Report Obtained from The Cloud Foundation
Cloud Foundation asks Congress to reform Wild Horse and Burro Program
WASHINGTON (April 8, 2011)—The Cloud Foundation received a written report and video documentation from Lisa Friday after her tour last month of BLM’s Butterfield Short Term Wild Horse and Burro Holding Facility, outside Salt Lake City. Friday was shocked to find wild horses living in unhealthy conditions that would that raise concerns and charges of abuse if they were observed in private facilities.
“When government is facing a shutdown, tax dollars cannot be used for animal cruelty,” states Anne Novak spokesperson for The Cloud Foundation. “We ask Congress to defund the roundups and use that money to help Americans in their time of need.”
The video contains disturbing images of once-wild horses penned in areas where they were unable to navigate out of a knee-deep mixture of mud, manure, and urine. Friday, a wild horse adopter and long-time horsewoman, reports of seeing 30 horses laying down in mud and excrement for the entire three hours in which she was at the facility. “They never got up,” she states.
“I saw more than 10 horses in one pen alone trying to escape the quagmire but their legs were suctioned deep into the mud,” explains Friday.
“Seeing wild horses in this kind of squalor is heart-breaking,” says Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation who has spent 17 years documenting the wild lives of horses in her Cloud productions for PBS. “I don’t understand how BLM can justify the removal of these animals from the safety of their wild homes, only to dump them into these hellish conditions. I seriously doubt that the American taxpayers want their money used for this kind of cruelty.”
In her report, Friday describes conversations with BLM facility employees who acknowledge that wild horses are not given the required three opportunities to be adopted, but are regularly sent to long term holding for life after only one advertised event—which may be nothing more than one exposure on the internet.
Friday noticed a young mare that was extremely emaciated. The BLM told her the female was a three-year old from a roundup in the Moriah Herd Area of Nevada. The mare was captured 8 months ago; raising another red flag about the care the animals receive in the BLM facility. Friday asked where the sick pens were and was told, “Any pen, which contained a sick animal was a sick pen”. She was told there were pregnant mares in the pens. She asked why she hadn’t seen any foals. The employee replied that there was one foal born. When Friday asked where it was, the employee changed the subject.
“Besides their horrible living conditions, it was disturbing to see how cruelly BLM interacted the horses,” explains Friday. “I was horrified to see horses being moved from pen to pen with the help of a ‘Bobcat’ (small bulldozer).”
“Perhaps this is natural horsemanship, BLM style?” asks Kathrens, a wild horse adopter herself. “Anyone who interacts with our wild horses should be required to go through classes to learn the contemporary techniques taught by so many wonderful clinicians. There is really no excuse for this kind of aggression toward already terrorized animals.”
The Cloud Foundation is sharing Lisa Friday’s report with Congress, asking for an investigation of all holding facilities—especially those on private property that are currently off limits to the public. The Foundation demands that BLM follow the law and allow all young wild horses five years and under three legitimate opportunities to find adoptive homes, before being housed for life at taxpayer expense.
The Cloud Foundation and 200 other organizations continue to call for Congress to withhold money for more roundups until BLM undergoes an overhaul of its broken Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The BLM is currently asking Congress for an additional $12 million to conduct their scheduled summer roundups. More than 40,000 wild horses and burros are housed in holding facilities throughout the US at huge taxpayer expense. The Cloud Foundation estimates that less than 15,000 wild horses remain in the wild. Caroline Betts, PhD, predicts wild horse extinction in 11 years if BLM is allowed to continue removing massive numbers of horses from their legally designated ranges in the West.
“The only way to save the water, land and last wild horses in the American West is to remove the government’s incessantly corrupt Bureau of Land Management…” says Academy Award winner Michael Blake, author of Dances with Wolves.
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- Stop Obama’s Wild Horse Harvesting Machine: aka the BLM (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Phoenix Rally Meeting Report – Take Action! (thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com)
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
These horses need to be seized and taken out of there ASAP. This rescue needs doing because BLM is dragging their feet. They Can move these horses… From what I know all the facilities are full. But I am sure they can arrange for fairgrounds or a cattle facility to have them
We need phone numbers up here and people getting in touch with the BLM District office, the local Humane society, the local newspapers and TV stations and all those who need to be shook up about thus on their watch and in their town.
I will come back tomorrow and put up some numbers…. mar
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I have a brother in law in Salt Lake and I am going to ask him to go by this facility and check on these horses this week. mar
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Here is the location and a couple numbers.
Salt Lake Wild Horse & Burro Center
Walk-in adoptions are available on a limited basis at the Salt Lake Wild Horse & Burro Center near Butterfield Canyon at 8605 W. 12600 S., Herriman, Utah. Horses and Burros may be viewed during regular business hours (9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Monday – Friday). Adoptions at the Horse Center are by appointment. Please call the Horse Center for more information at 801-561-4632 or toll free at 877-224-3956. The Wild Horse and Burro Center is located in Butterfield Canyon, west of Salt Lake City (126th South and 8605 West). Take I-15 South to exit 294 and head west for 11 miles. The center is at the base of the mountains, past both Riverton and Herriman. An alternate route is taking 21st to 8400 West, heading south, through Magna on I-11.
