Mr. Parker & Midnight

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. I can’t imagine how this beautiful mustang ended up there, but she also needed a soft landing. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, both of them are now at Skydog. As with Mr. Parker, we knew nothing about Midnight, but we are hoping to get their brands read, find out where they came from, and maybe learn some of their story.

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. This is an instinct they are born with to let older horses know they aren't challenging them and please be gentle. A curious Fiona, Forest, Cheyenne, and Snow watched calmly as Midnight and Mr. Parker walked the fence line with the welcoming youngsters. A day later, they were rolling to wash off those old smells and bad energy. They took a dust bath in  good, clean Skydog dirt.

They have very different personalities and needs, so we made the decision to separate them - and I don't think either will mind. They weren't together in quarantine, so they've only spent the haul and a couple of days together. They don't seem bonded and usually eat apart, so we’ll do what’s best for both of them.

Midnight has the funniest roll I've ever seen. Head up and legs a kicking, she goes to town - this may be her signature move. She's a funny girl, stand offish, pushy, and a little manic. What she needs most is space and a wild herd. We introduced her to Flash, who was Cruiser’s lieutenant on the range and this is going beautifully. She will be released with him into Cruiser’s family. He will meet his old friends with a beautiful mare of his own.

Mr. Parker is older and more friendly without her. He craves human touch and attention. He needs extra feed and soft mashes, so he wouldn't do well on forage. He will do better in a nice forty-acre pen with some older horses. I adore his white face and can't wait to get those ribs covered up with a good Skydog belly.

#skydogmrparker  #skydogmidnight

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 Senators and urge them to support these bills:

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.

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 and stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs.

Bills from the previous 118th Congress that we hope will be introduced again this 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.