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*Featured/Spotlights, Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Prescribed Burns Are Not the Silver Bullet Suggested for Wildfires

Photo: A family of wild horses that is reducing wildfire fuels on the forest floor. Reduced wildfire fuels results in less heat produced during a wildfire.

YREKA, CA, US, January 8, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — There are people, NGOs and some elected officials, who want to do prescribed burning across tens of millions of acres in America to reduce key wildfire fuels (grass and brush).

“Most unfortunately, it seems that the most effective method for managing grass and brush wildfire fuels, using large bodied herbivores, is being overlooked in favor of methods that can be monetized,” said William E. Simpson II.

By far, the most cost-effective method involves relocating taxpayer-owned American wild horses into wildfire prone remote critical wilderness areas.

The question stands:

Are some non-governmental organizations, as well as county and state elected officials, going to continue selling American taxpayers the myth that prescribed/controlled/cultural burns are somehow a silver bullet for the cost effective management of catastrophic wildfires in an environmentally friendly manner?

Empirically speaking, we have data that prove prescribed burning by any name is not only very costly, it’s led to some of the largest and most expensive wildfire disasters ever, killing wildlife by the millions, damaging soils and watersheds, and pouring more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

As we have already seen time and time again, ‘prescribed burning’, also known as ‘controlled burning’, is extremely dangerous, deadly, and financially costly in many ways, even when used by highly-trained professionals supported by the best technology available today.

The most recent use of prescribed burning by professionals at the United States Forest Service (USFS) turned disaster was experienced in New Mexico, where two prescribed burns went wrong, joined together, and became the largest and most costly wildfire disaster in the history of the state.

From the Washington Post:

“In a statement, the Forest Service said that what began as a controlled burn in the Santa Fe National Forest in January, meant to clear away vegetation and prevent catastrophic wildfires in the future, turned into a ‘sleeper fire.’ It over-wintered beneath the ground, continuing to burn slowly until it re-emerged in early April.

Fueled by strong, gusty winds, the Calf Canyon fire escaped firefighters’ attempts to contain it.

On April 22, it merged with the Hermits Peak fire, which also began as a prescribed burn set by the Forest Service that grew out of control. In the month since then, the combined blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of people.”

When it comes to ‘prescribed burning’, ‘controlled burning’, or as it’s now being rebranded as ‘Eco-Cultural Fire’ to confuse taxpayers into thinking it’s somehow a safer fire, playing with fire, regardless of who’s doing it or where, results in disaster, time and time again.

An excerpt from a 2015 article from Outside Magazine titled “When Prescribed Burns Go Wrong” clearly shows that the disasters that stem from prescribed burning are being repeated over and over, as are the evolving explanations and excuses for the disasters:

“Tom Scanlan’s house burned down on an early spring afternoon in March 2012. Just days before, the Colorado State Forest Service had set fire to the dangerously overgrown forest near the Lower North Fork of the Platte River, about 40 miles outside Denver. The controlled burn was supposed to stave off a future blaze; instead, warm temperatures and high winds fanned a wall of flames that torched 1,400 acres, left three people dead, and destroyed 23 homes — even those like Scanlan’s with defensible space. ‘They did a number of things wrong,’ says the 69-year-old former aeronautics executive, ‘but the biggest thing was setting that fire in the first place.’

Each year, more people like Scanlan move into the so-called wildland-urban interface. Ten million new homes were built in these exurban areas between 2000 and 2010; over 30 percent of America’s housing stock is now in the WUI. That means a growing number of people risk evacuation, property loss, and death when these kinds of accidents occur.

In March of this year, high winds and temperatures rekindled an extinguished burn in Red Lodge, Montana, forcing 500 skiers off the local ski area; another burn, in Victorville, California, quickly exploded into a 70-acre wildfire that required evacuation of 25 houses. The fires aren’t always so small. In 2000, the prescribed Cerro Grande fire near Los Alamos, New Mexico torched over 280 homes. While residents have sued government agencies over burns gone wild, it’s hard to prove negligence; it’s more common to receive a small payout through emergency funds. (Those affected by the North Fork fire that destroyed Scanlan’s home received approximately $18 million from the Colorado government.)”

There are many more examples of prescribed/controlled burns gone wrong and causing death and costly disaster. It’s evident that any arguable benefits of these intentional fires are far outweighed by the adverse results of these prescribed burns.

Think about what is being sold, that prescribed burning grass and brush fuels in the winter that didn’t get burned by a wildfire in the summer, somehow makes the landscape safer.

The giant bug in that ointment is the fact that grass and brush are ‘annual fuels’ and come back onto the landscape in full force by late spring/early summer and dry quickly and stay dry longer thanks to climate change.

So what exactly is accomplished by winter prescribed burning?

The answer is: very little, other than spending boat-loads of tax dollars and risking more devastation being inflicted upon the people, homes, forests, wildlife, watersheds, and the climate via adding greenhouse gases.

The most important question goes unasked: why?

It seems that there are people who are directly or indirectly monetizing annual wildfires who are not interested in asking the single most important question in regard to the evolution of wildfire.

Why now is the landscape suffering from over-abundant annually-occurring grass and brush wildfire fuels buildup?

The answer to this most important question is not climate change, nor is it a lack of logging trees, which opens up the canopy and stimulates the growth of under-story plants and grasses (wildfire fuels). And in remote wilderness areas suffering from a collapsed herbivory, the buildup of these grass and brush fuels is prodigious.

The answer and reason for the now massive buildups of annual grass and brush, which are the key fuels in over 60% of all wildfires, is that our native species herbivory has collapsed due to mismanagement. Prodigious grass and brush fuels that grow annually, even in spite of climate change, are the root cause of catastrophic wildfires.

There is an important tool being intentionally sequestered by some elected officials in favor of the lucrative enterprises related to wildfire suppression (a.k.a. firefighting).

That tool is a plan known as the Natural Wildfire Abatement and Forest Protection Plan.

The winners from implementing this plan include:

1. Timber Industry
2. Forest and wildlife enthusiasts
3. Fisheries
4. Hunting Industry (benefits all game animals)
5. Livestock Industry
6. Insurance Industry
7. Climate Change/Crises

This presentation about Wildfire & Wild Horses at the 2022 Mustang Summit (30 min. talk) outlines a plan for reestablishing our native herbivory, which is our 1st-line tool for wildfire prevention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3pCv0VgMOI

Primer on ABC NEWS story about the Natural Wildfire Abatement and Forest Protection Plan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFrLJ2vashU

Are Wild Horses a Native Species?

