The Road to Devil’s Garden
I didn’t plan on building a long-ride project called Fading Hoofbeats. I just wanted a Devil’s Garden mustang.
For years I’d heard the stories: Devil’s Garden horses are smart, steady, and good-minded—legends in the mustang world. I thought if I could bring home one of those horses, I’d have a solid partner for the miles I still wanted to ride.
This page is the origin story. It’s the road that led me from a single California herd to a much bigger journey: two mustangs, thousands of miles, and a project called Fading Hoofbeats.
Choosing Devil’s Garden Mustang
I went into the adoption process with one clear wish: a Devil’s Garden mustang. I didn’t care if I brought home a single horse or a pair. I just knew I wanted at least one of those level-headed, hard-working horses grazing in my pasture.
When the paperwork was done, I had two names on the list:
- Devil’s Garden Lagertha – the mare I was sure would become my heart horse.
- McGavin Peak Floki – the gelding I thought would be my husband Brent’s “steady eddy.”
That was the plan. The horses had other ideas.
Lagertha: First Impressions
Lagertha arrived first, all black gloss and watchful eyes. She was everything I’d hoped a Devil’s Garden mare would be: smart, grounded, and very aware of her new surroundings. Within days, I was smitten. It was easy to imagine her as my primary trail partner and the center of whatever came next.
When Floki Almost Went Back
Two weeks later, Floki stepped off the trailer—a black gelding from McGavin Peak, as far from “steady eddy” as a horse can get.
He was terrified. Not wary, not uncertain—truly terrified.
For a while I honestly considered sending him back.
It would have been the easy choice. But as I watched him spin and shake and try to keep the whole world at arm’s length, one thought kept nudging me:
If I send him back, he might end up with someone who can’t handle this level of fear. And then where does he go?
I decided to keep him.
Progress came slowly. There was no magical movie moment—just small tries, tiny steps, and a lot of standing quietly nearby while he decided if I was safe. Over time, he gave me his attention, then his curiosity, and eventually his trust.
Somewhere along the way, the roles flipped.
Lagertha is still my shieldmaiden and a horse I love deeply. But the horse who truly captured my heart—the one who hands me his whole worried, brave self and says “Okay, I’ll try”—is Floki.
He was never meant to be my horse. Now he’s my heart horse.
How The Road to Devil’s Garden Became Fading Hoofbeats
When I first set up a website called The Road to Devil’s Garden, all I meant to do was tell the story of adopting and gentling these two California mustangs.
But the more I learned, the bigger the road became.
I started listening to the stories behind the horses: the herd management areas, the gathers, the shrinking ranges, the people fighting to keep open space and wild lives intact. I started thinking about the years I have left, and about how many hoofbeats are fading from the American West.
That’s how Fading Hoofbeats was born.
Today, The Road to Devil’s Garden is no longer the whole project—it’s the first chapter. The beginning of a longer ride that will cross states and herd management areas, plant trees in memory of people I love, and try to give something back to the horses and landscapes that shaped my life.
Where This Road Leads Now
If you’re here because you love Devil’s Garden horses, you’re in exactly the right place. Lagertha and Floki are still at the center of this story:
- They’re the horses I’m training and preparing for the long ride.
- They’re the reason I started writing about herd management areas and adoption.
- Their hoofbeats are the ones I’m trying to honor while we still have time.
Thank you for walking this road with us.
- Follow the main project: Fading Hoofbeats
- Start Here: Wild Horse HMA Guides
