Mustang Mission

*Mustang Mission Wild Equine Rescue is currently obtaining 501(c)3 nonprofit status, but at this time your donations ARE NOT tax-deductible .  However, an incredibly generous donor will match your donations if we reach our goal of $1,500! Each year, the Bureau of Land Management rounds up thousands of wild horses and burros from their western rangelands.  While mustangs are the more popular wild equine, burros are equally as important.  After capture, these mustangs and burros are housed in tiny holding facilities for months or years before being offered for adoption or sale via online auction or in-person adoption events. On the Bureau of Land Management's upcoming online auction is a group of older burros available as sales eligible.  That means they can be sold without limitation and the purchaser is not held accountable for what they do with the burros once they leave the government holding facilities.  Although not proven, many of these sales eligible burro...

  I am so excited to share the story of how I got into rescuing mustangs!  I loved writing this story, reliving memories, and finding pictures from my younger years.  God has blessed me so much and I’m grateful for all He has done.  Please take a second to read my horse story - I hope you enjoy it! *Thank you so much to Rachel Brown (The Narrow Trail) for publishing it!

There’s a new face around here! Rocket, a mustang from the Sand Wash Basin Herd in Colorado, has made his way to Mustang Mission after being in the holding pens for a year and a half. Rocket is twelve years old and was a very successful band stallion when he lived in the wild. Sadly, he was separated from his entire band when he was captured. A few months ago, one of Mustang Mission’s board members, Mary Ellen MacDonald, approached me with the idea of rescuing Rocket and bringing him to Mustang Mission for gentling and training. He had been one of the first wild horses she had seen when visiting Colorado, and she felt a strong connection to him. I agreed to take Rocket in, and she won his bid during the auction at the end of January. Rocket was a Sales Authority mustang (like Alamo), meaning he was offered for sale without limitations. Horses like him frequently end up in bad situations. On March 24, Rocket arrived safe and sound! He has settled in very well and is proving to be one of...

Throughout the past year, I often asked myself questions to help me reexamine this mustang rescue purpose and how I can continue in this work successfully. Often, I have to remind myself why I began Mustang Mission. I’ll be honest, at times I’ve doubted my decision to start a mustang rescue. It hasn’t been easy, but as I continue pressing on, I realize more and more how blessed and honored I am that rescuing animals is a main part of my life. I want to share with you the questions I’ve asked myself and the answers to those questions. Why do I think that rescuing mustangs and burros is important ? Mustangs and burros are amazing animals. They are incredibly smart and talented. None of them should be wasting away in holding pens since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) won’t consider releasing them back into the wild.  Most mustangs removed will become willing partners if given the chance.  Some mustangs aren’t great candidates for being gentled and should be released onto a s...

As you know, there are a lot of sad and horrible situations that come to light when rescuing horses. In this email, I wanted to give you a peek into something I recently saw on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) online auction coming up. I believe it’s important that you know what is happening to our mustangs and burros. The grim reality. This gelding is extremely thin - noticeable ribs, a thin neck, and protruding hips. This sorrel mustang is the face of mustangs that suffer in holding due to lack of care. Sadly, our tax dollars are paying the BLM to “care” for this mustang. I can’t know all the details, but it is very likely that this mustang is at the bottom of the pecking order in his holding pen and is being chased away from food. The holding pens are so crowded there is likely nowhere for this gelding to go where he can eat in peace. Honestly, he is so thin that he’s a horse I would’ve expected to see in a kill pen, not in the care of a government organization that receives bi...

Ember: Before (June 2022) Ember: After (September 2022) Ember’s rehabilitation is complete ! Yes, she will still be with me until Summer 2023 (due to a requirement) for training, but her recovery process is over. She has filled out so much since she arrived in June, and she has fully healed from her past trauma caused by humans. She loves people and loves to be cuddled (see photo below), and she is extremely talkative when she sees her favorite people. Ember loves to be trained, and I look forward to starting her under saddle in a few months. I can’t get over how much different Ember’s expression is in the second photo - she’s so much happier. I wonder if the people who sold Ember to the kill buyer would’ve ever guessed what a gem this horse was under that wild appearance. We must stop the stigma that says equines in kill pens aren’t worth anything. This little mustang has certainly been worth everything. ❤️ Ember loved when this girl came to visit!

