In 1991, Michael adopted his first wild horse named Twelve. This beautiful black horse, although castrated by the BLM, never lost his regal stallion characteristics. He was tattooed on its left hind flank with the number 1202 as they did in concentration camps of yore. Michael relates that it was not the number that Twelve was named after but that on a scale from one to ten, Michael rated his horse a 12, hence the name. He also adopted a mare Samantha whose spirit was as free as Twelve and who would keep this once great stallion company.
Both of these horses changed Michael’s life and directed him into a course of action saving America’s wild horses for the next two decades.
For many American’s, Michael will be dearly remembered for his famous screen play for the movie, “Dances With Wolves” which won him an Oscar for best screen play. His dear friend, Kevin Costner, starred and directed the movie which received seven total Oscars in 1990.
He will be remembered by our organization as immensely passionate about the need to protect wild horses keeping their families intact and free from roundups on our public lands.
Michael was always proud of ISPMB’s accomplishments. He was especially thrilled that ISPMB saved four wild herds of horses knowing that for the past 15 years, they have been living happily together in families here at our ranch undisturbed by helicopters and roundups like their public land counterparts.
Michael’s spirit will always live on in our hearts. We bid farewell to our hero.
Michael Blake (source: www.n-tv.de)
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Our horses have lost a friend.
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May the Wild Horses Take Him Home to free again…….may the wind blow and his dreams travel and inspire other horse lovers because he lived. Goodbye until We all meet again……
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He is with all the horses in heaven. Donations in his memory can be given at http://www.ISPMB.org and Karen will notify his family.
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Thanks, Barbara.
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Good bye for now, gentle and complex soul. May you wander free in both time and space. Find a special planet where wild horses live free in beauty as they dream of doing while in holding.
Far-fetched? I think not. You wrote “Dances With Wolves” while living with your dog in your car wandering Los Angeles. Imagination and an ear to a bigger space guided you. The story taught the human world an important lesson of tolerance and freedom. We just can’t live it yet on this planet, in our man-made purgatory.
But our souls can live in freedom elsewhere. I hear your laughter now.You are there! Enjoying the sight of all the wild ones moving free from tiny lizard to mighty cloud.
Whatever spirit wishes to be, IS.
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Retired BLM chief gives one last look across the range
Oct. 1, 2012
https://www.hcn.org/articles/abbeys-road-retired-blm-chief-gives-one-last-look-across-the-range
Bob Abbey, director of the federal Bureau of Land Management, retired this May after a total of 28 years with the agency. It was his second — and final — retirement: He originally left in 2005 after eight years as the Nevada state director
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Run Free with all of our passed Wild and Domestic horses and the burros. Peace and happiness.. free of harm.
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Keep fighting for our Wild Horses and Burros Michael Blake…. keep on fighting.
There will be no peace for the wicked until our Wild Horses and Burros are safe and back where they belong on our Public Lands
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So sorry to the family and the friends of this man who worked so hard for the horses, he will be missed by all of us , RIP.
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“There is no word for goodbye”
by Mary Tallmountain
http://hhh.gavilan.edu/kwarren/poem.html
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THE OSCAR
My success began long ago when I began to read books.
Dreams come out of books and the dream that came to me was … to do something for the benefit of as many people as I could.
The miracle of Dances With Wolves … is that it proves this kind of dream can come true.
Hold onto fine dreams.
Don’t let anyone take them away.
Don’t give up.
Acceptance speech delivered by Michael Blake at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, March 25, 1991.
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Sad is the day of the loss of this dear man who fought for our wild horses. RIP
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