We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine April 2017 | Page 21

Clare believes that mustangs are the very best therapy horses, as they too have been to dark places, through abuse, neglect, starvation and cruelty. Coming out on the other side, as a testament to the fact that you can heal and forgive and move on, live a meaningful life having been through such experiences. Clare and Skydog Ranch already has a volunteer program up and running for several combat veterans who come out to the ranch for the peace and serenity and healing they find there.

Skydog is a very special place. It is a sanctuary for both the horses grazing peacefully on the hills and for the people who come here to spend time with them. To date they have saved 44 horses from at risk situations, 13 of those from kill pens that were hours away from shipping to slaughter. They also try hard to find mustangs before they get into the hands of the “kill buyers” by attending all the local auctions to pick up any mustangs before they go to the feedlots.

One of the first horses Skydog saved was Read, from a kill pen in Oklahoma. Clare recounts “Read had one of the worst embedded halter injuries I had ever seen and I knew right away that I wanted to help him. His halter had grown so deeply into his face that his nasal cavities were open to the air. After consulting with the veterinarians, we all agreed that he would be best left in his current state. At the age of 22, he is doing so incredibly well. The other horses don't see his face as damaged and don’t treat him any differently, which is a lesson for us all. Horses are always teaching if we slow down to listen to their lessons of wisdom.”

Another favorite rescued herd is Bear and his mares Aerial and Pammie. Bear was a stud when Skydog agreed to take them all if they quarantined and gelded Bear. Thankfully, it was too late to stop the pregnancies of his two mares that became apparently clear to us in mid-winter. On a freezing cold January night Aerial had her foal Whisper, quickly followed by Pammie having Mariah. They are a huge hit with the 8,000 Facebook followers that Skydog has amassed. People love to follow the antics of these two foals, who would never have been born if their mothers had been loaded onto the slaughter truck bound for Mexico.

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