Horse News

Obama Rides into Wild Horse Protests this Week

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Press Release from the Equine Welfare Alliance

BLM Protests to Greet President Obama in Las Vegas and Carson City, NV

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Wild horse and burro advocates from across the country plan on greeting President Obama on February 18 in Las Vegas with a protest of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mismanagement of the Wild Horse and Burro program and total disregard of the 1971 law protecting the wild horses and burros on their public lands.

The highly criticized Calico Complex round-up in Nevada that concluded on February 5 resulted in the death of 48 wild horses and the loss of 30 unborn foals. The death toll continues to climb from injuries resulting from the round-up as well as health issues from diets, such as Alfalfa hay that wreaks havoc on wild horses unaccustomed to a rich diet after feeding a lifetime on desert grasses.

The Calico round-up is being called one of the most deadly round-ups in history. Video footage shows foals being chased by a Cattoor helicopter as they tried to keep up with their mothers fleeing during the stampede. Two baby horses literally later had their hooves fall off, dying a dreadfully painful death at BLM’s hands. The horses were run over miles of rough terrain in the dead of winter.

According to the BLM, the round-ups are for the welfare of the horses. They claim the horses are starving but the photos and footage tell a different story. They claim the few thousand horses remaining free roaming are ruining the ranges but the GAO reports reflect the millions of privately owned livestock being subsidized by tax payers are the cause of the range degradation.

Although the wild horses and burros belong to the American public and the BLM speaks of transparency by the bureau, humane observers had very limited access at the round-up and are being kept away from the Fallon Facility where the horses are being held.

George Knapp from KLAS TV I Team recently aired two reports, BLM Wraps Up Huge Wild Horse Roundup and Wild Horses Forced into a Stampede of Death, which are an eye-opener to those unfamiliar with the BLM round-ups.

The Equine Welfare Alliance, The Cloud Foundation and In Defense of Animals (IDA) encourages concerned Americans to join the protest on February 18 at 1:30 at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse, 333 S. Las Vegas Building, Las Vegas, NV. Expected speakers at the protest are Dr. Elliott M. Katz, DVM and president of IDA, Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist and humane observer at the Calico round-up, Neda DeMayo, founder and CEO of Return to Freedom, Gina Greisen, president of Nevada Voters for Animals and Arlene Gawne, wildlife artist. Additional information can be obtained from Arlene Gawne at 702.277.1313 or artistfromafrica@hotmail.com.

As second protest, Truth Rally, will be held on February 20 in front of the Legislative Building on North Carson Street, U.S. Highway 395 in the state capitol of Carson City, NV and is sponsored by The Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates. Information is available from Bonnie Matton, Wild Horse Preservation League at 775.220.6806 or Mattonco@prodigy.net.

 The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 95 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

 www.equinewelfarealliance.org   

 

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57 replies »

  1. Having high hopes that these rallies will shed light onto the plight of our horses, the suffering and injustice directed at them by our rogue government –
    so well hidden away from the public under the guise of “management”…. AMERICA needs to wake up what has been done and is done in covert operations, tax-funded, government sponsored cruelty against these defenseless victims of a corrupt agenda – it is time for CHANGE – NOW.

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  2. I hope that whatever signs and banners people carry at these rallies are more than just words of protest. The “Right to Life” movement certainly has used intensely graphic photos on protest posters and billboards.

    I’m sure someone could come up with photos of dead or injured horses from Calico or some other capture, but they’d have to do it fast for these two rallies.

    I wish there was some way to do a big screen video presentation behind the speakers.

    Words are okay, but visuals have much more impact, both in person and in media coverage.

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    • Forgot helicopters so close to the horses, chaotic traps and trailer loading, beautiful and alert wild horses on the open range next to broken and depressed BLM prisoners on barren feedlots, and so much more.

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  3. I just got this e-mail from SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) asking people to protest a horse slaughter bill being introduced. There is a hearing tomorrow Feb. 16th, at 2:00PM. SHARK is asking people to call, fax and e-mail members of the committee or attend the hearing if you live in Illinos. The alert is below:

    SHARK ALERT!

    Stop Horse Slaughter in Illinois!

    A horrific bill has been introduced in the Illinois Assembly that, according to the proposed legislation, “Repeals a provision that prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption.” The bill also includes the following language: “Deletes a provision in the definition of the term “livestock” that excludes “horses, mules, or other equidae to be used in and for the preparation of meat or meat products for consumption by human beings,” and “Allows equidae more than 12 months of age to enter the State for immediate slaughter without a certificate of veterinary inspection.”

