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Mustang – the word itself is so evocative, symbolising freedom, an untamed spirit and the romance of the Wild West. But while the term has been widely adopted by sporting clubs and car companies, America no longer wants its feral horses - an issue that is as controversial as it is emotionally-charged.

In 1978, Dianne Nelson made a major life-changing decision when she rescued a band of 80 wild horses destined to be slaughtered and founded the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Sitting on 2,023 hectares of mountain meadow and pine forests near Shingletown, a few hours’ drive north-east of the California state capital of Sacramento, Dianne’s property is now home to around 300 wild mustangs and burros, many of which were rescued from federal lands in the western US.

Life’s good for Dianne’s charges. Here they can roam free in their natural habitat, sharing the hills with other wild species including black bear, bobcat, mountain lion and badgers. When the grass is low, they are provided with hay and while they enjoy this benefit of human interaction, these animals will never be broken in, retaining their wild status and living as they have in the wild for hundreds of years.

Of course, looking after this many unrideable horses does not make good financial sense – it’s a lot of mouths to feed without a guaranteed income. So to help pay the bills – and increase awareness of the plight of America’s mustangs – Dianne has opened the sanctuary to the public, inviting guests on two and three-day trail rides to view herds of wild horses up close in a natural setting.

Like most horse treks conducted in the litigation-heavy United States, the rides at the Wild Horse Sanctuary are restricted to walking pace, allowing riders to creep up on the wild horses without scaring them away. As the mustangs see their domesticated siblings ambling along, some follow with curiosity, while others peek out cautiously from behind trees, sniffing for danger, ever on the alert and ready for flight. New-born foals trot along behind their mothers, born into a happy, danger-free environment, while shaggy little donkeys are an adorable addition to the herd, their sweet, innocent faces a delight to behold.

As in the wild, the mares are led by several stallions, each with their own distinct territory. The newest addition to the mob is a bewitching white stallion called The Phantom, who until recently roamed the hills near Dayton, Nevada. With his natural habitat encroached by development, this elusive creature was finally captured and relocated to the sanctuary in December 2006 by the Wild Horse Preservation League, along with one of his mares.

With his proud bearing and fine features, the quality and breeding of The Phantom is immediately obvious to any horse lover. Like Australia’s brumbies, many of America’s mustangs were once domestic stock that either escaped or were deliberately released into the wild. The original mustangs – a word derived from the Spanish word meaning ‘feral animal’ - were of Iberian descent, brought to the Americas by the conquistadors. Captured and domesticated by Native Americans, they subsequently became their primary means of transport and played a significant role in the battle for the Wild West.

In 1971, the United States Congress passed a bill to protect America’s wild horses, recognising mustangs as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to the diversity of life forms within the nation and enrich the lives of the American people.” The slaughter of mustangs in the wild was made illegal and their numbers were controlled through a capture program run by the Bureau of Land Management.

But the system appears to be failing. Horses over the age of ten are exempt from protection and those not immediately adopted as pets are either kept in cramped holding pens for years on end, or end up as dog meat. There are now less than 37,000 wild horses in America today, their numbers cut by half since the introduction of the bill to save them.

Dianne’s mission, then, is clearly one of preserving a dying heritage. But even her efforts are thwarted by modern-day realities. There just isn’t room on her property for more animals and she cannot afford to allow nature to take its course without some form of intervention. In order to control the breeding program of the wild horses, she recently granted researchers at the University of California the right to conduct an experiment with PZP, a contraceptive vaccine. The results have been very successful – it’s prevented pregnancy in the horses with no side effects, it can be used on pregnant mares without damage and it’s reversible.

And for the foals born at the sanctuary, there is further hope – the sanctuary has its own adoption program, with around 30 weanling colts and fillies offered for auction each year to approved buyers. For those not in the position to own a horse, there is also a sponsorship program – by donating US$38 a month, one of the mustang becomes “yours”, with the money used for its feed and veterinary care. In return, you get a colour photo and certificate describing your horse and burro, you can make inquiries about the horse and even visit it at the sanctuary.

For visitors curious to learn about the destiny of the American mustang, however, there is no more enjoyable way of experiencing the sanctuary than participating in one of its trail rides. The riding horses are well-behaved, the forest and meadow scenery divine, and the overnight bunkhouse accommodation comfy and rustic. And not only will you get up close and personal with a disappearing American symbol, but you’ll be playing a role in preserving the spirit of the Old West.

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