The Touch of a Mustang

Mustangs guide us to wisdom and healing

We are guardians of their future

Two Problems, When Looked at Together

May Offer a Solution

Wild Horses are at Risk

America’s wild horses are disappearing from the landscapes they have called home for generations. Thousands are removed from the wild each year, many spending the rest of their lives in holding. Others face uncertain futures. We are losing these horses before we have fully recognized what they have to offer.

See the statistics

58,274 wild horses and burros are currently held in government facilities, which means more are in captivity than roaming free on public lands. The government considers 59,874 animals currently running free “excess” and targets them for removal. [¹]

Over 14,000 wild horses and burros are scheduled for roundup and removal in 2026 alone. Between 2020-2023, approximately 50,000 horses and burros were removed, double the number from the previous four years. [²,³]

Approximately 20,000 American horses are sent to slaughter in Mexico and Canada annually (17,208 to Mexico + 2,993 to Canada in 2024)—a brutal death for meat sold overseas. [⁴]

70% of horses from the BLM’s now-halted Adoption Incentive Program ended up in kill pens, with adopters pocketing $1,000 per horse in taxpayer dollars before flipping them to slaughter auctions. [⁵,⁶]

$101 million is spent annually on off-range holding costs which is 66% of the entire wild horse program budget. The BLM rounds up close to three times as many horses as it adopts out each year. [⁷,⁸]

Wild horse habitat has decreased by 41% since 1971, with 15.5 million acres of BLM land originally designated for wild horses now lost, forcing more roundups, more captivity, and more horses into the slaughter pipeline. [⁹]y:

Millions of People are Suffering

Despite more resources, treatments, and information than ever before, millions of people are still struggling to find their way forward. Anxiety, loneliness, overwhelm, and disconnection are leaving people searching for something more. Maybe some of the answers we need are found in places we have stopped looking.

See the statistics

Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults (23.1%) lives with a mental illness, affecting entire families—yet only half (50.6%) receive any treatment. [¹,²]

Globally, only 6.9% of people with mental health or substance use disorders receive “effective” treatment, meaning 93% don’t get care that actually works. [³]

Over 60% of youth with major depression receive no treatment at all, and for those who do, only 38% receive care for any mental disorder. [⁴]

5-10% of patients in therapy report their symptoms actually worsened during treatment—and for children and adolescents, deterioration rates can exceed 20%. Long-term studies show those treated with antidepressants often fare worse than those who received no treatment at all. [⁵,⁶,⁷]

80% of the population will receive mental health treatment in their lifetime—and after treatment, they were more likely to be unemployed, receive disability benefits, earn lower income, and live alone. [⁸]

In real-world community settings, fewer than 30% of adults achieve meaningful improvement in therapy, and overall psychotherapy effectiveness has not significantly improved in over 40 years despite new techniques and more trained professionals. [⁹]

What if the answer is found in partnership?

We live in a world that makes it difficult to stay grounded. The noise, pressure, and constant demands can leave us confused, disconnected, and struggling to hold onto who we are.

When we enter the world of horses, something changes. They bring us back to the present and offer lessons in peace, clarity, connection, and awareness. Mustangs, especially, can guide us toward a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us—and toward lives shaped by greater purpose and freedom.