Here’s what the world’s leading Equine Paleontologist (Dr. Ross MacPhee – Curator at the American Museum of Natural History) told the world at a transcribed lecture in New York: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-zNiS1uqCWZ9PimwJpaVdY7NC57hxdGKDCLXbCEYb8c/.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California recognized wild horses as native species, explaining that BLM “establishes Appropriate Management Levels (‘AMLs’) for populations of native species – including wild horses, burros, and other wildlife – and introduced animals, such as livestock.” In Defense of Animals, et al. v. U.S. Dept. Interior, et al., No. 12-17804, *6 (9th Cir. May 12, 2014).

Wild Horse Fire Brigade Org (and like-minded supporters) believe that existing wild horse management is flawed and exorbitantly costly due to law from 1971 that predated consumer-driven land-use demands, and is based upon science from the 1950s-1960s that is now clearly obsolete and contradicts intelligent wild horse management.

Further, Wild Horse Fire Brigade Org believes that it is not good for wild horses and livestock to remain commingled in areas virtually devoid of the natural predators of wild horses, and where wild horses are deemed to be in conflict with consumer-driven land-use demands. This is of paramount import given there is about 115-million acres of wildfire-prone remote critical wilderness where livestock production and motorized equipment/vehicles are prohibited by law.

And as such, horses should properly be humanely relocated to other available wilderness areas where they provide proven wildfire fuels management benefits to taxpayers and other stakeholders and where they will not be in conflict with land-use demands; they should be relocated to wilderness areas that are both economically and ecologically appropriate, ending the problem.

Putting fire onto 12 million acres of public lands in California, for instance, is not only prohibitively expensive and required virtually on an annual basis, it flies in the face of the logic of published peer-reviewed science:

1. Prescribed/controlled/cultural fires do not sequester carbon compounds into the soils as is the case with herbivores, and fire sends more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. EIN NEWS: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/606747655/eco-cultural-fire-rebranding-failed-prescribed-burning-as-wildfire-fuels-management

2. Even low intensity wildfire (and prescribed/controlled/cultural burns) damages soils, especially when done repeatedly.

California’s current population of deer is collapsed and down approx. 3 million animals that were previously annually grazing approx. 3.6 million tons of annual grass and brush which remains on the landscape annually. Any fire in areas that are habitually overgrown and stocked with abnormally high levels of fuels will burn catastrophic hot, regardless of who is using applied fire in an attempt to reduce annual grass and brush fuels.

1) Low-severity wildfires impact soils more than previously believed: Desert Research Institute https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180910160632.htm

“Low-severity wildland fires and prescribed burns have long been presumed by scientists and resource managers to be harmless to soils, but this may not be the case, new research shows. According to two new studies, low-severity burns cause damage to soil structure and organic matter in ways that are not immediately apparent after a fire.”

‘High and low-temperature pyrolysis profiles describe volatile organic compound emissions from western US wildfire fuels’: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326192351_High-_and_low-temperature_pyrolysis_profiles_describe_volatile_organic_compound_emissions_from_western_US_wildfire_fuels

2) After the Fires – Hydrophobic Soils. University of Idaho: https://www.uidaho.edu/-/media/UIdaho-Responsive/Files/Extension/topic/forestry/F5-After-the-Fires-Hydrophobic-Soils.pdf

“Aside from property and aesthetic loss, this can include situations where highly erodible soils are exposed by burning the organic material on the soil surface. The burning of litter and organic material can reduce infiltration, increase surface runoff and erosion, and lead to hydrophobicity, or hydrophobic soils.”

3) Importance of maintaining cover crops in wilderness for ground water during drought.

‘Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis’: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0215702

“We found that introducing perennials (grasses, agroforestry, managed forestry) or cover crops led to the largest increases in infiltration rates (mean responses of 59.2 ± 20.9% and 34.8 ± 7.7%, respectively). Also, although the overall effect of no-till was non-significant (5.7 ± 9.7%), the practice led to increases in wetter climates and when combined with residue retention.”

This press release can be viewed in its entirety online at: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/610215907/.

Please visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org for more information.

*Featured/Spotlights, Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Wild Horse Fire Brigade Lawsuit Halts BLM Wild Horse Roundup in Oregon

A herd of wild horses seen in an alpine riparian area of a wilderness area. Documented evidence proves wild horses have been using this riparian area and spring for centuries without any ill effects. Photo: William E. Simpson II.

YREKA, CA, US, December 31, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — On Wednesday, October 5th, 2022, Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Environmental Advocacy Clinic filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court in Washington D.C. (Case 1:22-cv-03006) against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, on behalf of its client Wild Horse Fire Brigade (WHFB), a California-based all-volunteer 501-c-3 nonprofit organization.

That lawsuit brought a temporary halt to the roundup of wild horses from private property within and adjacent to the Pokegama Herd Management Area in southern Oregon while the Department of Justice evaluated the lawsuit, which alleged that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to follow the law and its own guidance before initiating the roundup.

The intention of the lawsuit was also to prevent the loss of wild horses and to compel BLM to conduct legally required studies regarding the horses.

“The BLM has a history of cutting corners and ignoring their legal obligations in a rush to get rid of wild horses in the west,” Professor Michael Harris, director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School said. “Horses are native to the west and are an important aspect of the ecosystem. We need to work to increase their numbers to ensure healthy, stable herds.”

The recent doctoral dissertation by Yvette ‘Running Horse’ Collin provides evidence that strongly suggests wild horses have been living in the region of Southwestern Oregon since at least the year 1580, when Sir Francis Drake documented observations of wild horses living among the local indigenous peoples of Southwestern Oregon during his voyage and exploration of the west coast of America in 1580.

Dr. Collin’s dissertation , titled ‘The relationship between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the horse: deconstructing a Eurocentric myth,’ can be read in its entirety at the following URL:

https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/handle/11122/7592

In early December, Wild Horse Fire Brigade and its legal team at Vermont Law learned that a wild mare was ‘acutely injured’ during a renewed roundup activity by the BLM during the time the DOJ agreed to halt the roundup while considering the legal action by Vermont Law. Tragically and needlessly, that wild mare died.

On December 7th, 2022, Wild Horse Fire Brigade issued a Press Release condemning the BLM’s actions and the death of a protected American wild horse, as a result of the continuation of the alleged illegal roundup.

“That wild mare died tragically and needlessly as a result of an illegal and ill-conceived roundup authorized by Mr. Todd Forbes at the BLM’s Lakeview Oregon office,” said Deb Ferns, President, Wild Horse Fire Brigade, who went on to say that “wild horse advocates should contact Mr. Forbes directly and offer their own concerns as well.”

