Today I am setting in a small pen with mustangs Brilliant Attitude and his brother BAII writing this article. This is just the second day home for these two horses, They were captured in the fall of 2016 and have been held in a BLM facility in Three Fingers Oregon. I’m not sure how but they were hauled from there to Ewing, ILL where we picked them up and brought them to our place in Silex. I am literally sitting in a chair not more than ten feet away from them. They are on high alert and ready to run at almost any movement or sound. This is instinctive animal behavior at its purest form.
Our purpose for doing this years Extreme Mustang Makeover is to give anyone, that is interested an opportunity to be able to ride along, so to speak and really feel apart of this journey. I have to tell you that sitting this close to these beautiful powerful animals is exciting and a bit intimidating. At this stage of the journey they have to be confused about what the heck is going on. They did not nor would they ever choose to be here. The noises and sights of captivity are much different than the wide open range they were born into.
Can you imagine being taken from your home and forced into a large box to have the doors slammed behind you and then the box begins to move. You hear the cries of your family and friends as you are hauled away! The box your in moves from side to side and is getting faster and faster then at times it stops and you think I hope I don’t fall down on this floor. I will be trampled by the others that were thrown in here with me. Now we are hearing the noises of the other moving boxes like the one we are in. Some are passing us and we are passing some of the boxes make loud noises like a goose. What is going on, where are we? How can I get out of here? I am really scared and confused. Oh good there is an opening finally I’ll run out of here and be free again? Oh No there are some more of those strange creatures that have scary things flapping on the end of their hands these really scare me. I know I can get out of here if I run fast enough I can go over the rail or through it or something. WOW it really hurts hitting those bars I guess I am stuck here too.
There are two legged animals everywhere I turn like a pack of wolves. Now look there is one sitting still in the middle of this place where we are trapped. He is acting different than the others but he is still a wolf though and you just can’t trust a wolf now can you? I do wish he wasn’t sitting so close to the hay. I am a little hungry and would like to eat a bit. I did notice that this wolf carried the hay in here and placed it where I could see and smell it and now is just sitting there scratching on a board with some kind of a little stick. He must be sick!! I’ll just stand here and watch him to make sure he doesn’t try to ambush me like the others I have encountered. Most of the time he looks at the board and scratches away but once in a while he looks up at me and I don’t like that much but he just keeps sitting there. I wonder what is going on, for some strange reason I don’t feel as scared as I did. Could this wolf actually be friendly? Time will tell. He had better be cautious around me or I’ll kick him with both feet!
Stay tuned for the journey of the “Brilliant Attitude” brothers.
