White Stallion Ranch sponsored the adoption of a wild mustang on January 8th to participate in Arizona’s Extreme Mustang Makeover. JP Dyal had 104 days to train a horse captured from a band of Mustangs in Nevada and trucked to a BLM holding facility in Arizona, where he lived for the next 3 years.
A Second Chance
The horse was randomly assigned from the holding pens on adoption day. For the first few days he stood in the round pen surrounded by ranch activity, calmly taking it all in. Each night, JP would sleep in the round pen on a cot which bonded them quickly. JP named him Chance, saying; “This is his second chance at a good life.”
It was immediately apparent that Chance was a very unusual horse. JP started his training on day 2 and Chance responded well to everything that was asked of him. He was willing and trusting, and you could actually see him processing information.
Anna Twinney, an internationally respected Animal Communicator offers workshops at White Stallion Ranch. We asked if she would communicate with Chance, to ask if he was comfortable in his new life or if he was missing his band and his freedom on the open range. We also wanted to know if there was anything we could do to shape his future, make his life with us better and somehow make up for the trauma caused by humans.
What follows is a summary of the communication between Chance and Anna as she shared it with us in real time via telephone:
Talking Horses
JP, Carol and Susanne sit in Carol’s office at the speakerphone, Anna is on the line and explains briefly what to expect as she reaches out to Chance, and begins her communication with him. The line goes silent, we wait and 10 minutes pass slowly as we wonder if we are still connected. Anna begins speaking very quickly; we click on the recorder and start taking notes. The session lasts 1 hour and 11 minutes; apparently Chance is quite willing to share his thoughts.
Anna begins by describing images as they come to her; she refers to them as Chance showing himself and his surroundings. She speaks quickly and is not looking for validation – it is more like a stream of consciousness:
Chance indicates that the number three is significant; the last three years, which we know he spent in captivity, she sees images of the holding pens, the surrounding area as well as the men who work in the pens. We asked about his life in the wild and he shows her the open range, his early years in the band, his memories of being a bachelor, she sees that he did not run in a typical group of bachelors, he traveled alone.
Chance categorized his life in three chapters:
1) living in the wild - a chapter of freedom, learning and growing
2) holding pens - three years waiting, no learning, no shelter, no freedom
3) being handed to JP - he feels he “found his person”
He takes life in stride and accepts each chapter for what it is, he adapts and sees life as the glass is full and overflowing, he wants to be JP’s horse for life, he enjoys the partnership, he is insightful and he appreciates JP. He doesn’t have any baggage and he hasn’t allowed his past to shape his future - he is only interested in what the future holds.
He does not blame or dislike humans for what happened to him. Anna describes in great detail the entire training process JP has taken him through. His training was very fast and he is very accepting of what JP asks of him, he works very hard to process it and understand it.
He shows riding in the desert, the ranch rodeo, trailering and practicing mounted shooting, he indicates that he is aware of the upcoming competition and he has overheard conversations that he may not be coming home with JP after the competition.
He is not being broken, he is being started – his spirit has not been broken, he sees JP as his master and he is willing to partner with him. He will do whatever JP asks of him on the day of the event. He comprehends the dilemma – the better they perform, the higher his price will go, he knows JP wants to show him off and demonstrate his training skills, but it will push the bids up, making it harder for JP to buy him and bring him home.
JP asks if he would like to be a performance horse (Mounted Shooting) and he shows Anna that he doesn’t really want to, he envisions them riding together but not performing – it looks more like they are wrangling or leading rides.
JP asks why Chance is so trusting and Anna says it is in his DNA, he is able to put his past completely behind him, and move forward with full trust and willingness. In closing, Anna notes that no matter what the future holds for Chance, he will excel at whatever is asked of him, because he will adapt to any circumstance.
While it is clear that Chance is no ordinary horse, it’s a valuable lesson to learn that wild horses do not all fit neatly into a category any more than domesticated horses. There are good and bad, willing and stubborn in both cases, and we are sincerely amazed at the incredible little Mustang we received from the BLM. If you or anyone you know is considering an adoption we strongly encourage you to give one of these magnificent horses a ‘chance’.
For more information about White Stallion Ranch, visit whitestallion.com