Silvio the wild mustang from South Steens

05/04/2024

Wild and crazy mustang "tries to eat" little girl 🤣

04/13/2024

I love how much roan is coming through in Silvio's coat this year as he sheds out. It seems to me that he's twice as white as he was last year at this time.

What's kinda funny is that I've always wanted a roan, and I had no idea this boy was a roan until I got him home. "Oh, he's a silver bay roan pinto" is a mouthful, in response to "what color is he?" But, I love his uniqueness so so much 💜

04/10/2024

I've been telling Silvio all winter and spring that we are working hard towards giving him a lovely pasture to graze and romp in. I'm pretty sure, after how long it took to finish, that he probably was thinking I'm a liar 🤣 I'm just so happy that this makes them so happy 🤩 20 minutes today, and a little longer each day, until they can be on grass 24/7. The cats also seem amused at this change!

04/06/2024

Silvio and Aura the Mustang from South Steens Mountain in Oregon having a relaxing rest under the sun this afternoon.

03/30/2024

🤣 "He almost knocked p**p in my face!" exclaims 5 year old Anabel as Silvio flies past, repeatedly jumping over our temporary manure pile.

This is my new arena/foaling pen that is almost finished. We got all the top boards finished today, so I decided to let the mustangs kick up their heels and try out the space first. I think Silvio thoroughly enjoyed himself! And... clearly, he's not shy about going over things. We'll have to eventually do a little jumping with him.

Silvio came running out here as soon as I opened the gate, but Aura took about 15 minutes of watching Silvio, and me trying to coax her out, before she thought it was safe to come out into this area, and even then, no pile jumping for her. She likes the safety of her pen and barn. Silvio is so curious, he always wants to explore. I hope that means he'll enjoy trail and obstacles, because that's what I plan to do with him.

03/11/2024

Playing "p*ek-a-boo" with Silvio while Aura watches. Aura is still very scared of noisy plastic bags. But, she can see that Silvio isn't worried about them anymore.

03/07/2024

Even though we haven't really done any training for 6 months (due to death in the family, moving, setting up a new farm property, etc) except for a few sessions this last week or so, Silvio is being just as solid as he was 6 months ago 💜

I still haven't found my gopro amongst the storage boxes 🤦 so, I can't record full sessions. But, I figure I can at least do some short clips here and there with my phone camera whenever I have a hand free to record while training.

I had a quick 15 minute session at liberty with Silvio today on my lunch break, and managed to do our 2nd full "sit", meaning one leg on each side, and sit up straight on his back (as opposed to just leaning on him or laying over his back, which we've done dozens of times by now). It was only a 2-second sit, but as you can see, he's definitely ready for more in his next session.

Years ago, I used to be terrified of the first sit on a horse, even with a western saddle and bitted bridle "for security/control". That fear stemmed from dozens of accidents and injuries trying to do things with horses who weren't properly prepared to be ready to do those things. I've broken bones and even had a concussion bad enough that I was incoherent for 4 hours. 👀🤦

But, as the years went by and my gut told me there had to be a better, safer way, I eventually learned how to properly prepare a horse to be ready for each next step, and build a relationship with the horse to where they *want* to try their best for me even if they are a little scared or uncomfortable, I realized this is the true key to "security/control". And then, the use of equipment is optional and/or simply a tool for communication, not for control. The control is in the trust that's built between us, from being progressive in each baby step I ask from him and consistent in the rewards I give him for a job well done.

First sits on a horse with zero equipment reveal the raw truth of the training and preparation between horse and human. I won't do this until I know that a horse is 100% mentally and emotionally ready to handle it. That keeps me safe, and keeps him from getting traumatized by the process.

When I was a teenager riding young horses "cowboy-style" on a breeding farm, we were expected to climb aboard and hang on tight. Ride it out until the horse stops bucking or running. The problem with this is that it doesn't build relationship or trust. The only thing it does is induce "learned helplessness", in which an animal eventually gives in to the pressure and submits because it doesn't feel like it has any other choice. When the horse resists, out of fear or misunderstanding, it was met with a whip, spur, or harsh metal bit getting yanked in the horse's mouth. If we did that to people, it would be called abuse and slavery.

