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The cover image of a wild stallion running free on the cover of Chad Hanson's book "The Wild Horse Effect: Awe, Well-Being, and the Transformative Power of Nature”
"The Wild Horse Effect: Awe, Well-Being, and the Transformative Power of Nature" is available for presale now and on sale March 11, 2025
 

EquuStyle: Who inspired you to become a photographer?


Chad Hanson: My grandfather loved cameras. I grew up watching him tinker with lenses and light meters. By the time I went off to college, it felt natural to think of the world as a subject, and to see our public land as art. I discovered “visual sociology” in school, an approach to the study of culture that uses photographs. Using photos for academic purposes put me in touch with the depression-era work of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. To this day, as a teacher, I still use their images in my courses. With regard to mustangs, though, it was the work of Kimerlee Curyl that inspired me early on. As far as I can tell, she has the best timing in the business.


During the workshops that I teach, on writing and photography, I often urge students to “find their heroes.” I believe there’s value in identifying, cultivating, and curating your influences. Still, at some level, it’s the face of nature that serves as the source of my inspiration. Wild horses stare at you from behind nature’s most charismatic faces, and I find the places where they live compelling too.


EquuStyle: A central theme in your book is "awe." Could you explain what "awe" means to you and how people can benefit from experiencing it?


A wild mustang stallion stands on grassy plains under a cloudy sky, looking strong and serene. Distant mountains are visible in the background. Image is from Chad Hanson's book "The Wild Horse Effect: Awe, Well-Being, and the Transformative Power of Nature”.
A wild stallion on the high plains of Wyoming

Chad Hanson: When I feel awe I am utterly struck by what’s in front of me. I experience a feeling of absorption in the moment. I actually become so absorbed that it’s hard to keep track of the moments as they slide from the future into the present. I enter a time-outside-of-time. I’m also set upon by the impression that I am a small part of a greater whole, and when I shift back to my normal mode of being, it’s with a heightened sense of gratitude.


My experience of awe is pretty common it turns out, and today, in places like the Greater Good Science Center, scholars like Dacher Keltner use modern techniques for measuring the chemical changes that occur when we feel blown-away. Levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, tend to free-fall. Serotonin levels increase, giving rise to a sense of satisfaction. Most important to me, when we feel awed, the body releases oxytocin, a hormone that increases what we call pro-social tendencies. Under the influence of oxytocin, we grow kinder, more generous, and less self-centered. A whole body of evidence points to the psychological worth of awe, but the social benefits strike me as equally valuable.


EquuStyle: As a faculty member at Casper College, how do you integrate wild horses into your teaching?


Chad Hanson: I teach a short course called The Wild Horse Experience. The class includes two afternoons on campus. Then we load the vans. We head out to search for mustangs on a Saturday field trip. During the course, I share as much I’ve been able to learn about wild horses, but just as important, students describe their experiences with the horses in their lives, past and present. The course unfolds as a discussion about our relationships with horses, and then seemingly without fail, by the end of the class, the conversation shifts. Whether in the field, or in the van on the way home, we end up wondering out loud about American culture and values. In the end, The Wild Horse Experience always seems to turn into a dialog about our relationship to the natural world.



EquuStyle: Your words focus on honoring horses and giving them dignity. When it comes to wild horses, how do we treat them with dignity?


Anyone who shares their home with cats or dogs or horses knows that animals feel, show preferences, and possess personalities. In our barns and corrals, we bear constant witness to the intelligence, and sometimes the mischievousness of horses. We work with their idiosyncrasies. We teach them, and they learn. Day in and day out, domestic horses prove that they are both educable and capable of making independent decisions.


Ironically, for most of our history, when we studied horses in the wild, we tended to assume that their behaviors were instinctual and thus the result of biological impulse, as opposed to reason or choice-making. To this day, many biologists assume, “If you’ve seen one wild horse you’ve seen them all,” as if their behavior is simply patterned by “the force of nature.” Their actions: outside their control.   


