NEO

Neo was originally from Warm Springs, Oregon. When I started Skydog, my plan was to focus on Oregon horses. When I realized that herds across the West were in grave danger, I didn’t limit my work to one state, but I love bringing Oregon horses home for the rest of their lives. It feels so right.

Neo was a “three striker” at the Billings Auction, which means he was passed over for adoption three times. When that happens, they become eligible for sale, in which the title of ownership passes immediately from the Bureau of Land Management to the buyer with no follow up. They lose their status as federally protected animals, which plunges a lot of them into the slaughter pipeline. Neo was  purchased by a kill buyer and taken to the the notorious Fabrizius kill pen:

The subject of ongoing Animals’ Angels’ scrutiny over the years, Fabrizius is well known to our investigators for his bad temper and abusive treatment of the poor animals he buys and sells in his merciless quest to make a profit at any cost. Jason Fabrizius, operator of Fabrizius Livestock, has long made money off the backs of innocent horses, but in the last few years, his once modest operation has evolved into a highly-lucrative kill buying enterprise that consists of multiple tractor-trailers actively transporting horses to slaughter and a large kill pen in Eaton, Colorado.

Fabrizius has been observed to handle horses in his care with an excessive amount of hitting, whipping, screaming, and cursing. Investigators witnessed him hitting several poor horses across their faces and bodies with full force. On one occasion, Fabrizius demonstrated complete disregard for the welfare of the horses he was handling when he was observed moving a large number of them into a trailer so violently that one horse went down. The horse was trampled by the scared horses around him before eventually regaining his footing. 

In 2018, the Fabrizius kill pen in Colorado made the news due to the exposure of 240 horses to Equine Infectious Anemia, a deadly, highly contagious, incurable disease that affects horses, donkeys, and mules. Reports revealed that a horse confirmed to be EIA positive was moved from the Colorado facility to Wyoming by a "horse transporter" before eventually being brought back to Colorado and euthanized. The incident prompted a widespread search for exposed horses and a lock-down that restricted animal movement for 60 days.

In November 2019, Animals' Angels investigators were stunned by the many sick and emaciated horses observed at his kill pen in Eaton, Colorado. Manure covered pens were filled with lethargic, coughing horses that stood motionless with their heads lowered. Several horses had obvious eye infections with puss dripping from the corners of their eyes, a sign indicative of strangles, which is a highly contagious infection often suffered by kill pen horses. Other horses were seen limping, covered in scars, or so emaciated that their ribs were clearly showing. Some horses were kept in pens without shelter or trees nearby to act as a wind barrier, leaving them unprotected from Colorado's brutal winter weather.

We were thus appalled to observe the increasing success of his online business, which exploits the well-meaning attempts of his followers to save horses from the kill pen, when in reality their money is being used to fuel Fabrizius’ growing enterprise and perpetuate the cycle of suffering and slaughter. He plays on their compassion, asking them to buy a horse online to prevent him from sending the poor animal to slaughter. Unfortunately, the money paid to Fabrizius to “save” a horse is then used to fund and expand his operation, enabling the once small-time horse trader to become a kill buyer kingpin that has the growing resources to buy more and more horses.

Thanks to Bree Thompson, Neo was saved from Fabrizius. He is a stunning free spirit, the epitome of a trainer relinquishment as he saw numerous well-known mustang trainers to no avail. He refused to give up his wild to anyone and why should he? When everything is done to help a wild horse transition into domestic life, but nothing works, sanctuary is the best placement. And so it was with Neo.

Neo was given a special task at Skydog. We learned from Bree that he was a confident and self-assured mustang, who would be a good leader in a herd. We decided to introduce him to two other Oregon mustangs, Rango and Commander, in a smaller enclosure before turning them all out.

These two boys were recovering from traumas they experienced in the slaughter pipeline. Rango had survived the horrors of another appalling kill pen, Bastrop in Louisiana. When he arrived at Skydog, we reunited him with his South Steens lead stallion, Ranger. Rango had served as his lieutenant on the range. He likes to follow a leader and drew strength from him. He was still healing when Ranger passed away. Those were big hooves to fill, but Neo stepped right in to help Rango and Commander complete their return to wild wholeness.

#skydogneo

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.