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Wild Horse Stories
Not the perfect stories - the real ones
Beyond the Mustang Makeover:
The truth about buying a Mustang
Because a wild horse deserves more than an emotional impulse purchase!
What makes mustangs so captivating can also make them incredibly easy to misunderstand- choosing a mustang through emotion, online hype, and makeover culture can lead people and horses down the wrong path.
Sometimes, scrolling through the BLM adoption page almost feels dangerous to me. Even now, while writing this, I catch myself doing exactly what so many others do: I see one horse and instantly fall in love before I know anything real about him.
- The long wild mane
- The unusal markings
- The soft expression
- The eys
Before long, I am already imagining the future - bringing him home, the trailer ride, the first touch, the life we might build together.
It is incredibly easy to fall in love with the image of a mustang and the adventure people imagine comes with it. And honestly, I am no different. Even after everything I have learned, I still feel that pull.
But I also know how quickly fantasy is replaced by reality.
When I bought my first mustang, Landers who is still by my side today - reality looked nothing like the dream I had created in my head. At the time, I lived in Arizona. The holding facility was practically down the road. Mustang trainers were everywhere, speaking as if wild horses could simply be “figured out” with enough confidence and the right methods. I listened to many of them as though they were gurus.
Reality humbled me very quickly.
Because purchasing a mustang comes with responsibility far beyond what most people are told. Too often, parts of the truth are left out because the mustang world has also become a business.
This is something I have especially seen in Europe. Many mustangs imported through auctions, online sales, Facebook ads, or programs connected to Mustang Makeovers ended up with owners who genuinely had no idea what they were taking on. That does not make them bad people. Most loved the horse they bought. Most had beautiful intentions.
But beautiful intentions are not enough.
People often convince themselves that their horse will somehow be “the one” - easy, forgiving, adaptable, safer than the others. And that hope blinds them to reality. Horses are chosen emotionally: by color, mane, markings, photographs, or an emotional makeover video that captured one beautiful moment.
But the mustang itself does not know it is beautiful.
It does not know people admire its rare color or romanticize its wild mane. The horse only knows whether the human standing in front of it can provide safety, consistency, and eventually trust.
A mustang comes with a package - very much like a shelter dog, except now you are dealing with a 500-kilo prey animal whose survival instincts still live very close to the surface. People adopt rescue dogs and later realize they underestimated the responsibility. With mustangs, it is often the same story, only the consequences are much bigger.
That is why I believe the best way to purchase a mustang is the straightforward and educated way: with an experienced mustang trainer on your side from the very beginning and with a long-term plan already in place.
- Not through hype
- Not through time pressure
- Not through an emotional online bid
Programs like Ride the Brand were created exactly for this reason.
The right trainer should help you select the horse objectively, not emotionally. They should guide you through the gentling process in the United States, help evaluate the horse honestly, and continue supporting you after the horse arrives home. With today’s technology, distance and time zones are no longer real barriers. A trainer who already knows your horse can continue helping you step by step as your relationship develops.
That support matters more than people realize.
I invite trainers and mustangs to Portugal so owners can work directly with both horse and trainer together - learning horsemanship specifically designed for mustangs, not just horses in general. Because these horses require understanding, patience, and a different kind of approach.
The biggest problems I personally see with mustang ownership in Europe are not cruelty or bad intentions. It is:
- lack of experience
- lack of a good trainer and proper guidance
- lack of time
- lack of financial preparation
- unrealistic expectations
And slowly, many of these horses begin breaking down mentally and physically because their needs are misunderstood. Mustangs require far more than people imagine:
- Time
- Patience
- Space
- Consistency
- Ongoing training
- Money
- Emotional endurance
- Sometimes the acceptance that a horse may never truly want to be ridden
People rarely talk honestly about that part.
Most online stories focus on the beautiful side: the transformation photos, the emotional videos, the dramatic success stories, the image of freedom and connection. Social media often feeds ego more than reality. It makes everything look rewarding, easy, magical, and deeply meaningful every second of the journey.
In reality, working with mustangs can be frustrating. You question yourself constantly. You may work with several trainers. You spend far more money than expected. Some people eventually give up on the horse entirely.
Mustangs humble people very quickly.
I sometimes compare it to becoming a parent. Before I had children, I thought I understood parenting. Then reality arrived and humbled me. Mustangs do the same thing. Many people believe their connection will be deeper, their understanding stronger, their outcome different from everyone else’s.
But once ego enters the picture, things often begin going wrong.
This is also why I struggle with the image many people have of Mustang Makeovers. The public usually sees only the polished side of the story.
The biggest problems I personally see with mustang makeover ownership in Europe are not cruelty or bad intentions. It is:
- The beautiful photos
- The emotional music
- The drama before-and-after moments
- The performances and auctions
What people rarely see is the pressure behind it all:
- The deadlines
- The exhaustion
- The shortcuts
- The stress
- The emotional suppression that can happen when horses are pushed to perform within an extremely short period of time
And once that horse belongs to you, you become the one living with whatever was rushed, skipped, or emotionally buried along the way.
