How it works
By committing annually to a $100/month sponsorship of a mustang or burro, you help us enormously by supporting our existing rescues so we can continue saving more.
SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES:
A personalized Certificate of Sponsorship with a photo of the horse or donkey you choose and your name.
A 60 minute one-on-one visit to Skydog Ranch to meet the horse or burro you are sponsoring, spend time hanging out with them, take photographs and ask questions of our staff.
If you sponsor more than one horse or burro, you will get one hour with each animal when you visit.
To visit your sponsored equine, you must be a sponsor for at least 9 months. Anyone who wants to see them sooner will have to pay for 9 months ($900) in advance of their visit. We regret that this has become necessary. We need to discourage those sponsoring for one month in order to visit the ranch, then canceling because they don’t actually care about supporting the animals or our work. These tours take up a lot of time from our staff and the important work they do caring for our rescues.
Choosing a Mustang or Burro to Sponsor
You can search for posts about individuals on Instagram or Facebook with a hashtag that combines the word “skydog” with their name (#skydogzebedee #skydognugget). You can also go to the Then & Now page on the website to see their photos and read their biographies. (Note: their pages are currently being updated.)
Sponsor a SKYDOG on Patreon
A great way to sponsor a Skydog is by becoming a patron on Patreon and signing up for the $100/month Lead Mare level. This automatically makes you a sponsor and gives you access to exclusive content that we don’t post on other social media platforms. Each new episode of the Horse Love Podcast is released there, as are special offers on merchandise, and breaking news.
Skydogs who need sponsors
Maverick
The first thing you notice about Maverick is his blaze, which looks like a seahorse - or maybe a question mark - opinions disagree. Maverick is not a mustang, he’s a quarter horse, who belonged to a ranch hand who worked at Skydog in the early days. When the man left, he wasn’t able to take his horse, so we gave him sanctuary and a good life. He gets along with everyone and is a popular member of his band. We have brought him back from several medical emergencies and close calls, only to have him bounce back with more energy than before. He does a happy dance for pretty much everything that happens to him - when meals are delivered, or he’s brought into the barn to keep a friend company, or released to enjoy the sweet, green grasses in spring. He’s close to thirty, but he’s got moves when he dances, cavorts, and leaps. Maverick is a hard keeper, so he comes in with Anselm, Stetson, Apache, and his best buddy, Ohbee, to a spacious pen for extra meals in the winter to keep up his weight. More about Maverick
Slate
Slate is 9 years old from the Shawave Mountains in Nevada, the same HMA as Pony Boy and Coyote. The horses from this herd are diminutive in size, but they're all heart in spirit. Slate is no exception. We saved him along with three other mustangs from the slaughter pipeline. They went to our fellow Oregon rescue 3 Sisters Equine Refuge to be trained and homed. The other three have done wonderfully. Slate had all the time and every chance in the world to choose his future. He had enough training to know that domestic life is not for him. We had agreed that if it didn't work out, we would take any or all of them in to our sanctuary. We completely understand his need to be wild. We're delighted to have him back. School's out for summer, Slate. School’s out forever. More on Slate
Elwood
I spent some sleepless nights worrying about this boy. This 20yo mustang was in a kill pen in Oklahoma, weak, emaciated, and going into kidney failure. We sent him straight to a vet hospital where it was touch and go for weeks. Thanks to the incredible work of the vets, weeks of IV fluids, and many different meds (not to mention shelter from the 110° heat this summer), he was saved. We had to reschedule his ride to California several times due to changes in his health or the heat. When Elwood finally arrived, we took it slow and easy — the way he needs everything done right now. Steve Egner led him into his nice, clean stall with soft shavings to sleep on, good food, and multiple buckets of fresh water. Thank goodness, he went straight to drinking - so important after they’ve traveled, and to keep his kidneys hydrated. He may not understand, yet, that this is his forever home, but you can see in his eyes that he is hopeful. From now on, he will only know soft hands, gentle voices, and have plenty to eat at last, so he’ll never go to sleep with an empty tummy again. More about Elwood
Hallow
Hallow means "to make something holy, sacred, or to honor with great respect". At age 24, this Nevada mustang should never have been in a kill pen about to ship to slaughter. We also didn’t want him to see him bought by someone who would work him with what strength he has left at his age. Hal is magnificent, tall, soft, and gentle. You wouldn’t guess how old he is. Grullas can pop up anywhere, but we rarely see them. He is the first at the Santa Ynez ranch and we have three up in Oregon. Originally, we intended for him to travel with Elwood, but he was so sick that we decided to haul Hal as soon as there was a break in the summer heat. Hal has taken everything in his stride, but I know he's loving the best hay and feed life can give him right now. I can’t wait for him to get out to run around and enjoy his space with our senior herd. More on Hallow
Palli
Palli - short for Palomino - is a lovely Champagne Palomino. I received photos of him, emaciated with crusty eyes. He came from Twin Peaks, California - where Sunny, Birch and Ocean were all rounded up. At age 27, he was shut down, people shy, frightened, and wheezing like a freight train. He startled easily at the pen as he couldn’t clearly see what was happening around him. I wanted him out of there and into the peace and quiet of sanctuary in Santa Ynez. During Palli’s first two days at the ranch, one of the equine staff, Julianna, made it her mission to make friends and slip a halter over his head. She led him quietly to a small corral off the barn, were he wouldn’t have to compete for food with any rescues, who’d had to fight for every scrap in the kill pen to survive. In his smaller space, he had an abundance of alfalfa and orchard hay, bran mashes with lots of water for hydration, all of which are making him stronger and healthier. It’s a challenge taking in frail, senior horses, but Palli still has some fight him, so we will spare no expense for his comfort and well-being. More about Palli
RESCUED MUSTANGS
THERE ARE OVER 250 HORSES AND 50 DONKEYS HERE AT SKYDOG
Click on the photos to find out more or read their stories on our Then and Now Page.
RESCUED DONKEYS, MULES, Minis, ZONKEYS & A ZEBRA
