Source: Written by Adam Rasmussen of KTVN.com
“This BLM facility is denying that the horses need any shade,”
Palomino Valley ~ by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
The debate continued on Tuesday, over how wild horses and burros are being treated at the Bureau of Land Management‘s (BLM) Palomino Valley holding facility.
Wild horse advocates claim the animals are suffering in the heat, while the BLM insists everything is ok.
“This BLM facility is denying that the horses need any shade,” says horse advocate Jetara Sehart. “They’re providing only one water trough per sixty horses.”
Advocates say the horses are in danger, especially when temperatures climb into the triple digits. The facility’s manager, however, told us there have been no heat-related deaths and the animals are taken care of.
“Healthy, adult animals that are not compromised, not sick or injured in any way, are capable of handling this heat,” says Jeb Beck.
Beck says pictures have surfaced showing the horses lying down on the ground which is a normal part of their sleep cycle. But advocates aren’t buying it.
“We are really concerned about how many foles have died in this heat wave,” says Sehart.
After meeting at the holding facility, the BLM and wild horse advocates came together again for a public meeting. BLM officials heard from concerned residents who want to see changes.
“Instead of having just the three minute per person public comment period, we’re actually having some more engaged brain-storming sessions,” says Debbie Collins with the BLM.
We spoke with a man who worked for the BLM for seven years and is now a wild horse advocate. He told us the agency needs to listen to the public and take action.
“But historically what they’ve done is they ask the questions, ignore the answers and do what they planned to do in the very first place,” says Greg Hendricks.
The BLM says it will take feedback from the public meeting into consideration and decide in the next two weeks whether changes need to be made.
Click (HERE) to watch video and to comment at KTVN.com
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I have one question. How can the BLM, who obviously doesn’t know how to care for, manage or maintain any horse hold a workshop?? Any common person knows the three basic needs of any mammal..food, water and shelter. Hey, why not just you’re the BLM idiots out in a corral with hot water, a sprinkler and crappy food, and see how long they last. Only the strong may survive…hahaha. Seriously though, these people have displayed a total disregard for the health and safety of this national treasure. They can’t teach anybody anything… And they’re to hard headed to take advice from anybody.
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Actually, many of us who are acclimated to living out here in the desert do just fine working in the hot sun and eat, and I don’t even wear a hat or sunglasses when working for hours and hours every day in the elements here in the desert when tending to my animals and/or doing property clean-up’s on foreclosed homes (so de-weeds on large acreage, trash-out’s, loading and unloading truck loads of garbage and hauling it to the dump, etc.
Why are people discounting the FACT that people and animals do get acclimated to their environment? So for all but the most immune/physically compromised horses and burros who could benefit from shelter (and that is if they will use the shelters, which many simply won’t), the youngsters and the adults do fine in my experience of managing domestic and captive wild horses for a combined total of over 40 years.
I also took a 2 hour drive a week or so ago in our area of the real desert and posted on my Facebook page many photos of domestic horses (not mine because I didn’t want people to call me a liar if I showed photos of just my own not using shelters in 105 degree heat on that day) that had shelters and barns standing instead in the HOT 105 degree heat, and many of the horses were greys/white horses. In fact, I couldn’t even find one horse to take a photo of that was standing under their shelter, and I also took photos of roaming bachelor bands of horses that had access to trees, could go behind buildings, etc and what they did was stand and lie down in the sand, went to a BLM ater trough and drank, and then walked right past the trees near the trough and kept walking into the barren desert where there were no trees.
So since I go by what the horses show and “tell” me, I think most of them are speaking loud and clear. that they don’t NEED shelters because of their instincts, physiology, biology and the fact that they are acclimated like I am to where we all live out here in the real honest to goodness relatively barren desert.
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Terri, your absolutely RIGHT! This issue has been a bone of contention with me for a long long time. Why is it if one is to adopt a horse they have to provide shelter, but the BLM doesn’t provide shelter or like you said even enough water for them while they await adoption….. as usually they think they are above following their own policies…and I might add, there WERE deaths related to the heat, 5 total, but of course they are trying to sweep that under the carpet… I guess ol Jeb thinks that those horses that died during the heat wave, died just because?
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Insnt this Ludicrous, what in the Heck do they know about horses , they cant even manage land??? OHHH PLEASE, dont insult the horses also any further!!!!!!! This alone is enough to FIRE the whole Bunch of them !!!!!!