Thank you so much for your donations, kind words, prayers, and support! Rune is safe and in the care of a wonderful mustang trainer, who is keeping her for a few days. I am so grateful to God for working everything out. It is a comfort to know that He loves and cares for each of these animals. Four days ago, Rune was the typical mustang in the horse slaughter trade - her future looked grim. Now, her future is filled with hope because of your generosity and prayers! However, we are still raising funds for round pen panels and Rune’s care. Again, thank you so very much! I pray that God blesses each one of you abundantly! ~Erin Phillips

Hello Everyone! Thank you all for your incredible support, prayers, and kindness! It is such a blessing to see so many people come together for a little mustang. Tomorrow morning is when I have to decide whether I can take Rune or not. Please take a moment to pray and share Rune’s fundraiser with your friends and family - it will save a life!   We want to say “yes” and defy the odds against Rune instead of saying “no” and allowing her to be slaughtered within a week. She is the face of so many mustangs in kill pens, and it is my hope that her story will inspire others to pass the SAFE Act and end horse slaughter. Please share our fundraiser for Rune! Thank you again for your incredible kindness shown to this beautiful wild horse. ~Erin Phillips

  This little mustang, Rune, needs your help!  We have until Friday to get her out from a kill pen in Kentucky, before she ships to be slaughtered.  Rune was gathered from Nevada a of couple years ago, and has been let down by humans ever since.  She is a mustang with so much potential and doesn't deserve such a horrific ending.  As a "nationally protected icon" Rune shouldn't even be in this terrible situation.  She should still be living wild and free with her family band in Nevada. It is our goal to rescue this little mustang, defy what her grim future looks like now, and give her the best home she's ever known out of the wild.  Giving her a happy ending requires community effort - please donate if you can and please share this fundraiser with others.  It will cost $600 just to bail her out.  We will be quarantining her on our property, but we need funds for vet care, transport, feed, and hay.  Please consider helping Rune - it would ...

My mustang arrived safe and sound today!  He is settling in well and is very calm.  He and my miniature horse, Cloud, were best friends from the beginning and are staying right by each other. Stay tuned for updates and to learn his name!

Can't wait to meet this beautiful mustang in just one week!  I'm looking forward to starting him on a new, happy life after all of the horrors at the holding pens.  He will be given back his freedom of choice throughout his entire training. ❤️ If you would like to help rescue more mustangs like this one, you can still donate . "Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?" (Job 39:19)  

Do you recognize this beautiful mustang - #7903 ?  I’m so excited to announce that I won him last night on the internet adoption!  The auction was very difficult, as there were people bidding up the horses, trying to make sanctuaries and rescues not get them.  I’m very grateful for God’s help through it all. We will be picking him up at the end of February in Okeechobee, Florida. Thank you so much for your support throughout this journey! Tag #7903's auction video “Not one of them is forgotten before God.” Luke 12:6

Update: The Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro online auction was having technical difficulties, so the auction did not take place this past week.  It has been postponed to December 7-14, which means that, if I win the mustang's bid, I won’t be picking him up until late February. If you have any thoughts, please don’t hesitate to let me know!  I would love to hear any suggestions you might have for me. Thank you so very much for all of your prayers and support! “Not one of them is forgotten before God.” Luke 12:6

Mustang Mission Rescue Update: There are several older mustangs up for sale this month by the Bureau of Land Management, and I would like to adopt one. Will you consider making a donation to help me get the rescue property ready for a mustang that is in danger of going to slaughter or a bad home? I would be grateful for your prayers and help with sharing Mustang Mission’s fundraiser. Any contribution will help to reach $5,000 by October 31! Your donations will be used to purchase: - Eight loads of dirt - A round pen - Wood to enclose a shelter If you know of anyone willing to donate any of these items, please feel free to give them my contact information. Mustang #7903 Mustang #7903 is from the Onaqui Mountain HMA (Herd Management Area) and was captured on July 16 of this year. He is 11 years old and Sales Eligible, which makes him more likely to be bought and end up in the slaughter pipeline. Red Bird’s Trust (who is working to find each of these mustangs good homes) said that older...