Most of the approx 35 horses we have living at Shadowlands Ranch in Watrous, New Mexico, are mustangs adopted from either the BLM, the New Mexico Forest Service or from the Navajo Indian Reservation. Some of them came to us through horse rescues. In the spring of 2021, we also rescued two mustangs from a kill-pen in Louisiana. In the spring of 2023, we adopted 2 BLM burros from a sanctuary in AZ, and this March, we added 2 more donkeys, that we rescued from a kill pen in Texas, to our herd. Our mustangs run on 1,400 acres, year round. They graze on the open mesa top or amongst the trees and rocks on the ridge. They can also wander along the old wagon ruts of the Santa Fe Trail that criss-cross our property. They have far reaching views of the open plains and the Sangra de Cristo Mountains. We have been taking in horses since the year 2000, but didn't start to adopt mustangs until 2007. Since then, there have been many trips to BLM and Forest Service adoption pens! We hope our horses will call Shadowlands Ranch their home for the rest of their lives, and that the horse buddies they make here will be lifelong friends. The stories of all of the horses are recounted in Anne J. Thomas' "Horse Tails Trilogy" available (in paperback and on kindle) through our book page on our website.
To find out more about what is happening to America's wild horses and ways you can help to save them, please go to the American Wild Horse Campaign's website. LINK
Your photos are so beautiful and capture the essence of what it is to be wild in wild country. I have northern New Mexico roots although I live in Oregon. I hope to visit your sanctuary in the near future. Maybe spring 2023 when I make my annual trek.
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