Report by Carol Walker ~ Wild Horse Freedom Federation Advisory Board
Forward by R.T. Fitch ~ co-founder/president Wild Horse Freedom Federation
“It’s over, the BLM’s war on wild horses in Wyoming has concluded with a total of 668 horses ripped from their families and freedom. The BLM walks away with a smile on their face while the Cattoors have a nice fat paycheck for the holidays, thanks to you taxpayers. Wild Horse Freedom Federation‘s Carol Walker was on hand for the release of the 40 PZPed mares, yesterday, but was not present for the alleged release of 38 studs on Sunday as tax paying Americans were forbidden and banned from the operation. You can view the BLM’s official reports by clicking (HERE).
Below is a brief report from Carol who braved minus 10 degree temps and being that all wild horse and burro harassment operations are officially concluded she is simply going to attempt to check on the released horses, this morning, and then head for home and a well deserved rest and warm up.
Carol’s photos, below, are from her iPad as they caravaned to the release site. Her dynamite photos from her top notch camera will be forth coming once she gets back in front of a computer.
Keep the faith, my friends, and many thanks to Carol for braving the elements on behalf of the horses.” ~ R.T.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
photo by Carol Walker
Some thoughts from the release – when I pulled up to the pens where they had kept the mares since they rounded them up on Saturday by the highway there was a lot of running, churning around, and the mares I could see in the very open stock trailer looked terrified – I could see the whites of their eyes.
photo by Carol Walker
But when they finally arrived at the release site, about 40-50 miles from where they had been captured, once they scrambled out of the trailers, they were composed – they went up a hill immediately, so that they could see where they were, and waited for all of the group to catch up before trotting off. This was true of the second group as well – the Cattoors opened the trailer door for the first group, and they trotted up the hill next to the one I was on, paused and looked over at me, waited for the second group in the other trailer to catch up, then all trotted down the hill. Even though they were in a strange new place, stranger still since there had been no snow on the ground when they were captured, they showed how tough and uniquely suited these horses are to their challenging environment, acting with caution, alertness and grace. I can only imagine that the release of the stallions went a bit differently – I know from past releases that the boys run off as fast as they can go!
The second group of mares only had an hour before sunset to figure out their new surroundings but hopefully they will be fine. It was colder than 11 below last night out there,and I do believe they were much better off on their own and free to seek sheltered spots than they would have been still stuck in that pen by the highway with no shelter.
Ironically,the release location for the mares was one of the trap sites for the 2010 roundup in Adobe Town, the Poison Buttes Trap site. I do NOT have fond memories of that location having observed hundreds of horses losing their freedom there.
Related Articles
- Wyoming BLM Wild Horse Helicopter Stampede Over; Captured, Shattered, Herd Remnants All That Remains (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Exclusive Report: Where Have All the Wild Horses and Burros Gone? (ppjg.me)
- Obama’s BLM Continues Assault on American Wild Horses over Holiday Weekend (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Helicopter Roundups Continue to Destroy Wild Horse Herds (hippies4horses.wordpress.com)
- Wyoming BLM Wild Horse Helicopter Stampede Over; Captured, Shattered, Herd Remnants All That Remains (ameliacurzonblogger.wordpress.com)
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Are the stallions intact? Were they chemically sterilized? Or are they releasing intact stallions with sterilized mares?
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If they are “stallions” they are “intact”. If they had called them “geldings” they would have been “cut”.
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Were all let go? If not what happened to them
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well,well. they think they have solved a problem??????????????????????? what problem???? the blm are like sheep. man alone has caused the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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OUR Tax Dollars at work
http://usaspending.gov/search?form_fiel … amp;page=2
Transaction # 41 (Delivery Order)
IDVPIID/PIID/MOD: INL10PC00593 / INL14PD00019 / 0
Recipient: CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
475 S 200 W, NEPHI, Utah
Program Source: 14-1109
Department/Agency: Department of Interior: Bureau of Land Management
Product/Service: F019: NATURAL RESOURCES/CONSERVATION- OTHER WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
Description: ADOBE TOWN/ SALT WELLS HORSE GATHER FY14 IGF::OT:: … (More)
Signed Date:
11-20-2013
Obligation Amount:
$256,280
Transaction # 42 (Delivery Order)
IDVPIID/PIID/MOD: INL10PC00593 / INL10PD04052 / 0
Recipient: CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
475 S 200 W, NEPHI, Utah
Program Source: 14-1109
Department/Agency: Department of Interior: Bureau of Land Management
Product/Service: F016: WILDHORSE/BURRO CONTROL SERVICES
Description: ADOBE TOWN/SALT WELLS WILD HORSE GATHER
Signed Date:
08-30-2010
Obligation Amount:
$250,000
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And most liekly this is only the initial agreement by the BLM to pay the Cattoors – with other payments to follow.
