Clare

Clare is a tiny, beautiful, sorrel mare with kind eyes and a flaxen mane. We learned about her and Francis when we were on our way to rescue Badger from a kill pen in Kansas. They were both young, but never posted as the owner wanted them shipped direct and not given a chance to be saved. Kill buyers, however, are greedy, so he chose to make a bit more money rather than honor that request. Unhandled and scared, Clare was hard to catch, but our wonderful hauler, Marlene Dodge, is so experienced with horses. She got her in the trailer and took off for Oregon with all three on board.

The day we picked them up happened to be the feast day of St. Francis and St. Clare. His constant companion, Clare also helped animals, so these were the perfect names for them both. We had not intended to save more horses that day, so perhaps the Patron Saints of Animals were looking out for them that day.

Badger, Francis, and Clare were all sick and needed to be quarantined at Skydog. When they had fully recovered, we turned them out in a corral next to Storm, Dani California, and Rosa. Storm and Rosa had been rescued from the Woolsey fire after their ranch burned to the ground. Rosa is blind and Storm took it upon himself to be her eyes. Dani, a semi-blind mare, fell in love with Storm across the fence and wanted to join them. Then Clare took to standing by the fence to be near them, so we let her in to see how it went. She was the perfect addition and somehow knew this was where she needed to be. Shy and hesitant around humans, Clare blossomed in this little family. She was a delicate, polite, and a very kindhearted horse.

It’s interesting that the Patron Saint of Animals energy was with all four of these horses. In their own ways, they have each helped others. Clare shared duties with Storm guiding Dani and Rosa so they could live their best lives. Today, Dani is helping a very wild Indy settle in at Skydog and Rosa is doing the same for Violet.

After Storm passed away, a new chapter began in Clare’s life. She was released on over a thousand acres, where she turned into a flower child. A hippy horse, her golden mane is always filled with twigs and leaves, twisted into fairy knots by the wind. She is confident and squeals with delight as she runs as fast and far as she can go. She’s that girl in folk songs from the 1970’s with flowers in her hair, barefoot, beautiful, and free.

Mustangs & 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.