leaders and being nomadic. Once they’re removed from the range, all their friends, family and social order is lost, along with the forage that sustains them. They’ve adapted to eat different grasses, weeds and even shrubs as range conditions change. Sometimes horses suddenly given hay only to eat, colic and die.

The life of the wild horse, once rounded up, will never be the same. They are grouped together according to sex. The stallions are gelded and the mares are given experimental birth control. Thirty thousand and counting are warehoused in these facilities, until their fate is decided either by succumbing to an illness or law maker’s figure out how to handle the issue. Meanwhile some of the horses are selected to go up for adoption. Some untrained mustangs and burros are offered for adoption through the BLM Wild Horse and Burro adoption program.

An untrained mustang is a big challenge for a person without horse training experience. They’re thousand pound animals who have learned to be free spirited from their life in the wild and about the heaviest thing that was ever allowed on it’s back in the wild, was probably a bird that picked off flies from their coat.

Although the wild horse shows curiosity toward humans when we show up in their rangeland – most will not come close to us. If they do, it’s not a good sign, because without fear of the human their life is in peril. The lead mare and stallion of the band are good leaders, if they protect their members from human contact in the wild. Thus, the wild horse should have learned to stay away from humans and rightfully consider us their greatest predator.

Wild horses manage to adapt, so even though we’ve induced fear through roundups, stolen their families, friends and homeland, and caused countless injuries to them, they have it in them to survive and even let the human conquerors ride them, once a new leadership and bonds of trust are developed.

Most of the horses rounded up from rangelands are a hybrid of mixed genetics. One would think that because some of their ancestry had jobs as ranch horses or hauled wagons, this genetic code would remain. Maybe it does and possibly their physical features represent a particular type of genetics the BLM believes was once from domestic stock.

Logan said, “ Dillon was naturally good at doing 360 turns. I had to teach him how to do it, but once I did, it was easy for him to keep doing it.” Where did this natural ability come from, I wonder? Logan is naturally good, “gifted with horses, like his Dad,” Kathy Leach his mother comments. Did it come from genes or is it because Logan grew up on the back of horse, taught about them by his admired, trustworthy Dad.

Whatever the answer is, an adult wild horse, will take time to train even in the hands of experienced horse trainers. Lanny and Logan Leach are true horsemen. The BLM is lucky to have them on board to help train some of these mustangs. Anyone who buys a horse trained by either father and son will have a reliable riding horse and a true companion if they prove themselves worthy of the horse’s trust. If you live near Tucson you should get on the Leach mailing list. Even if you don’t have a mustang to train, you’re likely to love the events the Leaches put on in the arena. If you live anywhere and have a mustang that needs training, if you have a horse trailer, I’d consider packing your horse up and taking it to the Leaches’ to train for you.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation is contracted by the BLM to produce events that will showcase BLM mustangs and burros thus increasing their value and ability to be adopted by the public. The Extreme Mustang Makeover in Heber City, where the Leach’s and their mustangs competed, is one of many events held throughout the country. To learn more check out all of their web sites. www.mustangheritagefoundation.org, www.lannyandloganleachhorsemanship.com, www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov

I wish all the wild horses could stay on the range and I am not in agreement with current policies that are warehousing over thirty thousand wild horses without a sustainable good plan for them. There is no clearer example of the cart before the horse, which is a recipe for disaster. However, we don’t live in a perfect world and although the BLM and NFS are behind the removal of mustangs, others are not without blood on their hands regarding the horses in the wild. Besides the Park Service, The Division of Wildlife, Native American tribes, environmental groups and ranchers at large, we each contribute via our life styles of plenty to the demand on natural un-renewable resources. There’s a saying that we can’t change the world by saving an animal, but we can change the world for that animal by saving it. Each deed has a vibration; kindness being one of the best.

BLM Nevada Round Up

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BLM Nevada Round Up

As he was drifting to sleep his thoughts were of horses and of the open country and of horses. Horses still wild on the mesa who'd never seen a man afoot and who knew nothing of him or his life yet in whose souls he would come to reside forever. Cormac McCarthy, "All the Pretty Horses."

Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization we will find the hoof print of the horse beside it. ----- John Moore.

It was a sad day for me to witness these healthy "in good flesh" horses taken from their free roaming life on the range, but it was an even sadder day for the horses. I've written volumes about how I experienced my first wild horse round up. Nothing I felt, could come close to the trauma, fear and loss these wild horses and thousands more like them experience under human watch.

I hope this round up episode and the others I post, help people rise above preconceived ideas, apathy and indifference toward the wild horse and burro. Let's all work to continue to find sustainable, joyful outcomes for these magnificent, noble creatures. We as American's share a collective burden of responsibility for them. Throughout history they were progressively driven and released into the most desolate range lands out west. Rounding up wild horses and burros by the thousands without having a good plan for them seems like wreckless management and a lack of conscientious stewardship. Over thirty thousand and counting are now warehoused in what was initially intended to be short term holding but thousands of horses are spending their lives in these facilities. The BLM does have a few "pasture" type sanctuaries around the country, but these have been over-full for several years. Some Government employees involved in management of these amazing animals, are kind people and do care about their plight, but...... it's antiquated politics, old guard biases, and dollars that have the most say in what becomes of the wild horse and burro. Upon their back our nation was built and we most assuredly owe them a debt.

Jerome Fox, the BLM wild horse range specialist in Nevada comments in this episode that one of the problems is the horses don't stay home. Without enough food and water in one area why would they? What would you do if you were trying to survive on a diminished range land filled with broken treaties, overly saturated livestock grazing and continual land use permits for natural resources depleting your home range ? Would you stay on "your" side of the fence, cry and starve to death or would you find a way to food and water?

The wild horses culture is nomadic by nature and of course they'll seek out food and water, without regard for signs they can't read and fences they don't understand. Their ability to survive even the dinosaur is in part due to their nature to roam. They don't eat grasses down to the roots, because they'll come back later to find fresh growth. They won't bother riparian sites if they have enough water to drink and splash in elsewhere. Implementation of supplemental measures to help the horse survive in the wild, would cost far less and be a lot more "American" than turning them into total welfare recipients, after we've taken away all their chance of surviving on their own.

I don't think all the wild horses can stay on the range, because some of the land is increasingly depleted for a gazillion reasons. (we'll explore more as these episodes develop.) Bait and trap methods to gather the horses from the range are a much gentler process, but cost more, so that rules it out for the BLM. They'd rather pay millions of dollars to bad tempered helicopter pilots to get the job done fast and furiously, then move on to the next round up and other paper work agendas. They say it's not in the horse's best interest to stay on depleted range land and hunger or thirst to death, or be shot by neighboring ranchers who want to welfare graze on our public lands. No one wants wildlife to starve - and we're resourceful enough to prevent it from happening on a massive scale, if we want to. Conveniently the land, under the horse's feet has been leased, permitted or sold to every group and corporation imaginable. Alliances are made for political positioning to get an agenda met, not for the overall benefit of protecting the whole of nature - and it's inhabitants. It's all about private agenda and personal greed.

Instead of first developing a long range, sustainable solution for the horses who are legally in their charge, the BLM rounds them up by the thousands and puts them on the dole. Because of caring, responsible people, some horses are adopted and find a new lifestyle they pleasantly adapt to. Adoption's are down in this economy and even in good financial times, adoptions can't save all these horses.

Many people throughout these episodes speak about what we can learn from the mustang: to open our hearts, let go of fear, forgive, and to take time to appreciate the rise of the sun each morning. I think we can also learn from the purity of their minds and the nature of their free spirit. " They don't stay home," they have the courage to roam, they are always looking for greener pastures, a fresh water supply and more fields to run in. Can we as humans learn from the horse; to be more courageous and nomadic in how we see the world and find solutions? Can we be independent minded like our nations founding fathers and create a new "range" of possibilities to solve the planet's problems? The dire situation for the wild horse and burro provides us that opportunity. They need us to be the voice of reason, sensibility and freedom. There's actually good stuff on both sides of the fence. The horse has always known that.

