A former Hollywood producer turned rancher, Clare Staples, is rescuing mustangs and wild donkeys from being sold at auctions to potentially abusive environments or slaughterhouses.
After discovering that the West’s wild mustangs are rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and sold at auction, Staples realized this practice meant the heartbreaking separation of horse families. Seeking a purpose-driven mission in her life, she founded Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary, providing 9,000 acres of grazing land where mustangs and wild donkeys, called burros, can live together peacefully for the rest of their lives.
Staples describes her work as similar to that of a detective. During the annual round-ups across ten western states, wild horses and burros are captured to control their populations. This often results in family separations, with foals and mares sold to different states. Using a network of photographers, Staples tracks and identifies family members and herds, using funds from her nonprofit to buy them at BLM auctions and reunite them at her ranch.
“It’s kind of like being a wild horse detective. We rely on the photographers who go out into the wild,” Staples told KOIN 6 News. “There are certain herds, especially in Oregon, where people name horses and they become well known on these Facebook pages.”
The round-ups, ongoing for decades, are highly controversial. Proponents argue that wild mustangs and burros are non-native, invasive species that harm the landscape and native species. Opponents claim the round-ups are driven by ranching interests, as cattle, which vastly outnumber wild equines, compete for grazing space. While it’s true that North American ecosystems did not evolve with modern horses, and there are few natural predators to control their numbers, the impact of ranched cattle is significantly greater and more disruptive.
Staples has created her vision of the West, where mustangs and burros roam freely. So far, she has welcomed around 260 mustangs and 60 burros to her property, many requiring extensive detective work to identify. “If you’re looking for a horse with a tiny white patch over its left eye, Clare will do everything she can to find that horse using photographic documentation,” said Scott Wilson, a photographer aiding in Staples’ mission.
Though Staples opposes the round-ups, she occasionally relies on BLM employees for assistance in reuniting horses. In one case, BLM employees at Rock Springs requested Skydog Ranch take a bonded mother and daughter pair to prevent their separation.
“Wild horses have such deep bonds,” Staples told the Washington Post. “Who are we as humans to think we’re the only species that cares about their family?”