Mustang Dan - From slaughter pen to safe forever!
Left: Dan happy and energetic at 24 years young! Pictured at home at Loving Farm in Paso Robles, California, 2020.
Right: I love this photo of Dan because it shows the kindness in his eyes. Photo taken 2015 in Santa Rosa, California.
Mustang Dan was born into a herd of wild horses in Virginia in 1996. Dan and his Mother were rounded up in 1997 and held captive in a slaughter pen where they awaited their fate. We will never know if Dan was starving when he was living in the wild, or if he was starved after capture, but the photos of him in the slaughter pen are sad and disturbing. Why were Dan and his horse herd family rounded up? The answer: Beef cattle ranchers. Beef cattle ranchers are the primary reason our wild horses are still being rounded up and exterminated. Beef ranchers have a lot of power and influence in the USA. They force wild horses off grazing land because they want the grazing land for their cattle. And oftentimes that grazing land is public land owned by American tax payers. One of the best ways to help our wild horses and burros is to boycott the beef industry. We can also contact our government representatives to tell them we don’t want our tax dollars to support private cattle ranchers who are using public land for free or a very small amount of money.
These two photos show Dan for sale in the slaughter pen in 1997. He was just a baby, a yearling, who had been rounded up with his mother and their wild herd.
Dan with his two best friends when we lived in Aiken, South Carolina. Chris (Bay) was a rescued racehorse and Levi (Pinto) was a retired show horse who needed a forever home. Levi is still Dan’s best friend here in Paso Robles, California. Sadly, Chris died in 2015.
Dan in Winter of 2019-2020. This photo shows Dan with most of his heavy winter coat caused by colder weather, being an older horse, and having Cushings.
Horses truly bond with each other. That is why the business of buying and selling horses is not compassionate. We wish all horses could stay with their friends and be treated like valued family members…just because they are loved…not because they are worth money. We also wish wild horses could be allowed to run wild and free!
Very few wild horses are as fortunate as our Dan. Dan was rescued out of that slaughter pen in 1997 by an animal shelter in Middleburg, Virginia. He lived in several foster homes under the protection of that shelter until we adopted him at the age of six. Dan is now 24. We have loved and protected Dan for 18 years. He has moved with us across the USA 3 times. We first adopted Dan as a temporary “paddock pal,” and a calming influence, for our high-strung rescued racehorse, Chris. They were so cute together because Dan is a smaller horse (14.3 hands) and Chris was a big, tall horse (16.3 hands) A “hand” is four inches. It is how horses’ heights are measured. Since Chris’ death Dan has been Levi’s (our Dutch Warmblood) best friend and constant companion.
Now that Dan is an older horse he has a health issue called Cushings Disease. Cushing’s Disease is a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. It is most common in horses 18 and older. We manage Dan’s Cushings with a daily medication that costs about $60.00 per month and we carefully monitor his food quality and quantity. Horses with Cushings should not overeat or consume sweets. And usually horses with Cushings are prone to laminitis (an inflammatory condition in the hooves) which is very painful and can be life threatening. Dan is lucky to have very healthy hooves. He has never needed or worn metal shoes. Not many horses are so lucky! But, Dan’s age and his Cushings cause him to grow a heavy long coat in the winter months. We work very hard to help him shed in Springtime. Once he is shedded out Dan is a beautiful, shiny Chestnut color and ready for warmer weather!
Dan has been an easygoing and delightful family member these last 18 years. EVERYONE loves Dan. Horses and people love Dan. Smaller animals and birds love Dan. There is a sweetness about this gentle horse that attracts anyone who meets him. No kidding. We are lucky to have Dan in our family and we will continue to love and care for him for the rest of his life.
Dan and Levi living large at Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary. For as long as they live, these two best friends will never be separated.
If you become Mustang Dan’s monthly sponsor (for a minimum of $50 a month) you will help us buy his food and medication. We will also send you a beautiful photo of Dan and monthly updates on his health and fun activities!
Note: americanwildhorsecampaign.org is an excellent resource to learn more about wild horses and burros. It also contains information on how you can help. Please check it out!
Written by:
Tracey Soucy
Co-Founder of Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary
(Pictured with Dan)