RAVEN

With the passing of Neptune, our Chincoteague pony, we wanted to honor him in the best way possible. The only way to do this, and heal our broken hearts, was by saving another mustang in dire need. Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague had been a favorite book of mine when I was a girl. I turned to other beloved childhood classics about horses for inspiration. Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion jumped to mind. It was in the air as there had been a lot of requests by followers for videos of our black mustangs. When I found a black stallion at the Stroud kill pen with fear and confusion in his beautiful hazel eyes, and scars on his body, I knew he was the one.

Raven was born in 2006 in BLM holding. We have no idea where his mother was rounded up, so he has no herd history. He was adopted and kept all these years by the same owner. Still in tact, he was most likely used as a stud. This is usually a miserable existence for a stallion as they are held in confinement when they aren’t breeding mares. Isolation is cruel for herd animals that are as social as horses. When his owner fell seriously ill and sold him, he ended up in the slaughter pipeline.

Raven is the first stallion Skydog has ever taken in. We consulted with our surgeon at Alamo Pintado, who is confident about gelding him. We will to bring him to California for surgery with the best doctors. When he’s recovered, he’ll go up to Oregon to run free with a wild herd. This is the life Raven was meant to have. This is the life he deserves. It’s the life we want to give him for the rest of his days. It was pricey rescue for his bail, quarantine, haul, and hospital stay, but there’s no better way to honor the memory of Neptune.

Raven was nervous and pacing, so we looked for a friend to travel with him to Skydog. We found Casper, a mustang as fair and white as Raven is black and beautiful. With horses, I am always learning and what great teachers they are. Raven started rewriting all I ever imagined about a stud horse from the moment he arrived. Braced for a snorting, testosterone-charged, fiery stallion to burst from the trailer, I was surprised by Raven’s sweet nature and good manners. Our wonderful hauler Steve gently unloaded him and walked him to his stall next to Casper’s. He was constantly sniffing Casper, another incredibly kind being, following his every lead as though he was seeking guidance and advice. Neither was food aggressive, though we’d have understood if they were after being starved and isolated. They both shared the hay and ate so politely.

It wasn’t planned this way, but Casper the Friendly Ghost and Raven arrived on Halloween with names of powerful synchronicity. Someone once said coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous and I think it was a definite "God Wink" to tell us "good work" for pulling these two out of danger. We don’t dress up on October 31st or put the animals in costumes. No sweets, but we’ll happily scratch some sweet spots. Raven’s head and neck swung in ecstasy of loving touches, gentle voices, and kindness from Malibu volunteers.

#skydograven

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.