    HB4812, the Horse Slaughter Bill, is going to be heard tomorrow, Tuesday Feb. 16th, at 2:00PM in the Agriculture & Conservation Committee. If you live in Illinois and can speak against the bill at the hearing, here is the address: Capitol Building, Room 122B Springfield, IL

    We need everyone to call the members of the Committee and ask that they vote against it.

    PLEASE CALL AND FAX TODAY AND TOMORROW!

    Chairperson : Brandon W. Phelps
    bphelps@yourclearwave.com
    (217) 782-5131
    (217) 557-0521 FAX

    Vice-Chairperson :
    Patrick J. Verschoore
    (217) 782-5970
    (217) 558-1253 FAX

    Republican Spokesperson and Bill Sponsor:
    Jim Sacia
    JimSacia@aeroinc.net
    (217) 782-8186
    (217) 558-7016 FAX

    Member:
    John D. Cavaletto
    (217) 782-0066
    (217) 782-1336 FAX

    Member:
    Shane Cultra
    (217) 558-1039
    558-3481 FAX

    Member:
    Lisa M. Dugan
    (217) 782-5981
    (217) 558-4553 FAX

    Member:
    Robert F. Flider
    (217) 782-8398
    (217) 782-2528 FAX

    Member:
    Mary E. Flowers
    flowersme@ilga.gov
    (217) 782-4207
    (217) 782-1130 FAX

    Member:
    Julie Hamos
    julie@staterephamos.org
    (217) 782-8052
    (217) 557-7204 FAX

    Member:
    Donald L. Moffitt
    moffitt@grics.net
    (217) 782-8032
    (217) 557-0179 FAX

    Member:
    Richard P. Myers
    (217) 782-0416
    (217) 782-5257 FAX

    Member:
    David Reis
    (217) 782-2087
    (217) 557-0530 FAX

    Member:
    Dan Reitz
    repreitz@egyptian.net
    (217) 782-1018
    (217) 782-0945 FAX

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    • This Amendment not only seeks to restore slaughter to Illinois, but also includes a very insideous and clever strategy to make it more palatable to legislators.

      Read Section 13.3, “Equine Rescue Assistance Fund and Program”. This proposed fund will accept outside monies, and also COLLECT A $25 FEE FOR EACH SLAUGHTERED ANIMAL TO HELP SUPPORT EQUINE RESCUES!

      Here’s a link to the text:
      http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/HB/09600HB4812.htm
      The restored and/or new language is underlined.

      The b*****d is trying to convince his collegues slaughter is a “win, win” situation. “Come on guys, let’s help rescue horses by slaughtering other horses.” This gives a whole new meaning to “Blood Money”!

      I haven’t stopped shaking since I read it. THIS THING HAS GOT TO BE STOPPED!

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    • Disregard my comment #6. Should read: “REMOVED LANGUAGE is struck through with a line, and new language is underlined.”

      Wouldn’t all this ignore the new Canadian & EU rules?

      Sorry, folks. I’m barely awake.

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    • I called Chairperson Phelps’ office and found out the hearing has been postponed. It may be held next week, but there could be further postponements. There are strong opinions this Amendment is “over the top”, especially because of the drug issues and impacts beyond the State of Illinois.

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    • “…meat products for consumption by human beings…allows equidae more than 12 months of age to enter the State for immediate slaughter without a certificate of veterinary inspection.” This is disgusting, who is going to buy this contaminated, unregulated meat? Are we as Americans going to allow poisonous meat to be sold to unsuspecting consumers just to make a buck? OR do they have their eyes on a less contaminated supply of horseflesh? Evidently Jim Sacia is in somebody’s VERY DEEP CORRUPT pocket. I sincerely hope the fact that Obama is from Illinois is simply a coincidence, and has nothing to do with the BLM’s race to collect every wild equine they can get their hands on. (Some) folks in Montana are already hoping for a slaughter plant in their state, now Illinois? This madness must stop!

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  4. This is too grusome. What are they thinking. If intensions were planned out properly on where to place these horses without leavingt them in holding areas I could deal somewhat…this is no emergency. These are not insects destroying crops that we are talking about here. These are magnificent inhabitants of this land. Please don’t mess with nature, these horses did nothing to harm us.

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  8. Why are there no protests ongoing in DC? I am only a 2 hour flight from there and 6 from Vegas. DC will get you national news coverage on a slow day. I am sorry. I sound frustrated here. I am…wish I could go and Godspeed to all the protesters and I pray these damn roundups can be abolished! Bless everyone for going and for supporting the cause!

