Carrying on the Dream
Susan Watt
President & Executive Director
of Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
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Taking the reins
Dayton O. Hyde’s cowboy boots don’t fit Susan Watt, but she fills his shoes and then some. "This place couldn't survive without her," Hyde once said, recognizing early on that she was the perfect person to carry his vision forward.
With unwavering dedication, practical expertise, and a profound connection to both horses and land, Susan has continued Hyde’s legacy with her own blend of visionary thinking and boots-on-the-ground practicality.
The early days
Born in Childersburg, Alabama, Susan Watt's journey began thousands of miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. With degrees in Home Economics and English from the University of Alabama, Susan's early career was spent teaching special needs children. She married her high school sweetheart Wayne in 1968, and together they built a family, adopting three children while Wayne served in the Air Force.
Though Susan had dreamed of horses since childhood, she didn't acquire her first until age 28, when her husband sold his motorcycle for $350—enough to purchase two horses. This kindled a passion that would shape the course of her life.
Transformation in the wake of loss
Life took a painful turn when Susan lost her daughter Teresa in 1990, followed by her husband Wayne's death in 1994 after a long illness. Physically and emotionally exhausted from her role as a caregiver, Susan sought healing and direction.
A trip to Africa changed everything. "I looked out over the Serengeti and knew I had to work at a wildlife sanctuary," Susan recalls. She remembered a television segment she had once seen about Dayton O. Hyde's wild horse Sanctuary. With remarkable determination, she tracked down Hyde—finally reaching him by phone after a week of attempts. When Dayton suggested she read his books before visiting, Susan borrowed Yamsi and Don Coyote from the library on Wednesday and was on a plane by Friday.
In 1995, Susan stepped into a snow-covered world that would become her future. After returning briefly to Alabama, she packed her belongings and drove back to South Dakota with her dog and parrot, ready to start a new chapter.
From volunteer to visionary
Twenty-nine years later, Susan's dedication has transformed the original rescue program into something even more expansive than Hyde envisioned. Under her leadership, the Sanctuary has expanded its acreage, strengthened its 501(c)(3) non-profit structure, created sustainable water sources for the horses, grown its donor and sponsorship programs, and continued rescue efforts for un-adoptable horses.
Today, Susan manages every aspect of the Sanctuary's operations, from overseeing finances and donations to handling the extensive paperwork of running a non-profit. She might be mailing sponsorship kits in the morning, guiding private tours across the Sanctuary's 11,000 acres in the afternoon, and dropping 1,800-pound round bales of hay from a tractor to feed the horses before day's end. Susan has great expertise in horses and their history, with an expansive depth of knowledge and compassion for all wildlife.
“This land is a gift.”
"There aren't many places left where wild horses can live in peace and run free,” Susan says. “What we do here makes a difference." Through her unwavering commitment, the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary remains a place for America’s luckiest wild horses. While Dayton O. Hyde planted the seed, it is Susan Watt's steadfast stewardship that ensures the thunder of hooves will continue to echo across this sacred land for generations to come.
The work continues—with you.
Help Susan carry out the Sanctuary’s mission for the long haul.