(Todd Forbes – Oregon BLM Lakeview District Manager. Ph. 541-947-6100 / email: tforbes@blm.gov)

The removal of wild horses from the area around Pokegama is reckless and disregards the health, safety and welfare of people living in the region, given the excessive grass and brush wildfire fuels that were formerly managed by hundreds of wild horses that have lived in this area on the Oregon-California border for the past 440 years.

Now it seems that the BLM was desperate to somehow defend and explain the questionable and needless death of the wild mare to the Federal Court in Washington D.C. that is handling the pending lawsuit.

On December 20, 2022, the BLM filed a Declaration in the Washington D.C. Federal Court (Case No. 1 :22-cv-3006) by the BLM agent involved in the death of the wild mare, a Mr. Blair J. Street, who claims the title of ‘District Wild Horse and Burro Specialist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview District in southcentral Oregon.’

Among the statements made in the Declaration by Mr. Street, he also stated the following:

“We spent hours attempting to load the remaining mare and stud into the truck. Eventually, I unhooked the horse trailer from my truck, and we left the horses overnight to see if they would go into the trailer themselves. I have used this tactic on other gathers to coax the horses into the trailer with a small bucket of water.

It is not uncommon for studs and mares to be mixed together while trying to load horses from the trap to the holding facility.

We headed back out to the trap the following morning, on November 22, 2022. When we arrived, the mare was lying down and the stud was kicking at her. She could not stand. At that point, I released the stud.

When the mare tried to stand, she was very uneasy and stumbled a lot to try to keep her balance. Her head was tilted to the side, she could not straighten her neck, and her eyes were very wide open. When I went to her left side, I noticed a huge bulge where her spinal column would be. She had hoof marks from the stud on her neck. I suspected the stud had fractured some of her vertebrae.

After about ten minutes of observation, I decided that the mare was not going to be able to load in the trailer or survive long outside of the trap. She was slow and clearly in a great deal of pain. The mare was obviously suffering and was not going to have quality of life.

In my opinion, if the mare were released, she would have gone through a lot of pain before passing a slow and horrible death. Her foal outside the trap was old enough to be weaned. Given all of these considerations, I decided to euthanize the mare as an act of mercy.”

Clearly, by his own admission, Mr. Blair was having great difficulty attempting to force two wild horses from a wilderness area (the mare and her stallion) into a trailer.

It’s my belief that the truth of the matter is that during the ‘hours spent’ trying force two wild horses into a trailer, the mare seriously injured her neck, resulting in her death. Of course, there was no necropsy performed, which might disprove Mr. Street’s statement.

“Unlike Mr. Blair, I am a field researcher and wild horse ethologist that has studied free roaming wild horses in the wilderness and around Pokegama for the past 8 years continuously, and I have logged over 15,000 hours of close observational study of wild horse behavior and ecology. In that time, I have never witnessed any band stallion or bachelor stallion kicking any mare lying on the ground. The highly questionable and unbelievable statement by Mr. Blair seems to assign blame for a human-caused injury, likely caused by attempting to force wild horses into a trailer, to the loving companion of the mare,” said William E. Simpson II, Founder & Executive Director of Wild Horse Fire Brigade.

“It would be highly unusual for a wild stallion to aggressively attack one of his mares as his principal role is to act as guardian and protector of his band. Stallions have an immense responsibility under pressure to manage their herd and protect the mares and foals. They are on watch at all times. If the mare were already injured, he would likely stand over her, nudge her, and continue to protect her. Aggression on the part of the stallion towards other horses is primarily associated with sexual competition, dominance, or territory (protecting the group and resources),” said Professor Julie Murphree, PhD, Equine Science Advisor at Wild Horse Fire Brigade.

A great deal of new research and understanding of wild horse ethology has come to light over the past eight years (2014-2022) as a result of the intensive and continuous study and published research of wild horses living naturally in the wilderness by William E. Simpson II.

One of many examples of the unexpected behaviors of wild horses is how they respect and honor dying members of the herd, as was documented in this published article, ‘How wild horses deal with death and grief – A rare insight’, which can be read here: https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/07/04/wild-horses-death-grief-insight/.

It’s most unfortunate that many of the personnel at the BLM are actually willfully ignorant of the many scientific facts related to wild horse behavioral ecology and ethology. These facts offer important insights as to how America can better manage its iconic wild horses.

Some of the research and peer-reviewed published studies that support the rewilding/relocating initiative integral to the wild horse management plan known as the ‘Natural Wildfire Abatement and Forest Protection Plan’ (aka: Wild Horse Fire Brigade) are found at: https://www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org/resources.

Under the direction of Professor-Litigator Michael Harris, Vermont Law will be filing a response to Mr. Blair Street’s Declaration, as well as a ‘permanent injunction’ in January 2023, to prevent any future roundups in and around the Pokegama wild horse Herd Management Area, one of the few remaining wild horse Herd Management Areas in Oregon.

Please visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org for more information.

*Featured/Spotlights, Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Exposing the Flaws of a Failed Paradigm Killing American Wild Horses

William E. Simpson II is greeted by a wild mountain stallion in the Soda Mountain Wilderness area.

YREKA, CA, US, December 22, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — The assumption that the ‘1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act’ (‘1971 Act’) is protecting American wild horses today is incorrect.

It’s a fact that over the past 50+ years since the 1971 Act was passed, socioeconomic impacts on land management policies driven by consumerism have resulted in the highly flawed, inhumane management of wild horses witnessed today.

Like flies to any dying or dead animal, the ineffective and failing wild horse management program was quickly surrounded by money motivated people and wild horse nonprofit organizations who proffer numerous costly band-aids, which arguably benefit them far more than the wild horses.

Instead of learning from mistakes and implementing a genuine management solution that is most beneficial for wild horses, the band-aids that are promoted are highly flawed and conflict with the highest and best interests of the so called ‘protected’ wild horses.

Core Flaw in Wild Horse Management Today:

The core flaw in wild horse management program today is that managers are keeping wild horses in areas commingled with livestock, where for the past 200 years, apex predators have been eliminated with great prejudice to reduce losses of livestock.

During the 1800s many wild horses were relocated from their natural habitats into other regions via livestock traders.

When the 1971 Act was passed, many areas that had been used for livestock production for two centuries and largely devoid of apex predators became Herd Areas and Herd Management Areas (‘HMAs’). The result is that the wild horses contained in these HMAs are living in the absence of their co-evolved natural predators, which over the millennia had regulated wild horse populations and engaged in a process known as ‘Natural Selection’ that preserved the genetic vigor of the species. The result is that wild horse populations go unchecked and their genetics suffer from a lack of Natural Selection, both of which are bad for the sustainable conservation of wild horses.

