Pepper’s Extreme Mustang Makeover Updates

01/29/2023

Quill is back up in Perkins, re-learning to be a domestic. 😂

10/22/2022

Size comparison between Quill and Zap (my running bred c**t). Both are 3 year olds and UGHHHH do I love a good red head. 😍😍

09/26/2022

Before photo of Ranger in the comments. In just a couple weeks care under the BLM he is already looking night and day. This drought is taking its toll on everyone, especially the mustangs.

09/14/2022

09/13/2022

Photo dump of our time in Texas!

09/13/2022

Quill is enjoying his decompression time.

09/12/2022

I’m always impressed with horses ability to adapt and Murdock is no exception.

He has no sight in his left eye and about half remaining in his right, which will decrease further with time.

Yet he’s able to follow us around just fine, leading by the sound of Sassys footfalls on the gravel. I can click to him and he’ll catch back up to us.

09/12/2022

This is one of many reasons that sending geldings back out onto the range doesn’t work. Trap/Neuter/Release doesn’t really mitigate the issues with feral cats, and the same applies for large animals. It just creates a different issue.

Bruiser
We can't let this happen....
He's cute, but this rotund mustang boy is a gelding- and cute to me only belongs on fuzzy mustang foals on our wild ranges. Bruiser is a sterilized/castrated male- gelded 2009 gather and returned to the range to test population suppression by castrating 15 of the returned males. Gelding stallions we've found is potentially deadly (as we've seen with a number of stallions post Calico Complex gather of 2010), costly, and ineffective- as one intact stallion can breed mares in season near and far. Not only is sterilizing of stallions ineffective; their behaviors change; and their "language" is different from other mustangs, they tend to want to hang out together; move very little- degrading their local range area by not traveling but becoming habitual to their local areas. And one cannot ignore the physical aspect- concern for their health and wellbeing comes up immediately.
To me, this is not how a wild mustang should be, like listless, lethargic, well-mannered ranch geldings. Permanent sterilization- ineffective, costly, potentially deadly, effecting range health, horse health, and mostly a threat to longterm herd genetic viability through lack of variable genes- permanent sterilizaton does not belong on our public ranges
Bruiser's cute, but cute does not belong on what I consider a wild American mustang. Help me make sure this never becomes an option in mustang management.
Bruiser hangs around with another rollypolly 'cute' gelding- Apache. At one time three of them hung around eachother, and my friends and I almost tripped over ourselves with laughter, when we gave them nicknames... their aka's.... Hank, Tank, and Frank. Guess which nickname this boy Bruiser, had?

To read more my thoughts and findings on population suppression management techniques:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/mustang-meg/in-the-balance-by-mustang-meg/10151303634957776

This is the other gelding, Apache/Hank, he was hanging out with... https://www.facebook.com/mustangmeg1/photos/a.252833678955.137387.226517823955/10153383397758956/?type=1&theater

To read the journal from this July 2015 trip... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153368692728956.1073741871.226517823955&type=3

July 2015/SE Oregon
*Please note that my images are shared here at a low resolution. To inquire about one of these photos at full resolution, please contact me here or [email protected] . You can also visit my MustangWild photography website www.mustangwild.com .
Thank you for helping me roam wild on the ranges, and helping me to work on keeping the "wild" in our west... and our west WILD

09/10/2022

Well. Oops. 😂

Quill is coming home back to Perkins! He’s just not at a point where I feel comfortable with him going off to an unknown future. He’s one damn smart horse with a personality a mile wide, and when he is ready he is going to make someone an amazing horse!!❤️❤️

Also he shredded my bidder number. 😂

09/10/2022

Starlord?
Starbucks.

09/09/2022

Trail is over and done. He made me so proud! I chose to ride the horse I have and not push him. I skipped the gate, the sidepass and the bridge, and just give him a confidence building experience. I couldn’t be more proud of him and the horse he is becoming!!

09/09/2022

Everyday, aim for 1%.

After 100 days, you’ll be 100% better than when you started. ❤️

09/09/2022

Class #2, maneuvers, is done and over with and I can BREATHE.

I gotta hand it to this kid. This is a lot for any horse, let alone a horse who was wild ~100 days ago, not to mention, has less than 20 rides on him.

