Dundee

Skydog followers saw a short clip of Dundee shaking in the chute, worried and nervous, at the end of a video I posted about Memphis.  When we were picking Memphis up at the Burns corrals, staff had trouble sorting him out from the group. Two other horses, a dun and a paint, came in with him. I felt so bad about leaving them there. “I know guys,” I said to them. “Maybe we’ll come back for you.” The dun was Dundee and the paint was Oliver, two closely bonded friends.

Whenever we returned to the corrals over the next eight months to pick up an injured or special needs horse, Janelle and I would see Dundee and Oliver together. After being at the corrals together for two years, they were facing shipment to long-term holding. We never forgot about them - and neither did a lot of our followers! They waited patiently for the day when we kept our word and went back for them.

Dundee is absolutely massive, standing a good 16 hands high. When he was gelded, he collapsed on top of a BLM staff member, who consequently had to have knee replacement surgery!  He didn’t hesitate to load into the trailer, but threw a huge kick as the trailer door closed behind him. Perhaps this was his way of posting a review of his stay in BLM holding.

Dundee dove right in to being out of the corrals. He and Oliver didn't need much time in the barn, just enough to decompress and relax. We didn’t want to keep them any longer than necessary from getting out and on with the business of being mustangs. Their introduction to a small herd of wild guys was adorable as Ford and Tesoro came out of the open gate to greet them on the road. When they led the new arrivals into their pasture, Dundee and Oliver took off up the hill. After years of standing on a mix of dirt and manure, it must have felt so good for their hooves to hit rugged terrain again. They stretched their legs into a full run to higher ground and shady trees, where even wilder mustangs were waiting. Seeing wild horses run again after a period of confinement is one of the most satisfying and rewarding sights I can think of. What was that we heard them call as they disappeared from view? ”Maybe we’ll come back for you!”

#skydogdundee

Memphis’ Loading: A Poem to the Cadence of The Night Before Christmas

‘Twas Memphis’ loading, when at the the corrals,

He entered the chute with a couple of pals,

A dun who was massive, at least hands sixteen,

A beautiful paint from the famous South Steens,

As Clare was recording them both with her phone,

she knew - at that time - she could not take them home,

The trailer door closed with with a thunk and a clack,

“Maybe,” she called, “for you two we’ll come back!”

Oliver Twist and his best friend Dundee

longed in their hearts to be wild and free,

To swim in a pond and relax in a thicket,

Skydog, they sensed, would be their golden ticket,

With patience they waited as Clare and Janelle

Returned for the needy and injured as well,

When it was their turn their loading was quick,

Without looking back Dundee threw a huge kick,

A nod to Apollo, the god of the sun,

No time was wasted so these boys could run,

On Ford & Tesoro! On Noble & Drifter!

On Aslan & Hermes to run even swifter,

On Spartacus! Koa! Bowie and Gatsby!

Hitting full gallop so fast and so aptly,

On to Olympus and Boys of the Fall!

Now Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Back at the gateway, Clare watched them depart

with a tear in her eye and great love in her heart,

As Dundee & Oliver faded from view, they neighed:

“Maybe later, we’ll come back for you!”

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.