FearLis Mustangs

08/04/2024

This was the entire session of me putting the blanket on Pine Nut this morning on the 4th Day. Kinda sad that this afternoon is my last session with this special mustang. I've learned a lot from him. ❤️

08/04/2024

Here was my 3rd Day Session with Pine Nut.

This is uncut and unedited so I apologize for any sound issues. I end up haltering Pine Nut and doing a bit of leading him outside of the corral, so my friend Dani who was filming, was trying to narrate what was going on while I was too far away from the camera.

Thank you guys for all the support. And if you watch this video in it's entirety, I admire your dedication to learning. 🫶

08/03/2024

Here is the uncut version of our second day session with mr. Pine Nut. He's such a cool horse and I am very proud of his progress.

This horse is available for adoption through Great Escape Mustang Collaborative- check out their site for more information.

08/02/2024

Pine Nut's first session at the Adams County Fair's The Mustang Summit.This video is uncut so I apologize for the audio maybe being a little hard to hear at times.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments or send me a PM.

❤️ FearLis

07/04/2024

Quite the memorable 4th of July today! My sister (Abi Fear) kicked off the morning with making me an aunt again with niece #2!

Then I rode my Mustang mare Salt in Michael Edison and I’s two-man parade down Main Street. I have never rode Salt with a flag before so we decided to skip the chuck wagon day parade in Big Piney and practice on a smaller scale at home for the Rendezvous parade next weekend.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day!!

If you would like to continue reading a bit more- here are some additional details to today’s story:

Never did I ever; think that I would be able to ride Salt down a busy street with a flag. Not to mention the town chose today to spray for mosquitos. I soooo wish I had it on video: Salt, a previously wild Wyoming Mustang, proudly carrying the Wyoming state flag while a helicopter flew directly over head, and she wasn’t bothered one bit.

For reference of the importance of this moment- Salt was rounded up out of the wild by helicopter as a 4 year old from Green Mountain, WY (over by Jeffrey City). For those who think the mustangs suffer from PTSD of being rounded up by chopper, I strongly disagree.

However… my friend Mike allowed someone to jump on his horse for some special Independence Day photos. As you can see in the one photo, the girl riding Lima is only holding the flag… not holding onto the reins at all. On one chopper pass, Lima decided it was time to go back to the trailer and took off (at a joggers pace).

More reference- Salt has less than 100 rides on her in the last 10 years since I adopted her as an untouched wild horse. In the last 2 years since I finished my ride across the country, she has only been ridden 4 times: my bachelorette party (last ride before becoming a bride), my wedding day (where she crow hopped a friend off that morning), last week on the pony express, and then… today.

So- for us to take off to rescue the girl on Lima, while carrying a flag, an energy drink, and a chopper buzzing overhead, was a scenario I could have never dreamed ending well while I riding the toughest mustang I have tamed and trained in my life. But it did. It went precisely as it needed to go!

The gal on Lima kept her cool and never dropped the American Flag. Salt was able to catch up without spilling a drop of my drink and our flag still upright. We were able to get ahold of Lima’s lead and bring her and her passenger back safely.

I am so proud of Salt. I know not everyone has the patience and resources to wait nearly a decade for a horse to come around to the idea of domestic life, but I sure am grateful I made it happen. What Salt has taught me over the last 10 years of knowing her is completely priceless.

When I first brought Salt home, it was 2 months of consistently working her before she let me touch her for the first time. It was another 2 years before I rode her for the first time… it’s been a long journey for sure.

I have bought, sold, and traded quite a few horses in the last 10 years, but I never did part with Salt in that time. I was so scared she would be one of the many misunderstood extremely reactive and outright wild horses that would more than likely end up in a bad place.

Patience is definitely one of my weakest virtues, but whenever I look at Salt, I realize maybe I am not so impatient after all… or maybe the reality is that I am just too stubborn to give up.

Once again, happy 4th of July to anyone still reading this. It’s definitely an Independence Day that I will never forget. ❤️🙏🇺🇸

02/25/2024

Please help me decide! Read the original post for the full details.

