Maple is our miracle, and the inspiration behind our mustang rehabilitation program. She was given to us by another rescue who transported her from a kill pen in Oklahoma at just 4 months old. She arrived terrified, completely untrusting of people, and smart. She was impossible to catch, impossible to trick, and impossible to touch. Whatever trauma she went through in her very short life, it was enough to make her utterly and completely afraid of humans.

With the guidance and support of her trainer, Jen, we tried everything to get her caught. She had a burst abcess in her hoof and a respiratory infection that was not responding to anti-biotics. She desperately needed to get to a vet and a farrier, but to do that, we needed to be able to catch her, halter her, and get her on a trailer.

After 6 months of patiently meeting her wherever she was, allowing Maple to lead with curiosity and by building trust extremely slowly, after 6 months, I put my hand on her for the first time. We’ve been inseparable ever since. By working with her and not “breaking” her, we have a horse that is trusting, clever, curious, and playful. We want to bring this method to the wild horses whose best option besides having been left in the wild in the first place, is to help them see how to work with people and build trust.

Monthly Feed Costs: $60 feed, $40 in hay, $50 in supplements, $12 in treats

Farrier every 6-8 weeks: $75

Dental Float yearly: $100

Worming yearly: $40

Maple 2025 Sponsorship