Voluntary reductions in livestock grazing don’t change land-use plans. When conditions improve, grazing will resume at normal levels. Story by FOX 13 News of Salt Lake City.
RELATED: Onaqui Wild Horses Returned to Range.
Author: Western Horse Watchers
Mustang Monday
On the Salt River with Larry J Dub. No youngsters though, thanks to the advocates.
Incident at Barn Reinforces Need for Backup Power Supply
Refer to this story dated August 13 by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Twenty horses, private water system, no power. Fire department to the rescue.
A growing concern out west is the local utility shutting off your power in the name of public safety.
RELATED: Rural Water Systems – Power.
Keep Wild Horses in Check to Save Greater Sage-Grouse?
A story posted August 4 by This Is Reno considers a key finding from a USGS study: Greater sage-grouse populations may continue to decline—by more than 70% within areas where the horses live by 2034—of horse populations continue increasing at current rates.
Let’s take a closer look at ‘areas where the horses live.’ How many of them are not occupied by privately owned livestock? How did the researchers get a clean separation between the effects related to horses and those related to livestock, a problem known as ‘confounding?’ Who commissioned the study?
A subsequent column in the Sierra Nevada Ally dated August 8 asks similar questions.
Getting to Lagomarsino Canyon and Its Petroglyphs
A map at AllTrails dot com shows the route described in the story by Nevada Appeal, starting at the Storey County fire station. It’s about seven miles each way.
An alternate route, mentioned in the article, involves Long Valley Road, which passes by the Chalk Hills.
Western Horse Watchers has not made the journey but it’s on the bucket list.
Most of the land in this area is privately owned.
RELATED: Unexpected Petroglyph at Lagomarsino Canyon?
‘Think Like a Horse’ Goes to the Olympics
It’s open season on the equestrians.
Antelope Roundup Day 12
The incident began on August 2. Gather stats through August 13:
- Horses captured: 954, up from 814 on Day 10
- Average take: 79.5 horses per day
- Capture goal: 2,200
- Removal goal: 2,200
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 4, no change from Day 10
- Shipped: 727, up from 514 on Day 10
The death rate dropped to 0.4%.
Foals accounted for 17.1% of the horses gathered. Of the adults, 44.8% were male and 55.2% were female.
Body condition scores were not reported.
The gather page says 730 horses shipped but the daily reports yield 727.
Day 12 ended with 223 unaccounted-for animals (954 – 4 – 727).
Other statistics:
- AML: 789 (four HMAs involved)
- Forage assigned to horses: 9,468 AUMs per year
- Pre-gather population: 6,032 plus foals
- Forage liberated to date: 11,448 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 9,540 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: 72,946 AUMs per year (estimated)
- Horses displaced from HMAs by livestock: 6,079 (12% of off-range holding)
- True AML: 6,868
RELATED: Antelope Roundup Day 10.
Black Mountain Roundup, Part 2, Day 156
The incident began on March 9, a resource enforcement action that follows a wild burro removal in 2020. Gather stats through August 11:
- Burros captured: 369, up from 303 on Day 132
- Average take: 2.4 burros per day
- Capture goal: 500
- Removal goal: 500
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 0
- Shipped: 306, up from 209 on Day 132
Foals represented 15.2% of the burros gathered. Of the adults, 59.1% were male and 40.9% were female, not what you’d expect to find in a sample of n = 313 adults taken from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.
There were 63 burros in the unaccounted-for category at the end of Day 156.
Gather ops are not open to public observation.
Supplemental statistics:
- AML: 478
- Pre-gather population: Unknown
- Forage liberated to date: 2,214 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 1,845 gallons per day
- Forge assigned to livestock: 7,333 AUMs per year (estimated)
- Burros displaced from HMA by livestock: 1,222
- True AML: 1,700
RELATED: Black Mountain Roundup, Part 2, Day 132.
Conger Roundup Day 3
The incident began on August 11. Gather stats through August 13:
- Horses captured: 59
- Average take: 20 horses per day
- Capture goal: Unknown
- Removal goal: 296
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 0
- Shipped: 27
Foals accounted for 25.4% of the horses gathered. Of the adults, 40.9% were male and 59.1% were female.
Body condition scores were not reported.
Day 3 ended with 32 unaccounted-for horses.
Supplemental statistics:
- AML: 80
- Forage assigned to horses: 960 AUMs per year
- Pre-gather population: 355
- Forage liberated to date: 708 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 590 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
- Horses displaced from HMA by livestock: Unknown
RELATED: Conger Roundup in Progress.
Advocates Have Answer to Wild Horse Problem?
If we get rid of them they can stay. That’s the mentality of Wild Horse Connection, surrogate on the Virginia Range for the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses.
Specifically, from their web site, “If you work with us, follow the laws, and leave the management of the horses to WHC, then we can keep the horses where they belong.”
They’re PZP zealots, and their ruinous darting program is the centerpiece of a story published today by Courthouse News.
