Toby

The first save on Giving Tuesday is traditionally a senior mustang from a kill pen. This 23-year-old South Steens mustang in an Oklahoma kill pen was no exception. He was the first save of day in 2023. As Clare began his introduction early that morning, Jud was pulling into the driveway to safely deliver Toby to Malibu.

He was an unknown without a name on the range, but at 16 hands he's an incredible example of that beautiful herd. Shoes on his neglected front feet had grown into the soles. He had growths from squamos cell carcinoma on his rear end and sheath - completely treatable, but his owners probably didn’t want to spend the money.

When he arrived in Malibu, he immediately received medical attention. Dr. Merle came to freeze the growths off his skin. Toby was housed with Curly Girl in the beginning, an emotionally intelligent, young mare, who is fiercely loyal to her friends. She flitted around the vet to keep an eye of everything she was doing to Toby. As the sedation kicked in, his head began to slowly lower to the ground. Curly Girl placed herself beneath him to hold her big friend up with her body.

This gentle giant moved up to Oregon with Curly Girl, but we released them into different wild herds. Toby has joined Neo’s band with Commander, Rango, Sinatra, Memphis, Wilson, and Henry. Some of these boys are also from South Steens. He had no interest in the squeal-and-stomp ritual the boys performed to establish the pecking order. He possesses the wisdom and confidence to not care about being Number One. Toby was engrossed in the scents, sounds, tastes, and sights of his native homeland awakening memories of his wild youth. #skydogtoby

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.