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Wow, a quarter million (times two) for about a week’s work? I’m sure there are expenses against that of course, but wonder how much they pay their non-family help, or how much we just paid per horse for this “management.”
Let’s see, approx. 700 horses, $500 thousand, equals $714 per horse before factoring in expenses, including the PZP administration presumably. HSUS says it costs around $30 per horse, unless they use the 2 year version, which costs around $200. Interesting that they point out is is a bargain compared to rounding up etc., but they still have to round up to administer???
=====
http://wildhorsefoundation.org/PZP%20IUD%20WILD%20HORSES.htm
The vaccine is not commercially available and is provided at cost of
production, which currently runs about $21/dose. This is the price of the
standard, one-year, 100 microgram dose. The 2-3 year vaccine uses
considerably more than 100 micrograms, as well as more adjuvant, and
includes the added cost of pelleting. The 2-3 year PZP vaccine costs about
$200 per dose, plus the personnel costs of administration, which are minor,
if horses are being gathered anyway. Compared with the $1,100 – $1,600 it
takes to gather, remove, transport, hold, and adopt a horse (or care for it
indefinitely), PZP is a bargain.
=====
By my reckoning we just paid about $735 per horse for this past week’s work. I presume the foals will be sold off but don’t know for how much, somewhere between $10 and $125 by what I’ve read elsewhere. Nice work if you can get it…
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“Chronic/ pre-existing death”?
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/13atsw-gather/gath-reports.html
Accute/Sudden deaths: 1 – Sorrel filly two-month-old stepped on at trap site causing broken left hind leg.
Chronic/Pre-exisitng deaths: 1 – Two-year-old grey mare with severe, pre-existing right hind limb and hoof deformities due to a previous poorly healed fracture of the ankle.
Chronic/Pre-exisitng deaths: 1 – Grey yearling mare that had a pre-existing angular deformation of the right front leg and hoof.
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God, please watch over the seized horses!!
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Sent to prison…where they will NEVER AGAIN be seen by the TAX PAYING PUBLIC
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/13atsw-gather/gath-reports.html
Note: We shipped 99 horses from the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility to Canon City, Colorado, of which 88 were geldings, and 11 mares. These are not part of the contract and will not be counted on the shipped totals.
Animals gathered: 134
Animals shipped: 41
Note: Wednesday 11/20/13 we shipped 112 horses from the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility to Canon City, Colorado, of which 39 were geldings, and 73 mares.
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Louie,
I know I commented on this & someone answered me regarding the horses that “are not part of the contract & will not be counted as shipped”. BUT where were they taken from – have they been standing around in the corrals at the holding facility since the last roundup? Another thought I’ve had many times – theres probably no record of the number of stallions that died after castration! I believe that that happens often.
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Why don’t they just geld a certain percentage the stallions to control the population and release all of them back to the wild !!! It would also save thousands of dollar they spend keeping them in long term holding pens
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Jamie, herd dynamics dictate only one stallion controls the band until he is bested by another, so gelding studs wouldn’t make much, if any, difference in populations, but it certainly would concerning genetic transfer.
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What is the location and condition of the 73 now-weaned foals left in Rock Springs after this roundup?
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I haven’t been able to find this out.
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I believe they are at the Rock Springs holding pens.
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I can’t hardly believe they would release 38 stallions…. Seems absurd to release that many stallions together without any mares. So where did they send the stallions or where did they ‘release’ them?
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The other question is: are they still stallions? Are we to assume that they didn’t geld them before release? Certainly would cut down on any reproduction. Of course since the mares were released in one area and the stallions in another – just boggles the mind.
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The BLM said that they were gelded. For what that’s worth…and you have to assume that there is some underhanded stuff going on between the Catoors and the BLM. They have made millions off of the taxpayers to torture the horses and in my opinion someone is getting paid off in the BLM to hire them.