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  10. Gene Seidlietz of the BLM says in an interview with George Knapp that they FELT there MIGHT be an emergency in the summer if they didn’t round up all the Calico horses.

    Notice the lack of data and relying on feelings and hunches and note that no emergency for the horses was present (they weren’t starving or suffering), but the BLM was imagining an emergency could happen in the future at some point.

    How about this Gene, use actual data, science and observation and don’t round up horses when there is no emergency whatsoever because your imagination thinks one could occur sometime in the future.

    That’s the BLM, no science, no ecologists, no biodiversity input, no equine experts, just a bunch of horse rustlers. And they have no intention of ever changing that.

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  11. they need to illiminate the BLM,and we the TAX PAYERS should have a BIG say on what they do with our money and THE WILD HORSES DEFINITELY DO NOT NEED THE BLM FOR ANYTHING EVER!!God takes care of his creations not man,just as he makes sure the grasss wil grow,rain will fall,rivers will flow and on and on.BLM your cruel inhumane and heartless.And evidently you don’t have a conscience you treat these magnificent horses like they were a disease and they’re not.They deserve to roam free on all the open public ranges,which belongs to them not cattle,not oil and gas companies,or God knows what.Give them back there land you’ve taken from them and turn them lose on the ranges where they were born and let them live as God so intended them to.BLM doesn’t need to regulate them at all.Between the weather and mountain lions and all the preditors of the horses.The BLM needs to board their helicopters and go somewhere,where the people don’t care what happens to their animals,because we don’t need them we love our wild horses and all the animals God created.And stop them from seeling these horses to people who slaughter them,to fill their bank accounts.

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    • Yes, it is important to participate in the DOI Ideas page.

      I received an e-mail today form Horseback that BLM has created another comment page – however it does not work until tomorrow – some computer thing.

      I am very skeptical of this BLM one as last time all they did was trash all comments in the public meeting, without any due respect or indications of any interest in any further discussion or research of any one of the ideas. Just a bunch of hooey. I am further skeptical in light of the DOI idea page why BLM is doing a separate one – but I’m just plain skeptical of every BLM move – maybe others will have a better more positive take on this.

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      • I’m also skeptical of the BLM’s motives in this. I think they want to review “Ideas” directly, and prepare responses before other DOI members have a chance to look at reports and comments that may put the BLM in a bad light.

        I think the BLM is trying to “head us off at the pass” with this move. I’m sticking with the DOI site.

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  13. I’d rather put the idea or suggestion out there with the faintest glimmer of hope someone might consider it than never have had a chance to try. It is simply NOT possible this Bureau could be so badly run yet so powerful that there is never an accounting. The direction the Bureau has taken in the past few months and the ferocious backlash from the Public – well, it’s my personal hope the Bureau drowns in it’s own garbage.
    But I ain’t mad.

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  14. I’ve combed the Web, and so far have only found 9 photos on the Las Vegas Now website. No on-line story in the LV Sun or anywhere else.

    The protests were scheduled to end at 6:30, Mr. Obama arrived at 6:15. Does anyone know if he saw anything?

    My vote’s for action in DC at a time we’re SURE he’ll be in town.

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    • We (SFTHH) have an reporter on the ground in Vegas. Sent in a report that Obama was late, they followed him around and he read the banners. They will be doing the same today and I am expecting a full report, with pictures, tonight…your time. I will post it as soon as I get my hands on it.

      Stay tuned.

      R.T.

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    • Sem problema, Linda. I am as anxious as you are as it has been indicated that it is rocking and rolling as one of the most noted protests to date, considering that the Prez is there.

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  16. I read a press release from Equine Welfare Alliance that they think wildhorses from the Calicos were eating desert grass and that thousands of cattle were still on the range. The cattlemen and women remove their cattle to private pastures and feed them when the native forage is gone. This is what the BLM is trying to do with the mustangs on the Calico range. Too bad the authors of this article don’t know the difference between desert grass and sagebrush. If they did they would understand why horse numbers need to be reduced.

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    • Gee Chuck – wonder how these horses have survived for over 500 years on winter sagebrush with out your help and enlightenment?

      Better have your cattle friends check out Ruby Pipeline. Just the beginning – cattle are next. Difference is cattle should not be on public lands that belong to the horses in the first place – 20 million acres worth and jsut a ;;drop in the bucket compared to the millions of acres cattle do occupy. Why do they need more and more and more – bunch of brats!

