Mesteño — Spanish for “ownerless beast.” It’s where the word “mustang” comes from, and it’s not a flattering start. But America’s wild horses have run free since the 1500s, and it’s on us — and our kids — to make sure that legacy survives.
MAP started with two mustang adopters who met at a Pryor Mountain roundup in 2009. What began as a shared love of these horses grew into an idea: what if the mustangs who’d already lost their freedom could become ambassadors for the ones who hadn’t? MAP is more than an acronym — it’s what these horses have always done for us. They navigate. Through youth programs, veteran support, and women’s leadership work, our mustangs give people a way to find their way — while reminding all of us why freedom, for horses and for people, is worth protecting.
We’ve been a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 2015.
An agricultural background and a lifelong mustang advocate, Susan pleasure- and endurance-rides in her free time and moved to Colorado Springs to be closer to the ranch she helped build.
An oncology nurse who came back to riding through her daughter's camp experience — and never left. Heidi now owns two mustangs of her own.
CHA-certified in both Western and English disciplines, Jaime is MAP's primary instructor, a natural horsemanship student, and a full-time middle school English teacher when she's not in the arena.
Found MAP in 2020 looking for a program for her granddaughter during COVID shutdowns. She stayed to run our volunteer program.