For the Love of Aria

Background Statement

Gina Kuttrus, founder of For the Love of Aria, found her purpose in life rescuing and rehabilitating mustangs. A licensed nurse by trade, Gina has always had a passion for alleviating the suffering of others. When her daughter Abby was born with severe disabilities, she realized her love for serving and helping those in need would transfer into the realm of horses. Abby received the grim prognosis from doctors that she would never walk or talk. Gina, refusing to be subjected to those limits, started diving into adjunct therapies and healing modalities to give Abby the best chance possible at a happy, healthy life.

When Abby was about two years old, Gina discovered hippotherapy and their lives began to take a turn for the better. Horses proved to be the healers that Abby needed, and she began making progress in leaps and bounds. Fourteen years later, Abby is able to halter, lead, groom, and ride horses independently. She can now make eye contact, which far exceeded anyones highest expectations for someone of her unique needs. Horses brought the entire Kuttrus family a sense of connection, resonance and understanding.

When Gina saw the power that horses had to reach Abby, she knew she had to take care of the horses that were taking care of her. She has since dedicated her life to discovering the best care for and training of horses as possible. She has studied many different healing modalities, and as 2019 came she was introduced to the world of wild horse and mustang rescue and rehabilitation. A new chapter was unfolding in her life and the mustang mission began.

Many people ask, “why mustang rescue?” The answer is simple: These wild beings, completely content to be living on the land in their herds and family bands, are being removed and separated by humans in order to offer more grazing land for cattle. We feel there is a great injustice being done to these wild horses who find themselves unable to communicate outwardly, just like Abby was before the horses came into our lives. When you look into the eyes of a wild horse, if you know what you are seeing, you can see through time. From the early days on the range of playing and exploring to days of birthing offspring and raising family members within the herd, these wild horses have entire lives, hierarchies and social systems, struggles, and even their own triumphs. Their eyes tell the story of their conscious evolution, their personality, and their way of thinking and experiencing the world. And we are demolishing this delicately constructed balance that has taken ages to evolve and perfect.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “A society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats its criminals.” And Gina sees these horses being treated like criminals, and through no fault of their own. They are harassed, chased, baited, and trapped, just as criminals would be while police pursue them. They are segregated, separated, and isolated, which is the opposite of what they need in order to thrive. They are contained, in holding pens, with no place to graze, forage, or roam, completely cut off from the only way of life that is meaningful to them and their own family members, who have likely been scattered to the four winds. At FTLOA we understand that many mustangs get adopted by exceptional people who train them and turn them into athletes and equine partners, but not all mustangs desire that kind of lifestyle, and have witnessed firsthand that not all people who adopt mustangs are capable of training them in a way that honors who they are as a fellow soul and being.

Since the day of inception of our nonprofit, we have watched as a rebirth and growth have taken place among my family and friends. We have come together, surrendered our past lives, and these wild horses have become our mission. From sunrise to sunset, the mustangs are where our priorities lie. There are many sleepless nights, worrying over who will go to whom in an auction and wondering if we will be able to have the finances in place to keep these herds intact throughout the rescue process. We are conscious and aware of their needs, their asks, and their desires, which is something that was stripped from them during the roundup process. Restoring a calm sense of safety and connection to them is of the utmost importance to our organization. Through the work we do, they get their voice back, which is what all those rescue horses gave my Abby all those years ago.