gracie
Gracie is the Queen of Skydog’s second Royal Family. She was Maestro’s lead mare on the Salt Wells Creek range and ran wild and free with him for years. Maestro had very few other mares. She was his one true love.
Gracie was adopted out months before Maestro was put on the Internet Adoption. When we were asked to take him by another rescue, we never had any hope that his lead mare would be able to join him. Then one day, we received an email from Gracie’s adopter, who also had their last foal named Maestro’s Legacy. Once she had title of the mare, she asked us to take them to reunite the family. We didn’t hesitate, but had to wait until winter was over to safely transport them.
From the day she arrived, Maestro was a different horse. He had always been shy and very wary of coming near humans. He would hide in the trees when we came with food. We rarely got a good photo of him. If he could go away, he would.
Ever since being reunited with his Gracie, his head has been held high, confident and happy. He welcomed their foal, Legacy, who has the coloring of his beautiful mother. He watches over his family as they spend their days lazily grazing.
When Bo, the 2-year-old son they were separated from during the roundup, came to Skydog, they saw each other over the fence, but showed no interested in a reunion. Maestro charged the fence a couple times, so releasing him with them would not have been safe. Gracie may have felt that her plate was full raising Legacy and didn’t want to add her elder son to the family. In the wild, band stallions often run off their sons when they are old enough to fight for mares and establish their own families. They are so emotionally intelligent, we listen to what they tell us and respect their decisions. Bo was turned out with his buddies, Gris and Whiskey, to join a very wild boys herd. All of them are healthy, content, and happy.
What’s interesting is how welcoming Goliath’s family was of Bo. They were all rounded up on the same day from Salt Wells Creek. Gracie is quite probably Goliath’s daughter. She looks so much like his black mare, who disappeared before the roundup. The winter curliness of her coat may be a genetic inheritance from her noble father.
In the wild, the main reason one baby will stop nursing is simply that another baby is born, and even then they might go on sharing for a while. If their mother doesn't have a new foal, they often keep nursing to two years old, as Legacy did with Gracie’s blessing. We don't believe in imposing man-made “rules" on these horses. Human decisions regarding the care of horses are often made with people's own convenience at the forefront. At the BLM they take the babies away at 4-6 months so they can adopt out the babies as soon as possible, which isn't natural or best for mother or foal. Gracie knows best how to raise her son to grow healthy and strong the wild way.
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.