02/07/2024

I love my (not so little) curly girl! Thank you Knot Just Rope for the halter! ❤️

12/14/2023

My mustang Chileno, the horse who carried me across the country, isn’t feeling well tonight. After an emergency vet visit I’ve decided to sleep next to him for the night to monitor things.

When I first saw him I thought he might be colicing. While he was laying down he let me walk up to him and he was warm and wet, like he was running a fever.

The second thing to run across my mind is that he might be having a flare up of his tick fever or Lyme’s disease that he acquired while we were on trail.

I went and grabbed the thermometer and took his temp, but it was in the normal range… which is good but I thought weird.

After loosing a horse last winter to colic, I didn’t want to take any chances so I loaded him and Phin (as a companion) in the trailer and headed for the vet.

The vet thinks it’s something entirely different than my first two guesses, but rather that Chileno has a fairly severe case of ulcers.

So we gave him everything we need to get started for treating the ulcers (which he has always been suspected of having, even while I was on trail) and now the dogs and I are getting settled in for the night so we can keep a close eye on him.

Phin is here as a buddy to Chileno, and if you count the dogs, we got a new puppy (who I will introduce in a different post).

Please send some prayers and/or healing vibes to Chileno. 🙏

I am pretty sure he’ll be okay, but he’s the horse who predominantly carried me across America and I would be devastated if anything happened to him.

Thanks for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

I am also extra grateful to Corey Rost for opening her barn to us for the night.

It takes a village. ❤️

11/24/2023

These are the three mustangs I have available for adoption. Please click on their picture for more info. All are located in Pinedale, WY.

If you are interested, please contact me (Lisanne Fear) for questions and additional photos/videos. I am also happy to set up video chats so you can "meet" them virtually.

As much as I want to take their training further, I need time to focus on my book this winter. By getting my book done and out into the world, I will ultimately be able to help more mustangs find homes outside of holding, and that is my most important goal.

With that being said though, I am happy to continue their training if their board and my time can be covered.

I am also willing to haul anywhere in the lower 48 for $2 per mile -one way- from Pinedale, WY to your destination.

Prices are negotiable, and I am also willing to work with you on a payment plan if it's a good fit.

Please feel free to share this post with anyone who may be interested in any of these mustangs. Let's find them their best possible home!

❤️FearLis

-P.S. The funds from these adoptions will be used to help get my book through the editing process so it can be published soon! (The book will be a memoir of my Mustang Discovery Ride where I rode 5000 miles to inspire and educate the adoption of 5000 mustangs.)

11/19/2023

Help us adopt this mustang into a forever home with Sanctuary Horses where he can help at risk girls, serving a higher and greater purpose outside of holding.

Donate to:
Venmo-
PayPal- [email protected]

The bidding starts at $550 today at 3pm.

11/14/2023

Here is the video I promised yesterday. I still cannot believe how calm she was this entire time during her first saddling. She just took everything in a relaxed stride. I can’t wait to see where this girl goes from here!

Rocinante is a 2 yo curly mustang from Salt Wells, WY and a member of my permanent herd. ❤️

11/14/2023

This had to be my easiest, most laid back, first-time saddling experience EVER! I cannot believe how chill this baby girl is. 🩵

Video of this session will be posted tomorrow. ❤️

Rocinante is a 2yo curly mustang from Salt Wells, WY, HMA and a permanent member of my herd. 🥰

11/11/2023

11/09/2023

Sometimes it really sucks to own horses.

Today I had to say my last goodbye, to a horse I never intended to keep.

Even knowing he was not intended to be a permanent member of my herd, the pain of saying our final goodbye still hurts deeply.

As my husband has told me numerous times, mustangs are not Pokémon, therefore I do not need to collect them all.

Instead, I have been focusing on adopting mustangs to tame & train and then once they have become a reasonable citizen, I help them find their forever home.

Sadly, Riley’s permanent home is on the other side of the rainbow bridge. 🌈💔
…

Hopefully Riley’s story can help someone in the future.-

Horses have been a part of my life for the last thirty years, and yet I still have so much to learn.

Where I live, I haven’t ever dealt with a horse with neurological problems. In Wyoming, we don’t have possums, so things like EPM (which horses can get from eating possum f***s) are nearly unheard of here. Sometimes West Nile, (carried by mosquitos) presents neurological symptoms, but there have been very few positive cases here.

