Tag Archives: wild horses

More Than Mustangs… Do Roundups Really Threaten Wild Horses?

Do gathers really threaten wild horses & burros? Yes, but beyond the scope of keeping them simply at appropriate management levels….

To clarify, not by the various small regional/state BLM… the ‘worker bees’, but rather the “queen bee” better known as the government level BLM (Bob Abbey & office) acting as “right hand”, and DOI (Ken Salazar). How and why: We’ve lost over [conservatively] 20 MILLION herd management acres (part of the original 54 million set aside for mustang management) and since year 2000 alone, lost over 40% of our mustangs. CORRELATION? The federal government in this struggling economy has one quest and one focus – land and money. They’ve set their sights on the last remaining wild open spaces of our west for ‘green energy’ farms, development, and natural resource exploitation and wild horses, who may one day have better protection (through the will of the people), roam there. Wild horses and burros are simply a road block to what they call progress. Green energy is good, but must be more planful… not “government graffiti” on pristine high deserts or our western rangelands, with fascinating ecosystems and beautiful vistas.

Continue reading More Than Mustangs… Do Roundups Really Threaten Wild Horses?

Wyoming Resident Files Complaint against State Rep. Sue Wallis

December 19, 2010 – CHICAGO – Wyoming resident Patricia Fazio, Ph.D. has filed a complaint with state officials, requesting an investigation of alleged violations of ethics laws and securities fraud by Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis (R-Campbell). Animal Law Coalition (ALC), Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and Habitat for Horses Advisory Council (HfHAC) applaud Dr. Fazio and join in the call for authorities to investigate Wallis’ activities.

The complaint alleges Rep. Wallis is improperly and even fraudulently abusing her position as a Wyoming legislator. The complaint further alleges that Rep. Wallis not only neglected to recuse herself or disclose her personal financial interest in votes, but that she has actually “sponsored” bills that would materially benefit her or her family.

Wallis has publicly claimed to be forming a business under the name Unified Equine LLC, which she says will slaughter horses and sell the meat within Wyoming. At the same time, in her capacity as a legislator, she is promoting legislation that would deregulate, promote and favor horse slaughter operations.

Continue reading Wyoming Resident Files Complaint against State Rep. Sue Wallis

Budget Spells Disaster for Wild Horses — Act Now!

Dear Animal Advocates,
As you may know, Congress is currently trying to pass a federal budget for fiscal year 2011. Unbelievably, although the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program is widely known to be broken and unsustainable, the House of Representatives has approved increasing its funding.

The BLM plans to use this funding to remove another 10,000 wild horses from public lands next year. If this happens, the population of mustangs warehoused for life in government holding facilities would swell to 45,000 — to the tune of $50 million in taxpayer money. Meanwhile, privately owned herds of cattle are allowed to graze on the same land that was “overcrowded” with wild horses.

We do have a chance to stop this: the Senate is still debating the 2011 federal spending bill, but the deadline to make changes and pass it is midnight on Saturday, December 18.

Continue reading Budget Spells Disaster for Wild Horses — Act Now!

A New Years Message on Behalf of Cloud & the Mustangs

Climbs High

Dear Friends of Cloud and his family and all of America’s Wild Horses;
Winter arrived with a fury in Cloud’s Montana home. When Makendra Silverman, intern Lindsey Kasl, and I arrived in early December the mountain was cloaked in white from top to bottom. The snow-clogged road onto Sykes Ridge was impassable. Even the paved highway in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area was challenging. Beautiful wild horses and Bighorn sheep roamed near the edge of the Bighorn Canyon.

Just inside the boundary of the horse range, near Crooked Creek, we spent time with the stocky bay colt I named Climbs High and his family. I was able to photograph Climbs High at the base of a high hill when he was a few minutes old this past May.

Even before the colt was dry, he followed his mother to the top of, not just one high hill, but two! Hence his name. I am amazed at the toughness of these newborns and the fitness of all the horses, despite sparse desert rations.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12692

Appropriately “Federally Protected” Wild Horses “LOCK UP” Our Western Public Rangelands from Development & Exploitation

Appropriately “federally protected” wild horses “LOCK UP” our western public rangelands from development and exploitation. Looking at the bigger and historical picture of wild horse mismanagement (not what appears just fine in one’s own “backyard”), it’s easier to see why there is a war waged against our wild horses & burros at the DOI/government level ~ OUR lands. Remain vigilant and “Keep our WEST WILD”.

Besides livestock overrunning lands owned by just a few large corporations (not private ranchers – very different) which only benefit 3% of the American public… there is also development, natural resource exploitation, green energy farms such as the Ruby Pipeline extending from Wyoming west to Oregon, and wind turbines & solar power. Suddenly, our wide open spaces of our beloved west are shrinking at alarming rates.

As stated, wild horses “lock up” our lands when they have appropriate “protected” status, as we are hoping… and they (DOI) are fearing, by restoring appropriate language/protection through a wild horse and burro Act (i.e. ROAM Act), prior to the 2004 tragic amendment, stripping wild horses and burros of most of their protection “sold without limitations”… a sneaky rider bill by Senator Conrad Burns who introduced it, and put it into appropriations without public comment/consent DURING the holiday break when most in DC were away on vacation. President G. Bush signed it on December 6th, and with the swipe of a pen, causing tragedies to your/my/our American mustangs and burros, and at the same time devastating knowledgeable citizens.