Looking back at how "tradition" does that to horses, it is sad. I'm sad about the horses that I even remotely treated that way (although, I never wore spurs). My 30yr old appendix was started that way, on the cowboy farm (by me, 26 years ago) and it created a horse that did what I asked of him once I caught him and had equipment on him, but who didn't actually *want* to be caught, didn't want to work, and if it weren't for the equipment around his face, would be long gone running back to the herd. It took a long time to undo all of the negative mental and emotional stuff with him (mostly anxiety, because he's a very sensitive being) and start over from scratch to build a proper partnership in which he chooses to come to me and work together with me when I ask.

I fully believe that animals come into our lives to teach us some hard lessons in life, and my senior Dynamo, is a total angel in that sense! 30 years of hard lessons!

It's because of him (and many other horses that I've ridden and made mistakes with), that I'm able to start Silvio without fear and with his eagerness to step up and do what I'm asking. I've learned to read his body language, his facial expressions, to know what the signs of true acceptance and relaxation are, because you're not ready for the next step until you have those two things in the last step. It's truly that simple.

This is a horse that comes to me when I call him over, lines up next to the mounting block offering his back to me, and then barely bats an eye when I sit on him for the 2nd time ever. He shows zero signs of stress or confusion or fear ❤️

Sure, it takes longer to build a relationship this way as well as dozens of specific individual "cues" that lead up to a given result. But, it's sooo worth it in the end, to have a horse that essentially says "hi, what are we going to do together today?" 💜🙌 Instead of one that says "hell no... catch me if you can!" 🤣

It feels wonderful to know that he's doing it because he wants to, because he said yes. Not because he has no other choice. Without equipment, he's 100% free to tell me "no" and leave, and he knows there is no punishment in making that choice. There's also no reward in leaving, and he knows that too. He *wants* and chooses to earn his paycheck.

I know there are dozens of people on Silvio's page who've been right where I am. You know what a wonderful place it is to be here at this step with a previously wild and untouched horse.

03/04/2024

What do I do when I'm given the opportunity to shine on camera? I leap-fart 🤣 (see video in comments) I'm such a gentleman!

02/09/2024

The personalities of Mustangs continually blow me away. Aside from his first week in training, Silvio has eagerly come to greet me, every single day, multiple times a day, all year long. It never gets old, he always wants to say hi 💜 (please excuse the wind in the video, it was so strong today that it almost knocked me over twice!)

02/06/2024

This makes me so happy! 😁🙌

Silvio, not so much 🤔 (see video in comments)
He's literally trying to escape because he hates the new slow feed nets 😂🤦

He was wasting soo much hay though, by shaking all the alfalfa out and eating that but then tossing out the grass hay to p*e on.

01/30/2024

Of all the types of horse personalities out there, I would say that Silvio is the "mirror". Whatever energy level you are, he matches that like a mirror. Put him in a double stall with my senior gelding who is kind but not a pushover, and they can get along all night long in that small space together without incident. Put him with a horse that charges others and he charges right back. Training with him can only happen with kindness, respectful communication and interactions, and 2-way communication. He gives back and matches exactly what you give to him.

As a side note, my 5yr old daughter wants to grow up to be a famous YouTuber.

12/21/2023

Silvio and Aura are just so darn cute 😍 I just can't help myself with these photos! I'm so happy to have them together again. Both of them are so affectionate and curious. You can't enter or even walk around the perimeter of their paddock without them following you the whole way to see what you're up to. When I walk the wheel barrow around to the compost, they follow along the fence line with me the whole way, every time. If they see me coming from the house, they nicker to tell me to come over to them. If I run along the fence line, they run to catch up. If I stop, they insist on snuggles 🤣 It blows my mind how they want and choose to interact with people, every single time they see a person. After the holidays, I plan to get back into a regular training schedule with these two and hopefully back to posting videos.