Good job, Quill!! Definitely started crying happy tears halfway through the class. 😂

09/08/2022

Quill did awesome during the Conditioning and Handling class!! He caught super easy, loaded like a champ. Only had a couple bobbles in ground tying him and spooking him by dropping the brush on the barrel 😂😂😂

09/07/2022

Okay guys we are getting ready to move in!

Here are answers to your questions:

Will it be live-streamed?

Probably. I don’t have any link you can’t find via google. Please, for my mental health, do not text me 3 minutes before the class asking for the live stream link because you will not be receiving it. Don’t be rude. 😂

What arena and times are you showing?

John Justin Arena:
Thursday: 8:30am - Handling and Conditioning
Thursday: 5:30pm - Maneuvers
Friday: 8am - Trail

Can I come watch?

Yes! Thursday and Friday is free. Only the finals on Saturday require a ticket. Please pay attention to the arena and times—this is not in the Will Rogers colesium nor is it in the Stockyards.

09/07/2022

It’s been a helluva weekend but we are down in Texas and ready to move in tomorrow. Sappy post coming then. Till then, let’s do a catch up.

Saturday- rode with Holly Huffaker
Sunday- rode with Ciera McEntire
Monday- rode with Damon Mayfield

Last Sunday he bucked me off and it took a number on my confidence. Was a normal baby moment and a failure on my part to get his feet moving more from the beginning of our training. I tried my best facing my anxiety head on, but fear is often something that you have to attack multiple times from multiple angles. Am I over it? No. Am I still going to do my best and smile through it? Hopefully!

09/01/2022

Hip #29: Starlords Milano
Trainer: Kaiann Buchanan

Event Info: https://mustangheritagefoundation.org/event/emm-fw/

Adoption Info: https://mustangheritagefoundation.org/emm-adopt/

08/31/2022

Really not concerned with the gun shots. More interested in the grass. 😂

08/22/2022

Quill did FANTASTIC at the show. He never had any issues and was exceptionally quiet about the entire ordeal. We worked on serpentines in the arena during break and he acted like he had been in there a hundred times. He’s such a model citizen already!

08/22/2022

Oh you want a shot of the rainbow?

K

08/20/2022

🛸🚀𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐨🚀🛸

⭐️0924, “Quill” is a 3 year old, 14.1hh sorrel gelding (probably with nd1 causing him to have faint leg bars and dorsal) from Diamond Hills North, NV. He was gathered 9/16/2020.

⭐️Quill is a big thinker and exceptionally smart. With only 4 rides under his belt at time of this post, he is already extremely soft in the face and responding to leg pressure. 2nd solo ride was in a halter, 4th ride was at a team ropingZ His headset is naturally pretty level and has a smooth trot. He’s athletic enough for the performance pen, pretty enough for the show pen, and smart with his feet for when you are ready to hit the trails! He’s still learning to trust but is proving to be a laid back, total ham! He will be getting exposure to cattle, local roping arena, horse shows, and trails before the Makeover event.

🚀 Catches out in pasture (sometimes requires a bit of encouragement and patience as he is still building trust, once he trusts you he will be in your pocket)
🚀 Stands for farrier
🚀 Stalls quietly
🚀 Bathes
🚀 Lunges and ground drives
🚀 Loads and backs out of trailers
🚀 Great buddy to both horses and donkeys

⭐️Quill takes a bit to trust but is easily won over with scratches and food. He is a total ham, waiting for his person so he can blossom and shine! He would do best with an intermediate adopter who is comfortable with green horses and is eager to continue his education. He is going to continue to grow and fill out as he matures.

🛸🚀He will be available for adoption to BLM approved bidders at the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, TX, September 8-10th. 🚀🛸

08/20/2022

He settled right into everything! He’s so smart. 🥹

08/20/2022

Another outing for Quill this week, this weekend is being spent with the Sooner State Morgan Horse Association (SSMHA)! He’s getting to experience all the sights and sounds that come with a horse show.

08/18/2022

Great ride on Quill this evening! He’s so soft and responsive. This is his third solo ride and he’s already learning so much. He’s so smart!

08/15/2022

Ohhh my gosh!! Kaylee Michelle Bellack knocked out out of the park with his promo pictures, he looks incredible! 😍😍