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I don’t see where we can comment on the TV program. Jeb Beck said healthy , adult hoprses can cope but just look how many foals there are ( Adam misspelled Foals BTW) . I have never seen my horses , wild or domestic , all lying down out in the sun like the ones at PVC. One water tank for 60 horses is completely inadequate also.
If anybody can find how to comment please post it here . Thanks.
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I didn’t see anywhere to comment either – does anyone know how to find the comments on this article? Doesn’t seem possible there were none!
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Barbara, My captive wild horses and burros, my domestic horses, and also the wild horses that live on and around our property and that have access to trees, can go behind buildings, etc, and also thebands of horses that roam in the desert and that sometimes actually do have access to trees and buildings to go behind to get out of the sun/heat, lie flat out and sun bathe ALL THE TIME in the hot, 105 degree weather out here in the desert. It is NOT unusual in the least for my youngsters and adults to do this even with access to shelter from the sun.
What I would ask the BLM to do if they aren’t already doing it is have floats on the troughs so that they stay full at all times, and they would need to wash them out completely every few weeks to keep slime and algae from growing.
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And from disease from spreading. And not to use bleach… vinegar is better and residue will not harm the horses and burros.
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Jeb Beck told me and my husband that they do not have enough water pressure to add more water troughs to each pen. If they did that they wouldn’t be able to have bathrooms for the staff. Get a freakin porta potty for you and your staff. Dig another well….he said they can’t. I just listened politely. I asked him what happens to the horses after they leave PVC? He said we just shipped 200 horses to a sanctuary in Jackson Mississippi. I said really. My husband’s comment to me afterwards, how can you ship desert horses to Mississippi? We asked Jeb Beck do any of the horses go to horse slaughter to Canada or Mexico? He said no, none of our horses go to slaughter. Then he was called to leave the buidling.So I did find oout from Laura Bell they go to a feedlot in Fallon NV. Interesting?
In the beginning of the meeting my first comment to everyone attending that meeting was that I hope we are all here whether we are with an advocacy group,a private citizen like me or anyone associated with the BLM that we all need to come together and do this for the horses, because this isn’t our story, this is THE HORSES STORY…that is the reason why I believe we all care about these beautiful animals. I think we need to approach our comments differently and do it for the good of the horses and not our own egos. I said from the beginning when I started this whole thing back in the beginning of July I don’t want the credit and I don’t think the horses give a crap who is with what group or what branch of the gov’t. All they want is our help to set them free or to treat them humanely.We are their voices and I know we all care for them. An employee at PVC asked me what I wanted to see done. I told her if you can’t give these horses humane care because BLM decided to round them up and somewhat domesticate them, then do what the Dept of Wildlife does with the bears at Lake Tahoe, tag them and let them back in the wild,keep track of them see how they do because they sure as hell aren’t doing any good here.The horses didn’t ask to be rounded up,all they know is to be wild and free. Why take that right from them? We can all sit in our air conditioned homes and blog our hearts out but what are we really doing?? Come on people, it took me a private citizen who has been following and taking pictures of wild horses for the past 15 years to go there to PVC and see that there wasn’t something right. Laura, I enjoyed our talk after the meeting but I live in Cold Springs and we have sagebrush all over and as I said in the meeting sagebrush and grass disapates heat, dirt with the sun baking on it does not disapate heat. If you are out in the heat all day you have the choice to go inside get something cool to drink. I was at PVC for 3 and a half hours on Tuesday. I couldn’t wait to get back in my car and turn on the a/c and get some relief. These horses if shade and shelter were “available” for them would have the “choice” to use it. The shelter is important because as I am writing this there are flash flood warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings on EAS and all I can think of is those horses have no shelter from the ELEMENTS. They can find shelter or at least a break from the storms hit by sheltering themselves next to the sagebrush and the pines. I refuse to get into politics or lobbyists going to Washington DC. We see what the gov’t has done. They are signs all over the outskirts of the PVC, Property of the United States of America. So those horses belong to us, every citizen of the United States. They are our property too. Thats about as political as I am going to get. So lets put our egos aside and our differences aside and lets do this for the horses because it is THE HORSES STORY…..have a wonderful evening and I hope we can all come together as one unified force!!!
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Never happen Nancy…many of these women have been at their causes for years and years not
breaking into large enough organizations impacting more…
They don’t want to come together in a big group they want the recognition for themselves and
it’s all about EGO and competition here..
