American Mustang | Born 2017

By the time Stetson arrived at Great Escape in 2021, he'd already been through quite a bit. Rescued from an auction and later relinquished by his owner, very little was known about his earlier life, but one thing was clear: he was deeply fearful of people.

We welcomed Stetson into our training and adoption program, hoping that with time, patience, and the help of an experienced mustang trainer, he might learn to feel more comfortable in a domestic environment. Over several months of professional training, he made some progress and could eventually be haltered, but his fear remained overwhelming.

Stetson had an incredibly strong flight-or-fight response, and when frightened, his instinct to escape could put both himself and anyone nearby in danger. He wasn't a horse who could stop and consider what might be in his path. His reactions were immediate, powerful, and driven by a need to protect himself.

Despite everyone's best efforts, it became clear that continuing to ask Stetson to adapt to domestic life would only prolong his stress. We made the decision to release him into our sanctuary herd, where he could live among other mustangs without the pressures of training or regular human handling.

For Stetson, sanctuary offered something that had been difficult for him to find: the opportunity to live without the constant fear and expectations of domestic life. Here, he can finally be a wild horse again, on his own terms.