Comments on: Two Stories from Kiger

By: kara

kara — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:47:52 +0000

Laura, there is no easy answer or solution here. I totally understand what your saying when you asked why get the white out. If you read a few of my blog posts I wrote a few years ago, you will get my opinion. It is only my opinion and I truly believe that the powers that be see the Kigers as their cash cow so to speak. The gather from 2007 netted them about $95,000 give or take a few thousand. I believe no other gather comes close to netting them that kind of money, so they listen to what the buyers want, and they do not want grey or white markings, so they rid the herds of them every gather. My own grey eluded capture several times. From what I was told from people out there he was quite frustrating for them in several different gathers Also, a lot of things changed when Ron Harding left the BLM. The Kigers were his project. Here is one: http://argosjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/curious-thing-about-dna.html
Here is another: http://argosjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/one-year-ago.html

I know you and I will probably disagree with some of the opinions I have and that is okay. I can live with that. Ultimately, I believe we want the same thing in the end.

Kara

By: Louie Cocroft

Louie Cocroft — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:29:29 +0000

With $75 Million a year being spent (that doesn’t include government grants that are spent) on the BLM Wild Horse and Burro program, you would think there would be adequate range data collection, wouldn’t you?

By: Laura Leigh

Laura Leigh — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:47:28 +0000

WE actually have several conversations that need to take place in the dialogue of the program.

1. Legislation: there needs to be an accountability to the Act, not a self-policing policy to protect a living being given to a “Land” grab (I mean management) agency.
2. Range data collection
3. Range Management and the lack of data on consequence of current protocol
4. Facilities and the “black hole”
5. Adoption program

Each of these conversations are immeshed with the “DUH” factor that is entrenched in prejudice that inhibits and constructive talk toward any problem solving… only finger pointing.

It’s frustrating.

By: savewildhorses

savewildhorses — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:43:12 +0000

I will hang onto that. Tamara Gooch, photographer, had a similar experience the other day photographing a stallion. Don’t know if you are familiar with her work, but she has photographed horses in the wild and horses being chased to the edge of cliffs by helicopters.

By: Louie Cocroft

Louie Cocroft — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:54:19 +0000

It seems to me that, as we are pushing to stop the round-ups, we should also be laying the groundwork for the Herd Management program that we DO want. What would that look like? Who would we want to administer and oversee that program?

By: Louie Cocroft

Louie Cocroft — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:49:45 +0000

Laura, what do you see that should be done differently?

By: Karin Klarkowski-Smith

Karin Klarkowski-Smith — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:04:47 +0000

Blessings to you Laura for all the updates…Crazy stuff….The get the white out really bothers me….Selective breeding is scary scary stuff…

By: margoWolf

margoWolf — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:41:28 +0000

This ‘Kiger program’ is valuable. If we have fewer wild herds- they must be closely managed to keep them safe and out of roundups and removals. We must consider how to deal with density of population on smaller ranges and genetic appeal. Most of our wild herds are wonderfully conformed and very beautiful horses all worth preserving. Adoptions could become the balance to keep them free. Even if ‘free’ is changing more to a managed horse range. The range needs managing and the horses still have never had their day with good management choices based on science gathered from their home ranges. What can be done in the future could be excellent and allow preservation and protection to dominate.

By: Laura Leigh

Laura Leigh — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:50:38 +0000

This particular herd has been highly managed.

Soundness and intelligence would be a “given” in every horse I saw.
Today at the corral they let me get “up close and personal” with the horses coming off of Riddle as they were vaccinated and sorted.

Kiger actually, in my ever so humble opinion, speaks to a few of the “big” picture issues here.

Taking this herd down to populations numbers that are below genetic viability in a wild herd is counter to the intent of a “Wild Free Roaming horse and burro act.”

Yet because of the “range-breeding” program, that could be done on a 500 acre ranch with the numbers we are talking about, also speaks volumes about another section of the Act that addresses “excess” and “selective removal.”

In Burns the WH&B specialists knows his herds. He knows “who” is out there not just “what.” He knows sex ratio, he knows where individuals move, he knows the history.

Even if you disagree with the “range breed” we can learn a lot from the importance of keeping good animals on the range to create animals that have a strong foundation for adoption and also for perpetuation of a population of strong animals in the field.

If we look at this as a “field study” of what can be achieved when the effort is made to larger populations in other HMA’s… it’s really very valuable.

The “cleaning up the trash” attitude we see at so many roundups and the lack of knowledge of what exists on each HMA is the “norm.”

I am digesting what I am learning but will give y’all some pics from today very soon.

By: Louie Cocroft

Louie Cocroft — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:01:38 +0000

Am I missing something here? The Herd viability is at risk, yet the main concern is to “get the White out”? Good Horse Breeders that I have known (even those that bred for color) placed Intelligence,Temperment and Soundness before color.