Fading Hoofbeats

01/07/2026

Consent-based haltering is one of those training moments that looks simple from the outside and feels enormous from the inside.

This post walks through the path from first touches to first buckle, with the horse’s “yes” built into every step. Not perfection. Not rushing. Just clear asks, honest releases, and the quiet kind of trust that holds up later when things get hard.

Read it here: https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/consent-based-haltering/

If you’re working with a mustang right now, which step are you on today?

Learn how to use a calm, consent-based haltering method for a mustang, from first touches to the first buckle, using small steps, clear releases, and trust-first training.

01/04/2026

When i look back on photos of Floki the day I got him, all i can see is how beat up and depressed (mostly depressed) he was, which breaks my heart. I mean, look at the expression in his eye. And today, he's lovin' life, living high off the hog (so to speak), follows me everywhere I go, nickers to me non-stop, and just has the most relaxed look about him. (He's nearer the camera in the second photo.)

01/03/2026

I just posted the Quiet Miles route spine—the backbone of the whole ride: San Luis, AZ → California coast → Devil’s Garden → Yellowstone → Montana border. It’s built for the horses first, with room for weather, recovery, and the quiet pauses that matter.

Here it is: https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/the-quiet-miles-route-spin

If you’ve ever planned a long trip (with animals or without), what’s the one thing you learned the hard way?

Follow the Quiet Miles route spine from San Luis, Arizona to the California coast, Devil’s Garden, Yellowstone, and the Montana border—plus hubs for journals and wild horse guides.

12/13/2025

Why people love mustangs: because when a wild horse chooses you, it feels like belonging. If you’ve ever wanted that kind of connection with your horse, this one’s for you on this National Day of the Horse.

12/08/2025

If you’ve ever wondered how Fading Hoofbeats started, this is the origin story.

Before there was a long ride with two mustangs and a stack of HMA guides, there was just a woman who wanted a Devil’s Garden horse… and a nervous black gelding named Floki who almost went back. 💛🐴

Sharing this from my old “The Road to Devil’s Garden” page, which I’m keeping as our little origin-story scrapbook.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CWEEw3zqs/

How The Road to Devil’s Garden grew into Fading Hoofbeats

When I first started this page, my goal was simple: adopt a Devil’s Garden mustang (or two), gentle them, and share the journey. I didn’t expect those horses to change the shape of my life.

Devil’s Garden Lagertha arrived first: glossy, grounded, and everything I’d hoped a DG mare would be. I was sure she would be my heart horse.

Two weeks later, McGavin Peak Floki stepped off the trailer—terrified, unsure, and as far from “steady eddy” as a horse can get. For a little while, I thought seriously about sending him back. Instead, I kept him, and took the slow road: tiny tries, quiet moments, and a lot of patience.

Somewhere along the way, he handed me his trust. And in doing so, he stole my heart.

Since then, this little adoption story has grown into Fading Hoofbeats: a long-ride project to follow these two mustangs across western trails, document herd management areas, and plant trees in memory of the people and places I love.

If you’re here because you love Devil’s Garden horses, thank you for being part of the beginning of this story. If you’d like to follow the journey as it continues, you’ll find the main page here:

👉 Fading Hoofbeats on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fading.hoofbeats
👉 Fading Hoofbeats website (Start Here): https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/start-here-what-fading-hoofbeats-is-about-and-how-to-follow-along/

This page will stay as our “origin story scrapbook” and a place to share Floki and Lagertha updates for the DG family. The long road itself—those quiet miles and fading hoofbeats—lives over at Fading Hoofbeats.

12/05/2025

I almost sent my heart horse back.

When McGavin Peak Floki stepped off the trailer, he was so terrified that I honestly thought I’d picked the wrong horse. Devil’s Garden Lagertha was supposed to be “my” horse. Floki was supposed to be Brent’s steady eddy.

That’s not how the horses wrote the story.

I wrote about the little moments that changed everything—the day Floki stepped up to be my windbreak, the first time he trusted me enough to sleep beside me, and how the “wrong” horse became my heart horse. 💚

🔗 https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/heart-horse-i-almost-sent-back/

If you’ve ever looked at a scared horse and wondered if you made a mistake, this one’s for you.

This heart horse story begins with Devil’s Garden Lagertha—but a terrified McGavin Peak mustang named Floki stepped off the trailer and quietly rewrote my life.

12/02/2025

Colorado’s wild horses don’t live in postcard ski towns—they live out on the western slope in sagebrush, canyons, and badlands.

I just published our Colorado Wild Horse & B***o Guide, covering Sand Wash Basin, Piceance–East Douglas, Little Book Cliffs, and Spring Creek Basin. It’s written for people who want to see the horses in person without crowding foals, chasing bands, or getting stuck in gumbo.