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How about just returning them. The nice clean planes are perfect especially for the new foals that are coming!
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I tried to post this to Facebook and it was blocked. Someone has reported it as “spammy or abusive.” I followed up with Facebook asking them to change it. Others may want to do the same.
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Christy–I haven’t tried, but I bet if you de-politicize the title by taking out the Obama and BLM, it will fly on FB–just an idea.
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Can you imagine what kind of shape their feet must be in? Nightmare for anyone who WOULD want to adopt.
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Their feet would be ok (most would actually be good) the constant running on the ground and rocks keeps them filed down right. Nature takes care of itself. Its after most humans get a hold of them is when the trouble starts.
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This entire thing is pathetic, BTW, and infuriating.
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And we should again be asking the question, why is the HSUS not speaking out? Could it be their lucrative sales agreement with the BLM to e the sole providers of the experimental PZP being inflicted on wild mares?
This is not new. Back in January ’10 I had personal phone conversations with the HSUS’s top brass (not including Pacelle, but every department head under him–it’s kind of like Obama’s being responsible for the BLM, right?), and despite the outrageous treatment the Calico horses were being subjected to, the BLM said NOTHING…except that things were “fine.” This when the BLM was not even providing the minimum care requirements as outline in the HSUS’s own guidelines for horse husbandry, and was using an unlicensed vet as their vet of choice…and the list goes on…and yet? Deafening SILENCE from the HSUS.
HSUS supporters take note. You are supporting an organization that is not what they say they’re about.
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We definitely need to be going after the makers and the distributors of PZP-22. If we have little effect on BLM policy we should stop HSUS in their tracks when they are providing this drug to BLM. BLM has also made a list of other forms of birth control worthy of Doctor Mengele… They need to back off. They are on the wrong side and we cannot allow them to sit on the fence with access and the intentions of using these drugs that will wipe out the future of our wild ones. Why is HSUS complicit in this while saying the roundups must stop? This is hypocrisy and conflict of interest. mar
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If they sterlize the mares and the stallons before releasing them back to the wild then they are guaranteeing the extinction of the wild horse. After those horses that have been released have died then there is none to take their place. Ending the era of the wild horses!
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Tried to email the Utah BLM’s public access address and the state director but neither link works (surprise-surprise). I printed the list of personnel and will be calling to give them a blast on Monday as well as calling my members of Congress. The only places I can liken the conditions at Butterfield to are the kill pens at Shipshewana and Sugarcreek auctions.
As for the HSUS – many, myself included, quit supporting them when they blew the pet rescue after Hurricane Katrina! They gained so much notoriety over the millions collected that they started throwing money at anything in an attempt to dispel the fact that they were bankrolling the proceeds. I also used to be a member of Defenders of Wildlife, but to them wild equine don’t exist so I am no longer a member. There are so many great organizations like ASPCA, HfH, Cloud Foundation, Wild Horse Preservation to support that the HSUS isn’t even on the radar screen. Pick one and send them a donation every month – I do!
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If horses held in these deplorable conditions were found at a private rescue or individual’s ranch, the animals would be seized, and the owners charged with abuse. If they were reported on an adopter’s property within the first year, the BLM could (and SHOULD!) remove them. That is, if anyone from the agency cared to check.
Our Mustangs are truly “Nobody’s Horses”. Held “in trust” for the American people, but unable to be saved, or, in most cases, even observed by citizens and taxpayers once they’ve been removed, because of clauses in private holding contracts. In this case, the BLM should be in breach of the Act (these are still supposedly “protected’ wild horses), but could the Act be twisted to only apply to horses on the HMAs? It’s been twisted in countless other ways over the years.
Yes, the HSUS/ASPCA may be the only hope, but will they step up? It does no good to contact state livestock inspectors or local, public animal humane, since they have no juristiction over Mustangs on federally leased property. I’ve learned that directly from those “authorities” during the Pigeon Fever/Strangles/Pneumonia epidemics.
This is CRIMINAL in every way, and at every level. It equates to an “emergency” roundup, since the Mustangs’ lives are in danger. They should be removed immediately, and SOMEBODY should be prosecuted!
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The wild horses and burros need to be removed from the jurisdiction of the BLM. A collection of groups needs to step in and oversee the removal to safety of these horses. And anyone who has dissed Madeleine Pickens because her plan to remove wild horses from long and short term holding and place them on an ecosanctuary because it is not the same as the “wild” and it is not your idea of what she should be doing with her millions, I hope you are able to see the dire need for her plan. These horses are suffering in hidden hellholes around the country. I would bet that the vast majority of short term holding facilities are a variation on this one. There is no excuse and stop blaming the HSUS and start putting blame where it belongs–the BLM, $$$Congress and the apathy of 98% of the American people.
