A few weeks after losing his twin brother, a young boy met Cowboy K and his horse on a Chicago street. His mother said she had not seen him happy in a long time. Then he climbed into the saddle and smiled.

That moment captures why Cowboy K, also known as K Walk, brings horses from The Daisy Ranch into Chicago neighborhoods. Many of the children he meets have never touched, fed, or ridden a horse. Once a horse arrives, differences in age, race, and background begin to disappear as the community gathers around it.

Cowboy K did not grow up riding. His journey began when his uncle, The Big Bopper, convinced him to get on a horse at a family gathering. He returned to the ranch the following morning, determined to learn. What began with fear became a life with horses and a mission to make horsemanship accessible to the urban community he came from.

We talk about what horses have taught him about patience, confidence, responsibility, and the consequences of rushing the process. Cowboy K also shares what it takes to prepare a horse for Chicago’s streets, the conflict and confusion he has encountered surrounding urban horseback riding, and why he continues giving children free experiences with horses even when the work leaves him exhausted.

This is a story about the happiness a horse can bring, but it is also about access. Cowboy K wants children throughout Chicago to understand that horses and horsemanship are not reserved for people from somewhere else. They can belong in their lives too.

ABOUT COWBOY K

Cowboy K, also known as K Walk, runs The Daisy Ranch in Illinois. His mission is to bring horses and people together, introduce horsemanship to inner-city communities, and teach more young people how to ride and care for horses.

CONNECT WITH COWBOY K AND THE DAISY RANCH

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cowboy.k.kwalk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowboyk1/

Fundraiser: https://gofund.me/936d406ec

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

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Follow The Touch of a Mustang as we uncover the places and principles that lead to healing, resilience, and freedom of mind.

What happens when the place you have always gone to heal is suddenly devastated?

The Aspen Acres Fire swept across our property outside Beulah, Colorado, leaving the mountains transformed and setting off a chain of events that left two of my horses seriously injured. While the horses were evacuated, a mountain lion attacked one mare and the herd fled through 11 fences.

The land and horses that had carried me through difficult seasons suddenly needed care of their own.

In this solo episode, I share what this Colorado wildfire taught me about grief, gratitude, and the uneven nature of healing. As the burned landscape and my horses recover, I explore why loss should not be rushed toward a silver lining, what setbacks reveal about the healing process, and what it means to care for the animals who once carried you.

Healing does not always restore what was there before. Sometimes the landscape remains changed, the scars remain visible, and life still begins growing again.

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang

Follow The Touch of a Mustang for more stories about horses, the people they meet, and what those relationships reveal about healing, resilience, and being human.

Horses cannot heal us—and expecting them to may place a burden on them that was never theirs to carry. They can reflect how we are showing up, reveal what we have been unwilling to see, and guide us toward the truth we are seeking. But the work remains ours.

In this episode, Michelle Peterson of Medicine Horse Healing challenges the romanticized idea that horses are here to save us. We examine what healing with horses actually means when we stop casting the horse as the healer and begin taking responsibility for our own transformation.

Michelle explains how releasing ego can strengthen our relationships with horses, why genuine connection requires time and attention, and how horses can act as mirrors without doing the work for us. We also confront the responsibility humans have toward horses when involving them in our healing and personal growth.

The truth is less magical—and more demanding—than “horses heal.” They may help us uncover the path, but they cannot walk it for us.

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE PETERSON

Website: https://www.michelle-peterson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medicinehorsehealing/
Rescued Hearts: https://www.rescuedheartsfilm.com/
Dance of the Wild: https://www.danceofthewild.com/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang

Follow The Touch of a Mustang so you don’t miss more conversations about how horses can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.