Laura Horgus Wild Horses

01/11/2023

As many of you may have heard, the Bureau of Land Management has discontinued funding indefinitely for the Trainer Incentive (TIP) Program. As a result, there is no longer an avenue for trainers like me to receive compensation from the Mustang Heritage Foundation for gentling and re-homing wild horses. Although the program has come to a close, I still plan to be heavily involved in wild horses and am happy to offer my knowledge and services to anyone interested in adopting. I will continue to post updates and photos of my wild horse adventures on this page. Please reach out with any questions as I thoroughly enjoy being a "wild horse enabler!" 😜

You may recognize the handsome fellow in the photo below - "Twix" - who was gathered in Oregon and adopted by a young cowgirl in southwestern Montana. Thank you for sharing as I always love seeing how they are thriving in their new homes. ☺

02/10/2022

First official farrier trim in the books! Good job Georgia!

02/10/2022

Sweet little Georgia has officially found her forever home! She'll be headed to Kansas with her new mom in the coming weeks!

29/08/2022

Photos of Biggie Smalls at the show can be viewed here: https://rachelspaidphotography.pixieset.com/montanatipchallenge2022/10/

Thank you Rachel Spaid Photography!

Photo collection by Rachel Spaid Photography

29/08/2022

Photos of Georgia at the show can be viewed here: https://rachelspaidphotography.pixieset.com/montanatipchallenge2022/11/

Thank you Rachel Spaid Photography!

Photo collection by Rachel Spaid Photography

29/08/2022

The first-ever Montana Mustang Training Challenge has come and gone! After a few bobbles here and there from both horses (and me! 🤪 ) in the early rounds, we were able to pull off some very cool Freestyle performances (with the help of an amazing friend, Ciara Pares Kempf!!) and both ended up in the top ten overall! Georgia took 8th and "Biggie Smalls" took 4th! So incredible to be among such a talented and friendly group of horse trainers - and I have to pat myself on the back for holding my own against some of the big names who train professionally, full-time. Also, huge thanks to everyone who helped pull off probably the best "first" horse show in history!

Georgia found a little sass over the weekend which we will address and correct. 😆 Biggie transformed into a ginormous cuddle-bug just in the last week or so and pulled a lot of heart strings at the show (including my own!). ❤️ These two are available for adoption. I wish I could keep them all, but it's just not feasible! Contact me if you are interested!

Congrats to all the trainers' hard work and accomplishments these last 100 days. Hope to see you next year!! 🥳 🥰

21/08/2022

Biggie finally had his first "field trip" to a friends' arena and he did amazing! I'm so proud of how far this "big" little dude has come! He's going to make someone a super loyal a loving horse! Contact me if you're interested in adopting! 🥰

17/08/2022

03/08/2022

Summer nights with "Biggie Smalls," the 10yo gelding from Four Mile, Idaho. He wants to be so, so sweet! ☺️ 🤗

01/08/2022

Can't help but love a pretty flaxen bum! 😍

✨ Georgia the Mustang, sparkling after an impromptu bath during our little heat wave. ✨

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaxen_gene

20/07/2022

Mr. Handsome starting to get with the program, now! ❤️ Approach, haltering, fly spray and "scary" plastic bags are no problem. We are learning to lead and starting to pick up feet.

29/06/2022

I know, I know!! It's 80° out, but I just couldn't resist!! 😝 I think probably we'll need to size down a bit! 😆

26/06/2022

Little Georgia got all four feet cleaned out today and fitted with a new halter. 🤗

24/06/2022

Making progress every day! This guy is finally learning that it's a lot nicer and easier to stand calmly for rubs and scratches than it is to be elevated and scared. I know there's a sweet love-bug in there, somewhere! We're gonna find him! ❤️

11/06/2022

The little lady Georgia just keeps eating! Good girl!

11/06/2022

Slow and steady wins the race with this guy. Finally starting to see a big change in him these last few days. He's a super honest dude with so much try!

05/06/2022

One of my [MANY!!] favorite parts about working with mustangs is seeing their physical transformation once we get them into our care. Often-times they are gathered due to drought/lack of forage on their home range and arrive at the BLM corrals malnourished and underweight. The BLM does their best, but it's tough to give every animal the TLC they might need to strive in a feedlot-type environment. "Georgia" is truly blossoming in just 3 short weeks on free-choice grass/alfalfa hay and my favorite Nutrena Feed supplements and . 😍😍😍

20/05/2022

Happy to see the little "big" guy had a good roll in the mud after our storm, last night. It tells me he's letting down and relaxing more in his new environment. Definitely going to take a little longer to gain his trust, but being 10 years old, we knew that going into it! 😆 He is super smart and has already learned that "Whoa" on the lunge line means to stop, turn and face. Still working on a name... 🤔

20/05/2022

This little lady got her halter off and a name: Everyone meet Georgia! She is pretty dang cute! 🥰 Special thanks to FIL Roger for the great name idea - it really suits her! 😉
Georgia is still a bit shy and nervous, but starting to accept rubs and scratching across her little body. Hopefully we can get those leftover winter coat dreadlocks worked out, soon!

17/05/2022

Already addicted to my favorite equine nutritional supplement, Nutrena Feed's !

17/05/2022

Can't wait to see the transformation of this little girl! She is cute as a button, but in great need of some groceries! Luckily she's a BIG eater, so it shouldn't take long! 🥰 💪

15/05/2022

This little lady snuck her way onto my trailer, too... oops! She is just a yearling from the Four Mile herd in Idaho.

13/11/2020

🇨🇦 Information for Canadians 🇨🇦
Yes, you have options for adopting/purchasing a mustang!
- Some horses are eligible for "sale" and can be brought into Canada immediately, with no probation period. These are typically 10+ years old or already offered for adoption several times with no takers. These horses are also eligible for the TIP program and can be gentled at not additional cost to you.
- Import into Canada is simple, requiring pretty standard health certificate and Coggins paperwork, along with an Import Permit.
- Travel to/from the corrals is typically the most expensive part of adopting a mustang. Consider "ride-sharing" with others to split the cost of the trip.
- If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask! 😊

11/11/2020

A sneak peek of recently-gathered horses at the wild horse corrals in Burns, Oregon. These horses are not available until 2021 while the facility continues to tag/vaccinate/geld/etc. close to 1,000 new horses. If you are serious about adopting, the best way to do so is to go to the corrals or arrange for someone to go on your behalf. The facility does not hold horses. Some of these will be chosen for various events like mustang makeovers, internet adoption, etc. and may not be available for walk-up adoption.