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A Tour Bus–that’s what we need. Regular Tours–lots of visitors to the facilities
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These are exactly the conditions that my little mustang mare was found in. She was covered in manure, muck up to her knee, feet so long and soft that they curled up and back. Her feet had to be trimmed before she could board a truck. She had very litle food or water, and was skin and bones. When we first got her we had to reteach her not to deficate where she ate–she was isolated in a shed she could not stand up in for months. You are exactly right. Find a couscous animal control officer and official equine cruelty investigator, a reputable equine rescue representative and get those horses out of there now. This needs to go to our members of Congress, media, and horse supporters everywhere. What in the heck are they doing with the money they are supposed to be using to care for these horses. One more horrific page in this national scandal.
Thanks for this excellent, but heart-breaking report.
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this stuff isn’t just happening at the facilites we can’t access it’s happening at the ones we can! at litchfield in november and december i saw so many sick babies they couldn’t be counted all in with healthy ones and none of those horses were being fed more than once a day which made them eat feces and dirt. there were horses with their tags and strings cutting into their throats and the whole place was filthy. i can’t say i saw any abuse by the wranglers but the whole situation looked horrible and it didn’t used to look this way. it looked like no one cared and all of the horses wer there just waiting to DIE not get adopted…
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Short Term holding horses need to be released to the wild again… soon as possible. If there will be no money for many BLM actions then they need to reverse what can be Now. Short term horses are at terrible risk and many die. They need to be free. mar
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Roxanne-
I saw the exact same thing at Litchfield in January … sick foals with snotty noses eating alfalfa in the mud and muck … and when the feed is thrown for them and most come up right away to eat … did you wonder why there were still horses way in the back that did NOT come up to eat … they were too far back to see clearly but I bet they were too sick to come up and eat … and when I asked the manager he told me that those were probably the horses that had finished eating last at the previous feeding [!!!] … I didn’t “buy” that story … those in the back were too sick to even walk up to the food and try to eat. And shall we talk about how hundreds of very sick horses were shipped across country in the middle of winter (and some did not survive) and who authorized that? Just who IS in charge of “managing” the horses and burros after they are captured??? And with my taxes, I pay for this illegal and immoral animal abuse. SHAMEFUL!
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Laura can you give us an idea of what staying out at an HMA is like? What
sort of things do you encounter on a pretty daily basis? Like snakes or icky people. What about gas or other emergencies. Obviously you mostly have no cell phone coverage so how do you manage that?
I want to spend the summer out there but family is being VERY VERY CAUTIOUS. Tips would be most helpful.
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I wonder what happened to all the foals from the pregnant mares? Need to get an answer to that question.
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I watched this video this a.m. before going to work and needless to say was the foundation of my day. I tried not to cry, but it stabbed me in the heart, yet I tried not to let this effect having to deal with the public all day long and their shenanigans, rudeness and thievery, but that did not happen…. my day was just as this expose was, a reality of what humanity in general is, and what our government is…
unaccountable, uncaring, stupid, lying b_____!
Laura stated what I was thinking about short term and “can you imagine Long Term Holding” ?!!!
This is the most awful, sad, despicable, situation for animals in the care of the government of the United States of America!
I am furious! Absolutely furious!!!
Meanwhile, talk of a second term…? WTH! OMG!…. WTH !?
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The roundup contractors and what they are being paid is available. We need to know where, to whom and what amount of money is being paid to holders of our wild horses that have been unlawfully and needlessly removed and imprisoned.
It is our right to know WHO is accepting OUR money to warehouse OUR horses!
It is our right to KNOW where they are located, what care supposedly is being given them at our expense and in what conditions they are existing !
STH in the depths of manure that no one could realistically imagine and the sicknesses associated with conditions of complete filth, isolation, neglect and what I do not know…
WHERE are all the horses? This facility with feet of manure is scarce, sparse of life and numbers!
WHERE ARE ALL THE HORSES!
Nearly 50,000 horses in captivity? Where are all the horses?! Hundreds and over a thousand rounded up at a time, manure from millions and millions over years and years… where are the horses?
It is our right to monitor payment for imprisonment and the conditions allowed by individuals that are accepting monies from citizens of the United States of America and authorized by the Bureau of Land Management under President Obama (who will not comment) on the unlawful and needless, inhumane capture, removal and unjustified entrapment, uncaring, unimaginable, neglectful imprisonment of protected wild life of our country. …
Our history, our heritage…. lives of beauty and symbols of freedom who are not bothering anyone except those surrounded by greed and illegitimate blindness.
It is our right to know who, where and how much is being paid!!!
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Thank you Gordon. You and Laura have fought hard for all of our rights to see our horses. mar
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The BLM has stated that it costs somewhere around $2,300 to $2,500 to keep a horses in STH. That iS a realistic figure unless they are being starved and not given vet care. Whatever county facility is in should have an animal control officer and someone trained inmequine cruelty investigations. These conditions are not acceptable. It mightnbe too late to stitch that wound, but it is just dreadful looking.
Where are the babies? Could have drowned in the muck. We’ve been worried about round-ups? These conditions are Draconian!
Instead of calling HSUS, we need to contact the local authorities to get this dealt with and documented on the local level. We already know knowmthat DOI/ BLM is incapable of policing itself. If the IG took her team to Salt Lake she’d have about a zero chance of having a clue as to what is acceptable and whatnis not. Apparently, the BLM is even more good for nada than some of us suspected.
