Born on the Nevada range, Grey Mare came to Return to Freedom in March 2009 as part of a cooperative effort by RTF and Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue to rehome a number of adopted wild horses whose owner could no longer keep them.

An extremely intelligent horse, Grey Mare is alert to her surroundings and attentive to the well-being of other horses. She quickly came to lead a band of 12 wild horses in the hills at RTF’s Lompoc sanctuary. They’ve since been relocated to RTF’s 2,000 San Luis Obispo satellite facility where Grey Mare’s band steadily became a distinct part of a much larger herd. She and the stallion Ryder work well together as her band’s leaders.

Grey Mare is especially popular with photographers, possessing an uncanny knack for helping them to make great pictures — another way that she enriches the wild horse experience for visitors.