      FYI – those cattle that we the taxpayers are subsidizing at $500 MILLIN DOLLARS A YREAR in direct and indirect costs (CATO Policy Analyis 1997) is a broken socialist program “aka welfare ranchers” who are in fact “welfare big corporations” by and large. They sould move that cattle off all wild horse range and leave them off for good. Just horse and land thiefs one and all. Shame on them!

      And most of that beef according to USDA is EXPORTED anyway for profits on top of the 500 mil. Most of our beef that we eat is IMPORTED from I’m told South America. So not only am I not going to bother boycotting beef, I am going to make absolutley sure I only buy from South American sources, or sources that are not socialist on our free market soil. I am not buying any Hewlitt Packard anything or any other free public land grazers products on my dime.

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    • Chuck, I’ll jump in, and I’m sure Linda will too,

      EWA – “The death toll continues to climb from injuries resulting from the round-up as well as health issues from diets, such as Alfalfa hay that wreaks havoc on wild horses unaccustomed to a rich diet after feeding a lifetime on desert grasses.”

      Agree, this appears to be a misquote – as I recall the BLM vets said it was because of the change from winter forage of dead brush. In either case, could not have BLM provide a slower change? Why twist one little thing into a whole argument. I still don’t see a valid point to your post.

      Dead brush, I will add that cattle do not eat. And horses eat cheat grass too that I am just learning about that only starts growing now and is over before the cattle return. But horses do eat both of these – thus lessoning the wild fire impacts – the next few wild fire seasons on this Calico range will need to be compared to when the over 1900 horses were still there, now just 600 in one little remote HMA at the south end of Calico (curiously the one furthest away from the Ruby Pipeline?). Should make for an interesting and telling comparison.

      Your other point of rotating the cattle in and out is lost – because if the cattle weren’t there at all during rich desert grass seasons, there would not be any starving horses – though there weren’t but a tiny count anyway – and hardly “starving”. There is a link on The Cloud Foundation called “You Be The Judge” that indicates, according to BLM, only one small pocket of horses were in poor health – it would be interesting to know the cattle grazing history or toxic dumping over the last 150 years in that particular area – I suspect it is the one that another commenter is getting back to us about – really desolate. That commenter blamed that on the horses, evidence still not provided.

      I still continue to stand that cattle should never be on any wild horse land that was legislated to them as their primary use. And that I further object as a taxpayer to the whole public land “welfare ranching” scheme in the first place, even if wild horses were not an issue.

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  18. Chuck :I read a press release from Equine Welfare Alliance that they think wildhorses from the Calicos were eating desert grass and that thousands of cattle were still on the range. The cattlemen and women remove their cattle to private pastures and feed them when the native forage is gone. This is what the BLM is trying to do with the mustangs on the Calico range. Too bad the authors of this article don’t know the difference between desert grass and sagebrush. If they did they would understand why horse numbers need to be reduced.

    Chuck, sorry I asked for the EWA reference, but now that I’m back on track, I have several questions and comments.

    You have taken the comment regarding “desert grasses” totally out of context. The article refers to the wild horses’ difficult and sometimes deadly transition from natural forage directly to alfalfa hay and/or other hay traditionally fed to domestic horses. Even in domestic horsekeeping, transitioning from grass hay to alfalfa must be done gradually to avoid major health issues.

    Can you enlighten me as to the cattle grazing season on the Calico HMA? How many acres does it take to maintain one cow on the HMA vs. “private pastures”?

    I live in the New Mexico high desert, where there is a mix of “desert grasses”, sagebrush, chamisa, and other natural forage. My husband’s grandfather homesteaded in the Gobernador Canyon in 1911. He had a relatively small herd of cattle, and often said it took AT LEAST 5 acres of natural forage to keep one cow ALIVE during the colder months. Every year he could hardly wait to get his cattle to summer pasture in Colorado. He used to say they “walked off” any weight they gained in the colder months just searching for something to eat.

    He also kept a herd of horses in the same country. Raising horses was his passion. Most were either range horses or range/domestic crossbreds. Some stayed at the ranch year-round, and some went up to Colorado. They ALL maintained good condition throughout the seasons NO MATTER WHERE THEY GRAZED.

    As to “The cattle men and women remove their cattle to private pastures and feed them when the native forage is gone.” Are these “private pastures” on the ranches they own, or on BLM allotments? As to “when the native forage is gone”, what’s “gone” for cattle isn’t necessarily “gone” for wild horses. As I said before, wild horses can thrive where a cow can barely survive.

