Apollo, Aslan & HermÉs

Legends of the Fall

We knew it was going to be impossible to choose from 64 Red Desert horses to come home with Blue Zeus. We wanted to focus on the very oldest and wildest, who wouldn’t be a good fit for anyone else there looking for a horse.

Apollo was the oldest, but he was incredibly bonded and dependent upon another horse, who we later learned is his son, Aslan. When they went to move and load Apollo, he tried to go over the top several times and ran into panels bending them with his sheer force and power. It was incredibly stressful, but putting him with Aslan was the best thing we could have done to reassure him and comfort him. We always put the mental and emotional well-being of any horse first and take what steps we can to help make this difficult process easier for them. Especially a 22-year-old band stallion to whom all of this is frightening and overwhelming. #skydogapollo

We didn’t expect to take another, but we did: Apollo’s son Aslan. He’s named after a character in Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, a magnificent lion with kind eyes. He’s a wise and a powerful force for good, but Narnians will tell you, “He’s not a tame lion.”  Aslan, his father and brother, Hermés, are definitely not tame and should always be handled with caution.  Their fight or flight instincts are powerful and can be dangerous if you don’t know how to respect them. #skydogaslan

Apollo’s son Hermés was also in that pen, where he was really getting beaten up. He had a lot of bite marks across his back. Sometimes your heart gives you no choice and we knew he had to come too. It was Father’s Day weekend and we couldn’t allow this to be the last day he saw what was left of his shattered family. Those few days were, very long, emotional, and draining. But they’re home thanks to our incredible hauler Carla Lays. We also thank Steve Leonard at BLM Cañon City for holding this adoption event for these older guys. Sometimes our pleas fall on deaf ears, so when they don’t we are hugely grateful to the people who work with us for the well-being of the horses. Finally, thanks to Blue Zeus. His rescue led to other Wyoming mustangs, affectionately known as Legends of the Fall, landing safely and softly in Skydog Wild. #skydoghermes

We shared a lot of videos of their journey on our Patreon page and we would love you to join us there to support our work and help us save more.

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 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will 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. 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.

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, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.