It’s critical to understand that the process of Natural Selection works perfectly and weeds out weak genetics. Natural Selection works on many levels. For instance, having a large selection (diverse genetic representation) of bachelor stallions competing for breeding rights helps assure that the best genetics are represented in the competition and then carried forward by the champion who becomes a band stallion.

There is also a recently discovered more subtle form of competition representing another facet of Natural Selection, which occurs within in harems (mares) of family bands for the position of ‘lead mare’.

During 8 years living among and studying free roaming wild horses in an ecologically balanced wilderness, wild horse ethologist William E. Simpson II has discovered and recorded that the offspring of a lead mare has a survival advantage over the offspring of lesser mares in the band harem. This is because the band stallion and harem will stick with the lead mare, and the lead mare will wait as long as it takes for her new foal to gain its strength to travel with the band.

On the other hand, an omega mare who has a new foal that requires time to stand and be ready to travel with the family band may be faced with a difficult decision. If the lead mare moves the band before the omega mare’s foal is ready to travel, the omega mare will have to decide to stay behind with her foal, or abandon the foal and leave with the band. Either way, the omega mare’s foal has a lower rate of survival without the protection of the band and its stallion.

Examining flawed band-aids being applied to failed management:

1) Roundups and subsequent warehousing of captured wild horses into off-range feed lots are argued as one manner of managing wild horse populations in areas devoid of apex predators. These methods are very costly for taxpayers (>$150M/year) due to lots of personnel, equipment, aircraft, feeding horses hay, etc., and they are brutal, inhumane, and ecologically inappropriate given that such actions do not correct the core problem.

Roundups also result in ecological damage to landscapes due to stampedes, where dozens of wild horses running for their very lives from helicopters trample the landscape, injuring and killing some flora and fauna. During helicopter roundups, wild horses are run for miles and beyond their natural ability, adversely impacting the health of horses. Pregnant mares spontaneously abort foals on the run, and new foals run their soft new hooves off and go lame and fall behind, ending up being eaten alive by coyotes.

2) So-called ‘contraception’ (costing tens of millions annually) is a nice sounding term for what is actually ‘chemical sterilization’ of mares using chemicals commonly known as ‘PZP’ and ‘GonaCon’, along with the castration of stallions. PZP and GonaCon are known to adversely impact the social structure and hierarchy of the harem, where lead mares that sterilized can lose their status in the band.

One program known as ‘Veterans for Mustangs’, and the bill by the same name (H.R.7631 — 117th Congress, 2021-2022), proposes to have military veterans using high powered gas operated rifles to shoot heavy darts/projectiles containing chemical sterilization compounds into wild horses, making a complete mockery of the intent of the 1971 Act, by stalking and shooting wild horses (a.k.a. ‘harassment’), like at a carnival shooting gallery.

The wild horse nonprofit known as American Wild Horse Campaign also engages in this ludicrous and dangerous activity. Studies show horses shot in this manner can suffer from bleeding, hematoma, broken bones, and death.

More on ‘PZP’ and ‘GonaCon’: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/553542481/decimation of wild horses continues path forward plan supported by non profit activist organization return to freedom.

“Fertility control in free‐roaming wildlife populations has been associated with changes in immigration (Ramsey 2005; Merrill, Cooch & Curtis 2006), decreased group fidelity (Nuñez et al. 2009; Madosky et al. 2010), increased survival (Caughley, Pech & Grice 1992; Kirkpatrick & Turner 2007; Williams et al. 2007), altered reproductive behavior (Nuñez, Adelman & Rubenstein 2010; Ransom, Cade & Hobbs 2010), and shifted phenology (Ransom, Hobbs & Bruemmer 2013)” ~ Ecological feedbacks can reduce population‐level efficacy of wildlife fertility control.

The use of chemicals to control wild horse populations (wildlife) disintermediates evolutionary Natural Selection and leads to genetic erosion and social disruptions in wild horses (equids). Furthermore, using chemicals (PZP & GonaCon) is ‘Selective Breeding’ and leads to genetic decline.

MORE: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/550887360/wild horses wild horse management non profit organizations wrong chemical use on wildlife populations flawed

In addition to the social breakdown of family bands, genetic erosion, and selective breeding that are all part of using PZP on free roaming native species American wild horses, we also find evidence of the following:

“Even on a large animal struck correctly, the dart (contraceptive PZP and GonaCon darts) can cause hemorrhage and hematoma. Misplaced shots can break bones or even kill the animal” (Thomas and Marburger 1964). Muzzle report can cause problems in darting either captive or free ranging animals. In captive situations, the noise can be more disturbing to animals than getting struck with a dart. Disturbed animals are then more difficult to approach, or the entire group of animals may run away” ~ Page 32, Overview of Delivery Systems for the Administration of Contraceptive to Wildlife”, by Terry J. Kreeger.

3) Farming out wild horses at taxpayer expense as so-called adoptable or trainable horses also costs American taxpayers, since the BLM pays $1,000 for each horse adopted.

As most wild horse advocates know, the 1971 act was passed to ostensibly protect wild horses, yet few parts of 1971 Act are being observed and followed by the Bureau of Land Management (‘BLM’) today.

Even the core intentions of the 1971 Act that are cited in its preamble are disrespected and ignored in the management of wild horses today by the very agency charged with protecting wild horses, the BLM. This is clearly the result of political pressures brought to bear on law and policy makers by the trillion-dollar corporations who provide campaign donations to politicians on both sides of aisle.

The key sentence in the preamble to the 1971 Act states:

“It is the policy of Congress that wild free roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding harassment, or death…”

The reality of life for wild horses in American today under the 1971 Act is quite different than what any outsider looking in would believe having read the 1971 Act.

The reality today, over fifty years since the passing of the 1971 Act, is that the BLM does everything to wild horses that was originally prohibited under the 1971 Act.

The BLM regularly and aggressively; captures, brands, and separates family members from each other, where stallions, mares, and juveniles are sent into separate holding corrals even as family members scream for each other, causing tremendous emotional hardship for wild horse families. After segregating horses by sex and age, they are genetically molested where stallions are castrated and mares are chemically sterilized. This inhumanity transcends the prohibited ‘harassment’ cited in the 1971 Act.

It’s a horrifically brutal and inhumane scene that is repeated annually dozens of times each year in America over the past 40 years.

The protests of wild horse advocates and wild horse nonprofits, in court and in the media, have yielded no change in the behavior of the BLM.

