Charger the Alpine Gelding
Charger the Alpine Gelding's Story:
Charger got his name because he huffed and charged right at photographer Kathie Reidhead (@arizona.wild.horses on instagram!) when she was photographing him and his family in the wild, even though she maintained over 100ft safe distance from the horses! Charger is a BOLD protector of his family band, and his beauty is a direct match to his boldness.
In true fashion, on the day in September 2023 that Charger and the last 6 other Alpine Wild Horses were supposed to come home to Nirvana, he evaded getting onto the trailer for three hours. He busted through some panels and went back into his pasture, and then busted through the fence from that pasture to the neighboring pasture with 20+ other horses! Thankfully, he remained injury free. His actions are a testament to his wild soul.
We allowed Charger a couple weeks to calm down, and then my husband and I made the journey into Arizona to pick him up ourselves! He was reluctant to be split from the herd whose pasture he broke into, but ultimately we got him separated. However- he had a tag along! We were going to separate Charger and the mare by his side by shifting the horses from a pen on one side of the barn, letting them into the breezeway, then letting them into a pen on the other side of the barn. Once we let them out of the first gate into the breezeway, the irresistible smell of alfalfa wafting from our trailer caught his attention and right on in he went, the little bay mare in tow! So, we came home with two Alpines that day instead of one, and to this day Charger and his mare are extremely bonded.
This boy has a STRONG, unbreakable spirit and we are so grateful to be able to offer him a life of freedom with his family, forever.
Charger's band is a unique group since in the wild they had not just one stallion as is normal, but THREE! Charger is the lead, and then Thunder and Renegade were lieutenant stallions. It is typical to see lieutenant stallions, but not typical to see all three stallions breed the mares in their band. Here is a look at Chargers Band in the Wild:
We pulled Charger and the rest of Charger's Band from an obscure online auction with the help of an anonymous donor who paid all of their bail. During the auctions, it was our group of rescues vs. one known kill buyer who was bidding on every single horse! We only planned on bringing home 3-5 Alpine Wild Horses, but when more members of several family bands kept showing up in the auctions we could not sit by and watch them ship to slaughter in Mexico. We brought 22 Alpine Wild Horses home to Nirvana at the end of 2022 and 20 more Alpines fostered at a ranch in Arizona until we were able to complete more fencing and they were brought home in August 2023!
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The beloved Alpine Wild Horses of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona are under attack. After the Forest Service announced a complete removal of the entire herd of 400 horses from the hundred thousand acre forest area in 2022 there have been multiple shooters running rampant around the forest and shooting any horse they can find. In the latest shooting in October 2022, 40 horses were found dead and an additional 15 horses were missing and presumed dead. There were also multiple horses injured with gunshots and still alive, wondering why they fell victim to such a madman in their typically peaceful forest home.
So far over 200 Alpine Wild Horses have been rounded up. In the latest round ups in the summer of 2023, members of the Alpine Wild Horse Herd have been found with broken legs, dumped off the sides of the road near the "trapsite" that the contractor Rail Lazy H is using the round up this historic herd. The contractor dumped their bodies after stressing them so much inside of the trap they break their legs by crashing into the panels trying to escape. Once injured, the horses are then shot. In one case, a mare with a broken leg was shot in the lungs and left to die an agonizing death hours later at a site where her body was found far from where she was shot.
The Alpine Wild Horses have called the high altitude forests of Alpine, Arizona home for many years. The Arizona state historian even verified that these majestic horses are remnants of Spanish horses left behind from Fransisco Vasquez de Coronado's expedition through the area in the 1540's! They are quite literally living history, and deserve to be honored and preserved as such! Unfortunately, the interests and sway of the local welfare ranchers who pay under $2 per month to graze one cow on public land far outweigh the locals admiration of the Alpine Wild Horses and ultimately the horses will be removed to allow more grass for the ranchers cattle.
By sponsoring an Alpine Wild Horse, you ensure that the legacy of these graceful animals will live on, even when there are zero Alpine Wild Horses left in the wild. Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary is permanently home to 43 Alpine Wild Horses!
Sponsorship Tiers:
Bronze Sponsorship: $15/mo
For the Horse: Some Monthly Hay Cost Covered
For the Sponsor: Mustang's Full Known History, Mailed Photos of Your Mustang (one time), and a Monthly Mustang Update
Silver Sponsorship: $30/mo
For the Horse: Some Monthly Hay Cost Covered
For the Sponsor: Mustang's Full Known History, Mailed Photos of Your Mustang (one time), and a Monthly Mustang Update
Gold Sponsorship: $75/mo
For the Horse: Half of the Monthly Hay Cost Covered
For the Sponsor: Official Certificate of Sponsorship, Mustang's Full Known History, Mailed Photos of Your Mustang (one time), a Monthly Mustang Update, a t-shirt (one time), Invites to Sponsor Only Events at the sanctuary to meet your mustang!
Platinum Sponsorship: $125/mo
For the Horse: Partial Monthly Hay Cost Covered
For the Sponsor: Official Certificate of Sponsorship, Mustang's Full Known History, Mailed Photos of Your Mustang (one time), a Monthly Mustang Update, a t-shirt (one time), a Mug with your Mustang on it (one time), invites to Sponsor Only Events at the sanctuary to meet your mustang!
Diamond Sponsorship: $200/mo
For the Horse: FULL Monthly Hay Cost Covered, Deworming, any Hoof Trims or Dental Work Needed
For the Sponsor: Official Certificate of Sponsorship, Mustang's Full Known History, Mailed Photos of Your Mustang (one time), a Monthly Mustang Update, a t-shirt (one time), a Mug with your Mustang on it (one time), Wall Canvas featuring your Mustang, Invites to Sponsor Only Events at the sanctuary to meet your mustang!