BIDDEFORD — Six-year-old Olivia Gobel of Gorham loves horses. She’s been riding them since she was 2 or 3 ”“ almost as soon as she could walk. On Sunday, the girl showed off her horse riding prowess. Also on display was the ability of once-wild mustangs to be trained and gentled to the point where even young children can ride them safely.

“Isn’t this amazing, a little girl on a wild horse,” said Mona Jerome, executive director of the Ever After Mustang Rescue Education & Training Center on West Street in Biddeford.

Gobel was one of a group of riders and trainers who participated in Ever After Mustang Rescue’s “Mustangs and Motion” event. The free event, held at the Bush Brook Farm, provided an afternoon of family fun while promoting awareness and educating people about wild mustangs.

In addition to education, the nonprofit organization, which rescues and rehabilitates previously adopted mustangs, provides training for mustangs and prospective adopters.

Rochelle Shaw of Dayton and her mustang, Lexi, also took part in Sunday’s event.

Shaw said she adopted 2-year-old Lexi after volunteering at the rescue.

“I volunteered here and fell in love,” she said.

“They’re very intelligent,” said Shaw of the mustangs.

They can also create a strong bond with their owner, she said. “Once they fall for you, they fall for you.”

Lexi’s story is just one of the many that illustrate the work of Ever After Mustang Rescue.

The mustang’s mother, Grace, was being auctioned in New Jersey several years ago, said Jerome. Lucky for mother and the yet unborn foal, a New Jersey rescue outbid some “killer buyers.”

Currently, there are no horse slaughter houses open in the U.S., but that doesn’t stop people from purchasing horses here and sending them to be slaughtered in Canada or Mexico.

When the New Jersey group realized the horses were mustangs, said Jerome, they contacted Ever After Mustang Rescue, which took in both horses to gentle and train them and find them good homes.

Also participating Sunday was John Murray with his 10-year-old mustang, Nitro.

Murray led Nitro around the ring, using just the movement of the rope attached to the harness to get the horse to walk or trot. Nitro was also trained to keep pace with Murray, running, walking and even stopping along with his owner.

Nitro lived free and wild for two years in Nevada, said Murray. After he was captured by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, he spent the next two years in captivity.

Several times a year, the BLM captures wild horses and burros to prevent overpopulation. Throughout the year, they put some of these animals up for adoption. Until a horse is adopted, the BLM keeps them captive.

Murray, who hadn’t had much to do with horses until he adopted Nitro, said he came to the Ever After Mustang Rescue to get training so he could take proper care of his animal.

Donna and Conrad Labelle of South Berwick, who own several mustangs, left their horses at home Sunday and sat back and enjoyed the event.

“What a great way to promote wild horses,” said Donna Labelle of the event.

Mustangs aren’t the easiest horses to train and handle, she said, “They have trust issues. But once they trust you, they’ll do anything for you.”

For more information about the Ever After Mustang Rescue Education & Training Center visit the website mustangrescue.org or call 284-7721.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.