Help RTFs American Wild Horse Sanctuary!

When generous supporters help to fund Return to Freedom’s American Wild Horse Sanctuary to support the day-to-day care of our horse and burro residents, it also supports an educational experience where onsite visits educate and inspire people of all ages and nationalities to become advocates for wild horses and burros everywhere. We also are more able to help other wild horses and burros in need of rescue and/or sanctuary.

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Since our last update, we’ve had a busy program season continuing to advocate for America’s wild horses and burros, and make progress on our recent huge rescue operation.

At our sanctuary locations, we’ve conducted 30 tours and photo safaris, servicing 300 adults and 66 youth. Led by summer in-residence volunteer, Paloma Ianes, and board members Liz Hines and Irene Vejar, these events are inspiring, educational and powerful reminders of the importance of preserving America’s wild equines on the range.

Our Family Day accommodated 41 adults and 27 young people on a feed run adventure, followed by a blessing of the horses with Pete Crowheart, and the much-loved drum circle.

We also conducted a number of special workshops, including The Tony Stromberg Photography Clinic, Animal Communication with Cindy Rackley,  Waterhole Rituals with Linda Salinas, and Carolyn Resnick, and a morning of Hatha Yoga with Jodie Kallas.

RTF, like most non-profit organizations, counts on its loyal volunteers.

Our recent Volunteer days garnered 122 volunteer hours. On May 27th, 15 people generously gave their time to help RTF, 11 of whom were new to our team. Then, on June 23rd, 19 volunteers, 9 new to RTF, showed their strong volunteer spirit at the ranch. We value our volunteers highly, and they have fun while they work effectively for the horses.

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If you’ve been following our reports, you know that RTF has been heavily involved in what is probably the largest horse rescue in US history.  With a team effort, close to 900 horses were saved from neglect and spared a trip to an auction that would have seen many or most go to slaughter.

As we knew you’d want us to, RTF stepped up to take responsibility for 112 members of the Gila herd, horses whose ancestors appeared in paintings on ancient cave walls.

On May 1st, a beautiful Spring day, 59 mares (all treated with fertility control), weanlings and yearlings travelled four hours to a private pasture, ringed with ponds, wild flowers and juniper trees, in Lassen County, CA. Nine foals scrambled from a stock trailer, greeted their mothers, extended herd and their new life, punctuating the California air with their high-pitched whinnies.

On June 15th, twenty-five geldings and seven stallions made the journey from the temporary staging facility in Fallon, NV to the pastures in Lassen County where they rejoined the mares and foals. It had been weeks since they had seen each other.

The Gila Herd Project is a two-year effort to comprehensively study the horses to help determine if a conservation program is warranted, and then to help establish a sustainable conservation program. RTF hopes that over the next two years, it will be able to hand over a Gila conservation program to other entities or foundations that will ensure their existence for future generations. RTF may also be adopting out bonded younger horses through private adoptions.

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Finally, because of the increasingly dire situation in which wild horses have been placed due to the new administration’s budget, RTF has retained and is working closely with a skilled lobbyist to represent the interests of the horses in the halls of government.

We are only able to do this because of our dedicated supporters, who love, and more importantly, respect the wild ones and their right to run free on their range.

We thank you again for making our work possible. We are truly in this together.

Links:

• Gila mares and foals reach CA
• Meet Fuego Dorado, born August 1st