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Of the 134 animals gathered, what happened to them?
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http://www.justice.gov/usao/ut/news/2012/08-22.html
“As this long-term probe and the resulting indictment make clear, HSI and its investigative partners are committed to ensuring that those who misuse taxpayers’ dollars and violate the public’s trust are held accountable for their actions.”
Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Three Individuals, Corporation In Alleged $54 Million Procurement Fraud, Bribery Case Involving Contract For Services In Afghanistan
August 22, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY – Three individuals and a corporation are charged with fraud and bribery in connection with the procurement of a military contract for services in Afghanistan, according to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City Wednesday.
“IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to lend its financial investigative expertise to complex, multi-agency investigations,” Paul Camacho, IRS Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Field Office, said. “By working closely with our fellow law enforcement partners, we can ensure that crime doesn’t pay. We hit the bad guys where it hurts – in their wallets. By taking away their assets and profits, we deprive them of the proceeds of their criminal activity.”
The indictment also contains a notice of intent to seek forfeiture of substantial real and personal property, including more than $6 million in funds; approximately 20 houses and other real property in Utah, Florida, Arizona, and New Hampshire; motor vehicles, including a Hummer and a Jaguar; a boat; an airplane; and hundreds of gold coins.
Harris was arrested in Utah on a complaint filed in July. He had an initial appearance and was released. Summonses will be issued to AISC, Young and Taylor to appear in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
“As this long-term probe and the resulting indictment make clear, HSI and its investigative partners are committed to ensuring that those who misuse taxpayers’ dollars and violate the public’s trust are held accountable for their actions.”
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So, Louie, wouldn’t it be nifty if the DOI, BLM, Wildlife Services, etc etc were investigated like that?? But of course the government agencies are above the law. Its only the public that has to answer for their crimes, right?
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First of all we don’t REALLY know that BLM released 39 studs. (some reports say 38 others say 39). They don’t indicate if they gelded them or not. And since no observers were there to witness how do we really know? We are suppose to take the word of the Cattoor’s and BLM? No offense Sue, but having an independent observer on hand would’ve been a big bonus point in your favor since that person could factually report what is and isn’t the truth. We honestly don’t know what BLM did to those studs since no observers were allowed. We are to take their word for it.
We do know BLM has been doing a lot of talking about sterilizing studs and mares. Supposedly the EA doesn’t allow for this in this round up. I don’t buy it. Why? Because last year BLM said they were going to take upwards of 30 horses from the Pryor’s. They never indicated they would take mares and foals. They took 36 horses, an additional 4 mares, 3 foals and 1 of those already counted mares had a foal ready to be born any second. So they took more than they said they would. It was very upsetting. They took Breeze who I saw as a 3 week old filly when she was with Cloud. They took a 4 year colt with a funny stripe down his nose. I saw him with him Cloud. He stuck his nose under Cloud sniffing, Cloud returned that one. Then when Cloud said it was time to go home–he gently chewed on the withers of the colt.
Then the first load of mares from yesterday–Carol reported that the Cattoor’s didn’t even wait for her to stop her truck before opening the doors and letting the mares out. Again no offense Sue, but one would think that you’d want the positive attention this would bring that you waited for Carol to arrive, set up and document those horses leaving.
I don’t want to believe they did those ovarectomies they’ve been threatening but honestly I don’t know. We know in the past when they did that at Sheldon they turned those mares out the following day with no follow up care.
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Margaret, I may be wrong but surely any ovariectomies would be done by a veterinarian? Wouldn’t that person be cashing a paycheck soon, and that would be traceable? Flying a chopper doesn’t qualify one to become a DVM. Might be time for a FOIA on what happened there, since those involved are apparently not proud enough of what they accomplished to show those who paid them.
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According to Elaine Taylor (above) they gelded the stallions – THEN released them!
So there are 40 mares in one location & 38 GELDINGS in another. These morons are unbelievable. And will anyone check on ANY of these horses?
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With NO Public Observation, there is NO credibility..PERIOD.
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We will never know how many of the foal and adult horses die from the stress and cold of this cruel roundup. Boycott WY and beef.
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Boycotting beef is easy – and since I live in NY probably wont get to Wyoming ever, but these people cannot continue to wipe out herds & abuse these animals “just because they want to”. There HAS to be a way to put the kibosh to them. (as my grandmother would say).
