Mustangs MEND

09/03/2025

❤️

“CHOOSE TO MAKE A WAY, NOT TO MAKE A POINT.
BUILD BRIDGES, NOT WALLS.
AIM FOR CONNECTION OVER CORRECTION.
COMMUNICATE YOUR WAY THROUGH THIS, WITHOUT HARDENING ANOTHER HEART.”

I first saw this in a meme shared by Josh Nichol Horsemanship, months ago. I wrote it down, word for word, because of all the things I see on social media—on how to get better and what to do and who to believe and why we’d want to get there—these few lines say it all.

On foot or in the saddle, with strangers and the people I most love, let me be a bridge builder. Let me learn how to look for solutions and find some common ground.

Let me stake out a place where we can agree, even if it’s tiny, before I head straight for the hill where we will turn apart. Let me be one who can hear another’s desperation and acknowledge it, before I try to fix. Let me be one who creates a solution, rather than another voice raised for loud debate.

Let me aim for resolution over victory. Let me meet our innermost needs while aiming to do some good.

Let me work on my ability to listen, without adding to the noise. Let me understand another’s feelings, without sitting in judgement. Let me trust that our differences can come together to build something stronger and more lasting, than we could ever be, alone.

Let me reach out to connect, rather than prepare for another attack. Let me understand that hurting another creates a hardness that will callus over. Let me learn to disagree without becoming evermore disagreeable.

Let me be strong. Let me be respectful. Let me be kind.

Let me become one of the people who feels like a safe port to others. On foot and in the saddle, let me become a bridge. Let me stand for something by becoming more of a humanitarian, more a voice for the silent and downtrodden, the unloved.

Let me realize and trust that to become wiser, more empathetic, more inclusive, more open to ideas… isn’t a weakness, or a giving in. It is the bravest thing of all.

Thanks, Josh. I have work to do.

08/27/2025

Fresh Sand & Pea Gravel Day! 🐴✨

Big upgrade for our rescued horses – we had fresh sand and pea gravel delivered for dust and mud abatement! It was spread and compacted to perfection, and the place looks amazing.

But… every time we try to make improvements, the city shows up. Today, someone complained we were doing “construction” (🙄) – when all we did was lay down a few inches of sand and gravel to make life better for our herd. It’s so stressful to have them watching us like hawks for simply trying to do right by our animals.

This was a big expense, but worth it to keep our horses safe, happy, and healthy. If you’d like to help us cover the cost, please consider donating below. Every little bit helps – especially as we continue to fight this ridiculous overreach.

Donate to:
PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]
Venmo: mustangsmend

Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

08/20/2025

UPDATE ON THE ONGOING ISSUES WITH THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, our nonprofit recently moved to continue rescuing animals and providing hands-on education for our community. But what should have been a smooth transition has turned into an exhausting and costly battle with the City of Santa Clarita.

The city insists on labeling us a commercial stables—which we are not—and now they’ve taken the stance that because we don’t own the land, the equestrian-use zoning overlay doesn’t apply to us. That’s simply not how land use works. Zoning follows the land itself, not who holds the title.

This government overreach has forced us to spend countless hours drafting correspondence, pulling sections of the city’s own code, and proving—over and over again—that our mission qualifies: the use of large and small animals for educational purposes. That’s exactly what we do.

But the toll has been heavy. We’ve already spent significant funds on this move, and this ongoing fight has drained even more of our resources. Every dollar we pour into battling bureaucracy is a dollar taken away from rescuing animals, providing care, and serving our community.

That’s why we’re asking for your help.

🐴 Here’s how you can support us right now:
• Make a donation. Your gift allows us to keep operating, caring for animals, and offering educational programs while we fight this unnecessary battle.
• Refer us to a land use attorney. We need legal guidance, but at a cost that won’t cripple our mission. If you know someone willing to consult with us, please connect us.

We don’t exist to fight City Hall—we exist to rescue, educate, and serve. With your help, we can get through this storm and keep doing what matters most.

