Hometown Living At Its Best 95
position immediately changed to one
of curiosity. “That’s good, Tommy. You
have good energy.”
Later, I asked Tommy, “What is
it about the mustangs that makes you
want to come here and help out?”
“It’s so relaxing,” he said and
smiled. “It helps me stay calm. I
actually sleep better at night after I’ve
been here.”
In addition to the work with
the mustangs, Sandra has visitors
throughout the year from all over the
world. “We just had some people here
from Austria,” she said.
That day, a couple from Germany
was visiting. “How did you hear about
Raquettown Mustangs?” I asked the
nice-looking middle-aged woman
named Karin Becker.
“I watched this movie called
Unbranded,” she answered. “It’s about
this guy, Ben Masters, and some college
friends who ride mustangs from Mexico
to Canada. After I saw this movie, I
told my husband, ‘I’m going to get
myself a mustang.’ I found Sandra on
the Internet, and me and her daughter
came here from Germany in 2016.
While we were here, we fell in love
with a wild mustang named Dakota.”
In the spring of 2017, Dakota arrived
at his new home in Germany. (Note:
Last year, a German filming crew
came to Raquettown Mustangs to film
Sandra working with some of the wild
mustangs. It’s to be released in German
theaters sometime this year.)
“My daughter is in school to
become a Physical Therapist,” said
Karin, “and wants to do Equine
Therapy. Dakota will be perfect. He’s
the most laid back horse you’ve ever
seen.”
“One of our Makeover horses last
year,” said Sandra, “is now a therapy
horse for a 7-year-old girl who has been
in a wheelchair since she was born.
When we sent him, he was very tough
to work with. They sent me a picture of
that tall horse bending down his head
to this little girl in her wheelchair. It
was so moving. A trainer puts her on
the horse and straps her in. They have
a bond, this girl and her mustang. It’s
like he can sense she needs him.”
Wild mustangs are used to help
veterans with PTSD and prisoners
for rehabilitation purposes. A movie
named The Mustang, released on
March 19, 2019, in the U.S., is
actually based on the true story of one
prisoner’s extraordinary transformation
in this program.
As I followed Sandra and Ann
through another gate into a large
pasture, 25 to 30 mustangs grazed on
the other side of the field. “Shy Boy!”
Sandra shouted. The day was windy. I
was skeptical, not only that she would
be heard, but that one horse out of
so many would know its name and
respond. Even so, Sandra called again,
oblivious to my unbelief, “Shy Boy!”
A golden-brown mustang with a
beautiful dark mane lifted his head and
parted from the group. As he made his
way across the field, Sandra smiled and
said, “Shy Boy was one of the first ones
I adopted after Maximus,” said Sandra.
Other mustangs looked casually in our
direction, and then one after another
began to move toward us. “That’s Blue,
Faith, Peanut from Wyoming, Pistol
and Song from Oregon,” she said giving
Josh Lynn and Ann Vanderhorn help Sandra
prepare the horses for adoption and for
makeover events. Ann frequently travels with the
horses to meet their new trainers at the airport.