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boycotting our beef will only hurt the beef ranchers,, who most don’t mind the wild horses….don’t punish us for the actions of a few. we Wyomingites love our wild horse herds.. the are majestic and beautiful to behold we do not want to see them decimated either
.
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Kerrie, the Rock Springs Grazing Association in WY wanted the wild horses removed. Those in WY that are for our wild horses needed to oppose them and stop the roundup IMO. It’s past time that livestock be removed from public lands as they cause erosion,over-grazing, water pollution and riparian area destruction. Wild horses help improve the land and are now being used in some countries to restore areas. Humans don’t need beef or meat. There are plenty of other things to eat that are better for us. Cattle destroy the land–I am the daughter of a KY farmer, and I see what they have done here.
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Where is the petition to disband and strip the BLM of any and all power? Who gave these corrupt politicians all this power anyhow????
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I do not want my tax dollars funding this!!!!!!! Some people are making too much money on misery.
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Resolutely Ginger Kathrens reports on the devastation of damages to over 700 wild horses… WTF are they thinking by releasing 38 stallions with only 40 mares??? One mare per stallion with 2 more to fight over. What a bunch of RETARDS that remind me of Hitler’s regime with experiments to exterminate a species… The BLM doesn’t use any science at all to support rounding up these wild horses AT ALL and then do this???
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http://www.habitatforhorses.org/the-unnatural-concept-of-the-appropriate-management-level/
This morning we welcome back Robert Bauer, a wildlife biologist who has studied and written extensively on the wild horses and burros of the West. Today he takes on the topic the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro “appropriate management level” concept…and why it is absolutely wrong. ~ HfH
THE UNNATURAL CONCEPT OF THE APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT LEVEL (excerpts)
by ROBERT C. BAUER, B.S. in Biology
It has been the constant assertion, by the Bureau of Land Management that it is striving, through its Wild Horse and Burro Program, to maintain a thriving “natural” ecological balance of the rangelands of the west. It carries this out by adjusting the numbers of wild horses and burros on the public lands, based on what it calls an Appropriate Management Level of wild horses and burros for these areas. This Appropriate Management Level, or AML, is an established number of wild horses and or burros allocated for these lands, annually. It was also originally designated as something fair, and just reflection of what the conditions of the rangeland would tolerate, taking into account all other species of wildlife in the area, as well as the condition of the forage, the wild horses and burros being the principle species taken into account. In addition, this number was intended to be altered to reflect changes to those systems, based upon continual studies to have been carried out in those areas. An erroneous AML has taken precedence, however, in every herd management area, and is not being revised. This is motivated by the cattle industry, the sheep industry and ranchers for the purposes of creating the illusion, in the eyes of the public, an over population in the wild horse and burro community, and therefore justifying subsequent massive roundups of the same. In essence this concept of AML is based not upon what the actual ecological carrying capacity of an area is, due to its amount of forage, but rather is based upon how much forage the BLM are allowing the wild horses and burros, in comparison to how much is allocated for cattle, pronghorn antelope, and other species of grazers that inhabit a given area. To justify this removal of wild horses and burros from their legally designated areas, the Bureau of Land Management will often site reasons of dry conditions, poor forage, not to mention damage to the rangeland itself attributed by the BLM to the wild horses and burros. Also, the BLM will assert that the populations of wild horses and burros, in any given area, will double in number every four years, with roughly a continual 20% annual growth rate.Sentiment often is used to appeal to the emotions of the public in order to gain support for the altering of numbers of the wild horses and burros based upon the above reasoning. In exploring the logic of the BLM, one must confront themselves with certain glaring realities.
It is clear, therefore, that the concept of an “Appropriate Management Level”, of wild horses and burros for a given area, one that is so quickly regurgitated as the answer for every round up, has no basis in reference to a thriving natural ecological balance. The AML whether it is revised annually and considered fair, or unrevised, is still unnatural and hinders balance through nature’s mechanisms. Nature knows very well how to maintain the, “Appropriate Management Level”, of all species of the animals in the wild successfully, and has been doing so for thousands of years. It is a ludicrous assumption to spend millions of dollars every year for a manmade substitute. In truth, to follow the philosophy of this humanly conceived AML, along with the usage of contraceptives on the wild horses and burros, and the adjustment of sex ratios, will quickly bring an end to these majestic animals, as the vital component to ecological balance that they are.