Thank you for standing with us. Together, we can protect this mission and the animals who depend on it.

With gratitude,
Tami and the Mustangs MEND Crew

How to donate:
PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]
Venmo: mustangsmend

(Picture of one of our volunteer kiddos, Addy, learning to gentle (tame) her first unhandled horse! This is such an amazing process and this is a rare set of skills. This is what we do. Addy is in 6th grade! )

07/28/2025

We are SO proud of our team members who have poured their hearts into working with Sienna and our other formerly wild horses! 🌟

Here’s 12-year-old Addy on her very first c**t ride, with Emily on the flag helping keep forward movement—an essential skill that helps young horses feel safe and learn to think through pressure instead of reacting. This kind of foundation work is where horsemanship begins. 🐎

This is only Sienna’s 4th ride ever, and she’s handling it like a champ—even with that loud, obnoxious car racing by on the road nearby! 😅

Watching these kids learn and apply the deep, patient, often forgotten skills of horsemanship is everything. This isn’t just riding—it’s horsemanship education rooted in timing, feel, leadership, and empathy. These are the kinds of long-lost skills that shaped generations of horsemen and horsewomen, and we’re honored to help pass them down. 💛

We LOVE working with youth and are beyond excited to see them stepping up like little pros, helping these horses grow and becoming amazing young trainers in the process.

👉 If your child has some horse experience and wants to dive deeper into horsemanship, we have new youth training opportunities starting soon! Reach out to learn how to get involved.

07/28/2025

Meet Annie Oakley — a sweet, young grade mare who just arrived to begin her journey from feral to fabulous. Standing at around 13 hands (large pony size), Annie may be small, but she’s packed with potential. With minimal handling so far, she’s proving to be incredibly willing, kind, and easygoing — making her a wonderful youth project.

Annie is now a part of our Equine Assisted Learning program, where students learn to gentle and train feral and/or wild horses through hands-on, relationship-based work. Our amazing young volunteer, Addy, is stepping up to the challenge of gentling and starting her very first horse, guided closely by our experienced team.

We believe strongly in this process — not just for the immeasurable benefit of the horse, but because of the transformational impact it has on the human. It builds patience, leadership, empathy, self-awareness, and confidence — just to name a few of the skills that last a lifetime.

These types of opportunities are open to youth and adults through our community-based programs. If you’re curious about learning to gentle a horse, building trust with a feral equine, or just want to grow through an experience unlike any other — we’d love to have you be part of it.

Come learn. Come lead. Come grow with us.

Message us for more details!

07/23/2025

We are beyond proud of our longtime volunteer, Dina, who has spent the last two years patiently and skillfully gentling Sienna—from untouched to under saddle. 💛

Watching this once-wild mare transform into a willing partner has been nothing short of incredible, and it’s all thanks to Dina’s consistency, compassion, and quiet determination.

This journey wasn’t fast or easy—but that’s the beauty of it. It was real, respectful, and built on trust.

Congratulations, Dina and Sienna! What an amazing milestone and an unforgettable experience for everyone lucky enough to witness it. 🐎✨

Pictured is Sienna today and then Sienna when we first got her. Look at the glow up!

If you have some experience with horses and would like to have a similar opportunity, we’ll be starting a new gentling course this August! Come be a part of something truly special.

07/21/2025

Virginia Tech has updated their helmet study to include oblique falls at high speed (this is more like horse racing falls rather than the average equestrian fall). This is such a good way to find a really safe helmet for riding. But just because it's more expensive doesn't mean it's better. Two of the top 15 helmets are around $50!

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/equestrian-helmet-ratings.html #!

07/17/2025

Saying Goodbye to Beauty

Today, we say goodbye to a beautiful soul—a wild Mustang named Beauty—who, despite our gentlest efforts and deepest hopes, made it clear that she was never meant for our domestic world.

In my time with Mustangs, I’ve worked with hundreds of wild horses—each one unique, each one a story of transformation. Most eventually choose to meet us halfway, allowing their wildness to soften just enough to build a bridge between our worlds. But now and then, one comes along who reminds us that not every horse is meant to be tamed. Beauty is one of those rare and powerful spirits.