I first adopted Riley this last March as a 4 year old from West Douglas Creek, CO, HMA.

Looking back now, he did present early signs of neurological problems developing, but I didn’t know what I was looking at.

Each horse is an individual and I like to treat them as such… Only, now I realize that sometimes what I thought was just his personal expression, was actually him expressing symptoms.

When I first started working with Riley, he was super sweet and extra cuddly. Although when his heart rate was elevated, he acted completely different.

It was like he completely lacked self-preservation. I just chalked it up to him still being wild and we had some things to work on. At the same time though, I have started nearly 40 wild horses by this point and never have I ever seen a horse run straight into a fence without (A) trying to stop before hitting it, or (B) trying to jump over it.

When Riley would get worked up, his mind was gone. I am honestly surprised he made it this long without snapping his neck.

As I continued to work with him, I noticed the gap between the different sides of him growing larger.

One minute he was this nicely mannered horse, and the next he was rearing and striking out. Definitely developing into more of Jekyl and Hyde personalities.

Originally I was looking into finding him a sanctuary because I didn’t know if the bipolar issues were going to go away.

One day he started walking and moving weirdly in the pasture. It wasn’t like he was lame or hurt… the behavior and movement was something I have never seen before. It was like he moved like a drunken ballerina… like he was gracefully, whimsically, and slightly inebriated.

Seeing that whatever was going on was way out of my depth of knowledge, I decided to take him to the vet who could also do some chiropractic work if needed.

He was an angel in the beginning of the check up. Unfortunately after trotting for the vet, as she was telling me that the way he was moving was a neurological problem, his personality flipped and he reared up and struck me, leaving a long scrape on my stomach.

At that point the vet told me that he was dangerous and would need to be put down. It was my worst fear come true.

We never did actually test him to see what was the exact neurological problem, as it would have been a super expensive test and it would not have helped the situation.

The vet explained to me that most neurological problems cannot be reversed. While I have heard of others catching some neurological problems early, and have found success in treatment, the vet told me that Riley was too far progressed.

He had progressed to the point of being a danger to people and worst of all, a danger to himself. Sadly that meant that sanctuary was out of the question.

It is really really hard for me to have to put a horse down, but I will always choose what is best for the animal.

Watching Riley in the pasture over the past month since the prognosis, I saw his problems get worse. One day it was kinda stormy out and the rest of the herd was wildly frolicking around the pasture, and Riley was in the middle of them. Suddenly, it was like his whole body went limp mid-gallop, and he fell, crashing hard into the ground.

When he stood up, it looked kinda like he was having a seizure, but by the time I got everyone else settled down so I could get close to him, the episode was over. I also noticed he wasn’t holding his weight like all of the other horses. (They have 24/7 access to free choice grass hay).

Disheartened, I knew it was time, and I was out of options.

Since Riley wasn’t titled yet, I had the vet write a letter to the BLM, explaining why he needed to be put down.

Then I talked with my friend and landlord, and he offered to take him to his family’s ranch and humanely euthanize him there.

We agreed that he would not be buried, but that he would be laid to rest on a quiet area of the land where nature could take its course.

For some reason, I found comfort in not burying him because it’s what would have ultimately happened if he had stayed wild. In a way, it felt like I was returning him to life’s natural cycle.

What hurts most is knowing that his life was so short. The reality though is there are still so many good & healthy mustangs standing in holding who need good homes. Instead of tying up my resources and those of others, trying to save a lost cause, I can now put those resources towards helping some of those mustangs who still have a healthy and positive future ahead.

…

Sadly, this is the second horse I have lost this year after having losing my old high school rodeo horse to colic in January.

Now I have two horse tails riding around with me in my glove compartment of my truck… so…

-*If anyone has any friends or anything that make keepsakes from horsehair, please comment below or send me a pm.*-

You will be missed my sweet Riley, but not forgotten. RIP🙏

🫶 FearLis

PS- If you read the whole story, I really appreciate your support and for being understanding. These decisions are hard to make but I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help more horses and humans in the future.