Acknowledgements: Lisa Leblanc, and Craig Downer, Wildlife Ecologist
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Reblogged this on "OUR WORLD".
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Thank you Carol for braving that incredibly cold weather!! The cold temparatures take a lot out of the wild ones to cope with and survive, in nature they huddle together under trees and ledges, with their tails to the wind. Breaks my heart to see them in the corrals without shelter. Now on top of what it takes to survive the cold, they have to deal with the stress on their bodies from the roundup and exhaustion. The released ones with the stress of finding shelter and water in strange surroundings, that will take them a while and there may be casualties. Who is going to be monitoring that? no one.
Roundups should never ever ever occur in these extremely inhumane temparatures, or during foaling season. It is sooo simple and soo logical. Yet so hard to get simple logic implemented, because sadly they just don’t care.
Almost 2014, and it seems only very little progress has been made since the middle ages.
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In my opinion the BLM executives need to be chemically neutered.
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Reblogged this on touch of home.
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I pray for all horses and all animals to live a happy healthy life! Horses are such beautiful loving compassionate animals!
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Can the horses survive subzero temps with no shelter? And the foals?
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Wyoming Wild Horses – Gone Forever?
Rachel Reeves
Published on Aug 15, 2013
Featuring wild horses in the White Mountain and Divide Basin herds of Wyoming as well as images from the 2011 White Mountain roundup. Following a consent decree in a legal suit brought by the Rock Springs Grazing Association, the Bureau of Land Management, charged with the protecting these herds, has agreed to eradicate the horses in these two areas as well as the Salt Wells & Adobe Town herds. This decision ensures that the ranchers will be able to lease the public & private land in the area at subsidized rates, assisted by taxpayer dollars, without having to continue to share with federally protected wild horses.
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Just read that its 24 BELOW in Laramie WY. this am. How will those horses live thru this with no way to get out of the wind & cold? These _________ cannot be allowed to continue to do this. (so many names I want to call them)
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THE FOALS? WHAT happens to the Foals?
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The last I heard there were still 73 foals at the holding pens in Rock Springs. There is a person with a FB page that lives in Rock Springs and they are able to see these horses frequently, last count they gave was 73. The FB page is Wild Horses in Wyoming. I can’t imagine that these poor babies are having an easy time surviving in the subzero temps. The person in Rock Springs said there ARE NO SHELTERS for these horses despite what the BLM claims.
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Shared with: As the temperatures dip into single digits, these wild horses are no longer free to seek their own shelters, instead are in dry lots exposed to these frigid conditions… WTF is the BLM thinking? That we are stupid? Naw, they don’t give a Flying F what WE, the taxpayers that are paying over $1 million dollars this year alone to the Cattoors, BLM’s favourite round up contractor. The Cattoors were filmed brutally beating and leaving to die a defenseless burro, yet the BLM continues to contract with them. The Catoors have publicly stated that the helicopters “don’t scare the wild horses” and that “the horses set the pace” for the roundups. BS!!! The horses run as fast as they can away from the whirring chopper that drives them relentlessly over frozen rocky ground. The BLM reports states they had to euthanize a 2 yr old filly (they called it a mare, but it’s not a mare until she has had a foal – nonhorse people idiocy) for a “previously broken ankle”. Well, with no public auditing or viewing of this horse by the public, I really suspect that the ankle was broken during the current round up (or a previous one where she escaped) proof positive that being chased at top speed is not at all HUMANE…
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This just is so wrong and boggles my mind. NO reason in the world to gather so many horses in the winter, any time of the year. Someone is making boat load of money on this. CATTOORS. the govt is stupid and unreasonable. Our horses are suffering from stress and anguish, trauma of moving them to surroundings they do not know. Separation anxiety, Families torn apart. More deaths to follow. they cannot make without shelter. It will be so tough for them. We must help so many. This must stop. the round ups are causing too much anguish on all the horses. We have to come up with a working plan to help them. We have to have our own summit. Call it Making plans to put them back with food and water this help this time. The Govt is really screwed up. NOT ONLY THE COLD they must deal with, DEPRESSION OF LOOSING THEIR FAMILIES, SPLIT APART. SOME MUST BE INDICTED FOR THIS. THE TRUTH MUST COME OUT.
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