Visit www.wildhorsepreservation.org to learn about many of the issues and controversy surrounding accelerated wild horse round ups and Dept. of Interior's plans for them. Please, never rule out adopting a mustang, burro or providing large acreage's of land for them. Financially support rescue organizations and get Involved. Be part of the solution in anyway you can. " God sees the little sparrow fall and meets his tender call. If God so loved the little bird, I know he loves us all." The Bible.

Adopt or help those who do if you can.

Mustang as Hunter Jumpers

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MUSTANGS: HUNTER, JUMPERS & KIDS.

“Gipsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark.”from Cladaugh, "Gypsies of Galway."

Even autumns golden cottonwoods, were lively and inviting in the crisp morning air at “Brighten Meadows” in Salt Lake City, a riding school for children, started, fifteen years ago by Mary Lee Brighton. Her life long history riding horses has included owning many esteemed blood lines. “This little pony, changed my life,” she gleams, as she lovingly pets, Starbright, a fifteen year old, not even thirteen hands high. “These are the horses the BLM considered worthless, because they’re small. I couldn’t have found better horses to adopt and work with children. There are thousands more, like them, that people could adopt for English saddle training. They’re willing and trustworthy, once they’re lovingly gentled and trained."

Through the years the genetic pool of this herd area grew smaller. Meager food supply could have led to this natural adaptation to survive. They came from the isolated border lands of Nevada and Utah, where no neighboring ranchers sent out bigger stallions to increase the size of the stock. {The reason ranchers have released larger stock to breed with smaller wild horses, is to serve, their economic needs for free horses for ranch work and wild bucking stock for rodeo entertainment.] These ranchers, who now yell the loudest for the horses to be removed from public lands, often came from the same homesteading families who contributed to the development of a hybrid wild horse, that is larger, needs more to eat, and has more impact on range land.

These precious ponies and their cheerful riders have a way of brightening any ordinary day. All, teachers, riding students and horses, form relationships, through shared responsibility of caring and overcoming fears of jumping, and fast turns as they develop their skills. “We’re all happy campers” riding instructor, Lindsey Collins, says of their arena days together. Miniature mustangs get lots of hugs, love praise and a fun job, while the children get an opportunity to form life long bonds, grown through gentle listening and communications skills that will guide them into a life time of mutual cooperation and leadership.

Wild Horses Teach & Train Children

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Once Wild or Abused Horses Tame and Train Children:

“The horse through all its trials has preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood.”
Johannes Jensen

Sparks brighten the eyes of both children and mustangs when their lives touch. Pure hearts recognize one another then bonds of trust are often formed. Some children, like mustangs, have experienced lives of upheaval and sometimes abuse.

Other boys and girls may have special needs, regardless of their supportive, nurturing parents. Bonding, love, acceptance and something worthwhile to do are common needs for all; whether we’re young or old, disadvantaged or privileged and whether you're a person or a horse.

In the hands of a kind trainer, a wild horse develops a sense of trust and safety. They willingly perform mundane to adventurous activities, at human request. Stories of how a horse saved a person’s life and led a lost or injured rider back home, fill history books. Now horses, replaced by autos, will rarely be given those same chances, but they are through their peril, providing us a chance to save our humanity.

A wild horse, once gentled to accept humans as friends, often shows a particular interest in children. There's often an unspoken understanding between them.

The mustangs at Zuma’s Rescue Ranch in ( Littleton CO) who appear in “Children and Horses” trailer, have a wonderful home now due to the Messenich’s and Amanda Davis. The mission of Zuma’s is to rescue horses and children, partly due to an alliance formed with Gail Trembly, a foster parent whose life work has included, both children in need and a life long love of horses. “Children don’t like to go to traditional therapy, but when you offer a therapy session with a horse, their resistance goes away. The deep needs to be understood, seem to be mirrored between a mustang and a child. “ www.zumasrescuranch.com

Phillip Tedeschi a professor of social work, now based out of University of Denver grew up with horses. He is now developing many social work/counseling programs around the world emphasizing the healing aspects of the animal/human bond. His research and study groups confirm, “Horses, have a special ability to reach autistic and abused children, that people and other animals cannot”

If we teach the young to listen from their intuitive senses and forgive from their heart, like a horse from the wild does, we may help grow leaders who make peace on earth and goodwill to all, their mission for life.

