Personal message for the “blog”

Jackson Mountain stallion watches his mares after arrival at PVC. They will be separated here, he will go to the stud pens and they with the mares.

from the desk of Laura Leigh, President of Wild Horse Education (follow ongoing work at wild horse education website)

It is very hard to describe the personal experience of the current state of the issues that Wild Horse Education is addressing for our herds.

On one hand this has been an extraordinary physical marathon of range work, in all kinds of weather, under all kinds of physical extremes. Dust, mud, blistering heat and frigid temperatures take a toll on equipment and ones physical body. Files are massive and the quantity of documentation fills drive after drive and causes laptops to choke. The vehicle makes new sounds every time it is shaken, bounced, bumped and run in sub freezing temperatures or high heat, your physical body begins to mirror the creaks and groans. The very real need to expand this aspect of the work is apparent. This aspect of the work is what gives us the ability to demonstrate a first hand knowledge of the range and present accurate information toward gaining real changes as we try to bring an honest conversation to the management of wild horses and burros to the agency itself, the public, legislature and if needed, the Federal courts. You make this part of the journey looking like a character out of “Mad Max,” or other post apocalyptic film, half the time. You forget to brush your hair, have no time to clean your clothes and your equipment is a mishmash of devices pieced together that looks like it shouldn’t even run but is a powerful editing tool.

On the other hand this work requires diligent research and organization. Thousands of hours of video footage, hundreds of thousands of still photographs, assessment documents and grids, reference material and the hundreds of documents filed in court. You have to focus, wear the right glasses to read,  remember to shower, and raise your vocabulary above the guttural sounds that your dog finds acceptable as conversation on the road.

Then there is another aspect, communication with the public. Somewhere between being a “range rat” and an “accountant” you need to remember the social skills to engage the public in a conversation that relays what you “gained” on the range, digested in the “library,” in a manner that speaks to the daily lives of “normal.”

Many of you have written wondering what it is like to do this work… the best way I can describe it… it is like carrying a bag filled with “hats.” Some of the hats you have worn before and they fit well, others don’t fit quite right but when you wear them in enough storms they shrink and mold and become familiar.

Today I sit at the computer organizing three active cases against the Federal government. Two of them speak to the objective of gaining a humane handling policy for wild horses and burros, one of them speaks to access to animals from range “through ultimate disposition, adoption, sale or death.” I am organizing depositions, documents and editing video footage for various purposes.

High Rock, 10-30 (Leigh) 6 escape the trap

I wanted to “touch base” with the followers of the blog and say “whew” as we gain the first step in the conversation at Owyhee toward gaining a “humane” objective in the ten year plan and “where’s the #@*! coffee?” as we start to compile and hone the effort on access. The work we are doing on land use plans and investigations such as the slaughter issue are also still in progress AND I have to get back out on the range.

Yes, there is an extraordinary amount of work that needs done YESTERDAY. There are tools that as an advocacy we do not have and must literally build. But this is not without hope… we are building the tools and creating the language for conversations based on first hand observation… we are gaining a conversation that can lead to changes… that can grow to more changes. It IS movement.

As a MOVEMENT we must recognize that fact and gain momentum. If there is an opportunity, no matter how small, if it is not seized the moment passes. The road to change leads to change as the road of apathy leads to apathy, the road of depression leads to depression. We are on the road to change…. it may be a two track in the dessert but eventually (even if you have to travel off-road a bit) it leads to a highway.

Best to you.

Laura

Fast post, Litchfield (High Rock Horses, holding)

This is just a quick update on the Litchfield facility.

Horses from High Rock are being taken to this facility. Ability to assess horses is extremely limited at this facility. Most horses are in corrals that are not easily visible. This trip I was able to see primarily studs only.

I will return when youngsters are moved for vaccination.

Processing is not visible and access to view was denied.

Overview Litchfield, 11-2

Gorgeous bay stud (Fox Hog pen)

Stunning young studs (buddies, very attached to each other)

High Rock Video

High Rock (Buzan)

Youngster with eye injury (Leigh)

Editorial: NY Times, shame on you

The New York Times ran a piece by Phil Taylor of Greenwire (look up Greenwire, it is an “energy and environment” publication).

I took the time to submit an Editorial, but am not taking the time for the submission to be rejected.

There are several other areas of the piece I find disturbing besides what I address in the below submission, but there is only so much time in the day.

Link to the Times piece: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/09/20/20greenwire-interiors-new-wild-horse-chief-confronts-growi-35228.html

I urge you all to create your own submission to the Times.

I am crafting doc’s and editing and back on the road…

I always hate to ask… but I do need your help to stay out here and continue the work.

