Black Beauty Blogs

Catch an inside glimpse into the work being done by the Humane Society of the United States and the Grace Foundation of Northern California to rehabilitate the more than 80 horses rescued from the 3-Strikes Mustang Ranch in Nebraska.

Updated daily.

Monday, June 8, 2009: Day One

Monday morning came especially early. Spending the previous day traveling halfway across the country and losing a few hours can do that to you. But even though our alarm clocks had us up and moving before sunrise, we were all in great spirits!

Everybody was anxious to get on over to the Black Beauty Ranch, just 15 minutes away from our hotel, and start helping HSUS take care of the nearly 90 horses they helped rescue from a Nebraska ranch. And when we finally arrived, we were greeted with some amazing sights.

The 1300-acre animal sanctuary is absolutely stunning. Even on a blisteringly hot day like today, it was tough not to appreciate the sheer beauty of Black Beauty. 

But we weren't there to sightsee. Today, there was plenty of work to be done. We were met by the sanctuary's director, Diane Miller , who answered some questions and took us to the recently rescued horses. 

Our tasks for the day were pretty daunting-- start gelding the dozens of stallions running wild and identify ALL of the Nebraska rescues, determining which would be fit for adoption. No problem, right?

Well, some of the horses were more than happy to cooperate. Others, though, literally gave us the runaround. But after all they've been through, I can't say I blame them for not wanting to trust a stranger.

Right off the bat, our hard work was rewarded. See, many of these horses had been branded with a giant "U" by the Bureau of Land Management. That "U" means "unadoptable;" that is, the branded horses were deemed unfit for adoption because of their age, temperament, etc.

But after working with many of these horses, some only for a few minutes, it was plain to see that the BLM was selling these guys short. We met some of the most gentle, friendly, colorful horses we've ever seen!

Quite a few had previous training and almost all of them were happy meet a friendly face. It was just an incredible experience-- these horses were given up on but they proved to us they weren't ready to give up themselves. Seeing that makes all the sweat and sunburns worthwhile.

Check out our Pictures page and see some of the sights from our day. And if you're looking to adopt a new friend, click over to our Adoption Center and learn more about these amazing horses!