by Debbie Coffey Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved.
The BLM’s Tonopah Field Office in Nevada claimed there were 168 wild horses, and there was a “need” to do a roundup (and waste taxpayer dollars) since there were 30 wild horses over the Appropriate Management Level (AML). But lets look closely at this slight of hand.
The BLM rounded up 120 wild horses, gave PZP fertility control to 50, which they were to return, but by removing 70, left only 98 wild horses on the Reveille HMA, making it a non viable herd. (And, they gave PZP to 50 out of that 98!)
Now, lets look at the numbers of LIVESTOCK on the Reveille HMA:
(These livestock numbers are from the BLM’s Rangeland Administration System)
Click on image for enhanced view
Horses that graze on the Reveille Herd Management (HMA) area were some of “Wild Horse Annie’s” favorites, according to the BLM’s announcement of their scheduled roundup which started on Nov. 3. The historical significance of this herd did not stop the BLM from rounding them up.
So when you now read about the adoptions or get sidetracked about the handling of the horses during the roundup, don’t forget the big picture of what really happened here.
Don’t forget that the BLM is reducing yet another wild horse herd population to a level that is no longer genetically viable. Currently 70% of the wild horse herds in the United States are being “managed” by the BLM at a level below levels required (150-200 reproducing wild horses) to maintain the genetic viability of the herd.
Don’t forget that the BLM is managing the wild horses and burros to extinction.
Don’t forget the BLM is doing little to reduce or suspend livestock grazing on public lands.
The BLM is duping the public and then trying to whitewash it with PR.
Related articles
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
The BLM is breaking the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act that mandated wild horses be protected and preserved. How can they get away with this atrocity ?!
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Those who are in charge, in the USA, turn a blind eye!!!! Sally Jewell, is worthless!!!!! Infuriating…. The “current leader,” of our country, has done nothing to promote the well being of our animals… period
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Because there is no one in Government to police them, Carte Blanche !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wild horse Annie has got to be rolling over in her grave right now—-we know what is going on–we are the only ones who are going to stop this – when will we organize? I read where something about the wild horses has happened in Denver, but it is always after the fact–why not let it be known ahead of time so that maybe some of us could show up for support. Are people afraid to lose the limelight? I thought it was supposed to be about saving horses —– not egoes.
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For those of us who love everything horse. http://www.livescience.com/48678-fossil-horse-foal-fetus.html
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Very much enjoy everything horses, and thanks for this important info. So far, I’ve read that Dawn Horse arose on the North American techtonic plate 55 – 60 million years ago. Now a beautiful specimen is found in Germany’s Messel Pits which is SE Germany being 47 million years old. This sends me into a quandary because Germany is on the European/Asian techtonic plate. But no doubt these little beings moved about very early. Equus is only 3 – 4 million years old and is thought to traverse Beringia and is the only horse species left everywhere. Any comments?
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Awesome photos geri, Thank You
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No matter what we say or do, BLM panders to ranchers/energy companies. This is very sad and strongly wish that we could do something to stop these atrocities. It’s not going to be better with the new congress either.
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A question… which six months are cattle permitted to graze here? The text says six months but the graph shows twelve them grazing for months. Are there six months of trespass grazing going on here with permission somehow, since these are BLM numbers?
This is an important distinction since the timing and numbers of grazing (cattle vs. horses) is a talking point for both sides of the issue and is supposedly determined by paid professionals.
This graph shows that both species are in this area 12 months per year, and the HMA forage allocation as I understand it is to prioritize forage “principally but not exclusively” for wild horses. If they are so far outnumbered every month of the year as shown, this has to be a violation of the law, especially in times of drought when forage is already scarce.
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2440 CATTLE 03/01 – 05/31 100 ACTIVE 7380 AUMs
2440 CATTLE 12/01 – 02/28 100 ACTIVE 7220 AUMs
1801 CATTLE 07/01 – 11/30 100 ACTIVE 9059 AUMs
2100 CATTLE 06/01 – 06/30 100 ACTIVE 2071 AUMs
http://www.blm.gov/ras/
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The cattle graze all 12 months, but for 6 of those 12 months, 2,440 cattle graze. The number of cattle is less the other 6 months, but there are still substantially more cattle than the now 98 wild horses out there.
