Navajo is a beautiful black mare that was captured and removed from her home in the Apache National Forest in Northern Arizona in November 2023.

Navajo, along with more than 50 other captured wild horses from the Alpine region of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, ended up at an auction in Bowie, Texas, where thousands of horses are purchased by kill buyers and sent to Mexico for slaughter. Return to Freedom, in an effort to keep as many family bands intact, rescued Navajo along with 45 other members of the Alpine herd, some of which were her family band.

Since arriving at Return to Freedom’s sanctuary in Lompoc, Calif., Navajo has given birth to a filly named Shannen, who was born on July 6, 2024 and is in excellent health. Shannen was named after the late actress Shannen Doherty, a friend of the sanctuary who cared deeply about this large rescue effort.

Learn more about RTF’s Alpine Rescue Effort.