10/29/2023

We need help with some ideas! It’s nearly winter time and that means it’s time to train indoors. I was curious what ideas everyone might have for different obstacles to build & try. It would be great if you could attach photos with your ideas. Thanks!

Please share this with anyone who might have some good ideas!

Pic is of Phin and at the Utah Wild Horse & B***o Festival back in 2016 in their extreme trail course. ❤️

10/29/2023

Meet the Sundance Kid from Crooks Mtn, WY. He’s a lovely 3yo who was started at the Riverton Honor Farm (a prison program).

His previous owners bought him at the auction in May and sent him to me for some additional training. After working with him for a few months this summer, I told them that I just didn’t think that he would be a good fit for them.

Sundance is just so anxious… reminds me of a young Chileno- sweet and willing, but still a spooky reactive horse (even after years & thousands of ridden miles).

My clients were fairly new horse owners and need to have reliable & safe horses. Maybe Sundance will be that way one day, but it’s not going to be any day soon.

Instead I offered up that they should buy my well trained mustang Ray and I would take Sundance as a partial trade so I could continue with his training.

Sundance is a super sweet guy, but sometimes his anxiety over rides his brain and he becomes unpredictable & extremely reactive. So we’re working on it.

I am excited to continue this guys training, though sadly he will eventually need to find a new home. Please reach out to me (Lisanne Fear) if you’re interested.

Adopt a mustang. Pursue your passion.
❤️FearLis

10/28/2023

Today I went and helped some of my family preg-check their cattle, and I was reminded of how long it takes to build such a solid & reliable horse.

Fair warning- this is a long post to try to adequately describe the length of what it takes to build “such a solid & reliable horse.” (You can skip to the conclusion if you’re short on time lol)

You know… that horse that can sit in the pasture for months on end, even a year or more, and you go to get on them and it feels like not a day has gone by since you last stepped off of them.

That horse for me, is my mustang Phin.

Next spring, Phin will have been a part of my life for a full 10 years.

When Phin came into the picture, I had a super reliable QH that my parents had bought me as a kid. I could do anything on that horse. From competing in jumping competitions to breakaway roping, that was a horse who truly did it all.

There really are not too many people out there these days who genuinely rely on their horses, to do their jobs. Horse trainers don’t really count because they need to work with horses to make money from them, not rely on their horses to work for them.

I am generally referencing Amish communities and the old school ranchers who haven’t moved to modern machines to complete their jobs.

When you rely on your horse like a desk-job person relies on their computer, you look at them differently. You NEED them & you DEPEND on them. They become a true co-worker and partner.

The vast majority of horses who are owned today, are owned for pleasure purposes. As a whole we no longer NEED horses for transportation, combat, farming and/or food purposes (by American standards).

I absolutely depended upon my QH Trix to earn my paycheck when I was working on a variety of ranches and spent a year as a pen rider on a feedlot in Nebraska.

I was so paranoid of something happening to Trix, because it wasn’t as easy as taking a car into a shop or buying a new one.

Reliable horses, that you can do any job well on, are not built in 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days. They can take years of different exposure & experiences to become dependable in every situation.

I remember struggling with Phin when I first started working cows on him. He was terrified of them. To go gather a group of cows in a large pasture, the riders would spread out to cover more ground. Phin and I would get into dramatic fights with each other because he was so herd-sour and insecure that he didn’t want to go away from the other riders.

Once he learned that he was the boss and he got to push the cows around, he was no longer scared of them. Once he finally understood that us riding away from everyone else was only temporary, and there was a job to be done- we never fought again.

After a year or more of working with Phin around cattle operations, I actually began to prefer to go to work on him over my QH who was literally bred for the job. Phin was just calmer all around, walked faster, and trotted smoother. He just made a day of hard work a lot more relaxing and enjoyable.

It was so comforting to know if anything happened to my QH, I could still ‘go to work’ and get the job done. It was also comforting realizing that I was beginning to enjoy going to work on my ‘backup’ horse more than my ‘ol’reliable’.

To be fair, there is something uniquely different about riding a mustang vs a domestic when doing ranch work. To me, domestic ranch horses are kinda like fancy tools that are crafted in a factory. Like they are biologically engineered and instinctually crafted for that job.

