The Sanctuary
Land & Wildlife
A conservation success story
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"Healthy mustangs, running where wildflowers bloom in profusion and the sky goes on forever."
—Founder Dayton O. Hyde
Photo: Karla LaRive
Protected Wilderness
A haven for conservation in the heart of the Black Hills
The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary is a magical place where more than 600 rescued wild mustangs roam freely across 11,000 privately protected acres in South Dakota. This diverse landscape features high desert prairie, impressive canyons, colorful rock formations, verdant wetlands, and pine forest. Freshwater habitat flourishes along the Cheyenne River which cuts through a valley. There are vistas of Great Plains big sky and land to the horizon, across South Dakota and into Nebraska and Wyoming.
These spectacular landscapes support wild horses, as well as hundreds of species of animals and plants, many imperiled or rare, and some found only in South Dakota. The protected Sanctuary both conserves and enables biodiversity, functioning ecosystems, and habitats across the vast open prairie, forest, and in and along the Cheyenne River.
A wildlife extravaganza
Founder Dayton O. Hyde called the Sanctuary a “wildlife extravaganza.” Golden eagles and bald eagles soar overhead, while burrowing owls—listed as a species of greatest conservation need—find refuge here. Threatened Peregrine falcons, share the sky with an array of songbirds, including the western bluebird and western meadowlark.
Expansive forests and grasslands sustain wild horses and a diverse range of wide-roaming wildlife. Coyotes, cougars, bobcats, whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, and wild turkey all call this land home along with snakes, such as the Eastern Hognose—state-listed as threatened and a species of greatest conservation need—and the Bullsnake, South Dakota’s longest snake. Even the landscape itself is shaped by nature’s architects: prairie dogs and beavers, whose presence enriches this thriving ecosystem.
Vital water systems
Freshwater sustains life throughout the Sanctuary's 15 square miles. The Cheyenne River provides essential drinking water for horses and wildlife while supporting diverse aquatic ecosystems. Several ponds host hundreds of turtles and ducks. Wetlands on the eastern edge of the Sanctuary support verdant gardens. In winter months, spring water from Cascade Creek flows underground, staying warmer than surface waters and emptying into the Cheyenne River, keeping an area free of ice and open for wildlife.
Welcome to the Wild Side
Thousand-foot cliffs and deep ravines of exposed rock create breathtaking vistas across the Wild Side of the Sanctuary. These ancient formations, carved over millennia, offer some of the most spectacular and dramatic scenery in the Black Hills.
Photo: George Wilson
Landscapes carved by time
Through Hells canyon and across the river is the Wild Side of the Sanctuary—prairie, rock cliffs, pine trees, and stunning views far as the eye can see.
The seasons bring changes to the landscape. The snow-covered valleys and ponderosa pines weather windblown harsh winters, and wildlife and horses face challenges. With only six to 12 inches of rain each year, droughts can reduce vegetation and bring water sources to a trickle. Unlike the areas where herds can come through for hay and feed if they like, the herds of the wild side rarely catch a glimpse of people, except when staff go to the wild side during the coldest days or drought to drop hay and feed to support the health of the herd.
Spring brings wildflower blooms, life-sustaining lush grasses, endangered monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and birds like white pelicans who migrate to the Sanctuary for summer breeding season.
Indigenous heritage
Various Native American tribes, original stewards of the northern plains, revered this land as sacred for centuries. The unique Cheyenne River, which flows in all four directions at different points, held special spiritual significance. Even today, this Sanctuary land remains sacred to Native Americans, including The Lakota, who performed Sundance ceremonies here for generations.
Ancient petroglyphs carved into sandstone cliffs tell 10,000-year-old stories depicting people, horses, rituals, and celestial symbols. These rock art treasures mark the Sanctuary as a historical crossroads where countless travelers—from Indigenous peoples to sheep herders and cattle drivers—crossed the river and found shelter.
Our commitment to conservation
“We have managed to exist and grow because good, caring people believe in my dream and realize that if this land falls to development, it will be lost forever. Once dinosaur tracks or even thousand-year-old petroglyphs are vandalized, who can replace them?”
—Founder Dayton O. Hyde
Protecting the irreplaceable
Drawing from his ranching background, founder Dayton O. Hyde established both cattle operations and special care facilities for senior or medically fragile mustangs—a balanced approach to land management that benefits all species.
Since protecting this land in 1987 and welcoming the first horses in 1988, the Sanctuary has prioritized ecosystem health and biodiversity. In an era when development and resource extraction threaten vibrant native landscapes, healthy waters, and wide-open spaces worldwide, the Sanctuary stands as a living example of stewardship and conservation in action—a nature-based solution to biodiversity loss and climate challenges.
Your support matters
Every horse that runs free, every native plant that flourishes, every ecosystem that thrives here exists because of your support. Through your generosity, this unique refuge will continue to protect both wild horses and wild lands for generations to come.