Goliath and Blue Zeus are two huge mustang stallions who lived hardscrabble lives on the Wyoming range but now enjoy freedom and plentiful forage on a 9,000-acre horse and burro sanctuary in Oregon.
They are of stately ages for horses – Blue Zeus is 24, and Goliath is 33.
They live at Skydog Sanctuary for wild horses and burros near Bend, Oregon. Clare Staples founded the sanctuary and also manages an 11-acre ranch for horses and burros near Malibu, California.
The sanctuary was a passion project, driven by her lifelong love of horses. But she doesn’t think the operation could have ever reached the worldwide status it has without the charisma of the old Wyoming stallions.
“I think our sanctuary was born with the saving of Goliath about seven years ago," she said.
“I feel like I owe the Wyoming horses,” Staples added.
Wyoming Horses Are Huge, Hearty And Smart
Staples has a special affinity for Wyoming mustangs, particularly older ones who survived for many years under harsh conditions.
The vast range and harsh conditions in Wyoming make for a better class of horses, she said.
In the Red Desert country, it’s thought that draft horses that escaped or were turned loose from ranches many years ago became a cornerstone of the mustang breeding population, Staples said.
Draft horses are huge, muscular animals bred for tasks such as pulling field plows or heavy cargo wagons.
That breeding has made Red Desert Wyoming mustangs super-sized, Staples said.
“They’re often twice the size of wild horses in California or Nevada,” she said. “These are horses with hooves the size of dinner plates.”
And it isn’t just brawn that sets Wyoming mustangs apart. To survive Wyoming winters, they need brains too.
“I think it’s also their mentality. They live a very hard life. It has been survival of the fittest. You’ve ended up with horses that are so hardy and strong, so well-minded,” she said.
“To me, the Wyoming horses epitomize what I imagine a wild mustang would look like,” she added. They’re mythical and magical horses.”
Big Roundup Planned
In Wyoming and other Western states, controversy swirls around mustangs. Goliath and Blue Zeus were captured during BLM roundups – which are a sore spot for wild horse advocates.
The federal Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 put the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in charge of managing free-ranging horses and burros.
Some ranchers and wildlife conservationists argue that the mustangs are essentially a feral, invasive species.
Mustang advocates claim that the horses have lived freely on the open range long enough to be considered wildlife – and that they should be protected and conserved.
Roundups are the BLM’s preferred method of controlling the mustang population.
In most cases, low-flying helicopters push the mustangs into holding pens, so that they can be captured and trucked to holding facilities, such as the one in Wheatland.
The BLM puts captured mustangs up for auction or adoption.
Goliath was captured several years ago during a round-up of the Salt Wells Creek herd. He’s among the rare curly-haired horses that herd is known for.
Blue Zeus was rounded up from another band of Red Desert mustangs, the Arapaho Creek herd.
The Skydog Sanctuary has over the years taken in numerous horses from other parts of Wyoming, such as the McCullough Peaks herd, near Cody and Powell.
This year, the BLM plans to proceed with a round-up roughly 3,000 horses in south-central Wyoming, starting July 15 at the earliest.
In a process that might take years, the entire remaining Salt Wells Creek herd is slated to be rounded up, along with the Great Divide mustang herd and part of the Adobe Town herd.
Wild horse advocates filed a lawsuit attempting to stop that roundup. The case is still pending before the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
The BLM has stated that it intends to proceed with the roundup but will halt the operation if the court rules against the agency.
Staples said it breaks her heart to see mustangs pulled off the range and separated from their families.
But she added that the BLM has been great to work with, in adopting horses for her sanctuary, and she understands that the agency has a job to do.
“It’s really sad. I totally understand that Wyoming is more of a ranching state and that takes priority. But it’s so sad that these herds are being taken down to such small numbers,” she said.
Retirement Paradise For Stallions
In the wild, mustangs hang out in bands, usually made of a stallion, his breeding mares and their offspring.
Staples said her sanctuary emphasizes keeping those horse “families” together.
She said they went to great lengths to reunite Blue Zeus and Goliath with members of their bands at the sanctuary.
In the wild, mustangs rarely live past their 20s. And at 33, Goliath is at an impressive age for any horse, wild or domestic, Staples said.
The sanctuary has become somewhat of a retirement paradise for Goliath, she said. In addition to natural summer forage, “he gets mash” to eat on a regular basis.
He mostly takes it easy in a smaller pasture these days, Staples said.
There are about 350 horses and burros on the sanctuary now, and Staples said it can probably handle up to 500.
As the “old boys” like Goliath and Zeus live out their lives and eventually die of natural causes, she hopes that other well-seasoned Wyoming mustangs can take their places.
“I have such a heart for the seniors. If you’ve ever seen them out on the range, they are the most intelligent, hardy horses. They are extraordinary animals,” Staples said.
“They have a knowledge and a sense of pride about them. Wyoming horses definitely have my heart,” she said.