A mustang on the other hand… is more like functional, organic, art. They are made from various materials and naturally hand crafted.

It was really fun to watch some really nicely bred, young, QHs work cattle today. I could see that instinct- to watch & read a cow- that was bred into them, come to life, and it was so cool!

My QH Trix used to watch & read cows better than I could as a kid. I mean, that horse knew what to do and he made me look like I knew what I was doing too. Especially when it came to roping.

Trix would set me up in the right spot damn-near every time. I actually thought I was a bad ass cowgirl and a fairly handy roper.

But…. When I started Phin on cows, I found out that I wasn’t as cool as I previously thought I was. I just had a horse who made me look really good.

With Phin, he doesn’t have the selective instincts that I saw today or experienced with Trix and several other domestics I’ve owned over the years… but that doesn’t mean he can’t do the job, and do it well.

When I was actively training Phin, he made me a better rider and cattleman (& a better roper too!). It also led Phin and I to build a deeper bond and partnership because we had so much to teach & learn from each other.

I took a lot of my QH’s instincts for granted. My QH taught me so much, and I am grateful that I was able to pass some of his wisdom onto Phin.

What Phin and I learned together while working in the cattle industry, made him one of the best candidates in the world to be a reliable long riding horse. Moving in between cars and traffic was nothing after walking into tight bunches of moving & mooing cattle. He wasn’t phased when walking by unpredictable pedestrians and hearing crazy noises after listening to cowboys make all sorts of creative noises while wildly waving small flags around. Loud crashes and slamming squeeze chutes made him anti-gunshy.

Because of Phin’s background, when I started riding across the country, he was the perfect horse for the job. He was the go-to guy to carry people with expensive camera equipment, and people who were unfamiliar with horses through really loud & chaotic environments, because he had already been there & done that.

When I started my long ride, Phin had been a part of my life for 7 years. It took me 7 years of understanding, trusting, and clearly communicating with Phin to build him into and set him up to be, the solid & reliable horse he is today.

Phin IS the mustang cemented my eternal journey with mustangs.

I am so proud of the ambassador he has become.

It’s kinda funny, I always joked that if I met a man who I loved more than Phineas, I would have to marry him. Now that I am actually married, I find my love for my horse and my husband to be fairly equal (depending upon the day.)

How do I manifest the words to describe a bond that has been forged between this horse and I? He saved me from committing su***de and also he carried me to safety out of the mountains while I was in critical condition after dealing with the abuse of a boyfriend.

Sadly, I honestly cannot remember the last time I rode Phin. He’s become so reliable and my most trusted horse, that I put everyone else on him. While I usually ride something less predictable. Also he’s not a horse who needs worked, as he can sit for months on end and will pick up where we left off.

He’s just an amazing horse.

This horse is not replaceable to me. He will always be my first wild mustang, and most importantly… my heart horse. ❤️

I apologize for the rambling at length. 😅 If you did read this in it’s entirity, I thank you for your support.

***
IN CONCLUSION… you could summize it all to say, that I really love my mustang and I had a really enjoyable day of working cows with my reliable co-worker.
***

& Adopt a mustang.
❤️ FearLis

PS- A Disclaimer of sorts-

I love my mustangs & think they can do anything… obviously lol. BUT I also think when horses are bred for a job & they get to do the job they were bred for, it is an incredible sight to see.

Think about it, a Shetland pony is capable of running the Kentucky Derby, but he’s not built for it like a Thoroughbred. The Shetland is still capable of running at ‘his/her’ top speed for the entire length of the track, but he will never be as fast as the larger and longer legged horse who was designed to run the track… just some food for thought.

PSS- Mustangs are mutts. They are mixes of all sorts of breeds. Some are more closely related to the throuroughbred in the scenario above, while others are more closely related to the Shetland.

Therefore, some mustangs are a better fit for some dispositions/jobs than other mustangs. You never know what you’re going to get.

To me, the most important and unique things about owning a mustang, are the journies you take along side them, and the bonds you build with them. It’s been a remarkable adventure.

