American Mustang / Montana / Aaron Hendry
Date of Birth: 1995
Sex: Gelding
Breed: American Mustang
Color: Golden Palomino
Markings: Star with a white stripe
Brands: “H60” on left front shoulder, “KIT” on left rear thigh, and the BLM’s brand for “American Mustang” on his neck under his mane
Popcorn
Popcorn (aka “Poppy”) is an American Mustang whose gentle spirit is a testament to resiliency and kindness. Born on the range in Montana, he was rounded up by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2000 at the age of 6. He was returned twice to the BLM as aggressive and not adoptable.
A couple in Topanga, CA, tried to rehabilitate him, knowing that Poppy’s aggression might eventually land him on a truck to the slaughterhouse. A neighbor, Los Angeles actor and writer Aaron Hendry, noticed Poppy in his paddock, saw through his defensiveness and asked to work with him.
Ten years of time, tenderness and long rides yielded a horse + human partnership that is the stuff of movies. Poppy’s riding days ended after stepping in a hole, and his friend brought him to us so Poppy could live out his life in gentler terrain, once again a member of a herd.