Current Wild Heart Horses
Charlie
Charlie came to Wild Heart (with the help of Jess and Sunrise Horse Rescue) with his old best buddy Machi, after their owner was given a cancer diagnosis. Machi ended up crossing over to the other side and little dude was left in a state of confusion and shock. We introduced him to “our little herd on the hill” with a couple other little mini hooligans (including the infamous Ernie). Then came along a mare and foal who were going through the weaning process, and the first one that I knew would take care of her was… you guessed it, Charlie! They are hilarious and soon enough she will be heading to her new home and Charlie will head back up the hill with his little gang. He will be our resident gentle baby sitter and will not be available for adoption.
Wally
Wally is our handsome 11 year old BLM Mustang gelding that we stumbled upon Facebook Marketplace. “Trailer, saddle, Mustang” is what was advertised. We picked up this boy out of a junkyard, and he was so excited to get out of there he trotted right into the trailer. He had been living with a sheep for years and couldn’t touch any other horses, just seen them in the distance. The only background was… he had been ridden, and the farriers didn’t want to do his feet. We didn’t let any of the past stories get to us and the follow day we trimmed his feet. Since we picked him up he spent 30 days with our friends in West County, where they did some ground work, got him packing a saddle again, and we’re riding him at the walk in the round pen. We discovered from that adventure, that he can’t be in a mixed herd. He likes the ladies a little too much … and wouldn’t let the old grandpa near the girls and he would chase him around. So we brought him back home and he has been in a little bit of work each week but our grounds are not conducive to year round work, so we are looking for the best home for this boy. He’s a sensitive guy and likes to have a leader and a routine. He’s up to date on shots, teeth, feet and is ready for a Mustang savvy adopter to keep bringing him along. Adoption fee $1500
Stripe - Adopted!
A 3 year old Mustang from the BLM holding pens in Litchfield, CA. Stripe has spent his summer well-First ride has happened! He’s what some might call a “pocket pony” and loves being in the mix!
Stars - Adopted!
A 3 year old Mustang from the BLM holding pens in Litchfield, CA. Stars is your typical Twin Peaks HMA variety and wants to take things slow. More updates to come!
Otis - Adopted!
Street Jazz (aka “Puppy”) - Adopted!
This very handsome boy came right off the track at Golden Gate Fields. He has a bowed tendon and will need 6-12 months off (as of November 2020). He’s a 2017 model, around 16.1 and built nicely. He’s a sweet heart and ready to find a fabulous home.
Finch- Adopted!
FInch is a 2 year old Wild BLM Mustang whose mother was gathered from the Devils Garden area, and birthed her in the holding pens. Wild Heart Trainer, Hilary, had this to say about Finch's training so far: "This is the first time that I have gentled horses that were born in the corrals and its interesting the differences between the two. The young ones are pretty open, very inquisitive, and curious about everything… Well, I guess they are two year olds! Perhaps because they haven’t been rounded up from the Wild, they haven’t had as many interactions with the things in the world, and all they know is living in a giant pasture at the holding facilities. It's pretty fun to watch them pick things up so quickly and not be as skittish as, lets say, a 6 year old who was gathered as a 5 year old. Those horses have much more real life experiences that can make them a little harder to come around to being in the domestic world, or at least that has been my experience. But Finch is a thinker, and also has a very short attention span, like most two year olds of any species. She a floaty mover and is almost identical to Wild Heart graduate, Keeper, who was the last Mustang I gentled. They look identical and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they were related. Finch is the only one at this time who is available for adoption at Wild Heart Restart Ranch, as soon as she completes her TIP requirements." If you are interested in adopting Finch, please fill out an adoption application with us here at Wild Heart, and also with the BLM at 4710-010.pdf
Miss B
Miss B- the biggest BLM Mustang we’ve ever seen she’s pushing 16h and just stunning. She’s a 7 year old from the Warm Springs HMA. She came to us from San Luis Obispo after numerous people in the Mustang community tagged Wild Heart in her owners post when she was looking for a place for her pony to land. She was a college student who had gotten her as a yearling for a Mustang gentling competition up in Oregon, and then brought her to college and eventually got her started under saddle. When her classes started cutting into her Pony time, she knew that she needed to find her girl a new home. It has been a pleasure working with her and we look forward to finding her a great working home where she can be an ambassador for the breed out in the world. She is up-to-date on shots and teeth and will be getting her teeth done here shortly. She is available for adoption $2000.
Blevins & Dally
From trainer Hilary: For those who remember, I gentled Dally (aka Taco Bell Diamond, TBD… yes our kids named him 🤣) at the Horse Expo last year during a BLM Mustang gentling demonstration. He was randomly assigned to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to work with over the 3 days we had. It was an honor to be selected to gentle a yearling in front of the crowd. Absolutely terrifying for someone who doesn’t like being in the public eye, all while wearing a microphone, talking to myself essentially and showing some of my methods for taking a wild Mustang to a willing partner. It was an incredible experience and I look forward to doing it again… in 2026!! More info coming soon!!
These boys are doing well, they have graduated from 6’ feeding into 5’. They are halter able, picking up all four feet, getting little trims here and there, leading, being groomed, worked lightly in the round pen doing liberty and ground work and so much more. They both have a bright future ahead. They are not available for adoption as one of our dear board members Jen and her family adopted not only Blevins (the black gelding from the Horse Expo) as well as Dally. It’s been a joy to watch Jen and her daughter and family finish gentling these two boys. Soon enough they will be out on adventures and learning more about the outside world. Well done ladies!!
Newt - Fostered!