    Are you saying BLM lands should be managed to keep maximum forage for the next cattle grazing season by removing the wild horses? Please keep in mind the recent statement by a BLM representative that the BLM is not “the Bureau of Cows”. He also said the BLM is not “the Bureau of Horses”, but they seem to be up to their necks in both.

    Can you tell me where “sagebrush” is mentioned in the article. I re-read it several times. Maybe I missed it.

    And one last question. When you say “horse numbers need to be reduced”, what do you consider an appropriate number of wild horses to leave on each HMA? Please tell me what you know about how band and/or herd size relate to genetic viability.

    I await your answers and comments.

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    • In the 4th paragraph of my comment, the third sentence should have read “… AT LEAST 5 acres of natural forage A DAY …”. Pretty poor winter grazing, and yet his horses did well in the same country.

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    • Linda, the more I learn the more amazing these horses are. I read about domestic horses and what they need, then I realize how little the wild horses need and how tough they are. I have had back and forths on YouTube with some anti wild horse folks and they really have absoultely NO comprehension – some are even BLM volunteers at the holding sites. I try to explain that what they are seeing in holding is not a “wild” horse in its natural environment. They are really missing the boat. They go on and on about how they have worms – SO WHAT! They have been doing quit well for over 500 years without de-wormer. I’m not sure they do have worms anyway – probably get them from the so called better food and better environment BLM provides, saving them from so called starvation – what a joke! Etc, etc. Just can’t say enough good things about wild horses – they are the symbol not only of freedom and the founding of our country but of the ultimate tough survivor, of what is best, then BLM comes along.

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      • I would think that those wild horses put into holding would have a much greater chance to have worms since they are confined with large numbers of other horses and not able to naturally graze over a wide area. Horses in the wild can also eat wild plants that might keep the parasites at bay. Sage Brush (Artemisia tridenta) is in the same family as is Wormwood, a plant long used to rid human and animals of parasites(as well as make people a little “crazy” from absinthe distilled from Wormwood! It would be interesting to have a list of all the plants that do grow in the wild horse habitat in Nevada. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Artemisia+tridentata

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      • Roxy ~ Tell them that ALL horses have worms, wild or domestic. In fact, experts say it’s not a good idea to keep your horses “worm free” because a low infestation produces an antibody effect sort of like a vaccination.

        The wild ones don’t need a wormer because they are free to range far and wide, while domestic horses are confined and have to eat forage that stays contaminated.

        One of the biggest problems we face here is that so many people these days know NOTHING about horses. They probably have never even SEEN a live horse, let alone understabd what they need – or don’t need – to stay healthy. And I feel sure President Obama is one of them. Not many horses in Hawaii. Too expensive!

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  19. I think the reference to sagebrush is from me. I’ve been there and that’s all that’s left and there isn’t any nutrition in sagebrush.There are around 845 cows on the Calicos. These are on the BLM allotment for 5 1/2 mo. to 6 1/2 mo. each year. Evety 2 years over 600 head of these cows are moved to a different BLM allotment for 2 years. For 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 mo. all of the cattle are on deeded pastures.
    Everyone seems to forget the BLM is trying to manage the for multiple use. Horses, domestic livestock, and wildlife share the same range. When the forage is short and or the water dries up the livestock is removed and wildlife can move on. Horses can’t jump fences. If the numbers are set at a reasonable level they can survive.
    More comments: Horses and cows will eat cheat grass in the early spring when it is green and tender.The BLM numbers are probably in the ball park considering the horses are there year around. Can’t answer your last question Linda. I,ll try and find the answer tho. The calico horses were wormy when they were gathered. Where did this 500 years come from?

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    • I know Linda will reply much more eloquently than I, but I need the practice.

      500 years – look up wild horses and mustangs on Wikipedia to start. Wild horses have DNA evidence that they are descended from the Spanish Horses brought and left by the Spanish conquistadores. Calico is not as remote as some wild horse habitats, so the blood line may not be as pure; however we can see the dorsal stripe on some of the horses in the Fallon holding pens which is in part evidence.

      Wormy – I’m no expert – left my wild horse days on a ranch when I was little, but I’m told by others here that all horses have worms, that they are even beneficial in check. That what the horses eat on the range self medicates for this balance. I’m still researching this myself. See Plants For A Future at pfaf.org/database/plants.