I’m glad to say, in just the past few years, things have started to change. As a sociologist, I was thrilled to see, in 2021, a peer-reviewed article in the sciences suggesting that wild horses create multileveled societies. In the same year, a group of equine subjects in an Italian study passed the mirror-self-recognition test. Horses know who they are. More important, they know who they are in relation to others. We’re just beginning to understand the social relations that wild horses form beyond their immediate family bands. We need further research, of course, but it is becoming clear that mustangs engage in almost constant relationship-building. They likely identify as part of large-scale bonded groups. They can even create and acknowledge an extended clan. In my mind, each step we take to learn more about mustangs, their intelligence and their social lives, the more success we’ll find when it comes to convincing others to see their worth and dignity.




EquuStyle: What do you believe is the most effective way to change the way wild horses are managed?


Chad Hanson: As a general strategy, the Bureau of Land Management treats wild horses—legally defined as American icons and living symbols of the West—as if they were livestock bound for slaughter. In truth, we do not even afford them that level of decency. The BLM hires livestock companies with helicopters to chase and capture our mustangs. But in agribusiness, they only use choppers to locate animals. Business people would never order a helicopter to descend on a herd of stock. If we scared cattle with helicopters, they would run desperately, and potentially injure themselves in the process. We see cattle as having value (economic value) so we take steps to assure their safety. On the other hand, helicopter roundups in horse herds nearly always end with mustangs injured and killed. There are BLM staff that schedule roundup after roundup, knowing they can expect chaos, death and brutality.


The good news: people are like horses. We are not all the same. There are BLM staff members that appreciate mustangs. Within the BLM, there are men and women who would much prefer to use humane and affordable strategies to manage wild horses. I consider it my job, our job, to find those people and to work with them. They could use our help and cooperation is contagious. I am a proud member of a coalition of petitioners in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the complete elimination of two Wyoming herds, so I understand, when we are backed into a corner, we have to appeal to the nation’s highest authorities. But lawsuits come with high stakes, and consequences that we can’t fully control. Long term, I am committed to creating situations where wild horse enthusiasts and BLM staff can work together on behalf of our mustangs.



EquuStyle: In the current environment, with traumatizing helicopter roundups and holding pens, how can citizens effectively demand an end to the violence?


Chad Hanson: I encourage citizens and horse advocates to think big—bigger than we have in years. I am a fan of a concept called the “Overton window.” In short, the idea suggests that, at any given time, there is a window, of a certain size, that limits the number of solutions to public policy problems we see as “acceptable.” Thus, successful advocates “open” the window, stretching it in the direction of their interests. In other words, it helps to ask for more than what might seem currently feasible. It’s the only way to make a proposal that feels “unthinkable” today, turn into tomorrow’s “obvious” or “sensible” approach.


I would like to see a diverse coalition of citizens and equine advocacy groups wondering, in open and public forums, “Why don’t we have a Wild Horse National Park?” What about a series of, “Wild Horse National Monuments?” How about the identification of regions that we could call, “Wild Horse Commons,” in states with adjacent herd management areas? I’m talking about large and well-studied regions, home to genetically viable herds, managed on the range through non-violent, humane and affordable means. Everyone knows that suggestions on these lines will meet with opposition, but none of these proposals will ever come about if we don’t start the conversations.


In the long run, persistent efforts in these directions might bear fruit. And in the short term, discussions about expanding protections for mustangs hold the potential to pull currently “outlandish” ideas into the realm of the possible. If we shift the conversation toward hard-to-achieve goals, then suddenly, the reasonable (but currently out-of-the-question) suggestion to halt the helicopters and treat wild horses with dignity starts to feel like “common sense.”



 






All images Copyright Chad Hanson -all rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced for any purpose without permission from Chad Hanson.



Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is a documentary on wild horses by award-winning filmmaker Ashley Avis.  wildbeautyfoundation.org  equustyle.com
Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is a documentary on wild horses by award-winning filmmaker Ashley Avis.

EquuStyle: Were you a wild horse advocate before deciding to write, narrate, direct, edit, and produce the film “Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West?


Ashley Avis: I grew up with horses, an experience that truly helped shape the course of my life and career.  However, it wasn't until my late twenties that I discovered the plight of wild horses in the Western United States when I was brought aboard to write and direct a reimagining of Black Beauty, which was released by Disney in 2020. 


