Our Story

Wild Hearts Haven is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which prides itself in providing compassionate rehabilitative care, re-starting, and rehoming services to equines in transition.

 

The program was founded by Bree Thompson and Taryn Hillman, who share a passion for helping unwanted and troubled horses, in need of a safe haven, by granting them an opportunity to restart their lives. Many of these horses are Mustangs, who have been mishandled and suffered trauma, and require immersion in a peaceful new environment, with skilled caretakers and trainers, which empowers them to recover and gradually trust people.

 

Wild Hearts Haven proudly serves all types of horses, irrespective of breed or background, who need to find a new home. We focus on rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming; providing both the customized physical and mental care needed for each specific horse to recover and ultimately thrive. Wild Hearts Haven’s first horse was foaled from a pregnant BLM mare who was transferred to us from another organization. The mare had “unintentionally” become pregnant, was skinny, and needed extra care to keep the foal viable. We gladly agreed to provide the mare with a safe “haven.”

 

Throughout the summer of 2022, our founders and a small group of volunteers, assiduously cared for the mare, providing her a calorie-rich diet, familiarizing her with basic care and manners, and carefully monitoring her pregnancy, as it was uncertain as to when she would foal. Their dedication and hard work paid off when, at dawn, on September 1, 2022, she gave birth to a big and healthy colt, whom we named “Haven”. Upon Haven’s birth, both he and his mother were transferred to us, and so began our journey of Wild Hearts Haven.

 

In the subsequent months of 2022, eleven additional horses (8 Mustangs and 3 Reservation Ponies) joined our program. They came from varied backgrounds, including auctions, law enforcement seizures, owner surrenders, and transfers from other organizations, as well as directly from the Bureau of Land Management. Within our first year, Wild Hearts Haven had

taken in over twenty-three horses in need and adopted out over a dozen horses to wonderful forever homes.

 

As our organization grows, we remain committed to treating each horse, with the same care and devotion as our organization's namesake foal and mare pair and are forever dedicated to appreciating and serving each horse as a unique individual. We provide every horse in our care, with the customized rehabilitation that they require to achieve both physical and mental well-being, before engaging with skilled trainers who provide expert assessments and training. This process enables every horse that joins the Wild Hearts Haven family, to find the best possible human match and loving forever home.