I made a FB page for Aura where I'll be posting her past photos and her future videos and photos moving forward. There may end up being a little bit of overlap in media between Silvio and Aura's pages. Aura's page doesn't yet have much on it. But, if you'd like to follow her, here's the fb page:
Aura the Mustang from South Steens Mountain in Oregon

12/11/2023

Wow... I knew these two would remember each other and get along well, but I didn't expect that they'd get along THIS well!

12/10/2023

There's two water buckets but we must share one 🤣
Silvio 💜 Aura

12/10/2023

This is how we desensitize Mustangs here 🤣 kids and barn construction! (More video in the comments)

12/05/2023

Silvio says HI, from wet mucky Illinois! It's a good thing our limestone pens are almost finished getting fenced off for mud free 24/7 turnout.... Couple more days. I can't wait to stop using so much shavings in stalls 🤣 Can you believe what a chunk this boy has become? I swear he's grown a couple inches in height and he went from a size 69 to 72-74 😲 When I first picked him up, I worried that I had accidentally bought a pony and the BLM got his measurements all wrong. He sure grew up and thickened out this year, though. His butt would make any quarter horse jealous!

11/18/2023

Here's a short video of Silvio and Aura meeting for the first time after being separated in roundups. He's a little distracted because he just came off the trailer and is also checking out everything in the barn. They gently sniffed noses for about 5 minutes 💕 that's the longest I've seen him smell another horse in the time I've had him. He usually does one sniff, if that, and then walks away. With Aura, he kept going back to smell her some more lol

11/06/2023

I've been so busy with projects on the new farm, getting ready for bringing the horses home and getting ready for winter. We now have a mud-free limestone area that will soon have 6ft tall fence (the "mustang pen") as well as a 130 x 50 area for riding, training, and wet weather turnout 😁

I haven't done any trailer training with Silvio yet, but hoped that he would get in with a little persuasion, alongside his best buddy Dynamo, to come home to the new farm. He said nope! 🤣 So, instead of driving back and forth every day (45 minutes each way) to do Silvio's trailer training myself, I'm having Tatum Robey at Oak Bridge Farm do that for me so I can focus on the farm improvements at home. Look at what a great job she's doing!

10/21/2023

Just a quick update... All of the time spent packing and moving kept me away from my horses for a while but I was glad to have some quiet bonding time with each of them yesterday. Silvio is my snuggle puppy, for sure. He loves brushing, scratches, and hugs like no other horse I've owned. Always eager to greet me 💜 and always wanting to interact.

It won't be long before training will commence. We moved onto the new farm this week and are working hard at getting it ready to bring the horses home. And yes, there will be an all weather limestone mustang pen 😁

08/24/2023

Aura has finally arrived! It was a blistering hot day at exactly 100 degrees, so I didn't work with her for more than about 10 minutes. I'll need to wait a couple days before the weather cools enough to do any real work with her. Oh my, those sweet eyes though! 😍

The first mustang hauler that I booked who was supposed to pick her up last week totally blew us off and left us hanging. I won't even mention who, but I'm just glad she's alive because we were worried for days, especially because she previously mentioned having a stalker. She told both me and the lady selling Aura that she's right on schedule to pick up in the morning, but then she dropped off the face of the earth and phone calls/messages weren't going through. I even called the sheriff's office just in case something bad might have happened to her. What a weird and awkward mess that was!

After that, I was nervous to call around looking for another hauler. When I posted in the "haul my horse" group, it was clear that at least half the people responding were scammers. And, a lot of people who know how to drive a truck but don't know how to move a mustang safely.

A horse person I know and trust had used and recommended Hidden Brook Equine Transport so I contacted them and they responded within an hour with a quote and onboarding paperwork for me. Paul Brookhart was literally there a day later to pick Aura up. He backed his big rig semi down a driveway in Idaho, straight to the barn so Aura could be herded onto the trailer instead of lead in. She rode loose, in a HUGE and roomy box stall. And, when he arrived in IL to drop her off, he backed straight up to the paddock like a total pro. It was a fast and smooth deal, and I'm very happy with his service.

