tank

Oh, dear darling Tank, who won all of our hearts for Giving Tuesday, and helped us raise enough money to take in two more horses in need. Here was the first photo I saw of him at the kill pen and my heart sank. I knew that anyone looking at this unhandled, wild horse with so many potential and expensive health issues would not take him on. This was a special case that needed our help and a way for us to treat him in our chute without anyone getting hurt. We knew he was a large and strong mustang in his twenties who might be anything less than cooperative at this point. But there was ABSOLUTELY no way we could leave him there. Thank goodness we still had Giving Tuesday coming up so we could make him our save. It was a relief to get him out and into quarantine so he could travel to us on the big day.

We started with a photo of Tank and a plea for help, never imagining in our wildest dreams that we would raise enough money for him and two other horses. When he arrived, he wasn’t the sick horse I had imagined. When the vet came to do blood work, she suspected he had insulin resistance and most likely Cushing’s. We were both amazed that he was a completely healthy horse. The only issue was a serious teeth disorder that involved removing some of his teeth. While being gentled, he was always happy to take a low-sugar treat from our hands. Tankie is one amazing, beautiful boy, my special Valentine (well, one of many!), and we thank you all for helping bring him to Skydog for the perfect retirement.

#skydogtank

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.