About
Willow
Hi, I’m Willow, a seven-year-old, previously wild, Mustang, and the artist of this amazing artwork.
In November of 2019, I was captured from my home in White River, Nevada as part of a federal land management program run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). When I arrived at my new forever home, I was very frightened and shy, but now, I love my domestic life and everything that comes with it.
I love simply being a horse and also really enjoy grooming sessions, grazing on green grass, performing tricks at liberty, and playing with my friends, Cody (a Bashkir Curly gelding), and Sinsi (a Mustang from my wild herd in Nevada)
In addition to the typical horse stuff, I LOVE to paint!
Painting has become a great way for me to express my creativity, have some fun, and spend time with my friend, Alyssa. Learning to paint has helped me become more comfortable with my new world in domestication (which can be scary at times). I’ve become comfortable with many objects, smells, and other things that are brand new to me compared to my natural life in the wild.
I am no longer afraid of paper or anything that could flap in the wind and I have gotten very comfortable with putting things in my mouth, which helps with medical preventive care such as deworming, oral examinations, and so much more.
Alyssa
Hi, I’m Alyssa and I’m 17 years old (2023) and I love horses! My horsemanship journey began when I was about 12 years old, working with my first horse, Mocha, who my family and I later adopted in March of 2019.
Sadly in March of 2021, Mocha passed away due to fracturing her pelvis. This, of course, broke my heart, but the incident soon led to adopting a wild mustang.
I have longed for a mustang for as long as I can remember and, when my family and I were ready, we adopted beautiful Willow.
In June, 2021, Willow and I took on the challenge to complete an intensive training course called Horse-Human Connection Academy (HCA), developed and taught by Mustang Maddy. I learned so much about training and developing a relationship with Willow using positive reinforcement (R+) techniques.
HCA provided me and Willow with a strong foundation to move into more advanced topics like painting!
I also co-hosts the podcast, Reinforce the Horse, with my dad, Jason.
Our Mission
To share Willow's story and the stories of many other Wild Mustangs.
Click here for more details on our current mission for our art studio.
Join our email list (form below) to stay in the loop. We’ll let you know when Willow releases a new piece of art and we’ll be sharing much more about our mission, goals, successes and failures along the way.