Franco's Story
Returned to Freedom
We were hiking in the hills, admiring the wide open spaces and observing Mustangs in their family herd groups at the Return to Freedom horse sanctuary in CA. While the visitors I was leading on the wild horse walking adventure were experiencing magical moments, I never expected to have one of my own.
Franco returned to freedom and
offering his friendship
I noticed that Franco, a bay gelding mustang, was standing alone at the top of the hill, slightly removed from the rest of his herd. He was facing my direction looking straight at me. I felt a close connection, knowing that he was communicating just to me. As I slowly walked towards him, he made his way towards me. I felt my heart pounding. I concentrated on containing my excitement, so as not to frighten him off. As we moved closer and closer I used my body language to let him know that I meant no harm and I invited him to join me if he chose. He accepted and gently reached out to touch my face and hair, softly exploring different areas of my body. We spent time together, sharing this moment, a tear gently rolling down my face. I was honored that he had chosen to be in my presence. Realizing that some time had gone by, I thanked him and intimated that I was about to return to my group. As I walked away, Franco blocked my path by stepping out in front of me and crossing my body with his shoulder. Knowing he did not want me to leave quite yet, this time I accepted his invitation and rubbed the areas he enjoyed before finally departing.
This story, although touching, is not necessarily extraordinary, until you consider the circumstances and what Franco had gone through just five years earlier. This magnificent creature had been captured off his homeland, removed to a government holding pen and subjected to a life of confinement. Year after year Franco resisted any attempts at being gentled. As the head instructor and trainer at the learning centre that had become his home, I watched the awakening of many defense tactics as he refused socialization and training. On several occasions he even attacked well meaning individuals when he perceived just the mental pressure to be excessive. I soon realized that this majestic animal did not belong here and as I witnessed his strength to stand up for his right to freedom, my personal drive to return him to freedom became stronger by the day. It would take several months for this dream to be realized, but Franco would be free.
On the day of Franco’s move to the horse sanctuary I was very excited and tried to convey this message to him. However, he refused to be loaded into the trailer. We explored many different options and finally discovered that he found comfort in following another horse into the trailer. I realized then that his last experience in the trailer may have been very frightening and since that time he had no reason to trust me or any other human being as we had consistently ignored him.
It was a proud moment when Neda (founder of the Return to Freedom horse sanctuary) and I were able to release Franco with his new family. It was likely that had he been left on the range, Franco could have been a lead stallion, but now, as a gelding, he needed to find his place with this new group of horses. He went through many rituals with the others before finally being accepted and finding his place as “chaperone” of his new herd.
Up until this day Franco had never really offered himself to humans and I questioned whether he understood what I had tried to do… until he approached me from within this 100-acre pasture and I knew that he had finally found sanctuary.
Find out more about Anna Twinney's Reach Out to Horses program
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