That is why I personally would never recommend purchasing a mustang directly from a makeover event — especially not without experienced guidance.
Do it right from the beginning.
Give the horse real time.
Because the real relationship with a mustang is not built through riding first. It begins with trust. Groundwork. Quiet consistency. Learning how to make the horse feel safe beside you.
Personally, I do not believe young horses - especially those five years old or younger - should be ridden at all. Before performance comes balance, confidence, emotional stability, and partnership.
Too many people rush toward performance instead of relationship.
A mustang does not care about social media photos or the dream of owning something “wild.” What matters to the horse is whether it feels safe with you.
The discipline itself matters far less than the relationship behind it. Whether you eventually enjoy trail riding, ranch work, liberty work, dressage, working equitation, or simply quiet rides through open country is secondary to the trust you build first.
And then there are the basics people constantly underestimate:
- Space
- Movement
- Herd
- Hay
- Proper living conditions
For mustangs, these are not luxuries. They are necessities.
If you cannot consistently provide those things, then honestly, you should not get a mustang.
And despite everything I have written here, I am not saying people should avoid mustangs.
Not at all.
In many ways, I believe they are extraordinary horses — unlike anything most people will ever experience. Sharing your life with one can become one of the most rewarding journeys imaginable.
- When done correctly
- Not because of makeover hype
- Not because of social media
- And not because of one beautiful photograph online
There is so much beauty in doing this the right way - slowly, honestly, transparently, and with the horse’s long-term wellbeing at the center of every decision.
Because in the end, these horses are not looking for admiration.
They are looking for safety, understanding, and a life that allows them to truly be horses.
If you are considering buying a mustang, please reach out to me. I would genuinely love to help guide you onto the right path - with the right trainer, the right preparation, and the right horse for your life.
Hoofs and Heart Beats,
Karin & Landers
And here publicly shared afterthought to leave you with from a former Mustang Makeover Trainer:
“People fall in love with the final picture, but very few ever see what it took to get there.”
I spent years around the Mustang Makeover world. I watched wild horses arrive untouched and uncertain, and I watched them walk into arenas beneath lights and applause only a few months later. To the public, it looked inspiring - almost magical. Transformation sells hope. A horse once considered ‘wild’ suddenly carrying a rider, standing quietly in front of a crowd, becoming someone’s dream horse.
But there is another side to that story.
What people rarely see is the pressure behind the scenes. The countdown that starts the moment the horse arrives. The expectation to show results quickly. The reality that these horses are not only being gentled - they are being prepared for a performance, for presentation, and eventually for sale.
A mustang does not arrive as a blank page. These horses carry survival, instinct, sensitivity, and history inside them. Real trust cannot be rushed. Yet the entire format depends on speed, visible progress, and the ability to create a transformation within a fixed amount of time.
I saw talented trainers trying to do right by the horse within that system. I also saw horses adapting quickly, not always because they were mentally ready, but because repetition, pressure, and controlled routines can create the appearance of readiness.
And then the event ends.
The lights disappear. The cameras are gone. The horse leaves the structured environment and enters a completely different reality with a new owner who often falls in love with what they saw in the arena, without understanding what it actually took to create that moment.
That is where the real story begins.
Because horsemanship is not built in a spotlight. It is built slowly - in patience, repetition, setbacks, quiet moments, groundwork, trust, and time.
These horses are not entertainment pieces. They are living animals, and they carry every rushed step, every shortcut, and every human expectation long after the applause is over.
At some point, I began asking myself whether speed and spectacle truly serve the horse - or whether they mainly serve our need to witness transformation.
I still love mustangs deeply. Maybe more than ever.
But loving them also means being honest about what they need.”
Write to me at: info@ride-the-brand.com
The Mustang Myth
From freedom and wilderness to the reality behind the trade
When you think of a Mustang, you probably think of freedom, wilderness, adventure, and an untouched wild horse. But this is exactly where one of the biggest misunderstandings begins.
Most Mustangs imported to Europe today come with a high price tag - and a big story built around the “Mustang” myth, marketed as something extraordinary. What is often missing, however, is the wild horse itself, as well as transparency about its origins and actual background.
The term “Mustang” comes from Spanish (mesteño / mestengo) and roughly means a stray or free-roaming horse. It is not a breed, but a term used for feral horses. Today’s North American Mustangs descend from Spanish and Portuguese colonial horses that escaped into the wild generations ago. Similar feral horse populations also exist in other parts of the world, such as Australia (Brumbies) or South America - but they are not called Mustangs there. In Canada, they are often simply referred to as “Wild Horses” or “Wildies.”
