Salt River Horse Act Omitted Protections from Advocates

The statute declared that the horses are not stray livestock, according to an opinion piece in the Arizona Capitol Times, and it prohibited anyone from harassing, capturing or euthanizing them without written authorization, and only for humane purposes.

But it didn’t protect them from mass sterilization and those who would sacrifice the herd to prove their nutty ideas and win the approval of its detractors.

The debate about removal should include humane management, a codeword for long-term use of PZP, with the inevitable result of permanent infertility and herd collapse.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

BLM Releases Jackson Mountains Final Planning Documents

Three new documents have been copied to the project folder.

The Decision Record authorizes Alternative A, the Proposed Action, discussed in section 2.0 of the Final Environmental Assessment.

Implement new HMAP
No changes to AML
Forcible removal to low AML
Application of fertility control pesticides
Return of sterilized males and females to range
Sex ratio adjustments favoring males

The EA analyzed the direct, indirect and cumulative effects of implementing the HMAP on the lands, resources and wild horses within the HMA according to the news release.

The Finding of No Significant Impact asserts that no further analysis is needed.

PREVIOUS: Jackson Mountains Planning Documents Out for Review.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Foal-Free Friday, Connecting the Dots Edition

The advocates, blinded by ideology, cannot see the relationship between their fertility control programs and genetic diversity.

Consider this example from Appendix XII, response to public comments, in the North Complex Wild Horse Gather Plan.

Item 15 concerns AMLs and genetic viability:

Item 17, submitted by the same person, concerns fertility control:

BLM Handbook H-4700-1 says in section 4.4.6.3 that a minimum population size of 50 effective breeding animals (i.e., a total population size of about 150-200 animals) is recommended to maintain an acceptable level of genetic diversity.

The guideline applies to reproducing populations.

Apparently, the advocates think that genetic health can be achieved and maintained by reducing or eliminating genetic mixing.

It is they, not the BLM, that have some explaining to do.

PREVIOUS: Foal-Free Friday, Beating a Dead Horse Herd Edition.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Bible Springs Roundup, Day 5

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 6:

Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
Target: Horses
AML: 170
Pre-gather population: 961
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
Better way: Stop the transmission of life with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 800
Removal goal: 800
Captured: 146, up from 50 on Day 3
Shipped: 81, up from zero on Day 3
Released: None
Deaths: 1, up from zero on Day 3
Average daily take: 29.2
Unaccounted-for animals: 64
Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A mare was found dead in temporary holding on Day 4.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 52 stallions, 61 mares and 33 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.6% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 46.0% were male and 54.0% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 1,752 AUMs per year
Water: 1,460 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup, Day 3.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Piceance Roundup, Day 5

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 6:

Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
Target: Horses
AML: 235
Pre-gather population: 1,145
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
Better way: Sterilize the mares with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 1,025
Removal goal: 1,011
Captured: 314, up from 232 on Day 3
Shipped: 209, up from 166 on Day 3
Released: None
Deaths: 1, up from zero on Day 3
Average daily take: 62.8
Unaccounted-for animals: 104
Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A mare died on Day 5 during trailer transport.

The death rate is 0.3%.

The capture total includes 117 stallions, 134 mares and 63 foals.

Youngsters represented 20.1% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 15% per year.

Of the adults, 46.6% were male and 53.4% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 4 and 5 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

The area is subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 3,768 AUMs per year
Water: 3,140 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup, Day 3.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Second Flat Fire Stopped Short of Oregon ORC

The fire covered 105,462 acres as of August 4 with 55% containment.

The August 4 map shows a black border near the corrals, indicating little if any spread is expected in that area.

Not shown are the grazing allotments, both BLM and USFS, affected by the incident.

The nearest HMA was Palomino Buttes, a few miles west of the corrals.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Bible Springs Roundup, Day 3

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 4:

Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
Target: Horses
AML: 170
Pre-gather population: 961
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
Better way: Snuff out new life with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 800
Removal goal: 800
Captured: 50, up from 19 on Day 1
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: None
Average daily take: 16.7
Unaccounted-for animals: 50
Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The capture total includes 20 stallions, 18 mares and 12 foals.

Youngsters represented 24% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 52.6% were male and 47.4% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 600 AUMs per year
Water: 500 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup Begins.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Piceance Roundup, Day 3

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 4:

Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
Target: Horses
AML: 235
Pre-gather population: 1,145
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
Better way: Beat the population down with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 1,025
Removal goal: 1,011
Captured: 232, up from 96 on Day 1
Shipped: 166, up from zero on Day 1
Released: None
Deaths: None
Average daily take: 77.3
Unaccounted-for animals: 66
Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The capture total includes 81 stallions, 105 mares and 46 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.8% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 43.5% were male and 56.5% were female.

