Luke Castro of Norco, Calif., has been working with horses in need since 2012, when the Great Recession was considered officially over but continued lingering in the horse industry. He noticed horses being dropped off at auctions and people letting horses loose in his area with no intentions of caring for them anymore.

That’s when he realized there was a need for someone to take care of these malnourished, abused, and neglected horses and help them recover and find new homes. He felt particularly drawn to horses in need because of his own background in a “not-so-great” neighborhood, where they didn’t have much. He now works rehabbing the horses with his fiancée, Juliet Garcia.

Stepping in to Help

“Our first goal for these horses is to get them out of the horrible situations they are in, like being starved or from the auction or animal shelters,” says Castro. “Our second goal is to get them healthy, which oftentimes can be a lot of work, especially for horses that were previously starving.”

Starving horses can get refeeding syndrome if not slowly and carefully nourished back to good health under the guidance of a vet. These horses are using protein from their muscles to fuel their bodies, and if their nutrition isn’t carefully monitored, they can experience organ failure.

Another step in the rehabilitation process is to assess the horse’s behavioral and mental needs. Castro says some horses just need extra love and lots of spoiling to help with their psychological wellbeing. Once a horse is happy and healthy, Castro begins short groundwork sessions. These sessions also help the horse build muscles he will need to be started under saddle. 

Once Castro feels the horse is ready, he will increase the groundwork and eventually start riding him. The goal after that point is to find the horse a forever home where he will be loved and never mistreated again. 

“We have helped rescue facilities in Southern California get some of their horses adopted,” he says. “We have also helped the public when they come to us. Sometimes there are good people out there who are responsible enough to know they can no longer afford a horse, or whatever the situation may be, and they call on us to help them rehome the horse. We gladly try to help them as much as we can.”

Remington’s Story

Remington was a particularly special horse to Castro because he was able to team up with One Day Moore Animal Rescue to save her from an uncertain fate at auction. She was extremely scared and malnourished when Castro took her home. 

His veterinarian and farrier advised him to euthanize the mare; however, Castro felt the need to give her a chance. With some time, training, and patience, she made a complete turnaround into a beautiful horse and an incredible riding partner for her adopter, Chelsie Ward. 

Working with neglected, malnourished, and abused horses is a time and financial commitment. Castro says it’s hard to pinpoint how long it will take a horse to recover and how much it will cost because each horse is different. Some horses are more malnourished than others and take more time and money to get to a healthier state.

The cost to see a veterinarian for dental work, vaccinations, and other things needs to be factored in. This runs approximately $500. Castro also has a farrier come look at the horse’s hooves. A good trim and a possible shoeing ranges from $50 to $100. 

“Working with horses in need is extremely gratifying,” says Castro. “Giving back to the animals that have done so much for me is an amazing feeling. But sometimes things don’t go according to plan, and you must be prepared for those trying times. We do all we can for these horses, but sometimes they can’t be saved. Even still, we show them love and that someone cared for them until the last day.”

It’s All Worth It

Some of the horses that Castro has helped have new beginnings as mounted patrol horses, border patrol horses, horses that worked on a marine base, racetrack pony horses, and even kids’ horses.

“I didn’t grow up with much as a kid—my mom was single with nine children—but she would’ve moved mountains to help us reach our goals and our dreams if she could’ve,” he says. “I remember going to the park and watching the horses at the ranch next to it graze in the pasture. That was all it took to ignite the fire and passion for horses within me. I still don’t consider myself to have much, but if I can help rehabilitate and prepare one horse for a new future and his new person, then it’s all worth it to me.”

If you would like to get involved with helping horses in need, Castro recommends finding a local equine sanctuary, or someone reputable who rehabilitates horses, to offer monetary or feed donations. If you have the time, volunteering to clean stalls or brush horses can provide them with love, and that can help in the rehabilitation process of any horse you work with. 

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Growing up in Germany, Sandra Williamson (previously Clark) has always had a love for horses. She began riding when she was a little girl and was finally able to own her first horse at 13. Williamson excelled in English, dressage, hunting, and western riding. Eventually, life led her to Lyons, Ga., where she met her husband and they started their life on his family ranch. Little did Sandra Williamson know that she would one day be housing wild Mustangs.

Williamson missed horses and knew she wanted to start working with them again. One day she got a call from someone asking if she wanted a Mustang that was bucking off riders. Williamson had never worked with a Mustang before, but she enjoys a challenge, and he was right down the road. When she arrived, she walked into the pen with the Mustang and the other horses. She instantly knew—due to his demeanor—that she wanted to help him.

“The Mustang pinned his ears back, turned around, and walked the other way,” Williamson says. “I looked at the lady and I said, ‘Yep, I’ll take him.’ I could tell immediately that horse was mistreated, and he didn’t want anything to do with humans. I felt like he was so misunderstood, and I knew what he was saying to me right away.”