http://WildHorseEducation.org and legal here: http://wildhorsefreedom.org

~~~~

Guilfoyle, is this ok?

Dear Editor,

While applauding the Times for having covered the issue of Wild Horses and Burros on public land, the journalistic standard of the piece “Interior’s New Wild Horse Chief Confronts…” by Phil Taylor lacks authoritative bases.

Federal law does not “force” the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to “cull” horses. The law instead requires them to manage according to a “multiple use” mandate and to “protect” wild horses as “living symbols of the pioneer spirit of the West.” “Removal” of horses is only one of many tools in the BLM’s toolbox although by choice, it is the only one utilized thus far in the forty-year history of the mandate.

The “advocate community” is rightly concerned that wild herds are not managed under “multiple use,” but are managed at a non viable standard in an inhumane fashion. If an extraction company was forced to operate at the current capacity that our National Treasures are being managed, they would be forced out of business. Genetic bankruptcy is more than a concern, it is a stark reality that would ultimately lead to the extinction of wild horses in the West.

There is no “over population.” There is instead, competition for resources on public land.

If you give away a resource the horses rely on to an entity that operates in a subsidized fashion on public land, you have an “over population” of horses according to the agency. You have also created another avenue for public wealth to go into private pockets on the back of an already over burdened American tax payer.

The agency manages more public land than any other, approximately 262 million acres. All of that land is open to “multiple use,” two-thirds of it open to livestock grazing and a mere 10 percent is currently legal land for wild horse herds. Within that 10 percent, horses are often provided less than 2 percent of available resources.

Fences create artificial migration routes. Water sources are fenced off and roads are being widened for the high speed heavy truck traffic to accommodate expanding extractive interests. These extractive interests compete for water in arid western states. Their thirst for the liquid is rising at an alarming rate.

This agency determined that an “Appropriate Management Level” (AML) of horses for one Herd Management Area was sufficient at three animals. Why did they leave three? The BLM did not want their statistics to show another area “zeroed out” of wild horses.

Joan Guilfoyle is now sitting atop an agency guilty of severe fiscal mismanagement rooted in historic prejudice where private interests can profit. Its failed policy is running full steam toward disastrous consequence to the health of public land. Wild Horses are its chosen scapegoats. It is more than tragic that yet another bureaucrat who parrots the old regime has taken the helm.

Guilfoyle, claiming to have been at the Triple B roundup, states,

“It might be the one in a thousand that rears up against the corral and bumps up against the gate, and people go, ‘Oh my gosh, it got hurt,’” she said. “But that’s one out of thousand that came through more or less agreeably. Part of it, I think, is perception and understanding of what’s happening.”

First death at Triple B

I personally attended more roundups than any government personnel or public observer in the last eighteen months. I documented horrific incompetence and lack of the most basic of humane treatment. That documentation includes a nonstop testimony to numerous daily offensive actions. Triple B is no exception. Taylor, who accepted her words as Gospel, fell down on the job when not seeking where the truth lies.

Mr. Taylor cites one lawsuit that could not halt the roundup. Yet, he fails to cite the suit that succeeded in proving that the Agency is guilty of inhumane treatment. A temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued late last month by the Honorable Howard D. McKibben, a Nevada federal judge (Case 3:11-cv-608). His Honor expressed stern disapproval not only toward the conduct of the helicopter pilot who actually struck an exhausted horse, but toward the BLM’s justification process that “blames the horse” for such incidents The suit remains active in federal court. Meanwhile, Guilfoyle’s agency has yet to address Judge McKibben’s decision. Incredibly, the BLM refuses thus far to even recognize Judge McKibben’s remarks of his being “troubled” by the BLM’s conduct, nor has Guilfoyle’s agency issued parameters for pilot conduct in the wake of the judge’s ruling.

The press has yet to “do their job” and hold the government accountable as our forefathers intended they do when they wrote the Constitution. Taylor’s piece is evidence of spineless reporting where he fails to address press access issues in his warm “welcome aboard” message to Guilfoyle.

As camera lenses and observers catch atrocities, Guilfoyle’s agency closes its doors to observers instead of implementing corrective action. The BLM blames advocates for “not understanding” what they must do. Or, they”blame the horse” for “necessary” abusive treatment.

Two respected organizations, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the National Press Photographers Association, filed a brief in a pending Ninth Circuit appeal (Case 11-16088) over their concern for the Agency’s denigration of constitutional First Amendment “freedom of speech” and “freedom of the press” notions. The case addresses the repeated content control accomplished to minimize “bad press,” when Guilfoyle’s agency systematically excludes the press and public from viewing its horrific handling of wild horses captured from public lands. Remove the press and there is no problem.

It is more than a “shame on you” I send to Phil Taylor for failing to address either of these cases in his article. Mr. Taylor instead, chose the “easy way out,” avoiding the tough and gritty method real journalists employ when ferreting out the truth of their chosen topic. Taylor’s piece legitimizes an agency that is no friend either to America’s wild horse or to the true journalist.

Laura Leigh

Founder, Wild Horse Education

Vice President, Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Plaintiff in the above mentioned Federal lawsuits

Terrified foal forced through the jute after his band was shattered and he was chased with only his mom into the trap, colliding with wings, Triple B

Alleged Inhumane Treatment Prompts Wild Horse Lawsuit

Now you know what I’ve been working on. I need your help to stay in the field and continue to develop a chain of documentation.

http://WildHorseEducation.org

Donations can be made to support Litigation at Wild Horse Freedom Federation. You can mark your donation “HUmane Case” or donate to the general fund to help pay cost for other ongoing Litigation efforts.

Orphan at Triple B

Feds found to be in violation of own humane standards

HOUSTON, (WHFF) - Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) filed a lawsuit and companion Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Federal Court in Reno Nevada on Wednesday, 8/24/2011. Through their Plaintiff, Laura Leigh, the issue of “humane treatment” will enter into a Courtroom.

The Wild Horse and Burro Act that passed unanimously in 1971 was done with the expressed intent of protecting the “living symbol of the pioneer spirit of the West.” Yet questions of humane treatment, including basic care like water and feed, often come into question during actual roundup operations.

Now 40 years later the question of “humane care” will have its “day in Court.”

“Day in, day out, roundup to roundup, I see the same issues,” said Leigh WHFF, VP and Founder of WHE (Wild Horse Education.org), “lack of water in holding, feed given inappropriately and a pilot that flies dangerously close, including contact with an exhausted animal. When you view these animals in their natural state and then witness the disregard given to our symbol of freedom, it is a direct blow to your soul.”

Leigh has witnessed more roundups than any government or public observer in the last 18 months. She has spent countless hours documenting wild herd behavior and the process these horses face once they are removed from the range.

BLM states it operates under regulation 43 CFR 4700, including the following definitions:

Humane treatment means handling compatible with animal husbandry practices accepted in the veterinary community, without causing unnecessary stress or suffering to a wild horse or burro.

Inhumane treatment means any intentional or negligent action or failure to act that causes stress, injury, or undue suffering to a wild horse or burro and is not compatible with animal husbandry practices accepted in the veterinary community.

“Accountability within the actual activities of the BLM has been an ongoing issue,” states WHFF President R.T. Fitch “actually finding an avenue to address the core intent of Legislation has been almost impossible. If this is an issue that needs to land in a Federal Court to actually begin a dialogue than that is exactly what we will do.”

###

Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) is a registered, Texas non-profit corporation with 501c3 status pending.  WHFF puts people between America’s wild equids and extinction through targeted litigation against governmental agencies whose documented agendas include the eradication of wild horse and burros from public, federal and state lands. WHFF is funded exclusively through the generosity of the American public.

 

NOTE: The lawsuits have been transferred to http://WildHorseEducation.org

Triple B: Saturation

I have to admit I’ve hit saturation.

I have a high tolerance for documenting what happens to our wild horses with the goal of bringing the images to the public that can not be here on the ground. Documentation to educate and work toward reform.

My tolerance for the bald face lying has evaporated with the last bit of moisture from my skin.

I saw a heavy, young wet mare (either close to birth or just having done so) hotshotted. The claim was they did “everything they could” to make her move.

I’ll get the video edited… no they didn’t. She was the very last horse and was holding up the conclusion of operations so that the contractors could run into the air conditioning… and off to the rodeo.

A tiny baby from early morning still had not paired up. I watched that baby clack it’s teeth, try to nurse off of other mares and get pushed away. I watched that baby lay down exhausted and not one muzzle came to check on the babe.

I asked Bruce Thompson, Elko district WH&B specialist, what the protocol was to determine that babe was orphaned… In other words when was some lazy son of a ____  going to come sit at the pen… see the TINY babe without a mom and give it electrolytes or milk replacer. I was told they would check in the morning… when I asked why the two contractors operate so differently (I don’t like what Cattoor does but Sue identifies orphans and cares for them immediately). Thompson actually had the … what would you call it … nerve?…. to say he didn’t know what I was talking about. I told him I’ll send him a tape… (and the film crew they were trying to impress actually had already seen Cattoor match mares and foals and knew excatly what I was talking about).

Then I was warned the second time by the security guard to “watch myself.” Don’t worry folks, I was miked the whole time… I am never out of line. They control what I can see, they control where I stand… but they can not control what I say. IT IS THE TRUTH.

Six horses fell in the chute today. Two of them limped afterward, one was rather stunned.

You all know I like feet… they say so very much.

(BTW they only give a walk around on “Announced observation days.” In other words once a week).

I will get edits up including a foal getting caught in the jute as soon as I can. I have had six flat tires this roundup. Lost my sway bar lionks. Had to have brakes done, too. I am thankful every day that truck actually still runs…