In being tasked with modernizing Anna Sewell's iconic classic, which inspired my great love of horses as a child - I wanted to honor the spirit of what she had crafted.  Few people know Black Beauty was not written as a children's book - it was an animal welfare plea for the horses of Anna's time in the late 1800s.  And so, in researching modern-day issues horses are facing today, I began reading about the roundups, the cruelty, the corruption, and the startling inhumanity. 


That is what moved me, along with my husband and producing partner Edward Winters, to embark on Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West.  That independent documentary took five passionate years to craft.



EquuStyle:  What motivated you to make the film?


Ashley Avis: Originally, we went out to capture footage of wild horses in their natural habitat, so that we could bring authenticity to our narrative film, Black Beauty.  Ed and I raised a little bit of money to embark on that first trip to Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada - experiencing the extraordinary beauty of wild horses on the range, along with our first roundup.


The devastating Bureau of Land Management operation was on the Triple B Complex in Nevada.  I will never forget hiking with our heavy camera gear to the top of a mountain, while the BLM officials (several with guns) informed us we couldn't put up umbrellas in the 100-degree heat because it would "scare the horses."  Mind you, those poor mustangs were miles away from us, being chased at eye level by dueling helicopters. We were horrified.


A cinematic still of wild horses on the move during the filming of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West.  equustyle.com
Wild horses on the move

What struck me about that day, as a former journalist, was that the agency had clearly hidden the "trap site" (the metal corrals where they stampede and capture the horses) so that the public, along with our film crew, could not see what was happening.  Trap sites are often where the injuries often happen, as horses break their legs and necks trying to escape, or get back to their families.  


After witnessing that roundup and realizing the antiquation and brutality of it - we wanted to know why.  We soon came to understand that wild horses were being eradicated by the federal government in deference to the commercial livestock industry.  A battle over land and powerful special interests.  We realized at that point we had to keep going, we had to create a second film - a Blackfish for wild horses.


EquuStyle:  What were some of the greatest challenges that you had to overcome to get the film funded and produced?


Ashley Avis: The greatest challenge besides raising the money, which is always hard - surrounded access. The BLM officials eventually got wind of what we were doing, and they did not want us documenting roundup cruelty, or the fact that BLM officials kill healthy horses for senseless reasons - those they deem blind, arthritic, or have a club foot.  The agency officials we came into contact with were deceptive, they routinely blocked the trapsites from our view, in one instance they even forced us away from shelter during a thunderstorm, making us stand out on the open range in the rain as we filmed.  They routined and flippantly denied our Constitutional rights as journalists. 


A cinematic still of a young wild foal enjoying freedom during the filming of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West.  equustyle.com
A young wild foal enjoying freedom

The other great challenge was sadness.  As a horsewoman, witnessing these atrocities befall innocent wild horses; pregnant mares, newborn foals, and the brave stallions trying to protect them - was very difficult to bear.  However, my emotions were of course nothing compared to what they went through.



EquuStyle:  What were the conditions like during the filming?


Ashley Avis: A great deal of our Wild Beauty journey was truly spectacular - and I encourage everyone to get out and see the American West. 


Our crew drove over 20,000 miles over thirteen different states, and diverse landscapes.  The rich forests of Oregon, the crimson rock moonscapes in Arizona, the sagebrush seas of Nevada.  We had a tiny crew of five - it was myself, my husband/producing partner Ed, my younger brother/producer Richard Avis, our cinematographer Kai Krause, and a camera assistant.  My parents even joined us on one trip - while my Mom cooked food for the crew out of the back seat of their rental car.  It was a family affair.



There were the darker moments as well, such as visiting the holding facilities where wild horses are warehoused like livestock.  These places are often cramped, dirt pens where there is no room to roam, or gallop.  The closely bonded families are separated, and you hear them cry for each other.  Sometimes there is not even shelter from the elements - heat or rain.  I have seen these government facilities flooded with rain and muck.  The BLM doesn't post photos like those on social media.  But that is the truth behind how they 'humanely manage' our federally protected national icons after a roundup.  


