🧵The Bureau of Land Management captured 7,853 #wildhorses and burros and removed them from our public lands during the last fiscal year. That increased the number of captured horses and burros languishing in off-range government holding facilities to 62,734.

Exploding demand for ejiao, a gelatin made from donkey skins, is decimating donkey populations worldwide and harming impoverished people who rely on these important animals.

The Year of the Fire Horse is a time to make bold moves — and we hope you will join us. #wildhorses

❤️ Wishing you love and happiness. Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Return to Freedom. #wildhorses

❤️ Valentine’s Day weekend is a perfect time for our equine assistant, Marina, to introduce you to Valentino, a handsome gelding who turns 25 years old in two days.

🚗 + 🐴 = 🧡. Are you thinking about donating your old vehicle to a charity? Return to Freedom can be that charity, thanks to our partnership with CARS! More info ⬇️ #horses

What will happen to a small herd of #wildhorses on CA's Central Coast? New Times SLO talked to RTF and other advocates for a story about wild horse management locally and nationally + visited our sanctuary to talk about our sanctuary and advocacy work.

The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service are seeking nominations to fill six positions on the board. The nine-member, all-volunteer board makes recommendations on wild horse and burro management and protection. ⬇️

🛑 Among the more than 20,000 horses shipped out of the United States for slaughter every year are #wildhorses that once roamed our public lands. ⬇️

A glimpse of the peace that should come with freedom for America’s wild horses on our public lands. #savewild

⭐️ Join us May 9 for the Opening Day of Return to Freedom’s 2026 program season and Spirit’s 31st birthday!

What the BLM deemed an emergency roundup was conducted in an area affected by the Jakes Fire, a wildfire that burned about 82,000 acres northeast of Winnemucca, Nev., last August. #horses

Good news: A San Mateo County Superior Court Judge recently put a stop to the sale by two California companies of ejiao, a gelatin made from donkey skin used in traditional Chinese medicine.

🧵Happy #FoalFriday to everyone! This sweet guy, Johnny, was born on Sept. 27 at our Lompoc, Calif., headquarters sanctuary.

🧵 Meet Running Bear (and his turkey friends!): This striking grulla dun stallion from our Sulphur Springs herd arrived at our Lompoc, Calif., headquarters sanctuary with several of his mares in 2003. #horses

🧵 This video was shot at a watering hole on the Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Area, which remains at the center of a federal court case deciding the future of of wild #horses in Southwest Wyoming.

Return to Freedom commends Rep. Vern Buchanan for his many years as a legislative leader in the effort to end horse slaughter.

What’s been deemed an emergency roundup by the Bureau of Land Management will be conducted in an area affected by the Jakes Fire, a wildfire that burned about 82,000 acres northeast of Winnemucca, Nev., last August.

A year-over-year increase of at least 21% is a sobering reminder of the need to push Congress to pass the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act. It would ban horse slaughter and the export of #horses for slaughter. ⬇️

Happy #wildhorsewednesday! Nipping behavior like this is a way young or bachelor stallions play, test their strength or determine dominance.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting public comments until Wednesday about its plan to capture and remove hundreds of wild burros from the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area in Arizona. ⬇️

🌤️ On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, please take time to stand up for something you care about.

🧵 For decades, the Bureau of Land Management has tried and failed to control herd populations by capturing #wildhorses and burros, then removing them from our public lands. Enough is enough.

The Interior bill: 🟠 bars euthanizing healthy wild #horses and burros — standard annual language not included in the president’s budget proposal. 🟠 allocates $144 million for the wild horse program, a $2 million increase. Read more, take action ⬇️

🐴+🌲=💚 "Happiness is having a scratch for every itch." — Ogden Nash Wishing everyone a deeply satisfying #WildHorseWednesday.

Get your tickets early — this event at our Lompoc, Calif., headquarters sanctuary always sells out! All sales benefit the nearly 500 rescued #wildhorses and burros in our sanctuary’s care.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 397-28 to approve an Interior Department appropriations package including key protections for #wildhorses and burros. ⬇️

🌧️ Here’s a look at the challenges that record rainfall causes at our Lompoc, Calif., headquarters sanctuary. It’s why we need your help with our top priority: raising funds for much-needed infrastructure improvements and shelters for the #horses.

