(August 30, 2020) Last week we welcomed two Devil's Garden mares and their colts to Montgomery Creek Ranch.

The mares were rounded up in the Fall of 2019 alongside 499 other federally-protected mustangs from the Modoc National Forest in Alturas, California. Three horses lost their lives during the operation.

The captured mustangs have been kept at the Double Devil Corrals, a series of makeshift pens set up and run by the U.S. Forest Service.

In a controversial move to get horses out of the corrals quickly, the agency has been selling these wild horses for just $1 apiece. Unlike the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service currently has no national system to vet potential buyers, nor followup to ensure the welfare of the horses sold.

And so when we heard that a 19-year-old mare and her 8-year-old friend, both with foals by their sides, were still standing in those corrals nearly a later, a decision was made: all 4 would be welcomed to MCR.

It was surreal purchasing four, beautiful federally-protected wild horses for just $2. We shudder at the thought of another person, with nefarious intentions, doing the same. Thankfully though, this small makeshift family is now safe at MCR.

With every mustang we take into our sanctuary or adoption program our costs for care rise. If you're able, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to our work.

Thank you for caring about our wild horses and burros,

Ellie Price & Chris Towt, Founders, MCR

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