Straight from the Horse's Heart

OpEd by R.T. Fitch ~ volunteer president of the Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Many Thanks to the Unsung Heroes of the Equine Advocacy

“Thank you” ~ Terry and R.T. Fitch

It’s over, 2012 is nothing more than a distant memory left to be recounted in history books and comedian jokes, finished, done, stick a fork in it, outta here.

If I could go back in time, just one year, there would be a lot that I would change; many allegiances better nurtured and others severed sooner but we are not granted that option so we tighten up our cinch and ride on.  BUT, you knew that was coming, I cannot continue down the trail without a few words of thanks for those who made the past year special.

First off, as the volunteer prez of Wild Horse Freedom Federation I would like to thank all of YOU for your support and trust; thanks to you we have managed to successfully keep the West Douglas wild horse herd free from the BLM horse harvesting machine for another year, a well grounded and documented victory against the brutality of the BLM. Month after month the legal bills cross my desk and checks need to written but month after month I am reminded that our legal work has and is successful and if I crossed the bridge in my sleep tonight, that free herd would be our/my legacy…I am good with that.  In June we needed help and you folks rallied to the call; such dedication and commitment will never be forgotten; we thank you for that and stay tuned, we can’t tip our hat but we have several legal projects working that will rock your socks and send the enemy into a legal tailspin so keep your advocacy dial tuned into station WHFF, 2013 is going to be very interesting.

I would also like to thank our plaintiffs, the very cream of the crop of equine advocacy, Front Range Equine Rescue, Cloud Foundation and Habitat for Horses to name just a few; pro-active, legitimate, vibrant, straight forward and supportive of our efforts.

Likewise, the Equine Welfare Alliance gets a great big thumbs up for the ongoing work that now manages to bring us all together on an annual basis to collaborate, network and forward plans to put an end to the abuse, neglect, slaughter and the stupidity that currently is showered down upon our companions, the American equine.  (You folks who attended this years International Equine Conference and heard our attorney Bruce Wagman speak got just a peek at what is coming and there is more to follow.)

Also, you guys stepped up to the plate when I stuck my neck out and said that Terry and I would personally hand carry letters of protest to D.C. asking for a stop to the BLM roundups and ensure that they reached the President of the United States.  In a matter of several weeks we were staring at boxes of over 15,000 letters and petitions to pack up and head north with.  Habitat for Horses and the Cloud Foundation joined us in that endeavor and it truly has to be one of the high-points of 2012.  Such an outpouring of sincerity deeply moved me and I wish that I could have personally read each and every one of those heartfelt notes but I only managed a few thousand and those notes both spoke to my heart and hardened my resolve to press forward and continue to be the paperboy of the message and the deliverer of your words.  And we did it folks; Terry and I packed those letters into checked baggage, grabbed Jerry Finch from HfH, cashed in a bunch of my air miles and without spending a penny of donated funds we headed for the office of Rep. Jim Moran where we met, planned and returned all in one day.  What a ride, but Jerry and I did look at each other and comment that we are getting a little too mature for that sort of thing but the mission was accomplished and the heroes of the day are each and every one of you; for that I am so sincerely grateful and even though we didn’t illicit an immediate response from the White House our collective voices were heard and we plan to exercise that muscle in 2013, with your kind support.

Likewise you folks have supported us in multiple press conferences through out the year; in D.C. with the Children4Horses and EWA’s letter writing campaign, in Oklahoma City with Respect4Horses, Cloud and HSUS for the Conference of the “Live” horse, in Salt Lake City with Cloud and Respect4Horses during the BLM Advisory Board meeting…thank you.  It is easy to stand up before the press and field questions knowing that each and every one of you is standing behind us and whispering into our ears, thank you for that support.

Thank you to those who have stood at arms length and watched us flounder with failed allegiances only to bend over, lend us a helping hand and welcome us back into the herd without ever muttering the words, “We told you so!”  Your professionalism, patience and faith in us has been both refreshing and greatly appreciated; the cream always floats to the top.

Over the past several days we have reflected upon the fact that this blog is coming up on it’s four year anniversary, we will be celebrating that we are nearing our 2,000,000th visitor mark but 2013 promises to hold a few surprises that may finally tip the scales in the favor of the horses and burros and THAT sincerely lights me up as I type, there is so much hope and promise bubbling just beneath the surface that I can hardly contain myself (and I have been told to keep my mouth shut…I hate when that happens)

So let us collectively advance the advocacy, minimize the detractors in the wild horse movement, expose the fraud, fight for enforcement of current legislation while pressing forward with new laws and above all, litigate.  We are not going to conclusively win these fights in the halls of Congress or on the Senate floor but instead we will pluck the feathers off from the enemy in the courtroom and armed with our past victories and a very well planned strategy we will make 2013 the year that the rogue government, horse-eaters and false prophets will never forget.  Judgement day is coming and when the hammer comes down none of us are going to be able to sleep for a month.

Good riddance 2012 and bring it on 2013, we are ready for the change.

Keep the faith and many thanks to each and every one of you!

Now lets get to work!