SATYA

Satya was conceived in the wild and captured in utero when her mother was rounded up from the Twin Peaks HMA (Herd Management Area) on the California side of the California-Nevada border in 2021. Born in the Bureau of Land Management Litchfield Corrals, she was taken by a TIP trainer (TIP = Trainer Incentive Program) at three years old with dozens of other wild horses and burros to a facility in coastal Oregon. She arrived at the sanctuary with the standard halter and rope that these animals leave the BLM corrals with, and that had been left on her face for several months.

 

As a result of this neglect, Satya had sustained a permanent injury to the crest of her neck (from the halter pushing into her neck every time she stepped forward on to the rope), an open and infected wound on top of layers of scar tissue under her jaw (from constant rubbing from the metal buckle over two months), and a concave indent on the top of her nose from damaged nose cartilage.​ Some of the hair had rubbed off her face due to the constant friction from the oversized halter, and the permanent 2" deep notch carved into her crest means that Satya has to wear a special halter fitted with a brow band. 

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Satya was emotionally shut down and untrusting when she arrived. Like many TIP trainers motivated solely by profit, the trainer had failed to meet any of the training requirements set by the BLM, which included ensuring that animals could take a halter, lead well, load into a trailer, allow human contact for grooming, and pick up their feet in preparation for a farrier. Due to many similar instances of abuse, the TIP program, which was run by the BLM in partnership with the Mustang Heritage Foundation, was discontinued in 2023.

 

Satya was gentled and trained by our founder Lara, and after a difficult start, she gained confidence and trust. Three years on, Satya is the most sociable, communicative, and full-of-sass member of our resident herd, She is the first to run up and greet visitors and the last to leave, and entertains everyone with her antics, which include putting her head on your shoulder for ear rubs, and offering her soft velvety nose for kisses. 

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Satya means Truth in Sanskrit.

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NOTE: Halters should never be left on any animal where you cannot supervise their activities. Halters left on for any length of time can become a serious hazard. Along with injury they can also become a source of pain and cause sores, infections, and damage to the animal. Never turn a haltered animal out into open pasture or woodlands where they might get caught or entangled. Halters should also be regularly cleaned, readjusted, and inspected. Further, if a trainer leaves a halter on a wild horse or burro for any length of time and/or fails to gentle them prior to adoption, and/or causes injury to an animal in their care (as was the case with Satya), you are obliged to report them to the BLM.

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Wild horses and burros who are not adequately gentled prior to adoption are far more likely to suffer from mistreatment or neglect or end up in the slaughter pipeline. It is not a simple task to gentle one of these animals. It takes knowledge, patience, experience, and dedication, and the average person will likely give up leaving the animal to fend for itself. An ungentled animal will not be willing to stand still for hoof trimming or be amenable to being groomed or even be able to be handled for veterinary care. If you choose to adopt an ungentled wild horse or burro and are not familiar with the gentling process, it is always recommended that you have a trainer help you to gentle them.