Akai

Akai is a very special mustang gelding - he is strong, brave, and thoughtful. He is fiercely loyal to those he loves, and stands as a protector and guardian of his small herd here at the rescue. His power is matched by his gentleness, and he is likely smarter than any of the humans he meets! <br/><br/>If you yearn to share space with a stoic, magnificent steed and to earn the right to pet his soft nose and fuzzy little ears, perhaps you could give Akai the greatest gift - a place to call his forever home.<br/><br/><br/>AKAI'S BACKGROUND<br/><br/>Akai was rounded up by government helicopters as a weanling, likely still nursing. He remained in holding pens for roughly 7 years before being processed for sale, where he was purchased through an incentive program that gives “adopters” a $500 check upon pickup and a $500 check+title one year later. Just past the one year mark, Akai was sold for meat. <br/><br/>A kind family purchased Akai from the slaughter trader and brought him to their home, where their teenage daughter attempted to gentle the still-wild mustang. Traditional ‘natural horsemanship’ (pressure/release) methods did not work for Akai (as they often fail so many horses, especially mustangs). He repeatedly jumped/climbed out of their 6’+ tall roundpen, leaving him loose on approx. 50 acres. He eventually escaped the property and began rooting through a neighbor’s garden, leading to local boys roping him on horseback and dragging him back to the family’s farm. <br/><br/>Afraid of him escaping again, Akai was placed in a stall with full solid walls inside a barn. He was given hay and water through the bars, but the door wouldn’t open until SKE rescuers showed up over a month later. He easily loaded on the trailer and was brought to our rescue facility in late 2021.<br/><br/>Akai arrived at approximately 9 years old and has been given extensive downtime to heal from the traumas he had experienced. He’s had three years of healing at SKE, but that’s only the beginning of his healing journey. In his time here, he’s gone from nervous to curious, reactive to bold, and shut-down to open and engaging. <br/><br/>Akai will gladly run up to meet you at the gate, loves gentle pets on his face, and is an avid learner when his humans utilize gentle, trauma-informed R+ methods. <br/><br/><br/>AKAI'S TRAINING<br/><br/>Akai has excelled with ethical, force-free training methods. His education has been 100% R+ (clicker training, fear-free/force-free) since arrival. <br/><br/>Akai is confident and reliable with the following behaviors:<br/><br/>- Leading off target or body language (at liberty, walk and trot)<br/>- Stationing at a bucket for pets and grooming<br/>- Face targeting (placing his eye, ear, cheek, nose, or forehead to your hand on cue)<br/><br/>Akai understands haltering and leading with halter/rope, but has a lot of trauma from ropes and restraints. We are working at his pace to solidify his halter and rope leading skills, though it’s certainly not a “skill” issue and more a trust issue (he will follow us anywhere we go and lead reliably off a target, so he doesn’t see why we need to restrain him with ropes!)<br/><br/>Akai is fearful with any sort of veterinary handling, but our skilled trainers have been able to convince him to cooperate with sedation for routine veterinary care. He will take oral medications hidden in feed. He will load on a trailer for food when confined to a small area outside the trailer, but his loading/unloading style is very much that of a wild mustang!<br/><br/><br/>AKAI'S HEALTH HISTORY<br/><br/>Akai is approx. 11 years old (turning 12 sometime in 2025). He is a branded BLM (government-captured) American Mustang.<br/><br/>Akai is small but mighty, at approx 14.2 hh tall with a thick build! He could carry youths and small riders for high-impact riding activities, an average-sized adult for infrequent high-impact or regular low-impact riding, or a larger adult for infrequent low-impact riding. His weight limit is likely around 200lbs, maybe a bit more with proper saddle fit, conditioning, and a balanced rider. <br/><br/>Akai is a VERY easy keeper. Give him pasture or give him hay, he’ll stay chunky regardless! He is currently using a free-choice/buffet-style mineral system, but any quality mineral balancer should fulfill his nutritional needs. He hasn’t required any supplements or special feeds (though we did offer him self-selection calming herbs when he first arrived, to help ease his tension following the traumas he experienced). <br/><br/>Akai has not begun any hoof handling behaviors, as he has been nervous with leg handling and his hooves self-trim beautifully on their own (Note: He has approx 3 acres of pasture, including varied terrain and rocky/gravel areas. Restriction to a small space or soft ground could prevent him from self-trimming).<br/><br/>Akai is sound with gorgeous, floaty mustang movement! He has no athletic limitations and hasn’t had any major medical issues that we’re aware of. <br/><br/><br/>AKAI'S SPECIAL NEEDS<br/><br/>Akai needs an adopter who is comfortable living with and managing a wild mustang. Though he is no longer entirely feral, he is still very capable of testing fencelines, reacting to scary situations in big ways, and is not reliable with halters, rope leading, or cooperative veterinary handling. <br/><br/><br/>HOW TO ADOPT AKAI<br/><br/>SKE seeks adopters who have good intentions & good core values to direct them on their horsemanship journey - plus the knowledge, resources, & facilities to provide a great life to their adopted equine. If you feel that describes you, we would love for you to provide Akai with an amazing home!<br/><br/>Akai is available for adoption through SKE for $1500. He’s located in Willard, Missouri, USA and transportation is available in the US & most of Canada.<br/><br/>Start the application process by filling the adoption application:<br/>skequine.com/adopt<br/><br/>Contact SKE with any questions or concerns:<br/>adopt@skequine.com<br/><br/>Thank you for considering Akai! He is truly unique and special, and will be an amazing companion or riding partner for the right person!<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Naming Note: Akai is named for the Shoshoni words “Akaiti Tempin” meaning “white or grey stone,” to pay respect to the people who lived and cared for the land where Akai was born.

