One of Boyles’ most rewarding experiences with wild horses has been his work with Wild Horses in Need (WIN). Spearheaded by Jean Marie Webster, and other Santa Ynez Valley residents, WIN is an all-volunteer grassroots organization dedicated to saving hundreds of horses seized in 2003 from a private ranch in Santa Barbara County. According to a county hearing officer, the horses had been living in “concentration camp conditions,” which resulted in malnutrition, illness and even death for nearly 1,000 animals on this 2,000 acre spread.

Boyles was enlisted by Webster to help with the massive task of rounding up hundreds of horses so they could be taken to facilities to receive food, water, medical attention and care. For nine weeks, seven days a week, 16 hours a day, Boyles helped round up hundreds of wild horses from the ranch. He accomplished all of this on foot, carefully herding the wild horses into barricades and cages by using a plastic bag on a stick and influencing their movement through what he calls “energy work”. “The horse doesn’t begin and end with its flesh and coat,” said Boyles. “It begins long before that. By pushing your energy out to the horse, with a certain look or body movement, you can get it to turn and face you, move forward or back, or step its leg under-all without touching it. Mustangs taught me that.”

Boyles’ road to WIN began in the early ‘90s when he attended a Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Adoption at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. He was immediately captivated by the sight of the mustangs. Even crowded in their sales pens, the horses struck Boyles as something special. “I liked the spirit they had,” he said.
Boyles was so taken with these wild horses that he adopted his first two mustangs at the sale. Since then, he has been committed to rescue efforts such as WIN and is typically recommended by the BLM to transport and train wild horses.

Boyles credits his experiences with wild horses with enriching his overall understanding of horse behavior. According to Boyles, getting a mustang to approach a person and allow itself to be handled takes patience and perseverance, but the rewards are well worth the effort. “Finding the horse’s aura, his energy, and blending your energy with his......it’s an amazing thing once you do it”.

Boyles’ passion for the mustang’s spirit has led him a long way from that auction ring in South Carolina. “I wish I knew then what I know now,” he said. “The horse is the most majestic animal on the planet. With time and patience, you can touch his spirit.....and gain his trust and respect.”