Who We Are

Advisory Board

Jim Sloan

Robin Doughman

Elsa Kloess

Board of Directors

The Spanish Mustang Foundation Board of directors is comprised of volunteers who exercise overall responsibility for The Spanish Mustang Foundation's governance, including setting policy and establishing programs to further the organization's mission.

The Spanish Mustang Foundation is comprised of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds who, together, provide a broad array of experience, leadership and expertise in protecting the Spanish Mustang. What joins these people by a common thread is their commitment and enthusiasm to protect and preserve this exceptional horse.

“When examining what it really means to be a horse, mustangs are our best example, and they have the answer to questions of survival itself.”

—Robin Doughman

Jack Fisher

Vice President—Jack Fisher is the new Vice President of the SMF. He is a lawyer in NM and NY states. He has resided in Santa Fe for 10 years. He was on the Board of the Horse Shelter for eight years and Vice President for four years. Jack was responsible for the adoptions and intake of horses. He dealt with the NM Livestock re the seizure of horses. He testified before Committees of the New Mexico Legislature about animal cruelty against horses and the ability of the Shelter to seek legal remedies against the owner of the horse for its care and maintenance. A law was passed in the Richardson administration specifically providing a Shelter these rights. He has owned his own horses for eight years and owns three shelter dogs. He has also served on the Board of the Equine Protection Fund which operated under the NM Animal Protection.

Doug Lanham

President—After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Doug has spent 35 years in the restaurant industry, the majority of the years with Brinker International (Chili's.) Mr. Lanham is a founding partner of Jinja Bar & Bistro, the Santa Fe based restaurant company with locations in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. He began his involvement with the Spanish Mustangs in the late 1990s and has been an active supporter of the Brislawn Family and Spanish Mustang Registry. He is a past board member of the Horse Shelter and the Española Valley Humane Society.

Donna Mitchell

Secretary — Since moving to New Mexico in 1990 Donna owns and breeds fifteen Spanish Mustang horses. She has been weaving all her life and specializes in wedge-weave rugs. She began designing and weaving saddle blankets for her horses since living in New Mexico. She now lives on the La Jara Ranch in Galisteo, NM.

Sierra Perkins

In 2006 Sierra started spending time in NM and became involved with Spanish Mustangs. Spanish Mustang horses became the focus of her photography work. She owns and breeds the horses of La Jara Ranch in Galisteo, NM where she continues to pursue her work in photography and the preservation of Spanish Mustangs.

Staff

Adam Edwards

Development Director — Adam Edwards grew up on a ranch in Northeast Wyoming learning his initial horsemanship from a WWII mule breaker. He trained and sold his first horse when he was 15 years old. Ever since then Adam has been making a difference in horses’ lives by teaching them and training them with a natural and patient hand. Being schooled in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Adam combined that with a rural environment, which included horses, chickens, and other livestock to foster care for both children and adults with disabilities. This combination had great success particularly with the kids and adults working with the horses. The last several years Adam decided to study diligently equine behavior, communication, and training wherever he could, particularly with Anna Twinney and her program Reach Out To Horses. Just previous to his move to New Mexico he developed and managed a mustang sanctuary in Colorado. Adam feels passionately about the Spanish Mustang in regards to preserving this unique breed, educating the public about its origin and what makes them so special, and increasing the breed’s presence in competitive disciplines of all types and levels. Adam also believes wholeheartedly in the Spanish Mustang’s superior use in therapeutic settings due to their documented historical life in the wild.