Sign of the times: actual video of what many of our wide open spaces may soon be like – tremendous impact on all wildlife & our psyches. Information and awareness is key. Here’s what Basin & Range says: The loud noise of the Stirling dish/engines will scare wildlife in the desert away and invade the silence of the wilderness areas nearby, at Calico Solar Project and Imperial Valley Solar Project (deadly Calico roundup, where 2,000 wild horses were removed last winter).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEIQ2FVL_ys

Sonya Malecky Spaziani

A Million Voices for Mustangs

Speak Up to Protect Cloud’s Herd

Part of Bolder's band including Cloud's grandson Echo, a target for removal in 2011.

Billings BLM Wants to Drug & Further Destroy Historic Herd – Send Letters by Wednesday, Dec. 1st

Dear Friends of Cloud, his family and herd;
Please take a few minutes out of what is a very busy time to year on behalf of Cloud, his family and herd in the beautiful Pryor Mountains of Montana.

We are asking you to comment on the BLM’s Preliminary Assessment, which would allow for five years of infertility drug use (2011-2015) on potentially every mare on the mountain over the age of one! Right now, 54 Pryor mares are currently on infertility drugs, 40 of them on a multi-year drug, PZP-22. Comments are due in writing by December 1st via mail to the Billings Field Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101 or by fax at (406) 896-5281, or by e-mail to info@thecloudfoundation.org where we will fax your comments for you. You can also use the free computer fax service online here. If you email your comments to us, please try to do so by 2 pm MST on December 1st so we will have time to fax them in before BLM closes at 4:30 pm.

You can read the BLM’s proposal online here. Then click on “Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Fertility Control Preliminary Environmental Assessment”.

Continue reading Speak Up to Protect Cloud’s Herd

Midwest Ranchers Find Gold in Nevada’s Wild Horses

by Valerie James-Patton

November 19, 2010 – A two sentence article appearing in the Nevada Ely Times, November 3, 2010, only stated that “Chairman of the Governor’s Wildlife Commission, Scott Raine of Eureka, has designated a new Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners’ Feral Horse Committee “consisting of” what Raine calls “five of the foremost experts on the issue of feral horses in the State of Nevada.” The Chairman is Mike Stremler and members Commissioner Hank Vogler, Wayne Hage, George Parman and Floyd Rathbun.”

The title of the article was “Wildlife Commission subcommittee to oversee wild horse issues”, which begs the question: which horses and what issues?  More importantly, what is the purpose of this committee and what is the goal regarding feral horses?

With no information available on this committee on the internet, a quick search on the committee “experts” revealed rather startling information, although nothing that appeared to qualify these men at experts on wild or feral horses.

Continue reading Midwest Ranchers Find Gold in Nevada’s Wild Horses

Freedom Fund Benefit Auction

Stallion painting by David Gonzales

Dear Supporters,
The Cloud Foundation’s “Freedom Fund Benefit Auction” is now underway with many beautiful pieces of artwork as well as an exclusive wine tasting/tour at Durell Vineyards and more! Thank you to all who donated items to this auction and thank you for looking. The bidding ends Friday at 6pm MST. Please call the Cloud Foundation office at 719-633-3842 with any questions. Click here to visit the online auction and learn more about America’s wild horses and what you can do to protect them.

Introducing the Cloud Collection of Pendants

Photographer Deb Little created a wonderful set of eight glass pendants featuring Cloud and other horses of the Arrowhead Mountains. These exclusive pendants make wonderful presents for horse lovers of all ages and are available on handmade horsehair necklaces (no horses were harmed of course).

"The Defender" Cloud fine art print by Deb Little

Check out the new collection today!

The Cloud Foundation

107 South 7th St

Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Save 50 Nevada Mustangs from Roundup and Convince BLM to Adopt Humane Standards

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a roundup of 294 wild horses in Nevada’s Augusta Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA). Unlike other capture plans, the BLM’s Winnemucca District Office intends to treat mares with PZP fertility control and release all horses captured from within the HMA back to the range.

However, approximately 50 horses living outside of the HMA need your help to stay with their families free on the range. The horses are living in an area that was once designated as wild horse habitat but “zeroed out” for wild horses to accommodate grazing of privately-held farmed animals.

The agency is accepting public comments on this plan. Please urge the BLM to cancel the removal of any horses, while making the treat-and-release plan as humane as possible. Click here to submit your comments before the Friday, November 5 deadline.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org

A New Home for the Freedom Fund Bands

Annie Oakley and Pistol await turnout into their new home.

Dear Friends of our Wild Horses;
A year ago in September the BLM removed the family bands that roamed the Commissary Ridge area in the Custer National Forest, saying they were illegally grazing in this Pryor Mountains area. Their decision to remove ALL the horses in the Forest Service came at the 11th hour when there was no time to mount a protest. Their actions resulted in the removal of four bands led by the stallions Conquistador, Trigger, Bo, and Shane. The bands contained animals like Grumpy Grulla who was 21 years old and Conquistador, the magnificent 19-year-old stallion you may remember from the first Cloud film.

Because of an outpouring of donations from all across the country from generous wild horse lovers like you, the Cloud Foundation was able to adopt and buy the older members of the bands, keeping the families together and providing them with the freedom to roam on a beautiful ranch just north of their home in the Pryor Mountains. This spring three foals were born in Conquistador, Bo and Trigger’s bands. Diablo (Chalupa x Bo) and Diego (Cavelita x Conquistador) were born in April. Lovely Annie Oakley was born in early May to Mae West and Trigger. Our surprise gift arrived in August when Trigger’s mare, Evita, gave birth to little Pistol.

Continue reading A New Home for the Freedom Fund Bands