American Mustang in Ann Arbor: A Heartfelt Journey
Though I've had few direct experiences with horses throughout my life, I've cherished each opportunity to be near, to touch, and to connect with these amazing creatures. Two years ago, my partner and I visited a northern Michigan guest ranch, the Outback Lodge and Equestrian Center, for a weekend. There, we met Spirit, a three-year-old Haflinger gelding, and we fell in love with him. He was untrained but very gentle and open to us. He had no fear or apprehension about my noisy power wheelchair with a ventilator mounted on the back. He would play and work with me in the round pen, joining up as if he knew it was always meant to be that way.
At first, when we learned that Spirit was up for adoption, our hearts sank, as we had hoped to return to visit him often. Then we began to consider whether we could afford to adopt and support this sweet and wonderful being. Upon assessing our situation and finding out what it would cost to board him, we decided that it was within reach. Just before my 55th birthday, my partner adopted him, a most precious gift!
Spirit is now green trained for saddle and harness, and we hope one day soon to get an accessible cart or carriage that will accommodate my wheelchair. We live in Ann Arbor, and Spirit lives about 20 minutes away from us at Green Acres Farms LLC in Belleville, Michigan. We get to spend time with him frequently. I am a Life Coach, and I have introduced some of my clients and friends to Spirit, and he has never failed to offer them some significant gift, such as a rare sense of calm to a vet with PTSD, a renewed sense of strength to a person with a physical disability, the joy of meeting a real live pony for a young child, and sweet memories of growing up on a farm for a woman who is blind.
When I learned of the opportunity to bring American Mustang to Ann Arbor, I jumped at the chance. I want everyone to have the opportunity to know about this treasure in our American West, and to know how we are tarnishing and destroying this amazing gift. My hope is that more hearts will be broken by this knowledge, and that people will be moved to action to change the course of these precious lives.