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With soft PR AND advocates who are complicit in the take down of the wild horses for their own profit and willing to bash anyone who speaks out against this deadly action, as interfering with their “MISSION!”. And might I add that this Reveille was rounded up in 2010, and left just those over a hundred horses. The babies have been taaken off, a pregnant mare has been offered for adoption (“a cute 3 year old bay”) and a few colts who were hanging their heads in their pen, no doubt freshly gelded. All the mares released will be PZP’d with 2 year darts and a plan for boosting the injectin is already on the books.
I hope that anyone whose senses are still working can seee behind the constant barrage of bullsh*t, horsesh#t, and burrosh*t that BLM and their lackey “data gathering” advocate pushes. Our horses and burros are being attacked from the cattle side and the advocate side. It is ALWAYS about the money.
Act independently. Stop donating to these orgs that run around on the ranges, touching bases with their friends and network at the roundups, and spread the word to the newbies
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It looks like there were plans to make a major move declaring at least part of the West part of a Wild Way National Park in 2015. There is a conference at UC Berkeley “Science for Parks and Parks for Science — The Second Generation.” When I checked to see who the speakers were, two of them are responsible for the ongoing suppression of the science about our wild horses, so I don’t know why these people get to keep on claiming to be scientists. My thoughts is that the BLM will make it look like they are gathering horses like crazy. They have put a halt on some sheep studies for the time. But they need for these ranchers to think that they are getting something out of their anti-wild horse lobbies. Also, ranchers, farmers, anglers, hunters, overlap with some of FWS NGO international groups—. I am fairly certain that these groups allied with The Wildlife Society have no idea that they are working with the enemy, and as soon as the horses are gone, there will be nothing between the government and them.
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Jan: Both native horses and burros and livestock can be removed from any land the government wants to remove them from through the power of the 1997 International Plant Protection Convention which the FAO agreed to draft to include the native horse as an alien species per Article 8 (h). Prevent, control, eradicate. In 1982 the IUCN decided to draft President Carter’s E.O. 11987, The Exotic Organisms Act into international law. The feds made a trial run with these laws in North Carolina with the Shackleford Herd between 1996-1998 when the NPS and NCDOA euthanized 86 wild horses. Lesser known is the decision of FWS to limit the herd population of the Corolla wild horses to 60. Sixty is one third of the absolute minimum that is needed for a self-sustaining, genetically viable herd. The Assateague Island herd is also under assault and the IUCN even met with the NPS in MD in 2006. All of this is tied to former Vice President Al Gore and members of the Clinton administration. It looks to me like almost all the actions Sec. DOI Bruce Babbitt took were to make sure that there was water at the New Mexico and Mexico border for mining. You have wild horse advocates complaining about cattle and ranchers (not saying that there is no reason to complain, but the real culprit is the BLM because they are in charge of land management & they are destroying the land) but I digress–Then you have ranchers complain about wild horses, so the two groups that need good grazing land, but different forage on the land are set up to fight against each other. The environmental groups are anti-horse because they consider the horse a domestic animal—however, unlike other domestic animals the horse has been domesticated 18 different times and places suggesting that there may be no “domestic” genes but the ability to be domesticated may be part of other traits.
The fact is that the FWS, TNC, and the IUCN made up the exotic species designation in order to find a way to remove the wild horse and burro as well as livestock grazing in 1973. In 1972 the United States ratified the 1951 International Plant Protection Convention four months after President Nixon signed the 71 Act into law. Two months later the first UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm. There was much enthusiasm, but frustration because the UN had no funds for its projects other than what member nations were willing to provide. The Secretariat was from Alberta, part of the northern most wild horse evolutionary home, and he was involved with Canadian power and oil. All of the people profiting the most from the UN and its sustainable programs have connections to fossil fuel companies, In June 1996 the IUCN knew the FAO would draft Article 8 (h) into the 1997 IPPC, so when they met in Trondheim, the Secretariat approved a global education program on alien invasive species known as the Global Invasive Species Program. This program was funded by the IUCN and the TNC, UNESCO, FAO, the World Bank’s GEF and other funds as well as the World Bank’s partner the Bank of the Netherlands.
All of these facts are directly related to what has happened to our horses and not to any other aspect of the UN’s plan other than the other species of fauna and flora that are part of this plan. Some people write about these phenomena and attribute them to E.O. 13112, but The Invasive (Alien) Species Act was created to manage Article 8 (h) and the IPPC in a National Invasive Species Management Plan.
