To put words on it would make it to ‘Earthy’
An other-worldly experience – simply indescribable.
This is beyond words.
These are the statements that I get time and again from our I AM HERD retreats. The experience is truly that deep and real, that to define it seems to lessen the unseen power that is experienced there.
But this amazing universe has been conspiring to gift us with unique opportunities to ‘describe the indescribable’.
Well – let me tell you a story …
As you know the Mustangs are a HUGE part of I AM HERD. They are the HEART of it all and they guide us to tune into our OWN Heart beat.
I am blessed to be partnered with 7 of these amazing creatures of the wild and I adore each one. However, there is one that has always had an extra ‘Magical’ vibe to her spirit. I think my fascination with her is in part because she was not easy to win over like the others. She truly seemed to miss her wild home. I do not blame her, I have images of her in the wild and she looked so full of life and freedom. Her family was and IS still there. Her sire is Paco, a golden palomino stallion. Her dam is Issa a bay pinto. Her full sister, Gabriella is a black and white pinto and there are others – still on the range, still wild and free in the South Steens of OR. (Below images of Magic in the wild, just before she was gathered in 2009. They are photo credit to John Wheland, who kindly gave me permission to share)
(Above) Paco is the golden stallion far left. Issa is next in line with the slightly crooked blaze and Magic is just on the other side of Issa’s new foal. This image was taken months before Magic was gathered. This is Magic’s natal herd!
Magic was my ‘draw’ for the 2012 Mustang Magic EMM and when I brought her home she was flat, angry and mad. She charged me. She tried to bite me. She wanted no part of me. When I first began to ride her she would literally flatten her ears if I breathed a word. This was tough for me, because I love to talk to my horses, but she wanted none of it. She tolerated me and I was lucky for that.
At the competition she charged the bars of the stall when people walked by. Honestly, this was the first time I realized she must like me – at least a little, because even though she still pinned her ears at the sound of my ‘good girl’, she at least let me in her stall!
I do not know when it happened, but at some point it did. At some point her emotions shifted and she began to not only tolerate me, but actually enjoy my presence. At the sound of her name she no longer pinned her ears, but rather she perked them to me and would come to meet me in the field. She has become one of the core members of my liberty team of Mustangs and I cannot imagine this herd without – ‘Magic’
Below is a short video that shares a bit of the emotion I feel for her …
I have always had a dream of adopting my #8 wild horse from Magic’s homeland, the South Steens, but they rarely gather wild horses from that area. You see, the Mustangs that are still in the wild in the South Steens, have become quite the celebrities. There are many photographers that spend countless hours photographing the South Steens herds. The images are shared all over the internet and many people have fallen deeply in love with this wild horses in the state they are in – WILD and FREE.
But, they multiply and the numbers on the range reached a point that could not be ignored. So the BLM did 2 ‘bait trap’ gathers just a few months back in 2016. The ‘bait trap’ gathers are not the normal helicopter round ups. It takes time of waiting on the horses to enter the trap and to my understanding, it does not always work. But it DID work and it went VERY well. Not one injury to the wild horses that were captured!
These recently gathered South Steens Mustangs are now listed for sale on an internet adoption and bidding starts Jan 31st 2017!
Now, at this point I am sure you are well aware my heart is set on adopting one, but you may be wondering what this has to do with ‘describing the indescribable’ that is the I AM HERD Retreat – well, there is more …
Just last year an award winning Film-Maker by the name of Ivy Schexnayder reached out to me expressing the desire to co-create a documentary on Wild Horses. She wanted to showcase the SOUL connection between horse and human, that indescribable ‘thing’ that we all are drawn to these Wild Horses for. She wanted to paint a picture that no words could touch, a moving picture that the heart could see. (Ivy created the above video featuring Magic as well as the video on the tab “Movie Short” in our main menu.)
It seems to good to be true, but the more I live life the more I realize life is brimming over with ‘to good to be true’ moments.
So here we are. Ivy and I are at the beginning of embarking on the brand new adventure we call ‘The Soul of a Wild Horse’ and things are moving FAST.
I have poured over the South Steens Mustangs listed on the internet adoption site and there are many beauties, but I am drawn to … Will be sharing this EXCITING surprise during our 17 day ROAD TRIP! .. and let me tell you – it is EXCITING!
The 17 Day ROAD TRIP begins Feb 14th! Please be sure to follow our fb page for I AM HERD and check back here for details on the journey!
If YOU feel led to be a part of this experience we welcome your support! We look forward to the partnerships this adventure will bring! Perhaps it is a partnership with YOU! 🙂
The donations to this venture are TAX DEDUCTIBLE because I AM HERD is a 501(c)3 Non Profit!
This is a FABULOUS opportunity to raise awareness for I AM HERD, for the FILM and FOR OUR WILD HORSES! So we will be taking the public on the road with us in many ways. We will post video blogs updates and share live video feed from the road as our family of 4 (including our 6 yr old and 1.5 yr old daughters 🙂 ) travel all the way from coastal North Carolina to Burns Oregon and back with this WILD Mustang(s)
If you feel led to support this venture in any way – or have thoughts or questions for me – feel free to reach out to us at hearyourownheart@gmail.com. – Mary Miller-Jordan – I AM HERD
Our mailing address is
I AM HERD PO Box 3 Kelly, NC 28448
If you would like to make a donation right now via PayPal you may click the link below …