And most people find this shocking - our tax-dollars are paying for it.  The BLM's budget to 'manage' wild horses, which is largely spent on costly roundups and holding - is over 150 million dollars a year.


EquuStyle:  Did you or your film crew consider giving up when armed BLM staff were aggressive with you during the filming?


Ashley Avis: Never.  The more injustice we saw, the bolder we became.


EquuStyle:  What part of the film is most disturbing to you?


Ashley Avis: That's a hard question.  My gut reaction was when we went undercover in Texas, into the slaughter pipeline - covertly filming as wild horses and burros got auctioned off to kill buyers.  I desperately wished in that moment I had millions of dollars - I would have rescued them all.  


But I think the most disturbing part of filming Wild Beauty was seeing the horses we had come to know, after they had been subjected to a roundup. 


A cinematic still of two wild horses showing affection during the filming of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West.  equustyle.com
Write members of Congress to protect wild horses

The herd we became closest to were the Onaqui horses in Utah.  We featured them in Black Beauty and got to spend years visiting them.  In the controversial roundup of 2021, my heart shattered as we watched those horses chased by the helicopters.  They ended up in a dirty, half-flooded holding facility - their once resplendent coats caked with mud, water halfway up their knees.  It broke my heart.  If you look into the eyes of a free wild horse, it stirs a sense of inexplicable joy and wild in you.  To then take in the same, clouded gaze of a horse who has been stripped of its family and freedom - you will be haunted for the rest of your life.


EquuStyle:  What part of the film is most hopeful to you?


Ashley Avis: Oh, so much.  Seeing the families in the wild.  Witnessing a filly grow up to become a lead mare, or watching a stallion engaged in a battle - then soon after striding over to gently nuzzle his sleeping foal with exquisite tenderness.  Those were the moments that made being out on the range so special, while also reminding us what was at stake in their protection.  And it brings me joy to be able to share that with people around the world.


The children also inspire hope.  Before the roundup of the Onaqui, we launched a campaign called "I Stand With WIld Horses" - encouraging young people to write letters to their Members of Congress, or to the President.  Suddenly hundreds of people were posting to social media, holding up signs with those words, tagging their lawmakers.  It was incredible.  When we arrived at a rally in Salt Lake City in Utah - there it was again on the Capitol steps "I Stand With Wild Horses."


I think there is great hope to be found in the next generation speaking out on behalf of our world in Wild Beauty.


Ashley Avis and the award-winning documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West.  equustyle.com
Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West

EquuStyle:  How have viewers of the film responded?


Ashley Avis: It has been overwhelming to witness how audiences have responded, particularly in theater where you can really feel that emotion surge.  There are instances of joy, levity, and laughter - along with horror, anger, and a profound sense of injustice.


It moves me to tears when people walk out of the film angry - but with passion.  And they say things like, "I didn't know this was happening.  This is wrong.  What can I do to help?"


EquuStyle:  After watching the film, what action or actions do you want viewers to take?


Ashley Avis: Awareness is key.  We must urge our Members of Congress to take action and to stop the brutality and corruption against wild horses and burros, before we lose them completely.  This is a fight over land and special interests, and wild horses have been caught in the middle.


We are asking people to become educated by visiting www.wildbeautyfoundation.org - and to make calls to their Representatives, urging them to co-sponsor The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act (H.R. 3656) which if passed, would end the use of antiquated helicopters in the roundups - helping to curtail this cruelty.


EquuStyle:  How have wild horse photographers and advocates Kimerlee Curyl, Carol Walker, and Sandy Sisti used their influence on social media to promote the film?


Ashley Avis: I often stay, particularly to children - storytelling has great responsibility.  We are all storytellers, so what are we choosing to put out into the world?


There is such rich storytelling in art and wildlife photography.  The stunning work of Kimerlee Curyl, Sandy Sisti, and Carol Walker is so affecting - each image is a glimpse into a world, into a story.  And these extraordinary women don't stop there - they are also tireless in their advocacy.  They use their artistic gifts and social media platforms to bring wild horses to new audiences to inspire change. 