This isn’t a flaw—it’s a truth. Beauty never truly let her guard down. She remained wary, watchful, and always ready to protect herself. Maybe, with a dozen years of quiet, consistent work—tiny moments repeated again and again—she might have accepted a halter or a gentle touch on her leg. But the reality is, today’s horse world doesn’t often make room for horses who will never be safe under saddle or comfortable in close contact. And who could blame her for keeping her distance?

We don’t know what Beauty experienced before she came to us. We only know that when she arrived at the equine hospital—pregnant, unsure, and barely more than a baby herself—her eyes told us everything. They carried the weight of things we will never fully understand. And yet, even through that guarded gaze, she gave us her trust in the small ways she could.

She gave birth to a beautiful grulla c**t who, unlike his mother, is entirely content in the domestic world. But Beauty never quite crossed that line. And sometimes, working with wild horses teaches us the hardest and most sacred lesson of all: how to let go.

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up. It means recognizing that love sometimes looks like stepping aside so a being can live the life they were always meant to live. And that’s what we’re doing for Beauty.

We’re honored and deeply grateful to share that Beauty will be living out her days on hundreds of acres at an incredible wild horse sanctuary, where she will run free in a herd, never again asked to change. She will finally have what she always deserved: peace, freedom, and safety—on her terms.

If you’d like to help us get Beauty to her forever home, we could use your support. We’ve secured a hauler with experience in wild horses and a safe, roomy trailer for the journey—but there is a cost. Any help you can offer will go directly to making her transition smooth, safe, and filled with dignity.

Additionally, if you'd like to sponsor Beauty, please message us and we can put you in touch with the sanctuary.

PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Venmo: mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]

Thank you for believing in the spirit of the wild. Thank you for helping us honor Beauty’s truth.

Run free, Beauty. You were never meant to belong to us—you belong to the wind.

07/05/2025

🚨 Please Take a Moment to Read & Share 🚨

I’ve been dealing with an ongoing issue with the City of Santa Clarita, and I’m sharing this in the hopes that my community will rally around our small but mighty nonprofit—and the animals and people we serve.

Many of you know we had to move recently due to some convoluted zoning issues at our previous property. We found a new spot zoned for equestrian use—3 acres with a barn—perfect for the rescue horses and goats who are part of our educational programs. We love this place. But shortly after moving in, someone in the neighborhood filed a complaint with the city, claiming we are operating a commercial stable. Despite several phone calls with the city planning department and speaking with one of the senior planners, we were still issued a notice.

Let me be very clear:
We are NOT a commercial operation. We are a tiny nonprofit. We don’t run large scale events. There aren’t lines of cars or big weekend gatherings. Maybe five or six cars are parked (on our own property!) during a typical day. Our equine-assisted learning activities are small, quiet, and educational—supporting homeschool families, youth in our community, and others who benefit from hands-on experiences with animals.

Now the city is forcing us to apply for a Minor Use Permit—costing around $3,500, just to apply. Then there is a giant stack of paperwork that must be submitted and maybe then we might be approved. Why? Because they might consider us a commercial entity, even though our work falls more in line with 4-H and FFA-type activities, which are allowed to operate without permit in this zoning due to their educational nature. And we have proof—our animals have been used by local schools, including the Hart District animal science program, to support education the district cannot provide on its own.

To make this all even more frustrating, on my way to feed the animals last night—on the 4th of July—I passed a house 1/4 of a mile from our barn property with over 100 cars dangerously parked on both sides of a canyon road for a giant party. Cars were sticking out into the road around blind curves, people were walking drunk in the dark on a 50 mph road, and the event was clearly not managed for safety even though they likely have the proper permits.

Guess what? That house is a permitted event venue. Approved by the same city giving me grief over six geriatric rescue horses helping a few kids learn about compassion, responsibility, and animal care.

