Tag Archives: Saving America’s Mustangs

*Featured/Spotlights, Wild Horse Sources

CEO of the Humane Society Responds to Wall Street Journal Article on Horse Slaughter

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Photo: Steve Hebert for The Wall Street Journal

Gentlemen,
I know there are a thousand critics out there, and I think I personally may have 995 of them, but I did want to take a moment to express my disappointment with your May 3rd piece on horse slaughter. I think you fell for the false framing of the issue by proponents of slaughter, and you validated the anecdotes of a handful of people and turned them into a fact pattern. I don’t think it was reporting at its best.

There were some actual errors, including the mention that the Congress took the action of specifically “authorizing funding for inspections” at horse slaughter plants. The Congress did no such thing. It simply chose not to include language that specifically barred funding for inspections. In fact, every time the full Senate or House has voted on the issue, the outcome has been lopsided in opposition to horse slaughter. In this case, a couple of conferees to the Agriculture spending bill dropped the House-approved language barring funding. You’ll find no language in the appropriations bill that mentions that horses should be slaughter, and there’s definitely no authorizing language to that effect.

Continue reading CEO of the Humane Society Responds to Wall Street Journal Article on Horse Slaughter →

*Featured/Spotlights, Wild Horse Sources

BLM Selects Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Preserve Proposal

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Photo Courtesy of Jo Danehy

Dear Friends and Supporters,
We are elated to share the announcement from the Bureau of Land management that they are prepared to move forward with the wild horse eco-sanctuary that I have proposed in Elko County, Nevada. I want to personally thank the thousands upon thousands of supporters of Saving America’s Mustangs that have weighed in with their support over the past few years and for sticking with us through throughout this journey. We could not have done it without each of you.

I also want to thank the BLM and the multitude of their great staff that have worked diligently on this project over the past few years. Their support and the many hours they put into that effort is sincerely appreciated. While we may not have always agreed on every fine point during our early work, I think we always knew we were breaking new ground and moving in the direction of new horizons where the care and management of the Nation’s wild horses are concerned. Nothing of this magnitude is ever accomplished without a difference of opinion and our ability to persevere and work together is essential to the success of this project. And it is important to point out that there is so much hard work left to do and maintaining a good working relationship will ultimately determine how successful we are in moving forward and setting the stage for future successes.

Continue reading BLM Selects Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Preserve Proposal →

Wild Horse Sources

Official SAM Statement Regarding BLM Appointing Callie Hendrickson to Advisory Board

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SAM has received thousands of emails regarding the appointment of Callie Hendrickson to the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. By a large majority, the comments received through various social media sites have raised concern and strong opposition to Ms. Hendrickson being appointed to the Board because of her ardent support for slaughter of wild horses. While others on the Board have also expressed support for efforts to revive the slaughter of wild horses, as well as domestic horses, Ms. Hendrickson has signaled her support for United Horsemen, the most aggressive coalition in this country advising support for horse slaughter for human consumption. SAM feels compelled to respond to the thousands of inquires we have received about Ms. Hendrickson’s appointment.

The most glaring and perplexing part of the Hendrickson appointment is this: at a time when the Bureau of Land Management, from the Secretary of the Interior and the current BLM Director on down have expressed in no uncertain terms that there will be no slaughter of wild horses, why appoint an individual that supports slaughter to the only public advisory Board that makes recommendations on how to improve the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

Continue reading Official SAM Statement Regarding BLM Appointing Callie Hendrickson to Advisory Board →

Wild Horse Sources

Madeleine Pickens Comments on BLM Announcing First Eco Sanctuary in Wyoming

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Dear Friends and Supporters,
SAM would like to express its appreciation for the BLM’s selection of a 4,000 acre ranch in Wyoming to house some wild horses, but this proposal raises more questions than it answers. It continues along the outdated and inhumane path the BLM has pursued for years; continuing to give wild horses to private ranch operations that profit from them without assurances of a real public benefit.

But, let’s look at some of the other aspects of this proposed plan.