Before I met Kimerlee Curyl back in 2017, I was so moved by her photography that her images became references to how I wanted to cinematically explore framing "Beauty" in our feature film Black Beauty.  She is very inspiring to me.



EquuStyle:  Have horse rescues and sanctuaries been approached to promote the film to their supporters?


Ashley Avis: We have spread the word far and wide, encouraging everyone to share the film, and to get the message out not only to the equine audience - but to a global audience.  We also provide links to the documentary free of charge for educational purposes - to schools, universities, and other groups. 


EquuStyle:  Are any other organizations helping with the marketing and promotion of the film?


Ashley Avis: The long-term ripple effect Wild Beauty has is something we will never fully know - so many people and organizations around the world have shared it.  We are appreciative to every one of them, because it is teamwork that will ultimately inspire change.


Noted collaborators during the years it took to create Wild Beauty were Western Watersheds Project and The Cloud Foundation.


EquuStyle:  In what ways has the film impacted the mission of Wild Beauty Foundation?


Ashley Avis: In every way imaginable.  Black Beauty led to Wild Beauty, which led to our first rescue of thirteen horses (any horsewoman will understand me when I joke... I promised my husband I would start with one...).  Those "Lucky 13" inspired the creation of the foundation, which led to using our platform as filmmakers to shed a spotlight on the issue.  Things only got bigger, and as The Wild Beauty Foundation became a voice in the space - we soon found ourselves on the way to Congress.


Our mission as a nonprofit is to raise awareness that inspires fundamental change to protect the horses of our time, through film, education, rescue, and advocacy.


EquuStyle:  Have you noticed an increase in the number of youth and adults seeking information about how to advocate for wild horses?


Ashley Avis: I am blown away by the messages I receive - not only from adults, but from children around the world who want to know what they can do to help.  I recently hand-delivered about fifty postcards from kids to individual Members of Congress when I visited Washington D.C. in April.  The impact those letters have is incredible - their sincerity cuts through the political noise and inspires lawmakers to listen.


A cinematic still of a wild paint horse during the filming of Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit to the West.  equustyle.com
Take action to protect America’s vanishing wild horses

EquuStyle:  Do you think your recent meeting on Capitol Hill was productive? Did you accomplish the goals you set beforehand?


Ashley Avis: Nothing moves very quickly in Washington, which is the hard truth.  However, I do feel we successfully launched a pretty large boulder down the bureaucratic mountain during our most recent trip, this time screening portions of Wild Beauty within the United States Capitol.


We were lucky this past April to have Oscar-nominated actress Diane Lane alongside us.  Diane saw the documentary and asked how she could help.  Her presence opened so many doors, and we added several new co-sponsors to a bill we are fighting for.  We have such incredible champions now - notably Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) who is the sponsor of The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (D-PA), among others.


EquuStyle:  H.R.3656 - Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023 was introduced in the House on May 24, 2023. What can citizens do to influence the passage of this vital legislation?


Ashley Avis: Awareness.  So many people, including horse people, simply do not know this is happening. 


I would say, after four trips to Washington D.C. in the past three years - perhaps half the Members of Congress we have met with know anything about the roundups, and if they have heard of them - they rarely know about the brutality.  Your calls and emails to help educate their staff do make a difference.  So please, if you're moved by this article - make that call, send that note, visit istandwithwildhorses.org to share your thoughts using our automated form.  Please be moved to act.


EquuStyle:  Why do you think politicians are reluctant to pass legislation to stop cruel helicopter and fixed aircraft roundups of wild horses?


Ashley Avis: The deep pockets and ceaseless lobbying by the livestock industry - which is determined to eradicate wild horses from their rightful habitat in favor of commercial cattle and sheep grazing.  The helicopter roundups are also a business.  The contractors are awarded hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars to do this work - and they certainly don't want to lose that money train.  The most awarded contractor by the BLM has been paid over thirty million dollars.  


We are up against several powerful opponents.  But we are not going away.  


EquuStyle:  After learning more about the motivations behind the BLM, livestock ranchers, politicians, and other critics of wild horses, do you believe wild horses have a chance to remain on public lands?


