Have you ever thought about totally changing your life and going for that thing that sets your soul on fire? Or, leaving it all behind to pursue a wild vision? This amazing woman has done just that. Crystal Field sold her salon in Portland Oregon in 2022, bought 27 acres in Pearce Arizona, packed her things, and headed to the desert to start a horse sanctuary.
Moksha Sanctuary is a heavenly place to allow wild horses who have lost their freedom, to regain some of it back. It’s not the thousands of acres they deserve, but it’s something better than the slaughter pipeline. The goal is to give them sanctuary, but if some are easily trainable and I can find and secure a forever home, then that possibility remains open so that I can rescue more!
As a young girl crystal could not have anticipated where her journey would take her. She first learned to ride on her family’s farm in Utah where her father bought her and her sisters horses for a fun summer activity. It wasn’t until years later after traveling the world and settling in Portland Oregon that Crystal’s love of horses resurfaced with the spontaneous sight-unseen rescue of a young Arabian horse from a kill pen. A kill pen is a holding facility for horses prior to euthanasia. Had she not acted the horse, named Artax, would have most likely met the fate of so many other horses, being shipped overseas to a slaughterhouse.
Unfortunately, there is a long-standing conflict between cattle ranchers and wild horse conservationists with no clear solutions. And despite the Wild Horse and Burro act of 1971, wild horses are routinely culled or rounded up and sold at various auctions or sold to overseas slaughterhouses. You can imagine the terrible state of some of these holding facilities. There are currently 62,000+ wild horses sitting in holding facilities in horrific conditions. Not a fate Crystal was ok with.
Ms. Field’s mission to save horses became clear after learning about the plight of so many wild mustangs. She now sits on 27 acres of raw land with 12 rescued horses and counting. Most of Crystal's rescued horses have been separated from their families, pass through multiple facilities and often arrive traumatized and diseased. Upon arrival at moksha sanctuary, the horses are held in a smaller pen to be evaluated and then treated appropriately.
Once the horses have received treatment and are healthy, they are released to free roam on the land. This is when their personalities shine. Crystal says despite what these horses have been through, they slowly learn they are safe and cared for at Moksha.
Many of the horses at Moksha will be sold to qualified people able to properly train and care for them. Many will remain at the Sanctuary to live out their days, even becoming ambassadors and horse healers when Moksha officially incorporates equine therapy retreats.
To learn more about Moksha Sanctuary visit www.mokshasanctuary.com.
It’s not the thousands of acres they deserve, but it’s something.