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I wonder if newborn foals would be able to even walk in that filth? We need to see the records of what happened to these babies.
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It is from the roundups on that our horses are in danger. Every aspect of their removals is a danger to them and many more die than we have a clue to the numbers. There is no portion of the handling of our wild ones that is not dangerous to them from the hands of BLM. This is a fact. This is a broken system that needs to be shut down. NOW. mar
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This video made me sick. That downed horse near the trench of manure–the manure must be two feet deep, if not more. .And they saw 30 down… And the BLM is currently asking Congress for an additional $12 million for summer roundups! For what, to heap more of this cruelty on the horses and burros?
We all need to get these horses out of there. HAVE AT IT and don’t get discouraged!!!
Here is all contact info that I can find, if you would like to share out:
Write to Utah’s BLM Headman in SLC gus_warr@blm.gov ; Cedar City BLM – chad_hunter@blm.gov
Congressman for this area should be James Matheson, (Local Contact Informatiion)240 East Morris Avenue, #235, South Salt Lake, UT, 801-486-1236 or 801-486-1417, matheson.house.gov/district.shtml
FIND YOUR OWN CONGRESSIONAL REPS HERE
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Residents of Utah are represented in Congress by 2 Senators and 3 Representatives.
Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R- UT)
202-224-5251 202-224-6331
http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin
Senator Mike Lee (R- UT)
202-224-5444 202-228-1168
http://lee.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm
Representative Rob Bishop (R – 01)
202-225-0453 202-225-5857
http://robbishop.house.gov/ZipAuth.aspx
Representative Jim Matheson (D – 02)
202-225-3011 202-225-5638
https://forms.house.gov/matheson/contact.shtml
Representative Jason Chaffetz (R – 03)
202-225-7751 202-225-5629
https://chaffetz.house.gov/contact/email-me.shtml
(from BLM website): The Salt Lake Wild Horse & Burro Center is located near Butterfield Canyon at 8605 W. 12600 South, Herriman, Utah. Horses and burros may be viewed during regular business hours 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Monday – Friday. Call 877-224-3956 or 801-561-4632 for adoption info and site visit appointments. Directions: the Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Center is located in Butterfield Canyon southwest of Salt Lake City (12600 South and 8605 West.)
Take I-15 South to exit 291 and head west for 11 miles. The center is at the base of the mountains, past the towns of both Riverton and Herriman. An alternate route is to take State Route 201 to 8400 West, heading south, through the town of Magna on SR-111 for approximately 17 miles.e center is closed on federal holidays. Adoption Details: Adoptions by appointment are encouraged, however walk-in adoptions can be accommodated at the office on a case by case basis with an approved application. Please call (877) 224-3956 or (801) 561-4632) for adoption information and site visit appointments.
Directions: The Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Center is located in Butterfield Canyon southwest of Salt Lake City (12600 South and 8605 West). Take I-15 South to exit 291 and head west for 11 miles. The center is at the base of the mountains, past the towns of both Riverton and Herriman. An alternate route is to take State Route 201 to 8400 West, heading south, through the town of Magna on SR-111 for approximately 17 miles.
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Thank you – will do. I also found another BLM person who will want to know about this and might help (maybe) … the past manager of that facility who apparently took pride in the care of the horses when he was there (or so we are led to believe). His name is Art DeGrazia: adigrazi@blm.gov (Let him know)
Also my previous post of the Utah Humane Society Animal Cruelty INVESTIGATOR email address is on this site:
http://www.utahhumane.org/about-us/investigation/cruelty-information (let them know)
Let them all know that we know … and then follow up with other long and short holding facilities that you might know of or live near or might visit during Spring or Summer vacations … go there and take photos and ask questions and notify Fitch and the State and local animal control and law inforcement when you see abuse. Just send them all the video/article link and ask them “Did you know about this? What are you going to do about this?” Speak for our four-legged friends.
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Thank you, Laura.
You would think that among these “cowboys” that someone would own a backhoe or use some of the dirty money to rent one.
The BLM is nuts! They won’t give Madeleine horses to live somewhat as they were intended and to be cared for, but they allow this?!
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The BLM has the money to improve conditions at every single holding facility. They also have the money to really try to get these horses adopted out. They just choose to spend most of their money on round ups. They don’t care what happens to them after that. Out of sight, out of mind–which is why it is so hard to visit these places.
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Utah Humane Society Animal Cruelty Investigator email address is on this site:
http://www.utahhumane.org/about-us/investigation/cruelty-information
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This is the lead article in this morning’s Farmington (NM) Daily Times. Please read the whole thing. There are some very good practices, including using a Super-Soaker to move horses into the trailer, instead of cruelly smacking them with those plastic bag tipped whips. What an idea!
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_17811924
I believe it’s is how things should be done wherever and whenever possible – bait-trapping, and transport to a genuine training facility (open to the public by appointment) for gentling and adoption. And the horses are trapped in fairly small numbers from late Spring to early Fall of every year.
The actual header reads: “From wild to mild”, which, in this case, is completely true. Horses gentled at Mustang Camp are ready to be adopted (with the option of pre-training adoption) within a pretty short time. There’s hay in the pens when they arrive, but the very next morning training begins with hand-feeding. People equaling food and kindness (from the beginning) is a great motivator!
