If you’re new here, Fading Hoofbeats is the long ride I’m planning with my two wild-born mustangs—Devil’s Garden Lagertha and McGavin Peak Floki. We’re still in the early “figuring each other out” chapter, and this is one of my favorite heart horse stories from that beginning. I didn’t pick my heart horse. In fact, the…
Colorado’s wild horses live out on the far western slope, in country that’s more sagebrush than ski resort. Out there, bands move along ridgelines, disappear into piñon–juniper draws, and sometimes graze close enough to the road that you can hear them cropping grass. This Colorado Wild Horse & Burro Guide pulls together the four Colorado…
I’m building a state-by-state series of wild horse and burro guides, and this wild horse logic puzzle is a fun little Trail Break along the way. Four adopters, four mustangs, four different HMAs—see if you can match each horse to its home on the range, then explore the real-life HMA guides linked below.. As those…
Wyoming is big country even before you start looking for Wyoming wild horses. Once you leave the interstates and oilfield traffic and roll into sage and buttes, the land opens up, and so does your sense of how far a mustang can travel between water and winter grass. This is checkerboard country, shared among BLM,…
California is home to a wide range of wild horse and burro country, from sagebrush basins and lava rock plateaus in the north to steep desert ranges in the south. This guide is meant to give you a visitor-friendly overview of those places, along with a quick look at Forest Service territories like Devil’s Garden…
This Trail Break goes with my story, Roots Along the Quiet Miles, about planting living memories along the long ride. You can read the full post, but meanwhile, enjoy this puzzle that goes with it. Trail Break 1: Tree planting word search Prefer a printable version? Download this Trail Break as a PDF This little…
Most of our camps will not start with a truck door slamming and a trailer ramp dropping. They will start with the sound of hooves. The first hour in camp is critical for the horses. The last mile into camp is usually quiet. The horses are tired. I am tired. Packs creak. The light slants…
This is a simple guide to trail etiquette with horses, hikers, dogs, and bikes sharing the same path. Trails feel peaceful until someone forgets basic trail etiquette. A loose dog, a bike that comes in fast and silent, or a rider who will not slow down can turn a good day into a dangerous one…
The best rides are not made in the miles. They are made in the quiet checks that no one sees. This is my simple evening horse care on the Quiet Miles in an easy checklist that you can copy and use. At home and on the road, our evenings follow the same gentle pattern. Water…
If your feed looks anything like mine, you have probably seen a flood of posts about the “deadly EHV outbreak” linked to recent barrel racing events in Texas and Oklahoma. Shows are cancelling, haulers are scrambling, and rumor posts (some of which were deleted when I asked for sources) are claiming everything from “every state…
