Mustang March Madness!
Did you know Rosemary Farm Sanctuary is currently home to nine mustangs? Their original herds are in Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and California. They have coloring and markings that give us insight to their wild heritage. They have endured life in the wild, the loss of their families, and removal from their home rangelands. Transported thousands of miles across the country, and asked to give up their wildness, they were shuffled through auctions, trainers, and barns many times over.
These iconic horses are personally important to Rosemary Farm’s founder, who envisioned the mountainside as a safe harbor for wild mustangs who found themselves on the East Coast in need of help. Often these are adult mustangs who could not assimilate, are not considered “user friendly,” horses that are truly in need of a place where they can just be horses.
During Mustang March Madness, you are invited to the “big dance” to meet the Mustangs of Rosemary Farm. Learn about their journey and embrace their wildness. Their care can be complicated as we are committed to respecting when they say “no.” Training helps them understand when they need to have a halter or to go through a series of gates to come in to a stall for hoof trimming, a vet exam, or medical care. They all need champions – dedicated humans who appreciate, and perhaps even crave, a wild spirit!
Which Mustang will YOU fall madly in love with?
CAITRIONA
“The Sassenach”
Young, healthy, and vibrant, Caitriona is making friends and finding her place within the herds of the Sanctuary since her arrival in 2023. In a crowd of bay horses, it’s the freeze brand on the left side of Cait’s neck that stands out. That marking says she came from the arid, vast landscape of Nevada where water and grass are scarce. It is quite likely that Cait and her family were chased across their rangeland into a trap by a helicopter, separated, loaded into a trailer, and unloaded into a crowded holding facility. An adopter in New England offered a new life for Cait outside of a holding pen and the mare moved to the east But even the best intentions could not tame her wild spirit, and her owner looked for a Sanctuary where Cait could be a horse, as she was meant to be. At just 8 years old, Cait has a lifetime to just be a horse, on her terms, on a grassy mountain a world away from where she started. With her extra long ears and extra long forelock, she is quite a looker, and becoming very social again, often with her current beau Andy. Sponsor Cait today – you’re going to want to see how her life plays out here at Rosemary Farm!
CHANTE
“Sweet Heart Face”
“Chante” is the Navajo word for ‘heart’, and when she was very small, there was a clear ‘heart shape’ on this dark fillies forehead. Chante was in mortal danger soon after being born, and was one of the youngest horses rescued in 2016, with over 900 others, from a failed rescue that allowed breeding to go uncontrolled. She is lucky to be alive. The operation that saved them all became known as ’The Hallelujah Horses’, spearheaded by The Fleet of Angels, who spent a year rounding up, caring for, and responsibly placing these mustangs, in an astounding and unprecedented save. Of this large number of mustangs, many rescues welcomed some, and Rosemary Farm welcomed two. This filly and another, now known as Nizhoni, were originally bottle fed to save their lives, as tiny, starved weanlings. Soon after, they moved to another facility, before traveling east, to a private home in NY. Chante is a White Sands mustang, a wild herd that has been all but decimated by round-ups in New Mexico. Her coloring has changed as she has grown, first to a brown/grey, and slowly fading as she becomes an adult, and her heart shaped forehead is hard to see now. Chante and Nia, her BFF, moved to the Sanctuary, where they are protected for life. Bottle raised horses are also very comfortable with humans, and she will be sure to say hello if you visit! Chante would love to have you choose HER as a special mustang to sponsor!
FIREFLY
“He with the Magical Tale”
Do you see that tail? Imagine nearly identical horses, brothers, same tail, same color, living in the forests of Oregon’s Murderer’s Creek Wild Horse Territory. Considered “timber horses” on mountainous terrain, they tend to be smaller in stature and nimble, no doubt to dash between trees while covering the mountain area. No wonder “Fly” is comfortable on the Rosemary Farm mountain pastures! Firefly’s brother traveled with him to NY, they were going to be trained as a matched driving team for their adopter. But the brother died, and Firefly found himself homeless, and alone, in four different homes within a month, landing lame and quivering at the auction house. His story may have ended there, but Rosemary Farm got a buyer in time, to win his life. He was still young when he was rescued, but had seen too much in such a short time. Tentative at first after his rescue, he was given some time to decompress. The magic of the hills and of the herds at the Sanctuary began to work, and soon, with his new name and new life, his original playful nature began to emerge. Firefly is one of the most playful horses of them all, always engaging in tag, chase, or hide-and-seek. His bay coat glistens with heart, and his two tone tail swishes as he runs. Today, Firefly is a special member of the Sanctuary herd; loyal to his friends and playful, his tail makes him easy to spot in the group on the mountain pastures. Sponsoring Firefly makes you the best friend of the most popular mustang at the game! Be ready for races up the mountain and quick pick-up games outside the barn!
