Hubbell

Hubbell was rounded up from the Owyhee HMA in Nevada when he was three years old. Fourteen years later,  I received an email about a mustang with a halter on his face who was running wild on the Pokegama HMA in Oregon. I sent that information to the BLM corrals near us. Months later, they received word again of the same boy wearing a very tight, ingrown halter. They eventually caught him and brought him to the corrals and launched an investigation into how he ended up out there. We had to wait for permission to take him. His injury was still open and covered with flies at the corrals and we COULD hardly wait to get him home and take care of him. It's always a win when we work together with the BLM for the good of a horse and we thank them.

After our first post about him, we received emails, photos and videos of him from numerous people who encountered him out on the Pokegama range. The most outstanding revelation was that he had been out there for a long time WITHOUT a halter, but WITH a BLM brand! He was spotted with some cows, different wild bands, and a ranch horse who had been out there for about seven years. There were photos of him without a halter taken in 2023. Then he reappeared with a halter in the spring of 2024, which is when I was sent a photo of him. My only thought is that possibly someone tried to catch him, but he pulled away and ran off again. Whoever put the halter on him caused him tremendous pain and suffering as it was too tight and began cutting into his face. Infection set in as he was seen with swelling and infection last fall and again this spring. Bobbie McGuire from the Facebook page Pokegama Wild Horses saw him before and after he had the halter and took many of these photos.

Once at Skydog, Janelle cleaned out the wound of all grit, dirt, and sand, which is all there is to do at this point. We have flies at Skydog, but we can keep them away with fly wipe and a fly mask, which have made him feel much better.  He seems to know we are helping him, which has made this easy for all of us. Our vet checked him over and focused on the swelling on one of his back legs. It has some wounds that she wants to make sure is not cellulitis. Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissues in horses. It is a common condition that can cause significant pain, swelling, and lameness so we will be keeping an eye on that. Aside from this, he's a super sweet boy with beautiful manners, full of love and wanting affection. He is already a Cookie Monster and enjoying his nutritious diet. This boy loved his freedom, so we hope we can eventually turn him out with a herd once the swelling has gone down.

Hubbell arrived at Skydog around the same time we heard about the passing of Robert Redford, who was a horse advocate. We named Hubbell in his honor for his role as Hubbell Gardner in the movie The Way We Were. Redford also made The Electric Horseman, about a burned-out, retired rodeo champion, Sonny Steele.  He saves a multimillion-dollar champion racehorse - who is drugged on steroids for a marketing campaign in Las Vegas - by setting him free with a herd of wild horses - without a halter!

Hubbell’s story is still unfolding. The distinctive three spots on his nose make him easily identifiable. If you know anything about him, who turned him free, or who tried to halter him, we would love any further information as the BLM investigation is still open.

#skydoghubbell

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 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.

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches and stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs made from the urine of pregnant mares.