outlaw

Outlaw is one of four generations of a royal South Steens family. His mother, Dahlia, is the daughter of Renegade and Lupine. He and Rebel - whose mother, Fern, is Renegade’s daughter with another mare - were newborn foals when we saved the family and brought them to Skydog. At first, we kept them in the Elk Barn with their mothers and Aunt Paisley to keep them safe when they were so small and vulnerable.

He developed an upper-respiratory infection that needed to be treated at the Bend Equine veterinary hospital. There wasn’t time to gentle Dahlia so she could go with him, but he was very cooperative. He was loaded twice without his mother and could not have been a better patient. The sheer innocence of his youth was magical.  I am glad these little boys are growing up here, where they’ll live their lives without fear.

Outlaw was the shyest of the two babies with humans, but with other horses, he was a handful! Clever and resourceful, he thought up all kinds of ways to get the napping adults on their feet to play with him. The dream was that Renegade would teach them the ways of the wild. As soon as he arrived at Skydog, he headed for the hills with his mare, Lupine, and never looked back. He ran the perimeter of the ranch in Oregon, but 9000 acres was not enough for such a free spirit. We knew he did not want to come into a smaller space, so we decided to let him enjoy his freedom until the babies were big enough to join him. Renegade passed away just a few months later, so the reunion never took place, which broke out hearts.

Without Renegade, this family band became incredibly matriarchal. Fierce Lupine was their leader with strong Paisley as second in command. The litle boys had mighty mare guardians to protect them. The following spring, they were all turned out out on new fields of green and got down to the business of being wild ones. Cookie stepped in as a fatherly figure, followed by Bear and Presley. Hyas even jumped the fence once to demonstrate how to steal the mares of another former stallion. 

We know Renegade is always with his family in spirit. We see him in the golden eagle that soars above them. Outlaw follows in his grandfather’s wild hoof steps running like the wind, swimming across a cool pond in the summer, and chewing the tops of oat grass. He spars with his best bud, Rebel who - like him - was named in honor of the Renegade that flows through their veins. 

#skydogoutlaw   #skydogoutlaw

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.