Mustangs MEND

01/01/2026

This year was not easy. It asked more of us than we ever expected. There were moments of deep exhaustion, uncertainty, and real challenge—storms both literal and figurative. From emergency barn repairs and weather chaos, to ongoing stress caused by frivolous complaints and navigating systems that don’t always understand who we are or what we do, there were days it felt like we were simply trying to keep our heads above water.

And yet—here we are.

Because of community.
Because of resilience.
Because of the animals who depend on us, and the people who believe in this work.

This year, Mustangs MEND continued to provide safe refuge, consistent care, and dignity to animals who need it most. We taught young people how to read equine body language, how to lead with patience instead of force, and how true horsemanship begins long before anyone ever climbs into a saddle. We watched junior volunteers grow into confident leaders. We supported healing—both human and animal—through connection, education, and presence.

Most importantly, through every storm, every setback, and every long night, no animals were harmed. They were fed, sheltered, protected, and loved—because that is non-negotiable for us.

This year reminded us why Mustangs MEND exists:
To educate.
To protect.
To advocate.
To stand steady when things get hard.

As we step into the new year, we do so tired—but hopeful. Worn—but determined. Grateful beyond words for every single person who donated, volunteered, shared a post, sent a message of encouragement, or stood up for us when it mattered.

Thank you for being part of this herd.
We couldn’t do this without you.

Here’s to a new year, new strength, and continuing this work—together. 💙🐴

With so much love,
Tami
Founder/Executive Director

12/30/2025

Just a lil bit of comic relief because if I don't laugh about this stuff I will cry! 😹

Here is my last week in a nutshell...(for anyone ever wanting to "open a horse rescue", please read and then come hang out with me in the winter for a week and then let me know if you still want to lol!)

✨ Just a casual update from my absolutely feral life ✨
I swear… someone somewhere is testing me.

1️⃣ We got slammed with a wild rain + wind storm — barn damage and 8 inches of rain in 72 hours.
2️⃣ I’m sick with the full-blown winter plague, because obviously.
3️⃣ Manure barrels didn’t get picked up because of the holiday. Fine.
Then trash says they won’t come the next day or Saturday due to “mud” on our easement.
THE EASEMENT IS PAVED.
Literal pavement.
I am standing on the easement while talking to the trash company manager.

Trash only finally agrees to come after I email the manager, because he’s arguing with me about whether or not the easement is paved.
He’s sure it isn’t because he “was just there two weeks ago.”
Sir.
I am standing on it.
Please stop trying to mansplain my own freakin’ easement to me.

Meanwhile, we haven’t been able to dump muck tubs since Friday, so everything is now… extra.

4️⃣ TODAY trash finally says they’re coming 🎉
BUT — there’s a fallen tree blocking the road.
ALSO today, the porta potty truck finally shows up after skipping us for 5 WEEKS because they previously sank their truck in our property and ruined my gate.
They keep insisting we have a padlock on the gate.
We do not.
We never have.

And OF COURSE they arrive right when the completely full manure barrels are blocking all access… because those haven’t been picked up yet because see #3! 🫠

✨ AND just to keep things spicy ✨
A brand new storm is already brewing, with another ridiculous amount of rain starting New Year’s Eve.
Which is why we really, really need these trash bins picked up before the next round of chaos hits.

So yes, enjoy this video of us pulling a fallen tree out of the road with an SUV (because I didnt have my truck today lol) so life can continue.

Horse girls git ’er done. 💪🐎🌧️🌳

(If you’re wondering how I’m doing mentally: 🤪)

Signing off,
Tami
Captain Chaos Coordinator

12/29/2025

THIS is what community looks like. 💙

In the middle of storms, high winds, and a failing barn roof, people showed up — and because of them, our animals stayed safe.

Terry gave up his Saturday to weld the barn cross bar back together, making sure the structure was solid and safe. Then Nate, on his Sunday day off, came in and repaired the corrugated panels and shored the roof up so it could withstand the wind event we’re currently facing. Their skill and generosity quite literally saved our barn.

Behind the scenes, an incredible volunteer crew jumped into action. Daisy, Dina, Erika, Debbie, and Debbie’s amazing family (husband Brian, and daughters Addy and Morgan) spent hours mucking and clearing storm debris, helping us reset and prepare for whatever weather comes next. This work is hard, messy, and absolutely essential.

And we can’t forget Katrina, who stood in the pouring rain for hours, securing the broken roof and protecting the animals when things were at their worst.