If you’ve ever wondered where to go, how far to stay back (hint: more than 100 feet), or what “good manners” look like around wild horses, this one’s for you.

👉

Colorado Wild Horse & B***o Guide to Sand Wash Basin, Piceance, Little Book Cliffs and Spring Creek Basin mustangs, with viewing tips and adoption links.

12/01/2025

Trail Break time 🧩

I’ve been working on a state-by-state series of wild horse & b***o guides, and this week I tried something new—a mustang-themed logic puzzle.

Four adopters, four mustangs, four different HMAs. Can you figure out who brought home which horse, from which herd, and what color they are?

🐴 Free printable version included if you like to solve on paper
🌵 Links to the growing wild horse & b***o guide series at the bottom

Take a quick brain break with the mustangs here:
👉

Take a quick Trail Break with this wild horse logic puzzle. Match each mustang to its home HMA, then follow the links to in-depth wild horse and b***o guides on Fading Hoofbeats.

11/28/2025

🖤 Black Friday, but make it black horses.

While the world is racing shopping carts down crowded aisles, I’m out here brushing arena dust off two wild-born mustangs and dreaming about quiet miles under big sky.

Floki and Lagertha don’t care what’s on sale today. They’re just happy for a full hay net, a good scratch in the itchy spot, and a human who keeps showing up even when life gets loud.

If you’re peeking at your phone from a parking lot or hiding from the chaos at home, here’s your reminder:
• The best “deals” in life usually aren’t things.
• The horse standing in front of you might just be your heart horse, even if they weren’t the one you originally had your heart set on.
• Some of the wild ones who look the “craziest” on day one grow into the best partners, given time, patience, and a lot of love. Floki is living proof of that. 🐴

If you’re more in the mood for trail maps than doorbusters, I put together a free California — Wild Horse & B***o Guide: Devil’s Garden, Twin Peaks and more on the Fading Hoofbeats blog. It’s something quiet to read while you’re waiting in line.

Here’s to choosing connection over chaos today. 🌲🤎

Read it here: https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/california-wild-horse-b***o-guide/

11/20/2025

EHV-1 is all over our feeds right now. Shows are cancelling. Events are on hold. Rumors are flying faster than the facts.

I put together a plain language post that leans on EDCC, AAEP, and state vets to explain what is actually happening with the current barrel racing outbreak. It covers what EHV-1 and EHM are, real symptoms to watch for, practical barn and hauling biosecurity, and how to share updates without feeding the panic.

If you haul to barrel races, endurance rides, mustang events, clinics, or any busy barn, this is for you.

Take a breath. Then click through, read, and please share the facts.

Clear, vet-sourced facts about the 2025 EHV-1 barrel racing outbreak. What EHV-1 and EHM are, symptoms, simple barn and trailer biosecurity, and why it matters.

11/15/2025

Oregon’s wild horses are live on the blog. 🐎

This new guide pulls together what we know about Oregon HMAs and the Steens: Kiger and Riddle Mountain, South Steens color bands, the lesser-known Barren Complex on the east side, and the basin horses that live in big, quiet country.

My goal with this series is simple: help people meet wild horses without stress. Good roads, broad sightlines, and clear ethics so horses stay safe, visitors stay safe, and the land stays whole.

If you read through the Oregon page, I’d love your help making it better:
• Spot a factual error? Please drop a correction with a source (BLM/USFS link, map, or local group).
• Have field notes or local tips? Share them in the comments so others can plan better.
• Have Oregon wild horse photos you’re willing to share? Comment or message me with:
– Photographer name (as you want it displayed)
– Permission line (“used with permission”)
– HMA / band info or a short caption, if you know it

Every little bit helps make this a stronger, more accurate resource for people who want to see wild horses and take good care of them. 💚

👉 Read the Oregon guide here:
https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/oregon-wild-horses-guide/

Oregon wild horses are often visible from the road. This guide shares where to watch respectfully, how far to stay back, and what to pack for a safe visit.

11/01/2025

Native plants heal landscapes—and carry memories. 🌱
Our long ride will include weekly micro-groves of region-specific natives across the West. This pledge began with Brian’s memorial trees and a powerful Kou planting on Oʻahu with Ranch.
Help us plan the next sites: nominate a native species by state and tell us why it belongs.
Read the plan: https://www.fadinghoofbeats.com/roots-along-the-quiet-miles/?utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=roots_post&utm_content=page_captionA

As Fading Hoofbeats rides across the miles, we’re planting native trees and memorial groves — living roots that connect remembrance, community, and conservation. Follow the journey, one planting at a time. ...