About Us

Straight To The Horse’s Mouth is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed by a small community group of 6 members dedicated to the long-term care of these horses.  The horses are now safely corralled on one of the member’s property.  Their needs are taken care of and they are gradually becoming accustomed to interaction with people.  They live safely off the road and are out of danger or threat.

Straight To The Horse’s Mouth has a dedicated team of volunteer supporters.  Two very important members, who initiated the project to care for this family band of Placitas Wild Horses are Mike and Margaret Johnson.

I’ve watched the wild mustangs roam the BLM land and my mom’s property for the past 35 years.  I’ve seen our stallion Blaze roaming for 18 years.  Blazer and his herd named visiting for at least 2 years prior to living on 2 fenced acres of my property.

The day my mother passed away, Blaze and his brood seemed to know.  They came to our porch and just hung out.  They stayed for hours sharing my sorrow, feeling our pain.  This touched my heart deeply.  These horses know love, and although in their wild ways, when kindness is shown to them, they in return will respond in kind.

I lived in Wyoming and Colorado as a young adult and did a lot of work around horses and learned how to care for them.  I’ve also been a handyman all my life and love figuring out how to make things work and building things with found materials.  I have a knack for thinking things through and making them work, like how to move horses from one place to another.  It’s like solving a puzzle sometimes.  

The most important thing to me is the herd is now legally ours.  I love working with our herd and getting to know each member of the herd and taking care of them.  It is a struggle to make ends meet to care for them, but we are making it work.

I’ve only had the luxury of seeing the horses since 2013.  My husband, Mike, has told me about them for the last 28 years, but I always seemed to be at work when they were around.  

This time I was off after a surgery, sitting on my porch when I saw, standing on the hill, a beautiful Blue Roan.  He called out, dancing around with such magnificence.  Then running down the road toward me came the most beautiful sight.  Blaze’s brood was at my doorstep, babies and all.  Mike already had water set up for them and we had sunflower seeds out for the birds, so the horses were making themselves at home.  Mike had told me of a foal born less than a week before that he called Wildfire.  She was born to Midnight and Blaze.  Her first day she walked up to Mike and sucked his fingers. Midnight was reluctant, but she trusted Mike not to hurt her.  Now I got to meet Wildfire and I’m eating Animal Crackers and she climbs up the porch, puts her little Bambi face in mine, sniffs me, sniffs my crackers, takes a couple and smiles.  Now the rest of the herd wants crackers too!  I was so overjoyed.  I had to remember these horses are wild.

Now let me talk about my boy Blaze. When I saw him on that hill, I fell in love.  His beauty was breath-taking.  When he called to his herd and they came running, it was like watching a National Geographic show.  He wouldn’t come down to the herd, but would let his girls and kids eat.  What a gentleman.  I used to be so jealous when Mike and the neighbors showed me pictures or told me stories of the herd, but not anymore.  I finally saw them for myself.

Blaze’s Brood came 3-4 times a day, usually around the same time.  One morning, when they came, Blaze was hiding in the bush watching his mares.  I decided to meet him.  I got a box of cereal, and approaching him very slowly, I stood above him on the hill maybe 5 feet away.  I let him look at me trying not to startle him as I put my hand in the box.  He bucked a little and went to turn away, but I got my hand out and tossed a handful of cereal his way.  He bent as it spread on the ground and sniffed it and, with the softest lips, he started vacuuming up the cereal.  He looked at me like a kid.  His ears were forward, his head tilted, then his foot was scratching the ground.  He was pawing for more, this wild stallion, my gentle giant, my boy.  I couldn’t continue to stand on that hill due to my pain, so I moved to where I could sit back down.  I asked Blaze to follow me around the trees to the stump and to my surprise, he did.  This wild stallion stood beside me maybe 5 inches away.  He ate the cereal.  He asked for more and we got to know each other.  He would not let the mares near except Wildfire.  He played with her.

Mike drove up and got to see Blaze on our porch.  Once Blaze and his herd left, Mike told me that no one had ever had the luxury to get that close to Blaze, let alone feed or touch him.  I introduced Mike to Blaze that morning and from then on Blaze always shared his time with his family on our porch.

I am Margret Johnson.  Blaze is my boy.  You still can’t touch him, but now he will take treats.  I can touch him on his terms sometimes. My duties are to love and gentle our herd and I work the Flea Markets to raise funds to maintain the herd.

I have gratefully lived in Placitas for about fifty years sharing the wonderful clean and quiet environment with the wildlife, nature, and our great community.  Horses have been a part of that experience for as long as I can remember, including Shortie’s horse, Blue, who ended up in my folk’s old septic tank, and was successfully coaxed out!  Being involved with this herd of wild horses has been a learning experience and privilege.  As a massage therapist with 43 years’ experience, I try to rub things into place in the organization .

Laurel Hull is an animal lover and a resident of Placitas for over 25 years, moving here once she retired from the United States Marine Corps. During her 20 years of service she was an administrator and since her retirement has spent over 20 years volunteering for veteran organizations.  She has held several leadership positions in those organizations including serving over 3 three years as president of a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit Foundation.

Kevin Renfro is another animal lover.  In fact he probably likes animals better than people!  He is a recent addition to our Straight To The Horse's Mouth family, moving to Placitas in about 2017.  A former resident of Connecticut where he was employed as an aerospace technician, he retired to New Mexico where enjoys the sunny skies,  nature, and hiking.

Sandy Renfro is also an animal lover with a particular soft spot for dogs and horses.  Her background is in Hospital Administration, but she knew that she needed a career change when she moved to New Mexico 6 years ago.  Shortly after her arrival, she began volunteer work at Watermelon Ranch before accepting a position at Animal Welfare.  She and Kevin have fostered & re-homed dogs and helped with many adoption events.  She is also a new member of Straight to the Horses Mouth, and is loving life here in Placitas.