Update from Willis Lamm
Groups Work Together to Build Protective Fence
Wild Horse Advocates at Work ~ picture submitted by Willis Lamm
Wild horse advocates turned out yesterday (Saturday, 11/17) to build a fence to reduce horse crossings on US-50 at the Santa Maria Ranch subdivision in Dayton, NV.
This project was led by the Wild Horse Preservation League with cooperation from subdivision developer Matt Denio and the homeowners association. Materials were provided by the developer. The subdivision’s landscaper designed the project and provided a Bobcat tractor and additional hand labor. Volunteers came from Lyon and Storey counties and Carson City.
Historically a number of Virginia Range horses would graze on the ranch’s fields each fall until the property was sold and developed. They still show up in the open areas that abut the development.
This project is actually “stage two” of an effort to keep horses out of the subdivision and off the highway.
The first stage involved restoring aging boundary fences, installing a cattle guard at the west end of Denio Drive and modifying the fencing at River Park. The Lyon County Parks Department was very helpful regarding fence designs associated with the park.
The next stage will involve building a fence line along the eastern side of the building lots. That fence will allow the horses to graze grasses in a reserved open space in which retention ponds are located, but not encroach onto residential properties.
Once the final section of fence is completed the horses will help reduce the fire fuel load in the open space and they can be enjoyed by the residents without creating a hazard.
Related Articles
- BLM to get rid of last wild horses in California: (ppjg.me)
- Breaking News: 30 Nevada Wild Horses Rescued from Kill Buyers and Slaughter (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Where are the wild horses? (horsetalk.co.nz)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
This is a tremendous project and a much better use of advocacy money than paying exorbitant prices for horses at auction.
This was so much a problem I had in conversations with the Ag department. Nevada is a fence out state yet developers and associations wouldn’t allow home owners to build a fence. The next big step is to get the public from feeding the horses so near the highways and let the advocates do that way out in the range to get the horses out of harms way.
There is also a problem with enforcement or the law…according to the Sheriff’s Chief Deputy people are warned the first time about feeding the wild horses. The second time they are arrested yet the local D A so far has not prosecuted anyone for breaking this law. A law that get’s the horses in trouble and picked up for sale at the auction.
Director Barbee, I understand, can’t make the D A prosecute nor can he make the people build their own fences. The state, beginning with the Governor, has to come together and make they system work. If it’s a fence out state then associations and developers shouldn’t be able to override the law and the D A has to do their job and prosecute violators so maybe they will stop putting the horses in greater danger.
Director Barbee can do the right thing and re-instigate the cooperative agreements with the advocates so more money would be available for projects like this one.
Well done WHPL and Matt Denio!
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Urgent: We need your help to save Nevada’s wild horses. Kudos to subdivision developer, Matt Denio, the Homeowners Association, and the Wild Horse Preservation League for working to protect Nevada’s Wild horses. it would be great if Washoe County Developers in Reno would work with advocates using this “smarter” model to solve the problem in South Reno. Current tactics “elimination of the Wild Horses” are not the answer.
As you may know, the Truckee Meadows open range and ranch land where wild horses grazed are almost gone due to human population growth. The open range has been replaced with thousands of homes with luscious green grass lawns. So what would you do if you were a horse- mmmm? Or be lured with hay traps by Nevada Dept of Agriculture. NDOA baits the horse, then carts them off to the Fallon livestock auction where they can be sold to slaughter buyers. It appears the local news has been suppressed regarding the latest removal of a herd of 17, or the media is just getting used to the eradication of our Wild Horses. The last auction took place on November 14 for the herd of 17 that were baited and trapped by NDOA with the assistance of a developer in South Reno.
The most recent trap (that I know of) was set the day after Thanksgiving. I know there has to be a better plan for Nevada’s treasured Wild Horses and most likely it would cost the State of Nevada less $$’s than they are spending now to methodically eliminate them. It is time for all interested advocates to come together with a preservation plan if we want to save our Wild Horses in Nevada whether they be BLM or the Virginia Range Horses. As you know, the Virginia Range Horses inspired well-known advocate, “Wild Horse Annie” in her life long fight to enact federal legislation to protect our nation’s wild horses.
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Sounds good except for cattle guard and how many VR horses are left after NDOA’s assault? Can any of them be returned to their home? The local community should rally around these horses as they can be a huge asset to the local economy. Roswell alien museum brings $35 million into the local economy. I commend the developer, Matt Denio, for being part of a solution and as always the Wild Horse Preservation League who is always looking out for welfare of these horses.
DON’T FORGET THE HORSES REMOVED FROM THE RANGE STILL NEED FOREVER HOMES.
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Where’s the cattle guard located? Is it a Wild Horse Annie style? if not, a welder can modify it. Actually, I’d use guards like the ones Pat Parelli has in Pagosa Springs, CO. I’d never seen that particular design. They’re very animal, human, and vehicle friendly.
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That’s a wonderful idea and implementation. Glad that there was cooperation and assistance with the project by developer and home owners assn.
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Positive news!
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Good going! Putting action where mouth is for the sake of the future of the wild horses IN THE WILD!
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This is fantastic!
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I am in NY but would have been there to help in a heart beat, these horses must be protected and the DA better start showing some of what he went to law school for and set an example for the folks that claim to love these horses but selfishly feed them for their own desire to do so
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I’m in NY too – would be so great to be able to actually DO something to help protect the horses. I really give all of these volunteers so much credit.
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