She loaded him up, and so began her journey with Mustangs.

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More Mustangs for Sandra Williamson

She worked with him from the ground up, establishing trust while learning about Mustangs at the same time. She named him Maximus and credits him for teaching her so much and starting her journey with Mustangs.

Williamson says she found out pretty quick that her training techniques, which had worked so well with domestic horses, were not going to work for this Mustang. So she adapted. Maximus has become one of her best horses and still lives out on the ranch.

“Mustangs teach you; you don’t really teach them,” she says. “There were a few times when I felt that I was in over my head, but I never gave up. I kept learning and trying to bond with them, and finally I would gain their trust. Now they run up to me in the pasture without thinking twice.”

Williamson started looking into Mustangs more and learned about the Bureau of Land Management and how many Mustangs are in holding facilities looking for homes. She knew she wanted to help them get out of holding, which led her to the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Trainer Incentive Program (TIP).

Through the TIP program, trainers are paid $1,000 once a Mustang or burro has been gentled and adopted into a good home. Gentled, according to TIP requirements, means picking up all four feet upon request, loading in and out of a trailer and letting someone lead them around.

Once Williamson was approved to be a TIP trainer and became a storefront, which allows her to take in more Mustangs at a time, some people from Germany got in contact with her that were looking for a Mustang for the Mustang Makeover Germany. Williamson felt honored and excited to be able to help them; however, she needed to do some research on how it was going to work. The Mustangs for the event still needed to be wild, but gentle enough to travel to Germany.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it is possible,” she says. “You can’t touch any of the horses I send over. I have a chute, and we halter them and vet them. We are cautious not to tame them, so all we do is focus on getting them to trust us just enough to follow us wherever we go without touching them.”

Mustangs Overseas

In 2017, Williamson got ready to send her first load of Mustangs to Germany, but before the Mustangs can go anywhere or do anything, they must go into isolation for 31 days. The isolation area has to be inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a veterinarian inspects the horses.

During the 31 days, blood is drawn for Coggins tests and to check for vesicular stomatitis. On the last day of isolation, the USDA comes back to inspect the horses again and make sure they’re healthy for the trip. That same day, they load up the Mustangs and take them to the Atlanta International Airport to start their journey to Germany.

The horses are loaded into jet boxes on a cargo airplane with their own hay and water for a nine-hour flight.

“We also have someone who has been around the Mustangs fly with them, so there is a familiar face,” says Williamson. “Once they arrive in Germany, a veterinarian inspects them again, gives them a microchip, and they rest. The next day, they meet their new owners.”

Williamson’s first load of Mustangs went to Germany without any problems, but it wouldn’t be her last. Soon after that, other people from Germany started reaching out to her asking for a Mustang of their own.

Williamson would pick out the one they wanted and gentle them more than the regular TIP program required. Mustangs she has worked with now have homes in Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Ann Vander Horn of Vidalia, Ga., is a good friend of Williamson and helps her with the Mustangs almost every day at her ranch, Rackettown Mustangs. Vander Horn has also made seven trips to Germany with the Mustangs and says it is an amazing experience.

“Every two hours I check on the Mustangs on the flight, and they’re usually very calm,” says Vander Horn. “Some are a little withdrawn, but once they see me and recognize me from the ranch, they become more relaxed.

“Once we get to Germany, the unloading runs smoothly, even though they are very unfamiliar with where they are,” she adds. “They get unloaded onto concrete and are inside a building, but they trust us and follow us into their stalls. It really is incredible.”

New Homes Provide Hope

Sandra Williamson keeps up with most of the Mustangs that travel to Europe. Some of them are used for trail rides, while others compete at events, but one Mustang stands out to her. She recalls this Mustang being particularly headstrong; he ended up going to a trainer who offers lessons for handicapped children.

Not long after the Mustang was at the trainer’s facility, he walked up to a little girl in a wheelchair who was born without feeling in her legs and sniffed her. The trainer said it was almost like he could sense that something was different about the little girl. After months of training for Germany Mustang Makeover, the horse and the little girl bonded. She would lead him from her wheelchair and even get on his back to ride.

“This is why we do what we do,” Williamson says. “I just feel blessed with the results of the Mustangs I’ve worked with. The outcome makes it worth it to work harder to get Mustangs out of holding and into homes.”

This article Mustangs going global thanks to Sandra Williamson appeared in the March 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The passion for horses began when Elizabeth was a kid. Then when her oldest daughter, Michelle, was inspired by the animated movie “Spirit” and became serious about adopting a wild Mustang, Elizabeth did her research, and together they adopted their first Mustang.

“It all began when I was 8 years old,” says Michelle, who is now 22. “I really wanted my own horse and I wanted it to be a wild horse. So I saved my pennies and nickels because I was going to adopt a Mustang.”

