5000 Miles, 5000 Mustangs Starts Route Planning

Hannah Catalino and Lisanne Fear are currently making their way across the United States, plotting their course for this Fall's upcoming "5000 Miles, 5000 Mustangs" on the American Discovery Trail. The two left on Tuesday, April 13 in order to determine whether they were to take the northern or southern route of the Trail and prep their horses for what lies ahead. With their pack of dogs (Kayuh, Zaphyra, and Keiko) they began their 7000-mile road trip to determine the safest 5000 miles of riding to educate and inspire. The tour will bring awareness and adoption opportunities to the wild mustangs currently available throughout the country in holding; both women ride wild mustangs themselves, which have been trained and prepped through hours of horsemanship.

Catalino is from the Whitehall area, while Fear grew up in Wyoming and recently transplanted to the area to make their dreams a reality. After meeting in 2014, the two thought about a grand adventure, which originally included the Unbranded Trail, riding west from Mexico to Canada. However, Catalino suffers from a genetic disorder which prohibits her from staying in extreme altitudes for an extended period; hence, the American Discovery Trail became the focus.

The women will be accompanied in the fall by their "team" of Wild Ones: Phineas, Salt, Pistachio, Shine, Bagheera, and Rosette, along with burro Tito, and mule Abilene. The ladies visited the Whitehall Ledger office last week riding Phineas (left with Lisanne) and Rosette (right with Hannah).

Phineas is a ten-year-old mustang from Calico Mountain, NV and was the first mustang Lisanne ever started. Starting wild, Phineas now participates in parades, memorial ceremonies, farm and ranch work and is instant friends with anyone and everyone he meets.

Rosette is an eight-year-old mustang who just four month before coming into Hannah's life was running free in the Divide Basin area of Wyoming. Rosette was one of the most difficult mustangs Hannah had ever gentled, with high flight reaction, disinterest in people and a stubborn, unwilling nature. She is now Hannah's most trusted and willing horse.

If you are interested in tracking the progress of their route selection, as well as their main tour in the fall, visit http://www.mustangdiscovery.com or follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/mustangdiscovery. They are set up as a non-profit organization, which means all donations to their adventure are much appreciated, as well as tax deductible. They are always happy to receive donations towards gas, maps, and copious amounts of tea and caffeine!

The entire goal of the trip is to inspire the adoption of 5000 mustangs and burros from holding pens across America. Please share their journey - and if they inspire you to adopt, please let them know by visiting mustangdiscovery.com/inspired-adoptions. There you will find adoption success stories, photos and more, which will make your heart smile at what these ladies are accomplishing.

Their tour is currently sponsored by Espana Silk, PSD Kennels, Knot Just for Horses, Mike Whitney Handmade Knives & Spurs, Jay Fear Real estate, and FearLis Art.