Mustang Adoption Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
MAA's STORY
Our founder, Sky Epperson, has thousands of horse & mustang experiences. Prior to his involvement with Mustangs, he was already a good horseman, successfully training & helping many domestic horses.
But then, he found himself paired with two Mustangs, Crime and Pesado (Yes, he agreed to help a horse named Crime). Here, he realized that traditional methods weren’t working. By luck, circumstance, karma, and/or the grace of God he was introduced to Brain-Based Horsemanship, which revolutionized the way he works with horses.
"Brain-Based Horsemanship has made me slow down and understand the importance of safety. It allows communication with the horse in a way that expands boundaries while keeping within tolerance."
Sky & his team now run a highly successful Mustang adoption program at the MAA through Brain-Based Horsemanship, as well as offering continuing education & behavioral services.
Additionally, the MAA offers the Mustangs of Service Veterans Program, which uses Equine Assisted Services to pair Veterans & Mustangs to help them adjust to domestic life.
A bit about the Mustang:
In the early 1970’s, The US government protected America’s Horse, The Mustang, and put them under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, BLM. Under the BLM, Horse Management Areas (HMAs) were created with established quotas to allow a certain number of horses on each HMA. This quota allowed for just over 26,000 Mustangs on BLM controlled federal lands in 11 Western States. Unfortunately, due to a variety of causes and legal policies, there are now over 80,000 Mustangs on the Range. Regular round-ups each year gather Mustangs off the HMAs to protect the horses and other wildlife from overgrazing and the overuse of precious water resources. The BLM allows for adoption of these gathered horses, but round up numbers are outpacing adoptions. In addition to the Mustangs on the HMAs, there are now 60,000 plus Mustangs in short and long-term holding facilities. These problems are further impacted by failed adoptions and rumors that Mustangs are difficult to own.
The Mustang’s natural habitat has necessitated inherent adaptability, intelligence, and hardiness that make it “America’s Horse”.
Mustangs are not difficult if you know the right technique to help them; we believe this is through Brain-Based Horsemanship. The Mustang Adoption Academy is here to facilitate the expansion of Mustang adoptions – exactly what these great horses need!
Mustangs gentled with Brain-Based Horsemanship advance to work in a variety of disciplines including, but certainly not limited to:
Trail riding
Therapy horses
Western sports
Dressage
Hunter Equitation
Jumpers
Endurance racing
and SO MUCH more!
As a breed, they are fun-loving, athletic, smart, hardy, pocket horses.
“I adopted a Mustang…
now what???”
Many people and organizations promote Mustang adoption, but do nothing to ensure that adoption’s success. Adopters become scared and fail to complete the adoption. Some adoptions are even disastrous and end so badly that the mustang ends up in the “kill pen.” Through extensive study and practice, we at the Mustang Adoption Academy Foundation have found the path to mustang adoption success: Brain-Based Horsemanship. Our nonprofit foundation helps owners and their Mustang friends successfully navigate lifetime partnership. The journey doesn’t end with adoption papers and delivery, but continues with online and in-person demos, clinics, online courses, and one-on-one support.
INTERESTED IN ADOPTING A MUSTANG?
Adopt a gentled Mustang from the Mustang Adoption Academy.
A Mustang gentled at the MAA will at a minimum meet the requirements of haltering, leading, loading into a trailer, and be receptive to grooming. Additionally, our Brain-Based Horsemanship training teaches the Mustang strategies to self down-regulate, which allows them to handle the pressures and asks of domestic life.
The MAA does not just gentle Mustangs and place them with adopters, but also helps to set the adopters up for success with their horses!
