Mr. Parker

Mr. Parker was a thin, 28-year-old mustang when we started receiving photos of him at a kill pen in Texas in the spring of 2025. You know how we love our seniors and it made me so upset to see him ridden through a puddle of filth when he was confused and scared. Gentled and trained, he most likely worked his whole life for people, only to be bitterly betrayed when he needed them the most in his old age. I couldn’t wait to get that saddle and rider off his back, the bit out of his mouth, and bring him home.

We like our rescues to have a travel companion whenever possible to make the haul less stressful. At the same pen, there was a dusky mare in her twenties, whom I named Midnight. She was halter-trained and followed a lead, so I can’t imagine how this beautiful mustang ended up there, but she needed a soft landing. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, both of them are now at Skydog.

They didn’t hesitate to jump out of the trailer and into their spacious, clean pen with trees, grass, fresh water, and bins with nutritious food. One of the first things they did was go over and say hello to the babies eagerly waiting to meet them thru the fence. Shasta approached with Frosty, who clacked to tell them he’s a baby. Their mothers and aunties watched calmly as the newcomers walked the fence line with the welcoming youngsters. A day later, they were rolling in good, clean Skydog dust to wash off the stench of their unhappy pasts.

They had very different personalities, needs, and speeds, so their future happiness was found in different placements. Mr. Parker is older, craves human touch and attention. He needs extra feed and soft mashes, so he wouldn't do well on forage. He was always a perfect gentleman when he shared in a forty-acre pen with other gentle companions. I adored being with him, stroking his white face, and seeing him gain weight.

He’s definitely the kind of guy who needs to winter in California. We moved him to a comfortable retirement with other seniors and loving volunteers at our new ranch in Santa Ynez. He was meant for senior assisted living, where the sunshine warms his old bones. He shows his contentment by rolling in the sand with his buddies, Beau and Bruce. As he stands drowsing, turned toward the sun, the shadow of his past falls behind him.

#skydogmrparker 

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.