OUR VISION
CURRENT & FUTURE
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
We are committed to the highest standards of fiscal responsibility. We steward our nonprofit with long-term sustainability in mind, managing every resource with integrity, transparency, and accountability. Our goal is to earn, and keep, the trust and confidence of our donors, partners, and all who share in this mission.
OUR SANCTUARY
When a new resident steps off the trailer, our hope is they quickly sense the safety and security Motherlode Sanctuary will bring them. I have always wondered about the massive fear and anxiety an animal must feel when humans load them onto a strange trailer and drive them away.
Do they question where they are going? Where is their family? If they are safe?
OUR SANCTUARY
At MMBS, they will be 100% safe, respected and cherished. For all of their days.
OUR COMMITMENTS
To every mustang and burro we provide sanctuary to:
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We promise to put them first and tend to their individual physical and emotional needs.
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We promise them a new herd for companionship and security.
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We promise to provide a lush haven of forage, clean water, and space to run and play.
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We promise to meet them where they are and allow them to dictate what they need from us.
CURRENT VISION
Even then, if a resident chooses to remain as wild and free from human intervention as possible, we will ecstatically support their choice.
Because at its core, one of the founding principles of MMBS is to give back some semblance of freedom to these precious souls who should not be here in the first place.
Many have lost everything during the months or years prior to arriving at Motherlode.
Some have been neglected or abused. Some have seen and felt things they never should have. Some have lost family and friends since being rounded up.
We understand it takes time to de-stress, settle in, and begin to recover. We will love them while they do and give them space until they are ready to connect.
450 acres does not feel very expansive to a previously wild mustang. For animals who typically roam 10-20 miles a day, they will bump into fencing pretty quickly.
So how do we provide a sense of freedom?
By offering choice.
We feel that is our responsibility and the biggest gift we can provide them. By giving them agency, we give them freedom. Where they wander, when they eat, who they spend time with and as many other scenarios as we can create. They will sadly never be truly wild and free again, but we promise to do our very best to grant them independence and a voice through choice.
We may not be able to give them everything back, but we will give them everything we have.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
While the vision for MMBS started from our hearts, we know that it will take more than love and compassion to keep our doors open.
Fiscal responsibility is something we take very seriously and hold as one of our four core pillars.
We have done much over the last two years to prepare the property for equines and to care for the land itself. Each decision we make requires consultation, deliberation and a long-term view. We have been focused on regenerating the soil to bring back native and perennial grasses, utilizing natural springs plus digging a well, solving drainage issues, creating roads and trails, installing a perimeter fence, and building the human things (a barn and home) in the least intrusive way possible.
With all of this already under way, you may ask, “What’s next?”
In order to finally begin welcoming our once wild equines to their forever home, we must fundraise for every other aspect of their care.
We need to raise two years of expenses right off the bat with a goal of $500,000.
This is a big nugget, but we are adamant about being prepared so as to avoid last-minute, panic-driven fundraising.
This is where you come in.
Our initial investments into the land and permanent infrastructure are an important start, but the sanctuary will require consistent funding in order to properly care for our residents.
Some of the items we need funding for include:
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Panels for paddocks and moveable fencing
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Portable electric fencing
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Hay for the winter months
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Routine veterinarian, farrier (hoof) and dental care
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Emergency veterinarian care fund
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Salary for an experienced Ranch Manager
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Troughs, equipment, and barn supplies
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Paddock Paradise planning and implementation
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Horse trailer and/or hauling fees
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Hydraulic chute to safely provide care to wild horses
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General business expenses
Every dollar counts in our mission to provide sanctuary to these displaced equines who once roamed wild and free. We can’t do it without your generosity and kindness.
Thank you from the depths of our souls, we do not take your support lightly.
If you are not in a position to make a donation at this time, please support us by sharing our sanctuary with someone you know who has a love for animals or believes in the importance of preserving and protecting our precious planet or wants to help an underdog. Our mission speaks to many.
FUTURE VISION
A THRIVING HERD AND ECOSYSTEM
As we build the sanctuary and give haven to more and more equines, we will create a herd that will become each other’s family, as well as ours. We can’t wait to see them run and play and flourish.
Yes, we will one day hit capacity, but that number is still to be determined as it depends on our success at regenerating the land and how many animals it can safely sustain. Our herd of equines will greatly contribute to this achievement.
REGENERATIVE RANCHING
Herd animals and healthy soils go hand in hand.
So long-term, we will forever continue to care for this land and encourage every aspect of the ecosystem to thrive. We will continue to learn and stay on the cutting edge of earth and animal sciences to do the absolute best 100% of the time for everyone and everything. We plan to teach others about regenerative ranching and be a model for how previously wild equines positively contribute to healthy lands.
EDUCATION & ADVOCACY
We will forever be committed to our mission of educating our community near and far about the plight of mustangs and burros.
We will work daily to share our knowledge and recruit new advocates to fight this battle until it is won locally and in Washington, DC. We know this is the only true way to make long-term changes for our wild ones and will never give up on the hope for new legislation.
In time, we will develop an equine therapy program to provide emotional support to those in need.
The horses and burros will be the therapists, and the land will be the container.
We have big dreams of creating a retreat environment where individuals can escape the world, decompress, reconnect and breathe again, just like our equine residents once did.
EQUINE AND NATURE THERAPY
