MemPHis
Memphis was our final rescue of 2023. A gorgeous bay roan gelding from Fish Creek, Nevada, he was rounded up from the same herd, at the same time as Curly Girl. He has a massive scar, most likely where a mountain lion tore a chunk of flesh out of his left hip. Fortunately, it does not cause him pain and he moves just beautifully.
He was brought to our attention by Kayce at the Burns corrals after a wonderful adopter reluctantly had to return him. She’d invested a lot of heart, time, effort, and money with multiple trainers. Some helped them make progress together, others set them back. None were able to gentle him enough to permit the necessary hoof care. His feet bothered him, he dug holes trying to file his front hooves down himself. When she turned to the BLM for help, they gave her a two-week ultimatum to get the job done or bring him back to the corrals.
We first recorded him in June when we were there for Cricket and Cedar. We told him, “We might come back for you, buddy” and presented him for consideration to the board. He tugged at our hearts from that day forward - with tag #5002, he reminded everyone of Noble, whose tag was #5001.
Thanks to the unprecedented generosity of donors on Giving Tuesday, we were able to pick him up in December without having to fundraise for him. It was the smoothest loading ever. Cool as a cucumber, he trotted a few feet to his destiny and hopped on board like he’d been loading all his life. Another nod to my love for Elvis, we named him Memphis and introduced him to a pen with Commander, Rango, and Neo before turning these wild guys out onto a larger parcel.
We didn’t know who his adopter had been, but always hoped that she knew he was safe, happy, and wild. Kimberly contacted us after learning he was here and came to visit. She called him “LG” for Little Guy because he was smaller than other mustangs she had adopted. When he saw her standing in the field, he stopped, dropped his head, and stared. When he realized it was his friend, he walked right up to her.
Memphis gave her kisses. Kimberly gave him cookies. He offered his star and neck to scratch and she offered carrots. The love and respect between them was beautiful to observe. This was a demonstration of the R+ training that focuses on rewards rather than the pressure and punishments of traditional methods. It creates a positive, enjoyable learning environment that brings about the desired behaviors, while strengthening the bond between horse and trainer. Kimberly had used R+ to help him accept human touch on his body. It had gone so well until she tried to touch the scar on his hip, which alarmed him. That set them back months, but did not shatter their connection as we saw at this moving reunion.
Kimberly, by the way, is also an Elvis fan and approved of naming him Memphis.
We have other Fish Creek horses at Skydog, Blaze and Hannah among them. It’s a magnificent herd and we wish we could take them all. Some captured mustangs adapt to domestication, while others, like Memphis, simply can’t do it, even if they have a loving owner and the best of trainers. At Skydog, we can provide him with the essential care he needs while honoring his wild and free mustang spirit.
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.