Lisa marie
The Eugene Four
Lisa Marie is one of the Eugene 4, the first four mustangs we rescued as a sanctuary. We found them at the Eugene Livestock Auction. It started out as one horse, Jackson, turned to two with Lisa Marie, and then two more ran through in the shape of Denver and Leigh. The auction went late into the night. I went to sleep with two mustangs and woke up with four. Suddenly, I panicked at little about what I had taken on, but was also thrilled at the thought that we had saved our first four lives.
As the Oregon Ranch wasn’t ready yet, we brought them down to my ranch in Calabasas, where they spent the rest of the summer. When the time came to move north, Lisa Marie and Jackson were in the first group to unload at their new 9000-acre home.
Lisa Marie and Jackson had been adopted together seven years prior and meant the world to one another. Jackson fought valiantly to protect his little mare in their cramped stall at auction, striking out at people who came near. He was labelled wild and dangerous because he sensed the humans at auction were dangerous. When he came to Skydog, all that changed. He loved to love on people and, as usual, Lisa Marie. They were always together and we often found them grooming each other.
Jackson was Lisa Marie’s knight in shining armor. When he passed, it broke all our hearts and we especially ached for her. I can’t help but feel a little sad every time I see her, but then I think of the qualities of horses: power, strength, resilience, loyalty, devotion, forgiveness, healing, and unwavering faith. Lisa Marie with her grace and freedom has found peace in the herds of Buddy and Bear, especially with her good friend Missy.
She is one of a number of horses named in honor of Elvis Presley, a hero of mine, whose music was a balm to me in hard times. I named my first horse Elvis. We also have Priscilla, King, Rising Sun, and Presley. The last duet that Lisa Marie Presley sang with her father was No One Stands Alone.
Once I stood in the night with my head bowed low
In darkness as black as the sea
In my heart felt alone and I cried oh Lord
Don't hide your face from me.
Hold my hand all the way every hour every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand let me stand
Where no one stands alone.
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.