We’ll be honest — this work is messy. It takes grit, flexibility, and a lot of really passionate people who care deeply. Things aren’t always perfect, but we show up, we problem-solve, and we make it work. Through it all, there is always one common goal:
keeping these amazing horses happy, healthy, and safe.

Because of support from our community, we were also able to purchase additional rubber mats and bedding pellets, helping keep everyone dry, comfortable, and calm through the storm. That support truly mattered.

As we head into another round of storms, we still need help to stay ahead:
• 2–3 rubber mats at $60 each
• Our final hay delivery of the year — $400, which will last about one week

If you’re able to make an end-of-the-year donation, now is a powerful time to do it. Every share, every dollar, every act of support helps us protect this herd through winter.

Thank you for standing with Mustangs MEND — we truly couldn’t do this without you. 💙

PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Venmo: mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]

Mustangs MEND is a 501c3 nonprofit. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

12/24/2025

This is not quite how we hoped to spend Christmas Eve but this is the reality of taking care of animals.

Last night, a powerful storm hit with extreme winds and several inches of rain in just a few hours. Our barn usually holds up, but this storm was different. The wind was so strong it broke the weld on a 3-inch steel cross post in the roof. When that failed, sections of corrugated metal roofing ripped off and bent.

Most importantly, no animals were hurt in the chaos of the roof failing. That makes this situation at least a little better.

We spent the entire morning in the rain and wind doing damage control — tying down twisted metal, making temporary roof repairs, and moving horses around so everyone had at least a dry-ish place to stand. One stall is unusable, and with rain expected to continue for days, we are constantly adjusting just to keep everyone safe and comfortable.

We are exhausted. We are worried. And we don’t yet know what it will take — or cost — to properly fix the damage.

What we do know is what we need right now:
• Bedding pellets to keep stalls dry
• A few more rubber mats (they’re on sale for $40 and make a huge difference)
• Help absorbing the unexpected repair costs this storm brought with it

Asking for help like this is hard, especially during the holidays. But if you’re able to make a year-end donation — even a small one — it would make an immediate and meaningful difference.

If Mustangs MEND has ever mattered to you…
If you believe in rescue, education, and showing up for animals when it’s hard…

We need you right now.

With tired hearts and deep gratitude,
Mustangs MEND 🤍

To donate:
Venmo: mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal.me/mustangsmend

Mustangs MEND is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

12/05/2025

✨ $5 Friday: Buy the Herd a Virtual Coffee! ✨

buymeacoffee.com/mustangsmend

Every Friday, we ask our community to do something small that makes a massive impact:
Buy our herd a $5 virtual coffee. ☕️🐴

While you’re enjoying your morning latte, your $5 helps us:

🌾 Keep hay in front of our horses
💉 Cover vaccines & basic vet care
🪣 Restock grain and supplements
👟 Support youth leadership and agricultural education programs
💛 Ensure every horse — mustangs, rescues, seniors, and our tiny minis — stays healthy, safe, and thriving

We have an incredible community of 3,000 followers.
If you share this and even 100 of our followers gave today, we could cover a huge portion of the expenses that keep the herd afloat — feed, farrier care, vaccines, and other essentials that never stop.

And as many of you know, we are still in the process of going back and forth with the City of Santa Clarita over a permit that is NOT required, because we are not a commercial stable or a riding academy.
We are an educational and animal rescue organization — but the ongoing administrative process has become expensive, time-consuming, and draining on our already tight budget.

Your $5 helps us not only care for our horses, but also stay afloat through this unexpected and unnecessary financial strain.

If everyone gave just one virtual coffee, we could fund months of care and breathe a little easier.

So if you’re able…
Tap that donate button, send $5, and buy the herd a virtual coffee.
Your small kindness keeps their world turning — especially now. ☀️💛

While you're in the process of donating your $5, please enjoy our unofficial snuggly mascot, Clementine, the world's smallest goat (unofficially). 🐐

12/05/2025

At Mustangs MEND, everything we do comes back to one core belief: agricultural education and equine-assisted learning change lives—for people and for horses. Our organization gives our community a place to slow down, reconnect with the land, build practical skills, and experience the grounding, healing power that comes from working alongside animals who meet us with pure honesty.

Agricultural education teaches stewardship, responsibility, and respect for the life around us. Equine-assisted learning takes that even further—because horses ask us to show up with presence, patience, clarity, and compassion. They don’t respond to force; they respond to who we are in the moment. That’s why this work is so transformative for kids, teens, and adults alike: it develops communication, confidence, empathy, and true leadership.

Today, we want to highlight one of our incredible junior volunteers, Addy, whose dedication embodies exactly why Mustangs MEND does this work.

