Help RTFs American Wild Horse Sanctuary!

Dear Friend of RTF,

Time sure flies, and as we round the corner into 2025, we're taking a quick look back over our shoulder at the home stretch of 2024.

Alpine Horse Rescue Update

In November, two more Alpine mares and their foals (fillies) arrived at the Lompoc sanctuary.  They weren’t able to travel with the larger group of the Alpine herd that arrived earlier last year because they were too close to foaling at the time of that transport.  All are in good condition and as of Dec. 31 were in quarantine near the rest of the Alpine herd where they can all see and interact with each other, excitedly trying to greet them from the other side of the pasture fencing..  

We're happy to report that one of the fillies has been sponsored by a Torrance, CA, middle school’s girls club called The Butterfly Club, and has been named Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly) in their honor. 

Volunteers and Visitors

We love our volunteers and visitors, whose excitement and dedication adds even more life to the Sanctuary. It's gratifying and encouraging  that there are people near and far who are inspired to take the time and effort to spend a day or days meeting the horses they had only previously seen in photos on the RTF website. The excitement is energizing and also creates new wild horse and burro advocates. This is especially important for the young visitors—some of them may very well carry on the mission of insuring a safe and free future for America's Wild Ones.

We even had a large group of volunteers from the Vandenburg Space Force base come to help work on the ranch!

Sometimes the volunteer experience leads to more—RTF's Caitlinn started as a volunteer as you see in these photos, one with her mom.  She now works for us full-time both at SLO and Lompoc, and we are so lucky to have her.

SLO Satellite gets some new and unusual residents—

Clue—they aren't horses...

RTF continued to successfully implement its holistic regenerative grazing project at the SLO satellite ranch location with on-site leadership from RTF contractor Aaron Thayne and support from Dr. Marc Horney’s Cal Poly students.

At the recommendation of our expert advisor, Roger Savory, to enhance the biodiversity, grass growth, and soil health of the ranch, RTF welcomed 13 Bonsmara cattle to be turned out on the property.  The cattle have a different grazing pattern than RTF’s horses and burros, and will bite the grass and forage at a different depth and their hooves will turn the soil differently than the horses’ and burros’ hooves will.  This will diversify the stresses to the vegetation and soil, which will support greater vegetation and soil resilience, and lead to reduced resource depletion."

At RTF Lompoc, CA headquarters,  winter conditions meant less forage and grass, and preparations were started for early 2025 seeding for spring growth.

On the Range

Meanwhile, on the range, RTF has hired a skilled project manager to mobilize and grow our safe and effective on-the-range fertility-control program.  This method of population control can eventually reduce or eliminate the tragic family-shattering and traumatic roundups now used to control the number of horses and burros on public lands. It's worthy to note that RTF has, from its inception, worked to keep captured family bands together, and even to reunite family members thought to be lost to each other forever.

Spirit

This year, Spirit, one of our most beloved sanctuary residents turns 30 years old.  As 2024 was drawing to a close, we began preparing for this big event.

For those not yet familiar with this famous RTF resident, Spirit is a Kiger mustang stallion who was the animation muse for DreamWorks Animation’s film “Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron.”  With his tousled black mane and his wild, warrior heart, Spirit is a visitor favorite - and we love him too! 

Kudos

We want to congratulate RTF Founder, Neda DeMayo, who received the EQUUS Foundation 2024 Humanitarian Award at the US Equestrian Federation Annual Meeting this past year - an honor accepted on behalf of ALL of us who care about protecting America’s wild horses and burros, including you.

Rescue

By the end of December, 2024 your heartfelt donations enabled us to rescue and rehome 42 brave and noble burros as well.  Faithfully they have served humankind, and for their devotion, thousands are betrayed by the constant threat of removal from the wild and purchase by "killer buyers".

With the additional rescue last year of six mares and stallions from the endangered Wilbur-Cruce breed, our sanctuary is currently operating at capacity.  

It's your generosity that allows Return to Freedom to provide a good life to wild horses and burros who seemed to have lost everything, but found a safe new home at RTF.

We hope you know that you are such a crucial part of this mission, and that these Wild Ones only have this life because of caring people like you.

As we look out on the happy, content and loved residents at RTF, we never forget that without you, none of this would be possible.

Thank You!

To the Wild Ones, and Those who stand with them,

Return to Freedom

Links:

• RTF Website
• RTF YouTube Channel