(In My Humble Opinion) by R. T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council
The Wild Horses Thank You!
It’s been one helluva week. Many thanks go out to those who took of their own time, and resources, to plan, travel and execute activities during the BLM Advisory Board Meeting of this past week. My head is still whirling but then again, it does not take much to make that occur. But overall, the question remains…did we make a difference?
My answer would be a resounding YES! From the quality and professionalism of our press conference; the in depth and quantified remarks and recommendations to the Board; and the demonstrations; the advocates were on the mark and stated their case, clearly.
I reserve the right to discuss the meeting in further detail, later; but everyone made a sincere and dramatic impact. I would have liked to see a couple of hundred more folks there, or maybe a couple of thousand; but considering the economy, we were lucky to have the participants that we had. But, here is the point…whether you were behind a microphone, holding a banner, calling your legislator or faxing the White House…you made a difference and that difference was a profound one.
It is difficult to ascertain from within the battlefield the progress of the war as you are, personally, grappling with the enemy face to face and one on one as your entire universe implodes down to a live or die confrontation with the enemy of choice. But a far broader view will reveal that the collective efforts of the army, of which you are a member, has made a significant advancement into the weak, untrained and ill informed opponent who may out number us but by no means has the mental capacity to strategically defend a position that is founded in a lie.
It came home to me for a brief moment, tonight. I just stepped off from a jet plane, today, but will step onto another one tomorrow, then again another the next followed by another one the day after and so on and so on, so late tonight I took a sip from the goblet of life and pulled up a chair to watch Terry interact with our horses in our front pasture. Life is fleeting; we must stay centered and draw strength from all of the “life moments” that we are given and I received a potent and poignant one this evening.
I simply sat in the shade with two geriatric German Shepherds flanking me and together we watched a dance of love in the lush grass of the pasture. Terry rubbed and stroked the ‘boyz’ as they gathered around her to give her hugs with their eyes half-lidded. There was so much love in the air that you could have cut it with a knife; it was as thick as was the humidity. But as I watched the slow dance of mutual regard and respect it became apparent what the horses were doing, it was obvious in both their behavior and their demeanor. They were saying thank you and their kind regard did not fall upon deaf hearts.
And as my eyes welled up in preparation to begin leaking, I heard a soft sigh behind me and felt the warm breath on my ear, even the dogs turned around but I did not need to, I knew I was not alone, I was alive with the essence of the spirit of the horse so I simply whispered:
“We are not there yet, Ethan, but we are closer. I made you a promise and that I shall keep, we will win as we will never quit…and, I miss you so very terribly.”
I know not how long I sat there basking in the warm glow of my past friend’s presence but it was a soft kiss on my forehead that brought be earthward. Terry was leaning over me, smiling and gently she whispered;
“The boys said thank-you, they knew R.T., they knew.”
I smiled back and replied;
“They all know, Terry…we have much work to do.”
And we walked to the house, hand in hand, for the last time in many weeks.
My heart is heavy yet still it has wings…there is much work to do.
Thank you, all!
Related Articles
- Wild Horse Advocates’ Press Conference Scheduled for Thursday, March 10 in Phoenix (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Live from Phoenix! And Schedule of Events (thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com)
- Live Stream: Grassroots Horse (artandhorseslauraleigh.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, The Force of the Horse, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Mary God Bless you for represnting us the people that love the horses so very much, and we will stand beside you unitl this war is won. We know it is far from being over, BLM is not to be trusted, they always seem to have something else up their sleves. Your story about how you were watching your wife with the horses made me cry, and took me back to several horses that I had rescued from slaughter in Canada, I miss them so much but they have loving caring homes “forever”, will never be abused again. I love my horses with every beat of my heart, and they in return give me unconditional love…No animal should be abused ever.
Keep up the good work and be safe on your travels.
Sharon
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pass the kleenex, its been a tough year, and yes, we are much closer to where we need to go..It might be a smaller group than we all might wish, but it was a poweful and vocal group, you all stood up STRONG, and we all swelled with pride. We will continue to work..harder than before, wiser than before, with more evidence and more certainty that we will win for the wild ones what they cannot win for themselves-their freedom to live in peace, harming no one as they grace our lives with their presence-and the understanding that as they go-so do we.
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We are at least becoming known for who we really are and not for the slanderous names we are called by BLM. It is refreshing to know that we do share the page and there are actually more of us than before.
We make all the difference in the world for these horses, RT. Believe it. mar
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And MORE are coming
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RT you travel safe and sound. Sleep well tonight.
Friday morning was awesome watching on the computer. I sat here all morning. Listening to one person telling us that we’re “radical horse advocates”. I’m sorry but I found that statement amusing. Laura Leigh is so committed to something so horrendous. In a sweet moment at Sacramento we looked over to each other and snapped each others pics. Ginger bless her heart is absolutely committed to the horses, to explaining to one and all what she sees and why we need to save last remaining horses.