At the time, the Dedens didn’t know a lot about gentling and training horses. So they started watching horsemanship DVDs, reading books, attending clinics and doing whatever they could. It wasn’t until they participated in their first Extreme Mustang Makeover (EMM) that things began to come together.

“From the very beginning, working with Mustangs has been a learning experience for us all,” says Elizabeth. “We started out not really knowing what we were doing, but we knew we loved Mustangs. Once we got involved with the EMMs we began to find mentors, and that’s really when everything changed.”

One Sister at a Time

The Deden family didn’t realize how much the EMMs and training mustangs were going to change their lives, not only as competitors, but also as a family. Excited and eager to take on a new challenge, Michelle was the first to sign up for an EMM.

Immediately after finding out what Michelle was doing, her youngest sister, Jennifer, decided she wanted to do it too. However, being young and physically small, Jennifer needed some backup. That’s where her sister, Virginia, stepped in.

“I think I was around 10 years old when I got my first horse for the EMM,” says Jennifer, who’s now 17. “I remember being small and the horse I picked up for the competition was very high-strung. I didn’t mind, but thankfully my sister Virginia was able to be my muscle so we kept things under control.”

After helping Jennifer with a few Mustangs, Virginia finally decided to try it for herself. However, things did not go as planned. At her first event, her Mustang passed away from colic before she had a chance to compete. Although she was devastated, she did her best to learn from that experience and stayed at the event to watch, taking notes for the next year.

Since the beginning, Michelle has competed in two Mustang events, Virginia and her mom have competed in four, and Jennifer has competed in seven. Throughout that time, they also adopted additional Mustangs on the side to train just so more Mustangs could have the chance at a new life.

Learning by Doing

When the girls talk about Mustangs and the journey they’ve had, they physically light up and passionately tell stories of the Mustangs. They can recall every Mustang they’ve had for the competitions, what their favorite characteristic was about that Mustang, and how much they learned from the experience.

“When you get a Mustang, try to have an open mind to really see what you can do and what you can accomplish, but also realize sometimes things take time and experience,” says Michelle. “You’re going to mess up a lot before you get one you feel proud of. It’s just one of those things where time sculpts people, and if you’re willing to commit to it then you should give it a shot. You can really find out what you’re capable of and what kind of person you are through this experience.”

A New Focus

By keeping an open mind and committing to the Mustangs with time and hard work, the Deden family each found out a little more about themselves. For Michelle, working with Mustangs helped her realize that she enjoys helping others who are having problems with their horses.

“Training and teaching has become such an important aspect in my life now,” says Michelle. “There’s nothing that pleases me more than getting to show somebody there is a better way to do things and, if they’re willing to listen, we can help them achieve their goals.”

Mustangs have opened a unique door for Deden family members Virginia and Jennifer. Working with the formerly wild horses provides them with a chance for a better life, which the girls say is the best part about the experience. Similarly through their church, they have assisted in creating a camp in Haiti to help the people there have a better quality of life. They’ve helped build cabins, provide filtration systems and improve sanitation.

This year, instead of competing in an EMM, Virginia and Jennifer decided to adopt a Mustang and do something different that could benefit both America’s wild Mustangs and people in need in Haiti.

“We adopted a Mustang and named him Robin Hood, and we will train him until about November, then sell him,” says Virginia. “The hardest part in Haiti is fundraising, because it’s such a poor country. So we thought we would do this fundraiser and create awareness for the Mustangs and the kids in Haiti at the same time. All proceeds from the sale of the Mustang will go to the Haitian camp.”

Just like her daughters, Elizabeth has found hope in the Mustangs. She faces many physical obstacles with her scoliosis and spinal problems; however, earning the trust of a Mustang and having a solid companion has helped her remain positive.

“Over the years I’ve had a lot of accidents that can sometimes slow me down, but I just try to move forward and do what I love,” says Elizabeth. “Mustangs are so trusting once you earn it. If I fall, they just stand there. I can grab their mane and do what I need to, and the horses just understand.”

Although Michelle and Virginia have been focusing on their careers and less on Mustangs, they still may compete in the adult division one day. Michelle has especially enjoyed sharing this experience with her younger sisters, and couldn’t be more proud of them.

“For the longest time I felt like I was their role model and it was my job to teach them how to be better horse trainers and riders,” says Michelle. “Now they’ve surpassed me in a lot of ways. It’s just amazing to see what they’ve molded themselves into, and it makes me proud to call them my little sisters.”

What’s Next for the Deden Family

Elizabeth says traveling with her daughters for Mustang events has been a great journey, and she’s sad to see it come to an end. However, she’s grateful to have these experiences with them and is looking forward to seeing where their future takes them.

“I’m so proud of them for how far they’ve come and what they’re doing now,” says Elizabeth. “The girls have such gifts with horses and people. It truly amazes me to watch them work with the Mustangs and then teach me or other people what they know. I’m so thankful to share this experience with them and watch them grow.”

This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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