Every horse gets personal attention, which contributes to their 100% adoption rate. And they work with wild horses of every age and sex, proving that virtually all of them (even older band stallions) can be trained as companions. No matter what the BLM says, there are NO “unadoptable” Mustangs – only those who haven’t yet been adopted!
This cooperative relationship between Mustang Camp and the USFS didn’t happen overnight, but perseverance and documented proof of the benefit to both horses and adopters finally convinced the agency it was the way to go.
You may not agree with parts of what’s being done (especially darting with PZP-22), and it may not work on all HMAs or FS Wild Horse Territories, but, IMO, it’s worth MORE than serious consideration by all parties (especially the agencies) going forward.
Note: This Wild Horse Territory borders the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. There’s a fence between them, but it’s down in many places, so the tribe’s loose, unbranded horses mix with the Mustangs and inflate the census. This should NOT be happening, but is hard to prevent as long as many of the tribe’s horses remain unmarked.
There’s a link to the Mustang Camp website, which has a lots of detailed information, including training videos. Their Facebook page is wonderful. You can track what’s happening day-to-day as the horses truly transition “From wild to mild”. It’s a chronicle of genuine success stories!
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Linda, I think Patricia’s Mustang Camp is having a banner year already. he Jicarilla horses have been mostly very fortunate. mar
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This is disgusting. If anything makes you want to get out there and start doing a little avenging… Horses found in a similar condition got Jason Meduna two years in prison but when it happens on our tax dollar? Platitudes are spouted by the BLM while they continue to turn a blind eye to the horrors of what they’re really doing behind closed doors.
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Rachel, this is bad but don’t forget that Meduna denied food and water to hundreds of horses, on his own property, and then watched dozens and dozens die an agonizing death of thirst and starvation while working his slick website and taking in money from strangers. He was and still is one sick individual.
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BLM has a fb page. Their home page has a dozen stories on sweet little girls adopting nice gentle.mustangs. But there are discussions boards–and the conversations get heated from time to time–and they have their regular crew of Daphnes etc. who will tell you that you are WRONG in your criticism of BLM and its horse management techniques. Select a specific board–and go at it. Post the video there–you might get bumped off…… disgusting video–ASPCA,IDA and all the other humane orgs. should be all over this one. Send it to director@blm.gov
If BLM is an indicator of how govt. agencies work–this nation is in serious trouble.
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Also send the video to wildhorse@blm.gov and ask who is responsible for this.
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That’s Debbie Collins, she will probably tell you that this is a fraudulent video…or something to that affect.
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Yes … and it is certain that she will tell me to “have a nice day”! So EVERYONE send it to her and ask her who is responsible for this abuse and then be sure to end your email with “have a nice day”.
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What concerns me is that video is almost a month old…we will never know what transpired between then and now nor will we have an accurate accounting of the disposition of the horses that were in distress.
Here is a clear cut case where the local Sheriff should have been called, immediately, and the BLM reported. If this happened in Texas the local law would have been out there in minutes, I know, at HfH we have dozens of horses residing at our ranch that have suffered from like abuse and we are the first group that law enforcement usually calls.
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I am concerned for those animals also and we may never know their fate. On the otherhand, a picture (video) is worth a thousand words and this video in particular is possible pressure for that facility – with or without law enforcement. How many times have you heard that law enforcement says “OK, we will look into it”? But do they? This gives us all a reminder that WE need to be checking on the horses that have been captured. Can we trust BLM to do it right? I know we can NOT. The long-term facilities need to be open for inspection by you and me – this needs to be part of the BLM contract with the owners of the facility – even if it is just on Saturdays or whatever – not just on one day every decade as happened last year when the press was allowed to visit similar to a disneyland tour. This is a major problem and do we know how many horses die at these LTHF and why? And do we know that they are being fed and ice broken in the water troughs when the weather stays near zero for days and days on end? If these horses were in the wild – they would work with nature to get food and water as they have done for hundreds (thousands) of years but in the holding facilities they are controlled by the whims of humans. The short term facilities are mostly open to the public daily or by appointment – right? Then WE need to go there often and take pictures and ask about why there are no old horses (did they “disapper” – some DO you know – have you noticed?). I also sent the video to my states WH&B person and ask her how often she does an unannounced visit to the facilities to be sure similar conditions do not exist. We will see what she does – since the one I have visited looks way too similar to the one in the video and I will be checking. When it comes to the WH&B …remember … “we can do better”.
PS Does Habitat for Horses have connections in other states they can contact so that concerned people who see animal abuse have some way of getting animals help when they notify their law-enforcement and nothing is done? Thanks.
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Fitch-
I am sorry I was so long-winded … but it is SO important … and I know I am “preaching to the choir” as the old saying goes … and I also want to make one more thing perfectly clear …THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO … the WH&B would be in even worse shape if it wasn’t for all you do … and I thank you … very sincerely.
