We were contacted by a local trainer, letting us know that this beautiful bay roan mustang was free to a good home. He was going to be trained as a riding horse for one of the best local outfits that offers horseback rides to the public, but he remained very reactive during his initial training with them and the owners thought he would benefit from a gentle hand. He has been round penned, haltered and tied, but be doesn’t lead and he certainly shows lots of stress indicators about being touched or even approached, so we’ll be starting from scratch with him and also showing his whole training process on YouTube- in order to promote using kind training methods based...
Our very first Mustang to be rewilded here at the Sanctuary has arrived! This cute little red roan guy was previously known as Rambo- but we’ll be calling him Charlie for the remainder of his life. Charlie’s story is wrought with hardship. Just one year out of holding and he has already been through two different owners! He was originally adopted through a TIP Challenge- when the adopter had trouble gentling him they asked their TIP Challenge leader for help, and her “training” solution was to bring him up to the fairgrounds, put him in a chute so he could be forced to accept touch, and then his leg was tied up and he was forced to lay down in...
SANCTUARY UPDATE!! Hello to those of you who are new here! Welcome 🥰 I’m Kourtney, I have a passion for Mustangs- the misfits of the horse world, and a passion for empathetic, relationship based horse training & handling. This is Deets- he is a 4 year old Mustang from Wyoming who was dumped in a kill pen! He came to us from Evanescent Mustang Rescue. He is honestly the sweetest horse I have ever met in my 23 years. Life has a funny way of redirecting what we think we need to do and instead guiding us where we are meant to be, and with the arrival of Deets’ sweet soul came the realization that a large percentage of America’s...
On July 30th 2021 my husband and I signed the paperwork to officially close on 160 acres west of Durango Colorado to be the home of Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary! You can imagine how happy these icons will be living out their days in safety & harmony here. When the majestic mustangs are home, running free against the mountain backdrop under wide open skies, living the life they deserve, I will be so happy to share their beauty and happiness with you all. My husband and I are beyond excited for this opportunity to save as many mustangs as possible from their dusty holding pen fate, and the timing could not be of more importance! We are more than halfway through 2021 and many mustangs...
THE PLAN Imagine: Thousands of acres of beautiful wild land in Colorado. Blue mountain peaks in the distance, with rolling fields. The smell of cedar and sage playing in the air- the sun shining down on a herd of well fed, happy, and free mustangs living out their days in serendipity and peace. That is my vision for Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary. I have always loved the beauty of Colorado's wilderness, but my love for horses always trumps all. I strive to provide as many horses as possible with a forever home! Over 40,000 mustangs now sit in dirt holding facilities. Only around 3,000 are adopted out each year, Maning that most that are rounded up live the rest of their...
