PEARCE, Ariz. (KGUN) — For this month's KGUN 9 Giving Project, we're spotlighting a nonprofit in Cochise County dedicated to saving wild horses in our state.
Moksha Sanctuary is committed to rescuing and protecting wild horses, whose numbers have been on the decline across the southwest.
"Moksha Sanctuary, it's Sanskrit for 'freedom'. What we're doing, is we're giving wild horses back their freedom," said Crystal Field, executive director of Moksha Sanctuary.
That freedom comes on Field's 36-acre ranch near Pearce in southeast Arizona.
Moksha Sanctuary is now home to 23 wild horses. These mustangs, an iconic symbol of Arizona and the southwest, have been on the decline in recent years, as wild horses are caught in a constant back-and-forth with ranchers.
"Forest Service deciding that the horses are competing too much with the grazing rights, so, they rounded them up," Field tells me. "Well, who's going to take unhandled horses?"
Photographer Matt Daley is one of a handful of Moksha Sanctuary's volunteers.
"You find out that there's roundups going on across America and right here in our state of Arizona. It's really sad," Daley said.
Daley is an accomplished wild horse photographer, known for his amazing photos of mustangs along the Salt River and in Monument Valley.
RELATED: Wild mustangs known as a symbol of the southwest, roaming free in parts of Arizona
He's now lending his support to helping take care of the wild horses at Moksha Sanctuary. Through his salt_river_sunsets Instagram account, Daley gives canvases of his photos away, asking only that people donate to a rescue like Moksha.
"Grateful that this rescue is here and she can give all the help she can to make these horses feel at home and loved and safe," Daley said.
Daley is now taking photos of the wild horses of Moksha, trying to help Field raise funds to add to the number of mustangs at the sanctuary.
"It's addicting, it's therapeutic, it makes your heart happy. I don't want to leave," he said.
You can donate to Moksha Sanctuary through its website.
Your donation qualifies for Arizona's charitable tax credit.
Our partners in the Giving Project. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona will again match the first $500 in donations.
MORE ABOUT MOKSHA SANCTUARY:
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
