The cornerstone of all Return to Freedom's efforts rests in the management and philosophy of The American Wild Horse Sanctuary.

The American Wild Horse Sanctuary provides a safe haven for wild horses, herds and burros who might otherwise be separated, slaughtered, abused, or left to roam without food or water. Here these animals can live out their lives in freedom. Simultaneously it creates an opportunity for people to directly experience part of America's living heritage—the wild horse in its natural habitat.

Currently home to over 200 wild horses and burros, the American Wild Horse Sanctuary offers a number of unique conservation and preservation programs that include

• preserving natural herd groups,
• using non-hormonal birth control methods, and
• habitat preservation

Preserving Natural Herd Groups

Have you ever heard a horse scream?

Horses are herd animals and thrive within their family groups. When separated from their herds, wild horses have been known to panic and sometimes even run themselves to death.

Recognizing this, the Sanctuary developed a unique contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to assure that the horses it rescues from public lands are relocated as a group, with their herds in tact. When we take one horse—we take the entire family. AWHS may be the only sanctuary in the country with this mandate. "I don't know of anyone else," says Michael Nunn, a project leader with the USFWS.

Among the horses residing at the Sanctuary, we have six safely relocated five herd groups and a few bachelor bands from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada and the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Our vision is to be able to provide sanctuary to hundreds more and ensure generations of viable herd structures and genetic diversity.

Non-Hormonal Birth Control Methods

Due to limited resources on the ranch, innovative solutions needed to be discovered in order to manage a wild horse population while still maintaining the most natural lifestyle possible. To accomplish this, AWHS works with Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, the Director of Science and Conservation Biology at Zoo Montana and a foremost authority on birth control methods used for free-ranging animals.

Each year Dr Kirkpatrick administers Porcine Zona Pellucida, or PZP, a reversible, non-hormonal birth control injection to each of the mares. This method of immunocontraception, unlike conventional gelding, assures that social behaviors and herd dynamics remain in tact. Moreover, the females still cycle after the injection, although are not fertile, and have proven to be healthier as a result. This form of immunocontraception is not permanent. The program is managed with the integrity and diversity of future generations in mind.

Habitat Preservation

Because we share this precious planet with all creatures of the air, land and water, the preservation of the natural environment is among our foremost objectives. Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we have created a variety of innovative, holistic range management programs.

One example is the on-going creek bed restoration that help control erosion and creek beds damaged by washouts. These washouts have negatively impacted the endangered steel head trout in our streams. Through willow planting and reseeding over-farmed fields back to indigenous grasses, we are working to correct years of problems while restoring the trout population.

With the continued guidance and help of biologists, engineers and staff of our local Natural Resources Conservation Service Department of the USDA, we are pioneering a number of holistic range management techniques. If you are interested in learning more about holistic range management, please contact us.

We Need Your Help

To carry on our work, and to assure that current and future initiatives meet their objectives, please consider getting involved in whatever way you can. With the the new amendment to the Wild free roaming horse and burro act thousands and thousands of wild horses will be sold for slaughter...the time to act is now.