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Listening and reading Sally Jewells news, she is always stressing her dedicated campaign against invasives. Watching the constant round ups without taking any public concerns into account. Using excuses for roundups like, plant protection, having ranchers under DOI’s conservation assoc or cattlemens association file declaratory judgements, wildfire prevention, emergency roundup due to not enough water available, overpopulation because the Envir.Assess lowered number of horses per acre, conflict of land use, horses get to close to public, horses on Natl forest were not there prior to 1971, and many more that I have heard. In every excuse one only has to do the tiniest bit of homework to see what a fabrication they were. The breaks have to be put on now. But how, all my letters to Denver, Casper, Cheyenne etc newspapers were not published, letters to politician only a tiny bit of interest. They are so arrogant now BLM just put a proSlaughter person as the public voice, Ecological Socialpaths
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Recent History of Qui Tam Claims
http://www.federalgovernmentcontractorfraud.com/
In 1986 as a result of increased government contractor fraud, Congress amended the False Claims Act in order to make it easier for whistleblowers to file claims against fraudulent corporations and individuals.
The 1986 Amendment defines a “claim” as:
“…any request or demand which is made to a contractor, grantee, or other recipient if the United States Government provides any portion of the money or property which is requested or demanded, or if the government will reimburse such contractor, grantee, or other recipient for any portion of the money or property which is requested or demanded.”
The whistleblower’s share of recovery is a maximum of 30 percent and the government’s prior knowledge of fraud now does not necessarily bar a whistleblower from collecting lost revenue. If the government took over the lawsuit, the relator can “continue as a party to the action.” The defendant is also required to pay for the relator’s attorney fees. The whistleblower is also protected from retaliatory actions by his or her employer. As a result or the amendment, qui tam lawsuits increased dramatically. Though the amendment was first made fore corrupt defense contractors, the amendment has uncovered billions of dollars in health care fraud.
Anyone who defrauds the government out of revenue can be held accountable under the False Claims Act. Common defendants include defense contractors, health care providers, other government contractors & subcontractors, state and local government agencies, and private universities. Whistleblowers often include current and former employees of the defrauding company, competitors of government contractors and public interest groups.
The False Claims Act was enacted to encourage private citizens to assist the government in the fight against fraud. Often the whistleblower faces an uphill battle as large, powerful corporations or individuals are usually named as defendants. An experienced attorney in qui tam claims may help you gain a percentage of stolen government funds.
Qui tam actions typically revolve around false claims that are either directly or indirectly presented to the Government for “payment or approval.” These false claims can be generated through the submission of false bills, records, statements or other representations made to the Government.
There are several types of Qui Tam claims covered under the False Claims Act:
Mischarging or overcharging for goods or services.
Improper price data and the request for payment for services never provided.
Holding government property for fraudulent purposes.
Avoiding payment of a debt to the government because of illegal reasons.
Knowingly providing the government with defective or dangerous products that were falsely certified.
Falsely certifying information for the entitlement of benefits.
Having any false claim paid by the government.
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I just went to the database and sure enough. DOI is forging ahead with their goal written in so many of their news articles to eradicate all invasives not specifically mentioning any species. I just listened to the wildfire, sage grouse conference and the suggestions to save both is overgrazing to get rid of cheatgrass, and “other” invasives. Another mandate for horse removal.
Most of the Global Database is based on Australia’s news. So what to do. They pit ranchers against the horses, ignore the fact the American people want the horses to stay and forge ahead with removal.
The rancher named above has lived with the horse for decades and was happy enough with them at 125 or so. 95% of his ranch is public allotment. Why did he not purchase more for private use? His family and many ranchers have had free land and they (somewhat understandably) think they have squatters rights at least for the land that was improved.
What to do? I want to buy up all the ranches that come up for sale in these states and the O&G leases that are on them. One ranch in Wyoming CB has 30,000 deeded acres and up to 60,000 allocated BLM for 10 Million. So, now to start a gift site. 1000 people gifting 1000$ to get it started. Nice dream but horse management has to be taken away from DOI. I do not trust politics. The Pryor range was 7000 acres that were created by the locals (gov.Land) but politics cut that in half and probably will continue to cut it. Any other ideas?