Akai is a very special mustang gelding - he is strong, brave, and thoughtful. He is fiercely loyal to those he loves, and stands as a protector and guardian of his small herd here at the rescue. His power is matched by his gentleness, and he is likely smarter than any of the humans he meets!

If you yearn to share space with a stoic, magnificent steed and to earn the right to pet his soft nose and fuzzy little ears, perhaps you could give Akai the greatest gift - a place to call his forever home.


AKAI'S BACKGROUND

Akai was rounded up by government helicopters as a weanling, likely still nursing. He remained in holding pens for roughly 7 years before being processed for sale, where he was purchased through an incentive program that gives “adopters” a $500 check upon pickup and a $500 check+title one year later. Just past the one year mark, Akai was sold for meat.

A kind family purchased Akai from the slaughter trader and brought him to their home, where their teenage daughter attempte

Akai is a very special mustang gelding - he is strong, brave, and thoughtful. He is fiercely loyal to those he loves, and stands as a protector and guardian of his small herd here at the rescue. His power is matched by his gentleness, and he is likely smarter than any of the humans he meets!

If you yearn to share space with a stoic, magnificent steed and to earn the right to pet his soft nose and fuzzy little ears, perhaps you could give Akai the greatest gift - a place to call his forever home.


AKAI'S BACKGROUND

Akai was rounded up by government helicopters as a weanling, likely still nursing. He remained in holding pens for roughly 7 years before being processed for sale, where he was purchased through an incentive program that gives “adopters” a $500 check upon pickup and a $500 check+title one year later. Just past the one year mark, Akai was sold for meat.

A kind family purchased Akai from the slaughter trader and brought him to their home, where their teenage daughter attempted to gentle the still-wild mustang. Traditional ‘natural horsemanship’ (pressure/release) methods did not work for Akai (as they often fail so many horses, especially mustangs). He repeatedly jumped/climbed out of their 6’+ tall roundpen, leaving him loose on approx. 50 acres. He eventually escaped the property and began rooting through a neighbor’s garden, leading to local boys roping him on hors