This is what’s wrong. This is why small organizations like mine—who give back to the community, who do things right, who spend our own money and time to serve others—are getting crushed by bureaucracy. This is why we will be forced to shut down and not provide these services any longer.

I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m just asking for fair and common sense treatment.

If you think this is just as ridiculous as I do, please consider writing to the City of Santa Clarita’s head planner and code enforcement letting them know you support our work and that small, community nonprofits doing educational work with animals should not be classified as commercial businesses.

I have a template that I will copy in the comments that you can use or I can send it to you directly. Just comment below.

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for caring. And thank you for standing with us. 💙

-Tami

📬 Please take a moment to email, mail, or call the City’s Head Planner and let them know you support our educational mission and disagree with this unfair classification:

Planning Division – City of Santa Clarita
📧 [email protected]
📞 (661) 255‑4330
📍 Permit Center, City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Suite 140, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

06/30/2025

Please join us for an amazing dedication and blessing of our new space!

06/30/2025

Baby Paco Gave Us a Scare Today 💔🐐

This morning, our sweet baby goat Paco was extremely lethargic and suddenly began having seizures. We were terrified. We called both of our regular vets who handle our horses and goats, but neither were available—and unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon.

Even here in the greater Los Angeles area, there is a severe shortage of large animal veterinarians—especially in emergency situations. It’s a growing issue that affects those of us who care for farm animals like goats, horses, cows, and more.

Thanks to our first aid knowledge (which has truly been life-saving more than once), and after consulting with one of our vets, we administered baking soda and mineral oil to treat what we suspected was bloat—a serious emergency in goats. Baby goats are incredibly fragile and can crash fast. When Paco began seizing, we thought we were going to lose him.

Miraculously, we found an emergency vet who would see goats—in Santa Monica of all places! 😂
We rushed him to VEG Santa Monica, and I can honestly say it was one of the best veterinary experiences I’ve ever had—and I’ve had a lot of animal emergencies over the years.

The staff at VEG Santa Monica was incredible. They took amazing care of Paco and us (snacks and water included, which we badly needed after skipping breakfast in the rush). Paco was a champ—he might just be the only goat to ever step hoof into the California Pita restaurant next door afterward. 😂

We’re beyond grateful. Paco is such a special soul, and it means everything that we were able to get him the help he needed. And the cherry on top? The bill was surprisingly reasonable. 🙌

Here’s the exciting part: VEG is opening a new location right here in Stevenson Ranch! If you ever have a veterinary emergency—especially with an animal like a goat, duck, or chicken—we can’t recommend them enough.

Let’s also remember to be kind to our veterinarians. They are overworked, in short supply, and still show up for us and our animals. 💗

In light of today’s scare, we’ll soon be offering animal first aid classes again, focusing on small ruminants (goats, sheep), poultry, and other farm animals. I’m hoping to collaborate with my vet to create a workshop that could save lives—just like it helped save Paco’s today.

Please keep sweet Paco in your thoughts as he continues to recover. 💕 Thank you all for supporting our work and loving these animals as much as we do.

05/24/2025

🍼 NAME OUR BOTTLE BABY GOAT! 🐐💛

Say hello to our newest little cutie—he’s a bottle baby, full of s***k and sweetness… but he doesn’t have a name yet! That’s where YOU come in.

For just a $5 donation, you can submit a name idea for this little guy AND help support our big move. It’s a small gift that makes a big difference!

Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ Donate $5 via Zelle (mustangsmend), Venmo (mustangsmend), PayPal (PayPal.me/mustangsmend ), credit/debit, or cash
2️⃣ Comment your name idea below or message us directly
3️⃣ Tune in for a LIVE name drawing on June 1st to find out which name is picked!

Deadline to enter: May 31st at midnight!
We’ll be drawing the name LIVE, so you can cheer on your entry and meet the newly named baby goat in real time!

Let’s give this sweet bottle baby a name to grow into—and help us get one step closer to a smooth and successful move.

Donate. Name. Make a difference.
Thank you for being part of our herd!