I see some TROUBLE makers on RT’s blog and other blogs same folks with an AX to Grind on any new names and opinions in the blogs,, they should be educating and using good PR to get all the info out to everyone but I it’s about Me, Me, Me on what they think…..
They are the negative one’s who cannot seem to put themselves in check and embrace
the masses as needed…..
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Don’t people understand that the BLM is just stalling and waiting for more horses to die. BLM doesn’t care about the horses and they never did! Someone needs to step up to the plate and force the BLM to STOP abusing the animals and provide them decent shade and water. Why is this so hard? Why has it become such an unnecessary issue? What’s wrong here???
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I must say it was more of a “Game” playing a brain storm session..
Having 1 water tank for 60 horses is CRAZY to me.
I have that exact size tank for 3 horses and they drink it fast in the heat.
Having a couple Specialists as Vets research and comment on whether or not shade is really needed was an insult to most of us experienced horse people and anyone with common sense.
My horses will be standing in the barn on their own if the heat is high here, unless they
are in a green pasture.
The Mustangs would utilize the shade if they had a choice as they stand
in a filthy with manure dirt pit and nothing else to do…
Now a question of whether or not they can take donations for shade options?
A down play of issues existed. Were not surprised?
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Some of us really experienced horse people who live out her in the desert watch as our horses never go under there shelters even when it’s 105+ degrees out…..what say you about that? Do we just have stupid captive wild horses and also stupid domestic horses that don’t have enough sense to get out of the heat?
Nope, it’s because those of us people and animals who live, work, and play out here in the desert are acclimated to where we live, so your statements are offensive and insulting to those of us who live here, are very experienced horse people, and even though many of us tell people who don’t live here in the BARREN desert (and I wish I had the green pasture you speak of your horses being in because we don’t have that out where I live surrounded by open range federal and state public land) and may or may not have captive wild horses (and actually, I have a photo taken just today of one of the real wild horses sun-bathing in the hot sand when he could be hiding under the trees at my neighbors or behind my green house) that our horses simply don’t use their shelters much at all, even on hot days of over 100 degrees, many of you who clearly don’t live as we do insult the hell out of us by insisting horses will use shelters in the heat if they have them.
I’m no fan of the BLM and have dealt with them for 21 years now adopting horses and burros, and helping other people adopt, but regarding “down-playing”, sorry, they were not and you’d know that if you lived here, were acclimated to the heat (and the below freezing temps in the winter) and took a tour of the desert and observed captive wild and domestic horses with access to shelter that prefer to stand and/or sun-bathe in the sun for the most part instead. Shelters for compromised horses, yes. Shelters for healthy youngsters and adults, not necessary.
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Laura, you are wrong about being acclimated to the desert heat or freezing temps I live in the desert too, and actually super close to PVC… we have 40-45 degree temperature swings from night and day most of the year, and that is tough on any animal. ALL animals need shelter.
Shelters for compromised horses but not for others? come on who are you kidding? You’re either not paying attention or become too harden to what you “think” you perceive and what is right. My herd will seek shade or shelter if it is available, they do NOT stand out there and bake in the heat nor do they hang out in a blizzard!
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Insult people much NVKate?
I’m getting “hardened” (your words) because I have my own experienced opinion that differs from yours and because I believe that wild horses and burros, even captive ones, are tougher than domestic horses because people haven’t had a chance to ruin them yet?
Then I guess if that is the definition of “hardened” I am, and going by your theory of the heat and temp fluctuations killing them, there SHOULD be dead horses ALL OVER at Palomino Valley, and also throughout the desert in Stagecoach and Silver Springs, but there is NOT…..so what’s your theory and opinion on that? And if I truly believed that normal, healthy captive wild horses needed shelters, I’d be the person DEMANDING necropsies be done on ALL the horses who died at Palomino Valley, especially during the heat wave.
Also, how much time do YOU personally spend out working in the heat during the hottest part of the day? How much have you observed captive and wild horses NOT using shelters, how many years have you studied and observed and trained horses, etc? And do you simply not belive that people and animals acclimate to the environment they live in? By that reasoning, the wild horses and burros should have mostly died off in the wild AND in captivity by now, so what say you to that?
IOW, can we hear a little bit more about your experiences with horses both wild and domestic, and also your theories and opinions on WHY we don’t have dead horses all over Northern Nevada that have died from the heat when they were not compromised in any other way?