Ashley Avis: I do.  The BLM is, unfortunately, doing a great job of deceiving the media, whether it's telling stories out on the range that are not based on fact or science, or putting out news stories that state wild horses are overpopulated, degrading the rangeland, etc.  They use this 'reasoning' as false justification to remove a few hundred federally protected wild horses, before releasing thousands of cattle and sheep to graze on precisely the same land.  According to the BLM's own data, livestock are the leading reason for rangeland degradation at figures over 70% - but they don't tell the press that. 


I cannot imagine a world in which we lose nature.  I am encouraged by the public outcry that has resulted in part from Wild Beauty being available to a global audience - and I do believe we will change this.  But to be successful, we need to band together and fight.


EquuStyle:  What are the Wild Beauty Foundation’s current and future strategies to advocate for protecting and preserving America’s wild horses?


Ashley Avis: Currently, we are working hard on the passage of significant legislation to protect wild horses, while planning our next Washington D.C. event.  For the future, we are developing a video curriculum for children in schools called "Wild Horse Week," and constructing a plan to grow our efforts at the foundation.  If you can help in any way, let us know!


 






  • Writer: Neda DeMayo & Christina Tsirkas
    Neda DeMayo & Christina Tsirkas
  • Sep 3, 2024
  • 7 min read

A photograph of Spirit, the Kiger mustang stallion who was the muse for the animation team for Dreamwork's 2002 animated film, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron." equustyle.com
Spirit, the Kiger mustang stallion who was the muse for the animation team for Dreamwork's 2002 animated film, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron." Now 29 years young, Spirit still enchants people of all ages from across the globe who visit him at Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Central Costal California. Photo: Ondrea Hidley

In 1997, Neda DeMayo founded Return to Freedom (RTF), a national non-profit wild horse conservation organization. In 1998, RTF opened a sanctuary in the rolling hills off California’s Central Coast to give back some of what these wild horses lost when captured. The sanctuary’s precedent-setting focus is in keeping rescued family bands of wild horses intact and educating the public about the diversity, lives, and challenges of these closely bonded sentient beings.


Wild horses enjoying their freedom at Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sancturay.  equustyle.com
Return to Freedom’s American Wild Horse Sanctuary provides a forever home for wild horses and burros. RTF protects family and social bands for their lifetime. After the rescue is over, RTF needs your ongoing support to make this possible. Photo: Bari Lee

“I wanted to create a place where people of all ages could experience that horses live in herds…that these herds are made up of smaller family and bachelor bands who suffer immensely, just as we would, when ripped from their families, their freedom, and from everything they know,” Neda DeMayo.


While the majority of Americans are unaware that wild horses still roam some of the most desolate and remote areas in the West, for decades, the American mustang has been fighting for survival on the front lines of a battle over the use of precious natural resources—forage and water.


Long seen by ranchers as an invasive nuisance and competition with their livestock for forage and water, wild horses have suffered brutal persecution. In the 1950s and 1960s, the inhumane treatment they suffered was exposed.


For the past twenty-six years, RTF has been at the forefront of wild horse conservation, identifying and pioneering minimally-intrusive solutions at its sanctuary that can be implemented on the range for long-term herd management to keep wild horse and burro herds wild and free. As a solution focused organization, RTF collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders including advocates, animal welfare organizations, sanctuaries, land owners, diverse associations, agencies and legislators. RTF bases its work on guidance from leading scientists in genetics, ancient DNA research, proven safe and humane fertility control, and regenerative holistic land management.


A photograph of wild horses near a waterhole at Return to Freedom, American Wild Horse Conservation. equustyle.com
The waterhole. Return to Freedom uses regenerative holistic grazing practices at its sanctuary. By imitating natural herd movement of grazers when large predator populations were present, we can restore balance in our ecosystems. By managing under grazing and overgrazing, more water can be absorbed into the root systems- diverse native grasses return, waterholes are healthier, replenished and sustained throughout the seasons. Photo: Meg Frederick Photography

“True conservation is only possible when all stakeholders have a voice and a shared desire to protect a resource. Time has taught us that we conserve what we love, we love what we understand, we understand what we are taught.” Neda DeMayo

