Dickens & Sundown

The BLM dealt Dickens a cruel hand that no mustang should have to play. When we found him in a kill pen, he was 22 years old. Born in captivity in the Fallon BLM facility, he’d never known freedom on open space or the love and security that only comes from belonging to a wild herd. As a rider kicked him with spurs at the auction, he looked sad and defeated. As he was prodded by his rider’s spurs, he went through the motions, but appeared to have completely given up. 

Likely a work horse all his life, he was drained of all his strength, then sold for his meat price to squeeze every last penny out of his thankless existence. I immediately envisioned the retirement he deserves: grazing on rolling, green California hills with warm sand and shady oak gullies in the company of other seniors who understand exactly what he’s endured.

While I was sorting out how to save Dickens, someone sent me photos of Sundown, a golden Palomino with crusty eyes. He came from Twin Peaks, California where Sunny, Birch and Ocean were all rounded up, sold SA, and driven straight to a kill pen. Sundown is older than they are - 27 vears old.

The lot said he has eyesight issues. Scared and confused, he startled easily because he couldn’t see things. That was all I needed to hear! I wanted him out of there and into the peace and quiet of sanctuary in Santa Ynez. He joined Dickens on the haul, so they could comfort one another as travel buddies.

At the time we found these two, we were focused on Sale Authority rescues, gathering evidence from large groups of young mustangs and burros that are being moved straight from BLM adoption events to kill pens - and scheduled to ship to slaughter days later. The SA numbers are overwhelming, but seniors are terribly vulnerable and a critical area of rescue for us.

Seniors in kill pens have often been rounded up after three decades on the range and are too wild and set in their ways to ever accept domestication. They have often sustained injuries on the range or are losing weight as they can’t chew forage or hay with their bad teeth. All this makes their care more expensive. They are not work or riding horses, they need support and comfort at their advanced age, so are less likely to be adopted. After any time of neglect in filthy BLM holding facilities, they have terrible feet and have been exposed to all kinds of diseases. We love to bring them home for the care and kindness they deserve with a group of equine friends. So Senior Assisted Living it is for Sundown and Dickens. Welcome to Skydog, boys!

#skydogdickens  #skydogsundown  

American 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 two Senators to urge them to support these bills. 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

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2025 (H.R.1661 in the House and S.775 in the Senate). This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “Farm Bill”. There are several important provisions for animals in that omnibus federal law, including the Cat and Dog Meat Trade Prohibition Act. It is currently illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell, or donate dogs and cats, or their parts, for human consumption. The SAFE Act would extend the ban to equines and 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. 4356) The bill would eliminate the use of helicopters in rounding up wild horses and burros, and require a study into alternative methods for humanely gathering the animals.

Ejiao Act of 2025 (H.R. 5544). 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.

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at canned hunt ranches in Texas & Oklahoma, bringing an end to the BLM using Sale Authority to funnel wild equines into the slaughter pipeline, and stopping production of Premarin & other drugs made from pregnant mare urine.