Addy is learning what it really means to care for horses from the ground up—and anyone in the horse world knows that caring for a horse is so much more than riding. She’s learning the full picture: feeding, grooming, safety, horsemanship, boundaries, behavior, the subtle nonverbal language horses use, and what it takes to keep them healthy and happy. She is learning to listen first, respond thoughtfully, and show up as a steady presence her horses can trust.

But where Addy truly shines is in her growing leadership as she works with our young and green horses. She is learning how to be a patient, confident partner—helping them become well-adjusted, joyful, safe members of our horse–human community. Every time she helps a young horse navigate something new, she is shaping their future… and strengthening her own.

This is why we do what we do at Mustangs MEND.
To grow good humans.
To raise good horses.
And to nurture a community where both can thrive side by side.

12/03/2025

🌟 Giving Tuesday – A Message from Mustangs MEND 🌟

This Giving Tuesday, we want to share our story with honesty and heart — the parts of our journey that the public rarely sees, but that have shaped who we are and how deeply we value our mission.

The past few years have brought challenge after challenge.
We’ve had to uproot and move locations, rebuild our learning spaces, and spend countless hours defending our work against the City of Santa Clarita’s overreach trying to require permits that aren't actually required. These obstacles have tested our patience, our resources, and our resilience in ways we never expected.

Then, at the beginning of this year, everything changed again.

Our founder and director experienced a sudden medical emergency, underwent life-changing surgery, and was admitted to the ICU following a cancer diagnosis. It was unexpected. It was frightening. And it left our entire organization in shock, facing the reality that everything we had built could be at risk.

But in the middle of that crisis, something extraordinary happened.

Our all-volunteer team rose with unwavering strength, compassion, and determination.
They fed and cared for the animals every single day.
They kept everything running.
They supported our founder with patience and understanding.
They held each other up.
They protected the heart of Mustangs MEND when our founder could not.

Their dedication is the only reason Mustangs MEND survived this year.

Through all of these hardships, our mission has remained clear:
to provide meaningful, hands-on learning experiences with animals that teach communication, confidence, emotional awareness, and practical life skills to our community.
We believe in the power of experiential education — the kind that fosters growth, connection, and understanding.

And today, we have some very real, very urgent needs:
• Annual vaccines for our herd — 10 horses at about $50 each
• Dentals for 3 horses — approximately $350 each
• Weekly feed — now nearly $400 every week

These aren’t extras — they are essential to the health and wellbeing of our animals and the continuation of our educational programs.

This Giving Tuesday, we are asking for your support.
Your donation goes directly toward caring for the animals who support our community and ensuring our programs remain stable through all we’ve overcome. Every contribution truly makes a difference.

If Mustangs MEND has touched you, inspired you, or simply made you believe in the power of learning through animals, please consider donating today.

From our entire herd — human and animal — thank you for standing with us through the hardest moments and the hopeful ones. We could not do this without you.

💛 Donate • Share • Support
Because learning happens here — and it deserves to continue.

PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Venmo: mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]

Mustangs MEND is a 501c3 nonprofit in good standing. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

11/26/2025

✨ In Loving Memory of Venus ✨
Our brave, gentle, golden-hearted girl.

Venus came into our lives three years ago, rescued from Mike’s Auction—a crowded, low-budget livestock auction outside Los Angeles where horses like her often go unseen or unvalued. We didn’t know her past. We didn’t know what she had carried or what she had survived. But the moment she stepped off that trailer, it was clear she was something rare. She had a softness in her eyes, a steadiness in her breath, and a quiet, willing spirit that made it feel like she had always belonged with us.

On her second day home, we hosted a Fourth of July bonfire. For most horses, the chaos would have been overwhelming—the dark, kids running around, and fireworks cracking overhead. But Venus, in her calm, generous way, carried kids around the arena all night long. She never spooked, never hesitated, never faltered. She simply did what she always did: take care of the people around her. Even then, we knew—we had been blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime horse.

Over the years, she became the teacher of teachers.
She could carry a toddler with the gentleness of an old soul, then turn around and take a volunteer up the trail with confidence and heart. One summer, she even went to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, where she taught kids how to canter—introducing them to that unforgettable moment when fear turns into joy and a horse becomes magic. So many children first learned to trust themselves because Venus trusted them first.

For the past year, she has been retired, spending her days as she deserved—grazing, sunbathing, rolling, resting, and being deeply loved. But her body has been slowly failing her. And while she still has a few good days in her, the pain is beginning to outweigh the comfort.

