Rango
Rango was rounded up from South Steens in 2022. It was the beginning of a long, hard road for him. He has not only seen more of the US than I have, he’s seen the worst of it.
First, he was was sent to a BLM storefront in North Carolina with other mustangs to be TIP trained. We later saw photos of him there with another South Steens stallion, Commander, looking frightened and confused. At the end of July, a trainer claimed to be working with Rango and Commander to prepare them for adoption. By mid August, however, Rango was found emaciated and terrified, beaten up, his face and body covered with injuries. His BLM tag was still around his neck. He was purchased at an auction by a kill buyer and ended up ended up in the notorious Bastrop Louisiana kill pen. Bastrop is a living hell. It one of the largest transporters of American horses to slaughter under brutally inhumane conditions.
We got him out of Bastrop and shipped him back to Oregon by way of Oklahoma for quarantine. He had a head injury that became infected and we wanted to get him home for medical attention. When he arrived, he received top notch care and was recovering physically. Mentally, however, he was shattered. He was jittery in constant fight or flight mode. But we found the medicine that would restore his peace of mind.
The Burns corrals reached out to us about taking Ranger. Rango, it turned out, had served as his loyal lieutenant on the range. Photographer Shannon Phifer showed us beautiful photos of them together in the wild. A benevolent senior leader, Ranger calmly entered Skydog and was waiting in a pen when Rango was well enough to be released. Rango ran right to his mentor. They put their heads together as if they were sharing everything that had happened. Rango’s body language immediately changed. With Ranger, he felt safe and he was home.
We had been told that Commander had been sent to slaughter. We feared this was true, but we did not give up searching. Thanks to social media and incredible connections, we found out who had purchased him. When contacted, the owner happily accepted our offer to buy him back. Unable to do anything with the wild horse, he was trying to get rid of him, but Commander refused to be loaded onto the truck, which saved his life. He did not resist being loaded onto his ride to Skydog. We brought him home and reunited him with Rango and Ranger.
While all this was going on, we noticed that Ranger and Cruiser stood close to one another on opposite sides of a fence. It turned out Ranger was the brother of Cruiser, another benevolent lead stallion, who ruled his herd with a firm, but mellow grace.
Rango and Commander followed Ranger’s lead and recovered their strength and balance. This was Ranger’s final gift to them. He helped his friends come out on the other side of a terrible trauma. When his work was done, he laid down beside a tree and passed away in his sleep. It broke our hearts, but we’re grateful for the gentle passage of such a great and beautiful soul.
Rango and Commander processed Ranger’s death and were able to move on. They rolled with delight when we released them onto a larger parcel of land. We felt their ordeal so deeply and their happiness means everything to us. Our promise to them is they will be wild and free with protection and any care they need for the rest of their lives.
Mustangs and burros need your help
In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:
Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.
The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.
Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.
You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io
See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.