🌎 Pause. Breathe. Repeat.

Wishing you a beautiful day.

Photo taken at our sanctuary by Lori Sortino.

Last year, a total of 25,050 American equines were shipped to their deaths in Mexico or Canada — the most in half a decade.

Slaughter-bound horses and other equines endure grueling journeys to slaughter plants and an inhumane death.

The SAFE Act now has 227 cosponsors in the House of Representatives — well over the 218 needed to pass — but we need to continue adding more and push for a vote.

➡️The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act would place a lasting ban on horse slaughter in the United States and on the export of American #horses for slaughter.

Send a message to your members of Congress: returntofreedom.salsalabs.org/safeact2025/

🧵 Until Congress acts, the horse slaughter pipeline stretching from auction yards in the U.S. to foreign slaughterhouses will remain open. 4,188 equines were exported to Mexico or Canada in January and February — a 72% increase over the same period last year.

You can help: Send a message to your members of Congress by tapping Take Action in our bio or see returntofreedom.org/current_actions/ 3/3

The absence of protective language would open the door for the BLM to euthanize (shoot or send to slaughter, in all likelihood) thousands of healthy animals or sell them without any protection against being shipped out of the country for slaughter. 2/3

🧵 The president’s 2027 budget proposal does not include standard language barring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from using our tax dollars to kill healthy #wildhorses and burros or sell them to slaughter. 1/3

Join us for tours, photo safaris, family days, and much more at our Lompoc flagship and San Luis Obispo satellite wild horse and burro sanctuaries on California's beautiful Central Coast! returntofreedom.org/visit/ #horses

Thanks to the Montecito Journal for highlighting our work on behalf of America's #wildhorses. Read the story here: returntofreedom.org/montecito-jo...

🧡 For more information and tickets about our opening day event, or to learn about our tours, photo safaris and other more, see our bio or returntofreedom.org/visit/ All of our programs support the more than 450 rescued wild horses and burros in our sanctuary’s care.

He’s a man of mystery ~ Spirit on a foggy morning back in March. Sunny spring weather has since arrived, and with it, very soon, will come our Spirit of the Horse event, May 9 at RTF's flagship sanctuary in Lompoc, Calif. We’ll be celebrating Spirit’s 31st birthday!

👉To sign up for the webinar, see our bio or returntofreedom.org.

Join us at 2 p.m. East / 11 a.m. Pacific on April 20 on Zoom for a special webinar about wild horse behavior! Dr. Sarah King will highlight recent research on how #wildhorses spend their time and the intricacies of their social life and choice of reproductive partners. ⬇️

🛑 POSTPONED: Due to unpredictable weather, we’re pushing back an event celebrating a project at Babcock Winery & Vineyard near Lompoc, Calif. We look forward to hosting an event there at a later date.

The project will combine a new home for our Alpine herd with regenerative grazing.

The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act would put a lasting ban on horse slaughter in the U.S. and on exporting #horses for slaughter. It has 227 House cosponsors. We need to continue adding more and pushing for a vote.

Send a message to Congress: shorturl.at/eH1u9

4,188 #horses were exported to Mexico or Canada in January and February. That compares to 2,344 during the same period in 2025, according to government statistics.

Until Congress acts, the slaughter pipeline will remain open for business. Take action ⬇

Last week, we hosted the first of two photo clinics at our San Luis Obispo, Calif., satellite wild horse and burro sanctuary as our spring and summer programs season got underway. Learn more about visiting us in San Luis Obispo or Lompoc, Calif.: returntofreedom.org/visit/

Meet our new sanctuary residents! - Return to Freedom Return to Freedom is thrilled to welcome five new rescued donkeys to a lifetime of sanctuary. After being rescued by our friends at All Seated in A Barn from the notorious Bowie Auction in Texas, the ...

🧡 Read about each of our new arrivals and become a sponsor: returntofreedom.org/meet-our-new... #donkey

Rescued from the notorious Bowie Auction in Texas, these #donkeys escaped certain death in Mexican slaughterhouses. Now they are resting with shade, fresh drinking water, and plenty of hay. After quarantine, they will live in our oak forest. ⬇️

President's 2027 budget omits critical protections for wild horses, burros - Return to Freedom The president’s 2027 budget proposal does not include prohibitions against the government killing healthy wild horses and burros or selling them to slaughter. The proposal, released today, would slash...

The proposal, released today, would slash the Bureau of Land Management budget by 33% — a cut that, when paired with the lack of protective language, could place the lives of thousands of captive #wildhorses and burros at risk. Read more: returntofreedom.org/presidents-2...

BREAKING NEWS: The president’s 2027 budget proposal does not include standard prohibitions against the government killing healthy #wildhorses and burros or selling them to slaughter. Read more ⬇️

During 2025, a total of 25,050 American #horses were shipped to their deaths in Mexico or Canada — a 25.8% increase from 2024 and the most in half a decade. Learn more and take action: returntofreedom.org/watch-our-we...

RTF's Alpine herd finds new home in collaboration with Babcock Winery & Vineyard! - Return to Freedom We’re excited to share an update about our Alpine herd and its beautiful new home at Babcock Winery & Vineyard near Lompoc, Calif.! The project: In all, 40 wild horses will make their home on 95 acres...

Read more about this collaborative effort combining wild horse sanctuary and regenerative grazing: returntofreedom.org/rtfs-alpine-... #wildhorses

We’re excited to share an update about our Alpine herd and its beautiful new home at Babcock Winery & Vineyard near Lompoc, Calif.!

In all, 40 rescued #wildhorses will make their home on 95 acres at Babcock's vineyard. They remain under RTF’s ownership and management.

Monitoring #wildhorses on the range can be cold, lonely work. It helps to bond with a bachelor band of stallions. Read more: returntofreedom.org/field-notes-...

A Kiger mustang stallion, Spirit acted as muse and model for the artists behind the beloved 2002 DreamWorks Animation feature film, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.”

At our sanctuary, he serves as a prominent ambassador for the thousands of wild horses that roam our public lands.

🧡 Happy Thursday, everyone! — Enjoy a little visit with the one and only Spirit. On May 9, we’ll be celebrating his 31st birthday and the opening day of our summer programs season on May 9 at our Lompoc, Calif., flagship sanctuary. For more information and tickets, see our bio.

If Haloka’s quiet spirit touches your heart, will you help sponsor her care for her birthday this year?

See returntofreedom.org/donate1/spon... to become her sponsor today. Every gift goes straight to their care. ❤

Haloka is a living piece of history: descendant of the brave little horses that carried the Choctaw people on the Trail of Tears, survivors of mountain wilds, and a precious genetic treasure we are dedicated to conserving.