WHO LIVES, WHO DIES: Wild Horse Ecology: Lessons From the Fields

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WHO LIVES, WHO DIES: Wild Horse Ecology: Lessons From The Field with Mary Ann Simonds

While most scientific studies focus on one aspect of something in minute detail, the science of ecology is holistic. It evaluates whole eco systems and their inter-dependent relationship with natural resources, and species. The natural world and its inhabitants have demonstrated great adaptability over eons of time. The wild horse and burro may be one of the most ancient mammals to have adapted to changing weather patterns and forage conditions through major catastrophic, evolutionary changes.

Horses and burros have survived across continents in moist rich grasslands, sandy islands, barren deserts and sub zero mountain ranges. They’ve morphed physically and behaviorally to survive varied environments as well as human breeding and domestication.

Mary Ann Simonds, an Equine Behaviorist and Ecologist comments on how lucky she was to be able to study and observe horses and burros in the wild. She warns, “Now we are losing horse culture as it exists in the wild. The wild horse hasn’t fit into anyone’s basket so has eluded scientific study. Misconceptions about their origin and their ability to be domesticated has tragically led them to be categorized as livestock by public land officials, ranchers, the horse industry and many environmental groups. “

Folks, who know horses well, are the first to vouch for the unique differences between one horse and the next. Most of the horses in the wild in this country now are what Ms. Simond’s refers to as hybrids. They are mixed breeds of Spanish barb (likely the horse with primitive markings that geneticists believe originated on this continent then returned with the Spaniards) then were cross bred with other domesticated breeds who were over time turned lose with wild horses. Wild herds can be historically traced to outlaws, famous cowboys, battles, cavalry, Indian ponies, ship wrecks, ranchers wanting to increase size and alter blood lines for future use or more profitable sales. Only the strongest have survived without human supplementation of food and water and ever-dwindling natural resources.

Our impact as humans is the real killer of natural resources. Land lawfully set aside for the horses has been parceled out for sale and leased for cattle grazing, oil and gas and mining and some for recreational use. Roads, pipelines, industrial and residential sprawl, fencing off water resources and draining water tables, have left behind toxic chemicals that impact rangeland productivity. Now the claim being made by the BLM and the NFS, the two organizations lawfully responsible to protect the wild horse and burro as free roaming animals, is that the range is in bad shape and cannot sustain wild horse and burro herds.

The long term, remarkable survival of these animals is largely due to highly evolved collective collaboration. In addition their genetic viability is based upon mating of the strongest as well as having enough numbers to ensure no inbreeding. The management policies of those in charge are manipulating and weakening the wild horses and burros ability to survive in nearly every possible way.

Our consumption of resources is part of this equation fueling some of the Government’s drastic mismanagement of public lands. We as citizens need to stay proactive in how our lands are managed and used by insisting on accountability. We need to also be accountable for what we as individuals can do to reduce our carbon footprint, and use ingenuity and personal resources, to help restore and preserve wild life, including wild horses and burros to their free roaming way of life.

We need to have more ecologists, and call upon experts like Mary Ann Simonds and Craig Downer for advice and strategies for future management policies. We need to insist on whole systems studies that observe the horses year round in various habitats. The horse and burro is accused of just about everything on the range including damaging riparian sites, like cattle do and they are held responsible for spreading weed seeds throughout the range. If groups worked together, to be sure there were adequate water sources for herds of horses, then they would minimally touch delicate riparian sites. All animals including the horse or burro will go to the most reliable watering source to drink. If delicate wetlands are all that’s available, they, not unlike us, will use it to survive.