10/27/2023

This was one of the funniest trailer loading sessions I have ever experienced with a mustang. Peppa thought that practicing trailer loading was the most boring thing ever, as she was overly dramatic expressing her feelings. 🤣

PS- I like to be able to ‘send’ my horses into the trailer vs leading them in. One time I led a horse into the trailer and he panicked. I was trapped in there with him and he knocked me down & trampled me in his terror. Ever since then, I, personally, always send my horses in. When training a horse though, I will teach them to lead on. That way if they later become some one else’s horse (like this one eventually) they will be able to load on any trailer and in any style.

10/26/2023

Well it’s been nearly a year and a half since I have made a post on this page, and after todays success, I just had to share this with you all.

After coming off the Mustang Discovery Ride, I have been dealing with some mental health battles again, but have found comfort & healing in continuing to train mustangs. Go over to the MDR page to catch up on what I have been up to recently.

Back to this pretty lady featured here-

This is Peppa (like Peppa the Pig because she’s food obsessed). She is a 4yo, strawberry roan from Salt Wells, WY, HMA.

Originally I adopted Peppa for the Wyoming Mustang Association’s TIP challenge, but after working with her for a couple weeks, quickly realized she was not a 100 day horse. So I dropped out of the competition and decided to give her a few months to adapt to life outside of holding.

When I began working with her again a couple weeks ago, I learned that she doesn’t have a lot of fight, but wants to take flight to a far far away place… so much so that she would attempt to jump over my panels.

As you can see in some of the photos… and I know it’s not ‘legal’ by mustang standards, my panels aren’t all of 6ft tall. (I’ve been moving around a lot over the last few years and this is just what I have right now to work with.)

Instead of continuing to crash a panel every time I worked with her and risk any future injuries, I decided to phone a friend for help.

Recently I have made the acquaintance of Kate Hillen and learned that she built a 9ft tall round corral for a sanctuary she’s helping put together.

It was exactly what Peppa and I needed.

I was blown away today.

Honestly, I backed my trailer up to the corral and unloaded her just like an untouched wild mustang. My whole goal for the day was just to get her used to a rope being thrown over her back… but clearly we made it A LOT further.

I am so impressed with this mare.

After today’s breakthrough, I can’t wait to see what else is in store for her.

This beautiful mare will be up for adoption here in the “near” future. If you’re interested in her, please send me (Lisanne Fear) a pm. Her training fee will increase the longer she stays with me.

I am looking forward to sharing more of her journey with you, along with several other mustangs I am working on a nearly daily basis.

Keep your passion alive. Adopt a mustang.
🧡FearLis

01/23/2023

Hate to do this but I have to in order to help more mustangs. Help me find Chileno his forever home. ❤️

06/15/2022

For any Pistachio fans out there. He’s been doing big things!

03/24/2022

Ohio is surprisingly gorgeous. 💙

What is it like to sit beneath a tall waterfall?… Mystifying.

So amazing to ride with two other mustang trainers, & . These wild horses unite so many hearts and carry us to the coolest places.

Ohio has some spectacular natural features. This was us at Ash Cave.



📸 Plant-A-Rock

03/08/2022

I have been wanting to do this post for awhile... I want to tell you a little bit of back story on the horse who I never ever thought I would choose to ride across America.

Let me start by saying, I had 7 other mustangs in my string to choose from before we embarked on this journey, but one of the biggest drawbacks was at the time of my final decision, I thought I was going to have to sell one of my horses to raise funds for the production costs of our Mustang Discovery Ride documentary.

Phin had a guaranteed spot as I knew we needed someone safe for the rotating videographer position. Someone they could safely put the reins down and focus on getting the right shot.

With that, I knew that the mount I chose would be one that I would have to part with at the end of the ride, and I refused to let that be someone out of my personal string.

Enter Chileno.

Early last spring, I had be contacted by Chileno's current owners, (at that time his name was Harry), asking if I would tune him back up and sell him. He just wasn't the best fit for their family and needed to move on, but they loved him very much and knew I would find him a good home.

At that time, I had first met Chileno 5 years ago during my time at the Darwin Ranch where he was working as a dude horse... or not really working as a dude horse. During my time there, I was helping train some of the mustangs the ranch had purchased from various prison programs.

