In a California town where horses outnumber residents and hitching posts line the streets, Diana McGrew's equestrian drill team has found a way to set itself apart.
They are building a team made up of wild horses, mostly from Nevada.
McGrew, president of the drill team the Cowgirl Way, is going to the Warm Springs Correctional Facility today -- and she can't wait.
"Oh my gosh, I can't even begin to describe how excited I am," she said.
She will be adopting her first wild horse from the prison's mustang-training program.
Five members of the team adopted wild horses from the program about four months ago and those horses are already performing with the team.
"The horses we have so far have worked out wonderfully," McGrew said. "They just followed right along and picked it up."
Five more members plan to take horses home today, with the goal of the 13-member team eventually all performing on feral horses.
The wild horses will distinguish the team from other horse enthusiasts in
Norco, Calif., where bridle paths take the place of sidewalks and horses are tied outside of restaurants.
"We can ride down to the Jack-in-the-Box and hitch our horses outside," she said. "We have a lot of horses here, but there's always room for more."
And she's working to make sure some of that growth is in the wild-horse population.
"Our hope is that we can spread the word that you don't have to buy a $10,000 horse," she said. "There are hundreds of mustangs. Each and every one of them needs a home."
But it's more than mere philanthropy. She said wild horses are often easier to train than their domestic counterparts.
"Your domestic horses have been touched by humans since they were first born," she explained. "That human intervention can cause them to develop bad habits. Mustangs have been out in the wild and they come to you fresh.
"As long as you know what you're doing, you can make an awesome horse out of it."
BKOUT
A wild-horse adoption will be open to the public July 20 at the Reno Livestock Events Center. For adoption information go to www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call 1-866-4-MUSTANGS.
The first Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo is being run in conjunction with the wild horse adoption. The celebration of the wild horse begins at 6 p.m. Friday and is free and open to the public. Go to www.wildhorseandburroexpo.com for information.