If groups and individuals planted weed free native grass seeds throughout horse management areas, the horses would poop out and reseed that seed, not the less nutritious and non-appetizing weeds. What remains on the range after humans impact, is often cheat grass, rabbit brush, and all sorts of virulent weeds – not what the horse or burro prefers. To survive they’ve become browsers and will eat nearly whatever they can find.

Wild Horse Ecology and Behavior is nearly a non-existent field of study. I’ve researched and called a number of Universities to find out whom to speak to, only to hear the same story over and over again. No program exists, no one specializes in this study, but I’m told they do provide rangeland studies to the BLM, NFS, Division of Fish and Wildlife and National Park Service. These studies are not based on an eco-system approach and they go in with a pre-conceived classification for the wild horse as non-native, which automatically puts the horse at a disadvantage. If we’d take time to study these magnificent creatures in the wild, we would likely learn a lot about how to survive, collaborate and share resources ourselves as we face an era of dwindling resources on all fronts.

In this critical time for the wild horses and burros, here’s a list of Take Action Plans.

Contact your state senator at: http://energy.senate.gov/public/ Request they call for an investigation into the management and practices of public lands effective immediately. Ask that they.

1. Stop Round ups and gathers until long term sustainable strategies and healthy solutions for the horses are resolved.

2. Restore as much land as was set aside in 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act,

3. Provide a non - biased annual inventory of our wild horses and make public that information.

4. Provide a fair and thriving ecological balance for wild horses on our public lands.

5. Assist in establishing sanctuaries on private lands.

6. Develop a policy standard to assess the Appropriate Management Levels of wild horses on our public lands, utilizing wild horse ecologist’s expertise and whole system studies

Woman Who Walks with Horses

Woman Who Walks With Horses:Karen Sussman, Director ISPMB



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The flit of June bugs and twitter of crickets sang out from the luxurious carpet of green plains in northwestern South Dakota this spring.

Even though I was born in Rapid City, I’d never heard or been to Lantry. I’d never needed a map for South Dakota, because tourist billboards along the highways, block the views as they repeatedly tell you how far to the next attraction. But Lantry is hardly to be found on the map or on the road signs and is far from the beaten trails of Black Hills tourists.

I’d visited the Black Hills most summers through my childhood, because my Mother’s family settled there as early as the 1700’s. I most remember making forts in the fairy land granite and quartz formations behind my Grandparents house. I’d set dolls up for tea, arrange small animal figures, and ride a stick horse to guard my secret hiding place. I called this my Paha Sapha land but I don’t recall anyone telling me what that name meant. I thought I created it myself.

Now I know Paha Sapha is a Lakota word for heart shaped sacred place that is the Black Hills. I’ve always loved the pristine smell of the pines, soft air, sweet water lakes and crackle of pine needles under my feet as I’d walk the shadowy forests. of the Black Hills. It wasn’t until this trip to Reservation land that I was awed by the spirit of it’s surrounding badlands and plains.

I’d begun research into America’s wild horses in March so when I found the National Geographic article about Karen Sussman and the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros ( ISPMB) now based in South Dakota, I immediately sought her out.

Windows down, I drove through the alluvial light of Cheyenne River plains as green as Ireland. Scents of alfalfa and sweet grass wafted in the air, carrying with them what seemed like echoes of Lakota Prayers.

“Mi takuyae Oyasin. We are all related. Not only Lakota’s, all humans – creatures and nature itself. We are all part of the great mystery."

Back road travel took longer than I expected. I arrived at Karen Sussman’s home, just in time for a stormy dusk. Without time to delay, Karen and I set out to visit the Gila herd. We drove through bumps, stumps, ditches, marshland, ruts, prairie dog holes and across a field fast becoming an impassable bog as rain continued to fall.

My welcome to ISPMB was far from a professional stage of perfect sound and light. It was a stunning display of the forces of nature and it’s equine creatures at play in the fields of a primal force. A perfect storm – rain drops on my lens, light too low for photography, lightning striking an arms length away from me, terrain travel that shook and confused my video camera but – there was a silent awe that fell over me, a quiet watching of natural beauty.

