Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding
Thunder the Alpine Gelding

Thunder the Alpine Gelding

Regular price $15.00
Unit price  per 

Thunder the Alpine Gelding's Story:

Thunder is a beautiful grey gelding with a black mane, adorable white eyelashes that constantly flutter, an incredibly athletic build! On the day of pickup, he and Charger were the "last men standing" and the hardest to get onto the trailer even when the other five Alpines were already onboard. After breaking through some panels and going back into their pasture, Thunder was finally sent into the trailer down a long chute after putting up a fight and evading the trailer for a couple of hours! If only we were able to tell him that once he got on the trailer he would be on his way to a beautiful home with his family, forever!

Now that he has arrived in August of 2023, we see that Thunder has an injury to his hoof and is limping around on it a bit. The injury happened sometime at the foster ranch- though we aren't sure when as we weren't made aware of the issue. Our vet will be out ASAP to see what is going on and see what exactly we can do to help him feel better and get him all healed up. Stay tuned for updates on this!!

Thunder is a member of Charger's Band. This 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 Thunder 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!