Subjects: NPT, PET, ANW

Return to Freedom's Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, Calif., to Celebrate Opening Day, Spirit's Birthday on May 4

LOMPOC, Calif., April 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- From 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, Return to Freedom's American Wild Horse Sanctuary will celebrate the start of its summer program season and the 29th birthday of Spirit. The Kiger stallion served as muse and model for the beloved animated film "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron."

The Opening Day event will feature: a Native American blessing the horses and land, staff-led walking tours, wine pourings from local wineries and eclectic locavore food, and shopping in RTF's store. Visitors can have their photo taken with Spirit.

DreamWorks Animation chose Return to Freedom's (RTF) sanctuary in Santa Barbara County as Spirit's home following his time as the animators' model for the Oscar-nominated "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron." That movie spawned a popular for younger children, "Spirit: Riding Free" on Netflix, and the 2021 movie "Spirit: Untamed."

A national nonprofit wild horse and burro advocacy organization, RTF opened its first sanctuary in 1998 on 300 acres among the rolling hills of the Central Coast. There, visitors can experience the diverse herds that represent the American Mustang, including descendants of Padre Kino's Spanish Mission horses, the Iberian Sorraia-type Sulphur Springs herd, and descendants of the Choctaw Indian ponies that carried the ill and infirm on the Trail of Tears.

Opening Day tickets are available while they last at http://returntofreedom.org/visit/ All sales benefit the 450 rescued wild horses and burros in RTF's care at three California locations.

RTF offers a variety of other scheduled programs at two sanctuaries: its Lompoc headquarters and a 2,000-acre San Luis Obispo, Calif., satellite location. Programs include tours, photo safaris, Family Day events, as well as special workshops. More information is at http://returntofreedom.org/visit/