Yesterday was a very exciting day at my house! I bought my first horse....and not just any horse.... Here is the story: Backtrack to when my older sister Rachel was 12 years old, she sold her llama and a few goats to buy a young mare that was rounded up in 2009 from the North Dakota Badlands. Rachel named her Autumn. Autumn was tamed by a man in Minnesota that also had several other horses for sale. Rachel was planning on buying a Nokota named Wokini. But, this young filly kept following Rachel around. Rachel turned around to see who kept following her and she and Autumn bonded. Rachel bought Autumn and finished out her training. Rachel is now 16. Rachel began yearly treks to the North Dakota Badlands, home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the wild horses, when Rachel was 13. All of Rachel's wild horse photos are taken there. The horses in TRNP are closely watched as they are part of a birth control study. Autumn's parents are Stormy x Cocoa, who have been together a long time. If horses married, these two would be married. They had Autumn in 2009. She is a beautiful bay roan. The next foal they had is Juniper, who is a solid like her sire. The next foal they had was Heritage, who disappeared. And the next foal they had was this spring. The birth control study team named her Lassen and she is identical to Autumn, with the addition of a little white star. I am now 13 years old and I have been talking and talking about training my own horse just like my sister did. Then out of nowhere my mom gets a call that Lassen has been selected for removal from the park and is now in the holding facility. These horses were once removed in large roundups via helicopter, but they are now rounded up a few at a time using low-stress techniques. Rachel and I were ecstatic! Imagine sisters both owning sister horses that look alike and training them. What is the probability of such a thing? The horses are full sisters born in the wild. Anything could have happened between 2009 when Autumn was born and 2015 when Lassen was born. These are wild horses - either one of them could have died, or Stormy could have been stolen by another stallion, or the baby could have died like their baby did last year. I have been saving my money for this very moment. I have saved my allowance and earnings from goats I have sold. Last night, there was an online auction to approved buyers and I bought Lassen!!! I will now be taming and training my very own wild horse. Rachel will be there right alongside me teaching me the skills I will need. Sisters and sisters. To follow these horses in the wild, like the FB page, "North Dakota Badlands Horse". They will be gathering up a few more next week for removal. You, too, can own your own wild horse!! Praise God for this awesome experience that has already begun! Thank you! Grace Abraham