This little cutie is Nevada branded and comes from the Virginia Range. His estimated age is 5-6 years old. He was adopted around 2 but unfortunately was a bit more than his adopters knew what to do with. Thankfully they decided to turn him over to the care of Wild Heart where he’ll get started and ready for his next home.
Newt has excellent ground manners, ties, is good for the farrier, and trailer-loads like a dream! He is started under saddle and is ready to find the person who will take him to the next level!
Willie - Adopted!
Promise - Adopted!
Promise is a is a 4 year old wild BLM Mustang mare from the Buffalo Hills HMA. She stands about 14.1h and is going to make her adopting family an awesome partner! She is smart, inquisitive and we think she will come around really nicely. A family from the South Bay reached out to Hilary about transporting their new wild addition from the Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro corrals down to them in the South Bay. After further discussion, they decided to keep Promise at Wild Heart Restart Ranch to also help work with the mare for a couple of weeks to give her a head start with the basics: yielding to halter pressure, leading, sending and being desensitized with the stick and string method. She is now settling in nicely with her new family and is learning to trust and bond with their teenaged daughter.
Cookie - Adopted!
Cookie is a branded mustang, she’s 13 years old and stands 14.2. She’s got a little experience under her belt having competed in a Mustang Makeover Challenge as a 3 year old. After that she sat on and off but was ridden… she’s reached a point where she needs a restart and a deep dive in to what may be causing some questionable behavior. We’re loving getting to know her, as with every case, there’s challenges. She’s a bossy bay mare but there’s more to it and we’re going to do our best to get her happy and healthy again.
Starlight
In mid-January we received an emergency call from another rescue to see if we had the room and resources to take on this little old lady. The worst body score condition we had ever laid eyes on… From a front yard in downtown Sacramento stood an emaciated older sorrel mare, tied to a tree with a piece of what looked like Romex (yes the kind of wire one would use for wiring a house…) let that sink in. She had been there a week before a neighbor (thank you good neighbor 🙏🏽) had called animal control for some help on this issue of neglect.
The Wild Heart board members had an emergency vote and unanimously we were all in. We picked her up last night at 9 pm from Animal Control in Sacramento. After a very slow drive home and a few stops to check on her, within 6 hours of getting the initial call, we got her tucked in to our barn for some major TLC. This sweet angel of a skeleton, perked up, ate some soaked alfalfa, had some clean water and lots of love. With a couple of vets on board with her case, in addition to our favorite local vet clinic, we’ve got a plan and a recheck scheduled in one week to see how she is holding up and if she’s got a chance. This refeeding syndrome is real and hard to not throw all the food you want her way. But it’s not that simple, her food has to be carefully regimented weighed out and soaked. One day at a time we will see how she feels.
Even with her emaciated body, she’s wearing a set of fronts, oh wait, no just one shoe… somewhere along the line she lost the other one… her shoe is ready to be pulled, in serious need of a trim and some help from one of our rad farriers to address her wicked sad feet.
Wild what 24 hours can do for a rescue mission…
We ask for your support, prayers and wishes for this old lady “Starlight”.
If she is up for it, it will be a long road ahead to get her back to a healthy weight, a much needed dental, likely a few teeth need to be removed, worming, feet, and who knows what else she may need to have done once she can withstand being poked and prodded, to then have a shot at being a pasture pony to Iive out her days.
If you’d like to help, please check out our website and hit the donate button. Whether its days, months, or years for Ms. Starlight to be around, she’s got a long road ahead to be healthy in her body.
Thank you to all of those Wild Hearts out there who believe in miracles and old ponies who deserve so much more then being tied to a tree with an electric cord, while trying to hold up her skeleton body. The power of healing begins now.
We are excited to share that Wild Heart Restart Ranch, has been awarded a grant for $1000, by Friends of Front Street Shelter. These funds will be used to help care for Ms. Starlight while she is here with us in this life. We appreciate the support of Friends in our mission to promote the welfare of animals in our community!
Breezy - Adopted!
"A Broken Breeze" Jockey Club OTTB 2016 Model who we call Breezy. This girl is as sweet as they come! We picked her up from the Pleasanton Racetrack on September 25, 2024 as a project pony. She was ready for some let down time to stretch her legs and relax as she had raced 43 times and won nearly $200k. We have been working with some very skilled farriers and vets to try and get her feet and body comfortable. For now, she is happily enjoying her pasture time and hanging out with her old lady friend Jazzy. Check out her official profile here: https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10104401®istry=T
Nova - Adopted!
Nova is a 2 year old Wild BLM Mustang from the Devils Garden area. Her mother was rounded up a couple of years ago and she gave birth to Tag # 8222, who was adopted through the Mustang Heritage Internet Adoption by a lovely family in Santa Rosa. They hired Hansen's Horse Hauling to pick her up from the corals and then enrolled her in the Wild Heart Training Program. Every Mustang has their own personality and reaction to the domestic life, and Nova is taking a little longer to realize that humans can actually be pretty cool! Wild Heart Trainer, Hilary, had this to say about Nova's training so far: "She has quite a young mind, so keeping her focus on me or anything for that matter has been a little challenging but its been fun working with the younger ones, because it helps in practicing patience (like every other wild one), and its makes me think outside of the box as well. She’s a looker and I think with time she is going to make an awesome, go- getter horse as she has major athleticism and is a beautiful mover."
Wild Heart Restart Ranch Adoption Process
We are advocates for our horses and take the adoption process very seriously to ensure the right fit for both horse and human. In order to be considered as a potential adopter of one of the Wild Heart Horses, please fill out our Adoption Application.
