More on the Onaqui Poseurs

The hypocrisy of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses and the National Mustang Association, contributors to the $22,500 reward for information about the shootings, are well known and have been documented previously.

Of two other groups pledging financial support, the Onaqui Catalogue Foundation does not appear to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit while the Red Birds Trust is.

Both groups endorse the Montana Solution.

Bios of the Onaqui team begin with suggested pronouns, a big red flag.

Theresa Orison, treasurer, is “married” to Sue Robbins.

The Board at Red Birds includes Alisa Graham, treasurer, also “married” to a woman.

The groups know much about wild horses but little about permitted grazing, apparently.

Has their access to the herd and inside information from the BLM been purchased at the price of silence?

A coalition was formed and a reward was established before the agency went public with news of the incident.

RELATED: Reward Offered as Two Onaqui Stallions Found Dead.

Foal-Free Friday, All Roads Lead to Billings Edition

Overpopulation.

Mistreatment during roundups.

Illness and death in off-range holding.

Adoptions resulting in abuse and slaughter.

Why do the advocates harp about these things?

Because they have a better way.

These problems could be avoided if there were no wild horses.

Crime in the Wild Horse World 05-26-22

This of course means the Montana Solution.

There are no other options.

Deniz Bolbol TCF Darter 03-11-23

Sterility is the goal.

Ranching interests must prevail.

All roads lead to the Billings School of PZP Darting if you’re a wild horse advocate.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Noticing Their Hypocrisy Edition.

Reward Offered as Two Onaqui Stallions Found Dead

The remains were discovered on March 19, according to a BLM news release.

Several poseurs joined the BLM in posting the $22,500 reward, including Suzanne Roy of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, who said shooting these protected animals is a serious federal crime but did not acknowledge her role in the shooting of thousands of wild mares with a restricted-use pesticide.

Roy, of course, is trying to establish her bona fides with the bureaucrats and ranchers, hoping to become the dominant player in the wild horse removal industry.

The National Mustang Association runs cattle on a Utah allotment, consuming forage in areas set aside for wild horses.  Rock solid advocates, those guys, just like CAAWH and dozens of other charlatans.

Most of the wild horses were taken off the Onaqui Mountain HMA in a 2021 roundup and the advocates are now working diligently to make sure the herd never comes back.

Advocate Leads Readers Astray about HMAPs

A well-defined problem is half solved.  That may be true in some cases, but the other 50% comes from identification of causes, a concept that eludes the wild horse advocates.

For example, a column in today’s edition of The Nevada Independent indicates that tens of thousands of privately owned livestock graze on allotments overlapping the Pancake Complex in Nevada, an area identified for wild horses, yet only 638 such animals are allowed to live there.

This pattern occurs throughout the western U.S. not because the BLM failed to create HMAPs, as suggested by the author, but because it’s specified in the land-use plans.

HMAPs must comply with LUPs.  If the LUP assigns 84% of the authorized forage to privately owned livestock in an area set aside for wild horses, so will the HMAP.

Drilling and mining affect anywhere from a few acres to a few thousand acres, not mentioned by the writer, while public-lands ranching devours entire HMAs and beyond.  There’s no comparison.

As for the advocates, articles like this keep their base fired up and the donations rolling in, while accomplishing nothing useful for America’s wild horses.

RELATED: The Truth About HMAPs.

Shackleford Herd Grew Slightly in 2022

There were 124 wild horses on the island at the end of the year, according to an undated report by the Park Service, up from 121 at the end of 2021.

The growth rate was 2.5%, considerably less than the rate for free-roaming herds in the American west (provided the advocates are not involved).

Thirteen foals were born in 2022, for a birth rate of 10.7%.

Nine horses died.

One of the foals was removed illegally.

The herd was 61% female and 39% male.

The report said that some females are living longer, typical of herds subject to the Montana Solution.

Readers of these pages know that as a euphemism for abnormal sex ratio.

RELATED: Shackleford Herd Grows Slightly in Latest Census.

Pesticide-Laced Darts Are Not the Perfect Symbol for Nevada!

Contrary to what you read in this column by Tracy “You need to manage the numbers to fit what’s available for the horses” Wilson, field marshal for the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, the people of Nevada should tell their state representatives not to pass SB90 until the following language is removed:

SB90 Text to be Removed 03-20-23

No glorifying, legitimizing or ratifying the darting program and those involved, an affront to Velma’s legacy.

In her March 7 testimony before the Nevada Senate Natural Resources Committee, Wilson described the poisoning of the Virginia Range mares as the world’s largest wild horse conservation program.

