Meet Lily, a Sulphur Springs mare that is sure to warm your heart. Lily was born at RTF’s sanctuary on April 27th, 2003 when her mother Shuwa arrived pregnant. Lily’s father, Chief, is an impressive stallion captured from the Sulphur Springs HMA in Utah. Her mother, Shuwa, still lives in Chief’s band at RTF’s sanctuary.

Lily was adopted and sadly her adopter passed away and Lily was returned to the sanctuary. Lily enjoys human interactions but can be timid at first and is pretty selective about her human friends!

The Sulphur Springs Herd at Return to Freedom is one of the few to be able to claim direct Spanish Heritage. The pure Sulphurs are of Spanish origin, based on phenotype and blood-typing. Many have distinctive dorsal and leg striping and resemble the horses painted on cave walls dating back to 26,000 B.C.E., along with their Portuguese Sorraias, their Spanish cousins (Dr. Sponenberg, Virginia Tech).

These horses received their name for the area where they are found, the Sulphur Springs Herd Management Area in the Needle Mountain Range of Southwestern Utah.