A Mustang Discovery: Riders raise awareness through cross-country ride, with stop in Shepherdstown

Hannah Catalino and Lisanne Fear prepare to move on to the next ride, in their 5,000-mile trek across the country to raise awareness of the fate of wild mustangs. The two spent several days in Shepherdstown at the home of D.L. and Tara Morgan. Toni Milbourne
SHEPHERDSTOWN — Hannah Catalino and Lisanne Fear, who hail from Pinedale, Wyo., and Whitehall, Mont., respectively, are on a mission to educate the public about the fate of wild mustangs.
The two are riding mustangs 5,000 miles across the United States over the next year to share the story of how the mustangs are rounded up and placed in holding pens by the government and are available for adoption. Along with mustangs, burros are also available.
Catalino and Fear were in Shepherdstown last week, bunking down at the home of D.L. and Tara Morgan, whom they met through a contact at Shepherd University.
“Michelle Lawson suggested the Morgan home as a possible layover place,” Fear said, adding that their stay was to be just a couple of days.
However, as the horses needed a bit of additional rest, and one of their mules was unable to move on when planned, the two stayed for a few extra days in Shepherdstown.
“D.L. came to rescue us and bring our mule back after we started on our way,” Fear said. “He has been amazing.”
The extra days off the trail allowed time for all of the horses to be reshoed and for the girls to catch up on some tasks before heading out.
Meeting at an Extreme Mustang Makeover event in 2014, Catalino and Fear have built a friendship, which has only continually grown stronger over the last seven years. The two had much in common, keeping in touch and working together whenever possible.
Catalino, who trains horses, had plans to do so internationally, but those plans were thwarted with the onset of COVID-19. The friends began to talk of doing an awareness ride and looked at possibly something for a summer.
“I sent the idea to Lisanne jokingly,” Catalino said. “It’s a huge time commitment, but she said, ‘It looks great; let’s do it.'”
The duo then planned their Mustang Discovery Ride route and began seeking sponsors to help facilitate the trek.
“We looked at the Continental Divide,” Fear said, “but someone was already doing that. The Appalachian Trail does not allow horses on much of the trail.”
So, the two settled on following the American Discovery Trail across the country, or at least as close to its path as possible with the horses.
“The largest hurdle is the money. The Mustang Heritage Foundation is a title sponsor, and blk. Water is our transportation sponsor,” she said, adding that they also have hay and grain sponsors. “A lot of it is flying by the seat of our pants. The beauty of it is that we don’t have a lot of it planned.”
“It’s a freeing type of journey, with the flexibility of riding, until we want to take a break,” Catalino said, mentioning the two have a goal of around 20 miles per day.
Their passion is for the mustangs who are in holding pens and will never be freed by the government. Unless the horses are adopted, they will remain in those holding areas.
“There are currently about 53,000 in holding pens waiting to be adopted,” Fear said.
The two women hope to make the public aware that these horses are available and that they can be trained. On their journey, they have four mustangs, all who have been trained from the wild, as well as a mule and a burro.
“There are about 15,000 burros in the holding pens,” Fear said, mentioning that they are great companions.
The two women will gladly accept donations to help with their journey, which will eventually lead them to the Napa Valley area in California, sometime around Oct. 2022. One can follow their journey at mustangdiscovery.com, as videos are regularly posted.