A few pictures for you.

Will this be a "pre-existing" condition?

Horse down in the alley

Another horse getting crushed in the alley, six today.

...... why don't they care?.....

EVERYDAY with this contractor... every damn day

early morning run for your life

After being "protected" by our Federal government through their chosen contractor Sun-J

Have you seen my mom?

I need your help to keep up the work. I promise I am working hard and will have an announcement soon.

http://WildHorseEducation.org

 

8-13 Triple B

c Laura Leigh

c Laura Leigh 2011

I need your help to stay in the field. http://WildHorseEducation.org

Documentation will get where it needs to. It always does.

Donate if you can.

Just over the last two days I have done the report, attended roundups, uploaded video. 2 am wake up calls and close to three hours driving, one way, to get to trap. Wild Horse Education.org IS me.

Triple B_ horse hit with skids

Do you think the horse was being pushed back so we couldn’t see it roped? There is no reason for the chopper to move this exhausted horse.

WHE Press Release: Triple B report

 

Palomino Foal, the first foal euthanized at Triple B

http://wildhorseeducation.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/draftreport_tripleb_leigh.pdf

Draft Report of Triple B Roundup released

Wild Horse Education has published the draft report on operations at the Triple B roundup in Nevada.

The report contains photographs and video of the roundup during foaling season that has already taken the lives of 9 horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) “gather report” claims these foal deaths have been due to abnormalities in the young horses. Documentation obtained shows otherwise.

“The development of the foals I have seen are all within normal range,” says Laura Leigh, founder/President of Wild Horse Education and VP of Wild Horse Freedom Federation “Joint development in young foals has a broad range of normal. None of the foals I was actually able to observe showed any fatal abnormality other than inflammation and damage from a run that never should have been allowed to happen.”

Other issues with this roundup include over driving, poor loading, lack of appropriate amounts of water and lack of public assessment opportunity.

Report can be downloaded for printing and faxing to Congress at: http://WildHorseEducation.org

Wild Horse Education

 

Allegiance

This beautiful horse broke out (jumped the panel after capture at the trap) and stood by the jute… moving forward and back… forward and back… as his family loaded.
After the trailer (with his mares) went past him he shot up the hill behind us… then eyed the trap from the other side of the hill calling to the babies… he moved off as vehicles came in but stopped as a trailer came back up the road… and called to see if his family had come back.

Off in the distance you could see a chopper… he briefly headed toward the band being chased and then so very slowly… with head down… went down the road… and over the horizon.

I have seen thousands and thousand of horses loose everything they have. I don’t normally name them.

But this horse is “Allegiance.”
It is what he demonstrated and what we owe him.

I will edit video and get images together as soon as I can… but I am exhausted… have hours of tape and pics to log of over-driving, atrocious flying, BLM admits hotshot use and more.

As well as a few tears to shed tonight.

A local auto shop fixed my truck today even though I couldn’t pay… he said to bring the money when I get it… but to get out to the range and keep an eye on “our” horses….

Tears for many reasons tonight… these people that live here love these horses… but they are not a mine or ranching interest… they are just people that read the local paper and live their lives in this hard, but beautiful place… and cherish the ideals of Freedom and survival that “our” horses represent.

Allegiance.

Driven into the trap

Allegiance... I pledge to you...

Palomino Foal

Taken from BLM Triple B “gather update” page

1‐ A 2‐3 weeks old palomino foal was brought in with a pre‐existing deformity on the right front fetlock joint. The foal was showing some signs of lameness and could not stand straight on that leg. Exercise associated with the gather activity likely aggravated the condition and the foal was standing and walking with difficulty. With the heat and activity of the gather the foal also showed signs of respiratory distress.

She was treated with injectable procaine penicillin and flunixin and sorted into a smaller pen with the mare. The flunixin injection to be repeated once daily for 3 days. The signs of respiratory distress subsided substantially over time, however the right leg was still exhibiting the same symptoms causing lameness. This deformity would most likely affect the animal’s survival in the wilderness, and reduce the animal’s quality of life for the foreseeable future. The deformity has a poor prognosis for recovery. The decision was to monitor the condition for a few days and consider euthanasia if no improvement is noted.

Final disposition, on July 25, 2011 this foal was re‐examined:

The foal was not improving in condition. She had been treated daily with anti‐ inflammatory injections for 3 days to relieve pain and showed no improvement. The foal as euthanized based on no improvement in her condition, the limb deformity and a poor prognosis for recovery from the lameness.

Palomino Foal Euthanized July 25

Palomino Foal Euthanized July 25

Palomino Foal Euthanized July 25

help keep documentation coming: http://wildhorseeducation.org

edited to add:

Wanted to add some more information in case this page goes to those interested in WHY this is so outrageous.

ANATOMY lesson.

First take a peek at this illustration so you know what part of the horse we are talking about.

http://www.gogohorses.com/health/007.gif

Now read this quote about an adult, trained athlete, named “I Want Revenge.”

“The ultrasound exam that was performed on May 3 showed changes in the middle distal sesamoidean ligaments (also known as oblique sesamodean ligaments), which are the ligaments below and behind the fetlock  joint that support the fetlock during high speed exercise.”

Now look at the illustration on the page the quote comes from to understand the rest of the anatomy. http://ieah.com/cgi-bin/news_article.cgi?news_id=1002252

Now just look at this breeding website on foals, quote: “So, your new foal has arrived, it is now about 3 weeks old and most probably enthusiastically skipping around the paddock and causing Mum a few annoyances! By this stage any initial tendon problems have usually righted themselves…”

http://www.sporthorsesnewzealand.com/foalconformation.html

scroll down and look at the photo… that baby would have been euthanized, but is within the range of NORMAL. If we continue to run these horses during FOALING SEASON they will continue to DIE.

IF this agency continues it’s pattern of “shell game” all we will have are “new policies” that block the public from hearing that runners are going out. We will have policy that hides these deaths…. Roundups should NOT be occurring during foaling season. It is inhumane and a violation of the Act… no where in the Taylor Grazing Act nor in FLPMA does it allow for the most basic violations of humane treatment we are witnessing.

 

What the BLM doesn’t Tweet

Much has happened the last two days and I will get info and pics up very soon. But I hear BLM is tweeting each load that comes in. But they are only giving you times… not any other info.

I’ll fill in the gaps soon.

Here’s a preview.

Dust and heat... great combo

What the BLM doesn't Tweet

Help keep gas in the tank: http://wildhorseeducation.org

Triple B_ Day 4

This is the last video that will be posted for a bit. Editing video takes an incredible amount of time. I will go back to archiving the video in case the documentation is required and posting still images. But I think this series of three days gives you an idea how frustrating this is. It will not give you a clear picture of the wear and tear on your vehicle, the damage done to your equipment or the toll it takes on your face.

Day 4 began at holding and the lame excuses about the medical treatment of these foals (that were now euthanized) set the tone. Sometimes my hands will shake from the stupidity. It is like being a teacher in Kindergarten… but the Kindergartners make the rules.

Yes, the tone of this report is terse. But being with this contractor every day but two during Antelope, and now watching this at Triple B, is like chewing on tin foil.

I am usually very patient and quiet. I do my observations and reports.This time I am trying very hard not to allow the frustration to drive me.

On another front there may be some good news soon, but that will have to wait for another day. So pray that sanity can begin to take root somewhere.

Day 4 brought with it frustration after frustration.

It began with the excuses about water and food, with no indication that anything would change. It continued with the absurd assertions about the injured foals.

At the trap the radio was again left so I could not hear anything until one time Heather Emmons left it loud enough that I could pick up a call. It was the pilot asking Alan Shepherd to glass a horse that could not keep up. I was given no further information as to the age or reason the horse could not keep up… and of course I was held to a position that did not allow me any observation.

The horses the pilot drove into the trap came in two groups.

Then 4 runners went out and the pilot. The pilot asked Shepherd the location and was told it should be “right under you.” It was apparently a bush.

I asked if I could go to the rise and look. I said that all eyes should be utilized. I was not granted permission, nor was it denied. I stayed behind the tape. It is my belief that this agency attempts to push the limits of control until we are tempted to break them… only to utilize the unreasonable restraints against us.

After almost an hour of no information, BLM personnel reading newspapers, I asked to go give my dog water and check on him. That permission was granted. I hung out in the vehicle with the dog, as it is much cooler there. I saw two runners beating it back to the trap so I went back to the observation area only to find out that the runners were coming back… not because they had found anything… but because the pilot was driving horses to the trap.

Shepherd had given the authorization for resources to abandon the search and begin operations. The other two runners also returned to the trap. I expressed my outrage in no uncertain terms. I informed personnel that I had called people from my vehicle and the public knew they had stopped looking. I informed them I was not leaving until the horse was located.

After the drive Heather was called down to speak with Alan.

Miraculously the horse that had now been missing for over an hour and a half had been found. It had “run back home” and hooked up with a stud. A trailer went down the road and in less than ten minutes came back… with a load that looked much like it did when it left.

As I am not permitted to travel the same road as the trailer it would take me about an hour longer to reach holding. I would not see this animal unload.

The animal was allegedly a 4 month old that was so deformed it couldn’t run correctly and was euthanized. The same animal that ran almost to the trap and back again… I can not confirm that there was an animal even picked up off that range.

Have you pulled out all your hair yet? Have you gritted your teeth so badly that you have broken molars? Have you bitten your lip so hard it bleeds? Have you vowed to god you will not allow this “spoiled child agency” to continue without challenge… no matter what it takes?

If you can help me with expenses please donate to http://wildhorseeducation.org   

Triple B_Day 3 Part 2

EDITED to add:

They killed the babies in this report today.

