General and Crew
Just a few photos I’ve been saving.
General, Commander and True are among the horses Return to Freedom will give sanctuary to. The boys will stay together…
My True Boy
Best Friends
I love these guys.
So much to do… so much heartache… but this makes it so much more bearable.
UPDATE COMING SOON!
So much bad news, so little good….we can all savor this momment…before we go back to the killing fields
Good news, at last!! Lovely photo, BEST FRIENDS!! Hope to see you soon.
Angel did not make it over for the adoptions venue, and neither did Precious.
I believe some others did not get in as requested either!
Good to see these boys rescued and together!! What about Lightning and Tomahawk?
Terri’s desired pair, Ghost Dancer and Shell Flower, are not going to be together. Shell is gone to A Texas bidder along with a stallion, and Ghost Dancer will go to a California sanctuary that helped Terri place her.
Take care of you!!!! Come up for air. Hoping to see you all soon!
The stallions… Tomahawk and Redman are in the top photo with General.
General kinda became leader of the bachelors for a bit a PVC.
Not much time to write today… I’ll try later.
: )
I hope Painted Arrow is accounted for? Love the pictures. mar
I wonder if Terri can talk to that Texas bidder. He may have a heart.
I am so happy for all of you. I am keeping a database of the horses with pictures and names. if you could put their names with the photos that would be great.
It a good day. It a story that needs to be told to everyone. It will capture their hearts.
Craig got lightning btw. Another great saga. There is a movie in all of this.
Beautiful yet almost surrelastic photos; to think our own Gov. kidnaps living breathing mustangs in their mustang roundups
and then throws them into pens; “like a dog without a bone!
Polly wrote: Craig got lightning…
comment: what wonderful news ! so glad some will stay together; happy some have found resuce forever homes…
anyone have any news on Legacy ? I know Elyse Gardner is working on trying to Save Legacy the Gelding; will post info; a
Angel did not make it over for the adoptions venue, and neither did Precious.
I believe some others did not get in as requested either!
“sorry; too bad about Shell not being placed with ghost dancer;
I try to send good vibes out to them; I guess Shell is lucky he got placed ! doens’t the gov. know; those are Individual Mustang Souls inside each Wild Horse; they aren’t objects…
I’d give a million dollars if I had it; to stop these roundups!
ps speaking of a million dollars; what ever happened to Madeline’s Mustang Sanctuary ?
Sanctuaries; Preservations and Reservations are the best hope
News just came out today that Madeline’s is one step closer to her sanctuary.
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12965627
Can anyone tell me if the stallions are still stallions? I thought that the BLM gelded everything. I’m really worried about that. If we still have the stallions then we can have a future gene pool.
Yes… the boyz are all stallions.
: )
You just made my day, Laura! Absolutely incredible pictures. It does help the pain and shows us why it’s all worth it.
Madeline Pickens is STILL trying to get the BLM to let her have the horses that are in long term holding, just as she has done for so long now. It isn’t her fault the sanctuary still doesn’t exist.
Return to Freedom, Madeleine Pickens and so many other proposals the BLM just ignores….
We just keep going.
Lots to do… many things in the works.
: D
this is the letter from Nick Rahall to send to your Reps. and Senators; I just copied this letter and sent to my rep. + Sens.
The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Salazar:
Recent media accounts have documented still more deaths of wild horses during Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) roundups. Just this month, 12 horses, including three foals, died
during the Tuscarora Complex roundup in northeastern Nevada as a result of deeply flawed
methods. This tragedy was only the most recent in a string of reports of wild horses dying
during BLM roundups this year.
We are concerned by the inability of your agency to acknowledge these disturbing outcomes,
change what seems to be deeply flawed policy, and better manage the gathers so as to
prevent the unnecessary suffering and death of these federally protected animals.
Specifically, on Saturday, July 10, with temperatures hovering near 100 degrees, the BLM, in
a time-span of two and half hours, captured and corralled more than 228 wild horses after
running them more than 8 miles. During this time, public observation of BLM activities was
prohibited. This ill-advised plan resulted in the deaths of 12 protected American Mustangs,
most due to water intoxication; three of the dead were foals less than six months old. By the
time the roundup was halted, 17 horses had died.