Aura is settling in to her new paddock and since we have a 100 degree heat advisory with high humidity here for a couple of days, I'm going to just let her relax and decompress from the long haul here. In a couple days when the temps drop, I'll go in and try to connect with her.

Since she just traveled across several state lines with horses we don't know (although all horses had negative coggins and recent health certs), she's going to have a 2 week soft quarantine and of course some training sessions because she needs to be fully halter broke before she can go out to pasture with the boys.

When I reunite her with Silvio, I'll definitely share the video here.

08/22/2023

Silvio's girl, Aura, is loaded up and on schedule to arrive in Illinois in 2-3 days to be reunited with him! And, Silvio is showing off how he looks in a dressage saddle for the first time 🥰

08/18/2023

Well, it seems that Silvio has turned into an escape artist 😳🤦

This is the 3rd time that the barn manager woke up in the morning to find him on the other side of the fence. There are no breaks in the fence and the wires ARE hot. We have no idea how he's doing this. Maybe he's secretly a midnight jumper 🤷

It's a good thing that he doesn't go far, because he can't take his herd with him and doesn't want to leave them either. But, for safety, he's going to have to stay in the stall w/run until we figure out how to keep him IN his pasture.

08/15/2023

While domesticated horses get their teeth checked annually, wild horses have to live with the peaks and valleys, hooks that dig into the gums, and uneven surfaces that are worn down over time by the horses grinding pattern. And, many of them perish eventually due to problems with their teeth and inability to chew efficiently.

We weren't sure what to expect to see in Silvio's mouth, but it was a pleasant surprise that his teeth weren't too terrible after 7 years of wild life and zero dental care. He chews evenly, has an even bite, and only had minor uneven spots to file down. He also got a thorough sheath cleaning while sedated, which is another necessity for health but is never done in the wild.

08/09/2023

I have a couple exciting announcements!!!

As some of you already know, I mentioned before that I was trying to reunite Aura (now also known as Willow) with Silvio. is officially going to be reunited with Silvio! We have all the details worked out and the hauler will be picking her up from Idaho next week and delivering her to me in Illinois on the 19th or 20th 🥰

I wanted to bid on her in the auction, but with the 30 day pickup in Burns OR requirement for pregnant mares, it just wasn't financially doable at the time, and probably not safe to trek her across the country in a trailer for 3 days at full term pregnancy, wild and stressed. I connected with the lady who won her in the auction and we've stayed in touch. Aura had a beautiful red and white filly that was stillborn 😭 and she has recovered fully.

I can't wait to see her and Silvio meet again. I wonder if they will remember each other, as Aura was with Silvio for many years in the wild, all the way back to when he was just a foal. I've included a picture here showing baby Silvio between his mom, Mariah, and Auntie Aura.

What do you all think, will they remember each other?

The other exciting announcement is that I've put an offer on a beautiful property and it was accepted! I'm closing in October, and in November, I'll be bringing my two mustangs and my senior gelding home with me, instead of boarding all 3, which is a good sized mortgage payment in itself.

I'm also excited that the new property has a guest house that I'll be setting up as an AirBnb for guests to stay and visit with the mustangs 💜 and I'll have a mustang pen to take on an occasional TIP horse.

Yep, there's a lot of excitement around here! The last couple weeks I've lacked good sleep, some nights only 5 hours, because I'm working full time and trying to prepare my current home to go on the market. So, training activities with Silvio are still on hold, but hopefully once all these home improvements are finished this week and my house is listed by the weekend, I'll be able to get back to a normal training schedule and resume videos 🤞😁

07/22/2023

While training is still mostly on pause, except for hoof handling and first trims (a little at a time each visit, so as to stay within his current patience level), I figured I'd at least post a little video of our last visit.