KATIE SCARLETT
“Lost and Found”
A California girl, by birth, who endured even more than the average mustang before finding Sanctuary. Unusually tall and beautiful, Katie was born in a BLM holding pen after her mother was captured. Waiting in those pens, she was passed over again and again (there are simply not enough skilled people to take home wild mustangs), until she was labeled as ‘Unwanted’ and had an added “U” to her brand. Katie was chosen to be used in a “Mustang Extreme Makeover’, a contest that randomly assigns mustangs in holding pens to competing trainers. Katie, as a young adult, left in the trailer for training, but never returned. She was MIA from the competition, essentially stolen, and was missing for years. Eventually, she turned up in a kill pen on the East Coast, alone and unmanageable, about to ship to slaughter. Lucky for her, a military family was looking for their first horse, and fell in love with her beauty. They gave her a chance and saved her life. Sadly it was not meant to last. Despite having a skilled trainer, Katie was emotionally damaged by her years of bad handling, with a hair trigger panic response. She wants to get along, but was way too much for this kind family, and they began looking for a Sanctuary who would accept her, as she is. Was this mare ever going to find a safe home forever home that could handle her? Of course; that place was Rosemary Farm. Here, Katie has a herd family, and is often with her beau, an Arabian named Tudor. Both are of a quiet nature, desiring peace and harmony, and both have a wider circle of horses that comprise their herd. And that horrible brand? It means nothing at the Sanctuary. To be on Katie Scarlett’s team as a sponsor, you are going to have to trust her. She’s been through it all and yet, here she is, thriving, gleaming, happy. Why, yes, Katie, we are honored to be a part of your team.
MOONSHADOW
“Happy Go Lucky”
This is an unusual mustang because he is so very friendly. Originally from a wild horse herd management area in Wyoming, Moonshadow today is the Rosemary Farm mustang team ambassador. A handsome, teenaged, pale grey gelding, with personality for days, he will kindly escort you around. He knows who hangs out with who, where to catch a quick romp to burn up some energy, and which humans regularly give good scratches. His background and history is a mystery; in between his wild birth and his eventual rescue from a Texas kill pen, someone treated him with love. And yet, even a loved horse can find itself in mortal danger, and he nearly lost his life, standing anonymous and unprotected, ready to ship to Mexico. But he got lucky. A private owner looking for a nice, safe older riding horse saw him listed, and purchased him. Moonshadow was brought East, and his new owner discovered that he was not old and also, not a safe riding horse! In fact, Moonshadow is very skilled at bucking, a skill he will never need to demonstrate again. Rosemary Farm was asked to provide a safe harbor, and opened the barn doors. And what a personable fellow joined the Sanctuary! Moonshadow is happy to meet and greet guests, and introduce them to his best horse friends. He has wonderful manners, is kind to friends of all species, and will LOVE to count you as one of his friends, helping to cover his needs. And yes, he will answer all fan mail!
NIZHONI
“Navajo Beauty”
“Nizhoni” is the Navajo word for "beautiful.”, and this tiny buckskin filly is certainly that. Her life didn’t begin so beautifully though, as one of the youngest horses rescued in 2016, with over 900 others, from a failed rescue that allowed breeding to go uncontrolled. She is lucky to be alive. The operation that saved them all became known as ’The Hallelujah Horses’, spearheaded by The Fleet of Angels, who spent a year rounding up, caring for, and responsibly placing these mustangs, in an astounding and unprecedented save. Of this large number of mustangs, many rescues welcomed some, and Rosemary Farm welcomed two. This filly and another, now known as Chante, were originally bottle fed to save their lives, as tiny, starved weanlings. Soon after, they moved to another facility, before traveling east, to a private home in NY. Nizhoni’s relatives, called Gila mustangs or Painted Rock mustangs, are a rare strain, and are now spread throughout the country in sanctuaries and private homes. “Nia” for short, and her BFF Chante, grew for another year before moving to Rosemary Farm Sanctuary. Nia is a great example of her rare strain with her dark-rimmed ears, dorsal stripe, dun coloring, and the hint of stripes at the top of her legs. Friendly and engaging, she is often found with Senna, who looks like family. Bottle raised horses are also very comfortable with humans, and she will be sure to say hello if you visit! Support the continued care of this special little filly, and Nia will be sure to thank you in person!