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I think RT needs to re-evaluate commenters on here who either insult or attack personally on these blogs for not agreeing with them or taking insults not directed at them…….BAD FOR PR AND GAINING MORE FOLLOWERS To Impact our Wild Horses and Issues of Slaughter….
NVKate your entitled to your opinion and don’t let these older commenters with an AX to Grind chase you off…..
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I knew it would be a colossal waste of time bothering with those lying useless fools. Just keep up the pressure. In Denver, last Friday, We had an anti-horse slaughter /save our wild horses protest with lots of public exposure and a definite eye-opener for MOST people as they who learned what’s going on. Maybe everyone should try one. IT certainly doesn’t hurt the cause that’s for sure.
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Last Fridays protests surprised me how many people have no clue to what is
going on? But many honks and waves of Approval for our Cause!!!
We need Public Awareness to gain momentum!!
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where did my comment go that I just made in here two minutes ago?
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never mind . it just showed up!
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What is a fole?
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Notably missing from the “he said, she said” of this article is that a large number of deaths are “undiagnosed” by BLM, and the further fact that a recent FOIA request revealed that annual death rate at the facility is actually double the figured released by BLM.
These two items of data, coupled with the death earlier this summer of a filly that thrashed on the ground for a full 24 hours as Mr Beck’s employees continued to reject advocates’ call for attention to her (the filly died and was listed as undiagnosed), leave it impossible to avoid speculating that deliberate failure to attend sick horse, thus allowing them to die, is a conscious strategy of Mr Beck et.al for the purpose of concealing what they already know: lack of adequate care is killing the horses at Palomino.
Furthermore, BLM also brought in their favorite pinch-hitters from the pro-horse-slaughter campaign for this meeting. It’s clear the meeting was intended to stall and deflate contraversy at the site and avoid any meaningful action. These horses are the public’s damn horses. if the public wants them to have shade and water, the idiots that sup at the public trough ought to be providing them with shade and water. disgusting.
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Notably missing from this journalist’s account are the facts that the standard Palomino’s BLM policy of both failing to tend animals til they are dead (note bene: the filly left to thrash on the ground for over 24 hours til she expired despite advocates’ please for attention to her), in addition to a recent FOIA revealing the facilities’ annual horse death rate to be a full 100% greater than what they’ve publicly copped to.
These two facts taken together not only render any claims by BLM’s Mr Beck meaningless.
I have to assume that the 24 hours of neglect in which the filly thrashed on the ground til she died is Mr Beck’s SOP. It’s convenient to let them die, because that avoids any veterinary attention that might undercut claims that heat and cold and the lack of access to adequate water are a factor.
This meeting was a media show from the start…why else would BLM call in one of their favorite “bought” veterinary experts from the pro-slaughter issue?
The greater context of the debate is that historical FOIA’s exposed ruminations of top BLM people regarding how to quietly eliminate wilde horses from holding (quietly killing and burying, selling to slaughter buyers on the QT, and other grisly plans were all considered). This is BLM bullshit, all the way through. Next they’ll be peddling Arizona beach front property.
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OMG, please, workshop my AS-, WHY would one need a workshop it would be a normal just thing to do for any one who had horses, SHELTER< FOOD <WATER, another ploy to shut people up for a while, WHY is no Gov. entity investigating BLM, my only conclusion would be everyone else in our Gov. doesn't give a sh-t they all have an agenda for these horses, they want them GONE… WHAT on earth will it take???? to stop this abuse??? Unbelievable… I can honestly say I am hating everything our government represents ……..
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I couldn’t see how to respond to the TV news program either. Being able to give feedback to the reporters will continue to keep this issue in the forefront. Did anyone figure it out yet? I can’t believe the BLM person (Jeb) said all is ok. How does he sleep at night? Makes me sick. How difficult & expensive would it be to build a number of 3 sided run in sheds along the perimeter of the enclosures where all could have shade? All animals seek shade – it’s just natural. And I can’t believe there’s only 1 water trough. You can’t tell me the blm doesn’t have enough money to buy a few more 60 gal. water troughs. Maybe they need to go to Tractor Supply & see how much they cost. DISGUSTING ALL OF IT!!!
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Another thing I don’t get – why didn’t the horse advocate they interviewed mention that one of the main requirements to adopting a wild horse is that you PROVIDE SHELTER! Maybe they wouldn’t always use it – but in their own environment they have shelter of their own – brush , trees etc. That would be worth mentioning to this reporter & the public. It appeared they just showed the same interview segments over & over. An longer interview with the former BLM employee could have been interesting too. Guess we take the opportunity we’re given.
