Sanctuary Tour - June 5, 2021

Spirit was used as the inspiration and model for the artists and animators during the making of the 2002 DreamWorks animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. In April 2002, after the completion of the film, DreamWorks relocated Spirit to Return to Freedom's Wild Horse Sanctuary, where he serves as a prominent ambassador of the Kiger Mustang breed. We are delighted to create a new home for Spirit where he can continue to thrive and inspire our visitors to preserve the heritage of these magnificent animals. At his new home, Spirit spends his days exploring large pastures at the sanctuary and enjoying new friends. Photo of Spirit by Stephen Pile.

Maggie is a fine boned petite burro with light coloring. She is shy but will approach you. Sensitive and kind, Maggie was born in 1996 on the range in the Centennial Herd Management Area in Kern County, California. She was captured from her home range in 2001 when she was five years old and pregnant. While at BLM’s Ridgecrest holding corrals, she gave birth to a furry little Jack (male burro) later named Poncho. Maggie and Poncho were adopted, and in October 2001 brought to Return to Freedom’s American Wild Horse Sanctuary. Maggie and Poncho have been able to remain together and have joined 25 other burros who explore the rolling oak-studded hills at the sanctuary. Maggie can always be found near Poncho. Photo by Paloma Ianes. 

Black Moon is a strikingly beautiful black Sulphur Springs stallion. Of all the horses found free-ranging on the American landscape, the Sulphur Springs horses have the most similar DNA to the primitive Iberian Sorraia horses. True to his Iberian descent, this pure black horse looks like a Lusitano stallion. He is magnificent and 100% wild. RTF made sure that this stallion, who spent his entire life in the Utah Mountain wilderness before being captured, would not end up falling through the cracks. Black Moon (formerly #5398) and a 15-year-old bay stallion (formerly #5422, who we have now named Merlin) had no bids at all and faced an uncertain future so we spoke up for them and had them brought to the sanctuary. Merlin has a difficult time seeing and depends on Black Moon to help navigate their hilltop pasture. Photo by Irene Vejar.

Elvis is a very metallic gold palomino stallion whose coat shimmers in the sunlight. He's estimated to have been born in 2004. Elvis was one of over 1,900 wild horses captured during the devastating 2010 roundup in the Calico Mountains Complex of Nevada. After a grueling helicopter stampede on January 20, 2010, Elvis was chased into the trap and lost his freedom forever. Exhausted, confused and without his family by his side, we can only imagine what he was experiencing. He now roams the pastures at Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sanctuary with a band of bachelor stallions. Photo by Laura Bold. 

At 9:40 a.m. on the sunny morning of Dec. 16, 2018, Stella gave birth to this pretty filly – an early holiday present for all of us here at Return to Freedom. Because Return to Freedom uses the fertility control vaccine PZP, births at the sanctuary are a rare but happy event. Stella is what we call a "non-responder" to PZP, so she may get pregnant and have a foal every few years. Confident little Nora has already shown herself to be independent, curious and smart.  Photo by Bari Lee.