Save the Painted Ladies!

UPDATE JULY 30: The Painted Ladies are home at The Middle Way! We are still 60% short of our fundraising goal, and are now focusing fundraising efforts to make sure we can install a well and electricity before the winter hits, and make sure we can buy feed now as opposed to December when prices surge. Please visit @MiddleWayCO on Facebook to see A TON of videos of the ladies as Lori works to make sure they are comfortable enough around humans to be cared for properly.

As always, 100% of your pledge is tax deductible!

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The Middle Way is raising funds for materials and services required to provide a family of three Sand Wash Basin mustangs captured by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a worthy environment to live out the rest of their lives together. 


                                            --- Meet Razzle, Dazzle, and Felicity ---

(Photo: Wilson Axpe Photography)

These beauties are three generations of wild mustangs from the Colorado/Utah border.  After this herd was deemed a nuisance, several members were rounded up by the BLM and transported to the Cañon City Penitentiary. The older two may not even be adopted at auction in June, which means they will spend the rest of their lives separated from each other, living in crowded dirt holding pens.

                                                          --- Who we are ---

We are The Middle Way, a 100% volunteer run Colorado non-profit providing sanctuary to animals and humans through animal-assisted therapy. We are proud to offer free therapeutic horsemanship to veterans, and affordable therapeutic horsemanship to people with disabilities and trauma. You can learn more about us and our herd at our website .

                                 --- Why we want to adopt this family ---

As pack animals, horses form intense, lifelong bonds and suffer greatly after the loss of a loved one. We are doing what we can to keep this family together. The Middle Way will embrace the wild spirit of these horses, while honoring their sentience and independence.

The mustangs will not be ridden, but can be connected with in beneficial and respectful ways, enhancing our therapeutic programming that is always free to veterans. Like humans, horses are highly sensitive and can be helpful in showing people with PTSD healthy ways of dealing with stress. This is helpful with the veterans we work with, as well as people who have suffered other types of trauma.

                                                  --- What we have ---

We have land. An undeveloped 35-acre plot in Thousand Peaks, two hours outside of Denver in South Park, Colorado next to our sanctuary. 12 special horses have the honor of living at the sanctuary and cared for by Kris Ahlberg (our resident veterinarian with a heart 6 sizes too big), Lori Araki (our president and lead instructor with the mostest), and Jacob Maxwell (one of our veteran riders and most dedicated volunteers).

We are a tight community. More than 30 riders have joined us since we opened our sanctuary doors. Our team of 25+ spent 6,000+ hours last year alone feeding, mucking, and caring for our horses (through snow and rain!), and giving back to our animal and human community.

We got a lot of know-how. Together our board alone has cared for horses for more than 90 years. Lori is a PATH certified riding instructor with 25+ years teaching experience. Kris achieved her A Pony Club at age 18 and has professionally cared for horses for 30+ years. Julia has owned 10+ horses in her lifetime.

                                                 --- What we need ---

Fencing (materials, equipment rental + installation) = $6,749. All wild mustang adopters are required to have a 6 foot fence in place. This ground is hard and rocky, which makes this part extra fun!

Shelter (materials, equipment rental + installation) = $9,150. All adopted wild mustangs must have adequate shelter. Volunteers have committed to helping build the horse’s shelter for us, but we still need to purchase the materials and professional equipment and help.

Food & Care (one year) = $12,875. Horses are grazers. They eat a lot. Each horse costs $365 per month to feed, house and care for, including vet and farrier expenses.

A Well (materials & installation) = $7,300. Horses need ample supply of fresh, clean water.

Training (one year) = $8,370. These wild beauties will greatly benefit from training to help them adjust to their new life, overcome the trauma of being captured, and become eligible for non-riding therapy work.

100% of your pledge is tax deductible!

                                          --- What the future holds ---

If you’ve been to Fairplay, Colorado at 10,000 feet in December, you know how rough the winters can get. We try to offer lessons as often as we can, but sometimes it’s just too cold and windy to ride (especially for the little ones). That’s why we plan to build an indoor arena -- so that we can continue our important work year round and expand our programming to reach more veterans, children, and people seeking a deeper connection with themselves and our equine friends.

Half of all funds raised in addition to our goal will go directly towards the building of our indoor arena. The other half will go directly towards the feed and care of the mustangs.

                                --- Shout out to Willie Nelson ---

And, because we can, shout out to Willie, who has advocated for wild horses for many years and has rescued more than 75 himself! Willie, can we have your autograph?

                                     ---Thank you!!! ---

Thank you for being the reason Razzle, Dazzle, and Felicity get to stay together for their entire lives! We pledge to provide this one family from the Sand Wash Basin with a life filled with dignity and respect, and to keep serving our veterans to the best of our abilities.

If you want to help us reach our goal, please share this campaign on your social media profiles and email it to your friends today!

Follow us on Facebook @middlewayco to see future opportunities to visit the farm and meet the mustangs!