CSU Grad Helps to Find Homes for Feral Horses

A Colorado State alumna is using her degree in animal sciences to make a difference in the world. How is she doing this? By saving wild horses and finding them homes.

Cayla Stone, who graduated with a concentration in equine science in addition to her degree in animals sciences, co-founded the nonprofit Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group Inc. based out of Fort Collins. The mission of the group is to foster, train and re-home American mustangs to showcase their innate talents and versatility. Besides the training aspect, the group also provides veterinary, farrier, chiropractic, and nutritional care to all of the horses they take in.

According to the nonprofit's website, there are currently over 67,000 mustangs on BLM managed lands, as well as another 50,000 horses in holding facilities that are paid for by public dollars. With such overpopulation, the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group helps to prevent these horses from living out their lives in these government holding facilities or being slaughtered.

In addition to being the group's co-founder, Stone is also the lead trainer. Over the past six years, she has helped train more than 30 mustangs for adoption. She's spent much of her life around horses, and has even competed in Mustang Makeover competitions. By bringing awareness to these horses' situation, she hopes that others will start to realize the potential that these feral horses have and make them more readily adoptable to the average person.

Check out the current mustangs in training here.