Jake

In a week when we were focused on the 2026 roundups in the Red Desert of Wyoming, we found this 17-year-old boy from Lost Creek. He was rounded up as a baby and landed in the slaughter pipeline. He appeared to be badly injured as he was unable to bear weight on his left hind leg. Without knowing what was wrong, we got him out of there and to the vet hospital as soon as possible.

Thankfully, it was not a broken tendon or fracture, as feared! it was just a hoof abscess, which has been drained. He can already put weight on it comfortably. The vet has cleared Jake for travel in a week or so, which is the most wonderful news.

He’ll be traveling with Sterling to Santa Ynez, where the latter’s best friend, Steve, is waiting for him. Separated from his bonded buddy in July, Steve’s been nursing his broken heart with another mustang named Elwood. After we saved Elwood, there were lots of comments about how we need to name a mustang Jake, so we did. We’ll see what they think of each other, but saving wild horses certainly feels like a mission from God. The Blue’s Brothers may very well be forming a new band at Skydog.

#skydogjake

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.