Wild horse programme wins rescue award
Published: April 6, 2007
Return to Freedom, a facility that houses more than 200 wild horses in a natural setting, is the winner of the inaugural American Horse Defense Fund’s Rescue Spotlight Award.
The programme will receive a donation and be highlighted on the AHDF’s website. At the end of each year an award for Rescue of the Year will be awarded to one of the monthly winners.
Return to Freedom is designed to be a model programme, which explores alternative and minimally intrusive management philosophies. The facility recognizes that wild horses live in tightly bonded herd groups, but due to space constraints they have designed a non-hormonal, reversible contraception to keep population down and conserve habitat that allows the mares and stallions to coexist as they do in nature.
“I couldn’t be happier that we selected such a wonderful program to be our first ever Spotlight Award winner,” said Sawhook.
“We support any program that helps horses, but this one also is working to preserve the horses in their natural family bands as well as working to conserve the rare and diverse bloodlines that make up the real American Horse, the Mustang.”
Return to Freedom offers not only a safe haven for wild horses in their most natural state; it also offers a wide spectrum of experiential education programs. Programs include Living History Tours and hands on clinics.
“The programmes of Return to Freedom are exceptional,” said Sawhook.
“We look forward to seeing what the future brings to the organization and are excited to play a part in the advancement of that future.”
The Rescue Spotlight Award is just the first of several programmes the AHDF plans to implement in the next two years designed to enhance and support rescues nationwide.
“We are very happy to be able to support equine rescue facilities around the country with this award,” said Shelley Sawhook, the president of the American Horse Defense Fund, “it gives something back to those who directly impact the lives of equine and is the only award of its kind”.
The American Horse Defense Fund was established in 2000 by the late Trina Bellak, Esq. after she found resources for protecting equine lacking through her work with the Humane Society of the US.
The AHDF’s mission is to facilitate the protection, conservation, and humane treatment of members of all Equine species. AHDF works to address inhumane treatment of horses, ponies, donkeys, mules and burros, both wild and domesticated through education, advocacy and litigation in the state, federal and international arenas.
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