They have a great thing going at the Darwin Ranch. They buy green broke mustangs started by prisoners, then put their wranglers on them for a season, and then hopefully integrate them into the dude string the following season. Chileno (known as Aires in prison program) was the highest auctioned horse of the 2016 Wyoming Honor Farm Sale.

Unfortunately for Chileno (at the ranch his name was Danger), he just couldn't quite make the transition into the dude string. He was too high strung for the average guest to ride and out paced every other horse on the trail. After 3 seasons on the guest ranch, we decided it was best that he find another home. You can see my ad for him in the photos below.

I found him an amazing home in Riverton, but after 2 years, they too found that they just couldn't get him to settle into their home. Back to me he came.

This last spring and summer, I dragged my feet, knowing I was going to possibly need a horse like him for the 5000 mile journey ahead. Biggest problem though was I didn't like him... at all. He was sooooo pushy and just downright obnoxious with his annoying antics. Plus he just didn't seem like he had a lot going on in-between the ears.

I know that all sounds harsh, but I'm just being bluntly honest here. I kinda hated him.

When I learned that I would need a horse that I was willing to sell at the end of the trail, I decided I would make an effort to work with him. I figured he could be that annoying co-worker that I could work along side every day, but would be just fine with us parting ways later.

Given my feelings towards him, I decided to reach out to an animal communicator, Tenney Gravatt, to have a chat with him and see where he was at with everything. She told me the craziest thing, knowing NOTHING of Chileno's and I's past. Tenney told me mid-conversation that Chileno stopped her and told her that he wanted me to know something. Chileno wanted me to know that he was okay with traffic... Very peculiar....

One major hesitation to my final decision... and I did not mention this in my for sale ad... or to his last owners, was the final deciding factor of why the Darwin Ranch sold him... I watched him spook at an oncoming truck and break a guest's collar bone.

Knowing that he would be encountering A LOT of traffic on busy highways and through major cities, I was extremely hesitant in my final decision.

And then... in one fell swoop the animal communicator made it clear. Chileno KNEW exactly what was holding me back and addressed it directly. How crazy is that?!

So, two weeks before we left for the trip, I decided to buy him and use him as my main riding horse on the Mustang Discovery Ride.

Honestly?
BEST. CHOICE. EVER.

Folks, this horse IS Forrest Gump.

He never stops. Never slows. Just goes and goes.

Chileno goes everywhere I point him. Yes he does still spook here and there, but how many horses can say they have lead an entire team down the streets of Washington D.C., rode through 2300ft tunnels, and chased a mulestang at top speeds through the wilderness?

He found his person, and I found my horse.

When we first started out on the beach in Delaware, I vividly remember thinking how cool it was to be from Wyoming, sitting on a horse who was also born wild in Wyoming (Divide Basin, HMA), hearing the waves crash behind us as we proudly carried the American Flag so far away from home. About to embark on the biggest journey of both of our lives.

In the first week on the trail, we had our producer/director, Julianne Neal with us, and in an interview with her, I started crying when I talked about having to sell Chileno at the end of the ride. Hell, I am choking up at the though of it right now just typing this.

The next morning after the interview, we were about to face one of our biggest days... riding through downtown DC. I was all in my head with a massive amount of nerves, thinking about all of the obstacles we were about to face that day.

That's when Julianne came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder and told me that she would do everything needed to raise the money we needed for the film production so I wouldn't have to sell my horse... my heart sang. I gave her a big tight hug as my eyes filled with tears of joy.

My eyes were regularly wet throughout that day as Chileno bravely lead our entire team through tunnels, down sidewalks, and over bridges in our nation's capital. I was so proud to call him mine and know that he has a permanent place in my string.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know Chileno, who is now and forever a permanent member of FearLis Mustangs, and for reading this in its entirety. You are awesome.

❤️FearLis



PS- I don't know if you counted, but Chileno has been known by 4 names in this. (Aires, Danger, Harry, & Chileno) The reality is I have known him by 5 as this summer when I was trying to stay un-attached to him, I was calling him the generic name of Sunny. When I decided he was going to go down in history books, he needed a more unique name. At the time, Hannah had a student visiting from Chile and told me I should name him Chileno, which simply means, from Chile.... Now I wish I had renamed him Gump! 🤣