Max was born on March 5, 2012 at the Sanctuary in Lompoc, California. He is a strong, bold gelding from Freedom’s band in the Hart Mountain herd. Being raised in a large herd, Max quickly learned how to behave himself amongst his herd mates. Max is able to be handled and lives with his two best friends, Ko’La and Corazon, at our headquarters in Lompoc. They are constantly messing around together being boys.

The Hart Mountain horses were gathered from the Refuge in 1998 as part of a complete removal of wild horses from that area by the Fish and Wildlife Service. These horses were rounded up on horseback as opposed to helicopter.

The horses are diverse shades of roan, bays, and chestnuts. Hart Mountain is very close to Beatty’s Butte where the famous Kiger Mustangs were discovered. The Kigers display a lot of old world Spanish Barb markings and conformation. Some of the horses captured off Hart Mountain also have strong Spanish Barb characteristics.