-Grandma
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Be long winded away GG! I say that if animal control can come onto personal property of private citizens and inspect privately owned horses on private property an their whim after someone files a report, we as citizens of the US should be allowed 100% access to all holding pens just like animal control has with private property. On any day, at any time, during all conditions unannounced. If they are doing nothing wrong then they have nothing to hide. One scheduled day a week or one scheduled day a month still gives them time to hide horses and clean up the place.
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I really like what you are doing over all but I have to comment on the use of Obama’s name.
By blaming someone for a pre-existing problem, pointing a finger at a person walking into an issue that already was corrupt is sophomoric, lacks strength and seriously weakens the argument. It is similar to the name calling that the skinny hillbilly-looking guy did in a past blog from SFHH. Don’t stoop to that level, it will get you nowhere fast and could loose your supporters. It is a seriously weak tactic. I personally don’t have respect for blaming and am disappointed to see it happening here.
Let’s stick to the issue, the facts, keep our noses clean and have respect for the people who could make a difference for the horses. The BLM does not belong to Obama it belongs to the People. WE have let them get away with what they are doing through ignorance, a blind eye and by trusting that the BLM was doing a proper job. I myself was ignorant, to what was happening, I turned a blind eye to what was happening when I heard that Cloud’s band was in jeopardy, I believed in the BLM.
Lets take ownership of what we as citizens of the US allowed to happen, accept the fact that the BLM is OUR organization, take ownership for the fact that we allowed the BLM to run amuck. We do have a serious problem on our hands with this government organization. Now that we are blatantly and painfully aware of the situation let’s take the facts only, put the responsibility in our pockets and fix the issue ourselves. I’m pretty sure Obama has bigger fish to fry at the moment. Let him do his job with out blaming him for a pre-exsisting situation and fix it ourselves and be proud of a job well done when this corruption is cleaned up. This will strengthen the argument and we will be on the high road.
Obama isn’t a wand wielding magician who can clean up all evils in an instant. He is a human being with the same capabilities as the rest of us. There are only so many hours in a day and one person can only do so much in a day. Any mom, business owner or person fighting this battle can tell you the same thing about having a full plate. We can’t expect more from a president or anyone else than we can expect from our selves.
If Obama can make a change for the Mustangs attacking him personally isn’t going to convince him that he should help. How would you feel about someone or some group asked for your help after blaming you for a pre-exsisting problem? This has been going on for over 20 years. In 1991 he accepted a position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. How is he responsible for the BLM’s problems?
Just don’t make those of us wanting to better the situation for the Mustangs look bad. They can’t afford it and we all know this.
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You are very idealistic. This is an old fight. And Obama was asked, begged to help for Years, as he has been there now, and he turned a blind eye to a federally protected species. He was my senator and a good one… but he has been inaccessible to the American people. It is a shame. He does share blame as this is a national disgrace and international embarrassment. This is about politics and Obama has the blood of wild horses on his hands Because he is the president. The buck did not stop with him instead it remains in the hands of one of our most corrupt agencies which the average American never has much reason to watch out for. But the reasons are growing now for all Americans to heed what goes on in the DOI/BLM. Obama has set himself apart and has not even recognized this struggle publicly. He prefers the lies of his appointed advisers. But we know the White House is aware and they talk. They hear our voices and have watched DVDs we have sent there. This is a dirty little war fought by good citizens against a government that chose to hide this business of wild horse removal and stockpiling and has been rather surprised by our tenacity. They will see more of it, too. You cannot put Obama on a pedistal. No one belongs on one in this day and age. mar
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In response to Lisa Friday’s report, I imagine that the Utah BLM will say that what Lisa witnessed was just a temporary incidence based on the time of the year and lots of moisture. And I imagine they got out there already to start the clean up, so there is precious little evidence remaining. Here are the arguments I would use to challenge what I anticipate will be coming from BLM (you know–the “everything is just fine” argument): Lisa points out that the build up of urine soaked manure was an issue–not just mud. Maybe they should use the Bobcat to clean up the mess, rather than to harass the horses! I have visited our Canon City Short (and now Long) Term Holding facility here in Colorado at all seasons of the year, including awful weather with rain and snow, and have never seen what Lisa filmed and witnessed. The facility, which is a Colorado Correctional Facility, in Canon City is on level ground and can become muddy, but dries out because of proper drainage and has people cleaning up all the time. The emaciated mare is unexplanable and troubling as are the injuries and general malaise. Really inexcusable. I encourage you to visit a facility in your area if the public is allowed, and do try to get out in the wild to document what is going on. Most herds are in remote places, so make sure you have plenty of food and water, a shovel, rain gear, warm clothes, etc. Make sure your camera has extra of batteries and take lots of pictures. If you are shooting live action with a long lens, put the camera on a tripod of anything solid so the image is stable. Never try to approach the horses if they are frightened or watchful. Wait and see if they will go back to ignoring you. What is fun and interesting for me is watching them behaving naturally, not them watching me and then running away. That accomplishes very little if your goal is photography and gaining an understanding of natural behavior. It is truly a privilege to be out there with them. It goes without saying–always show them the respect that BLM denies them at every step of the capture and incarceration process. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks!
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Thanks RT. I had not heard this until just now. Inspiring words.
