This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for!

Onaqui lost her freedom and family in July of 2021 when she and roughly 300 other Wild Mustangs were brutally rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management in the Onaqui Mountains of Utah. From the day she arrived at our sanctuary, we knew how important it was to gain her confidence and return a sense of freedom and family to her. Click here to read more of her story.

Renowned holistic horse trainer and teacher Anna Twinney of Reach Out to Horses recently returned to Equine Advocates to continue working with Onaqui. Since Anna was last here in 2023, tremendous progress has been made to get us to this point. With the help of Sara Vanecek, one of Anna’s most talented protégés who visits us regularly, Onaqui has become much more comfortable being handled by our staff. She now allows us to groom her, administer vaccinations, have her hooves trimmed by our farrier, and have her temperature taken. We needed to build trust so that once she was turned out in a pasture, we could catch, approach, and continue working with her.

On Saturday, July 21st, Anna felt Onaqui was ready to be walked into a pasture and turned out. It was a truly magical and emotional moment for all of us and an experience we will never forget.

“We are just so happy for Onaqui,” said Susan Wagner, Equine Advocates president and founder. “After being rounded up and separated from her family at the age of 16, the traumatized and frightened mare who came here two years ago is now a totally different animal. Thanks to Anna’s supervision, she has learned to trust us and adapt to sanctuary life. It has been an amazing adventure for Onaqui and all of us that only promises to get better with time.”

Watch the video below to hear Anna Twinney’s reflections on Onaqui’s progress. We can’t thank Anna enough for helping this mare adjust to her new way of life – A life where she feels safe and we can care for her properly.