Although you and I have never met I read you every day. Some days I want to cry and others I find myself falling out of my chair laughing to hard. Then when you tell us how your just sitting on the porch, watching Terry and the horses and the pic is so easy to see in my head. I see a woman surrounded by horses. All just want to share in the moment. It has to be seen to understand. I don’t have the words to explain such a thing.
I applaud your commitment and everyone else’s.
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Mr. Fitch, THANK YOU for giving our Wild Horses & Burros a voice! I wish I could have been there with you & the others in person but I was there in Spirit. I know you made a difference! Everytime someone speaks for the Wild Horses, it makes a difference! The BLM will have to face what they have done to these animals & their land! The BLM has told so many untruths that they actually believe them. The problem for them is once you start telling them you have to keep making up stories to cover the ones you told. For instance their math is really bad! Everytime the BLM talks they don’t even know what they have said to make a point. Don’t ever stop giving these magnificent Wild Horses a voice! Your VOICE speaks volumns!
We have to be the Force With These Horses! Amanda G.
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Beautiful. Power on.
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Thank you both so much…..you give all of the horses a voice against those taking their freedom and their lives.
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Your words are poetry, as with the rest, tears filled my eyes as I read your words sitting with my G.S., Samson. We do have to savor our life moments, for they give us the strength to fight, David against the Goliath, we are all one in our fight for the horse.
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A Silent Tear
Stand proud wild horse of the desert plain
Do not let them your spirit claim
Stand tall, stand firm, do not give in
Though domination men seek to win.
God made you strong and gave you heart
And set you free right from the start
To roam the valleys and the hills
Yet your freedom men seek to steal.
Don’t they know or can’t they see
This is where you were meant to be.
Other beasts of burden cannot compare
Nor your beauty do they share.
If we listen we might hear
The thunderous roar, the silent tear
Of slaughtered ones from the past
And understand your plight at last.
America’s Treasure, Our Wild Horses and Burros – Freedome Worth Fighting For!
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So very beautiful !!
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R. T., thank you for being a strong, articulate voice for the horses we love so much. I think we all appreciate the sacrifices you and Terry are making. SFTHH has provided a place where advocates can meet, share information, and strategize so that we can work smarter together. Thanks to the hard work of too many people to name, documentation is turning up that will help inform our lawmakers and our fellow citizens understand what is really going on with our wild horses and our tax dollars. Your leadership has been invaluable.
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Everyone already said the good stuff, the things I would have loved to say, but I can still think it. Thank you, R.T. Not for making me cry, but for what you do for the horses. Thank you.
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Bless you R.T. and all the others that have worked and supported our quest for freedom of our Magnificant Mustangs and Burros. There are no words to express our feelings!
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Thank you, R.T., Terry and Ethan….
Thank you everyone for fighting for America’s beautiful horses!
Thank you, horses, for trying to continue your lives confused and fearful, without your loved ones, without the mountains and your once preserved, open spaces and the winds of freedom blowing through your manes.
Your life, by law, should have been protected, but mankind can be an evil beast and you are in their grasp. You have been targeted by their greed.
Imprisonment is no life…. death, certainly is no life and separation can be next to death itself.
We are fighting for you, please know we are trying to set you free!
Thank you, everyone.
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Thank you RT –and all the others who were there for us–and there for the horses. The two days were tiring to watch from the comfort of home–so you must all be exhausted. I’m glad you and Terry are following that old bumper sticker message
“Have you hugged your horse today?” The horses know everything. They’ve been around longer than humans.
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SIOUX PROPHESY
“There will come a time when the earth is sick and the animals and plants begin to die. Then the Indians will regain their spirit and gather people of all nations, colors and beliefs to join together in the fight to save the Earth: The Rainbow Warriors.”
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Thanks so much. Really tearing up, and really glad you had that moment on your porch. Made me remember the invisible army of friends behind me every day. We all have them pushing us on!!!
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As always…Straight from the Heart, Mr. Fitch – yours and our beloved Horse’s.
Thank You…
~ Jan
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Thank you so much R.T. for all that you and Terry are doing and did last week. I am tearing up and am still at work, so must try and regain some composure. I had hoped this would be a successful few days, especially after all the graphic footage captured by Laura Leigh. It is no longer our word again theirs. It is captured on film as unequivocal proof that treatment of our horses and burros at the hand of the BLM is a disgrace for our government, but it is also a disgrace for us as a nation. For too long now, people just say to me “oh, that’s terrible, why don’t ‘they’ do something about it. I have started replying, “yes, why don’t ‘you’ do something about it. If it makes people uncomfortable, that’s too bad.
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