Keep on keeping on everyone. BLM is on the ropes. Now is the time to
keep the social media alive with messages, encouraging all to get the word to Congress. Now is the time the Short Term Horses need to go back out on the millions of available acres stolen from them that BLM cannot explain away! Director Abbey knows these lands are available, yet fails to act. The BLM’s not so hidden agenda is management to extinction. That will never happen if we can move now and strike while the iron is hot.
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How can this crap continue to go on, how can it not be stopped!!?? Obama should be ashamed of himself….yes, I know, this was a problem before he ever came into the picture, but, he has done nothing about it, nor has he probably even looked into it. All he does know how to do, is talk. Where is that “change” Mr. President?? Do you think the American people would be “ok” with the government spending our tax dollars on blatant animal abuse, &, against one of our most treasured, iconic symbols of the American spirit, & freedom!!??Especially when so many people & families have lost everything, their jobs, homes, everything! And some even face losing their unemployment benefits. This country is a joke & our government is broke, as well as broken!! Who does Obama think will actually vote for him? No one is getting my vote, or my husband’s!! I think the anti-Obama campaign ads should show him, with public photos/videos of the wild horse abuse going on all around him, while he promises “change”, & a “stop” to wasteful government spending!! That should go over real good! Oh, yeah, don’t forget to show the sweet little faces of American children who are hungry & homeless!!
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Mar – I’m not saying that specific people aren’t responsible, nor am I being Idealistic nor putting anyone on a pedestal. I AM being realistic. Read this whole note.
I’m saying this Method of argument is weak, weakens the argument it self. I’m saying, “Don’t burn a bridge.” I’m saying be realistic about realities and let’s keep the fight clean so we can keep the upper road. What may be very important to us may not be the biggest fish to fry to the leader of a country and to single one person out as the sole person responsible for an issue already in existence is not a good idea for the issue at hand. It’s a tactic that a loosing party takes to get attention. Personally, I don’t like it. It makes me want to walk away, stop listening and makes me want to find a different party who fights a good fight clean and with facts. We aren’t on the loosing side either.
For example, during the BLM Advisory Board meeting debate Rachel (I can’t find her YouTube section at the moment to get her last name.) who had the numbers of Mustang counts had the strongest argument out of anybody. This was because she pointed out the short comings to the core using facts and numbers. This exposed bad accounting, poor judgement, lack of leadership, lack of education, lack of responsibility and blatant ignorance in a way that is absolutely undeniable, unemotional and unarguable. BEAUTIFUL! I jumped up and down clapping and was about in tears because she gave them a HUGE smack down. Any publicly held corporation would have to fire the CFO, CEO & COO with evidence like that.
One of the best parts of her evidence is that the American public would take note of That kind of evidence, Democratic party, Republican party, business owner, corporate manager, head of household, economics teachers, anyone with a brain would be able to see how the BLM is stealing money from public coffers by way of bad business and ridiculous bookkeeping. THAT is the kind of argument and evidence we need to stick to or we start sounding like emotionally based, easily to brush off, whack jobs that just love horsies. Money talks, emotion walks. That is reality and realistic.
Finger pointing is emotionally based and this debate can rage on while horse die, strict facts are unarguable and can end the suffering fast. Show me fact that I can’t argue agents and I will take note. Video, Fact. Bookkeeping, Fact. Still pictures of a cut up horse, not so much as they can be questionable as to how the wound happened for example. Look at Watergate, they had factual evidence and they won by good investigation, good proofs and stick to-itiveness.
Now is the time to push the bad bookkeeping issue. Money is King in this time frame. Money will be the salvation of our horses. We need to broadcast the bookkeeping and money portions of this issue. We need to do it now, we need to do it hard and we need to keep talking money, money, money! That will surely tick people off and fast too. The best part about it is that it includes the average person on the street wether or not the give a crap about horses. It will anger them that tax money is being wasted. Rachel’s evidence proves without a shadow of a doubt, that the people who run the BLM are blatantly unqualified to hold their jobs and don’t deserve to get paid with our tax dollars. Unemployment is still hovering around 9%. I’m sure there are people with superior qualifications that could use a government job and could run the BLM properly who would be really angry to see those numbers. We need THOSE people to take note. That is the blade in the heart of the BLM that needs to to be twisted. It will be the final blow that brings the machine down.
If we all really love our horses, from the Mustang, to the working horse, to the backyard enthusiast, we need to take the BLM down and financials will be the key, mark my words.