~~~~~

At the roundup we had runners go off with no explanation. We had a baby come in that I could see was injured.

So I added an extra two hours of driving to my day and headed to holding.

There I saw three youngsters treated for injury. I do not know how many were treated prior to my arrival. (note: it is interesting that I asked about the injuries and am only given information on the treatment I actually saw, with no other information offered. It always seems like “If they don’t see it, it didn’t happen”).

A big bay stud and his band have really hit me hard. He was in the last group (or at least the last group I knew of). One of his foals (the only one that came in with his band) was injured. They put his mare and injured foal in the pen next to him. He kept all the other horses from the fence line. He called to them non-stop while I was there. He was there at the fence line when I arrived in the morning. I was pretty upset by some comments Alan Shepherd made so I got a few quick takes and did not get one of his calls as they began to load that am.

I quickly headed to the roundup site instead as the day before they had already captured 40 horses before my arrival. Leaving holding early didn’t change anything, they still had about 40 prior to my arrival on Day 4. Keep in mind we leave our “meeting” spot at 4:30 am, that’s how much driving is involved.

The comments from Shepherd that were so distressing go like this:  ”The palomino foal had weak tendons. The little chestnut has a bad mom. The other foal that was treated has a laceration to a leg, but it’s pre-existing. The animals drain the water and it needs to be refilled a couple times.”

Did that hit you like it hit me from the State Lead for Nevada’s Wild Horse and Burro program, Alan Shepherd? Did that hit you like it hit me from the man that constantly blames the animal for it’s situation? (Old Mare at Antelope) Did that hit you like it hit me from the man that took part in several “Final solution” conversations for our wild horses? (2009 Article animal Law Coalition) Did that hit you like it hit me from the man that answered in Federal Court that there were “no fences, no cows, no water” in the Owyhee HMA? (Gorey’s explanation to Horseback)

At the Antelope Complex Roundup this past winter there was the exact same situation with this contractor, Sun-J (it is a pattern). When I pointed out the deficiency Ben Noyes, the WH&B specialist in Ely, simply grabbed more tubs for water and placed them in the pens. He directed the contractor to appropriately distribute feed. He made no excuse.

Perhaps a man like Ben Noyes, that is able to admit a deficit and comprehends that the equation for the amount of horses translates into water consumption, should be the state lead and Mr. Shepherd should go muck at the Burns Corral until he comprehends what horses are?

I was told the runners went out to get the two injured foals. We already know that is also not the truth.

This IS foaling season. ALL foals have weak legs, that is why you don’t run a foal. It IS over 90 degrees during the day and horses need water. The fact that this conversation has to occur at all with an agency tasked for the last 40 YEARS with the humane treatment and management of our wild herds is OBSCENE.

note: and the more I review my tapes the more I believe that the roan is NOT that little chestnuts mom. The chestnut mare at the trap is most likely his mom. They even look alike. A bay dad and a roan mom will most likely not produce a chestnut baby. That baby was leaning against ANY family member he could because he could NOT stand. I’ll bet that’s why she was so agitated. I wonder where her baby is? I wonder so much about the ability to actually OBSERVE and not just process inventory in this agency. I need to see that chestnut foal.

Day 4 video coming soon… and more on Mr. Shepherd

Triple B: Day 3 Video

When you are at a roundup what you don’t see is as important as what you do see. Realize that the PR folks sitting with you are very good at what they do, that’s why they are there. Conversation can be extremely pleasant but a real distraction if you can’t talk and work at the same time.

Conversation began the first day I was there about Director Abbey’s “new normal.” The “new normal” just means “get better at hiding.” So you have to be very sharp. I told Jeff “new normal” just means Abbey sends cuter memos.

At Antelope and Eagle I was often able to listen to radio transmissions that filled in the gaps… as I am held to positions that limit my ability to assess. This roundup I guess I would scare horses if I could hear what is happening.

If you see riders (runners) go off you know it is for a reason. Open your eyes and ears and try to figure it out. Often you will not know, nor will you ever be able to confirm what you are told.

This day, in spite of every effort to keep pilot performance hidden, I saw the same evidence of fractured bands I saw at Antelope.

A lone stallion came over the rise…. and in spite of assertions that observers scare horses…. this poor baby came up over the rise to address us several times in an attempt to figure out how to save his family. Seated observers do not scare wild horses.

Again please note what you don’t see. Gather reports will not tell you how many are treated for injury. Gather reports will not tell you how many were fractured from their families and left. Gather reports will not tell you an awful lot. But here is the link: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ely_field_office/blm_programs/wild_horses_and_burros/triple_b__maverick/gatreports.html

At the end of the “roundup portion” of this day it was vital that I add an extra 2 plus hours driving time to the already long day. The amount of driving you need to do at roundups in Eastern Nevada can be staggering. The roads can be rocky and filled with alkali dust that is like driving in baby powder. I have gotten several nose bleeds from the combination of dust and dry air.

 

 

 

You will see why  the extra time was absolutely needed in Triple B  day 3_Part 2, coming soon.

PLEASE if you can donate to help me stay out here you are the gas in my tank! http://WildHorseEducation.org

Triple B: Day 2 Video

Day 3 and 4 videos coming soon.

(It is taking a long time to load on this connection).

The single edit was over 40 minutes of all three days combined. As there seem to be conflicting issues and a need for folks to “see” I have taken the time to deal with several issues including these video edits.I had to cut this into three days to be able to upload.

Day 2

Please realize that what is presented is the same activity we saw at Antelope. It is a better “package.” However that package contains the very real issue of foaling season in the desert. The idea that rounding up new babies in 90 degree heat as the alkali blows… in the most arid state in the nation… is an assault to any sense that this agency comprehends the most basic of mandates, humane treatment.

I do point out my observations. My questions are relayed but never answered in the moment. Radios stay silent as PR folks tout Bob Abbey’s “new normal.” I guess in the “new normal” my actually hearing transmissions creates a “safety hazard.”

These issues will be addressed as the First Amendment fight moves forward.

Horses coming in are not family bands. Actually discovered as the sexes of horses could be observed through sorting immediately after capture, something we can’t usually see.

In the morning these horses are loaded and go to Palomino Valley.

A semi has three compartments. Two dry mares are left behind to avoid overcrowding. Yet the mares and foals load together. I warn that this increases risk f injury. I believe there have been reports of a foal arriving at PVC with lacerations.

Day 3 and 4 will be more telling of the climate of this roundup. I can not get up at 3, drive 3 hours each way and attend roundups and write reports and edit video. I will get back to the roundup as soon as possible. I am observing several other areas but cannot operate in the schedule and distances required to travel to the roundup… just not enough hours in a day.

They will be posted shortly.

BLM update page link: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ely_field_office/blm_programs/wild_horses_and_burros/triple_b__maverick/gatreports.html

Very fast

I am almost out of battery. Need to find a place.

Will post tomorrow.

What do you get when you round up babies in July?

Injuries.

DUH!

I saw three youngsters treated. Have no idea how many before I got there. No one to answer questions. Saw Alan Shepard has the “honcho.” He saw me and turned away from the camera.