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Maggie, have you ever been out to the Northern Nevada desert? In many areas, including around where I live, there are no trees, brush tall enough to get under or behind, etc, for miles and miles, so the wild horses don’t bother walking 10 miles just to find a tree to stand under, and the wild horses we have around here do not seek shade under trees or behind buildings that I have ever seen even when it’s 100 yards down the dirt road. I do have a video and a few photos of a bachelor stallion standing under a tree during the heat a few weeks back that was only under their to scratch his butt on the tree trunk and used the branches to scratch his back. As soon as he was done scratching however, he walked back into the sun (it was 105 degrees out) and left the shade of that lone tree. Just wondering where you live and what you are forming your opinion by……..
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The first paragraph below is what I’ve been writing for years and what I saw last night at Reno City Hall at the workshop:
“The problem as I see it is that the BLM and the factions that control/run the BLM NEVER deviate from their end goal, and that is total and complete eradication of the wild horses and burros….what many advocates don’t realize is that they will do whatever it takes to reach their goals, whether through lying, circumventing the law, “playing nice” with advocates to lull them into believing they are actually working with us, etc…..they have NO INTENTIONS of EVER stopping the eradication of wild horses and burros UNLESS we can concisely and clearly inform what I call “the uninformed, naive general public” (the majority of people in this country in other words…..and I’m not saying that to be a jerk, it is simply the truth of the matter and WE can all still change that to “the informed, educated general public” if we work at it) about the REAL STORY and TRUTH of what their tax payer dollars are paying for.”
So if people are expecting anything to change and the eradication to stop and/or for something else to change at the facilities when what I think the BLM will do instead is shut down Palomino Valley Adoption Center and relocate horses and burros to private land where NONE OF US will be able to monitor them at all, I’ve got news for everyone, the BLM will continue on their same course of eradication and then pushing the general public toward accepting the idea that the horses and burros are miserable in captivity, and even the advocates say they aren’t happy, so they need to be “euthanized”, which means slaughtered as we all know.
In my opinion, the wild horses and burros NEED their OWN LOBBYISTS to REPRESENT ONLY THEM in Washington D.C. where all of the decisions are made. The face that the BLM puts on is one of “acting” like they want to help, but the sad reality is that the BLM is ruled by the factions that want to fence off, control and use OUR public land, and this is the fox guarding the henhouse scenario and has been for decades (ever since 1971 and these factions have been working on stripping it since the moment it was signed into law).
The BLM people were polite and nice last night, nodded at the right places, were blank in the face when they didn’t agree, (and I’ll be clear, I am of the opinion that MOST of the captive wild horses do NOT need shelters for various reasons which I have documented and are from my experiences of living out in the real desert surrounded by BLM and State public land for the past 21 years, seeing wild horses every day, having captive wild horses that I have adopted and rescued from bad situations, and through observation, knowing wild , captive wild, and domestic equine behavior, their physiology, their biology, etc), answered questions, stated a few minor opinions but nothing combative and/or argumentative, etc, however, they are now behind closed doors discussing what was talked about last night, they know what the advocates are thinking, they are gauging what people are threats (and I did speak to a BLM employee after the workshop and clearly stated that if there was endless amounts of money I’d be O.K. with shelters in all the corrals, however, since I know there is not endless supplies of money ear-marked for the up-keep of the wild horses and burros, and the BLM is already using the press and media to put their agenda of euthanizing the horses being warehoused, which we all know means slaughter and that they will get the “uninformed, naïve general public” to agree too also as humane when it’s not, I flatly told Joan that I believed what we NEED are lobbyists who solely represent the wild horses and burros in Washington D.C. I saw the blank look for a second, and then the shift to something else, but I’m sure that I am seen as a threat and would never be considered for any advisory positions), they are working on stragedy’s for convincing the public what the captive wild horses and burros *really* need, and are probably ramping up the plans to close down Palomino Valley and open other facilities on PRIVATE PROPERTY like the facility in Fallon that used to be called Broken Arrow but after the Calico Complex capture debacle was renamed Indian Lakes.
So until the wild horses and burros have lobbyists in Washington D.C. where ALL of the decisions are made by the higher up’s in the BLM in conjunction with representatives from the various factions who are hell-bent on controlling and using OUR public land but need to eradicate the protected wild horses and burros who must be allowed to ROAM on the pubic land without fences everywhere, I’m afraid that the advocates are being lulled once again like what the former BLM agent Grey Hendriks is saying is happening. And if everyone doesn’t want to take my word for it through my experiences with, and observing what the BLM does for the past 21 years, PLEASE at least listen to him because he is a converted individual who had the ethics, gumption and morals to quit his job and become a wild horse and burro advocate.