That’s simply because the public servants at Government agencies are like soldiers carrying out the orders that are handed down from their superiors, who are essentially controlled by elected politicians who in turn are arguably beholden and influenced by campaign contributions from huge corporations.

A very simple example of the foregoing is relevant to the current SAFE ACT (H.R. 3355) that is languishing in the U.S. Senate.

The lawyers who drafted the Safe Act made sure there was a loophole for a major corporation (Nestle’) who owns the second largest pet food company in Mexico Purina (conveniently located just over the U.S. border in Mexico). In order to remain profitable, Purina requires a constant source of horse meat from America and elsewhere.

A review of the last draft of the SAFE Act showed that shipments of American horses for ‘human consumption’ outside the U.S. would be prohibited if the act passed. However, there is an arguable loophole: shipments of American horses for ‘animal products’ is not cited as being prohibited in the draft bill.

Since the installment of Deb Haaland as the head of the Department of Interior (‘DOI’), which oversees the BLM, the brutal process of rounding up wild horse families in holocaust fashion have increased.

Wild Horses captured by the BLM and the United States Forest Service (‘USFS’) are then genetically molested where stallions are castrated and mares are sterilized using chemicals commonly known as ‘PZP’ and ‘Gonacon’. These chemicals are known ‘genetic poisons’ and end the natural life cycles and genetic lines of wild horses.

No DNA (genetic) testing is performed by the BLM or USFS prior to ending gene lines of processed wild horses using castration or chemical sterilization.

This practice is a form of ‘selective breeding’, and as science proves, ensures a loss of genetic diversity, resulting in genetic decline in wild horse herds, and ultimately leads to ‘bottle necking’ and possible extinction of wild horse gene lines, which contain the most robust equine genetics.

At some point soon, domestic horse breeders will need to breed back to these robust genetic lines to reinvigorate domestic horse breeds, many of which are suffering from congenital defects and genetic diseases related to inbreeding over centuries.

Following this initial horror show, wild horses are then processed for allocation into so called programs that are extremely costly to American taxpayers, and further punish wild horses emotionally.

The BLM sells it Adoption Incentive Program (‘AIP’) as a success and solution for getting rid of wild horses they have rounded up. However, combination of the AIP and other wild horse processing programs (prisoner programs, etc.) only places a small percentage of all the wild horses (about 5-7%) rounded up into the hands of adopters or trainers who are paid $1,000 (tax dollars) by the BLM for each horse adopted.

Wild horses that are funneled into adoption and training programs are wild sentient beings, few or which will submit to any training program.

Wild horses adopted are made to submit to the demands of human trainers. Surprisingly, so-called horse ‘trainers’ fail to understand the wild nature and spirit of wild horses, as opposed to domestic horse breeds, which have been bred for the past 6,000 years to serve the utility of humankind and are well suited to training. This failure by people and trainers to understand wild horses and their behavioral ecology leads to a majority of wild horses placed in programs resisting training and ending up at slaughter auctions for meat in the pet food industry, a horrific ending for innocent wild horses.

The Big Question: Is there a better solution to the current wild horse management debacle?

Answer: Absolutely!

There is a plan that provides a more humane, natural, and cost-effective management paradigm for wild horses.

That plan is called the ‘Natural Wildfire Abatement and Forest Protection Plan’, also known as the ‘Wild Horse Fire Brigade’.

Wild Horse Fire Brigade is a cost-effective solution for humanely managing wild horses naturally without keeping them on degraded ecologically collapsed landscapes that are being intensively used for commercial enterprises, including oil, gas, mineral, and livestock production.

Keeping wild horses in areas where they are deemed to be in conflict with the interests of $Trillion/year corporations guarantees that wild horses will remain in a constant state of conflict with consumer driven demands for public land use, resulting in the highly flawed and costly management concepts previously cited.

2022 MUSTANG SUMMIT presentation on Wild Horses and Consumerism on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3pCv0VgMOI

What many people (including some wild horse advocates) fail to realize is that there are 115 million acres of designated critical wilderness where motorized vehicles and livestock production are prohibited due to law and costly logistics.

Using just 20 million acres of this vast water and forage rich wilderness area, up to 100,000 wild horses could be redistributed (rewilded/relocated) as family bands, at the rate of 1 horse per 200 acres, away from conflicts, ending the plight of wild horses.

This plan provides wild horses with habitat that is consistent with what they had enjoyed prior to the arrival of the Europeans in north America. Wild horses are completely at home in the deep wilderness and had survived in such habitats for 1.7 million years in North America.

And via reestablishing wild horses into economically and ecologically appropriate wilderness areas, these keystone herbivores can once again re-balance ecosystems, and manage the now over abundant grass and brush wildfire fuels. This natural symbiotic wildfire grazing reduces fuel loading and results in normalizing the wildfire regime, devolving super fueled super-hot catastrophic wildfires back into the normal wildfire expected on the landscape that burns low, slow, and cooler as a result of less fuel. This in turn saves forests, wildlife, and watersheds from catastrophically hot wildfires.

LEARN MORE:

More about the many benefits of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade plan HERE: https://www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org/_files/ugd/b50928_b546b19ef08441349993b0d3fd8111eb.pdf

ReWilding Europe’s wildfire focused journal ‘GrazeLIFE’ published an abstract of the Study that supports the Wild Horse Fire Brigade plan online at:
https://grazelife.com/blog/wild horse fire brigade lessons in rebalancing north american ecosystems by rewilding equids/

NPR has also published a story (with audio) online at:
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/30/1131042723/preventing wildfire with the wild horse fire brigade

Please visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org for more information.

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, USEF

Hope Hand (1949-2022) Honored with 2022 USEF Lifetime Achievement Award

Lexington, Kentucky – December 13, 2022 – Paralympian, eleven-year USEF Board member, and United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) founder Hope C. Hand of Newtown Square, Penn. was honored with the 2022 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Lifetime Achievement Award. Hand died June 12, 2022, of pancreatic cancer in her home surrounded by her family before being honored with this title. An accolade that envelopes a passionate career and personal journey for Hand. An honor she would accept with a large smile and laugh. Hand was the Executive Director of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Association, a two-time U.S. Paralympian, and international board member representing the para-equestrian sport. She was an equestrian athlete first, riding as a 10-year-old with Spina Bifida, leaving her wheelchair on the ground to enjoy the technique, challenge, and love of bonding and riding a horse. When her daughter Amy researched the Para-Equestrian discipline and the Paralympics for school, Hope (a competitive athlete in many sports) was excited that she could possibly reach the world stage on horseback. There was no goal too high for Hand, a lifelong theme always encouraging others throughout her equestrian career. As a horse family she was surrounded by the sport. Her daughter was a pony clubber. She lived along the property where the Radnor Fox Hunt would run. She attended all different shows in many different disciplines, and maintained friendships that lists like a Who’s Who of famous equestrians. She never hesitated to introduce herself and there was no bridge she wouldn’t cross.

