Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding
This week’s honoree: Montgomery Creek Ranch.
Every Friday, Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization doing good work in the horse world. Today, we recognize Montgomery Creek Ranch, a mustang and burro sanctuary in Northern California.
Montgomery Creek Ranch (or MCR) has a threefold mission: to provide refuge for wild horses who have been removed from public lands and who are not candidates for adoption; to provide opportunity for young, willing wild horses to be gentled in order to find forever homes; and to provide a space for people and wild horses to come together for education, art and horsemanship.
MCR’s story began in 2010, when founder Ellie Phipps Price in partnership with Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue outbid kill buyers on 174 wild horses who had wandered off of public lands and therefore lost their legal protection under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. The herd was temporarily housed, with stallions castrated and foals weaned and gentled, until 2012 when Ellie purchased the 2,000-acre Montgomery Creek Ranch and the herd could come home.
Since 2012, other wild horses have been added to the herd, which now numbers over 200. Eight burros from Arizona also call MCR home.
Young horses in various stages of the gentling process are occasionally available for adoption to individuals; some of these horses were born in the wild while others were born at MCR from mares who arrived already in foal.
MCR hosts several events during the year, including a wild horse photography safari/clinic in the fall. In July, MCR will be hosting Cristobal Scarpati in a clinic to start some of the young horses and provide one-on-one instruction to participants.
Montgomery Creek Ranch appears to be a heaven on earth for the wild horses who now call it home, and we salute MCR for its good work in not only providing sanctuary but education to the public and a space for humans to interact with wild horses. We encourage readers who wish to lean more to visit Montgomery Creek Ranch’s website and follow on Facebook.
Many thanks thanks to Ovation Riding for their support of both Horse Nation and individuals and organizations that are doing good work in the horse world. If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.
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