A wish for peace on this #WildHorseWednesday. We continue our case in federal court against the removal of about 2 million acres of public land in Southwest Wyoming from wild horse use, including at Salt Wells Creek. Learn more about America's wild horses in our bio.

☀️ Registration is underway for our spring / summer programs at our wild horse and burro sanctuary on California’s Central Coast — including two special photography workshops. #horses

The good news: The Interior funding package would bar the Bureau of Land Management from killing healthy wild horses and burros, and it doesn't slash the budget in a way that would put captive animals at greater risk. The bad: It leaves sterilization as an option.

🛑 The bipartisan support of 221 members of Congress cosponsoring a bill to end horse slaughter will mean nothing without a vote. Take action ⬇️ #horses

Welcoming the New Year! — In Chinese astrology, we are moving from the year of the wood snake to the Year of The Fire Horse. Action, creativity, courage, freedom and embracing new and unexpected opportunities! #wildhorses

⏰ There’s still time to make a tax-deductible donation in 2025 and have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact for wild horses and burros in the year ahead! #horses

🌧️ We are bracing for a wet, windy start to the new year at our sanctuary locations on the Central Coast, including increased risk of flooding and mudslides. Rainfall this fall / winter has shattered 127-year-old records, a reminder of how badly we need your help. #horses

Happy #FoalFriday! Photo from the Salt Wells Herd Management Area in Wyoming: Meg Frederick. ☀️Learn more about wild horses by tapping Wild Horse Facts in our bio. Tap Subscribe there to receive free e-news about wild horses and burros at our sanctuary and on public lands.

Help wild horses and burros when you buy a calendar! — 100% of the revenue supports the care of nearly 500 rescued #horses and burros at our sanctuary and our advocacy work on behalf of wild horses and burros living on our public lands.

❄️ This holiday season, we hope you find moments of warmth and meaning to reconnect with loved ones, with nature and with the values that guide you forward. #horses

A majority of representatives are now backing a bipartisan bill to end the slaughter of American #horses — but that support will mean nothing if the bill is not brought up for a vote. As of Saturday, the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act had amassed 219 cosponsors.

The number of representatives cosponsoring the bipartisan SAFE Act to ban horse slaughter has reached 217. Reaching 218 would send a strong message about support for ending horse slaughter — but it will not guarantee a vote. Take action ⬇️ #horses

🌤️ Today marks the 54th anniversary of the enactment of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act — a reminder of the need to protect wild herds and the fragile rangelands upon which they depend. ⬇️ #horses

🧵Saturday marks the 21st-annual National Day of the Horse! — In 2004, Congress designated Dec. 13 a day to encourage Americans to be mindful of the profound and lasting contribution #horses have made to our nation’s history, character and economy.

🛑 Tragically, the number of American #horses exported for slaughter will reach its highest total in at least four years. / Learn more and take action ⬇️

❄️ When you buy holiday gifts from Return to Freedom’s online store, you’re also helping #wildhorses and burros at our sanctuary and on the range! ⬇️

Wishing everyone a peaceful #WildHorseWednesday...

The BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Program remains on ice despite the government shutdown ending, one of several concerning developments around oversight of wild herds and public lands. Read more ⬇️ #horses

💫 Help wild horses and burros when you buy a 2026 calendar! Our suitable-for-framing calendar features Spirit and residents of two of our sanctuary locations on California’s Central Coast photographed by 10 talented photographers. ⬇️ #Horses

Today is #GivingTuesday and recent, record-breaking rainstorms served as a powerful reminder of how urgently we need your help! ❣️ One-time gifts to help build more shelters for our sanctuary's wild horses and burros will be MATCHED up to $10,000!

🧵 We continue to fight for the future of #wildhorses in Wyoming (including rare curly-haired mustangs like this foal). In July, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Bureau of Land Management broke the law when it removed 2 million acres from wild horse use.

🍂 We're deeply grateful to everyone in Return to Freedom's extended family around the world for donating, volunteering, partnering with us, and advocating for wild horses and burros. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at RTF!