Onaqui

Onaqui (pronounced O-nah-kee) is a beautiful Grey Wild Mustang Mare who arrived at the sanctuary on June 4, 2022. She had been rounded up and captured by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on July 16, 2021, on the public rangelands of Utah in the Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) located 60 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. During that brutal 5-day roundup, more than 300 wild horses lost their freedom and their families. The Salt Lake Tribune published this report about the roundup.

Because we want everyone to know exactly who this mare is and where she came from, we decided to name her in honor of the Onaqui Mountains, where she once ran free, and for the famous herd she came from of the same name.

The BLM estimated Onaqui’s age to be 16, which means her estimated birth year is 2005. She had given birth during her lifetime and has a brand on her rear left flank indicating that she had been darted with the PZP fertility control vaccine. She had been sold at an online BLM auction to someone in this part of the country who was unable to work with Onaqui and, as a result, no longer wanted her. This was no surprise as wild horses and burros do not belong in captivity, especially a mare of Onaqui’s age at her time of capture. It was cruel and inhumane to remove her from the range. She should have been returned to the remaining members of her herd, but that did not happen.

Luckily, we were able to have Onaqui come to the sanctuary, where we are taking our time to work with her and gain her trust. Like so many of America’s wild equines who have been chased, captured, uprooted from their homes, and separated from their herds, Onaqui has been traumatized. It is our mission and commitment to do everything we can to provide her with lots of love and TLC, with the hope that she will be able to adjust to sanctuary life. Since we do not know the day she was born, we will celebrate her Re-Birth-Day on June 4th, the day she arrived at the sanctuary.

Onaqui is proudly sponsored by supporters from Switzerland, as well as from Saratoga, California; Denver, Colorado; Lee, Massachusetts; Edison, New Jersey; Averill Park, New York; Beacon, New York; Bearsville, New York; Brooklyn, New York; New York, New York; Philmont, New York; Spencertown, New York; Valatie, New York; Fairfield, Ohio; Gearhart, Oregon; Austin, Texas and New Braunfels, Texas.

More Sponsors Welcome!