Gabriella, oh what a fierce Light Being this Wild One IS. … and she is still quite wild in many ways. She was by far the most aggressive Mustang that we have had at the sanctuary. She had foaled a filly only months after being rounded up by the BLM and brought to the holding facility. We adopted them both and gentled them together. So she had ever right to hold so much aggression for protection and we have honored her every emotion, taking it so very slow, creating a relation that she feels confident in, a relationship where she feels she has a ‘voice’ as well – because she does and that voice must be honored! So, this process has taken quite some time and even to this day, now over a year from the time of adoption, she is still quite wild – But she trusts humans so much more than she once did and trusting more every day and she is very at peace in her forever home in the herd here.
Gabriella is now building her Sponsor Team and is in need of her first Sponsor. Each Sponsorship is a $50 monthly commitment that goes directly to Gabriella’s care. Or a business can sponsor Gabriella In Full for $350 per month, to make up her entire sponsorship team. We are a non-profit and count on public support to care for this herd and offer our Mustang assisted Wellness Programs to those in need. Sponsors receive a professional print on archival paper of your sponsored horse as well as updates from Gabriella throughout the year!
Read on to learn more of her story …
Do the above pictures look familiar to you? If you know our Mustang Magic, then you might be saying Yes! That is Magic, the buckskin (cream colored) horse in both of these images. And the big bay pinto (reddish) Mustang mare is her mother, Issa. The golden palomino is her father, Paco. Magic was gathered from the wild at a 2 year old, only months after these pictures were taken. But her parents, Issa and Paco stayed wild and free!
We adopted Magic in 2012 and found these images of her from the wild horse photographers that frequent the South Steens mountain in Oregon, where she was from. It was AMAZING to have found this connection to her past, her ancestors, her family, her land! We became very dedicated to following her family that still lived in the wild through the photos that these talented wild horse photographers shared. This was in fact how we found the Soul Sisters, Unity and Omega, they were from the South Steens, OR herd too.
What we found especially fascinating was that Issa and Paco, Magic’s parents, stayed together and had more babies in the wild. In fact, not long after Magic, they had a black and white pinto filly, Magic’s FULL SISTER. This striking Mustang mare was named ‘Gabriella’ by one of the wild horse photographers that was especially fond of her and tracked her closely in the wild. It was thanks to this photographer that we found out Gabriella had in fact been gathered and brought to the BLM Holding Facility to be placed for adoption.
Issa, Magic’s mom (far left), Gabriella is the black and white (center)
Gabriella had been bred in the wild and was very close to foaling when she was gathered. Once in the BLM holding facility, she gave birth to a bay pinto filly foal. We knew we had to adopt Gabriella and bring her home to Magic … and of course we had to adopt her filly too!
Gabriella and her filly, only a few days old. Image by Beverly Shaffer. The wild horse photograher that had named Gabriella in the wild.
Gabriella and her filly soon after arriving to the Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary in CO
Gabriella and her filly were in Oregon, the I AM HERD Mustang Sanctuary is in North Carolina. The BLM would not allow us to pick them up until the filly was big enough to safely haul all that way across the country – and we fully agreed. So these two were cared for at the BLM holding facility in Burns, OR until the filly was big enough to make the haul. I AM HERD paid to have them private shipped from OR to CO, where they were able to rest for two weeks at the beautiful Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary near Denver, CO. We then loaded them up in our trailer and drove them the rest of the way home.
Gabriella was very protective and aggressive in the early days. She has come so far, but she is still somewhat ‘wild’ in a lot of ways. It is important to us to honor her voice and her emotions. We are slowing building a relationship of trust, but there is no timeline to follow. Gabriella is safe here, for the rest of her life – and her filly is too. There will come a day that she knows this – in her entire body – there will come a day.
Until then, the knowing of what has not yet come – and the knowing of all that once was – is equally honored in this amazing Being of Light that is Gabriella.
Gabriella is in need of Sponsorship. If you feel a connection to Gabriella it would be our honor for you to amplify that connection by a direct contribution to her care.
Sponsoring an I AM HERD horse or pony is one of the most supportive things you can do for our work and mission. And the most amazing part is the way it truly connects the Caregiver TO the horse or pony they are Sponsoring! These wild ones just know and they are so grateful for Your help!
As a Gift of Gratitude for your Sponsorship, we will mail professional print on archival paper of your sponsored horse! We send out additional Gifts of Gratitude throughout the year as well as send you personal updates from your horse or pony!
Above all, you will know that your donation ensures that we can provide the best of care to this wild one that you feel a connection to. Sponsorships are a monthly donation of $50, the cost of a bale of hay, and are a one year commitment. You may opt to have your monthly donation withdrawn automatically or you may pay in full for the year either via check or online credit card. The annual commitment begins the month you begin your Sponsorship (so a Sponsorship initiated in Feb 2020 will run through Feb 2021)
Blessings from this herd to your heart, there is truly a wild horse in all hearts that are drawn to them ~
Mary Miller-Jordan
910-712-4823
Programs@IAMHERD.org
I AM HERD
P.O. Box 3
Kelly, NC 28448
501(c)3 non-profit organization
EIN 47-3111624
