WEBSTER, Fla. — There are some 300,000 wild horses that still roam freely in the United States, including in Florida.

Each year, nearly 20,000 horses are rounded up to help manage overpopulation, many in the state of Nevada.

For more than 30 years, Diane Delano has been on a crusade to save unwanted wild mustangs from around the country.

“We bring in wild horses. We hope to rehabilitate them. And then we hope to re adopt out,” said Delano.

Delano has created the Wild Horse Rescue Center located in Webster, located in Sumter County.

Her 44-acre ranch provides a home to 48 mustang horses that were once roaming freely somewhere in the United States.

Wild horses are rounded up every year to balance populations (typically out west) and are sold to people that want to own a horse.

Often people purchase those animals, but many end up be neglected and even abused.

Each horse on the property has a story.

“He was rounded up as a wild horse in Utah. He was put up for adoption through the Bureau of Land Management to adopt a horse program. And this poor little guy, Odin, was actually adopted, then sold, then sold, then sold.  He had four owners in four years,” said Delano.

Delano has a handful of dedicated hard-working volunteers that assist her with grooming, feeding and typical ranch related chores.

The non-profit rescue center operates on close to $300,000 a year budget.

One of the biggest challenges is dealing with animals that were once roaming free and were very untrusting of humans.

Debra Wyland volunteers her days at the center.

“They have a different personality than that of animals because at one time they were running free,” said Wyland.

Marilyn Elliott says many of the horses were abused by owners who adopted them but no longer want the animals.

“And because Gambler has been so abused his trust in people is at an all-time low,” said Elliott as she’s working with the shy horse.

One form of therapy that appears to work for some of the horses is sound healing.

Sound healing on the ranch is where the healer uses a gentle drumbeat (near the horse) and it appears to calm this animal down.

Spectrum News watched as one horse that would not come close to anyone eventually came near the sound healer when hearing the gentle drum beat.

Sound healer Liz Davidson works with both animals and humans says it’s all about gaining trust.

“Most of them simply do not trust humans.  It just puts them into a much calmer state so that you can work with them,” said Davidson.

Delano would like to see these animals remain free and not end up at her ranch.

“We would love for wild horses to stay in the western states and be protected,” she said.

The wild horse rescuer has made her facility accessible to the general public by creating a mini learning center on property that shares information about wild horses. 

Guests can pay and even stay overnight at the ranch and spend time with wild horses. 

On the first Saturday of each month the center hosts “Wild horses, Wild women & Wine.”

It is a way to meet the horses and tour the facility.

The cost is $30 per person.