Mustang

By: Boise State Public Radio
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  • Summary

  • For $125 you can get a wild horse from the Bureau of Land Management and try and train it. That’s what I did this spring. Bua’a (“friend” in Paiute) is a three-year-old mustang from the Beatys Butte wild herd of southeastern Oregon. Boo, as I call him, has a kind, curious eye but he doesn’t trust humans – so far, we’ve brought him mostly pain. No matter how you feel about them, mustangs are a powerful symbol of what it means to be American – and Western. To be “of” the open spaces and big sky country. To be survivors and roamers. Over the next 8 episodes, Boo and I will explore the complex human, cultural, economic and environmental issues that surround mustangs today – as we embark on our own journey of training and trust.
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Episodes
  • 8. The Sundance: From deep history, a way forward

    8. The Sundance: From deep history, a way forward
    Dec 6 2023
    Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin is a Lakota scientist who studies the history of Native Americans and horses. Through her research, she is challenging the dominant narrative that horses went extinct on this continent in the last ice age and did not reappear until European explorers came to the New World. Ashley joins Dr. Running Horse Collin on her ancestral lands in the Black Hills of South Dakota during the time of the Sundance Ceremony. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Boo and Ashley nap in the sun and reflect on trust and love and adventures to come.
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    29 mins
  • 7. Mustang: Mutt of the West

    7. Mustang: Mutt of the West
    Nov 29 2023
    Mustang genes are like those of our country: mixed and mingled, influenced by wave after wave of immigration. Mainstream science tells us the modern-day mustang is descended from horses brought over by the Conquistadors, who used them to subjugate the Indigenous peoples of Central America. But what if the horse wasn’t introduced by newcomers, but was here all along, living alongside the Indigenous peoples of North America? Meanwhile, back at the ranch, while Boo eats his breakfast one morning, Ashley plucks some of his mane to send off to a genetics lab to find out what Boo’s genes can tell us about the history of wild horses.
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    24 mins
  • 6. Training horses, healing humans

    6. Training horses, healing humans
    Nov 22 2023
    Stefanie Skidmore runs Wild Horse Outreach and Advocacy, a nonprofit where she trains and rehomes troubled mustangs. She believes even the toughest mustangs can have productive, good lives in captivity, but we have to approach them with the same patience and empathy we strive to show our fellow humans. Stefanie is on the autism spectrum and says her unique brain gives her a special connection with wild horses who are learning to navigate the world of humans. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Ashley has her own training struggles with Boo when he bites her and drags her during a session.
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    28 mins
Social Sciences Biological Sciences
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