Written by Equine Advocacy Examiner Maureen Harmonay
Calico Herd Deaths Continue to Mount at BLM Fallon Holding Facility
A slow death for a foal in BLM Pen - Photo by Laura Leigh
Since Saturday, February 20th, six more horses from the Calico roundup have died, and two more foals perished before they even took their first breath. The total number of lives lost among the wild horses being held captive in BLM corrals near Fallon, Nevada is at least 58, not counting dozens of late-term miscarriages. The horses seem to be dying at such an alarming rate that the BLM itself is no longer issuing a daily total of the mortalities.
As expected, the process of forcing mustangs through narrow chutes for branding and vaccinations is itself starting to claim lives, sometimes in excruciatingly painful ways. On Saturday, a two-year-old filly died after sustaining a serious spinal injury when a larger horse backed into her and she had nowhere to go. On Sunday, a 10-year-old mare was found dead of “foaling complications.” Her full-term foal was not properly positioned in the birth canal, and the agony that they both suffered is almost unimaginable.
Horses are still dying from the ravages of the roundup, even though it ended almost three weeks ago. On Saturday, a four-year-old filly and a 25-year-old stallion were euthanized due to “poor condition, hyperlipemia, and metabolic failure.” Two 20-year-old mares were put down in the last two days because they, too, never recovered from the stress of the capture and its ensuing challenges to their diet and to their emotional well-being.
There are many others who are still in trouble, and may never regain their full measure of health, including several colts who have been held in hospital pens for at least 10 days because their foot abscesses are still not healed. There are an untold number of mares that remain in “poor” condition; they are “eating and drinking and under observation.”
The BLM tells us that 300 horses have been processed for adoption, with 120 of those being run through the chutes in just the last four days. Four public observers, including Elyse Gardner and Craig Downer, visited the Indian Lakes Road holding pens during visiting hours on Sunday; their in-person narratives and photographic accounts of what’s really happening at the closed facility are eagerly awaited.
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Please do not forget the stallion who died after breaking his neck when a helicopter was allowed to hover over the pens on Feb. 15th inducing panic in the trapped horses. Terrorized by a helicopter once again, most likely flown by a Cattoor pilot. And yes, I have asked the BLM field office why they have stopped the daily death counts on their reports. Still waiting for an answer.
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Well, this is what happens when “meatman” are in charge of wild (or any breed, for that matter) equines: death, destruction and torture.
This saga just makes me physiacally ill. And not one stinking word from Washington!
Disgusting!
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Somewhat OT, but does anyone ever watch “Hoarders” on A&E network?
I think they ought to do show on DOI/BLM…talk about destructive, debilitating behavior!
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The death rate seems to be nearly one horse per day. It is sickening all of us and it will not end now that foaling is coming. These are our horses they are neglecting. i know they are wild but who would pen all these wild horses under such poor conditions and say ‘we can’t help them because they are wild’? Madness and stupidity. A smart vet could figure out a way to help mares. They have a vet who has no private practice but only works for them. Not APHIS. mar
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It is my belief that only having one vet for 1900 horses,(especially during processing and foaling season) and one who may not be that great, is negligence on the part of the BLM.
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No kidding. they need half a dozen and on a rotating shift…mar
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whoops…, must check, mar
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And that they feed alfalfa to scrub brush diet equines? Suicide. Ooops, make that equicide.
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To do that is stupid and must be known it is wrong, therefore it is abusive and deliberate. Here in Colorado I see ads for mixed wild hay and others, that are used for mustangs. It s not impossible to have a contractor provide the right hay mix. This is a slipshod operation at best. mar
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not only that; the BLM puts layers of “Rye and Orachard Grass clippings to mimic the wild pastures; wrong !
wild pastures have tall thick type grasses; so the Rye and Orchard Grass the BLM puts down gets “damp; this causes fungus; fungus damages foals…
just my 2c anna
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Not a man or woman alive today can do anything beside damage with more than 300 horses especially captive.Those who barely could said this a hundred years ago.
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Someone once said the surest way to kill a mustang was to feed it like a domestic horse! They die from the feet up !! The BLM has gone out of their way to prove this correct! Stupid upon stupid upon cruel ! Abuse and murder for sure!!
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we need to shake and rattle the cages of Washington D.C to save our wild horses,The BLM certainly are cold hearted cruel individuals who could careless how much pain they aflect on those poor wild horses.They need to be prosecuted to the limit of the law,you know they are breaking the law with what they’re doing.I wonder how they would like it if we did that to their horses,or something they hold close to their hearts.And for a horse trainer to be and advocate for such a behavior,it certainly doesn’t say much for him.I wouldn’t have him train a horse for me ever.Our President needs to wake up and realise these wild horses have more rights to the public ranges then these cattlemen with their herds.They have the cattle graze them on their own land and if they can’t then get rid of some of them,instead of being greedy,and want to take land from the wild horses.The BLM should be FIRED and GOT RID OF NOW!!Let them go somewhere where the people don’t care about their wild horses,burro’s.This is America,not some country that believes in inhumane treatment for wild horses and etc.These horses are very much a part of our HISTORY and Heritage.They’ve been around for centuries and should continue to be around roaming free for a whole LOT MORE!!!I have made it a point to sign every petition and write every e-mail I can to save our wild horses,they are magnificent and beautiful animals,ans deserve to roam free on the ranges where they were born.And I agree don’t pen them up and feed them like you would a domesticated horse,you will surely kill them,it’s like feeding them poison.The need to STOP BLM and The White House is now!!
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hello; my comment is; (this is my first wild mustang roundup following); “the rate is about 1 horse per day; plus about 1 “miscarriage or other foaling complications (per day); I count upwards of 100 mustangs have been harmed; bunch of ignorameouses (sp.); never seen such blatant Vet. negligence as this “Dr. Sandford”
a true redneck ! ! ! imo anna conn.
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I notice that the death statistics are once again included in the Fallon Updates. I commented on their absence somewhere in the wild horse cyber-world, and the BLM must have read my mind!
Also opened the necropsy reports. Haven’t counted them yet, but they certainly aren’t examining many of the dead horses. Plus several mares were pregnant, some near-term, so I guess we can add those babies to the BLM’s “we don’t want to admit to this” list.
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