By Carol Walker of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Published on Wild Hoof Beats
The day before the Fifteenmile roundup began, I was lucky enough to spend time with a family band who did not seem to mind humans, a truly atypical response from these very wild and flighty horses. The sun came out from the clouds just long enough to get some images as they were standing in the sun then ran by us.
We headed to the BLM office at 5:45 in the morning then headed out for over an hour drive. As we drove to where we were placed to observe we saw a mare and foal run up the hill as dawn was filling the sky with light. They had no idea of what was about to come.
Unfortunately our location was not a good one. We walked and then had to climb a steep red rock hill and at th stop there was jute spread across concealing the drop off behind us. We were told we were 1.5 miles from the trap but we could not see the horses run into or at the trap itself. We could see dust erupt and very occasionally heads come up above the sage brush when they reared up through binoculars but that was it. There was no opportunity for meaningful observation, of the kind where we could see if the horses looked winded and sweaty, if they were being run too far too hard, and no way to see any problems like injuries running into panels or attempting to leap out. When we are close enough to see we can often offer suggestion that may help in keeping the horses safe. But not this roundup. Wecould see them running by but that was it. When requesting a different closer location where we might observe the horses going into the trap we were told “the BLM selected this location and the contractor agreed.” Well I keep asking for a better location.
The first group of beautiful wild horses was captured at the Fifteenmile Herd roundup. There were 40-50 in the first group, hard to count when they were such a tight group like a river moving across the landscape. We are at least 1.5 miles from the trap and we cannot see the horses going into the trap behind the rock formations.mare and foal ran up the road in front of us as the sky was filling with light.
On the second run of the helicopter about 83 horses were in a huge group, 36 broke off and ended up in the trap. The others mostly pintos ran off back the direction they came – a very long way off, the horses were very tired especially a grey stallion at the end. Two bachelors ran for the hills and got away at least for now.
In the third run of the helicopter about thirty horses fought hard to avoid getting pushed into the trap. A bay mare ran away and the wrangler rode after the foal through the draws and tall sage and roped it and brought it in. I do not know where the mother went. We had seen them running up the road in front of us before dawn when we arrived.
We just saw a huge line of horses running not from the helicopter but headed toward a waterhole – right behind the trap sight. They saw the trap and headed out up the mountain. Meanwhile there were 40 coming in front of the helicopter behind us. Sorrels, bays, pintos, grays, a buckskin and they were driven into the trap – we can just see ears and dust. The helicopter landed and we are waiting to see if they will go after the big group today or quit. We plan to wait to see the horses in temporary holding which is near the trap. Just heard they are done for the day and we estimate about 200 horses were captured. We are going to temporary holding to see those horses in an hour or so.
After 2 1/2 hour wait we finally are allowed to go see the horses whose temporary pens are next to the trap. The stallions are in the first pen and they are restless and calling for their families, who were calling back. Beautiful horses. We made our way around the pens, seeing younger stallions, mares, mares with foals. The foals are wet like they had been run a long way.
We were told 211 horses were captured, one injury a mare that was being treated for a gash, and no deaths. After visiting them, we drive to our hotel in the fading light.
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, The Force of the Horse, Uncategorized, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Stand up for our wild horses. Blm,Trump, and big companies, ranchers want the land. The public lands belong to the animals, to American people not the big interests.
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Who and how much did you and I pay for this animal abuse?
WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROGRAM HELICOPTER DRIVE TRAPPING GATHER – WY FIFTEEN MILE HMA
Recipient CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
This contract was awarded to Cattoor Livestock Roundup Inc with a potential award amount of $244,360.
https://www.usaspending.gov/#/award/86802392
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These innocents look bewildered and BETRAYED. What’s happening to the “legal fund” these days to stop roundups?
