At the barn of her wide open horse ranch, Babbie Styslinger pulled out a large basket containing 130 leather tags numbered recklessly. She picked one up, felt the worn-out leather with her fingers, then lowered her head with a bit of solemn sadness, a bit of somber reflection, a bit of austere reality.
“When a mustang comes in from the wild, they are given a number and tagged. The Bureau of Land Management keeps track of the horses that way. I have collected 130 tags, one for every mustang we have saved,” Styslinger said. “We take the tags away and give them a name. Everyone who loves horses lives for the moment a mustang is given a name to replace their number. That means they will soon find a home.”
Styslinger took a walk on her ranch in Leeds, Alabama, where wild mustangs roam wild and free. She stroked the mane of one and talked to it like it was a human. The horse’s name was Lola, and it was evident that Lola loved Styslinger. The animal nuzzled its nose into her petite body with gentleness and care.
Styslinger is the closest to an actual cowboy east of the Mississippi. She sports wide-legged jeans with cowboy boots, a flannel shirt, long blond hair, and sharp blue eyes peering into the distance and looking for the next wild mustang to be saved.
Mustangs are the wild horses of the American West. They were first brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Since the colonial times, many other breeds and types of horses have contributed to the modern mustang. “Unfortunately, there are too many wild mustangs on federal lands competing with cattle for food and water, so they are held until someone like me gets them for adoption,” Styslinger said. “There are approximately 50,000 mustangs in facilities right now.”
Styslinger saves these mustangs for personal reasons. She admitted mustangs have saved her life, twice: once when she was young and then later after high school. “I grew up with a depressed mother. I felt unloved, and my defense mechanism was to laugh on the outside but cry on the inside. Then, my life changed when I got a horse. I loved my mare, Sugar, and she gave me unconditional love. She was also my protector,” Styslinger said. “Then, after high school, I had no sense of who I was and felt lost. I attended an equine college in West Virginia and worked at the barn as a groom, a broodmare manager, an assistant, then a cutting horse trainer. It gave me a strong backbone and a sense that I could do anything. I began hauling horses all over the country and breaking [a term meaning to train them to be ridden] two-year-olds and training them for cattle. Taking that courage I learned from my mustangs, I fearlessly opened my own business and grew it into two successful retail storefronts. That fearless attitude is always with me. I know that I can do anything.”
Now, Styslinger saves these mustangs and gives back to the wild horses that saved her life and loved her unconditionally. “Saving these mustangs is everything to me, and I can always find solace in the soul of a horse. It’s one of the reasons I am on this planet. These wild beauties helped me and changed my life. They gave me purpose and courage when I needed it the most,” she said.
Styslinger brings wild mustangs from out West to her ranch. Then, she gentles them. Gentling is another training method that involves establishing trust with the animal. It is not quite breaking them in, but close. She works with the Mustang Heritage Foundation to get them adopted. She is vehemently passionate about her purpose. “I save these beautiful horses because they saved me. Mustangs are wild America. Many people love these gorgeous horses and want to see them adopted. I am just one of many who do this,” Styslinger said. Last year, she found homes for 26 mustangs. She aims to continue her efforts in saving the wild horses as long as she is able.
“I want to save hundreds, maybe thousands. It’s my mission in life,” Styslinger said, as she patted another mustang trying to get her attention. “These mustangs have a familial nature. They’re always looking after one another and are family-oriented. I believe they have innate intuition. People love mustangs because of the relationship and the strong bond they build with their owners.”
Styslinger approached the fence of her ranch where three wild mustangs were grazing. They saw her and came over for some love. “There’s Lola again,” Styslinger said. “She’s so gentle and sensitive with special-needs kids. One time, a father came with his special boy. Lola smelled the boy from head to toe, then rested her head on his shoulder. The boy began to cry and hugged her neck. It was so touching.”
After caring for Lola, Styslinger headed back to the barn where a few new wild mustangs had just arrived. The first thing to do? Take their worn-out leather tags off, then give them a name, and a home.
This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