RIVER
“Let Wild be Wild”
Captured as a young colt in 2006, River did not get much time to live in the wild of his Colorado rangeland. Captive, he spent two years in ‘holding’ until he was adopted; a dark gray piece of nature, with a long tangled mane, he shipped to the East Coast. His new owner could not manage him, neither could the next, and in due time, River was abandoned at a boarding facility. The kind people there took over his legal ownership and tried for another two years to tame him but there was just no taming this horse. He would be fine one day and go through a window the next. He excels at jumping, making his containment a real challenge. These people reached out to Rosemary Farm and asked if there was any room and of course, River was welcomed. He is the wildest of the wild at the Sanctuary, and a great example of the best characteristics of a true mustang: loyal, instinctive, physical, playful, sensitive, kind… and a big NOPE to all things domestic. River has enjoyed his new family at Rosemary Farm for several years, and his coloring has faded to a pale gray, but his nature remains. As a supporter of River, it’s his wild spirit that makes him special, and why you want to be his sponsor. So watch carefully, be sure to breathe, and know that, as River’s sponsor, you are now a part of his world.
SENNA
“A thing of beauty is a joy to behold.”
Senna is mustang beauty to behold, restored as much as possible to her essential self after being rescued by Rosemary Farm Sanctuary. She was born free in Nevada, and lived wild until she was captured by the BLM, and became ‘property'. Her journey away from home, to Virginia, and as an ‘owned horse’ is unknown, but at some point she was sold, and sold again. Years later, spotted for sale in NY, this teenage mare had a glazed over look in her eyes, the despair of a broken soul, who had lost any connection to herd, family, or home. She was alone. When the Rosemary Farm trailer arrived, she glanced about briefly, and hopped on. She unloaded at her new home, and began a journey back to her original self. Senna made friends, connected to other mustangs at the Sanctuary, and found comfort within a herd. Her physical and emotional health has steadily improved and today, her face shows gray, from age, but her beauty remains. Senna shines from the inside out, on her terms. Sign up to help sponsor Senna, and behold this beautiful mare as someone YOU nurture, love, and help provide for, at Rosemary Farm Sanctuary.
WHISPER
“Still Waters Run Deep”
Arriving in 2009, Whisper was the first mustang of Rosemary Farm, and only the fourth horse overall. He was being given away because his owner could not tame him. Born in Wyoming, circa 2000, he was rounded up by the BLM; based on Whisper’s lifetime fear of humans, one has to surmise that it was terrifying, and he has never fully recovered. Whisper still has trouble with confinement, causing him to hyperventilate, his huge eyes dilating in a deep fear. As a young male mustang, he was adopted as an intact stallion. Yes! Crazy but true. At the time, adopters could take home a stallion, and that was how Whisper came to New York. A handsome white mustang, smaller in stature but with that thick mane and classic mustang profile, his new owner expected to get some beautiful mustang babies. His first ‘crop’ , however, did not inherit his looks and coloring, so Whisper was gelded, and given away. Other owners attempted to train and ride him, but it was not to be. Whisper is wild in his heart and soul.
Whisper arrived one day in a small white horse trailer. Once the door swung open, he was off like a shot, winding down the path, into the barn below. Alone at first, it was not long before Whisper was introduced to the other horses. And it was only a few more days before Whisper quietly assumed herd leadership, which he held for a few years, until he trained is protégée Finn to step in.
Whisper brought astounding lessons with his very existence. Our trainer described mustangs as ‘horses horses’, true raw essence of what a horse is. Whisper is always polite, and respectful, but earning trust is a different matter. Both the domestic horses, and the resident humans, began to learn from Whisper how to communicate at a more refined level, and how to bond as a herd group. When the young Finn arrived, rescued from auction for $5, he became the second lieutenant to Whisper, and learned at his side. Finn was extremely lucky to have this education, and essentially grow up ‘bilingual’, learning to speak mustang and human as he grew, before he stepped into the leadership role, which he holds today. No human was present at the official changing of the herd leader, but Whisper remains a trusted ally and part of the inner circle of the main herd at Rosemary Farm, valued and protected for life.
Whisper, with his long eyelashes and gentle soul, paved the way for further mustangs to be welcomed to the Sanctuary. Today he is happy to greet guests who are quiet and allow him to approach in his own quiet manner, and in mustang time. Honor Whisper and his legacy, by becoming his sponsor. If you listen carefully, he might share his wisdom with you, too.