BLM has suggested they can do the necessary NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) compliance work in about 3-6 months. I have been waiting for over two years and have been told all along that the NEPA compliance work on the proposal that I submitted for an Eco sanctuary in northern NV would take as long as two years, if they ever start on it. I can only presume that there is a special, unique “fast track” for a rancher where NEPA is concerned.

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Community/Charity, Products/Services, WHIN, Wild Horse Sources

WHINNY Awards to Honor Animal Rights Advocate Madeleine Pickens

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The Women’s Horse Industry Network has announced that Madeleine Pickens has been selected to receive a WHINNY award. The awards dinner will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at the Radisson Hotel Opryland. It will be videotaped as part of a one hour special on HRTV.

“We are very happy to present this award to Madeleine. This woman not only works hard to help animals and horses but has put her money where her boots are and where her passion lives. People like Madeleine deserve to be recognized and applauded for their efforts.  We will do everything we can to help promote her and her efforts.  It definitely will be my pleasure to hand her this award,” states WHIN’s Executive Director, Catherine Masters.

Animal rights advocate Madeleine Pickens started her career in horse racing in 1983, a passion she shared with her late husband and Gulfstream Aerospace founder, Allen E. Paulson. They achieved enormous success in racing and had a total of 800 horses, including breeding and racing World Champion and U.S. Hall of Fame inductee, Cigar. They achieved much esteem for their successes racing many champion Thoroughbreds, breeding many brood mares, and creating three successful farms from the ground up. Together, they owned a breaking and training farm at Ocala and a breeding farm at Brookside North in Kentucky where many of their champions were raised. They also had one more facility in California. Madeleine managed all the business aspects, farm decisions, and race decisions for the entire operation. The Paulsons owned more than 115 winners of graded stakes races. To this day, they still hold the record for the leader of the most ‘Breeder’s Cup’ champion horses and earnings.

Today, she is still breeding a few racehorses, but adamantly opposes horse slaughter and the use of the drugs in these animals. Until that is cleared up, she won’t ever participate in the race world like she had once been.

Continue reading WHINNY Awards to Honor Animal Rights Advocate Madeleine Pickens →

Wild Horse Sources

Mustang Monument Receives One Million Dollar Donation from Nevadan Couple

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Photo by: Marian Umhoefer - Review Journal

We are delighted to announce that Nevada residents, Stacie and Charles Mathewson, generously donated one million dollars to the Saving America’s Mustangs’ Wild Horse Eco-Preserve, Mustang Monument!

Charles Mathewson is the former president and chief executive officer of International Gaming Technology and recipient of the 2011 Governor’s Philanthropist of the Year. He and his wife, Stacie, have been notably philanthropic to many respected causes in Nevada. The Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation is honored to be chosen to receive such a substantial gift from them.

“We are over the moon to have received such support and generosity from our friends. It’s been really exciting to see so many Americans committed to Saving America’s Mustangs and our western heritage,” said Madeleine Pickens. Their significant contribution will facilitate growth and continued progress with the development at Mustang Monument.

Additionally, SAM has received so much encouragement from thousands of other residents in Nevada who excitedly await the grand opening of Mustang Monument. Communities are recognizing the positive impact that the eco-preserve will have on not only the wild mustangs, but also with our American culture.

Together, we will all provide a better life for our beloved American mustangs and our western heritage!

Saving America’s Mustangs

Wild Horse Sources

Mustang Monument Got Its First Horses!

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Paiute Horses Get Delivered to Mustang Monument!

Dear Friend and Supporters,
Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco-preserve made history yesterday! I’m going to try my best to begin to let you know the power of Mustang Monument.

Yesterday, we were blessed with the arrival of the first truckload of the Paiute mares and foals. These are the lucky mustangs that were rescued days from slaughter last December.

During the unloading process there was such a huge windstorm that kicked up. Luckily the dust started to settle as the mares and foals were unloaded into a temporary round pen built with bales of hay. Then, we opened the gates to set them free in one vast, but still fenced off area.

Literally hundreds of acres were theirs for the taking.