While we applaud the speed with which you temporarily halted the Tuscarora roundup after
these deaths, the roundup has now resumed. Apparently, BLM continues to bar public
observers, despite a court order affirming the right to “reasonable access.” So far, 410 more
horses have been gathered and, according to BLM’s own account, the death toll has risen to
21.
The BLM is repeating the mistakes made during the deadly round up in the Calico Mountain
Complex last winter. That roundup resulted in the deaths of over 105 horses, along with the
stress-induced late term abortions of at least 40 mares.
Given this pattern, and the continued threat of death and suffering to these animals, we
request that the Tuscarora Complex roundup be suspended, along with any pending gathers,
until the agency demonstrates that it has addressed the failings of the current program and
can ensure the safety and well-being of the animals you are charged with protecting.
Specifically, the BLM must account for temperature extremes and the impacts of stampeding
young, elderly or injured animals across long distances when planning roundups. The BLM
needs to ensure transparency by allowing members of the public to observe agency
activities.
Further, we remain concerned that roundups are conducted at great expense to the taxpayer.
As we have pointed out in the past, BLM’s aggressive use of roundups has resulted in
unsustainable increases in the number of horses in holding facilities (now at 38,000) and
continues to undermine the BLM’s overall budget. Unfortunately, the frequency of roundups
has only increased under this administration.
To address these and other flaws, we recommend an independent analysis of the National
Wild Horse and Burro program, conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. This
analysis will provide a clear determination of the most accurate, science-based methodologies
to estimate wild horse and burro populations, provide an assessment of Appropriate
Management Levels based on the goal of maintaining sustainable herds and provide an
assessment of practical, effective, non-lethal and publicly acceptable management
alternatives to current BLM policies.
We strongly urge you to refrain from any further action until a clear plan is in place to
sustainably manage and protect our wild herds. Only then can we move forward with a
more informed, open and deliberate process, based on input from all who are concerned
with the health, well being, and conservation of this animal which embodies the spirit of our
American West.
cc:
Mr. Bob Abbey, Director, Bureau of Land Management
re: Madeline Pickens is taking too long; too many Mustangs are “perishing; I just got a letter from Madeline;
the Mustangs will be in the New Years day parade !
that’s some sanctuary ! “not ! Why doens’t the BLM just open up their own Mustang Sancturay; what is the problem ?
Yellowstone has their own Wild Buffalo Sancturay ! Anna usa
Anna, Madeline can’t do anything if the BLM won’t give her the horses! She has much more going besides the New Year’s Day parade, but don’t just sluff THAT off either – valuable exposure for the horses and a chance to answer the public’s questions. Most people are not even aware that there is a problem.
Didn’t you get Madeline’s other mailing about the “Pony Express?” She also provides a handy form on her web site where you can write your OWN letters to Obama and your Reps and Senators. And it has a more generous word limit than most – 10,000 characters.
Anna, the wild horses have sanctuary in millions of acres of federal land bequeathed to them under Federal Law. It it the BLM that will not allow them to stay on these so called protected lands for them and it is the BLM that so far refuses to seriously consider offers to get thousands of horses out of long and short term holding via Madeleine’s sanctuaries and others.
Thank God General and his family and friends won the bid. What about Lightenings friends or mare? does Lightening have a herd friend or family to be reunited with? when will they have a chance to reunite and have land again?
I wish the bidding for the ones lost to outsiders went much higher.
Can the return to freedom please take the plastic strings off their necks. They hate them. Its so dangerous to have a garrott on the neck.
Where did Lightening end up, I seen him on the sale list 1431 – with a sold price, will he be living with his herd again?
Any news?
Lightening will be with Craig Downer, who has a nice place in the mountains for him. He also got a mare for him to be with.
Does Madaline have the land for the horses?
Love the letter to Ken Salazar! That letter needs to get to everyone in
Washington, so they can’t void the issue or ignore it. Too many horses are suffering.