Conservation

Return to Freedom, Wild Horse Conservation's work focuses on three main areas:

  • Humane Fertility Control -Population management utilizing a non-hormonal reversible fertility control.  In 1999, RTF was the fourth project in the world to use fertility control on large populations of mares under the guidance of the Science and Conservation Center

  • Historical Herd Preservation- Conservation program to preserve the earliest strains of Spanish mustangs that are at risk of disappearing, such as the Choctaw Indian Pony, Colonial Spanish Mission Horses, early Sorria types as seen throughout various herds including the Sulphur Springs herd. These horses were the foundation of the American mustang and became more diverse as larger breeds came to North America and returned to a natural state over the past few hundred years

  • Regenerative Holistic Land Management


A woman taking photos of wild horses at Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sancturay in San Luis Obispo, California. equustyle.com
Return to Freedom hosts experiential programs and events in nature’s classroom for all ages. Wild horse photo safaris, herd immersion, tours, workshops and more! For more information: https://returntofreedom.org/visit/ Photo: Cathy Wallace

Sanctuary:

Return to Freedom’s American Wild Horse Sanctuary:

  • Intact Family & Bonded Bands-Keeps family and bachelor bands together, from the range to sanctuary or reuniting after capture

  • Wild Horses & Burros-Currently provides sanctuary for 500 wild horses and 50 burros

  • Senior & Special Needs-Currently maintains a senior population of 60 horses over the age of 27

  • Rescue-Has rescued over 2,000 horses independently and through collaborative efforts


Education:

Return to Freedom reaches hundreds of thousands of people through programs, events, multi-media and film.

  • Programs & Events-RTF hosts experiential learning programs at two of its locations, providing private tours, photo safaris, herd immersions, and a variety of equine workshops for hundreds of visitors of all ages each year

  • Herd Immersion & Observation-Visitors learn through sensitive observation in nature’s classroom

  • Regenerative Holistic Land Management-RTF’s natural herd and land management are the foundation of its educational initiatives

  • Volunteering-RTF has a volunteer program, including an “In Residence” option for volunteers who want to help at the sanctuary for an extended period

  • Native Species-RTF educates that the horse is native to North America


Advocacy:

Return to Freedom has developed a unique, nationally respected voice on policy issues by advocating for humane, science-based wild horse management alternatives rooted in its decades of hands-on experience with hundreds of wild horses.

  • Ending Roundups-RTF advocates for the redirection of funds spent on expensive and traumatic roundups toward viable and minimally intrusive alternatives that would enable wild horses and burros to remain on their rangelands

  • Fertility Control-RTF continues to tirelessly advocate for the use of non-hormonal, reversible, proven safe and humane fertility control on the range for wild horses and burros. Fertility control was initially mocked by the BLM and other stakeholders, but RTF persevered, advocating that slowing down—not ending—reproduction, was a viable alternative to endless roundups and warehousing tens of thousands of once wild and free horses and burros

  • Selective litigation

  • Ending Horse Slaughter-RTF is a leading voice in the fight to permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States as well as the export of American horses for slaughter


A small herd of wild horses grazing on a hillside at Return to Freedom, Wild Horse Conservation.  equustyle.com
Hart Mountain Herd. Photo: Cathy Wallace

“The BLM needs a proud vision for America’s mustangs,” says Celeste Carlisle, RTF biologist. “The BLM has the tools but needs to nourish a culture shift to achieve a non-lethal, multi-faceted approach to manage healthy herds on healthy rangelands across the West. The antiquated and traumatic capture and removal policies are treacherous, inhumane, and are not a long-term solution. The battle over the use of our public land grazing and water resources is not about how many livestock versus how many horses but rather how grazing is managed on the land.”


RTF has embraced holistic regenerative grazing practices at its sanctuary and considers these practices critical to addressing the impact from climate change and long-term solutions on the range.



“Mustangs have long been the scapegoats for the mismanagement of public land grazing,” explains DeMayo. “Whether grazing livestock or wild horses, if we implement holistic management practices, grazing mammals are part of the solution not the problem. At the sanctuary we have been able to take overgrazed and under-grazed areas and, in just 3 years, restore diversity in insects, wildlife, grasses, legumes, and increase the duration of water holes.”


