In the high deserts of Colorado, family bands of mustangs walk single file along game trails for up to 20 miles in a day. Because grass is scarce, and so are the few distant watering holes. Additionally, mustangs are wired to graze-a-bit and walk-a-bit, repeating this for up to 16 hours daily. This keeps their energy and hydration in a healthy balance at all times. The prey animals are keenly aware that they may have to run long distances from predators at any given moment. Therefore, grazing as they go along toward a watering hole is essential. Recall, however, that there may be no grasses to graze within a 5-mile radius of the water hole. Therefore, it's a 10-mile round-trip journey without food. Graze As You Go I often refer to mustangs as the "Prius" of the desert. They are compact and get great gas mileage. Yet how does "grazing as you go" apply to us in a culture designed around 2 or 3 meals daily. Or is it referring to snacking throughout the day! haha. Actually, it's an apt allegory for restoring balance and keeping our batteries charged up for emergencies. Giving us higher resilience to burnout, stress, and anxiety. Grazing as you go means disrupting the energy-draining pattern for a quick fill-up -feeding yourself mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
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Growing Some Hide
A mustang's hide is an apt illustration of advanced personal development. Through the centuries, wild horses have adapted to their challenging environments brilliantly. In the Western U.S., these sentient beings have thick skin that helps the horses to survive in the heat of summer and the cold of winter! Hide regulates temperature, retaining warmth in the bitter cold and providing cooling ventilation in the heat of summer. Yet horse hair on hide is so sensitive that a 1,000-pound mustang, extending more than five feet in length from its nose to the tail can feel a fly land on its rump. Then respond with a swish of the tail to swat it off. By the way, it doesn't spend the next 10 minutes complaining about the pesky flies. How do you recover, and how long does it take to recover, when sabotage occurs? It is less important to try preventing or even finding who’s responsible for the sabotage, and it’s much more important to focus on how you can respond (not react) to it. In other words, it is not about the original surprise, nor about how to react to it. Instead, it’s all about how you choose to respond to the original action that helps your recovery. Response – ability: The ability to choose a response that works for you rather than reacting at the undermining cause. Emotional hide increases your tolerance and flexibility when things don’t go your way. You can remain open to what wants to happen next. The sabotage does not cancel your day, and in fact, with a positive response, the sabotage can actually lead to something better! To grow some hide, consider:
(Story continued) In the pre-dawn light, we saw the dark figures of two older horses who escaped their “equine assisted living” area. They had been grazing along the road’s shoulder, and seemed perfectly content. Had we reactively ran toward them with adrenaline flowing they would have fled away down the road. Rather, we took some slow deep breaths and forced ourselves to walk. Calmly approaching the horses, we greeted them and gave them scratches. They walked along with us back into their pen, and we sighed in big relief that no injuries had occurred. Now, we could have been upset at one another or the horses, but that would not have helped us to adjust and go on with our day. However, feeling grateful for the safety of everyone decreased the adrenaline and restored some energy. Your day does not deserve to be canceled due to sabotage. Grow some hide and make it a great one! Want a mustang mentor? https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTYyMTQw
Wild horse enthusiasts in western Colorado have formed a new partnership to help the BLM White River Field Office manage the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area. The BLM and Piceance Mustangs formalized the partnership in April 2018 through a memorandum of understanding. "We're already seeing significant results on the ground from this partnership," said White River Range Technician Melissa Kindall. "The projects completed by Piceance Mustangs benefit wild horses as well as livestock and wildlife." Between April 2017 and October 2018, Piceance Mustang members worked 2,730 volunteer hours. They worked with livestock grazing permittees to redevelop several water well resources using a $10,000 donation from a local family foundation. Piceance Mustangs also built 0.25 miles of new fence, repaired 1.5 miles of boundary fencing, and removed about 0.75 miles of old, unnecessary fencing. The group made wreaths and barbed wire swags from some of the barbed wire they removed, some of which was more than 100 years old. They received more than $1,000 in donations for their wares. Group members have staffed informational booths to increase awareness of the Piceance-East Douglas Herd and wild horse management at popular local events in nearby Meeker, such as the Range Call Celebration, the Meeker Sheepdog Trials, and Fall Craft Show. "Piceance Mustangs formed to support long-term maintenance of a viable, healthy, free-roaming horse herd on healthy rangelands," said Piceance Mustangs President Tracy Scott. "As we go forward, Piceance Mustangs plans to work with BLM to develop more water sources, continue educating the public about the mission of Piceance Mustangs and about the American Mustang, continue with fence management, begin documenting horses and implementing fertility treatments, and assist with adoption events." BLM Colorado has found these types of partnerships effective in helping manage its wild horse herd management areas. "All four of Colorado's herd management areas now have citizen partner groups taking an active role in helping BLM successfully manage these areas," said BLM Northwest District Wild Horse Specialist Ben Smith. Interact with mustangs or connect with Tracy Scott at Steadfast Steeds Mustang Sanctuary of Western Colorado Follow the link to see the original article posted by the Bureau of Land Management.
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