monte cristo

The Count, our beloved Monte, was another horse not meant to come to Skydog, but here we are. We had some amazing sanctuaries step up for these horses and Engler Canyon in Colorado said yes to two old horses in a Kill Pen that we couldn’t take as we had reached our limit for the year’s saves. But at the same time, we always knew we had a duty and responsibility to make sure they were the right fit for where they were going. Monte turned out to be 30, he was skinny and sick, needed dental work, and would not have been healthy enough to forage in winter on a large space. SO we agreed with Engler that he would do better with more intensive care and so he and his friend, Whisky, are currently with us. Monte will be staying and Whisky will go to Engler with another horse as soon as the weather allows now that we know she isn’t pregnant.

And so Monte came to us. He has had his teeth fixed, his eyes cleaned out, his tail unmatted and now he is recovering, gaining weight, and doing well with us. He is a good old boy who has managed to stay wild his whole life even though he was rounded up as a baby. And for that, we are grateful and glad. So he gets to live out the rest of his life the same way, unhandled and untouched without human training, only treated in the confines of the chute to keep him healthy so he can spend more years running free. #skydogmontecristo

Mustangs & 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.