About The Refuge
In 2022 The Bureau of Land Management began rounding up hundreds of mustangs from two of Colorado's most iconic wild horse herds. Initially, they took hundreds of wild horses from the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) and then moved south to repeat similar round up operations within the Piceance-East Douglas HMA.
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Of course, no one wanted to see these amazing creatures being disturbed in any way, let alone rounded up and shipped off to far away locations such as Canyon City, Colorado. Once there, the horses are held within a Federal Prison Facility where they wait for months to be processed and then offered up for adoption. Some are adopted by caring individuals, while most are passed over. These are the horses we focus on rescuing.
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Unfortunately, for the ones that fail to get adopted - which are typically 50-75 percent of those offered to the public - they end up being sent to government contracted long-term holding facilities for the rest o their lives.
There, they will never again have an opportunity to feel the wind in their face or run freely within vast open spaces. ​
Yet, for some, there is a unique opportunity to regain their freedom through the love and support of those who want to protect and restore their wild spirit.
Freedom
Thankfully, the 30,000-acre Wild Horse Refuge in northwest Colorado has thousands of acres of open space available for these horses. This pioneering Refuge was created to help them regain their freedom.
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Through the help and support of thousands of compassionate people, this former Cattle Ranch was purchased by the Wild Animal Sanctuary in order to offer unprecedented freedom for captured wild horses.
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Beyond its magnificent scenery and incredibly natural habitat, it is truly amazing to discover how the Refuge is located just 30 miles east of the Sand Wash Basin HMA, and only 40 miles northeast of the Piceance-East Douglas HMA.
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However, in order for this incredible opportunity for wild horses to succeed, the Refuge needs your kind and generous support toward paying or the land. Working together, we can combine our compassion and caring spirit to help restore the freedom that was stolen from so many of these beautiful creatures!
The Wild Horse Refuge is an extension of The Wild Animal Sanctuary. To learn more about this parent organization, please click here.