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Wild Willing

@wild.willing

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Gentling horses, rewilding humans
✨ Healing and Horsemanship podcast
🌵 Holistic wisdom for equestrians
🦄 Advocacy @thewildside.space
👇🏼 JOIN THE HERD

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It’s finally here 💫

This book has been in the works for over a decade!

It began as a daily journal I published as a blog sharing our journey when @lenahaug_equiaero @teach.em_ and I trained young mustangs at @mcrmustangs in 2014.

Every horse I’ve ever worked with has taught me a unique lesson. They’ve inspired reflection and informed my direction. Long story short, the wild ones we worked with at @mcrmustangs left an especially big impact. They ran circles around my mind day in and out, long after our time training with them ended.

What We Tame is a passion project that took shape as I sought to learn more about American mustangs - their nature, their history, and the many deeply rooted perceptions that surround them - and share with the world why they matter.

In this book you will find stories on gentling mustangs, musings on the nature of horsemanship, and evolving definitions of what wildness is. You will learn how they’ve completely captured my attention, and if nothing else, I hope you take away from it why they need your attention too.

This book is an absolute labor of love and I am forever grateful to all of the people who were both a part of it and made it possible: @mcrmustangs (the mustang sanctuary where magic really happens), @lenahaug_equiaero (the amazing trainer who led our team & inspires me endlessly), @teach.em_ (the brilliant scholar & baby horse whisperer), and @tricia_mogensen (the incredible photographer & horsewoman who is behind all of the photos in this book).

Order your copy - available in print and as an e-book on Amazon - at the link in bio 🐴❤️

#newbook #wildhorses #horsemanship by @wild.willing

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2 months ago

According to Ayurveda, when we take our first breath our constitution is set. With rare exceptions, it never changes.

Our constitution influences:
+ body type, bone structure, and shape
+ learning style and mentality
+ behaviors and the way we relate
+ digestion, absorption, and appetite
+ and everything in between

When I learned my elemental constitution, it felt like I finally could see myself clearly. The blinders were off. From that moment on, I began to see myself and everyone around me differently.

I saw everything through an elemental lens 🌀

If I could share just one piece of knowledge with the world, and especially the horse world, it would be this. I’m not exaggerating when I say that rediscovering yourself and others through the elements is liberating, empowering, and completely game-changing.

The real beauty is, this knowledge is not a secret. It belongs to the people. It is wired into our DNA, as its wisdom lives on intuitively within us.

If you’re ready to learn more, I created an online constitution quiz for humans and horses, so anyone in the world can access this information. The quiz is free to members of the Herd (sign up at wildwilling.com/herd-membership - link in bio ☝🏼) or you can purchase at the Shop.

Wishing you harmony and happy trails ✨

#holistic #healthandwellness #horsemanship by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

Annnnd we’re back!

It’s taken me over a year to get an episode of the podcast published, but it’s finally here. The one and only episode for 2025 is now live! And in the spirit of new beginnings, the podcast cover even got a fresh new look ✨

Thank you all for tuning in and to everyone who has been a part of the podcast so far. It is truly a community effort 🫶🏼

I’ve met so many amazing people in the holistic horse community, and have been honored to share so many inspiring conversations through the podcast. It continues to be a practice in growth, self-reflection, and learning how to put magic into words.

Cheers to more on the horizon 💫

📸: @tricia_mogensen by @wild.willing

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10 months ago

Core values in no particular order 🐴🫶🏼
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Life has been EXTRA busy lately.

Major milestones (book release), major loss (our beloved companion pup passing), and major thresholds (starting school for my five year old and returning to school myself) have all been crammed into the past month somehow.

Suffice to say, I’ve been reflecting more on the life I’ve built with horses, and how I want to continue to expand it and share it with others.

I am well aware that I’m in an insulated bubble with my own little herd. When I look out at the world, I feel the overwhelming truth that there is much work cut out for those who strive to do good, make change, and pull others out of the h*ll that so many are trapped in.

I admit that life is crazy, but it may only get more chaotic. So I’m determined to make time and increase my capacity for what matters most (the solution to all of my life’s problems thus far): horses.

If you’re feeling called by horses, I feel you. If you’ve been immersed in the horse world but feel the walls closing in around you, I’ve been there. I’m here to share what the horses I’ve worked with have taught me, and what wisdom they have for you too 🐴❤️

Meet me at The Wild Side or join The Herd (links in bio) to dive deeply with me into the holistic horse world 🦋

#horsemanship #wildwisdom by @wild.willing

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2 months ago

“In a society that has chased remaining herds to the most undesired scraps of wilderness left and routinely captures “excess” wild horses from public lands, leaving space open for wildness, in all its incarnations, instead of trying to remove it is in itself an act of rebellion.”

Excerpt from WHAT WE TAME: Stories of Wild Horse Wisdom

•••

I got to live my dream training wild horses at a mustang sanctuary in 2014 alongside two talented horsewomen and friends @lenahaug_equiaero @teach.em_ ✨

As I got to know the horses as individuals, I got to wonder about their stories.

I wondered how they arrived at this sanctuary, and moreover what chased them to one.

The thing is, many people don’t know wild horses even exist in the West, let alone that their survival is threatened by the government agencies responsible for managing them.

The deeper I looked at their story, the more I learned about the broken system of management in the United States responsible for wild horse and burro populations.

The further back I looked, the more horrified I was to hear about untold mustang massacres that never even made it into the history books.

