Nevada Mustang | Born 2004

Johona is a Nevada Mustang born in 2004 who found her way to Great Escape through our friends at Colorado Horse Rescue. After spending considerable time in their care and training program, Johona continued to struggle with retaining what she was learning, making the transition to domestic life particularly challenging.

Recognizing that Johona might need a different kind of future, the team at Colorado Horse Rescue reached out to Great Escape to explore the possibility of sanctuary. Rather than continue asking her to adapt to a life that wasn't coming naturally to her, we welcomed her into our herd in 2016.

For Johona, sanctuary meant leaving behind the expectations of training and returning to a more natural way of life among other mustangs. She's been living freely with her herd mates ever since.

Now in her twenties, Johona has spent a decade enjoying life in sanctuary, where she can simply be herself. Her story is another example of how important it is to have a place for horses who, despite everyone's best efforts, aren't suited to the demands of domestic life.