One hundred horses ran from side to side of a large paddock within five hundred acres designated as their home. Winds to their backs, thunder in the strength of their heart and lightening steering the direction they moved in unison trying to outrun the storm. They acknowledged the presence of me and my big orange poncho yet steered clear, because they’re wild and they were in flight from the storm.

Seeing these free spirited horses running, prancing, kicking up their heels, sparring, teasing, chasing tails, drinking and splashing in abundant ponds, made my heart sing. In the sound of their beating hooves I heard the drum of the earth.

That night Karen took me into her home, along with her twelve reservations cats she’s rescued over time. In my vagabond days I’ve sometimes felt like a stray cat, licking up sips of milk and taking shelter in the kindness of strangers, so here I was surrounded by my kind.

Karen isn’t the stranger type though. Her home is a revolving door with a large welcome mat for humans and creatures alike. She’s even bottle-fed and nursed back to health - horse babies – foals who nearly froze to death in ice storms, or had Mother’s who did, leaving them orphaned.

“Foals need to eat every hour. It’s just too cold to go outside to feed them, especially all night long. “she explains.

Graveyard shifts are a familiar clock to Karen, who works part time as a trauma nurse at the local Indian Health Service hospital. By day she has several hundred horses to care for. Hired help comes and goes, but Karen never stops helping. Even when we were in the pasture for an interview, she was interrupted by cell phone calls. Once she encouraged the caller to seek medical attention, like a doting mother and as an experienced nurse she explained the risks of high blood pressure.

Several other calls come in about a new land purchase where she plans to grow her horse rescue into an eco-tourism center. She wants to share her discoveries over the past twenty years with the world. “It’s eminent and in all our prayers,” Karen assures everyone. After all the years and hardship it’s taken to get to where they are today, Karen knows the path of purpose is often fraught with obstacles. She understands being patient and positive and remains dedicated to her mission.

A whiff of sage permeates the air as I follow one woman with an extraordinary cause around to her various rescued wild horse herds. She mentions the differences in behavior of those whose herds were not manipulated in the wild, with those who have been continually rounded up, family units disturbed and leadership confused.

The Gila herd presented in the attached video trailer have special markings: Dunn color, each with wide dorsal stripe, lean legs with zebra type striping and broom stick tails. According to historical research and genetic testing, these are descendants of original Spanish horses used to discover North America. This particular band is thought to have a link to Father Keno. Karen as the director of ISPMB, an organization whose first president was Velma Johnson, otherwise known as Wild Horse Annie, was successful saving this herd, that was not protected, under the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act. They were not on public lands and not branded or claimed as belonging to anyone thus legally fair game for ranchers to shoot or mustangers to haul to slaughter for their ransom based upon weight.

“Many survived, by hiding in the salt cedars in arid Arizona and by grazing in private alfalfa fields. These irrigated pastures were their only remaining, reliable food source, but also an execution site. That’s why they were gathered, because the only food source was on private land. The ranchers weren’t about to share.” Karen sighs after delivering this disturbing tale.


This woman of many horses, is called crazy by some. “How can she take care of all of them and how will they all survive?” I’ve been asked. Some have said what she does is unreasonable because horses are seen by many as an animal that eats too much if it’s not making money to pay it’s way. A horse should be moving cows, pulling a cart, packed for the hunt or at least it should be good for pleasure riding or rodeo entertainment.

Karen’s love affair with them began with her first horse when she was four.

Now she has hundreds to care for, but never to many to love.

Amber light glows as lightening bolts across the vast low sky. Karen walks toward a grown horse she bottle fed and nurtured from the time of it’s birth. This horse and the others that gather on the western hillside at sunset carry a history of love and loss, tragedy and redemption. As she reaches toward the mare in the last light of day, I see the flicker of promise she’s been able to restore to a few hundred horses.

It’s often this shadowy twilight that answers are found as visions turn into reality.

Watch for more from Karen Sussman and ISPMB.ORG. Learn more, offer a gift and sponsor a horse’s hay for the winter.