On a recent Sunday, about a dozen 10- to 15-year-old girls were at a barn in northern Colorado to learn about how to handle a wild horse.
The day started off with a question-and-answer session, and some important safety tips in the arena from trainer Cayla Stone.
“A big one, especially for a new mustang – Do we want them to put their butt towards us, ever?”
The girls responded emphatically: No.
They are part of a youth training program with the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group in Wellington, a nonprofit that focuses on finding homes for once free-roaming mustangs that get removed from the range. The aim is to train them as riding horses so they can be adopted.
Mustangs are icons of the American West. Even so, the U.S. government doesn’t know exactly what to do with them. Colorado officials are working on alternatives to the federal government’s helicopter roundups to thin the state’s herds. In the meantime, a lot of horses are stuck in pens with nowhere to go. That’s where Wild Rose — and its youth training program — comes in.
The nonprofit has found homes for about 70 horses since it started in 2018.
“It was pretty obvious that there was the need for more training programs,” said Ruth Rose, a veterinary oncologist at Colorado State University and one of Wild Rose’s founders. “When the horses get removed from the range, they're not going to be successful unless they can trust people and you have to put quite a bit of time in for many of them to really just learn to trust, to be around you.”
Each youth trainer is assigned to a specific horse. They have three months to teach them things like standing still while they’re being groomed, or how to get in and out of a trailer without causing a scene or hurting themselves. The trainers aren’t going to ride the newly trained mustangs. Basically, they’re laying the groundwork so the next person can put a saddle on them.
At the end of the summer, there’s a competition held at CSU’s campus where the youth trainers showcase what they’ve taught their horses. They have to overcome obstacles commonly found on a trail ride: logs and bridges, and stopping to open a gate.
Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group youth trainer Delaney Paluszcyk walks two-year-old Warrick out to walk past some obstacles . July 13, 2024. 
Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group youth trainers Addie (left) and Cora Parker work with colts Chip and Dale. July 13, 2024.
“Little things like that show how trainable they are on the ground,” said Stone. “And then they’ll have the opportunity to do a freestyle. So that’s kind of up to them, whatever they want to show. Whatever cool thing they taught their horse.”
After the demonstration in the barn, the girls raced off to grab horses. They started practicing some simple moves on their own, like getting their horse to trot in a circle at the end of a lead rope.
They’re working on the basics, but the girls at the Wellington training session aren’t tenderfoots when it comes to horses. Most of them have been around mustangs before. A few even have their own mustangs.
Elsa (10) and Ziva make a jump during a clinic at the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group's Wellington headquarters. July 13, 2024. 
Cayla Stone, the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group's head trainer, runs a jump clinic in her arena in Wellington. July 13, 2024.
“I pretty much have done my whole horse journey around mustangs,” said Ellie Bruckert from Greeley, 15. “I did my first one in 2021 with Wild Rose, and I did my second one in 2022… Every single horse is a little bit different … Every horse you have to try something a little bit new.”
The girls all have unique takes on what makes working with mustangs special.
“I think every horse is spooky and … all of them are crazy in their own way,” said Dagny Brault of Fort Collins, 14. “The main thing for everyone is patience. Because you can’t just jump in and try to start doing everything all at the same time. You need them to be able to be comfortable with you and gain their trust.”
Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group youth trainers Delaney Paluszcyk (right) and Addie Parker walk colts Warrick and Chip out for training at Stephanie Swanson's home in Wellington. July 13, 2024. 
Tessa (10) visits with Thea and Lyra, horses in training at Wellington's Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group. July 13, 2024.
Aside from training wild horses, the girls’ summer plans sound pretty typical. Mostly they’ll be mountain biking, playing basketball, doing chores and swimming. But the mustangs are definitely the highlight of the summer for these kids.
“What I really love about mustangs is how they’re really sweet,” said Coral Rose, 10, of Fort Collins. “Mustangs have always been my favorite because they’re wild and they come in so we can help them get to be ridden. Hopefully, they like it here.”
