My Wild Horse Story: Laura and Buttercup

My name is Laura Evaristo. In August 2019, our family decided that our next horse should be a mustang. My daughter, Emma, really wanted a games horse and her horse, Belle (a Quarab) has arthritis. So, we decided since so many mustangs needed homes, why not adopt one. I knew I needed help and had heard of the Trainer Incentive Program operated by the Mustang Heritage Foundation. 

After falling in love with a particular mustang, the circumstances weren’t right with the particular trainer that had her. As difficult as it was to walk away and not look back, I thank God we did everyday because we would have never have gotten Buttercup. She is such a gentle soul and has a kind eye. My daughter, Emma (16 yrs) and her are the best of friends. We knew instantly that she needed to come home with us and within 5 days, the paperwork was done to purchase Buttercup through the Sales Program. She came home to the Kansas Prairie.

It hasn’t been easy. I learned more about horses in this 6 months than I had known before, but Emma has done an amazing job. She is the one who has done all the training. Buttercup can be a challenge most days as she is on the bottom of the herd and can be unsure. But, she is wicked smart and so willing to learn and do things. And then it happened: like dominoes, things and training started to click. The trust and bond they have and I continue to see develop is breathtaking. It all leads up to that moment when that horse allows you to climb on their back and this week that is exactly what happened. To think 6 months ago she was wild at the BLM facility in Elm Creek, Nebraska. Now, she's a horse who loves people, loves her stall, and her horse blanky on cold windy days. She is living her best days at her forever home.