Bringing a Pryor Family Home
The Removal
In late December 2025, the Bureau of Land Management approved the removal of three wild horses from the Pryor Mountain herd: Jesse James, his longtime mare Penn, and their young daughter Yule.
Jesse James had discovered a way around the cattle guard at the range entrance — a structure designed to allow visitors in while keeping horses on the range. Once he learned the route, he occasionally led his small family outside the boundaries of the herd area. After repeated escapes, BLM made the decision to remove the trio permanently.
Shortly after their removal, Nancy Cerroni of the Pryor Mustang Center in Lovell contacted The Cloud Foundation. She had discovered that Jesse James, Penn, and Yule had disappeared from the range and learned where they had gone. Nancy asked if we might have room for the family with the horses at our Freedom Family Sanctuary.
Ginger didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” she said.
Our board quickly agreed: do everything possible to bring this Pryor family home.
Family Ties
Jesse James is a 17-year-old stallion entering the later years of his life. He and Penn — who will turn 11 this year — have been together for many years and have produced six foals together. Their young daughter Yule, born December 26, 2024, is just over a year old and still deeply dependent on her family.
Those who closely follow the Pryor herd have been watching Yule carefully. As she has grown, it has become apparent that she has a very weak topline — a structural condition rarely seen in wild horses. While she could still live a long life in the wild, this type of condition means that careful management is especially important if she is adopted into a domestic setting. Many people who adopt a young horse do so in hopes of riding them one day, and a horse with this conformation may not be suited for that work.
For Yule, the safest place is with her family. We hope that those bidding on these horses will recognize the importance of keeping this Pryor family together and allow us to make that possible.
Because the BLM Internet Auction lists the horses individually, there is a real risk that this small band could be separated.
For that reason, we initially kept news of their situation quiet while we prepared to bid on all three horses and bring them to our Freedom Family Sanctuary here in CO.
BLM Online Corral: Up For Auction
Now that the auction has begun, we want our community to know: The Cloud Foundation is actively working to bring Jesse James, Penn, and Yule home to the Freedom Family Sanctuary, where they can remain together as part of our Pryor herd.
Keeping families intact is one of the most important things we can do for horses who have already lost their wild home.
We hope that those bidding on these horses will see our message, recognize the importance of keeping this Pryor family together, and allow us to bring them home. 🤗