The long range plan of the wild horses and burros being primarily managed in the wild as per the LAW, and also the implementation of a successful adoption program, along with TRUE sanctuaries for “failure to thrive in the wild” horses and burros is what we need to look at in MY opinion (and if people disagree with me, that’s fine too, but I would like to have reasonable and rational conversations with people on what they base their opinions on and that never seems to happen with a lot of wild horse and burro advocates unfortunately), and these little skirmishes simply distract and lull and put the wild horses and burros in dire jeopardy of eradication and death by slaughter.
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You are right, Laura Belle, there is an exclusivity that is spreading which was not here before the egos divided the advocacy amongst themselves and kicked out those with knowledge and experience. We are not getting any where despite some good works.
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So basically you’re saying all the Advocates rallying for shade for these horses are idiots?? You’re offending everyone who has put in the work to help GIMME SHELTER and the rest of Advocates around on this campaign towards the BLM?
I find you rather offensive………
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If you ask the people what is going on some may tell and some may sell you their agenda. Most will avoid the truth. It is just the way it is because we have bad undercurrents. I support Anne Novak’s efforts and not others who have stolen her work and discredited her and others. There is a lot of politics at play here these days and FB is a swamp sucking the blood out of good people. I have to wonder if my comments will appear as speaking one’s mind is not popular anymore.
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Robyn…I met her…she is very offensive….she did tell us all that we are idiots…let it roll off your back…she isn’t worth it…trust me…
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Everybody is entitled to their opinion about shelter so let’s focus on the most serious problem :the BLM’s “managing for extinction” of our wild horses and burros . It has gotten a lot worse, and the 1971 WFRH&B Act is being broken. We need to get organized and stop this now before it’s too late.
Those in holding need to be returned to their lawful public lands and the 22 million acres given back to them. Should we form a private Email list where BLM won’t be able to access or what ?
BTW IDA is taking BLM to court in CA.
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You are right Barbara, we need to focus on the real issue and the other stuff will be eliminated !!!!!! We need to get the language put back where it belongs in the Roam Act 1971 thats where the focus should be, with that said … Lets get going on the main Issue here freeing our mustangs to roam as it states in the Roam Act of 1971……………………………. It was written and approve by Congress unanimously for the Protection and the freedom to roam on 25 million acres PLUS, where is the land that belongs to the Mustang now, it belongs to the MUSTANGS , we need to GET it BACK for them, in no uncertain terms in its entirety , then we put the Mustang s back on it !!!! !!!!! Enough crapping around lets get this done
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Right on Barbara and Arlene. The facilities are not the real issue and yet they are killing our captives. Everything is important but we get away from priorities and those are stopping BLM removals and recovering our wild ones The issue is stopping the removals and taking horses and burros out of facilities and putting them back on available wild horse designated range. We just do not seem to have everyone on the same page and the cat fights rage and it is very discouraging.
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I don’t mean the shelter issue isn’t important but what Mar said about getting our wild horses out of holding is even more so as well as stopping the roundups. Laura Bell has a good point about the BLM wanting to slaughter them also. We must all work together for our wild horses and burros and respect each others opinions. I pray they can be saved in my lifetime and I am old now.
The video of the latest roundup can be seen at http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org It is horrifying and even shows a teen aged boy roping a foal.
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Absolutely!!! Everyone wants them Free again….
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I noticed several Facebook posts of Carolyn Stull’s definition of abuse. She’s either the head of the UC Davis equine program or close to it. She was one of four equine veterinarians who served as Designated Observers at 3(?) roundups and a holding facility (don’t remember which one) a few years ago. I’d like to see her try to spend a day at PV. I doubt if she’d last a couple of hours.
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I still can’t see much in the new format. Forgot to check the notifications, because the blend into the landscape. Don’t think I’ll come here anymore. I like to read what others have to say, but I’d rather spend my time doing more productive things than trying to decipher comments.