I will file EXTENSIVE report tomorrow night…. with lots of pictures and video.

July Roundups = Injured babies

Triple B_Quick post

Today saw 11 horses removed from the range to make a two day total of 33.

Horses were run into the trap and directly sorted into temporary. We usually do not have the ability to see the sexes of each group coming off the range as horses are captured and then sent in groups for sorting at temporary.The glare from the sun made the first group of 3 adults and one youngster hard to see.

Second group was two mature studs a mare and foal.

Third group a dry mare, wet mare and foal.

I will review tapes after I get sleep (two hours last night) but it appears the first group was much larger than four members before it hit the trap.

Do you think Sun J could possibly be repeating the same “crop dusting” patterns that broke apart bands at Antelope last winter? So far the we have every indication that the same type of flying is happening.

Will evaluate further tomorrow.

Sun J helicopter at Triple B

I will get video and real report out asap.

Literally am so tired I can’t see straight.

If you would like to help with documentation efforts go to: http://wildhorseeducation.org

More Kiger Stories

Edited to ADD:

HUGE misinformation alert!

There is a circulating rumor that no horses are in Riddle and Kiger anymore.

WRONG.

Animals are being released (and a few left) to create a breeding population that will continue to give the adoption program “Kigers.” It is how this “Kiger” thing works.

This has been, and will continue to be, more akin to a “range breeding program” than managing a wild population. In order to maintain that you need “breeding stock.” The herd was rounded up to remove the “white” in an attempt to create a specific outcome for the next foal crop.

My photos are being circulated with this rumor. Please be aware that these photos are copyright protected as stated on this website. Any insinuation that they come from another individual is against the law. Expressed permission is required from myself to include in any newsletter or publication. If you put the pics on a message board you must link to the source and not imply you took them. If it becomes necessary that I take the time to watermark I will. I have avoided it because it takes away from the content and focuses on author… but I will slow my process down if needed.

Onward.

Just quickly adding a bit more about conversation at the Burns Corral.

There were major philosophical differences but many areas of agreement.

Personal opinion on the wild v. feral debate is irrelevant.

That concept is not understood by many that support or work in this program, Burns was no exception.

Wild Horses are more appropriately reference as a “returned native species.” This makes them compatible with the ecosystem.

Wild herds of horses are not the same as European cattle on a range or a pack of golden retrievers. However if Congress said the retrievers were to be managed as “wild” then that would be the law.

But back to the Burns Corral.

While I waited for the first load of Riddle horses a couple pulled in with a trailer. They were returning a horse to the BLM.

They explained to me that they had taken two horses (8 year old geldings from Stinking Water) hoping to have two saddle horses. One worked out but the other did not. Their trainer said he was not ever going to be a “good candidate.”

They plan on adopting two younger horses at an event where the horses have already had some training.

Here he is:

I need a home with lots of patience... or maybe someone that can let me "just be"

I was told that they would not have trouble finding him a new home. I was surprised. An eight year old gelding that now has one strike, in this three strike system, that was returned “untrainable.” No problem?

I was then told a story about an old grey. Returned and needing a place to go. An “unofficial” email adoption chain was started and the boy now has his own website: http://argosjourney.blogspot.com/2008/06/history-of-kiger-mustang.html (link posted here, but I do not agree with the “feral” mindset of the adopter)

OK… an extra mile. I was told other stories about horses with “no where” to go. Including those that made their way to employees home corrals.

Then I meet the grey. The grey that wanted to jump the panels in holding. The grey that showed real fear. I said that if they can’t place him to let me know and I would give it a try. I was told that he will be adopted at the fall event, confidently. I will check back on him, though.

very pretty grey

Wanted to add a picture of the padding. It was nice to see this. It will be nice to see this at Temporary. If I have a competent BLM wrangler proudly express that they cut down “significantly” on injury there is no reason BLM contractors should not be using them as well.

To me this is an example of how a “simple” discussion gets turned into “battle lines in the sand” because of an obstinate connection with the past and prideful ways.

Simple improvement

This is why it’s needed

Riddle horse at Temporary

To me this is a clear example of most of the dialogue that occurs within this program. Simple conversations are met with an obstinate attitude that if you are an “advocate” you have no knowledge worth listening to. If you care about a foal that suffered hoof slough after a winter roundup over volcanic rock, you are an “emotional” responder without comprehension of horses. I’m getting tired of it.

I was not received that way at the Burns Corral and for that I thank them.

There are other horses at the Corral that need adoption. This sweet young thing saw me pull around and cautiously came to the fence line. After a minute to reassure I was touching a velvet muzzle. Cute bug.

Sweet horse

Another couple pulled into the lot. They were looking for a horse, maybe two. I also believe they were looking for information on the program itself. We talked and I showed them horses and talked about making sure they choose a horse suitable to their purpose and not just for color. We talked about the prison training programs and other HMA’s. They took an adoption application and asked for my card to help them find a horse. I then had to explain who I was.

They asked if I did training. I explained I live on the road but..  for me things can take two months, six months a year or never happen. For someone like me it’s about the journey of relationship and not the destination.

They shook my hand, took contact info and left. I think I will hear from them. When I do I think they will have adopted horses from Twin Peaks.

I will write more soon…

I’m tired and I apologize for the unedited rambling that may be a hard read. Yet I wanted to get these out before they are buried in the next chapter.

I am working on a piece that addresses the phrase most often used to dismiss an advocate: “Wild and Free”

My Blog

Every once in awhile I make a post that defines my blogging, as opposed to the articles I write and the reports for equine welfare agencies.

A blog is defined as an online journal or diary. It is where I post (as listed) information, thoughts, photographs and expressions with horses at the heart.

My articles can be found in several venues including Horseback Magazine. Often the publication I am doing a piece for will express a desire that I write first person and include personal thoughts or narrative. Photographs and video have been used by news broadcasting agencies to illustrate their stories including: CNN, BBC, KLAS-TV, local CBS and ABC stations.

Those are some of the different venues in which I am published.

