About Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary
Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary Today
Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary is home to over 300 rescued wild horses and is located on an incredible 3,000 acres in northeast Texas, near Texarkana. Our sanctuary features lush rolling native and bermuda grass meadows, woods, ponds, and spring fed streams for our herds to enjoy!
Most of our equine residents were rescued out of the slaughter pipeline, where they were at risk of being shipped across the border to Mexico or Canada where equine slaughter is alive and well to be killed and used for their meat. Piper and Harmony are great examples of the horrible state most American Mustangs find themselves in when they are dumped into the slaughter pipeline.
When Piper arrived home, she was merely a soulless skeleton. Shed been starved and ignored for who knows how long. Her eyes were gaunt and lifeless. Terror echoed through them! Now, she is a healthy beautiful mustang with several girlfriends. She's vibrant, and curious about the people that now are nothing but kind and bring good hay and treats!
Harmony was terrified, cut up, and unbeknownst to us, carrying a beautiful baby mule, Sonata, in her belly! Many of our rescues from the slaughter pipeline are pregnant. The people who intend to sell them for their meat know that they make more money the more the horse weighs, so they often have the horses running with a stud in order to add the weight of pregnancy onto the mare. Now, Harmony and her baby Sonata are still together, alive, and well! Sonata is such a big girl and a fun playful soul. Her momma is her absolute best friend in the whole world and it is such a joy to see them frolic and play together! In the photo above, they are in the middle of a mutual grooming session as Harmony reached down to scratch her face on her leg.
Smokey was wronged by humans. Like many wild horses he was "trained" using dominating methods that never dissolve the fear that a wild animal feels when cornered by a predator- a human. He learned to comply, because it was the only way to make the pressure and pain stop! But, the fear was painted plainly all over his face for those willing to see it. Now, he is calm, cool, and confident as he matures! He is still best friends with Gypsy, the mare he came in with, and loves to play with the other geldings in his herd. His personality is healed, and able to be expressed- what a gift that is to witness!
These are just three of the individual stories of the horses that come into our care. From empty and scared, to full of the wild bold beauty that never should have been taken from them in the first place. They are all healthy, have their spirits intact, and enjoy a rewilded life with their herdmates and family! This is the type of renewal and future that we offer for wild horses in need.
The Future of Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary
Over the years, as we have grown, the question I am asked the most is “How many horses will Nirvana be home to?!” The response is always the same: "If your dreams don't scare you, then they aren't big enough"
We have HUGE ambitions to create a massive sanctuary consisting of 20,000+ acres and several thousand rescued wild horses living out their lives as they deserve. Along with this ambitious goal we are building an equally massive network of sponsors, donors and advocates in order to truly change the lives of the American Mustangs that are losing their freedom and their very lives so rapidly. These horses have stood by our side for centuries, aiding in mankind's most crucial times! It's now time for us to return the favor.
As a Christian organization, we aim to preserve these precious creations of God that are being wiped out before our very eyes, and provide both the horses and people we come into contact with a little slice of heaven on earth! These horses have much to teach us about the principles taught in the bible as well. With His blessing, we will continue to expand and reach this incredible goal with an incredible web of support!
The Journey
In 2021 we closed on the sanctuary’s very first property- 160 acres of untouched land in the foothills of the San Jaun mountains in stunningly beautiful southwestern Colorado. The Native home to many wild horses, it seemed fitting for us to launch the sanctuary and find our footing in the American West, so my husband and I moved from our home state of Texas across the country to begin the hard yet rewarding work of beginning a sanctuary.
During our three years in Colorado while we built the foundation for Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary and began growing our herd, we learned all about the plight of the American Mustang. We traveled the lands they live on across Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and California. We witnessed firsthand the fragile Western landscapes, and lack of resources in most of the areas America’s Wild Horses are limited to living in. We witnessed firsthand the propaganda of the Bureau of Land Management, the decimation of the Alpine Wild Horse Herd out of Arizona, and how many of the Native people deem the wild horses on their reservations pests out of necessity to have all resources available to provide for their own families.
We dove deep into the workings of the slaughter pipeline, how it functions, and the best ways to intervene and actually prevent American Mustangs from being slaughtered. We experienced God’s watercolors through fairytale mountain sunsets and wildflowers, as well as the brutality of harsh winters with 4+ feet of snow on the ground!
Through prayers and faith, slowly a lasting framework was built that ensures Nirvana Mustang Sanctuaries success and continuation. Many incredible humans came forward to volunteer their time, resources, and prayers to help save may horses, build fences, barns, and so much more!
Ultimately, the decision to relocate back to our home state of Texas where natural resources are incredibly abundant and the landscapes support large amounts of grazing animals was placed on our hearts, so in October of 2024 we relocated Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary onto our current property. We look forward to meeting new people and visitors who share our love for God and America's Mustangs!
Founding Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary
When I was four years old, the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron was released and changed my world FOREVER. I fell in love with wild horses. From then on, my school projects were over mustangs. My avid reading consisted of Terri Farley’s Phantom Stallion books. I learned all I could about their herd structure, behavior, colors, and everything else! My every thought consisted of HORSES!
God sure knew what he was doing when he placed me in my family, as my grandpa owned and ran a summer camp during my childhood, so it was just a matter of having my mom drive me out there to ride nearly every day during the summer. Anytime I was able to go ride my grandpa was happy to let me borrow a horse and head out across his incredible thousands of acres, which fed my passion for not only horses but nature and good land stewardship as well!
Fast forward to high school- my love of horses tenfold and knowledge of training and behavior growing daily- I borrowed one hundred and twenty dollars from my father to purchase a wholesale order of jewelry to resell at school, online, and at local fairs. Little did I know that business would grow and grow and keep growing ultimately allowing us to purchase Nirvana’s first sanctuary land and becoming the catalyst for the business knowledge base that allows Nirvana to operate smoothly and continue to scale.
The Idea
The dream of opening a mustang sanctuary struck me as we were living in a subdivision near Houston Texas and fully buried head over heels into growing the jewelry business. I was out on the porch one morning doing my morning routine when I was suddenly STRUCK by the idea- the goal that would combine my passion for horses, the plight of American Mustangs, AND my ability to use social media and build a business.
A MUSTANG SANCTUARY.
It seemed so obvious that it was the path for me, and it was so clearly spoken to me that I was sure it was the direction my life was supposed to go. Immediately I could sense how fulfilling the work would be. Looking back, though I had strayed from God at that time of my life, He was clearly guiding me towards this grand idea and future of helping horses.
Now, the dream is underway, my faith in God’s path for my life and this sanctuary are stronger than ever, and we have SO MUCH to look forward to! In the next few years, we have plans to roll out several programs that help people process trauma and HEAL, with the help of the Mustang as God’s word embodied as we continue to expand our acreage and grow our herd by rescuing mustangs from the slaughter pipeline.
One thing I have learned on this journey is to never be afraid to chase your dreams. But, know that if your dreams and God’s will for your life align, absolutely nothing will stand in your way and you will be blown away by the obstacles overcome and miracles you witness, as I have in building Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary.
Welcome to the Nirvana Family, and thank you so much for being on this journey with us!
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