As they saw the gate was open, they each were looking around, and very gently the lead mare floated forward with her mane and tail flowing in the wind. Each of the other horses happily followed her lead. They were all now at their forever home. The sight was truly overwhelming. It was so emotional for me with tears of joy and relief streaming down my cheeks.

I cannot aptly describe the experience, but this is definitely a mission driven by God. He has blessed us all with this wonderful gift. I felt that the wind storm was so poignant to this situation, because when God created the earth and man, there was a mighty storm. It’s rather like a birthing. We are so lucky. I am so lucky. I’ve been surrounded by so many supporters and friends and I can’t thank you all enough. I am overwhelmed, speechless, and very fulfilled. It’s a new beginning.

Love, Madeleine and the mustangs

Click here to watch the first horses to set hoof on Mustang Monument!

To Learn More about this issue, please visit our website: www.SavingAmericasMustangs.org
and please join us on Facebook and Twitter!
www.facebook.com/mustangmonument
www.twitter.com/mpickens

Contributors/Press, Wild Horse Sources

Horse Haven ‘Coming Soon’ Pickens Still Seeking BLM Partnership

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By ADELLA HARDING Elko Daily Free Press Staff Writer elkodaily.com | Posted: Friday, April 22, 2011

SAM Billboard Photo generously donated by Mark Terrell

ELKO – Wild horse activist Madeleine Pickens said her Saving America’s Mustangs organization is applying to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to operate an eco-sanctuary on her land in Elko County.

The BLM is accepting proposals for two types of eco-sanctuaries that would be public-private partnerships with the agency. One of them is for a horse sanctuary on private land only and the other is for a combination of private and public land.

“We just filled them both in and will see what happens,” Pickens said.

The deadline for applications for the private-land eco-sanctuaries is May 14, and the deadline for the public-private combination is May 24, BLM spokesman Tom Gorey said Wednesday from Washington.

He said he doesn’t know yet how many have submitted proposals.

“We’re just in the process of receiving solicitations,” Gorey said. “Certainly, I can say there has been quite a bit of interest. We’ve received at least 20 phone calls. We’re looking for the best proposals for the good of the animals and taxpayers.”

Continue reading Horse Haven ‘Coming Soon’ Pickens Still Seeking BLM Partnership →

Contributors/Press, Wild Horse Sources

Ted Turner Signs on with Saving America’s Mustangs

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We are pleased to announce that Saving America’s Mustangs has a new Advisory Board member, Mr. Ted Turner!

Since the early 1970s, Ted Turner has stepped into the international spotlight with one accomplishment after another. Whether in billboard advertisement, cable television, sports team ownership, sailing, environmental initiatives or philanthropy – Turner’s vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently given the world reason to take notice.

Turner now dedicates his time and resources to making the world a better, safer place for future generations. His current philanthropic interests include: the Turner Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the Captain Planet Foundation, and the Turner Endangered Species Fund.

www.tedturner.com

“The Turner Foundation looks at the earth as a precious asset that has been lent to us. As a family, we believe it is our job to do whatever we can to leave it better than we found it.” R. E. Turner, Chairman

Continue reading Ted Turner Signs on with Saving America’s Mustangs →

Contributors/Press, Wild Horse Sources

Breaking News: Congress Approves $2 Million Tax Cut for the BLM!

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Dear Friends & Supporters,
It’s a great day for the mustangs! Yesterday afternoon, Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) went on the floor of Congress with an amendment to a voice vote to cut the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro budget by $2 million dollars.

It was voted on and approved! This is HUGE news and is sure to send a message to agency officials that the American people will not let their actions go unnoticed.

“Indiana Republican Dan Burton says his amendment is intended to send a signal to agency officials that most Americans want the mustangs treated more humanely on public lands across the West,” as told to the Associated Press.

Here is the full article from yesterday’s vote.

Please be sure to write to Rep. Burton and thank him for going out of his way for our mustangs! Click here!

We also want you to see this powerful video created and produced by Ginger Kathrens of The Cloud Foundation.  Please be advised that some of these images are disturbing, but unfortunately, that is the truth to these government roundups. Please watch all the way through.

Congressional Appeal to Halt the Roundups

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13274