Body condition scores on Days 2 and 3 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

The area is subject to permitted grazing. Resources liberated to date:

Forage: 2,784 AUMs per year
Water: 2,320 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup in Progress.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Cedar Mountain DNA Out for Review

One document has been uploaded to the project folder with comments due by September 3.

The Proposed Action is to remove up to 500 wild horses from the Cedar Mountain HMA.

The news release said the current population is nearly twice the number the range can sustain, which might be true if the land was managed principally for wild horses.

A roundup, if approved, would occur in FY27.

PREVIOUS: BLM Assessing NEPA Adequacy at Cedar Mountain?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Scoping Begins for Range Creek HMAP

A new project has been started in ePlanning and three documents have been uploaded.

The management evaluation report contains two incompatible goals:

You cannot achieve genetic diversity by ending genetic mixing.

The workaround, to keep the population small and minimize impacts to livestock, would be to bring in horses from other areas, altering the genetic identity of the herd.

The current population is thought to be around 300 according to the news release.

The HMA lies mostly within the Green River allotment.

The allotment master report puts it in the Improve category with 38% of the permitted use in the suspended column, suggesting that your stewards of the public lands are not taking their responsibilities seriously.

Comments on the MER are due by September 2.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Confusion Roundup Announced

The news release covered the Confusion and Bible Springs roundups but gave few details.

The capture and removal goals are 360 each according to the gather page.

The start date is August 23.

A helicopter will push the horses into the traps.

The area will be closed to public entry with the exception of observers escorted by BLM staff.

Animals identified for removal will be taken to the Sutherland off-range corrals.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Mustang Monday

On the Virginia side of Assateague Island with the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce.

The event is not about population control, which would be true if nature was allowed to run its course in the refuge, but to monetize a herd that was popularized in a 1947 novel.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Bible Springs Roundup Begins

The incident started today with 19 horses captured. none shipped, none released and no deaths.

Body condition scores were not given.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Piceance Roundup in Progress

The incident started today with 96 horses captured. none shipped, none released and no deaths.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 4.

RELATED: Piceance Roundup Announced.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Advocates Respond to Callaghan Roundup

In a surprise move, they’re calling for an end to motorized removal and greater use of humane alternatives according to a July 29 article by Nevada Current.

Who saw that coming?

Nina Jackel, founder of Lady Groupthinker, said “It’s time for Congress to protect these horses from merciless helicopter roundups and mandate compassionate fertility control instead.”

The advocates have nothing to offer America’s wild horses.

In most cases, the herds bounce back after a roundup.

With humane management, a codeword for long-term use of immunocontraceptives, the changes are permanent: The mares will be sterilized, the breeding population will be destroyed and genetic mixing will be stopped.

Pay no attention to the advocates. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing and don’t deserve a penny of your support.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Lahontan Aftermath

The changes are not permanent, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

The pre-gather population was 809 and 703 animals were removed, leaving around 100 to repopulate the area.

Q. Did the helicopters sterilize any mares?

A. No, fertility control programs do that.

Q. Was the breeding population destroyed?

A. No, fertility control programs do that.

Q. Was genetic mixing prevented?

A. No, fertility control programs do that.

Q. Did the incident skew the sex ratio in favor of females?

A. No, fertility control programs do that.

Q. Did the roundup attract women?

A. No, fertility control programs do that.

Q. Are you surprised that the advocates favor techiques that are incompatible with genetic health?

A. No, they want the ranchers to win.

PREVIOUS: Lahontan Roundup Ends?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Bible Springs Roundup Starts Tomorrow?

It’s on the schedule with a start date of August 1 but there has been no announcement at the BLM news site.

The gather page says August 2.

The capture and removal goals are 800 each.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control, which is incompatible with genetic health.

PREVIOUS: BLM Closing Public Lands for Bible Springs Roundup.

UPDATE: The BLM news release does not give a start date or destination of captured animals.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

BLM Issues North Complex Final Planning Documents

The Decision Record authorizes Alternative A, the Proposed Action, discussed in section 2.2 of the Final EA.

That option includes forcible removal to low AML and application of fertility control pesticides.

The news release put the current population at 369, compared to an AML of 101 to 157.

Section 2.5 covers alternatives considered but dropped from the analysis.

Section 3.5 addresses livestock grazing.

The DR, EA and other supporting documents were copied to the project folder today.

The Complex includes the Dogskin Mountains, Flanigan and Granite Peak HMAs.

A roundup does not appear on the FY26 schedule.

PREVIOUS: Planning Documents for North Complex Out for Review.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Advocates Send Currituck Stallion to Beach in the Sky

They moved him to the farm last November amid claims of food aggressiveness and earlier this week they euthanized him according to a report by WAVY News.

How many times did he colic in the wild?

His transition to domestic life was documented by WTKR News.