Silvio sure is fond of little Anabel. She's been jumping around, climbing fencing, kicking balls, and making noise near him since week 1. I think he understands and enjoys her natural curiosity and innocence 💜

07/07/2023

Over the past month, I have been preoccupied with caring for my mother who passed away on Saturday July 1st. As a result, the horses have only seen me a couple times in the last 3-4 weeks. I want to express gratitude to Tatum Robey and Oak Bridge Farm for taking such great care of my boys while I wasn't able to spend time with them and for sending me pictures and updates 💜

After my mom had passed, I went out to spend time with Silvio and I was shocked to see that he hadn't forgotten a single thing I taught him. After almost a month off from regular training, I ponied him off my senior horse Dynamo while neighbors were lighting off fireworks, and they were both calm and cool about it. Such super stars!!!

At the start of this week, Silvio had a scary allergic reaction to an unknown something. He broke out in hives all over his body and even his lips swelled up. Our barn manager Tatum drove straight to the vet to pick up medication for him and dosed him asap, and by morning he was over 90% better with most of the hives gone. I'm hoping this was a one-time incident, but we are keeping an eye on him.

Along with the sad news that I've already mentioned, I also have some exciting news that happened just days later... I've been given the opportunity to reunite Silvio and Aura (now named Willow). I'm working with her owner/trainer on the arrangements and I'm trying to find affordable hauling from Sweet, ID to Kingston, IL. This will be my biggest hurdle to overcome in bring her home to be with Silvio again as shipping is not cheap and her journey will be approximately 1700 miles. Aura/Willow can be seen in so many of Silvio's wild photos all the way back to when he was a foal running with and playing with her foals. I suppose we can call her "Auntie Aura" lol. She's the grulla frame overo mare to the right of Silvio in the banner photo at the top of his fb page and in one of the photos in this post.

Let's all cross some fingers and pray to the horse gods that everything will line up for this to happen! 🤞💜

I've also included a photo here taken by Mustang Meg where Silvio almost got his face kicked to the moon. I'm so glad he swiftly dodged that one!!! He's got so many permanent dents and scars around his mouth, face, and neck from fighting with other stallions in the wild. I'm so glad that he has proven to be a sweet-as-pie gelding in his new domesticated life, where he no longer has to fight for survival.

06/16/2023

[Session 38]

Silvio & Dynamo's first ponying session. Short, sweet, and successful 💜 I sure love these guys!

I'm so incredibly proud of these boys! 😍In session 38, Silvio was ponied for the first time from my other horse, Dynamo. And, it was Dynamo's first time po...

06/15/2023

[Session 38]

I'm so incredibly proud of my boys! 😍

Last night was Silvio's first time being ponied from another horse, and it was Dynamo's first time ponying a horse. A "first" for both, which could have been a recipe for disaster, except for the fact that they were both well prepared to understand what I was going to ask them to do.

When I stepped up on the mounting block, they each automatically took one side, offering their backs to me, without me even needing to specifically ask for it. They both know that's what I want when I step up there.

I'll post the video of the session after I'm done with my work for today.

06/06/2023

The post that had these pictures attached mysteriously disappeared from facebook and I'm not sure why. So, I'm posting them again...

SESSION 35 [teaser pictures]

This was one of those rare training sessions where I actually had childcare and wasn't distracted with what my 4 yr old is doing at any given point in time while I train, and it was very productive! Here are some photos showing our current progress as of Session 35. I did get everything on video and will be uploading those (in time, as I have a backlog of videos yet to process).

What we worked on in this session:

- Lining up at the mounting block, aka "the back scratching/hugging post"
- Preparing to take weight and movement on his back. He accepted about 50% of my weight, wiggling around, and seeing my movement from both eyes.
- Learning to stand tied for the first time, giving to pressure even when it isn't coming from my direction.
- Accepting water spray all over his body, preparation for fly spray.
- Picking up hooves, he will need a hoof trim very soon!
- Allowing (and enjoying) gum/lip massage. This is the start of preparing him for handling by the vet/dentist, deworming, and to understand that fingers are not to be eaten. This is a big milestone for Silvio because he was extremely averse to any touching on his mouth and is now relaxing and enjoying it.