Our Programs
We have a number of programs planned for horses and humans.
Training and Rehab
All equines that we take into the sanctuary, whether directly adopted from the BLM / USFS or accepted from an owner relinquishment, first enter our training and rehabilitation program. For their safety and ours, we will do a gentling period where we see how they respond to the basics: introduction to a halter, leading, picking up feet. These basic handling skills will allow us to safely provide vet and farrier care for these equines while they live here at the sanctuary, and the training sessions also allow us to get a feel for the individual needs of each equine and decide on what type of care they need for permanent placement.
Safe Landings Program
Equines in this program are considered less adoptable, for instance: older equines, equines with injuries, or those equines that have had a trial at adoption and have failed private placement. These equines will live at the sanctuary permanently. Equines that desire little to no human interaction will be able to live predominantly out on pasture aside from routine vet and farrier care. Those equines who adore human interaction or require ongoing or more intensive medical care will be handled more frequently but with no intent to be ridden or do work.
Santana is a young gelding from Onaqui south herd, currently rehabbing a coffin bone fracture
Santana was originally one of our fosters being trained for private placement but sustained a coffin bone fracture in a freak accident while playing out in pasture
Poor Santana does not understand why he is on stall rest although he has been given every comfort that we can give him
Santana is a young gelding from Onaqui south herd, currently rehabbing a coffin bone fracture
These three yearlings were the only Onaqui remaining in the BLM pens when we visited a month after the Swasey-Onaqui adoption event. They had been passed over for older, flashier horses. Recognizing their potential to be trained and eventually matched with a good home, we brought them home to become part of our foster program.
Shaman is a shy, but sweet black colt from north Onaqui, off-HMA.
Mustang love
These three yearlings were the only Onaqui remaining in the BLM pens when we visited a month after the Swasey-Onaqui adoption event. They had been passed over for older, flashier horses. Recognizing their potential to be trained and eventually matched with a good home, we brought them home to become part of our foster program.
Foster Program
These horses are younger horses, often ones that we know personally from their home ranges, that are trainable and adoptable and do not need permanent sanctuary, but for whatever reason were passed over in the sea of other adoptable horses. We chose these horses to foster and gentle, in the hopes of finding them a safe and loving private home. We do periodically offer horses in our foster program for lease when we find a perfect match for them in a private home. Any of our foster horses are available to sponsor, pending space availability.
Wild at Heart Sponsorship Program
If you have a heart horse from a favorite HMA that gets rounded up and you want it to have the opportunity to be (almost) wild and free forever, we have a few coveted spots for those horses available on a case-by-case basis. These horses can be adopted and sponsored at our sanctuary in exchange for an annual donation. This program is limited to just a few spots as we want to prioritize our available space to the horses needing our safe landing program. Contact us directly to enquire about placing an equine in this program.
Would you like to be one of the first sponsors of this program?
Would you like to be one of the first sponsors of this program?
Lilac is a 2021 bay roan mare from Onaqui, south herd. Hollynn knew this filly and her family wild on the range before the 2021 roundup. Lilac is feisty and opinionated but incredibly loving and a true cuddlebug.
Lucy is a 2021 bay roan mare from Onaqui north herd. Hollynn knew this filly and her family wild on the range before the 2021 roundup. Lucy is relaxed and laidback and loves butt scratches more than anything. Once under saddle, she is anticipated to be an anchor to our equine therapy program.
Lucy and Lilac with more gentle desensitization training.
Lilac is a 2021 bay roan mare from Onaqui, south herd. Hollynn knew this filly and her family wild on the range before the 2021 roundup. Lilac is feisty and opinionated but incredibly loving and a true cuddlebug.
Sanctuary Ambassador Program
We have a few spots reserved for mustangs that we have adopted and tranined that will live here with us forever as our Sanctuary Ambassadors. These horses may be used for demos, lessons, drill teams, trail rides, promotional events, and as we expand into our new facilities, eventually equine therapy. Our aim with these horses is to show the trainability and versatility of the Mustang and to promote what we can achieve by partnering with these horses.
Domestic Rescue
While rescuing BLM and Forest Service horses is our primary mission, we will occasionally find that a domestic horse needs our help as well. Some of these horses may stay with us forever depending on their individual needs and circumstances, others will be available for lease to private homes after retraining.
A 2019/20 Amish Appaloosa half draft sold at auction. When we got her home, we discovered she was only 2.5 years old, not the 4 she was sold as, and still had baby teeth. She was heavily shut down from heavy handed training. We pulled off her heavy road driving shoes and let her go back to being a baby horse. Due to the emotional trauma she experienced at a young age, she will have a permanent home with us.
Reverie has really come out of her shell with loves and pets, grooming and force-free ground handling. She will be a key component of our equine therapy program as well.
A 2015 bay Friesian/QH Amish-bred gelding whose previous owner had fallen on health problems and hard financial times. Galileo had been well loved, but his owner could no longer afford to feed him, and he had been in a paddock eating rocks and sand for months. Two weeks after we purchased him, he developed a massive obstruction from an 8-in enterolith and required colic surgery. He will require special diet and supplementation for the rest of his life so will stay with us at the sanctuary.
A 2019/20 Amish Appaloosa half draft sold at auction. When we got her home, we discovered she was only 2.5 years old, not the 4 she was sold as, and still had baby teeth. She was heavily shut down from heavy handed training. We pulled off her heavy road driving shoes and let her go back to being a baby horse. Due to the emotional trauma she experienced at a young age, she will have a permanent home with us.
Samson is a gorgeous 2013 Bay Onaqui that was rounded up and slated to go to long-term holding after being passed over for adoption. In coordination with our friends at Windwalker Ridge Mustang Sanctuary, we were able to buy Samson and two of his older mares Maple and TorchBlaze and transport them to Missouri where they will live their lives out at WRMS.
Samson wild on the Onaqui range prior to roundup
TorchBlaze is peeking out from under Samson's head, just before she makes a mad rush for the door and the good life at Windwalker Ridge Mustang Sanctuary
Samson is a gorgeous 2013 Bay Onaqui that was rounded up and slated to go to long-term holding after being passed over for adoption. In coordination with our friends at Windwalker Ridge Mustang Sanctuary, we were able to buy Samson and two of his older mares Maple and TorchBlaze and transport them to Missouri where they will live their lives out at WRMS.
Partner Rescues and Private Placements
Every horse is deserving of a permanent and loving home, but we cannot keep them all. We are honored to partner with other quality rescues and private adopters to create a safety network for many more mustangs than we can house on our personal property.