Hera
This exquisitely beautiful mare came to us as a wonderful and much-needed angel. We had not intended to take more horses from Cañon City’s Red Desert herd, but when our hauler went down with Covid, we had to organize a different haul with our trailer, which had one extra compartment. The only tag number we had from that day was Apollo’s mare, Hera. So we asked for her and she was approved.
At that same time, we had rescued Strongheart, a maternal mare, who was known for taking in orphaned foals on the range. Her ordeal with the BLM had shattered her physically, mentally, and emotionally. The violence of the roundup and the loss of family seemed to have taken her will to live. Even with all the help we could give her, it was touch and go. And then…
Enter Hera. Beautiful, fierce, proud, defiant, and wild Hera. She had been in the same band as Strongheart in the wild for several years. Her presence literally breathed life into her old friend. With Hera beside her, Strongheart found a reason to go on. Both mares put on weight. The wounds on Hera’s face healed. The bond between them grew stronger than ever.
We hoped to reunite Hera with Apollo down the road. We rescued him with his deeply bonded sons, Aslan and Hermes. Our thinking was that, once his testosterone had calmed down, maybe he could keep his sons and his mare together. When Strongheart was strong enough, we introduced her and Hera into a pen with Apollo and Aslan. They remembered each other and watching their reunion was a beautiful thing at first. Unfortunately, Aslan stole both mares, Apollo hung sadly back by himself, and Strongheart was visibly stressed. It wasn’t the right situation for any of them.
Knowing how maternal Strongheart is, we introduced the mares to a pen with two foals, Wildheart and Firefly. They stepped right into the role of protective aunties, always keeping a distance from humans. When we released them onto open space, the band stayed together for a little while. And then…
Enter Pete the Zorse. Handsome, unique, mysterious, indomitable Pete the Zorse. A cross between a mustang and a zebra, he was on the road of self-discovery to find out which equid group he belonged in. That decision was made when he met Hera and Strongheart. He whisked them off to the wilderness behind Sheeps Rock with his fair, golden mare, Soleil. Catching a glimpse of them involved some serious hiking. They’d take off as soon as they got wind of humans. We’d see them crashing through the brush as Hera pushed Soleil ahead, followed by Strongheart, with Pete bringing up the rear like a stallion in the wild.
Hera is Pete’s lead mare, Strongheart’s best friend, and one of the wildest horses at Skydog. She was named for the ancient Greek goddess. The beautiful Queen of the Heavens was the wife of Zeus. A protector of marriage and childbirth, she was a goddess of the lives of women.
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.