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Sanctuary Tour - June 27, 2026 (Afternoon Tour)
Saturday, June 27, 2026
3:00 PM PDT - 5:00 PM PDT
Join us for a tour at Return to Freedom's Lompoc sanctuary headquarters.
This is a staff-guided walking tour of the sanctuary with some time for quiet herd observation along the way. Meet some of the mustangs who live here and represent a vital link to the history of the horse in North America. Learn about the horse as a native species with its origins in North America, their dispersal throughout the world, and their return to their home continent as it is interwoven with our cultural heritage.
Healthy snacks, fruits and beverages provided. Recommended minimum age is eight years. Suggested admission: $150 per adult; $75 for youth ages 6-17; admission is free for children ages 5 and under. A minimum of four participants is required to hold the program with a maximum of 20 per tour (unless arranging a group tour).
Learn more about the equines you are likely to meet below.
To register click the "Register for the Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary Tour" button. You can also donate to Return to Freedom during your registration or by clicking the "I Can't Attend but I'd like to Donate" button.
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.
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.
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. Now a mature mare herself, confident Nora has shown herself to be independent, curious and smart. Photo by Bari Lee.
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.
Sanctuary Tour - June 27, 2026 (Afternoon Tour)
Saturday, June 27, 2026
3:00 PM PDT - 5:00 PM PDT
Refund and Cancellation Policy: If you’re unable to attend your program or the program is postponed or rescheduled to a date you’re unable to attend, your payment may be applied to a credit for a future program’s registration for yourself or someone you designate, Return to Freedom store merchandise, or conversion to a much appreciated donation to Return to Freedom for the care and feeding of the sanctuary’s resident wild horses and burros.
Amante's band at Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, CA. Photo by: Rich Sladik
Sanctuary Tour - June 27, 2026 (Afternoon Tour)
Saturday, June 27, 2026
3:00 PM PDT - 5:00 PM PDT
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Mocha Chip, a Sheldon Refuge burro at Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, CA. Photo by Paloma Ianes.
Sanctuary Tour - June 27, 2026 (Afternoon Tour)
Saturday, June 27, 2026
3:00 PM PDT - 5:00 PM PDT
RTF HATS, T-SHIRTS AND MORE!
Shop for Return to Freedom branded ballcaps, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and more at our store!
BOOKS AND ART
Shop for books and art reflecting Return to Freedom's mission, stories about the sanctuary and its wild horses and burros, and the history of mustangs on America's western lands.
RTF HOME GOODS
Shop RTF home goods including totes, wine glasses, license plate frames, and more!