This May (2010), Parker Flannery and two of his friends will be embarking on a journey up the Continental Divide on horseback. They will use a combination of domestic quarter-horses and mustangs adopted from long-term BLM holding pens. Going along on the journey is Cassie, a six-year old mare that the ‘Cimarron Sky-Dog Reserve’ adopted this winter from a BLM facility at Paul’s Valley, in Oklahoma. Cassie (named for the casinos in her home state, Nevada) has been in captivity since 2007, sent from one facility to another and put regularly up for adoption with no success. She, like thousands of others, once considered ‘un-adoptable’ are ‘butt-branded’ with a number and sent to long-term holding facilities where their fate is somewhat uncertain. There are over 30,000 wild horses waiting for adoption in BLM pens around the U.S and with adoptions on the decline, it is unlikely that most of these horses will ever find a permanent home. The wild horse dilemma is a controversial and much debated issue.  No matter where you stand on this issue though, the bottom line is that these thousands of horses have nowhere to go. 30, 000 is not just a number to be banded around and used for statistics. They are 30,000 individual horses with so much potential. We hope (fingers crossed and knock on wood) that this adventure and the resulting film I plan to make about it will help to prove that.

No-name's butt brand

Mustangs are as much a part of America’s history as the pioneers. If not decedents of the Conquistador horses, they are ancestors of the horses that pulled our wagons, ploughed our fields, transported us to new lands, carried our soldiers or of the Indian ponies.  Decades, if not centuries, of eeking out a life in usually harsh conditions has created a hardy, sure-footed, intelligent and tough little horse. Survival of the fittest was nature’s way of selective breeding.

Cassie with the other horses at the BLM pens in Oklahoma, Feb 17th, 2010.

Cassie

I can attest to the strength and near perfection of mustang feet. I have 21 horses now, most of them mustangs and almost all of them have incredibly tough feet that need virtually no care, especially if the horses are running around on open country. They ‘self-trim’ on the rough terrain and they are as hard as rock.

We hope to cover Parker and Cassie’s adventure on this site and in a film I am currently making about it. We would like to show that a six-year old horse, considered ‘un-adoptable’ is far from that. Cassie was picked out of a pen full of horses just like her and she has turned out to be a real sweetheart.

Parker and Cassie.

“She’s been great,” said Parker, “she’s a six-year old mare that has been the easiest of the whole bunch to work with. Willing from day one, not aggressive at all, Really, really willing, just wants to make you happy.”

Parker will be riding a Wyoming mustang (as yet he has no name…maybe I will just refer to him as ‘No Name’ for this site!) that he trained in less than 2 months. This horse, who also has a ‘butt-brand’ from long-term holding, is five and newly gelded which already proves many people wrong. It is a common opinion that once past three or four-years old it is too late to train a horse, let alone a wild one, especially if he was gelded late. Cassie will be trained to initially be a pack horse and to date (March 25th,  2010) she is almost there. She is already accepting the pack, with weight on it, and considering she was only adopted on February 17th, that is amazing!

“People should adopt them, they are just great all around horses, they are tough, they are easy keepers, extremely easy keepers, they eat about a half of what quarter horses eat and stay twice as fat. The main thing is to not get in over your head. Think about what you can handle and what your looking for and just go look at them, go to the BLM’s, go to Paul’s Valley, go to all those places, just look because there’s no cookie-cutter mustang, they have horses for everything, they’ve colors and sizes and different personalities. If you go, take your time and plan it out, you can find whatever you’re looking for, there are some that will crawl in your pocket and some that will test how good you are with a horse and everything in between.”

Parker Flannery

Cassie wearing her pack

You can see a small excerpt of Parker’s training and Cassie and the BLM horses called ‘Adopt a mustang, adopt a legend’ on our YouTube movie page accessible from this site. To find out about opportunities to adopt a horse through a Mustang Heritage Foundation trainer, like Parker, please contact us by email, skydogjackie@rocketmail.com or by phone

(505) 473-9598.