But this venue IS my blog.

~~~ Riddle is now over. The Burns district will close this roundup with a release of dry mares well into the Riddle HMA tomorrow. I spent the day today at the Burns Corral for vaccination. These are beautiful horses… and yes there is one that I have gotten a “thing” from.

He is a beautiful grey. He is one of those horses that “are what they are.” He has a feel to him that speaks of not being a good adoption candidate and should be in sanctuary. At holding he ran the panels and I thought he might try to jump. He was one of the few horses today that showed fear and not just “cautious nervousness” going through the chute. He looked me in the eye… he needs to be as “free” as we can get him.

This one "talked" to me

There are a lot of things that other field offices and facilities can learn from this district. I’m a bit of a purist and intent to the Act is primary for me… but there are a number of things that I saw that could be expanded on as “food for thought.” More on that later…

For now… this is my blog. AND as long as we are with the Kigers….

A special note on the concept “Wild and Free.”

It is what we as Americans once attributed to ourselves. That the Freedom to have “wild thoughts,” like freedom of the Press and Religion, was at the core of what we were. We are now a “disposable” society where mainstream press only prints what is spoon fed and delivered. Where our children are taught that free thinking is “rebellious.”

I would ask those that dismiss “wild and free” how much time they have spent being free of the constraints of what others think is appropriate? How much have they defined themselves and not followed a pre-conceived notion?

AS far as horses… I would ask how much time they have spent on the range with the wild ones? How much do they understand that some of them “are what they are?” Some are suitable partners with man… and historically they have carried that relationship as beasts of burden, companions in war and any way we have determined their “usefulness.” But me… I would rather die out there with the mosquitos, rattlesnakes and wild horses than to sit in an expensive restaurant in my Armani suit rubbing elbows with “accomplished” humans.

There are horses like that too.

Riddle: Day 1 Fast post

Riddel Observation?

Observation was the worst it could have been besides sitting behind a wall.

We were kept over a mile away.

Even after getting things onto the computer I can’t enlarge or enhance enough to give you anything but grains of sand.

I’ll write more later… but for now a couple of pics.

Please be patient. I will write some of the stories later… I need a shower and the video camera is defunct.

Riddle_Stallions in holding

Mar put in the comment section to watch for rattlesnakes. It is NOT a metaphor.

If you do go out to the range be aware that any brush, tree, rock or long grass can hide a snake. I have seen folks come to roundups in tennis shoes and shorts. The high desert IS rattlesnake country. Saw three the first day at Kiger.

Always wear boots and long pants, always.

I didn't take the pic until we decided who was giving ground first.

Quick pic

Kiger Roundup Over, Released stallion (copyright Leigh)

Kiger Roundup over. 15 studs released today. Decisions on mares pending.

WE move to Riddle am.

I was on the road again all day yesterday. Got to bed at 1 am… woke at 4… going to sleep.

Lots to write about… will soon.

If you can help keep me out here: http://WildHorseEducation.org

Kiger: Day 1

Kiger Day 1 (Leigh)

Prelimnary count 30

Four foals

More than 50% studs

Two choppers flew

One run

Gelding prior to release is OFF the table. No horses to be gelded.

More later… exhausted.Got one hour sleep last night.

Spent sunset at Sheldon. Update on Sheldon soon.

Video edited later…

nap time.

Kiger 2011 (Leigh)

Selected for release (Leigh)

Full Report from Wild Horse Education AFTER sleep.

Is it Bad Enough for You?

I sit here as the clock turns midnight. Today is the fortieth anniversary of the unanimous passage of the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act.

§ 1331. Congressional findings and declaration of policy

Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.

Forty years later it appears that “mustanging” has simply become a government enterprise. Instead of humane management of herds in the wild, we now have a system where the government simply chooses the profiteers.

A complex system of mostly private contractors warehouse our National Treasure at public expense, yet off limits to public scrutiny. Roundups that occur without any meaningful access to assess the condition or actions of the contractors, at public expense. Policy that is so outrageous and contrary to the Act carried out on a daily basis.

“Have you commented on the EA(Environmental Assessment?” is a common response from BLM (Bureau of Land Management).

Well I don’t know about you, but hundreds of thousands of comments that disagree with policy are considered “of no significance.” After a while you feel like your voice as an American means nothing to the current administration.

It also appears neither does the law.

There are several lawsuits that are pushing that issue within the Judicial system. In Twin Peaks we still have a case very much alive holding feet to the fire on accountability to protocol. The West Douglas herd was saved for yet another year through litigation. The First Amendment violations very becoming very clear to a vast majority of the media as a dangerous precedent to documenting the actions of government in a “Democratic society.”

We are forced to take our government to the Courts to demand accountability within the government that supposedly holds our Constitution as it’s blueprint.

The absurdity is mind boggling.

As advocates we are now fighting to stop the spread of wild mares being given hysterectomies in the field. This is not new. It has occurred under the oversight of the Department of Interior through Fish and Wildlife. Now this butchery is attempting to make it’s way into “protocol.”

Let’s paint a clear picture. BLM manages about 252 million acres (and that depends on which website you check). Within that only about 10% are “managed” for wild equid populations. Some of those areas have AML’s (Appropriate Management Level) set ridiculously low. We even have an HMA (Herd Management Area) with an AML of 3.

Genetic bankruptcy is very real. It is happening with an animal that Congress passed an entire Act to protect. The Multiple Use Mandate has truly become “Multiple Ruse.”

We are truly in an age of Industrialization of your public land. The biggest pocket is calling the shots in the way your resources are being used. Your public resources are putting cash into the pockets of large corporations (often foreign owned). The entities that operate on public land often do so subsidized. Yes, in America we run a “welfare” program on the taxpayers back to make the rich, well, rich.

Roundups will begin again July 1 during foaling season. Just because an entity that behaves like a sociopath says something is the truth does not make it so. July 1 IS foaling season. Newborn babies and pregnant mares will be stampeded without a care for their true welfare. The concern is for convenient scheduling and budgets. The concern is to clear the land of horses, not manage the land for horses.

I will lay a flower on Velma Johnston’s grave. Known as “Wild Horse Annie” she was instrumental in passing Legislation to protect our wild herds. I wonder if she knows that what she fought for has not come to reality?

But we go on. We are getting faster. we are not reporting what happened yesterday, but we are uncovering what is planned for tomorrow. We are also getting better at the tools we have: litigation, media and the great mover of mountains, public pressure.

Stay strong, stay smart and watch the “dark side, Luke.”

After 40 years it’s long overdue to have our wild herds protected in the spirit of the Act.

Many of the horses in this video died. I can’t show you those mages because documentation is not allowed. Music Courtesy of the Amazing Maria Daines:

Dignity Returned

As I followed a semi-load of wild horses on Route 80 we made the familiar turn off into Wells, Nevada. As we passed the Loves gas station, where we met the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) in the bitter cold of dawn during the Antelope roundup, I was flooded with memories of all that was seen. Each trap site with it’s intricacies of “access no access,”  each conversation, each band that was fractured, each face came back to me in detail.

The cargo

The semi turned down a dusty dirt road. This time the driver came to a slow stop. I could hear the animals settle. He then proceeded down the graded dirt path at a crawl, mindful of the precious load he carried. I began to cry.

My experience has been to drive roads in much worse shape at speeds that make you hold your breath for the safety of the lives inside the container.

Yet the horses onboard were headed to Mustang Monument, Madeleine Picken’s Mustang Sanctuary run through her organization Saving America’s Mustangs.

That sanctuary has raised no less controversy than the Wild Horse issue itself. But that was not what today was “all about.”

This face says so much...

For the last two weeks I rose in the middle of the night to meet the driver at a “feedlot turned way station” in Fallon. Each dawn I documented the loading of animals that had been saved from certain death. My lens captured the faces of the mares and their babies as they left the confines of that dusty old feedlot and boarded the truck.

The faces belonged to Pauite horses that had gone to a slaughter auction last Christmas. If wild horses are prejudicially referred to as “desert rats,” the Pauite horses are considered no more than fleas on those rats. These reservation horses are regularly sent to kill with little to no hope. They are not managed under the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act, but are legally shipped off under the jurisdiction of tribal authority.

Wearing the auction tag

The truck slowly backed up to a chute at the makeshift roundpen of hay bales.

An excited woman met me and crawled with me to the top of the pen to document the off loading of these horses headed home.