Hand’s first Paralympics was Atlanta 1996. In 1997 she earned gold and bronze at the British Invitational. In 1997 she competed in the Bradshaw Challenge Cup at the Festival of Champions, with fellow team members Steffen Peters and Guenter Seidel. At the 1999 World Dressage Championships Denmark, Hand earned a bronze. She was on the U.S. 2000 Sydney Paralympic team and served as Team Captain. With her experience and desire to grow the Para-Equestrian discipline, in 2006 she was instrumental in helping include Para Dressage into the USEF and FEI. She served on many boards and committees through multiple decades including the FEI, USEF, Para Dressage, Technical committees, Path International, USDF, Reins for Life, NAJYRC, U.S. Pony Club, and more. Her own project began in 2009 when she created the non-profit, the United States Para-Equestrian Association. She saw the need to have USPEA help to market, grow the grassroots, encourage young equestrians, and help support and promote the international riders, drivers, and events. The USPEA was the main reason U.S. Para Dressage became a common word and talked about in other equestrian disciplines. She was proud of what she accomplished but never stopped. As the Para-Equestrian discipline became known she continued to focus on new athletes, training coaches, and creating opportunities at the national and local level. She worked passionately with a smile on her face. This decoration truly represents a lifelong commitment and love to the equestrian sport.

President of United States Eventing Association, Diane Pitts, noted, “I had the true pleasure of getting to know Hope Hand through various governance activities with the USEF. She was always very gracious but extremely focused and a fierce advocate for para-equestrian athletes. In the brief time I got to work with her, Hope taught me so much about the discipline of para-equestrian. She also demonstrated the power of dedication and the willingness to find solutions to issues by developing new ideas and new pathways to success. Losing Hope is a major blow to all equestrian sports.”

USPEA Secretary and international para-dressage athlete Ellie Brimmer added, “I first met Hope at my FEI classification. She mentored me as I found my footing on the international scene. We grew to become very good friends over the years, and she gave me the confidence to feel like I had the skills to take up a lot of my current leadership positions. Hope was tenacious in her quest to grow the para dressage sport in the United States. She understood growth comes from all levels and together we did things like attend development clinics in Virginia and FEI meetings in France. Without Hope, para sport in the United States wouldn’t be where it is today, and as she receives this award, it should drive the rest of us in the community to continue Hope’s vision of the United States para dressage program as an international powerhouse, with a strong foundation of grass roots athletes that have the tools to be able to reach the elite level.”

Hand was an important figure in so many aspects of the para-equestrian discipline, but she was also the one that made the world go around for her family. Her daughter Amy Hand Capozzoli expressed, “My mom is still getting the recognition she truly deserved, yet never asked for. What an incredible person: daughter, sister, athlete, friend, equestrian, wife, mom, mom-mom, world-renowned leader, and advocate in para-equestrian sports. She wore many hats and was never idle, always looking for the next great life adventure. I will proudly accept this great honor and award for my mom in Lexington, KY next month at the Pegasus Awards dinner on January 12th. I will always reach for the stars, mom, so that one day I may see you again. I love you more.”

Hope Hand earning the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award is a tribute to her lifelong love and commitment for the Para-Equestrian sport and for all riders that took one extra step further in their own lives and equestrian paths because of Hope Hand. Hand truly represented the definition of this accolade.

From USEF: “The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the horseman or woman whose lifetime experience and accomplishments in the equestrian world exemplify uncommon devotion to competition with horses and whose equestrian career and horsemanship have continually elevated the sport’s excellence.”

If you would like to attend the presentation of the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award during the Pegasus Awards Reception and Dinner, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, please visit https://www.usef.org/annual-meeting.

Attend the USEF Lifetime Achievement Presentation
2023 US Equestrian Annual Meeting and Awards
Where: Hyatt Regency Lexington, 401 W. High St. Lexington, KY 40507
When: Pegasus Awards Reception and Dinner – Thursday, Jan. 12th

Hope Hand Memorial Grant Fund

USPEA will be establishing a Hope Hand Memorial Grant fund in memory of our beloved Hope Hand to be used toward direct athlete grants for competition and education.

Donations may be made to USPEA and earmarked for the Hope Hand Memorial Fund. Donations made be sent to: USPEA c/o Ellie Brimmer, USEPA Secretary, 12359 Westhall Pl., Wellington, FL 33414.

Donations for the grants can be made through PayPal at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88PXC4YCSXTV4.

For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org.

Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Updates from Wild Horse Fire Brigade

We have some exciting news from our participation at the 10th Annual EQUUS Film & Arts Festival that was held in Sacramento, CA from Dec. 2-4.

The skies opened up and deluged many outdoor events. The snow that hit the mountains to the east of Sacramento (Tahoe, etc.) was heavy, so Festival attendance by some folks who planned on attending the live Festival by driving was limited due to hazardous travel conditions.

We still saw many people who drove in from southern California and from up north, as well as many attendees who made early reservations and flew in. The Murieta Hotel and Spa was fully booked for the weekend due to the two horse related events: a hunter/jumper show and the EQUUS Film Festival.

On Saturday Dec. 3rd at 10:00 AM, William Simpson gave a TED-like talk (live presentation) at the Guild Theater about the Natural Wildfire Abatement and Forest Protection Plan (a.k.a. ‘Wild Horse Fire Brigade’). That talk had the largest audience attendance at the Festival and lasted 30 minutes. The talk was followed by a 30 min. panel discussion (Q&A) with the audience.

The following Board members were in attendance:

Deb Ferns – President
Kelsey Stangebye – Vice President
Michelle Gough – Treasurer
William Simpson – Founder/Exec. Director

The audience provided many good questions that addressed various aspects of how and why Wild Horse Fire Brigade benefits wild horses and ecosystems.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sent three representatives to the Wild Horse Fire Brigade talk. Their team leader was Amy Ruhs who was from the BLM’s Idaho state office.

One of the three ladies from the BLM, from the Sacramento BLM office, had a good question:

“How would you amend the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act to allow rewilding?”

The answer:

Section 1339 of the Act currently prohibits the BLM from relocating wild horses from any Herd Management Area (HMA) into another non-HMA area, such as designated critical wilderness (115 million acres available).

