Titus & Wyatt

In Memory of Violet & Marjorie Morningstar

On 17 February 2026, we celebrated the first day of the Year of the Fire Horse by saving a mustang, Titus. We named him in honor of Congresswoman Dina Titus, a longtime advocate for wild horses. She’s also a founding member of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus, which encourages federal policies for more humane treatment of mustangs and burros.

Titus’ gorgeous red coloring glows like a flame of Hope, especially when sunbeams stream through gaps in clouds, creating a breathtaking display of his natural beauty. He gazed dreamily out the window of the trailer that would bring him to Skydog, as if he sensed that something wonderful was happening. He’s thin, needs nutritious feed, and good forage, all of which he will have at our Santa Ynez ranch for seniors.

We found him at age 24, but he originally came from Salt Wells Creek, Wyoming. This is the home of Goliath, Red Lady, Thunder, and of course, Ember, our Fire Horse ambassador. If the BLM has its way, it will zero out this herd of genetically unique and extraordinarily beautiful mustangs. Gone are the days when the bureau gave any consideration to preserving the country’s precious wild horse inheritance.

The fundraising for Titus was extremely generous with one family matching $10,000 in funds. When asked how much it costs to save a horse, there’s no way to put a tag on it. Every animal has different needs and stays with us for the rest of their days. Beyond the bail, Quarantine, haul to Skydog, and veterinary intake, there is feed and medical care - anticipated and unanticipated - over a lifetime of sanctuary.

To honor the memory of Violet & Marjorie Morningstar, we rescued Titus with a second senior mustang. Wyatt was in a direct ship pen at a feed lot. He was bailed, transported to an auction for pick up, but the buyer never showed up to take him. They sent him back to the lot, where a group of ladies were rescuing several mustangs from two different locations. They said they could take him as well, but there was a miscommunication and the hauler left without him. I was watching this thread and realized it would add 8 hours on the haul to go back for him. With Titus coming to Skydog, I took a leap of faith and wrote: "Skydog will take him.” Steve Egner went to get him, so the third time was a charmer for the “left behind horse”.

Everyone thought Wyatt was wild, but nobody ever shaved his brand to find out how old he was or where he was from. He was a mystery, but the blessing of the Fire Horse was upon him and the eyes of angels made sure he didn’t fall through the cracks in the slaughter pipeline. He boarded his ride to Skydog with Titus to live out his life happily in sanctuary.

We didn’t need to fundraise for Wyatt thanks to the support of our Patrons on Patreon. Additionally, our Year of the Fire Horse merchandise in our Bonfire campaign has been “selling like hotcakes”.  I see the marketing campaigns of so many brands for this vear with horses on evervthing. I wish all of them had maybe donated a portion to help horses when they need it so badly, especially wild horses.

#skydogtitus   #skydogwyatt

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.