The woman was Madeleine Pickens. In her hand she held a small camcorder. She observed the offloading of each horse that warily left that metal container. Her voice into her camera demonstrated concern as she made sure that each mare matched up with each foal. Foals that had been born in a dusty feedlot that would soon run in the open range for the first time.

Madeleine Pickens documents her horses

The last few horses were reluctant to leave the container. The others began to munch on the bales of hay that made up the pen. Laughter and pleasant conversation filled the air and joined the sounds of the horses calling to those already home in the field beyond the gate.

Where am I?

The moment had arrived. The moment of “Freedom.” The moment the “fleas on rats” are given the greatest kindness a human could show them. A chance to run in the open range. A chance to live as bands. A chance to live and die with freedom and dignity in the normal course of what they are.

Ranch manager, Clay Nannini, walked to the gate and removed the chain. The gates opened…

It took but a brief moment for the horses to recognize the opportunity.

I cannot describe in words the sensation of “wrong turned right” that flooded my senses. The emaciated, abused, disregarded souls ran to join the others. The babies that I had seen born in that feedlot ran free. The beautiful Spruce Mountain in the background bore witness with us of what I can only describe as “dignity returned.”

Ms. Pickens climbed the rail, opened her arms and declared “I own you now, no one will ever hurt you again.”

That familiar promise. How many horse owners have made that promise as they bring home a horse from auction or one they found in a bad situation? The scale was much bigger, yet the promise hung in the air with undeniable truth.

Sanctuary

After checking in to the roadside Motel I laid down on the bed, still in my clothing. My life still an uncertain path, roundups beginning again in mere days. The Court case still dominating my life. The issues surrounding our horses still unresolved. But I slept.

I slept like I haven’t slept in months.

Beyond words....

To learn more about Mustang Monument go to: http://SavingAmericasMustangs.org

Press Release Wild Horse Education: Broken Arrow

Looks like this horse tried to get the tag off_Broken Arrow 6-3-2011

On June 3, 2011 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gave the public an hour and a half wagon ride through the Broken Arrow (aka Indian Lakes facility) in Fallon Nevada. Closed for about a year, this is the first glimpse the public has had behind these walls since the BLM claimed the facility was never intended to be open to the public. Then they closed the doors after public outrage over images taken at the facility caused an influx of calls and emails.

In an email dated 5/25/2011 requesting that the doors of the facility be closed to the public Dean Bolstad of the BLM Reno office writes:

“We now have a favorable Calico Court decision and we need to seriously consider the toll that these tours are taking on our employees, our resources and the damage that is being done to BLM‘s image as a result of the tours.”

The facility was not closed because it can not be open to the public. The facility was closed because they did not like the publics response. Further investigation also has revealed that the contract for the facility actually allows for weekly public tours.

This past winter horses died in that facility. Horses continue to die. Respiratory infection ran rampant in the facility this past winter as horses were stockpiled behind the iron bars out of sight of a public that would have seen the results of roundups that occur in sub-zero temperatures.

During the tour you saw a facility that was well prepared for the “tour.” A wagon pulled by a pick-up truck where a representative of the BLM sat in the cab, available only at brief intervals for questions. Hospital pens were off limits. Horses from various roundups were mixed and no individuals could be identified as the tour did not stop long enough and visitors were not allowed to walk through the facility.

“Content control” was an effective, if illegal, tool to keep the public uneducated about the realities of the mis-management of America’s National Treasure.

A lawsuit filed by Plaintiff Laura Leigh has gone to the Ninth Circuit Court. The suit filed by attorney Gordon Cowan of Reno deals with the issues of “content control” as a violation of First Amendment Rights guaranteed by the Constitution of The United States. The suit directly deals with this issue in the management of wild herds from range through their ultimate disposition.

The suit is supported by Wild Horse Education, a registered non-profit in the state of Nevada. All documents mentioned are viewable on the website:http://WildHorseEducation.org

Death of the Antelope Foal

"Chance," was all he needed...

Didn’t I write this last winter? Didn’t I tell you all about a baby that I knew someone would take that died after a roundup?

Little Hope died after his feet sloughed off from being stampeded during Calico. I said that I would take him and it would cost BLM nothing… but they let Hope die after his vet report (if you remember it had no intake or treatment dates) said he got horsey ibuprofen by the experts as treatment while his hooves literally separated from the bone…

Well today I saw a brand new baby that had been born in the filth of holding… he struggled in the slippery surface with wind gusts of over 35 mph to stand… I don’t know for how long. I decided he needed help and went to the office to get it. He (and mom) needed to go to drier ground and he needed fluids… mom was attentive.

I made two calls and at least two approved BLM adopters would take the pair. I went to the office….

John Neill and a wrangler went out (after I went back to the pen and started photographing again). They drove the truck between my lens and the baby… took a liquid from the truck and drove off… baby in the cab. I looked at mom and she looked at me…

I went back to the office area where Neill and the wrangler were… they got back in the cab and drove through a mare pen and back to the “off limits” area where you can’t see anything.

All day dump trucks were leaving in a caravan taking what appeared to be manure from the back.

I walked in and left my number with Tim Greene to call me with the foals prognosis and repeated that I knew someone who would take the pair.

I got a call from a very upset friend… not ten minutes after I left… she said Tim was going to call me… they euthanized the baby.

I thought I was getting that baby help… but instead they “took out the trash.” (this is my BLOG and that’s how I see these animals treated… like garbage.. not an animal protected by an act of Congress).

I edited this to get it out… it’s not the best edit… but I feel like I’m goung to puke.

Baby never had a chance…

BTW: I have not seen the new babies I photographed two days ago… they are “somewhere in the back.”

WE all know BLM will come up with some statement about the baby… that he had an anomaly or was sickly… I can tell you a horse in the Antelope complex would never choose a muddy fecal filled hole to give birth in… an open area in 35 mph winds… I saw those mares run and run at a time of year that they never should be run.

I heard the raidio transmissions one day from the spotter saying horses were by the “cattle guard” and used my vehicle to determine those horses were at least ten miles away regardless of what the BLM “update” says. In that group of “about 14″ spotted only 9 made the area of the trap… three heavily pregnant.

When will BLM stop using a published fiction to facilitate ease to ranchers and contractors to determine when the safest time of year is to stampede our symbol of freedom into cages?

Working…

Working on photos and video… and an “end of roundup wrap-up” report.

Just came across this sequence and thought I’d share it… and explain a bit why I love these horses so much.

I am an American. My forefathers experienced great oppression… as did so many of the people of this world. They came to a new land of hardship to find freedom from that oppression and continued to experience it. So they wrote the “Declaration of Independance” and followed it with the Constitution of the United States.

The ideals of a free society of expression and thought… of a place where survival was not based on “pedigree” or station… but in theory everyone by his own will could build a life of their making. In practice it hasn’t worked as well as it could… but the premises are alive and well and as Americans (in theory) we defend those premises with our lives around this globe.

The spirit of the mustang… not based on pedigree, but on a tenacity and flexibility almost unrivaled by human or animal… an ability to adapt… a spirit of… well…

I’m an American… “Don’t tread on me”…. and if you do…. “Have a nice day.” (My fellow Jersians will understand that reference… for the rest of you it has a four letter word involved).

This mare was captured by violent stampede (just what it is), has had family ripped away, is in absolute unfamiliar ground surrounded by beings that are predatory and … I’ll leave the rest of my opinion out.

She stands in line to be branded and treated with a drug that will screw with her hormonal cycle for the next two years as she is pushed and prodded by these predators. She is curious and scared. She touched the metal… only to have her nose squeezed hard (look at the face of the human)…. but watch her reaction.

She could pay with her life in an instant by those that hold the powerful position… and then the (caring experienced horseman… where?… has to use the gate to control the wild horse) man squeezes her behind the door… wonder what would happen if cameras were not present? Just asking….?

I LOVE THESE HORSES!

2/.26

ouch!

let go!

so ya' wanna play?

you hurt me

you need to understand

Don't hurt me!

Then she gets her face squished for it

treated and released today

If that isn’t a “living symbol of the pioneer spirit of the west” what is? Hopefully soon she will begin to live with the respect and honor she should have had after Congress passed the 1971 legislation… maybe this program can evolve into this century?

I will have the full report as soon as I get through pics and notes…

What does America stand for?

Our founding fathers made an incredibly brave stand and wrote the Declaration of Independence. They knew by making a stand for what they believed in that they would not win an across the board popularity contest.

