In the early 1900s, the wild mustang population in the US was estimated to be over 2 million. Today, there are only 15,000 left in the wild and about 40,000 in captivity in need of rescue. The Wild Horse Rescue Center rescues and rehabilitates mustangs who have been abused and neglected. The centre subsequently adopts the horses into loving homes. The funds for this project will go towards the care of the centre’s 40 horses, located in Mims, Florida, USA.

There are currently tens of thousands of mustangs in need of rescue in the US and in Florida the problem is worse than ever. People buy these horses for a very low price from auctions – while the horse is still completely wild. This results in the animals becoming neglected due to the lack of education and capacity to train them, which is why we work to intervene in these situations to properly rehabilitate and rehome these mustangs, to minimise neglect and abuse.

With a tremendously high success rate and decades of experience, WHRC rehabilitates these horses mentally and physically, trains and socializes them and then adopts them out into loving homes. The team works tirelessly to solve the emotional and physical traumas these horses have and once they are addressed – the horses are socialized and trained so they can be ridden and rehomed.

Aside from protecting and rehabilitating a number of mustangs, the bigger impact also includes all the educational work the centre does to bring attention and knowledge to the plight of the American mustang – a cause very few are familiar with. This project has the ability to help thousands of wild horses as they are able to rescue a new mustang as soon as a space becomes available after rehoming others.