Leigh
The Eugene Four
Leigh is a beautiful Appaloosa from from Beatty’s Butte Oregon. She was one of the Euguene 4, the first four horses we rescued as a sanctuary. Before we had even purchased the ranch and were in escrow, a lady in Texas, who ran a Mustang network, asked if we would consider taking her. We wanted to take all the mustangs at Eugene Auction in Oregon. It started out as one with Jackson, turned to two with Lisa Marie. Then Denver and Leigh, who had been together for 15 years, ran through. The auction went late into the night. I went to sleep with two mustangs and woke up with three. A kill buyer originally took Denver, but Leigh was so depressed and listless that I tracked her down and was able to reunite them. They have been inseparable ever since.
The Oregon Ranch wasn’t ready for them yet, so we brought them down to my ranch in Calabasas, where they spent the rest of the summer. Leigh and Denver were untouchable. The hauler said Leigh was dangerous. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been told that about a horse we have taken. People have labeled these horses dangerous, that they were striking out, kicking, biting; that they would kill you. And we still said yes to them. Deep inside me, I knew that they were just terrified and acting out of fight or flight. When we give these horses space, we have always found that they will take flight and most often will choose friendship, given the choice. I like to think that when they climb off the trailer at Skydog, something about the energy tells them that they don’t need to be afraid anymore. They can stop fighting.
Leigh has never wanted anything to do with people and we respect that. We want her to be happy and the key to her happiness is Denver. In their twenties now, they remind us of a couple of old ladies, always together, sometimes bickering, then making up. Wonderfully, they watch over each other at night, taking turns to stand guard as the other lies down to sleep. It truly is a joy to see the close bond and love they feel for each other.
When I am out with their herd, Leigh moves to put other horses between us. She is always watching to make sure of where the humans are. I still have never been able to touch her. I respect her enormously and always adore seeing her run as she is magnificent. We are a sanctuary for wild horses and there are some with us who want exactly that for themselves. Not to be petted or stroked, gentled or broke, or to nibble cookies. They will live and die wild and if that’s what they want, that’s the way it should be. Denver, whom she had been with for 15 years before she came to us, has come around and enjoys being stroked and loved on, but never haltered.
She is named for Laure Laura Leigh, the relentless wild horse advocate, who founded Wild Horse Education. She helped me when I was starting out. She flew up to see the ranches and advised me on which would be best for wild horses. She also guided me through my first experience in a BLM holding facility. It was so painful, I might not have gotten through it without her. Two families now run free at Skydog, thanks to Laura bringing them to our attention: Blaze, Hannah, and their baby, Belle Star; Spartacus and his son Gatsby.
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.