Lady Jade

“Exudes confidence and has a determined spirit to forge her own path.” Shannon Phifer

Lady Jade is a silver dapple pinto from South Steens, Oregon. Her dapples have turned to stars all over her coat, which is magical ✨ Many are of the opinion that she is the most beautiful mare at Skydog and it is easy to see why.

Of noble birth, her father, Sox, lived his life free to its natural conclusion on the range. Her mother, Chenoa, was rounded up, but turned back onto the HMA after having her beautiful baby in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) holding facility. When I watch Lady Jade in Skydog Wild, she reminds me of Renegade in color and composition. It won’t surprise me if the two of them are related.

When I first saw Lady Jade in 2017 at the corrals, she was a baby standing alone after her mother had been released. Her beauty was ethereal and unicorn-like with a fierce face, dapples, and white eyelashes. I asked the adoption staff about her and they told me there was to be a special auction for her and another youngster as so many people on Facebook had said they wanted her. I decided to go, mainly to meet other mustang people who might be there, but also to experience my first BLM auction.

We arrived on time, sat and waited for it to start. There was a young couple also waiting. We asked them who they were bidding on and they said whichever was the cheapest, they didn't mind which. Nobody else showed up. When I asked the BLM staff where everyone else was, they told me that people say a lot of things on Facebook, but rarely stand up for these horses when the time comes. That was an important lesson that has proven to be true time and again. We filled out Lady Jade’s adoption papers and paid $125. That's how she came to be a Skydog Ambassador.

We wanted to formally adopt a mustang from the BLM to promote adoptions and demonstrate the process of taking in a wild horse. We wanted people to see that they come in all sizes, shapes, temperaments, and colors and can be touched within days of being adopted. Gentling them creates a beautiful bond that will teach you more about horses and yourself than any equine discipline. We wanted to encourage potential good homes to go to BLM corrals to see the thousands nobody ever sets eyes on. Mustangs who fall between the cracks into the black hole of long-term holding, Sale Authority, or the slaughter pipeline.

This nine-month-old filly was amazingly friendly and handleable from the beginning. It was deeply satisfying to remove the tag from around her neck and show her the respect she deserved as a sentient, intelligent individual, not a number. We halter trained her so she could have an umbilical hernia surgery at Bend Equine in Oregon before moving her south.

In Malibu, she kicked up her heels and raced with Dream. She rolled on the warm sand with Chesney. She was terribly frightened of water and hoses, but we got her over that literally with hugs and kisses. One day, she got a deep cut on her leg. At that time, my husband, Chris, was the only person at the ranch who could drive a trailer. Rather than wait for someone, he jumped in and drove her to Alamo Pintado for immediate treatment.

Lady Jade embarked upon her diplomatic mission with grace and dignity. We took her to schools, colleges, Girl Scout troops, etc. She educated many about the plight of the American Mustang, their amazing history, and stunning beauty.

When we moved up to Oregon, Lady Jade was turned out with Louisa into Sheldon’s herd. She formed an affection with Phoenix at an important time when Blaze was reunited with Hannah. There was no way that Blaze would have allowed other males around his mare, who was pregnant with their foal, even if they had been bonded buddies. Lady Jade offered no drama, only love, and remains with this herd today. She often leads them to and from the barn for routine medical and hoof care. She’s usually at the head when the food cart arrives. Most recently, we caught her making kissy face with Boomer over the fence line!

#skydogladyjade

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.