madison
Madison is a 21 year old sale-authority, three-strikes mustang who was originally rescued by Rancho Relaxo and we were so happy to be able to work with them to bring her to Skydog. We adore working with other successful and positive rescues and it's an honor to know Caitlin Cimini. They spotted this old mare, emaciated and beaten up, at Palomino Valley BLM corrals in Nevada. When they told the wrangler they wanted to take her he responded, “Why would you want that one?” which breaks my heart into a million pieces. She has so much worth and value and deserves endless respect and admiration for the wild life she lived before she was rounded up.
Not only rejected by people but also rejected by the horses she was penned up with. She was being bullied and picked on and obviously pushed off hay as she was emaciated and scrawny. Probably the only chance she had was a BLM long term holding location where things were unlikely to get any better in a large group of horses. Worst case scenario was being picked up by a killbuyer and sold for her meat - what little there is of it.
So Rancho Relaxo paid the $25 for this three-strikes sale authority senior citizen to get her a freedom ride out of there. She did not take well to being gentled so this old girl really needed sanctuary locally where she didn’t have to travel too far or too long….So she came to Skydog. And we couldn’t be happier. You all know how much we love our old broken-down mustangs as it is so rewarding for us to bring them back to health, glory, weight, strength and happiness. Just the way they should be.
We named her Madison in honor of Daryl Hannah, who does so much incredible and important work for the environment. Her love of nature, horses, animals and mother earth is inspiring and Madison was the name of her character in Splash. It suits this mare perfectly as she is beautiful, fierce and other-worldly.
Helping Mustangs & Burros
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.