In addition to its advocacy work, RTF continues to execute large-scale rescues to further its original mission of keeping family bands intact.


Most recently, in December 2023, in collaboration with colleague organizations,  RTF rescued 46 members of the Alpine herd that were removed from their home in the Apache National Forest in Arizona. The captured horses ended up at an auction in Bowie, Texas, where thousands of horses are purchased by kill buyers and sent to Mexico for slaughter.


Since arriving at RTF’s sanctuary in Lompoc, California in 2024, 11 Alpine foals have been born, bringing the total number rescued to 57. RTF is now responsible for the lifelong care of these magnificent animals, which is as costly as it is rewarding. Working collaboratively, in 2023- 2024, RTF also rescued 20 burros at risk of being sold for slaughter.



Sponsorships not only help offset the cost of these large-scale rescues, but also allow RTF to continue its mission of conserving America’s wild horses in the long run so that future generations will be able to see them running free on our public lands.


Please consider sponsoring a horse, burro, or herd. Sponsorships also make great gifts all year long!  With your support, these animals will be able to live out their lives as close to free as possible alongside their family bands.


If you are interested in visiting RTF, sign up for a tour, workshop or program.


To learn more about RTF, visit ReturnToFreedom.org.


THE ISSUE


Public pressure led to the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act at a time when herds were vanishing.


The 1971 law handed oversight of wild horses and burros mainly to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The agency set a maximum population target of 26,785 wild horses and burros — fewer than 1,500 more than when the law was enacted out of concern for their survival — on Herd Management Areas in 10 Western states.


The BLM operates under a mandate that it manages our public lands for “multiple uses.” These include other wildlife, energy extraction, recreation and the grazing of private livestock that greatly outnumber wild horses.


For decades, the agency has failed to control wild herd numbers by using helicopters to chase horses and burros into trap sites before shipping them away from their home ranges.


The BLM has chosen not to use a tool that Return to Freedom and a majority of wild horse advocates and other rangeland stakeholders now support: proven, safe and humane fertility control. Used right, it would slow reproduction.


The BLM says it will use fertility control, but only after it reaches its population targets. Population modeling by ecologists shows fertility control must be implemented immediately if capture-and-removal is to ever be phased out.


Over the past five years, the BLM removed 57,997 wild horses and burros from the range while treating and releasing with fertility control just 4,936.


In March, the BLM estimated 73,520 wild horses and burros still roamed the ranges that the agency manages.


Tragically, nearly as many—63,000 captured wild horses and burros—are being warehoused in overcrowded corrals or on leased pastures at an ever-growing cost to taxpayers of more than $109 million annually.




WILD HORSES ARE NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA

Wild horses are a reintroduced native wildlife species. The horse originated in North America 53 million years ago and went through all its adaptations, including its last adaptation leaving the world the one toed horse, Equus Caballus, on this continent.  Over millions of years, in an ongoing migratory journey across the Bering Land Bridge, the horse travelled throughout Eurasia, across the Iranian Plateau and dispersed throughout the world.

DNA evidence shows that the horse remained in North America at least as recently as 5,000 years ago. How they disappeared — if, in fact, they ever actually became extinct here — is a mystery. When Cortez landed in Mexico in 1519, he brought horses from Spain. Others followed. From these reintroduced animals came the great numbers of wild horses that eventually changed the culture of the Plains Indians. The Spanish horses soon adapted to the same ecological niche their native relatives had once thrived in. Long before the early settlers pioneered the West, the wild horses were already there as a reintroduced, fully adapted wildlife species.









 


EquuStyle Art & Travel magazine thanks Neda DeMayo, Founder and President, Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation and Christina Tsirkas, writer and wild horse advocate for their comprehensive article, beautiful photographs by professional photographers, and the holistic regenerative grazing video.


All images copyright Return to Freedom, Wild Horse Conservation -all rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced for any purpose without permission from the professional photographers or Return to Freedom, Wild Horse Conservation.


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