Next came the great Constitution of the United States.

The premises within that document began to build the consciousness of a nation. When I walk through the law libraries and touch the pages (yes, I feel books give a sense that the electronic age desensitizes) you literally feel the development of the identity of this nation.

Case law that demonstrates the evolution of the premises within the Constitution can literally remind you of the pride that is “America.” Sometimes it appears this occurs in spite of ourselves. Civil and human rights cases exist that when you read the cases themselves there is shame that what seems like a “no brainer” in current times was actually an issue that had to be decided within the judicial system. The pages are filled with “bad children” being given rules filtered through the guidelines our “founding fathers” left for us.

Within the Bill of Rights a concept was so important to our “fathers” that it was listed first. (The right to bear arms was second).

“The founding fathers gave the press the mission to inform the people and promote the free flow of facts and ideas, however untimely or challenging or disagreeable those facts and ideas may be.” — Katharine Graham, publisher, The Washington Post, 1973

The concept of a free press is to allow the public an opportunity to investigate and report on the activities of it’s government without fear of reprisal and censorship. The intention is that the true power of decision making in a Democratic society comes from an educated public conveying ideas to a representative that then advocates those positions in debate within a Senate and House toward shaping our nation.

Within the dialogue of “Wild Horse and Burro Program” implemented by the BLM we have a serious breakdown of this process. Plain and simple the public, Congress and often BLM employess themselves are seriously uninformed.

There is currently a lawsuit that has been patiently waiting to actually be heard within the judicial system. A synopsis of the case can (and should) be read at http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11713 this is an article written by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Congress asks for information and the BLM will chose an “independent” organization (read “pro-slaughter”) to do an investigation or an investigation occurs in house. The reports are continually bias or outright filled with ommisions and inaccuracies. Would we allow the tobacco industry to self-police? Would we make an appointment before showing up to do a search of a crime scene with a suspected perpetrator?

It appears yet again that an “independent” review is being prepared for the BLM by those chosen by the BLM. Those doing the review were suposedly on site Wednesday and Thursday of last week. I was not given the same access to the trap that they were. Activity at holding was very different when the government observers showed up with BLM public relations.

Last week Representative Burton made these statements to the House as a proposal to cut the BLM’s budget in a “slap on the wrist” gesture was made: “It seems to me that we ought to be frugal with the public’s money. We ought to cut the Bureau of Land Management’s budget so that we can save the money and save the mustangs.”

The wild horse advocate community has expressed sincere gratitude toward Burton. He has demonstrated bravery displayed by our founding fathers in bringing this dialogue into a forum that has the power to effect the change needed.

But in all honesty how can any dialogue be effective if that dialogue addresses symptoms of a long standing problem without taking the time to look for the root cause? Any symptomatic reaction has the potential to create a reality that has consequense worse than the current situation. A full investigation of the program and the consequence of placing the implementation of the 1971 Legislation into the hands of an agency with an apparent conflict of interest and often literally “inbred” with those that perpetrated the actions that spurred the need to pass the 71 Act in the first place is sorely absent. Why would any “change” be expected to be implemented any differently? It’s like changing the product you put in a meat grinder… it still comes out in the same fashion.

Until a dialogue actually begins to exist that addresses the root causes, arbitrary boundaries and policy that caters to special interests, the change needed to protect the “living symbol of the pioneer spirit of the west” will not happen.

If the information about the hands on care being done “humanely,” the most basic premise of the 71 Act, remains in the realm of “content control” … how can dialogue in any real fashion exist?

The first step in acheiving that dialogue are independent observations that can only occur when the rights of the public to investigate and formulate opinion is protected. The closed door facilities must be open. Records must be made available in a timely manner for review without the need to file Freedom of Information Act requests. The ability to independently observe the hands on actions of contractors and government employees must occur on an extended basis and not in “periodic windows” at the discretion of those under scrutiny.

“I have taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States more times than I can count,” said attorney Gordon Cowan, “that’s what this case is all about.”

1/31/2011

2/6/2011

2/9/2011 (horses dying from pneumonia from treatment similiar)

1/29/2011

2/2/2011 Antelope Roundup

As photos get out access gets worse. I have not been able to get a respiration rate in over a year.

Can you see condition of any horses from here?

*******note: posts containing certain uses of profanity go into a folder that WordPress set up as a filter. Any posts that are profane attacks and not an attempt at dialogue go into a spam folder. Also be aware that if you posts alot of links you also get tagged as spam by WordPress………

Another day….

Sent out reports and loaded video.

Will edit when time allows.

Snow fencing down all day at holding until BLM media and lead PR show up… then up it goes for “safety” by a contractor smoking a cigarette by the hay bales….

Safety? (photo by E. Buzan)

A horse fought so hard to stay with family that he literally flung himself over the fence… video when I can find time to edit… later (most likely same horse) vaulted cleanly over.

Threw himself over (E.Buzan)

Gorgeous stallion that I believe came in two days ago could be photographed and has evidence of a wound on his face….

Facial wound (Leigh)

Pens are literally packed as roads were too bad to travel this am.

Another storm coming over weekend….

New Video from 2/9

The “relentlessness” (only word I can think of) of the outrageous conduct at the Antelope gather continues.

The issues are so many and range from actually having to notify official personel that there was only one 50 gallon water trough for 10-30 horses (do the math… 15 gallons each day per horse) to the conduct that demonstrates the pilot repeatedly flying dangerously close to horses (despite the BLM press release… c’mon!).

Have we learned nothing? Has our government become a dense faction of ostriches and cowards?

We have horses dying behind the “Iron Curtain” of Broken Arrow(aka Indian Lakes) of pneumonia. I warned them at Eagle and Callaghan that these horses are vulnerable to respiratory illness. Because there is no “temperature rule” we will have the same vulnerable population entering the warehouse system from Antelope.

Is America a leader in humane treatment or are we a “sell-out” nation?

****Note about 2/3 of the way through Is that Sun-J wrangler beating a horse in the face with his “baggie” and then turning the whip around to hit him with the stick end?

Slideshow from 2/6

No horses captured on 2/7. Roundup called due to wind. Meeting location changed to Wendover from Ely.

Slideshow from 2/6… so many images and so little time. Hopefully this gives you a “flavor” for the day.

Investigation?

On February 1 I was told that there was an investigation as to what is occuring on the range. I met with Mary D’Aversa and Chris Hanefeld to discuss what I had seen.

The next day Lili Thomas of the BLM (apparently on the four member team appointed by Dean Bolstad) was at the trap. She was not on the other side of this ridge… I don’t think anyone was.

These pictures were taken at the trap on 2/2.

2/2/2011 Antelope Roundup

Is there anyone documenting the other side of the ridge?

ENOUGH!

AND we NEED to get the doors open to the CLOSED facilities… NOW!

These are OUR horses and every life matters to us!

please support http://GrassRootsHorse.com and their legal battle.

Sun J does it AGAIN

Sun J contractor

Professional?

Multi-million dollar government contract

Horses are protected by Congress?

Outrageous Conduct!

Tomorrow he flies again...

Today the BLM did not update their hotline so I was late getting onto the range. I would have been on the other side of the rise…

Does this pilot need anger management classes or serious glasses? Either way Sun J needs to be pulled from this roundup. Many instances of either incompetance or laziness. Internet issues… will write more tomorrow.

 

Antelope photographs

I take about 1000 frames each day plus hours of video.

I have been doing a video of each roundup with a voiceover that describes the area and AML, etc. This one I just put to music… cause it has taken too long. Articles coming soon…. Interesting article for Horseback very soon…

It’s been snowing all day… maybe the helicopter wont fly in the am? I have seen so many bands broken up by this pilot… He starts with a larger group and only a few come in… or he has to let a band go. Many of the horses are lathered… really lathered. The layout of each trap does not make sense. I am worried about what he has left on the range in his wake.

When we get to the point in time when a roundup takes place the time for policy talk ends… it becomes an issue of literally life and death for these animals. A dialogue needs to take place to evolve the methodology used to stampede horses and treat them like pests… This is the only animal in our history to have an entire act of Congress devoted to it….

President Obama… are we a civilized nation? Do we as Americans still value compassion? Or have we sold that off to the highest bidder?

I’m tired… goodnight.