WHE volunteer Bobbie Moller attended the roundup of the Black Mountain, Hardtrigger and Sands Bain roundup in Idaho last year. This herd is very special to her and she developed special relationship with many of the horses that live and once lived there.
Dreams Can Come True: Bobbie Moller, WHE volunteer
My favorite horse on the Black Mountain Herd Management Area (aka HMA) here in Idaho, was Betty, aka Dosa. She is a beautiful, mostly black horse with a flowing, long white and cream- colored tail. All wild horses are beautiful in their own way to me, but Betty was extra special because when my husband and I would sit out on the range for hours watching the herd she was in, she would occasionally approach us. She wasn’t as skittish and afraid as many of the others were. And one time, a younger horse saw Betty approach us and thought we must be ok, so she started to approach us too. Betty went over to her and gently pushed her back, as if to protect her. It was heartwarming to see.
Betty on the range
Betty gave birth in early June 2023 to most likely her last foal, since named Bullseye. A photographer was on the range on May 31st and told me that Betty was still very pregnant. My husband and I went out there on June 2nd and there was Bullseye, tiny and so cute! We watched him playing with other foals on the range, bouncing around and then running to nurse on his mama. It was a joy to watch!
Then in September 2023, the Bureau of Land Management did a helicopter gather at Black Mountain as well as at nearby Hard Trigger and Sands Basin. More than 200 horses were captured. One foal was killed during the process. It was heartbreaking. Luckily though, Betty and Bullseye (shown in the following roundup photos) survived.
Betty was adopted by an experienced horsewoman who lives in Idaho. That was a relief to me. I was praying she would land safely and she did.
Bullseye was one of the foals given to local 4-H clubs to train. I followed his progress on Facebook and then went to the event where all the 4-H kids showcased the training they did and then the foals were put up for adoption.
Like his Mama, Bullseye landed safely. He was adopted by a lady and her husband, Jessica and Josh, who live in North Carolina. They own a facility called “Trail of Faith Farms”. It’s a Christian based facility that offers beginner through advanced western riding lessons, therapeutic riding, Mustang gentling and natural horsemanship training. Their mission is to serve all horse enthusiasts from able-bodied to disabled individuals. They serve Veterans to children and adults dealing with a vast variety of diagnoses from PTSD, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Depression and more. Also, Jessica recently wrote a book called, “The Encouraging Equestrian: A Collection of Devotionals That Apply to All Walks and Disciplines in Life” (available on Amazon).
Jessica was born in Mountain Home, Idaho. She has many childhood memories of fishing with her dad along the Salmon River, sprinkled with vivid memories of the wild horses that roamed the ridges. The draw to horses never ceased. Her grandpa introduced her to horses when she was three years old and she started riding at age six. Life happened, tragedies experienced, relationships formed and lost. However, horses were always present. She loved horses. Jessica’s father passed in 2010 and the memories of fishing while watching the horses replayed, leading to the desire to one day own an Idaho mustang. Years passed, was honorably discharged from the USMC, finally bought her childhood paint horse, started the business with her husband, and talked daily to Grandpa about all the horsing around. Jessica told him that she wanted to have an Idaho wild horse someday, similar to her royal steed, Rocket, a beautiful paint gelding. Years went by and it seemed like a dream to own an Idaho paint mustang. Then Grandpa was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and passed in February 2022. The desire to own an Idaho mustang was lit like a wildfire, so the search began again to look for one. What a blessing for her dad and grandpa to have cherished the outdoors, from hunting, fishing, and of course the sport of riding horses as well as observing them. Jessica is blessed with the sentiment of those memories.
Her dream came true when she and her niece Brielle, drove out to Idaho in June to pick up Bullseye. What a gift to be able to now own a special Idaho mustang who is a paint gelding. Bullseye has a big horsenality just like her childhood horse, Rocket, who just turned 25 on July 4, 2024. Very different horses, but much alike with great minds, willing to learn, onery, and unique. May all be blessed by the treasure of the presence of a horse. May it draw us to a better version of ourselves as Jessica has said they have done for her.
She asked me if we would take her and Brielle out to see where Bullseye was born, which we happily agreed to do. We all had a great time on the range. They were able to see approximately 30 wild horses. Most were in one area all together, but we just happened to see a few close up while driving our UTV along one of the HMA’s many dirt roads. We also saw from a distance a lone stallion who unbeknownst to him, 3 others were just over a hill. He kept walking over the hill and then they all met. After a few whinnies and kicks, everybody calmed down and seemed to get along.
It was so fun watching Jessica and Brielle’s reactions to what they were seeing! The beauty of the vast, rugged range and seeing the horses wild and free was not lost on them! Jessica said they were on sensory overload!
Then a little bit of serendipity happened. Brielle was adopting a 9 month old mustang named Primrose. Jessica asked if I could find out anything about “Primm’s” mom. Since Primm was 9 months old, her mom had to have been pregnant when she was captured at Black Mountain last September, so Primm had to have been born in the Boise corral. I went through my pictures of an adoption event held at the corral last November and found both pictures and video. There was little Primm, probably 1 week old, by her mama’s side! Primm’s mom and Betty, Bullseye’s mom, hung out with the same herd on Black Mountain, so it’s very possible that Bullseye and Primm share the same dad and are half siblings!
Before heading back to North Carolina, Jessica and Brielle carefully introduced Bullseye and Primm. They got along great. Since they would be traveling all the way back to North Carolina in the same trailer, she gave them some time to get to know each other beforehand.
As I write this, they are all headed back to North Carolina. And I am happy knowing that Betty, Bullseye and Primm all are safe and have wonderful futures ahead of them!
Wild Horse Education is, among other things, dedicated to telling the public what is actually happening when the BLM rounds up wild horses and burros. Helicopter roundups where horses and burros are hurt and killed, make those reports often hard to read. If we care about wild horses and burros though, we can’t bury our heads in the sand. It is important that we read the updates (at wildhorseeducation.org) so we know what is happening and can politely communicate our dissatisfaction with the BLM and our government legislators. Knowledge is power and can lead to change.
We are sharing this article with you about Jessica and Brielle’s wonderful adventure here in Idaho because just like anything else, there is always good along with the bad. This is a wild horse “win”. We all need to celebrate when something good happens to our wild horses. Sometimes we can’t change the whole world, but we can change the whole world for one (or two).
And here they are, safely in North Carolina…
There are so many sad stories, hard stories and injustices.
We hope this simple tale helps you find breathing space and know that some wild ones land safely while we continue to fight for their families and friends left on the range.
Onward.
Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our treasured wild ones!
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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