Shauna Dingus met the Kiger Mustangs in June of 2000 at the Sacramento Horse Expo, and it was love at first sight. She loved their sameness, the way they all looked and moved alike. It took her all of five seconds to decide that she wanted one.
Unfortunately, she had just missed the window established by the BLM for adopting these Mustangs. The little herd of horses, all displaying the same primitive dun characteristics of their Spanish ancestors, was being carefully managed in southeastern Oregon, with horses only being eligible for adoption every three years.
Finally, in October of 2000, Shauna realized her dream when she was able to purchase Rocky, a 7 year old Kiger who had been adopted as a 4-year-old by Rich Reuter of Weed. His sweet nature matched his good looks, but when he came to live with Shauna at her home in Orland, the little gelding had been used mostly as a pack horse, with very little riding done and all of it in open spaces.



Shauna, however, had other plans.
“I’m a member of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Posse, and I really wanted a parade horse,” she explains. “I didn’t know if Rocky would be able to do it, but I loved the Kigers so much that I wanted to make it work.”
The Red Bluff parade was scheduled for April 20, and she had purchased Rocky in October. Six months wasn’t a lot of time to get a green horse ready for the chaos and excitement of a parade, but Shauna wanted to try.
And so she and Rocky began their regimen. For 17 weeks, they met with trainer Steve Roche for three hours weekly, both privately and with a group of 30 other riders. Although Rocky was intelligent and willing to please, it wasn’t an easy process. He liked being with the other horses, but he had never been in an arena.
“He wasn’t sure about being fenced in with the other horses at first,” Shauna says. “But at least he gives you a warning before he does anything. He ‘puffs,’ blowing in and out quickly, and stands at attention. When he gets frightened, he doesn’t run, he stands his ground.”
After Rocky had conquered his uneasiness about the arena, they worked on his gaits. His walk and trot were good, but his canter took a long time to develop.
“The lope is not his favorite gait,” Shauna admits. “But he has a beautiful, low, extended trot that rides like a rocking horse.”

A Nearly Perfect Parade
April 20 came, along with the parade, and Shauna was there with Rocky, in a group of 16 women representing the Glenn County Sheriff’s Department. Positioning Rocky next to an experienced horse, they walked proudly down the street as part of Red Bluff’s Round Up Parade. Rocky proved to be a steady mount, only spooking when someone threw a popper under his feet.
“He reared a bit, then came down and walked on,” Shauna says proudly.
Since then, Rocky has expanded from being a parade horse to working in the show arena. He and Shauna have competed in the California State Horsemen’s Association (CSHA) Show of Champions, in the Pleasure and Halter classes. In 2006, they ended in the top five of the Region 2 Horsemastership events. Although the Halter classes are still elusive, due to the judges’ inexperience with Kiger Mustang conformation, Shauna continues to push Rocky in new directions.
To try to increase everyone’s knowledge of the Kigers, Rocky also participates in breed demonstrations. This year was his sixth year at the Western States Horse Expo, held in Sacramento in June. In the past, he has also attended the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo, held in Albany, OR, in March.
And, of course, he and Shauna are looking forward to this year’s KigerFest. The 10th anniversary of the festival, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Kiger Mustang’s discovery, will be held in California for the very first time, thanks to Shauna’s tireless efforts. KigerFest dates are July 6-8 at the Glenn County Fairgrounds in Orland. Her success with Rocky has led to owning more Kigers, and to training, showing and breeding the beautiful Mustangs.
When Rocky is not in a parade, or a show, or demonstrating his good looks and gentle nature at an expo, Shauna takes him for trail rides. One of her favorite memories is when they took Rocky on a trail ride four years ago through the Kiger region of southeastern Oregon, where the wild herds are maintained by the BLM. It was Rocky’s first trip “home” since he had been adopted in 1997. Watching Rocky survey the area, realizing that he knew the herd followed them before anyone else saw the horses, was a thrilling experience for everyone on the trip.
Rocky’s success hasn’t gone to his head. Shauna reports that he has the same sweet temperament that he displayed from the beginning, allowing her young nieces to climb on his back and lead him in the round pen.
When it came time to give Rocky a registered name, Shauna wanted to remember his roots while acknowledging his achievements, not just for him but for inspiring her to become more involved in the breed. She came up with the perfect choice: Kiger Rocker Feller. After all, he built an empire, at least for the Dingus family.
For more information about KigerFest, contact Shauna at 530-865-1584 or kigers@sbcglobal.net, and for more information about the breed, visit the Kiger Mesteno Association website,
www.kigermustangs.org.