      Sagebrush – These horses do lose weight in winter and have, as I said for 500 years, then boucnig back in late winter and early spring (on cheatgrass for one), surviving on whatever dead brush there is, again reducing wild fire season intensity. This dead brush provides little to no nutrients, just keeps them full until grasses come back. Since there were 2 million +/- wild horses before cattle (an invasive import) came along (also before cheatgrass came along) it appears they survived just fine before European men came along to save them from starving (what a BLM joke and propaganda – do you see starving horses coming into the Calico chutes?).

      Cheatgrass – is a non-native noxious invasive grass from Malaysia (?). It seeds in spring and early summer. The wild horses play an important part in eating this grass before it seeds, when, as you have said, the cattle are not there. Cheatgrass left unchecked will do exactly what the name implies, will cheat all other grass from nutrients in the soil and leave your cattle with little forage eventually. Cheatgrass also left unchecked will contribute severely to wild fire BTU thus costing us taxpayers yet more in wild fire fighting – see Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) from http://www.fs.fd.us/database – excerpt – “Nonnative, invasive grasses generally benefit from fire and promote recurrent fire….Recurrent fires also tend to enhance cheatgrass dominance because native species cannot usually persist under a regime of frequent fires. Native plant assemblages are thus converted to nonnative annual grasslands. Frequency and size of fires is then further increased…Historic fire regimes did not occur in the presence of many invasive plants that are currently widespread, and the use of fire may not be a feasible or appropriate management action if fire-tolerant invasive plants are present. For example, while fire may be an important natural component of the Great Basin ecosystem, its reintroduction by land mangers is complicated by the presence of invasive plants such as cheatgrass”. See the domino effect?

      Cattle allotments – The cattle are only there due to subsequent breaches in the 1971 legislation that provided the horses as the PRIMARY users on certain lands. Most likely under the same scenario as the wicked Burns Bill (Harry Reids bill), these were probably slipped in, literally, in some other bill, such as appropriations which is difficult to hold up in the eleventh hour, without public or even Congressional oversight – dirty politics. So new legislation is now needed to get rid of the cattle on the land that was intended by Congress and the People in 1971. Welfare Ranching needs to go away all together, but if it just goes away to the benefit of the wild horses, only speaking for myself, I’ll not only be OK with that, I’ll even return to buying USA grazed cattle and HP products again (maybe, I’m not seeing anything wrong South American beef, other than the transport contributing the air pollution – would much rather buy locally – but most of our beef in the USA, according to USDA is exported anyway, and HP is not the end all to computers – what a MESS!).

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      • Roxy,
        Sagebrush, ‘Artemisia tridentata’ is a cousin to the Wormwood, plant ‘Artemisia absinthium’. Plants in this family were and are still used to rid animals and humans of parasites. Interestingly, Oil of Wormwood is in the Absorbine Horse Linament preparation. I would venture an “herbal” guess that the horses on the desert do self-medicate by eating some sagebrush.

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    • PS Genetic viabilty – Look up BLMs geneticist Gus Cothran. I think you can find his paper on The Cloud Foundation pages. I’m not referring to the “BLM version” where BLM has mis applied Cothrans science (and they posted it in a news article as if it came from Cothran – dirty, dirty, dirty tricks – see why we don’t believe them? Some people left BLM rather than change thier own science papers as they were told to do during the Bush era!!!!), I’m talking about the REAL science – the TRUTH.

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  20. they will do what they please we must CHANGE THE LAWS get their attention in other ways, BUY AMERICAN MADE, NO BEEF MONDAY THAT, STOP BUYING GOLD, START SWITCHING OVER TO SOLAR AND OTHER GREEN FUELS WAYS TO STOP THE that will get some attention

