Welcome to Return To Freedom

Return To Freedom is dedicated to preserving the freedom, diversity and habitat of America's wild horses through sanctuary, education and conservation, while enriching the human spirit through direct experience with the natural world.

Saturday, September 27th: 3rd Annual Spirit of the Horse

Return to Freedom and the ASPCA invite you to celebrate the 3rd Annual Spirit of the Horse on Saturday, September 27th 2008. This year’s event will be bigger, better and even more magical than ever. Join us for fabulous food and wine tastings, activities for kids, silent auction, equine and artistic performances, and much more.

Get your tickets online today!

Action Alert: BLM Announces Plan to euthanize some 30,000 wild horses July 1st, 2008

As Americans make plans to celebrate the Independence Day weekend, the US Government is considering the mass murder of thousands of wild horses. On Monday June 30th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at their Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting announced a proposal that involves the phasing out of long-term holding facilities where they house some 22,000 wild horses that they removed from the range. Though they can only find adoptive homes for some 2000-3000 wild horses each year, the BLM has continued for decades to remove horses by the tens of thousands. Faced with budget cuts and more horses than they can afford to care for, their “solution” to years of mis-management is to simply kill them. With additional round ups scheduled this year, up to 30,000 wild horses could face the bullet.

Click here to read more and learn how you can take action.

Continued Lack of Rainfall Creates Hay Crisis

While the Mid-West region continues to be plagued by flooding, those of us out here in the west are facing an altogether different challenge. Severe drought-like conditions over the past two years have wreaked havoc on ranchers and farmers who are facing lower crop yields due to the lack of water. For sanctuaries like Return to Freedom that has meant a substantial increase in the cost of hay, which is becoming increasingly more difficult to secure in regions across the west. Couple that with the rise in fuel prices, and it is creating a real financial threat to horse sanctuaries in the west.

Return to Freedom urgently needs your help. Please consider making a donation today to help us purchase hay for our equine residents, or Sponsoring a Horse to help provide feed and care for a specific horse at the sanctuary.

$25 will help feed and care for 1 horse for a week
$50 will help feed and care for a mare and her foal for a week
$100 will help feed and care for 1 horse for a month
$250 will help to feed a small family band for 1 month

Policy Update and Action Alert

In a time when climate change and urban sprawl are having a demonstrable impact on the planet, it is clearer than ever that the choices we make can have devastating consequences on wildlife and habitat. Right now, choices are being made that could threaten the freedom, genetic viability and the survival of thousands of wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are both in the process of accepting comments from the public on wild horse management plans. Please use your voice to help these agencies make the right choices for America's remaining wild horses. Read more...

Welcome to our 2008 Tour Season!

Tours begin on Friday, May 2nd, 2008. Click here for descriptions of our tours and how to book.

Job Opportunity At Return To Freedom: Equine Manager

Return to Freedom is looking for a full time, live-on Equine Manager to join the team. Candidates should have experience managing large numbers of horses, including handling and working with young and/or challenging horses, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and articulately with the public. Interested parties can contact (805) 737-9246 or email admin@returntofreedom.org for more information.

Support Return to Freedom when you shop at Ralphs

You buy your groceries, we get a donation: Return to Freedom can now be linked to your Ralphs card so that each time you purchase groceries, Ralphs will donate between 1 - 4% of your total bill to us. It only takes a moment to link Return to Freedom to your card. Follow these easy steps:

Go to www.ralphs.com/ccprogram.htm and click on Participant.
Register your Ralphs card number (if you don't know it you can call 800 660-9003).
Choose Return to Freedom: NPO number is 90094.
Hit Submit.

Want to help protect America's wild horses?

Download our "Take Action Packet" today. You can help Return to Freedom raise awareness about the plight of our remaining wild horse herds by sharing the Take Action Packet with friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Also, please consider making a donation today! Your generosity helps us provide sanctuary for over 200 wild horses and burros.

Did you know that our wild horses are actually a re-introduced native wildlife species?

Traditionally, horses were thought of as an exotic species that arrived on this continent for the first time with the Spanish in the 1500s. However, advances in molecular biology prove that the modern horse, Equus Caballus, actually evolved on this continent and migrated across the Bering Land Bridge. Though the horse disappeared on this continent between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago, when the Spanish brought horses back to North America they were simply returning home. Click here to read more.

Viggo Mortensen speaks out on behalf of our wild horses:

Click here to watch his PSA. Special thanks to Midthunder Productions

And while you're surfing... visit www.frankhopkins.com, the official tribute site to America's great distance/endurance rider and early-day champion of the Mustang horse: Frank T. Hopkins.