Heart Horse: My Sweet Caroleena

On August 23, 2013, at age 15, I adopted one of the 2,311 Mustangs under BLM care from a traveling adoption in Columbia, SC. I picked out a taller, about 14.3 hands, lean, red mare with a kind eye and a soft expression. I provided the necessary paperwork to be approved to adopt one of America's most historic icons and, on that hot August Friday, I took my soon-to-be best friend home.

Leena and I have come a long way since our union. We both seem to have found a passion for jumpers and are now training to compete in USEF recognized horse shows. Every time I sit on her back I feel at peace, free, and I gain a sense of confidence I doubt I will ever obtain on the ground. She may not be the most expensive, have the best lineage or even be the most talented but she has more heart than any horse I have ever met. It is that quality I find more valuable than any other and I am so proud to be an owner of a piece of American history.

Our story has been described as one of "rags to riches" and my heart swells knowing that I have brought this mare up from nothing. She is my world, my princess, and she is worth everything.