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  21. oops the return button on accident on last comment.
    WE MUST MAKE CHANGES HOW WE LOOK AT AND TREAT OUR WILD EQUINE THEY ARE A NATURAL RESCOURCE THAT BELONGS TO ALL USA TAXPAYERS AND FURTURE TAX PAYERS
    WE NEED TO BRING THEM CLOSER TO US NOT HOLD THEM IN SOME HORRIBLE PEN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVING DAYS. WE GAVE THEM THE MOST UNDESIRABLE PLACE IN THE USA TO LIVE BACK IN 1971 WHY IS THE BLM STILL CONDUCING ILLEGAL ROUND UPS TODAY. EVERYONE OF THEM SHOULD BE THROWN IN JAIL THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THESES HORSES BELONG TO ALL OF US WE PAY THE MONEY TO HAVE THEM MISMANAGE AND THEN THEY OUR SENT TO SLAUGHTER.
    STOP NEW PRO SLAUGHTER LAWS GOING ON NOW ASAP BE ON ALERT IN ID, FL, MT, KY, CA, SD, ND, IL, AND MANY MORE GO TO animallawcollistion.com for pro slaughter bills in your state GET INVOLVED STOP THEM NOW
    BRING BACK OUR WILD HORSES SO WE CAN ENJOY THEM. GIVE THE HORSES A PLACE IN THE USA. AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES. ITS UP TO US TO GIVE THEM A VOICE.
    1900 MUSTANGS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO NEBRASKA TWO BE SHOVED INTO A SMALL DIRTY CELL WITH THE REST OF THE 30,00O MUSTANGS PREVIOUSLY ROUNDED UP. ARE WE GOING TO FIGHT OR OUR WE GOING TO LET THEM TAKE THEM, WE NEED TO FIGHT TO GET THE STALLION FREEDOM BACK HIS BAND THE BLM STOLED FROM HIM.
    IN A FEW YEARS AFTER COMPLAINING AND WASTING OUR TAXPAYERS MONEY THEY WILL THEN AGAIN ILLEGALLY SEND THEM ACROSS THE CANADIAN AND MEXICAN BOARDERS TO HAVE THEM SLAUGHTERED. (THIS IS AFTER WE PAID FOR THEM TO BE MANAGED. USAS PEOPLE PAY FOR THE ROUND UPS AND FEEDING OF THE 34,000 HORSES AT 3000+ A PIECE.
    THEN THE BLM TURNS AROUND AND SELLS THEM OUT AT A 100 BUCKS A PIECE. IS IT JUST ME OR IS THEIR SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. WHOSE MAKING THE REST OF THE MONEY ON THE HORSES SINCE HORSE MEET BRINGS PREMIUM PRICES IN OTHER COUNTRIES 60.00 DOLLARS A POUND. SOMEONE WAS HAS GOLD FILLED POCKETS. HAPPENING.

    I HAVE A DREAM. THIS IS WHAT I WROTE TO CBS CHANNEL 2 IN CARSON CITY AFTER THEY QUOTED ME IN THERE ARTICLE ON THE TRUTH RALLY IN CARSON.

    Feb 22, 2010

    To help Nevada and the USA from going bankrupt, this would be my dream.

    Stop President Obama from handing out 60 million dollars of our tax money that the BLM wants to spend on the harvesting our wild equine illegally and sending them to their deaths. . Reinstate the Annie act of 1971 permanently, Take the failed wild equine management away from the BLM due to conflict of interest. Lets give the wild equines back the land they were illegally taken from and put them on the endanger species list.
    Open a state and or national park for the wild equines in different locations in the USA, or add them to parks already exisiting, for Americas people to enjoy. There would be a museum for the wild equine on how they shaped the USA. There would be viewing area to see the wild horse’s running free. There would be a adoption center, a rescue center, volunteer center, onsite equine vetranarian, education center and research center, school of horsemanship. The center would have summer programs for inter-city kids and adults to stay and volunteer. There will be horse camping and trails, picnic areas, places to eat and lodge. as well as a full blown wild equine training and riding facility for all. Special needs therapeutic riding, recovering drug attacks, abused childeren, suicide survivors, recovering alcoholics, orphans, kids on drugs, sexually abused people, cancer patients, the list is endless. Billions of groups and organizations would benefit from these parks.

    Wild equines give people confidence, wild equines give stability, wild equines give people love, wild equines give people hope, wild equines give people faith, wild equines heel people, wild equines save lives. wild equines for the people. Wild equines ask for nothing in return.

    quote: Trace our present day’s strength to its source and you’ll find that man’s pathway to glory. is strewn with the bones of a horse.

    It was only less then 100 years ago that horses were mans everything, We owe them the opportunity of life.
    Thanks for reading my letter,
    Sincerely, Kimberly Miller

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  22. The Taylor Grazing Act went into effect in 1934. The Winnemucca district was established in 1935. A majority of the stockmen in the area had to petition the Secretary of the Interior to form a district. From this I would deduce the ranches were there long before 1971.
    I would thing everyone can agree sagebrush and cheat grass are not very good grazing for any of the species under discussion. All the more need to keep all numbers under control.
    While neither one of us can say for sure where these horses came from I suspect most are the result of unneeded army remount herds and horses released because of modernization.