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2 former BLM employees charged with fraud
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/09/12/former-blm-employees-charged-fraud/15515381/
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Office of Inspector General
http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/bureau-of-land-managements-wildland-fire-program.cfm
Bureau of Land Management’s Wildland Fire Program
10/01/2014
In the face of these large-scale challenges, BLM’s wildland fire program has demonstrated vulnerabilities to misuse of funds and potential fraud due to inadequate internal controls and inconsistent implementation of existing controls.
We identified four internal control areas needing improvement—fire codes, purchase cards, property, and payroll
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Office of Inspector General
Bureau of Land Management’s Mineral Materials Program
04/03/2014
http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/bureau-of-land-managements-mineral-materials-program.cfm
We audited the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mineral materials sales program to determine whether the U.S. Department of the Interior obtained market value for materials removed from Federal lands.
In addition, we noted concerns that BLM may not be collecting fees for minerals used on lands that have been sold under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 because we found an instance where a private developer used tons of mineral materials without paying for them.
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Office of Inspector General
BLM Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Trespass and Drilling Without Approval
09/29/2014
http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/blm-federal-onshore-oil-and-gas-trespass-and-drilling-without-approval.cfm
We inspected BLM’s onshore oil and gas management program regarding trespass and drilling without approval (DWOA).
We did this inspection because of industry’s expansion of horizontal drilling. Since Federal lands frequently neighbor private lands, it is easier for operators of wells on private lands to drill into the Federal mineral estate, thereby increasing the potential for trespass or DWOA.
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Office of Inspector General
Investigative Report of Steve Black
11/07/2014
http://www.doi.gov/oig/news/investigative-report-of-steve-black.cfm
“Some FWS and BLM employees relayed concerns about receiving pressure from Black to reexamine their scientific opinions and make unsupportable changes to renewable-energy-related projects.”
OIG investigated potential improper influence by Steve Black, at the time a senior counselor to former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
We received information from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) agents in March 2013 that Black was dating a lobbyist for the renewable energy company NextEra Energy Resources. The agents were concerned that the relationship may have influenced alternative energy decisions involving the company.
Some FWS and BLM employees relayed concerns about receiving pressure from Black to reexamine their scientific opinions and make unsupportable changes to renewable-energy-related projects.
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Per the article about the Fallini ranch, they own only 2,000 acres. That is enough land to support approximately 10 cattle year round – yes ten. Because they have a permit to use our public land, they run between 1801 to 2400 head of cattle year round per the RAS. In other words his cattle operation is subsidized by his use of our public land – same old story of private abuse at the trough of the tax-payer. In addition to the welfare rancher grazing costs paid to the BLM, in 2002 the Fallini family received $44,675 in livestock subsidy payments that came out of our pockets too. That is the apparent reason that the BLM removed our wild horses from our public land – pressure from for-private-profit domestic cattle owners. If this ranch owner cannot manage his own land and livestock sufficiently enough to provide the $$$ he wants, then that is proof that he is a bad ranch manager and he deserves the results of his bad management. In the article, it implies that this rancher is the manager of 662,000 acres – but those are not his acres they are our acres and those were our wild horses.
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So well said Grandmagregg. Couldn’t agree more!
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And I don’t really know how many CO. ranchers use public lands for grazing, but it has been reported that over half the people in CO are on some form of public assistance. In essence the rest of us are paying for the majority of people to do nothing (and I can see it every day for myself). We also pay for the roundup and distrustion of our own horses and lland. NOW what do we do about it?
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….and is it also true that Herd Management Areas are often divided by grazing allotment fencing, thereby blocking the Horses’ access to parts of their own HMAs?
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How do they get away with this darilection of duty????
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Is there EVER any actual oversight regarding the actions of these ranchers? I mean just leasing a grazing allotment automatically allows the rancher to use the allotment as Collateral on a loan! Allowing these ranchers to divide a herd management area – this should be absolutely unlawful! And the crap (sorry that’s what it is) that Big Ag gets away with no oversight (theres that word again) just boggles my mind. The politicians who state that theres no such thing as climate change – and they are allowed to get away with that! Between the factory farms – the devastation the fracking-drilling-mining AND cattle & sheep are spreading all over – AND the actual deliberate eradication of OUR wild horses & burros – Somehow-some way there has to be something we can do. Electing more politicians apparently doesn’t work! Look at Tennessee – once again there will be no PAST Act – thanks to good old Mr. McConnell!
