El Presidente, a beautiful bay stallion, was born in 2004 in the vast remote ranges of Northwestern Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

He survived an infamous 2010 Bureau of Land Management helicopter roundup during which approximately 140 horses perished either during or as a direct result of the roundup. More than 1,900 wild horses were captured and taken from their home range on the Calico Mountains Complex Herd Management Areas, including El Presidente, who was captured on Jan. 29, 2010.

In 2010, Return to Freedom gave sanctuary to 20 stallions and 74 mares who endured this devastating roundup which shattered their family bands forever.

These horses are a testimony to the enduring spirit and hardiness of the diverse strains of horses that adapted to the remote Great Basin habitats. Draft horses used to develop the vast ranchos bred with breeds such as morgans, standardbreds and thoroughbreds used for cavalry adapted to the rugged and remote terrain and returned to a natural state over the last few hundred years.