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Jeb Beck not only told Adam Rsmussen last night from KTVN news but also John Potter from KTVN news on the story he did on July 17th and I quote Jeb Beck ” We have not had any noted cases of animals dying because of the heat”. This contradicts what Richard Sanford,DVM for Palomino Valley Center said per his graph about the mortality rate vs heat. If I read the graph right it showed 4 horses died between the end of June to beginning of July 2013 which is right around the time alot of private citizens like myself and advocacy groups started documenting the conditions at PVC. Did anyone who was there last night catch that also?
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I believe the BLM should be sued for committing a crime against these protected horses ! This is not right and is unacceptable on every human level !!! The horrific treatment of these horses is worse than any criminal/murderer ever receives and they have done nothing wrong ! This is beyond sickening and animal abuse and cruelty is just the beginning of what BLM is guilty of !! This has to be stopped now !
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Common sense: All animals and humans seek shelter and shade according to weather conditions. Last night was an attempt to appease the public. I was especially offended by statement from Joan Gillfoil that BLM was really hit hard with reduced funding because of the sequester making it difficult for BLM to provide funds for shade or shelter. Oh, wait a minute! Didn’t BLM just spend up to a million taxpayer $$ this week for a helicopter roundup in Nevada that terrified, tortured and captured 200 horses as well as killing 3 of them. No money for shelter or shade? My opinion -the meeting last night was to appease the public.
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What? Have they provided shelter and noted that the horses don’t seek the shade? Since there is no shade available does BLM just make up a result–the horses are fine. What does an independent vet say?? Just because the animals don’t drop dead doesn’t mean their health isn’t compromised. I wouldn’t hire BLM to take care of my horses.
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send your concerns and comments to jatalbot@juno.com this was the facilitator at the meeting..she wants emails for suggestons and comment by Friday…..the BLM will decide in 2 weeks…we shall see!!!!!
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This needed to be a year round shelter issue. In two weeks they pick an option and then what? They keep stalling and it will be Fall. Then you have to be sure the shade will also shelter from wind and snows.
We are seeing activity going on in Nevada with the wild ones and bait trapping and roundups and loss of life and this has been the center of attention as if the wild ones are already gone from the wild and you are giving in to this kind of situation where they will all be in facilities from now on so make the facilities the priority? Get the horses out of holding and get together and figure out a way to do it. Get the horses back on their land and make it work. We need a series of our own work shops across the country for greater participation and not half of one conference where people make speeches. We need to work and create change.
Remember many horses die in PVC and Broken Arrow and this weather surely added to those deaths. And they are dying in Gunnison too from heat and gelding. It has been very hot in Gunnison also. All the captive stallions go there. They are dying in all facilities. We need to push for a professional, such as a horse vet, to be part of a civilian inspection team to be going from one facility to another year round and looking at records and reporting to the public. We need to oversee all of BLM’s activities. This is POLICY. We want some policy! Otherwise, write a new law and leave BLM out of it.
I wish all of you were as interested in what is going on overall as you are in this. We do not seem to have an atmosphere that generates action in the field and learning more than BLM about conditions they continue to lie about and remove horses and burros on false reports. Remember, West Douglas was WON last year because people showed the judge the BLM was lying about drought conditions that did not exist. Right now, Triple B is not in a drought. But they are removing horses. The same is true at Medicine-Maverick. 200 hundred horses were just removed from Blue Wing and we still have not got a team for follow up and observation that works only for the wild ones and the public. I see nothing here these days detailing in first person what is going on out there or what this year of removals means.
We are going no where fast while the wild horses and burros disappear or end up inadequately cared for or dead. Remove the WH&B Program from BLM. Fix the mistakes with science. Call for a Moratorium over 10 years. Raise money and get our first independent study approved and in operation. Do more and drop the egos and the competition and the backstabbing and the idea that some of you are better than others because in my humble opinion you are failing the wild horses and burros and you are not all on a page together that has power and direction.
If and when you get what you want from all this it will be at the expense of other lives.
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Mar,
You sound like you need to start up a serious campaign to take this into a direction that will benefit these Mustangs…There are many who will join you..
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That’s news to me, Robyn! Thanks. We are working on something but also being heavily discouraged by many, which is more normal than being supported and encouraged. The majority of people I come across are not aware of science being at the heart of all of this or that it holds the answers BLM loves to pretend cannot be found. I have been saying these things here for years. My best take on this is to support Anne Novak at Protect Mustangs and get involved as she is active and working hard and needs people who want involvement and commitment. We agree on many things. I support her effort. Her group is growing and has a dynamic that is strong and thorough. And honest. She is looking for an assistant director right now. If you want to contact me I am on FB and I can be found that way. You will be told to not to associate with me and if you do you may hear all the slander I live with. Truth is evasive these days.
