My love for wild horses began with one unforgettable mare: a grey mustang branded 4005. I first saw her at a Bureau of Land Management holding facility in Oregon, where hundreds of mustangs stood behind fences. But she was different. When I lifted my camera, she didn’t just look at me—she saw me. Her steady gaze cut straight through the noise around us, and I felt something shift.

That moment pulled me into their world. Since then, I’ve gone to the places where wild horses still run, dust rising, manes tangled by the wind, family bands moving together across open ground. What I try to capture isn’t just their beauty, but their way of being: protective, curious, resilient, and endlessly expressive. Each photograph is a glimpse of their story, shaped by survival and connection.

In the end, 4005 became more than an image. She became Liberty, my mare and my companion. Bringing her home was both unexpected and inevitable. I even kept her a secret for six weeks before telling my husband!

Through Liberty, and through every wild horse I’ve photographed since, I’ve come to believe these images matter. They remind us that wildness still exists, and that it has something to teach us if we’re willing to look closely.

Jessica + Liberty