Ghost, 5 years old
by Anne Kennedy

Well, a little back ground first. I grew up with horses. A couple of the best horses that I had ridden as a little girl were two of my uncle's Nevada mustangs, a mare named Buckskin and a gelding named Flash. However, as I grew up, I decided that those big beautiful trotting horses were for me and began showing English Pleasure Arabs and had a yearning for a 5 gaited Saddlebred!

Fast forward to 2.5 years ago. I was 28 and had gone back to college full time to complete my degree. I had only ridden off and on over the last two years and it certainly didn't seem like the right time to "get back into horses". But life is what happens while you are busy making other plans, right? So one gorgeous October day, I met my mother and a family friend for lunch. My mom commented that she had heard on the radio that there was a mustang adoption being held at the nearby show grounds. After lunch, I sure didn't feel like going to class so went to the adoption instead. Just to "look around", you know?

When I got to the pens I was surprised to see the quality horses that were there. There were pens of weanlings, yearlings, and mares. All worthy of a second look. But then there was the stud pen. I stopped to observe the dynamics going on in that pen. A person could complete a course of study on horse (and human!) relationships by watching these boys interact. There was a shiny high headed palomino colt that thought he should be the boss of everyone and the black draft colt that felt differently.

Then there was the little bay boy who was at the bottom of the totem pole and scared to death. Right in the middle stood a big mahogany bay colt with a blaze and four stocking feet. I watched this colt and was impressed with how centered he was. He didn't push anybody around but he sure didn't take any pushing either. He was like the calm in the middle of the storm. I know it sounds cliche, but I knew he was supposed to be with me. I went out and got in my truck and called my aunt, a dressage trainer. I asked her what she would think if I brought home a 2, almost 3, year old mustang stud who was already about 15 hands and untouched. She asked me if I could pick anything more difficult to work with and then offered me a place at her barn.

My mom, a maverick at heart herself, didn't even bat an eye when I told her what I wanted to do. So the next morning, the three of us headed back out to the show grounds and I got approved and registered to bid. I was worried as I knew that several other people had their eye on my colt. I had no idea how much I could expect to pay for him. One of the wranglers, Patrick, assured me that I would get him for $125.00. I didn't believe him but he said if he was wrong he would buy me an iced tea!

For a few moments, my head was talking to louder than my heart and I bid on a big nicely put together Appaloosa that had been prison started. My brain said that I really should get an older gelding that had already been started. One who had already had all the dangerous work done. Luckily, there was a cowboy there who really wanted that gelding for a roping horse and I backed out at $1700.00. I wasn't disappointed because in my heart I needed the bay colt.

As the bidding continued down the line of pens, I had a gentleman who was interested in the bay colt come up and ask me if I still wanted the bay colt. I told him yes and asked him why. He let me know that he was not going to bid against me because he had seen how high I was willing to go on the App! So, I ended up with the bay colt for $125.00 and owing Patrick and iced tea!

We backed our trailer up and they ran him down the alley way, snorting and like a bat out of hell, into the stocks to put a halter on him. I remember standing there next to my mother and watching this huge untouched stud rear and pitch in the stocks. He banged his head on the rails and I though, "What the hell have I gotten my self into?". Patrick, the BLM wrangler that was working with him, turned to my mom and said, "If this is what she brings home for a horse, I would hate to see what she will bring home for a husband!"

So we made the 20 minute trek back to my aunt's barn and ran him off the trailer into his pen. That night while I was sleeping, it came to me that he would be called Ghost. It took me three months of spending several hours a day with him to gain his trust. We worked on join up and just spent time together while I fed him or cleaned his pen or studied. Eventually, he would join up with me and I could move him between pens but I still didn't touch him.

Then one day in January, I was standing by him and he leaned on me. From that point on, everything went smooth as buttermilk. Within 2 or 3 weeks I had him working under saddle. The first time that I stepped up on his back he just turned and looked at me like, "OKkkkkkkkkkk...". Never a buck or kick or tantrum. In March, we gelded him. I cried like a baby when my vet sedated him and he went to the ground. I felt like I was violating the trust that he had placed in me! But he was an ideal patient and took everything in stride. But then, thats how he lives his life!

When we go trailriding in the Texas Hill Country, I trust him completely. He hasn't been upset by a mountain lion crossing our path or the prospect of hauling me up (and down) the worst slick rock chest high steps ever! Another person who shared their story said that they had ridden horses all of their life but did not speak "horse" until their mustang. That is exactly how I feel. Ghost gave me a deeper understanding of horses in general and I have never had a deeper relationship with any other horse in my life.

He also somehow helped me make peace with myself. I am sure that he is the horse of my heart. He will be with me always and I will never do anything that will cause his trust in me to be violated. It is one of the greatest gifts that I have ever been given.

I would like to take a minute and share with potential adopters the three most important things that I feel you need to have in order to be successful:

1) Time - Unless you are a professional, and maybe even then, this is not an undertaking that should be done with a lick and a promise. It is only because I was in school that I feel like I had the time to devote to building a relationship with Ghost.

2) Patience - You must be patient with your horse and with yourself. We hear all of these beautiful adoption stories but I am sure that there are some adoptions that have gone tragically wrong because someone did not have patience. If you try to force these horses (or any horse) or lose you temper, you can place yourself and your horse in a dangerous situation. They don't build a relationship with you because they have to. They do it because, if you have done things right, they want to.

3) The Ability to Ask Questions and Accept Guidance - I couldn't have done this without the guidance of my aunt. I had to learn a whole new mode of being with a horse. If you don't know someone that is skilled and experienced with Natural Horsemanship Methods then find one. Even the best trainer can often use another opinion or another set of eyes to see how things are coming along.

Good luck to anyone out there who is willing to invest in these wonderful horses! And Ghost says, "Thanks for helping my family."