Violet

With all the planning, arranging, and everything going on in the world right now, sometimes there’s a horse that we cannot NOT save. Violet is one of those and thanks to a breathtaking downpour of love and donations, she has come to Skydog. When I saw her photos, I immediately thought of Gandalf, so this rescue is in his honor.

Violet is a beautiful grulla mare, who was born on the Sulphur HMA in Utah in 1993. She was captured on 26 September 1996 when she was just 3 years old. Violet comes from the same HMA as Sierra. Born decades apart, the BLM’s management of their land has not improved. Both beautiful, wild mares suffered in the hands of bad adopters before they were discarded in kill pens.

We will never know the details of what happened to her after her adopter received title in 1998. The scars on her face tell us she was left in a halter so long that the straps became embedded in her flesh. Thin and bedraggled, he has been so neglected, she doesn’t have many teeth. Her hooves were in terrible shape and her belly full of worms. In this condition, someone loaded her on to a trailer and hauled her to auction at the age of 31. Maybe knowing Violet’s age makes it worse. It hurts to think of her going through all this at her advanced age.

I can’t remember a mare coming in more poorly. When she first arrived, she would try to eat dirt, as starved horses often do. I would practically hold my breath while watching her so as not to startle her. When she seemed unaware of my presence, I sat on the ground, took it all in, and sent her healing and strength. She was strong for being so physically weak. When horses ran by, she broke into a little run to match them. To lift her spirits, she needed companions and a grassy spot with shady trees where she could see everything going on. Her emotional well being is so important. It can mean the difference between rallying and not.

Violet is wise, dignified, and tough. She has been accurately described as “spicy”, which I adore about her. As she was adjusting to her new surroundings, she wasn’t afraid to draw the line on what is acceptable to her and what is not. She charges if we get too close, not with the intention to do harm, it’s just a warning. The fire in her eyes tells us she hasn’t given up. As she gets stronger, she becomes more opinionated. She has our full permission to be as grumpy as she pleases.

The Dowager Duchess has put on weight and is looking so good. The introduction of Rosa into her pen made a big difference. Rosa is completely blind and Violet immediately took to watching out for her - even though she thinks her friend is crazy to let humans love on her. Violet needed a good hoof trim, but she was not the most willing participant to go in the chute. She became quite upset about being moved. We did finally trim those feet, but in her own time after she’d been able to decompress and gain some trust. 

Her next-door neighbor, Snow, gave birth to her foal, Frost, in August 2024. Violet and Rosa were absolutely enchanted with him. They took to spending all their free time at their back fence minding Frosty and watching him grow up. They looked like two little old ladies with knitting needles and a ball of wool discussing how to raise a mustang colt with Snow and Cheyenne. It gave a new purpose to their lives certainly put a spring in their step.

When Marjorie Morningstar arrived, Violet and Rosa found a new calling. This terribly neglected mare was close to 30 years old when we saved her from a kill pen in Oklahoma. Blind in one eye with a coat in sad condition, her hooves were so long that she was tripping over them. Like Violet, her face has scars where a halter had grew into her flesh. They became friends easily over the fence, while Marjorie took the time she needed to rest. When we opened the gate so she could join them, there was no commotion or drama, only understanding and compassion. They knew exactly what she’d been through and what she needed to heal. As Marjorie walked by slowly, Rosa and Violet turned quietly to follow her. By the end of the day, Violet was at her side watching over her in the setting sun. 

#skydogviolet

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.

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.

A bill from the previous 118th Congress that we hope will be introduced again this session:

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.