Inside the holding facilities in the United States, these horses no longer live in natural herd structures. Some are even born there, while many are captured as yearlings or young horses.
In the wild, however, Mustangs grow up in stable family bands - with a stallion, several mares, foals, and young horses. Young stallions are eventually driven out of the herd and must find their own place. This period is exactly what shapes a true wild horse.
A real Mustang is a horse that was actually allowed to experience this natural development in freedom. Horses captured at a young age may come from wild horse bloodlines, but they never had the chance to fully develop their instincts, social skills, and senses within an intact herd structure. On top of that, some young or weak horses that might not have survived in the wild are now waiting for adoption inside holding facilities.
That does not mean these horses are sick - it is simply their fate. Due to overpopulation, they are captured by the US government to control herd numbers, which is why there are tens of thousands of horses living in holding facilities today. This also means that some of them never truly experienced life in the wild and are adopted purely based on appearance - long manes, unusual colors - without really seeing the horse behind it and everything that comes with it.
The problems often begin shortly after - because of missing training experience, starting them under saddle far too early, feeding issues, or the way they are kept. They move from trainer to trainer and owner to owner. Some return to holding facilities, and some eventually end up in slaughterhouses.
It is simply important to me to speak honestly about what you are actually buying. In the end, many Mustangs are not that different from horses you could also find here in Europe - except for the costs and the story attached to them.
For me, a Mustang is a very special horse, and everything that goes wrong is my responsibility. It becomes a member of my herd and receives a purpose that fits the horse - a horse whose future is still unwritten. If I buy a Mustang with a story, then I want to know that story.
And then there is the bigger question: do you really have the time, experience, and financial resources to own a Mustang? Do you have the space - because box stalls or paddock-only living are not species-appropriate? Will the horse live in a fair herd structure - and by that, I mean a stable and suitable horse herd? Will you need to continue paying trainers? And of course, there are the ongoing costs as well.
At the same time, you should understand this: a Mustang that has already been imported to Europe has usually already had its first training experience with a trainer - and there are more bad ones than good ones. The horse is no longer “untouched” - and you may potentially be dealing with a 500-kilo-plus problem.
The Mustang Makeover horses also were not flown directly from a holding facility to Frankfurt. A wild horse cannot simply be loaded onto a plane overnight. In addition, adopted Mustangs must legally remain in the USA for at least one year before they are allowed to leave the country. So what do you actually know about the horse you are bidding a high price for?
The only way to truly be involved from the very beginning and know exactly what you are getting is by taking over a wild horse directly from a holding facility - with documentation showing when and where it was captured — and then walking that journey together with a good trainer from the start.
Our horses are Sales Authority horses. They are allowed to leave the country as soon as they are ready. They are purchased, not adopted. Full responsibility begins with signing and paying the purchase contract ($125).
We only receive these Mustangs through direct cooperation with the BLM - first choice, individually selected, and fully transparent.
Today, I know exactly what I am getting myself into when I buy a Mustang. That was not always the case. In the beginning, I made mistakes myself and learned an incredible amount along the way. In my experience, the Mustang adventure is anything but romantic - and that is exactly why honesty has become so important to me.
What makes Ride the Brand different is absolute transparency. Only real Mustangs are selected - together with you and experienced Mustang trainers on site in the USA, always in the best interest of the horse.
At the same time, our project continues to grow: we are expanding our Arizona program to Portugal. My own Mustangs will soon live at Rancho Terra Bravo. There, you will be able to meet the horses, participate in training sessions and workshops, and work with trainers from the USA and Canada who have real experience with wild horses. Along this path, you will not get to know a myth - you will get to know the real Mustangs.
A complete training program is being created for horses, humans, and their shared future together. There is so much to learn, and our ranch will also become a retreat for people dealing with PTSD and burnout.
Another special part of this journey is the Gerês National Park. Wild horses still live there today - the Garranos, an ancient Portuguese wild horse and pony breed from northern Portugal. Unlike in the United States, these horses are not captured. Their population regulates itself naturally through the wolves of the region. Exactly as it should remain.
My Mustangs originally descend from these Iberian horses. Maybe that is why this place touches me so deeply. It feels as though I am bringing them a little closer back to their roots - back home.
I look forward to hearing from you and wish you real experiences far away from the Mustang Makeover hype.
Hoofs and Heartbeats
Karin & Landers
A short thought to leave you with:
People buy dozens of wild horses at BLM auctions simply to market and resell them.
And yes - if you live in the USA, that is one thing. But here in Europe, it becomes a completely different reality. I will talk more about this in my next blog.
I want you to consciously choose a Mustang from a holding facility, know its story, and take responsibility for everything that comes with it. With a trainer on site whom you know and trust - and who is not just putting on a show, but genuinely helping prepare your horse for its journey.
Or would you simply buy some random horse in Europe for 15,000 euros or more just to “rescue” it?
Write to me at: info@ride-the-brand.com