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Courtesy American Taxpayers
Potential Award Amount:$244,360
Description WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROGRAM HELICOPTER DRIVE TRAPPING GATHER – WY FIFTEEN MILE HMA
Period of Performance 09/16/2019 – 10/30/2019 (1 month)
Primary Place of Performance WORLAND, WY 82401 Congressional District: WY-00
Contract Award Type DELIVERY ORDER
Contract Pricing Type FIRM FIXED PRICE
Recipient
CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
Address
475 S 200 W NEPHI, UT 84648 Congressional District: UT-04
DUNS
603387242
Parent DUNS
603387242
Business Types
Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt
For Profit Organization
Awarding Agency
Department of the Interior
Sub-Agency
Bureau of Land Management
https://www.usaspending.gov/#/award/86802392
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False Claims Act
Defrauding The Federal Government
Private companies have been fleecing the federal government since our country’s inception and it continues to be an epidemic today. There’s a law that dates back all the way to 1863, called the False Claims Act, which allows private citizens to sue contractors who have defrauded the Federal Government.
Who Can File a False Claims Lawsuit?
Private citizens that come forward and file False Claims Act on the government’s behalf are called relaters, and there is a significant incentive for private citizens to do that. Those citizens can receive between 15 of the amount recovered by the Federal Government as a result of the fraud. These are Federal Government contracts, oftentimes billions of dollars, and so relaters have secured extremely large rewards. The amount of damages to the government as a result of fraud in any given year reaches in the billions, and relaters have time and time again been rewarded handsomely for their participation in this process. In fact, in fiscal year 2014, the Department of Justice awarded 435 million dollars to relaters. And that only includes False Claims Acts in which the Department of Justice were involved in.
https://www.ncemploymentattorneys.com/false-claims-act/
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All of these horses are in beautiful condition, even a little fat which is what they need to be going in to the winter. Which means the range is perfectly adequate to support them!
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Please get the word out. This is horrific beyond understanding.
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Gorgeous. This needs to stop, and any abuse of them that is witnessed reported.
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BLMs adoption gallery has added a few more horses, a week or so ago there were only eight, and some of those had been captive 5-6 years. Now they show 19, but again many were caught up to 6 years ago. The newest have been confined for a year already.
Where are all those thousands of horses in captivity, waiting for adoption??? Especially with an aggressive roundup schedule looming, why are so few available already?
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/Animals
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Wild Horse Freedom Federation White Paper
http://wildhorsefreedomfederation.org/white-paper/
“Despite the reported number of horses in captivity (46,000) to date, large numbers of horses have mysteriously disappeared from the holding pens or during transports where they never arrived.”
The five-year investigation culminating in the document has uncovered a consistent pattern of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) releasing misinformation thought to confuse and mislead the American taxpaying public and legislators.
For years, the BLM has taken healthy wild horses and burros from their legally protected lands in the American West at the expense of taxpayers. Notably, on those lands, the cost to taxpayers was nothing, yet the BLM roundups have continued, taking tens of thousands of wild horses into captivity. Despite the reported number of horses in captivity (46,000) to date, large numbers of horses have mysteriously disappeared from the holding pens or during transports where they never arrived. And it appears that taxpayer money has been wasted by the BLM, at the expense of the wild horses and burros they are supposed to protect.
WHFF’s FOIA obtained documentation on this topic, many of which have never been reviewed by Congress or the public, appear to verify that BLM statements are filled with inaccuracies and poor math. The beneficiaries of this systemic misrepresentation have been ranching and corporate energy interests, both of whom, not surprisingly, are major donors to politicians who cover the areas where the most wild horses and burros are found.
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WHFF’s white paper details multiple examples of mishandling of taxpayer funds, but the upshot is simple: alleged false assurances have been offered up to taxpayers while private and special interests have had their way with the use of public lands. In another words, the BLM is the fox that guards the henhouse, seemingly unwilling to enforce the laws that obligate them to protect wild horses and burros.
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This is paramount in importance right now for the wild horses and burros and American taxpayers. In the coming days the Senate Appropriations Committee will take up the Interior appropriations bill, which includes the Wild Horse and Burro Program with the threat of killing wild horses and burros touted as a budgetary necessity. Without intervention, for the rising generations of America, wild horses and burros will be gone forever.
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We all need to get involve,open your heart and eyes,the American wild horses need our help! please contact the congressman and congresswoman to cosponsor HR 961 to ban the slaughter and exports of American horses for human consumption.
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