Becoming (A Little) Gentle in Spirit

This is a followup post to something I watched a while back, where horse trainers paired with wild mustang horses, only recently in the western wilds, got to know one another.  These spirited and beautiful horses, to put it mildly, were not too trusting of the touch of human beings.   Considering how us two-legged creatures have treated one another, I understand their reticence.   The Mustang Heritage Foundation, a Georgetown-area non-profit group, has for some time brought these horses  in touch with their human counterparts.  Last time I visited, when the horses were only weeks removed from remote areas, it amazed me to watch the gentleness the trainers exhibited.   After that event, the trainers were tasked with working with their new charges for a hundred days, to see if they might be “gentled.”   These photos were taken a few days ago, at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Arena, in Georgetown.   The trainers, some dressed in costumes, demonstrated what they had been able to do.   This coming weekend, in Fort Worth, horses and humans will gather for the Extreme Mustang Makeover.  At the conclusion, those wishing to adopt one of the horses can do so at auction.   These photos, for the Williamson County Sun,

, are a testament to how these mustangs, while still full of spunk, were willing to allow the touch of a child’s hand.