By amending just Section 1339 to state that:

The BLM is authorized to humanely relocate wild horses as family bands from areas where they are deemed to be in conflict with commercial enterprises and subject to roundups, and relocate them into designated critical wilderness areas that are both economically and ecologically appropriate.

A further discussion outlined how wild horses can currently be rewilded using existing law (Humane Transfer of Excess Animals Act: H.R. 1625).

Other questions from the audience included those involving evolution of wild horses and native species status, depredation by north American apex predators, and the current dire situation for wild horses created by the failed Adoption Incentive Programs (‘AIP’).

This talk and Q&A session was filmed, and we hope to have that presentation online for viewing sometime next week. It’s a massive video file (~40 Gigabytes).

The music video (“We Are the Wild Horses”) produced by a diverse collective of all volunteers around saving wild horses and presented by Wild Horse Fire Brigade WON the Winnie Award (top honor) in the category of “wild horse music videos.” “We Are the Wild Horses” premiered at the 10th Annual EQUUS Film Fest in Sacramento, CA and was very well received by the audience and is now online, full length, for everyone to enjoy and share:

NOTE: You don’t need any account or signup – just watch!

  1. On Twitter: https://twitter.com/OfficialWHFB/status/1600280004083990528
  2. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWHFB/posts/pfbid0ErJTsCvRPCrvq3CXpiZC51KjvZfanMpojiQZ6qN3e5X6sSQsZsfsHts3oXtDQzCHl
  3. On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWINUpdiomc

The diverse team at Wild Horse Fire Horse Fire Brigade believes that music is an important way to educate others in a way that opens hearts and minds about the importance of American wild horses. We have more good stuff in the pipeline that we’ll be reporting later in the month.

The entire team at Wild Horse Fire Brigade wishes everyone a great holiday season!

Please visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org.

Competitions, Equinium Sports Mktg., Show Jumping

Lumière Horses Wraps Up 2022 with Success in Tyron and Aiken

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Reutter and Here I Am Z.

Mill Spring, NC (November 23, 2022) – Chilean show jumper Gabriela Reutter of Lumière Horses wrapped up her stellar 2022 show season in North Carolina this fall, jumping her three-horse string to multiple top finishes. In her final competitive appearances of the year, Reutter focused on clean rounds and bolstering the horses’ FEI experience while her top Grand Prix mount, Maharees Rock, rested after the pair’s Bronze Medal win at the South American Games in September. After North Carolina, Reutter plans to move south to Wellington, Florida in preparation for the new year at the 2023 Winter Equestrian Festival.

Reutter began the end of her fall season in Tryon, North Carolina, competing in the 2022 Tryon Fall Finale I, held November 3-6. Sales horses Joselinde L.A.T, Here I Am Z, and Billy Lincoln jumped in the 1.30-1.35m divisions, with multiple in the ribbons finishes. Joselinde L.A.T, a.k.a. Jojo, took 2nd in the $2,000 1.30m Open Stake and 5th in the 1.30m Open. Here I Am Z, a.k.a. Hero, finished 6th in the $3,000 1.35m Open Stake, while Billy Lincoln finished 5th in the 1.35m Open.

The following week in Aiken, all three horses were once again finishing in the ribbons. At the Split Rock Aiken CSI2, held November 9-13, Reutter rode Billy Lincoln to a 6th place finish in the $10,000 1.40m CSI 2 and Hero to the win in the 1.30m. Hero also finished 11th overall in the $20,000 1.35m Grand Prix, while Jojo took 3rd and 12th in the 1.30m.

In addition to her competitive accolades, the hard work of Reutter’s groom Anthony Chavez was highlighted at Split Rock. Billy Lincoln was awarded the Hyaluronex Best Turned Out in the FEI Jog and Chavez received the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Fund Grooms Award.

Reutter’s passion for equestrian sport began at a young age, and has since taken her to the upper echelons of show jumping. Combining talent, horsemanship, and dedication to her dreams, she rides with the aspiration of representing Chile at the pinnacle of show jumping sport. Born in Santiago, Chile, Gaby began riding at only four years old. At 17, she moved to the United States to pursue a professional show jumping career. Since 2014, she has ridden under the guidance of Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Chris Kappler, and completed her undergraduate degree in Economics and Business Studies at NYU.

To date, Gaby is currently the #1 female Chilean show jumper, and her most recent career highlight was a Bronze Medal finish at the 2022 South American Games in Paraguay with Maharees Rock. She also has multiple top finishes in international FEI classes, including her Nations Cup accomplishments, European tour, the U25 Grand Prix divisions, and victory in an FEI 4-star event. She currently campaigns her anchor show jumper, Maharees Rock (a.k.a. Rocky) and a string of sales horses. Her international equestrian CV also includes Spruce Meadows, The Hampton Classic, and several junior/young rider South American Games. She and Rocky were in the top 3 during this July’s Tryon Summer 5 $75,000 Grand Prix CSI2-star, out of 50 entries and top 3 in the $138,600 Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel CSI3* Grand Prix during the 2022 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. In 2018, Reutter received her certificate of capability for the Pan American Games following a top 3 finish in the FEI 3-star 1.50m Captive One Classic, and has her sights set on representing Chile internationally this winter.

For more information on Reutter, her horses, and Lumière, visit www.LumiereHorses.com.

Media contact:
Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC
Holly Johnson
holly@equinium.com
www.equinium.com

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Equinium Sports Mktg.

Gótico Interagro Augments Accolades with 2022 USDF Awards

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Photo: Gótico Interagro and Randi Joslyn.

Mashapaug, CT (November 7, 2022) – Gótico Interagro and owner Randi Joslyn of Quadrifoglio Dressage added a few more accolades to their list of awards earned during their 18-month partnership. In that short period of time, the pair has been named to multiple Championships and Reserve Championships for the United States Dressage Association (USDF) and their local GMO, and plan to move up to the Prix St. Georges Level in 2023, with their sights set on their first CDI.

Bred by Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil, Gótico came to Joslyn in the spring of 2021. After seeing something special in the beautiful mahogany bay gelding, a week later Gótico was part of the Quadrifoglio family. The pair started out at Second Level, and in less than a year they were named the 2021 USDF US Lusitano Reserve Champion in the Third Level Open division, the 2021 Connecticut Dressage Association Third Level Open Champion, the 2022 US Lusitano Champion at Fourth Level in both the Open and Adult Amateur divisions, and the USDF Fourth Level Vintage Cup Champion. Gótico has since been successfully schooling the Prix St. Georges and FEI movements, pulling from the natural athleticism, intelligence, and rideability Interagro strives for in their breeding program.

