In June 2011, we brought you news of the wild mustang rescue efforts being led by vintner Ellie Price of Dunstan Wines and Durell Vineyard. At the time, Price had put up much of the $30,000 needed to rescue a group of wild horses that had been rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management and were slated to be sold for slaughter. However, once the horses were purchased, they needed homes—Price was only able to take three to be pastured at Durell Vineyard. Price, who works closely with the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation), announced recently that a 2,000-acre wildlife refuge had been established as a new permanent home for the rescued wild horses.
Montgomery Creek Ranch, just outside Willows, Calif., will eventually take in all 115 wild mustangs that were purchased from a Nevada livestock auction. "These wonderful horses have brought great joy to my life, and the experience of releasing them into the wild was deeply gratifying," Price said in a statement. For more on the plight of America's wild horses, stay tuned for Price's upcoming IMAX documentary, American Mustang 3D, scheduled for a spring 2013 release.