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Stacey, I am not a mud slinger. I know who is responsible for what and I see a huge breakdown. Criticism is necessary. I would never deceive someone into thinking I am supportive if they have failed to recognize an issue. There is nothing wrong with what you are saying but I see no reason to pull punches with my government. We have a broken system. We had an excellent system for a few years and we accomplished wonderful things but it got in the way of big government to allow The People a say. This is a dirty fight and I think we are all very clean and up front and have behaved better than expected! I think you feel I am extreme when I am not. Just like those here who think I dislike Madeleine when I have said I have nothing against her… I just know she does not have all the answers and some people are fooled into thinking she does by her PR. Maybe you are just too nice and need to toughen up. This is not a nice fight. I really think saying that I am pointing fingers and it is emotionally based is silly and uncalled for. I am rather tired of having advocates tell me I am angry or emotional when I am an old hand at this fight and such things are, in my opinion, personal criticism that I have not asked for and do not deserve. Why me?? Read what others here have said about Obama and you will see I am very careful what I have said and it is not extreme at all but very calculated. Come off it… OK? I know half a dozen advocates who really blast Obama, hatefully, and I am not one of them. mar
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I can only wonder why you have chosen to tell me my ‘argument is weak’!! If you want to applaud someone for what she said do so… but I have a feeling you have not read my comments for very long and have no real idea what I have been doing in this campaign. You would likely be very surprised. mar
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You are way out of line…. mar
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Glad you had your say, but why did you use me to say it??? I can’t believe you are for real! What you imply has nothing to do with me! mar
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I am most concerned with that horribly emaciated mare. She needs to be removed from that cesspool ASAP. Get her teeth checked. Put into a run by herself – hard keeper? I don’t think so. I would think first off that other horses in the same corral ain’t letting her eat. I have been around hard keepers before – none of them looked like they were at deaths door.
It’s utterly despicable. Is that mare even still alive? Can someone check on her welfare?
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Mar- Seriously, I’m not personally attacking you at all. I’m not attacking anyone. My argument is about the title of this blog post. I’m pretty sure I was clear about that and stand by what I said regarding it.
You are absolutely right, we do have a broken system. I couldn’t agree more. Number facts prove that without a shadow of a doubt. The best part about it is that the layman (aka non-horse tax payer) can understand that just as easily. That’s not being idealistic.
Using Obama’s name is sensationalism, not strict fact. It will bring attention to a blog post but it isn’t the best option. I can’t tell who “Obtained from The Cloud Foundation” is exactly and by that I mean the person responsible for changing the original title from “Short-Term Holding Report Video” off The Cloud Foundation’s website, to “Video Report Shows Obama’s BLM Abuse Wild Horses in Short Term Holding”. From what I can tell you aren’t on The Cloud Foundation’s list of writers nor on SFSS’s list of contributing authors so I don’t see where you are getting that I am attacking you personally. If anything it appears to me that Mr Fitch posted the title.
My first response in which I replied directly to you was in your response in which you you said “You are very idealistic.” in addition you stated “This is about politics and Obama has the blood of wild horses on his hands Because he is the president.” To some extent that may be true however one should consider who was president 20 years ago as the person to hold responsible for this issue because they started the whole mess. That would have made it Bush senior’s fault. One shouldn’t blame a person walking into a mess already in existence. That’s like yelling at the kid standing in the middle of the kitchen strewn about with torn up garbage after he chased off the dog who tore into in the first place.
Seeing how Bush senior is in bed with the oil and gas industry (ie Halliburton, Chaney, and Bush Jr,) I wonder… Who should we truly be pointing fingers at here? Who has the most to gain by removing those pesky wild critters from public lands that hold vast deposits of oil and gas? Obama or the Bush/Chaney families? In addition to the O&G industries, who is involved in the cattle industry. Pesky horses eat the grass that the cattle ranchers could use, and for free I might add… If only those grass hogging horses were gone. Again, the Bush family. He may lounge in Crawford TX but I wouldn’t doubt it if he has holdings out west too where those darn horses keep eating his free grass or the free grass of his friends. So again I have to agree with you, it is political, good bed fellowing and friends doing favors for friends. That is what grand old politicking is about. I don’t find any evidence that Obama has ties to cattle, there is some evidence that he received 60G from PB before the Golf spill but 60G in ’07 or ’08 doesn’t link him to this issue nor is 60G that much money in the grand scheme of things.
Obama’s biggest financial contributors; http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=n00009638
Bush Sr’s biggest financial contributors; from what I can find were Enron and oil, oil oil.
It looks to me like the horses are simply using ground on which oil companies want and have wanted for the last 20 years. Nothing shocking or idealistic about that. Anyone who lives in WY or has lived in WY knows about coal and strip mining. I think we need to map overlays of natural resources and herd territories. I bet we see a lot of interesting things pop right out at us.
I’m looking to O&G, Coal and the meat industry as the core responsible parties on this issue. Then there is the whole slaughter house debate, again, it goes back to the meat industry. How convenient for Mrs Wallis to have a packing plant in her very own back yard. Her property is North of Gillette, nestled in between 2 very profitable and very large coal mines. Perhaps her bed fellows are the cattlemen who stand to loose their grazing lands if she doesn’t secure it (and her big fat ranch) for her bed fellows. WY minerals are all state owned if I remember correctly and what the state wants the state can have.
So in reality it’s a war between natural resources and cattle grazing and our horses are mucking up the battle field.
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If everything is so humane, and for the benefit of the horses and the horses are treated good (per the BLM) Why is it that the public can’t watch everything from start to finish of the round up? AS LONG AS THE BLM CAN CONTROL WHAT THE PUBLIC SEES the public doesn’t know about the horrid holding pens and the absolute cruel way a roundup is done from start to finish.
That has always disturbed me!
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