We at Thomassen Photography set up a wonderful shoot with some beautiful models, some amazing rescue Mustangs and some pretty great people! Thank you Tami for all your team did to help make this happen. Here is more about Tami, her cause and the rescue she operates. She truly does care and goes above and beyond for these babies. We are grateful for the time we got to spend photographing these lovely horses and models.
Mustangs MEND: Equine Assisted Learning and Rescue
Mustangs MEND is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to facilitate the healing of both survivors of trauma and mustangs through the principles of Mindfulness, Empathy, Nurturing and Dignity (MEND). Both survivors (and other participants) and horses learn to create meaningful connection to the world around them as a way of coping with and healing from previous trauma. Connection and confidence is created through the process of gentling a wild or abused mustang. No previous horse experience is needed, as we teach from the ground up!
Our rescued horses are primarily mustangs (both Bureau of Land Management and reservation mustangs) and they are all saved from dire situations. We focus on horses that are at risk of ending up at slaughter houses via livestock auctions. However, we often take in mustangs from homes that can no longer care for them or directly from the killpens if we were not able to intercept the mustang before it reached that final stop before slaughter. Additionally, there are 50,000+ mustangs in federal holding facilities that are also in need of homes due to range degradation, drought, and other range management issues. Tens of thousands of mustangs are also at risk of slaughter due to overpopulation on sovereign reservation lands, as well. These horses are iconic figures in the United States. They literally helped build our nation and it is a tragedy that they would have such an undignified, inhumane death as going to slaughter across our borders.
We are 100% donor funded and volunteer operated!
Meet the Mustangs
The Thomassen Photography photoshoot featured our Mustang Ambassadors. They are permanent residents of our program and are available for events and fundraisers.
Nashashuk (“Nash”): Nash is a 3 year old gelding from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation in Central Oregon. He was rescued as an orphan at 3 months old by a local rescue network. His mother (and other adult horses) were sent to slaughter, as the populations of wild horses on the range at Warm Springs are unfortunately not sustainable in current range conditions. The tribal government has partnered with a local rescue group to adopt out the orphan foals and some of the adult horses. Nash has been with the director of Mustangs MEND since he was about 4 months old.
Brisa (“Izzy”): Izzy is a 13 year old BLM (Bureau of Land Management) mare from Wyoming. She was rounded up with her family band from the range when she was around 6 months old. She was adopted out of a federal holding facility and gentled and trained by a family in Missouri. She joined our team last year and is the personal riding horse of Mustangs MEND director, Tami Fawcett. Izzy is one of the kindest, most gentle horses you will ever meet.
Quick: Quick is a 21 year old BLM gelding from Nevada. His parents were rounded up and Quick was born in a federal holding facility. He was adopted as a young horse to a wonderful lady who rode him as a trail guide horse for many years up in the mountains. He then briefly worked with kids at a leadership camp and has been used as a therapy horse, as well. Quick unfortunately has a nagging hoof injury that does not allow him to ridden on trail anymore, so he came to us to “retire” and be one of our official Mustang Ambassadors.
www.mustangsmend.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MustangsMEND/