Update from May 25th, 2010

UPDATES-Friday June 4th:

"Ben just called! The first leg of the trip went great. They will be in South Fork, CO for the weekend. Horses cooperated, meals worked out, and connections were made. Success!!!
Thanking the Lord!-Karla  Masters " (Ben's Mom)

June 6th: (an excerpt of Elaine's e-mail about a  conversation she had with Mike)

"Michael said several times that all of the people they've met have been incredibly helpful, of course including the rancher and his wife who have been hosting them this weekend. Michael describes the rancher as a real mountain man with a long flowing white beard. He estimates he's 55 - 60 with grown children all of whom are grown and on their own (someplace else). Today (Sunday), the boys were going to help with ranch chores and then the rancher (wish I knew his name) was going to take them fishing. I don't know about Ben and Parker, but Michael LOVES to fish and mentioned that they had not had time to get to it yet.
The horses apparently have been very cooperative except for one minor instance when all 6 of them decided to wander as a group. Fortunately they didn't go tooooo far, and the boys were able to easily get to them and bring them back.
One day they noticed that one of the horses needed a new shoe. They decided to take a chance on a ranch they saw in the distance. When they got there and inquired as to whether there was a ferrier on site and if they might avail themselves of his services, the rancher responded, "you're in luck boys. The ferrier comes one day a month and THIS is the day."!! How about that. I told Michael that his grandfather (my Dad), who passed away at almost 92 on May 1 of this year, was watching over him.
Michael and Ben are both reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt (how appropriate!) and I'm sure all three of them are discussing it.
He sounded great and said everything was going as planned - beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife sitings (but NONE of the dangerous variety), and good camaraderie. They've taken a lot of pictures and are journaling their experiences daily."

June 13th (from Elaine)

Update from June 13th (from Jackie)

Update for June 22nd - 25th

Betty Ann feeding apples.

The Wild Blue Yonder.

Crossing the Eagle River.

Ben, Mike and Parker with

new friends.

Parker feeding the paint an apple.

And the journey begins again.

Crossing I-70, Cassie is in the foreground with her pack.

The Horsemen Who Passed Through Our Town"

Three young men emerge from the wilderness on horseback en route to Canada~by Betty Ann Woodland

Update for July 4th

July 16th Update-

Parker, Mike and Ben

Horses Grazing

Riding in the rain

Slickers

Crossing bridges

By the end of the day, my legs were like rubber, my feet swollen with blisters and my body exhausted, I thought I would not be able to keep up the pace. I didn’t even think I’d be able to get up in the morning (without help) and the idea of swinging up into the saddle again the next day seemed an impossibility. We had a very nice camp that night, the boys expertly hobbled the horses, built a fire and put up the tent and we had a very delicious meal cooked in the Dutch oven over the open flame. It was a cold night and a frosty morning and most of my stuff was wet and once again I had my doubts. Once the sun came up though, things warmed up. I found, much to my amazement, that I was able to rise, bright and early (unassisted) but also that all of my joints and muscles still worked and that I could happily swing back up in the saddle and start off on another day. From then on, the trails were much easier and even though there were a couple more long days none of them were anything like that first ‘dose of reality’.

Ben and Mike make bread

Ben and Cassie on the divide

The Rawah Divide

Mike and Elk

Alongside the River

Mike reading

Ben

We also spent one night in a wonderful camp in the Rawah that was set up by an Outfitter called Jim Brink. We met him on the trail and had a picnic lunch with him and his friends while he gave Ben some pointers about the trails and the routes he knew like the back of his hand. Indeed, he is responsible for some of the excellent trails we followed that were beautifully maintained. Jim has been an outfitter for over 45 years and it was a delight to be able to use his camp, with its walled tents and cots and cook house and high-lines all set up in a gorgeous valley.

oatmeal and coffee at Jim's camp

No Name

Cassie in Camp

Cassie Grazing

Cassie is a little shy and spooky but she, like No-Name is thriving. The boys sometimes call her ‘Tinkerbell’ due to a bell they put on her halter at night so that they can hear where the horses are. They tease her, with affection, like big brothers tease their little sisters, and it is all good natured and designed to try and desensitize her and try and make her less timid. She is very sweet though and beautiful and I truly feel they have a strong bond with her. The boys go out of their way to ensure the horses get plenty to eat and rest when needed. They feed them grain in the mornings, regularly check for saddle sores and make sure every camp is near water. There is a camaraderie with the horses that comes from a shared and challenging experience. They are all in it together and need one another. The guys regularly dismount and walk alongside the horses for miles to give them a break.

