SOLEIL

This is Soleil and she came in with Nugget from the BLM corrals as a special needs horse. She had a big wound on her back leg which has healed now but left a lot of scar tissue which would have left her unrideable. That shouldn’t make her any less valuable but sadly it does in a world where a horse’s worth is based on what they can do for their “owner”. I would say the majority of people who reach out asking for sanctuary for their horse is because they can’t ride them, due to injury, age or wildness. As if now they have no use or purpose.

One of the biggest messages we want to get across and hope it catches on, is that these horses have immense value just being horses. They don’t have to win ribbons, races or competitions to be valuable. And it’s a complete misnomer that they “need” a job. No other wild animal is viewed this way. I am not against the idea of riding horses if they enjoy it, but I am against the idea of throwing them away if you can’t ride them. You can have an incredible relationship with your horse without being on their back. There is so much you can do and so much you can learn from them if you adjust that filter we see them through. Far fewer horses would end up in the slaughter pipeline if people would take responsibility for their horses for life. Just something to think about. #skydogsoleil

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