And so tomorrow, with love breaking us open, we will do the hardest thing guardians ever have to do:

We will let her go on a good day.

Before pain steals her spark.
Before her legs betray her.
Before she finds herself stuck or scared or suffering.
Because she deserves better than an ending of fear.

Tomorrow, she will have everything she loves.
Fresh grass.
Room to run and play.
Time to buck, roll, and breathe deeply.
Hands on her face. Arms around her neck.
Voices telling her—again and again—that she is a good girl.
Because she always was.

We do this not because we want her life to be shorter, but because we want her last moments to be full—not fearful. This is the sacred responsibility of loving an animal with your whole heart. To put their comfort above your heartbreak. To choose mercy over holding on. To let them go while they are still themselves.

My only regret is that we didn’t find her sooner. Ten more years wouldn’t have been enough. Three was a gift—but far too short for a horse like her.

Venus, thank you.
For every child you carried.
For every trail you climbed.
For every gentle step, every patient lesson, every moment of grace.
You were loved beyond measure.
You will be missed beyond words.
And you will live on in every rider who had the privilege and joy to be on your back.

It was the greatest honor to know you and love you, Venus.

Run free now, sweet girl.
No pain. No limits.
Just wind, sunlight, and peace. 🐎💛✨
-Tami

(Any donations to lay Venus to rest would be so appreciated. The cost is approximately $800. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.)

PayPal.me/mustangsmend
Zelle: [email protected]
Venmo: mustangsmend

Thank you so very much for supporting us in this time of grief.

11/24/2025

This. So much this! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=831495592968281&id=100083235435397&mibextid=wwXIfr

At some point this winter, every horse owner ends up in the same spot:
stood in the mud, staring at their horse, realising they are now the CEO of a financially ruinous, emotionally demanding, hay-powered charity.

You start doing the mental maths.
Feed and Hay prices that make you sweat.
Livery fees creeping up like a bad jump scare.
Rugs that cost the same as a weekend away.
Vets who arrive, press a stethoscope to your horse's chest, and bill you enough to ruin your month.

And the horse?
Blissfully ignorant.
Living their calm, forage-based dream while you spiral over spreadsheets.

Here’s the thing no one says because it feels a bit too raw.
The only reason your horse is thriving in this current economic crisis is because you are quietly breaking yourself in tiny, responsible ways.

They don’t know that it’s you budgeting, cutting corners, selling tack, cancelling plans, eating beans on toast so they never miss a farrier appointment.

Horses only experience the outcome:

✨️warmth
✨️routine
✨️full belly
✨️predictable humans

They never see the emotional and financial gymnastics behind it.

People joke about “horse poor,” but underneath the humour is a level of devotion most people can’t imagine.

You’re out here holding an animal’s entire world together while the country falls apart round the edges (financially)

So if you're feeling stretched, tired, tetchy, or one invoice away from tears, it isn’t because you’re failing.....

It’s because you’re doing everything right in a system that makes it absurdly hard right now.

Your horse is safe because of you.
That’s the quiet, unglamorous truth of the current climate. 👌

11/09/2025

✨ Our boy Hawk is really growing up! ✨
It’s hard to believe he’s already 2½ years old. We’ve had him since he was just two days old, and watching him grow has been the sweetest journey. From adorable little foal to the stunning young gelding he’s becoming, he just keeps getting more handsome every day. 💛

He’s full of personality, curious about everything, and always finds a way to make us smile. We sure do love this beautiful boy — and while we’ll miss him dearly when the time comes, Hawk will be available for adoption to only the very best of homes. 🥰

11/03/2025

As we round about the turn of the final 2 months of 2025, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to two amazing women who took chances on senior mustangs and have given them the most amazing twilight years. Amy and Allison... you are heroes. These two ol' red boys are living the best lives ever with each of you.

Puma (26 years old) on the left is losing his sight but Amy moved him to a retirement pasture where he has friends and forage and lots of space to hang out with other older horses, even though it's been a challenge for her own heart to have him a little further out from her. It was what was best for him and he gets to enjoy his retirement with friends, freedom, and forage. And Beau, our super senior (32 years old), is living the good life with Allison and her menagerie. He does have Cushings but it is managed with medication and he is going strong!

These guys hit the jackpot, but so many other horses end up in terrible situations because they are not longer "useful" to humans. I am forever indebted to these two women and the village that helped get these guys into the best retirement possible.

❤️
Tami

09/19/2025

Quick rattlesnake bite recovery... walking to help with swelling. This is looking really good. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