Riding along the highway

Gathering the horses

Walking the Horses

Last night in Colorado

Aspen camp

checking for sores

Wyoming border

Jackie and Sonny

On the trail

Crossing a waterfall

Parker

Jack and Cassie

Update, July 28th

Well, two days ago the guys made it safely to Dubois, WY after a very challenging 10 days traversing the Bridger Wilderness, in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. From the sounds of things, their heroic journey was worthy of Jim Bridger himself, the famous mountain man the wilderness area is named after. Parker called it ‘hell’ as they had to climb steep trails that consisted of solid rock, encountering 4 foot snow drifts along the way. I looked up the Bridger Wilderness on the internet and found it described as ‘a unique combination of jagged granite rock, alpine forest and open alpine meadows.’ From the photographs it looks amazingly dramatic and beautiful but definitely daunting. The description goes on, ‘This wilderness holds 7 of the 10 largest glaciers in the lower 48, with more than 2,300 cold crystalline lakes and ponds.’ It does sound like a fascinating place but unfortunately the trail they traversed was less than ‘horse friendly’ despite the recommendation of the Forest Service and so it proved to be an arduous crossing for all concerned. Parker said it was the hardest leg of their journey by far, even surpassing the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in the Sawatch Range in Colorado where they had had to wade through several feet of snow with the horses. And no wonder! After they reached the other side of the pass several people expressed astonishment that they had made it across. They were then told that nobody had brought horses across that pass in decades and so I am sure they have now, both horses and riders, made names for themselves in that area and perhaps even created a new legend!

(Leo and the sorrel mare). 'The Sorrel' is recovering wonderfully from her near miss at the Bridger Wilderness and is enjoying life 'back at the ranch' at Watrous with lots of TLC from Leo and and his brother Orlando. Thanks guys!

Unfortunately the sorrel mare that Ben rides met with an accident along the way, she slipped on some rock and cut her leg, her fall was broken and cushioned by one of those crystalline lakes and so miraculously, her near miss was averted and any damage was minimalized. Who says there aren’t guardian angels out there!! Although not lame, the boys thought it best that she be shipped home to Watrous to heal as they knew that a rest stop wasn’t planned for a while and they did not want to risk any infection setting in. It is hard to maintain sterile conditions in the wilderness! Another heroic effort was then made to get the ‘sorrel mare’ home and thanks to Parker’s friend B.J from Watrous, who drove all the way up at a moments notice, the Sorrel is now safely home and receiving loving care, rest and attention from Parker’s friends and colleagues, Leo and Orlando. Thank you guys, she is in the best hands possible! I went to see her yesterday and she is receiving all kinds of TLC and has been turned out to pasture and will no doubt be 100% recovered in no time. As my vet friend says, there is no better cure than ‘Mr. Green’ (by that he means green grass and open pasture!)
So the guys are now off to Yellowstone! I talked to Parker today and they are heading out this morning. Good luck boys and those trusty and courageous horses. You are what legends are made of!

PS) The horses just got new shoes again! You can see just how rough and rocky that last segment was as the horses only got shoes at Grand Lake on the 6th of July!

Update, August 1st

Cassie following 'dutifully behind.-photo by Ben Masters

Since then she will have covered over 1000 miles and crossed rivers, climbed mountains, followed treacherous trails, stood on high passes and divides, trudged through snow drifts, camped in the wilderness, walked through towns and along highways and even crossed an Interstate and traversed a pass where no horses have been brought across in decades! Even though I have never demanded a work ethic, most people out there don’t have horses (or can’t afford to) to simply to turn them loose or to decorate their corrals. Most people looking to buy or adopt a horse want to be able to ride it or utilize it in some way. I think Cassie has proven that a 6-year-old, ‘un-adoptable’ mustang can pull her weight, be trainable, tough and hardy and be a great horse even to those folks looking for a horse that has to be ‘useful.’