Gótico Interagro is by Profano Interagro, a stallion known for producing exceptionally versatile and athletic offspring. Gótico, before being exported to the US, was highly awarded in Working Equitation, and was beloved in Interagro’s training barns as a young horse because of his exceptional personality. The gelding’s unique character and abilities are what drew Joslyn to him to start, and have proven to be an incredibly important aspect of their training up the levels.

“He has the most amazing personality,” said Joslyn. “I describe him as an old soul because it’s like there is a wisdom about him. He is picky about who he sees as ‘his people,’ but he is kind to everyone. He’s extremely athletic and incredibly smart. He picks up on new skills quickly and then goes out of his way to make you happy. There is also a regal side to him, so much so that he has become affectionately known as ‘his lordship’ in the barn. I’m really looking forward to moving up with him and I hope to someday compete with him at Grand Prix. He truly is the most amazing horse and I feel very honoured that he let me into his enormous heart.”

For more information on Interagro Lusitanos, Interagro’s horses for sale, or the Lusitano bloodlines, visit Interagro’s website at www.lusitano-interagro.com.

Media contact:
Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC
Holly Johnson
holly@equinium.com
www.equinium.com

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping, Spruce Meadows

Meet the Next Gen: Gilles Thomas

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(Photo: Rolex / Ashley Neuhof)

You have had a great year; what has been your highlight?

I have an such an amazing year; it is hard for me to pick just one highlight! I had my first 5* victory in the King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead in July, which was amazing, and then coming third in the CP ‘International’ at the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament was a fantastic result. Most recently being on the Belgium team and winning the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final was incredible for me. I don’t think I can choose just one of those moments!

What are you hoping to achieve between now and the end of the year?

I am hoping to ride at CHI Geneva – that would be amazing. Then in Belgium we have the have a 5* show which includes a FEI Jumping World Cup™, in Mechelen, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This show is always very important to Belgian riders, and my family are involved in the organisation of it, so I really hope I can have a good result in the FEI Jumping World Cup™ there.

What are your hopes and ambitions for 2023 and beyond?

My ultimate dream is to compete at CHIO Aachen; in my opinion, it is the best show in the world and the Rolex Grand Prix there is one of the most prestigious classes in the calendar. I am also aiming to compete in a Belgium senior team at a big championship. I have competed in Junior and Young Rider teams, but to be part of the Belgium team at the FEI World Championships or the Olympic Games and win a medal would be a dream come true.

After your great performance in the CP ‘International’, how will you prepare for CHI Geneva?

I’m not totally sure whether I will be competing there yet, but I hope that I will. They are two very different shows, but I would still take Aretino 13, as even though the arena at CHI Geneva is indoors, it is still very big. If I go to CHI Geneva, it will be the only indoor show that Aretino 13 competes in because he is a big horse and needs more space, so he suits outdoor arenas better. CHI Geneva is such an amazing show and so I will plan to take my three best horses if I go.

Read more here.

© 2022 Rolex – Rolex Grand Slam

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Equinium Sports Mktg.

Team Bronze for Hamilcar Interagro and Malin Morén at 2022 South American Games

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Malin Morén and Hamilcar Interagro (Photo by Cora Causemann)

Asunción, Paraguay (October 21, 2022) – Hamilcar Interagro and Uruguay’s Malin Morén delivered exceptional tests at the Prix St. Georges and intermediaire I level during the 2022 South American Games, held October 1-15 in Asunción, Paraguay, to help earn Team Bronze. Along with teammates Agustina Bravo, Guillermina Birenbaum, and Carolin Mallmann, Morén and Hamilcar Interagro (Bungo Interagro x Tiffany Interagro) posted a score of 126.589 to take Bronze. As a precursor to the 2023 Pan American Games set to be held next fall in Santiago, Chile, these Games once again prove the mettle of the Interagro Lusitano on the world’s stage.

Bred in Itapira, São Paulo, Brazil on the tropical breeding and training center of Interagro Lusitanos, Hamilcar Interagro was sold by Interagro as a yearling in 2012. His lineage includes Ofensor (MV), arguably the most influential and iconic modern Lusitano stallion, Novilheiro (MV), and Yacht (SA). Hamilcar sire, Bungo Interagro, competed through the international FEI level in dressage, and boasted spectacular movement and conformation. Hamilcar Interagro clearly inherited his sire’s talent for dressage, and with Morén in the irons the pair danced their way through the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I, and Intermediaire I Freestyle in Paraguay. Their freestyle featured upbeat music by Ed Sheeran and earned scores as high as 72% from individual judges on the panel.

“Hamilcar Interagro is the most wonderful horse to ride,” said Morén. “His gaits are fantastic, especially his extended trot and collected work. It’s been very easy for him to learn new things and to quickly advance to higher levels in dressage. He is the perfect companion on the show grounds. I think he knows how beautiful he is and loves getting applause from the audience. In Odesur 2022, he proved that he is ready for the bigger competitions. He is a very special horse with a big heart and a mind made to compete!”

For more information on Interagro Lusitanos, Interagro’s horses for sale, or the Lusitano bloodlines, visit Interagro’s website at www.lusitano-interagro.com.

Media contact:
holly@equinium.com
www.equinium.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Phelps Media Group

Micaela Mabragana Earns CDI3* Grand Prix Special Win at Dressage at Devon

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Micaela Mabragana and Diamond Rosso.

Alice Tarjan Wins CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle

Devon, Pa. – Oct. 1, 2022 – Dressage at Devon’s pinnacle classes of the week, the CDI3* Grand Prix Special, presented by BioStar Whole Food Supplements, and the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Kingsview Partners, were highlighted in the Dixon Oval on Saturday evening. Ready for a night of musical freestyle performances in the electric atmosphere of the Dixon Oval, competitors and spectators reconvened for the evening session of FEI competition, seeing Micaela Mabragana and Alice Tarjan once again earn top placings, this time in the CDI3* Grand Prix Special and CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle.

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Shannon Dueck Takes Home CDI1* Intermediate I Win; Camille Carier Bergeron Clinches FEI U25 Grand Prix with Sound of Silence 4

Performance competition continued at Dressage at Devon 2022 on Saturday morning, with energy still high from the festivities of the night before. Featuring the Junior, Young Rider, and Intermediate I tests for CDI1*, CDI3*, and Amateur competitors prior to another exciting evening of special exhibitions, parties, and FEI Grand Prix competition, the historic show’s top competition continued over the weekend.

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Emma Miller
em@phelpsmediagroup.com