Spirit Of The Black Hills

The 11,000-acre Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, near Rapid City, South Dakota, is home to small herds of rare Spanish Mustangs. We take you on an inside tour of this windswept sanctuary.

- Audrey Pavia

From the moment I first learned of the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, I knew I had to go there. Online photos showing windswept South Dakota landscapes dotted with grazing horses were only part of the attraction. The 11,000-acre sanctuary is home to small herds of rare Spanish Mustangs, being preserved for future generations. As a Spanish Mustang owner and a devotee of the breed, the sanctuary called to me.

So one recent spring, my friend, Cathy Blakesley, and I left Southern California for Rapid City, South Dakota, the closest town to the Black Hills with a commercial airport. I’d made arrangements for us to stay in one of the two guest cabins at the sanctuary.

After driving about an hour from Rapid City, we arrived at the sanctuary entrance at dusk, and followed the road three miles through rolling hills to the Visitor Center and our adjacent cabin.

Beautifully decorated with Western touches, our cabin faced the slow-moving Cheyenne River, which serves as the primary source of water for the sanctuary’s horses. After settling in, we drove into nearby Hot Springs for dinner and came back to the sanctuary for the night.

The next morning, Cathy and I stepped outside our cabin door and looked across to towering canyon walls. The river flowed quietly past, with pine and cottonwood trees lining the banks. As we walked to the Visitor Center, we began to take in the developed part of the sanctuary.

The adjacent Wild Horse Café and Ole Time Ice Cream Shoppe had just opened, and the gift shop already had visitors.

Beyond the small buildings were a few corrals with horses, along with a chicken coop and a pen with white peacocks. Beyond them, chestnut-colored cows grazed. Just to the south, a large paddock held dozens of horses.

Special Refuge