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Ran across this oldie but goodie piece of information and knowing that costs have sky-rocketed in the last 20 years and that the charge per AUM has dropped from $1.86 to $1.35 … this might make you sick.
“Average administration costs for the 1993 programs were $3.21/AUM for the BLM and $3.24 for the Forest Service” (USDI, BLM G-4). This puts the total administration costs for the BLM at $42,702,848 and $28,401,286 for the Forest Service. The total administrative costs of $71,104,134 means a LOSS to the treasury of $62,932,134.”
http://rangenet.org/directory/stern/thesis/index.html
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The loss of Federally Protected Wild Horses and Burros….IRREPLACABLE
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Apparently the Fallini family has been working to get rid of our wild horses for many years and I ran across some of those law suits while reading. Although law suits are complicated, I did read part of one that showed the family’s actual feelings about our wild horses:
“In late 1983, the Fallinis … installed highway guardrails across the entrances to nine of their water troughs within the Reveille Allotment, including Deep Well. The guardrails were erected at a height and in a manner that would PREVENT ACCESS TO THE WATER BY WILD HORSES; the guardrails do not bar access by cattle…”
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Also, a family from Switzerland.. Number
one importer of ….. where Fallinis used to have their own sponsored sales of horses for decades. Although this stopped in 1971 they had to lobby and clandestinely ship elsewhere.
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I have been telling my friend about what’s happening to our wild horses & she in turn has been telling her husband. She told me today that her husband saw this commercial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwaU0YNG3Vo by Whole Foods & he got angry. He immediately went and wrote Whole Foods an email letter about it. How they express values matter, and their beef comes from responsible independent ranchers with animal welfare standards. He told them that the ranchers running the wild horses off of public land, so they can get cheap grazing at the taxpayers & horses expense was not responsible ranching. That he would not be spending one dime in their stores to only fatten the welfare ranchers wallets even more. And that he would be telling everyone he knows that really have animal welfare values not to either.
They wrote him back and ask if he lived in a rural area & if he knew anything at all about the process of how the food he had was provided. He wrote back and said yes he lived in a rural area & he would be buying local from farmers who raised their cattle on land that they BOUGHT & PAID FOR and not at the expense of the WILD HORSES!
So I don’t know if any of this helps, or if it pertains to this particular article, I just thought you’d like to know sometimes word of mouth does work, even if you don’t think anybody is listening.
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I received my fall mailing of Hoof prints today–‘there are two articles I know all you horse lovers will enjoy
Beautiful Jim Key – the lost history of the world’s smartest horse http://www.beautifuljimkey.com/history.htm
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And this one is a book – us older gals will enjoy this one—-‘-The Last Saddle Tramp https://suite.io/dale-van-every/3m0g2j1
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http://www.rootsimple.com/2013/07/last-of-the-saddle-tramps
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Great stories, geri! I’ll look for the book. True – we complain about such petty things – imagine being 63 & broke & setting out across the country with $32.00 to your name! Doubt many people of this generation could even think about such a thing.
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I am totally disgusted with all the insensitivity, and all the wrong doings of the BLM. Public Lands are for the wild horses, not for private businessmen raising their cattle for their own profits, What does public land mean, it means for the wild ones, not for businesses. Shame on the BLm for misleading the public about what they are really doing, which is causing horrid injuries, horrid suffering, and deaths, and thousands of wild horses slaughtered. What the hell kind of agency is it anyway. Whats wrong with us humans that we allow such tragedies. SHAME
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Dear Nina, you are so on Target, I ask myself everyday what is wrong with us,for allowing this to continue, but the BLM is untouchable !!!!We do not elect these sub humans they are appointed???????
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THE BLM ARE NOT WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE OR THE HORSES. THEY ARE WORKING FOR THE RANCHER, OIL LEASES, AND ANYTHING THEY CAN GET MONEY FOR. THEY NOW THEIR TIME IS RUNNING SHORT AND THEY WANT TO GET AS MUCH AS THEY CAN. MONEY CERTAINLY SHOWS THE RIGHT SIDE OF PEOPLE AND AT THE HORSES EXPENSE.
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