The further ahead I looked, the more anxious I was for remaining herds whose futures were uncertain on public lands due to looming roundups and the slaughter pipeline that awaited all those who fell through the cracks.

And the more I looked at the system which now has more than 58,000 wild horses and burros in government holding, (costing taxpayers over $100 million USD just in off-range holding), the more I knew that my dream isn’t just to help train wild horses. It’s to help them stay wild.

Here’s how you can help them too:
* Stay informed about urgent action items by following organizations like @wildhorsesahead & @freewildhorses fighting on the front line
* Support sanctuaries and rescues that give refuge to rounded up mustangs
* Share, comment, and like wild horse advocates & organizations posts to bring attention to their plight
* Join @thewildside.space to learn more about American mustangs and network with other members

Photos of real wild horses @mcrmustangs who are lucky to live in sanctuary at by @tricia_mogensen 🐴❤️ by @wild.willing

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2 months ago

Tune in to hear about the adventure of a lifetime ✨

In episode #17 I talk with Leah Van Dinther, a trainer whose practice is rooted in natural horsemanship and prioritizing consent.

It is a rare thing to see people who excel not only at working with the horse, but also at working with the human. In my first conversation with Leah, I could tell immediately that she was a gem, as someone who is equally skilled at both.

Horse training can be a misleading phrase. It realistically ought to be called ‘human training’ since it often entails a lot more training of the human than the horse in my opinion.

I really am so grateful to have met Leah and witness how she humbly shows up to help both horses and humans, equally, with a grace and groundedness that the world could use a whole lot more of.

In this episode we talk about:

⚡️Leah’s experience training horses in India and how it all began with wanting to learn about Marwari horses

⚡️How deeply rooted misconceptions are around stallions, and why we need to reexamine our beliefs about them

⚡️The traumatic riding incident that broke her tailbone, but didn’t break her love for horses

⚡️How Leah discovered natural horsemanship when she lived in Montana and raised a fiery chestnut filly from birth

⚡️and much more!

In this interview, I learned that Leah is a natural storyteller. As a natural listener myself, I could honestly listen to her stories for days on end. So if you enjoy a good story and just as much, a good storyteller, this episode is for you!

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts 🎤

#healingandhorsemanship #podcast by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

Summer is the season of Fire / Pitta Dosha 🔥

This season is especially hard on our bodies as environmental heat dehydrates us and weakens our digestion and immunity.

As days get longer, the reigning fire element tempts us to grind harder, do more, and push past obstacles.

But what we really need is rest, gentleness, and trickster energy that invites us to laugh at ego, loosen the reins, ang give ourselves grace because it’s too hot to sweat the small stuff.

Summer is a season to honor, not a challenge to overcome.

As temperatures flare, Coyote (represented as Pitta / Fire energy), shows us that strength is not simply a show of force, but a daring invitation to walk with grace, purpose, and joy ✨

Visit the link in bio for more elemental wisdom 🔥 by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

Why mustangs? Because we’re doing something different here 🤎🐴

Because it isn’t just about our handling skills, our training, or our politics. It’s about leaving space open for wildness to reign and run free, because not all that is wild is meant to be tamed ⚡️

#wildhorse #americanmustang by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

It’s the journey of a lifetime 🪐

Where has your journey with wild horses taken you? Share in the comments and join The Wild Side for more 🤎🐴

#wildhorses #americanmustang walkonthewildside by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

It’s true.

Become a member at The Wild Side (www.thewildside.space) if you agree 🐴🤍

Photo: @tricia_mogensen
Horses: @mcrmustangs

#wildhorses #americanmustang #mustang by @wild.willing

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4 months ago

One of my favorite horsemanship sayings: take off all the ropes, and all the remains is the truth ⚡️

A few weeks ago my husband and I went to the local rodeo, and while he isn’t a horse person, what he said made me realize that he got it.

He said, “let’s see them do it without any ropes.”

It made me laugh but nothing would honestly make me happier than to see every equestrian sport have a mandatory bareback and bridleless certification. No bits, no spurs, no shanks, no whips, no cinches. Just unfiltered truth.

Imagine that…

In this video, the wild filly I was training showed up as if she was ready to follow me to the ends of the earth. We weren’t walking towards any reward (like food or the barn). I just set out in a direction with my elder mare and she followed - more closely the further we went.

I can’t extract that kind of willingness or bottle that feeling. It was amazing, surreal, and such an honor to experience.

She showed me exactly how she felt about me and what I was asking of her - in every sense, she was saying “Yes, let’s go.”

#wildhorse #horsemanship #reflection by @wild.willing

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5 months ago

Tune in to the latest podcast episode with @rachaelbouchd 🐴✨

Rachael is an Osteopathic manual therapist with a multi-species practice based in Northern California.

She specializes in working with babies and youngsters, supporting healthy attachment and optimal developmental processes by working with the physiology and the nervous system.

Her Equine sessions integrate postural assessment, movement dynamics, and hands-on therapy focused on restoring balance, integrity and mobility. She works with the horse to access deep parasympathetic release, unwind systemic bracing patterns or process stored trauma.

Rachael is rediscovering herself as a relationship-based horsewoman, working with horses young and old, to cultivate trust and foster mutually fulfilling horse-human parterships.

Beyond the amazing skills Rachael brings to the table, she is a dear friend who continually inspires me, and I am quite certain she will inspire you as well ✨

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts 🎤

I hope you enjoy this interview and let us know your thoughts in the comments! by @wild.willing

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5 months ago