Rescue Story

Nala is a 2018 Eagle Mountain HMA Mustang — born wild, rounded up as a yearling, and then… used.

She was pulled from freedom far too young, only to be used for breeding by a private owner and later dumped at a Wisconsin auction house alongside other unhandled, pregnant mares and mares with foals. A mass discard, like they were nothing but inventory.

She arrived at Mustang Valley not alone, but with her colt, Liam — injured, vulnerable, and barely hanging on due to a severe puncture wound in his side. Their condition made it clear: if we hadn’t said yes, they both would’ve been lost. No rescue was going to take on a traumatized, unhandled mustang and her wounded foal. But we did.

We had to.

Nala Today

Nala is one of the most visibly traumatized horses we’ve welcomed to the sanctuary. She lives in a near-constant state of flight mode, bolting in fear like something from a cartoon — fast, wide-eyed, and desperate to get away from pressure.

But here’s the miracle: she has never once shown aggression. Even when we had to tend to Liam’s wound, she didn’t charge or strike. She stood back, trembling but trying. There’s a deep desire in her to connect, buried under fear that was taught to her by hands that lacked compassion.

Nala is breathtaking — a red chestnut beauty with a delicate white stripe and the soul of a survivor. She is, quite simply, a good mama. Fiercely protective, emotionally raw, and still trying — for herself and her baby.

We don’t know what she’s been through. But we know what she deserves now: safety, softness, time, and trust.

The Road Ahead

Because of her trauma, Nala’s future is uncertain — not in the “where will she go” sense, but in the “what can she learn to accept” sense. We believe that, with patient care and a no-pressure approach, she can find peace. She’s still young. Still willing. Still reaching, even through the fear.

We’re here to meet her where she is.

And we invite you to help us walk beside her.

From Nala

“I don’t know what safety feels like yet… but I’m trying to believe it could be real.”