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    • Uneeded army mount is good enough reason – that is part of our history, our heritage, and why at least most of these horses neeed to be national heritage species. It is easy enough to determine from DNA testing in any event, and I believe BLM is doing that with the Calico horses, however, since they came from so many different areas of a very large range, and now BLM has mixed up the horses it will be more dificult. I’m sure some horses have been released over the years as you say – but so far DNA evidence is that has not made any significant impact. We will have to waite for results on Calico.

      I don’t get how limiting horses forage on cheatgrass is a good thing. As you pointed out the cattle are not returned to the areas until after the cheatgrass has seeded, and trampling as cattle do makes the cheatgrass seeds impervious to any remedies that humans might try – just more cheatgrass next season, and the next, and the next, and just more wild fire year after year after year, which in turn promotes more cheatgrass, which in turn crowds out more forage – if the horses are not returned the whole area will become desolate on cattle destruction and you all will try to blame the wild horses – what a riot, if it wasn’t so sad. The only good will be no more welfare cattle cause there won’t be any forage – and when those wild fires come nipping at peoples doorsteps I say let em burn – not more tax dollars for that either since it will have been avoidable. Tell them to balme it on BLM!

      Sorry I don’t know where Winnemucca is or its relationship to Calico or other wild horse grazing areas that existed in 1971. I will, time permitting, look taht up perhaps. However, if the area is welfare it needs to be legislated OUT, and the Taylor Act gutted. I’m sick of paying all this tax money to these wealthy for profit companies, who then export the beef for profit on top of my taxes. I for one will not rest until this is under control or banished – no more welfare ranching at the expense of wild horses or my tax dollars and if the horses are not returned I will notstop for any reason. At least the beef should be required to stay here since we already paid over 500 milllion dollars a year for it. Those ranchers will have to do with only one or two houses, one airplane, one boat, one lavish vacation and one new car a year from then on. Don’t tell me they don’t live in excess – I know and my family knows many. The ones I don’t know – Hiltons for example – well, Paris is the best example of that – “thats hot”!

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    • I would disagree sir. If the grasses that are there, barring human intervention with a ton of stupidity allows these animals to survive, much more reproduce, it really can’t be that bad. The numbers of equines just doesn’t require this level of effort or expenditure.

      The implementation of BLM, et al and the land and resources rape, government sanctioned AND funded policy of the Great Depression was not intended to be in perpetuity. And at a minimum, requires constant review and change. They don’t.

      This is the 21st century. BLM and others are living, with unfettered reign in the 19th.

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  23. You need to visit the Calico range and Winnemucca district and see the family ranches I’m talking about before you make statements on how they live.

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    • Hilton and Hewlit Packard folks live poorly? I don’t think so. There are plenty of others like that grazing on public land that YOU and I are paying for. Get rid of them, period.

      Regardless, rant coming = there are millions of us out of jobs, while these big corps are laughing at you and me all the way to the bank! My wish would be for family ranchers to be able to remain, move off the big corps. But right now I’m sorry, where am I supposed to get my share of supporting a 500 million dollar a year cost? That is an average of $190,000 dollars a year that each of your friends is costing the rest of us. So that they can keep their jobs and I don’t even get to eat their beef, it gets exported off to who knows where? My field is expected to continue a decline for at least another 10 years – I’ll be 72 by then. Possibly in 10 years, compliments of BLM and the very cheating ranchers supporting BLMs removal of wild hroses, these cheaters living off of the rest of us will only be left with cheatgrass and wild fires will have run rampant. Rant concluded.

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  24. I’d also like to add that the equines, at vastly lower numbers in population manage to exist, while the bovines/ovines need continually manipulation and assistance on that very same land.

    I’d say Mr. Chuck…it’s time to rethink the meat paradigm….maybe the welfare ranchers had better start looking at bison, elk, etc for exports. Because in all honesty…most of the beef Americans eat is older production and dairy cows. Last I checked, the bulk of the cattle on public lands goes to our stellar export market/industry, particularly age dependent.

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  25. Chuck :You need to visit the Calico range and Winnemucca district and see the family ranches I’m talking about before you make statements on how they live.

    And you need to unsubsidized economics and marketing without government support. Ain’t that the true nature of capitilism?!?

    Been to Winn and northern NV as an ag student. Equines survive. Bovines don’t without intense management on the government dime. But please, continue to ignore my points….just like DOI/BLM.

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    • D., I suspect we are talking to a welfare recipient of our tax money – you said it, just like BLM/DOI – our tax dollars at work.

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