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Why is the BLM still rounding up and holding wild horses? I heard ranchers want them off public land but I don’t think that that is a valid reason for what is happening. The other thing I heard was the horses were suffering (from the drought) so it was more humane to round them up and slaughter them so their flesh could be exported to countries who think it OK to eat horses–yeah right!. Either way, it illegal to do this to our nation’s wildlife which is held in public trust. Who is speaking for the horses and the public? How can we get people to demonstrate against this? There is a Wolf Rally in Washington, D.C. on 9/7/13. Maybe the wild horse and burro defenders should make some signs and join in! We are fighting the same enemies as the wolves and the consequences are the same if we lose. Dead and gone is gone forever.
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Laura where’s your name on all this trying to make a difference for these horses??
I see others Jetara Sehart with her supporters which one of them is RT Fitch with many top names in Advocacy……Nancy Leake a concerned citizen new to Advocates have all made some headway no matter what you think??
Where’s positive impact happening around these horses???? Or just like to Criticize those
who do??????
To take comments directed at the BLM towards yourself in such a way tells me your head is out of WHACK!
Get it screwed on and make a difference for these horses…..
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Okay, redirecting aggression is uncalled for. Laura Bell is a strong advocate here and for horses at risk for slaughter. She haS Very hiGh, positive energY and is coherent and intelligent. She is entitled to her opinion and she is somewhat right and certainLy not wrong. BLM providing workshops is pretty funny actually.
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Do not want to speak out of turn but she has saved 8-10 horses a week from slauighter. She is a keeper.
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Actually good for her….but there was no insult to her and in fact she turned the insult
directly.. So I see it as not real Good PR and People Skills at least in her mannerisms…..and yes opinions are like you know what?? Everybody’s got one.
But I know who I see is making a difference at what she is calling BULL???
So we shall see where this goes with the workshop outcome????
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thank you Robyn I second your motion
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NVKate,
My FB was just loaded up with Wild Mustang pictures finding shade all over the desert???
I got a kick out of it….Beautiful Pic’s…. One especially a group of Mustangs sticking their
heads under a tree and the rest of their bodies were in the sun due to little shade.. Now
that’s a Funny picture!!!
I was surprised as how many pictures came through with them in the desert seeking SHADE??????????????????
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Thank you Robyn …you are a good friend….you know how I feel about the horses…and I did what I did for them…
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Speaking of wolves, it seems science is MIA for them as well. http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/08/08/gray-wolf-experts-axed-by-usfws/
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“What the service wants” sounds dangerous and almost anti-American.
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Just a word of caution, here…there are elements of this thread that are NOT pulling us together and resulting in a lot of back-biting and useless kicking at each other.
Please remember these two important and salient points:
1.) This blog is NOT about us but instead…the horses.
2.) Stay focused, WE are not the enemy and the true enemy gets very excited and happy when advocates decide to publicly chew on each other.
COOL IT!!!
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Thank you RT..I should of scrolled down to your response..before I responded but I will stick up for the horses,your website and my freinds…you are so right….
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EVERY SINGLE PERSON HERE , IS HERE FOR THE SAME REASONS AND THAT IS OUR MUSTANGS AND HORSEs , WE ALL WANT THEM FREE TO roam , we all want Horse SLAUGHTER ABOLISHED, and really we want the BLM GONE, and replaced with people who are in turn to the realization that all Our Horses are important beings we truly want to be here with us……………. We can never lose sight of this !!!!!! It is the single most important issue we are facing !!!!! Let us all concentrate on getting this done !!!! We are so close I believe this , we need to unite in our efforts , our horses have suffered to long , please lets stop the brutality and round ups and all this useless cruelty !!!!! it is our horses who are suffering and never once have I ever heard them complain , please this is our fight now , lets give it to these murdering fools !!!!!
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Someone needs to turn the lights on in here. No one can see in the dark.
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Louie, you are funny and so right. When I type the print is white but the print is grey in the comments and hard to read.
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heheheheh Louie C I have been whining about this for a long time , can hardly read the grey print !!!!!!!! Very unpleasent to try and read the posts ……..There ok when your writing posts but the minute you post them , they get dark and OMG virtually impossible to read !!! For awhile I thought I was going blind !!!!!
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Dear Louie, I agree can hardly read posts…………………Havent posted much here cause I cant read the posts very well !!!!
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