With the effort moving into its fifth year, many are now at risk of sterility.

RELATED: We’re Out for Ourselves!

What’s So Important about the Virginia Range?

It defies the overpopulation and carrying capacity narratives.

You can’t be telling the American people that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres) while the Virginia Range is carrying ten (3,000 animals on 300,000 acres).

It must be erased, and the advocates are eager to help.

The population target of 600 animals, mentioned at the March 7 hearing for SB90, means an 80% reduction in herd size, at least, exactly what Velma was trying to stop.

As for the advocates, they are fools.  Don’t give them a penny.

RELATED: Why Oppose SB90?

Working Together for a Horse-Free Future 12-21-22

Assessing Resource Adequacy in the Majuba Allotment

The allotment offers 3,325 AUMs per year on 186,083 public acres, as noted last week.

Is that good or bad?

Forage availability works out to 17.9 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, enough to support 1.5 cow/calf pairs, or 1.5 wild horses, per thousand public acres.

That’s not very much, when you realize the Virginia Range is carrying ten, or at least it did before the advocates got involved.

For comparison, the allotments in Sand Wash Basin HMA offer a weighted average 117.6 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, enough to support an additional 9.8 wild horses per thousand public acres, on top of the 2.4 wild horses allowed by plan.

This is what sinks the overpopulation narrative, repeated constantly by the advocates, not by what they say but by what they do.

The limited amount of forage on Majuba explains why the Antelope Range HA was zeroed out and why the doctrine of multiple use goes out the window in such cases.

HMAs Freed from Grazing 05-23-21

Pine Nut Horses Headed to Freedom Reigns Sanctuary

The advocates are working with BLM staff at Palomino Valley to purchase 18 animals trapped last month in a nuisance roundup, according to a story on page 11 of the March edition of Horse Tales.

The studs will be cut and the mares may be sterile, thanks to the darting program.

The sanctuary is not open to the public.

RELATED: Advocates Upset as BLM Traps More Pine Nut Horses.

We’re Out for Ourselves!

What would you say about an exterminator that urges you to write your elected officials demanding more and more funding for pest control, which he markets as protection?

Moreover, eradication of the pests from their lawful homes leaves more food and water for their enemies.

That’s the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, evident in this call to action on the propaganda page managed by Lucky Three Ranch.

Totally self-serving!

Nobody trumpets the overpopulation narrative like CAAWH.

File under: Charlatans.

For Your Innocent Ants and Roaches 10-23-22

Foal-Free Friday, Noticing Their Hypocrisy Edition

Advocates with the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group, an affiliate of the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, said on March 14 that “It’s never nice to disturb any wild animals, but to come in with gloves and lasso and pursue Salt River wild horses will get you in deep trouble here, because the Salt River wild horses are protected from harassment and interfering by State law.”  Click on image to read the story.

SRWHDG Hypocrisy 03-16-23

There are no foals in the photos, because the advocates have poisoned the mares with a restricted-use pesticide.

Apparently, riding your horse on public lands is harassment, but stalking wild horses with phones, tablets and darting rifles, with the intent of destroying their ovaries, is not.

Students Learn About Darting 10-26-22

If PZP was taken off the market, the advocates would have nothing, no reason to exist.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Developing a Critical Eye Edition.

Strangles Outbreak Closes Litchfield Off-Range Corrals

Adoptions will be suspended for thirty days according to a BLM news release.

The announcement said the infection presents as nasal discharge, fever and swollen lymph nodes around the throat, and runs its course in two to four weeks, but did not indicate that 19 horses died from it last year at Wheatland.

The facility has a capacity of one thousand animals, with 389 wild horses and 334 wild burros present as of February 20.

Nevada Checkerboard Parcel Hits Market for $130K

The property covers 640 acres (one square mile) near Imlay, with spectacular views of Imlay Summit, Rye Patch Reservoir and sometimes wild horses and antelope, according to the listing on Redfin.

The National Data Viewer puts it inside the Antelope Range HA, the lawful home of wild horses, which lies within the Majuba Allotment.

To the west are the Kamma Mountains, Lava Beds and Seven Troughs HMAs, shown with orange borders in the following map.  Click on image to open in new tab.

There were 172 horses in the HA last year, according to the HA/HMA Report.

The Allotment Master Report puts Majuba in the Improve category, with 3,325 active AUMs on 186,083 public acres.  The subject parcel was likely counted among the 90,434 private acres contained in the allotment.

Nevada Cherckerboard Parcel 03-17-23