Cassie on top of the world-photo by Ben Masters

I am so happy and proud and grateful to the boys that Cassie has been a part of this amazing ride. We will of course continue to follow Parker and ‘No-Name’ and the others as they cross Montana and head for their final destination in Canada and so we will still be posting regular updates. Thanks to the incredible kindness of Phil Nichols and Tom Venable of the V Ranch, one or two fresh horses will be loaned to the boys once they reach the Yellowstone area. For this generosity I, and I know the boys, would like to say a big “thank you”. I personally feel it is a very good idea, for all concerned, that the boys could have at least one or two fresh horses before they make that final ‘run for the border.’ After all, in pioneer times and in the era of the Mountain Man, it was customary to exchange horses, for fresh ones, if ever the opportunity arose. That, or they traveled with a whole remuda of horses, which, sadly, in this day and age, isn’t very practical!

I plan to drive up to Mountain Sky and pick Cassie up as soon as I can after the boys drop her off, (from their latest estimates though, I will probably be out of the country when they arrive and so will unfortunately miss them), and I will definitely be posting an update on that and Cassie’s return to Watrous and so please stay tuned to follow the boys as they near their journey’s end and Cassie comes home!

Update for August 14th

Update, August 15th (from Elaine's August 13th e-mail)

Update for August 23rd

I heard from Karla today, who had just heard from Ben. The guys were trudging through fresh snow (yep, it was snowing!) at the Ennis Valley in Montana. They were walking their horses through the white stuff on their way to Cardwell where they will get provisions for their next leg. After that they plan to head for Lincoln, MT and then East Glacier and then Canada! They estimate they have another 30 days remaining on the trail. Ben said that they were all healthy and that the new horses were getting along with the others. He also said that Mike had walked the bottoms out of his shoes and needed a new pair!

Update for August 27th

Yesterday I had the supreme honor and joy to be able to turn Cassie loose up at our sanctuary at Watrous. If any horse deserves her freedom back it is her. As I have said before, I don’t usually require a work ethic from my mustangs but in her case she was asked to be a poster-horse for all of the horses like her in BLM pens across America and accompany Parker, Ben and Mike on their incredible journey up the Continental Divide. She dutifully did as she was asked and followed the boys over mountains and across rivers and waterfalls and trudged through snow drifts and traversed treacherous trails and divides and even swam across a lake and got chased by buffalo while covering over 1000 miles in less than 3 months! I am very proud that she was a part of the boys’ amazing journey but her personal story is what moves me the most.

Cassie being released from the trailer.

I will let the photos do the talking as I find words inadequate to convey that sheer sense of awe and delight I get whenever I see a horse reclaim its freedom. I hope Cassie can spend the rest of her life free and live out her days at our sanctuary, with this new herd of horses and that those years she spent as one of 1000’s of mustangs waiting for adoption in BLM pens will fade into a distant memory.

Cassie (center, top) running with the herd.

Cassie (in front) as one of the herd.

Enjoying her freedom.

Urgent appeal:

The views around the sanctuary are far-reaching and pristine and the land is home to so much wildlife and the thought of homes being built and roads being carved through it is heartbreaking. We are a 501(c)(3), non-profit and so all donations are tax deductible and 100% of them will go towards the needs of our horses and the expansion of our sanctuary and to trying to preserve this beautiful, wild land. We, like you, realize that times are hard, everyone is struggling to make ends meet and to fulfill their own dreams and the needs of their families. We also know that there are constant requests from charities and causes and awful tragedies we see on the news for donations and that that can all be overwhelming and leave us feeling helpless and depleted. Any little donation can help even if it seems like a drop in the ocean. Like that story about star fish stranded on the beach goes, even if it seems that only being able to help one or two out of the thousands feels like not being able to make a difference, it makes ALL the difference to those one or two. There are many ways to help, you could send a cash donation or buy a book or some art work or join us for our History Ride event on September 25th or enter our Equine photo contest. Every little bit would help and would be much appreciated.

Thank you and thanks for tuning into our website.

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