These idiots are also feeding the horses. It’s like Salt River 2.0 except there’s no river.
Remember, you are inferior and the advocates are superior, in all ways. Shut up and do as you’re told.
RELATED: Virginia Range Darting Program Coordinator Still Not Named?
West Douglas Roundup Day 19
The incident began on July 26. Gather stats through August 13:
- Horses captured: 457, up from 431 on Day 17
- Average take: 24 horses per day
- Capture goal: 450
- Removal goal: 450
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 11, up from 9 on Day 17
- Shipped: 337, no change from Day 17
The goal has been reached and gather ops have concluded.
One death occurred on Day 18 and another on Day 19, both attributed to pre-existing conditions. The death rate climbed to 2.4%. The summary at the gather page shows ten horses lost but the daily reports yield eleven.
Body condition scores were not reported.
Foals accounted for 19.3% of the horses gathered. Of the adults, 42.5% were male and 57.5% were female.
Day 19 ended with 109 unaccounted-for horses. Field work will likely continue until all animals are shipped. None will be returned.
Other statistics:
- AML: 0
- Forage assigned to horses: 0
- Pre-gather population: 450
- Forage liberated to date: 5,484 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 4,570 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
- Horses displaced from HA by livestock: Unknown
RELATED: West Douglas Roundup Day 17.
Woman in Minnesota Sees What Advocates Can’t—or Won’t
Check out this letter to the Morrison County Record of Little Falls, MN.
Send your donations to her!
Western Horse Watchers believes that all of the off-range corrals and long-term pastures could be emptied three to five times over by ending public-lands ranching in wild horse and burro areas where it occurs.
There would be no excess animals, no overpopulation and no need for PZP darting.
Virginia Range Darting Program Coordinator Still Not Named?
Somebody needs to step up. How about one of the Sand Wash advocates who won’t acknowledge the presence of livestock in the HMA?
Maybe one of volunteers at the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group, eager to get away from the tyrant and make a name for himself?
A bureaucrat said there are too many wild horses on the Virginia Range so it’s time to get off your butt and do something about it.
Apply here.
RELATED: Coordinator for Virginia Range Darting Program Not Identified?
Unexpected Petroglyph at Lagomarsino Canyon?
We know what it can’t be because they didn’t exist at the time.
Image from video of Lagomarsino Petroglyphs by storiesbyalex.
Pintos and Petroglyphs on the Virginia Range
A story posted yesterday by Nevada Appeal describes the rock art at Lagomarsino Canyon, north of Virginia City, believed to be as much as 10,000 years old.
As a bonus, you might see a few wild horses getting in and out of there. (No paved roads, 4WD recommended.)
The coordinates of the site are 39.442980, -119.567228, according to Google Maps.
Contacting WHW
Please check your email address before hitting the Submit button at the Contact page.
Western Horse Watchers can’t respond if it’s not valid.
Conger Roundup in Progress
The incident started August 11, according to the gather page, with 19 horses captured, including nine stallions, seven mares and three foals. No deaths were reported.
Antelope Roundup Day 10
The incident began on August 2. Gather stats through August 11:
- Horses captured: 814, up from 456 on Day 8
- Average take: 136 horses per day
- Capture goal: 2,200
- Removal goal: 2,200
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 4, no change from Day 8
- Shipped: 514, up from 343 on Day 8
The death rate dropped to 0.5%.
Foals accounted for 17.2% of the horses gathered. Of the adults, 45.5% were male and 54.5% were female.
Body condition scores were not reported.
Day 10 ended with 296 unaccounted-for horses. The contractor is probably holding them on site.
Data quality has been good.
Other statistics:
- AML: 789 (four HMAs involved)
- Forage assigned to horses: 9,468 AUMs per year
- Pre-gather population: 6,032 plus foals
- Forage liberated to date: 9,768 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 8,140 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: 72,946 AUMs per year (estimated)
- Horses displaced from HMAs by livestock: 6,079 (12% of off-range holding)
- True AML: 6,868
RELATED: Antelope Roundup Day 8.
UPDATE: The average daily take should be 81.4, not 136.
West Douglas Roundup Day 17
The incident began on July 26. Gather stats through August 11:
- Horses captured: 431, up from 390 on Day 15
- Average take: 25 horses per day
- Capture goal: 450
- Removal goal: 450
- Returned: 0
- Deaths: 9, up from 8 on Day 15
- Shipped: 337, up from 296 on Day 15
Another death occurred on Day 17 due to pre-existing conditions but no details were given. The death rate is 2.1%. The summary at the gather page shows eight horses lost but the daily reports yield nine.
Body condition scores were not reported.
Foals accounted for 19.0% of the horses gathered. Of the adults, 42.4% were male and 57.6% were female. The gap between stallions and mares continues to widen.
Day 17 ended with 85 unaccounted-for horses. The operation will likely conclude in another day or two.
Other statistics:
- AML: 0
- Forage assigned to horses: 0
- Pre-gather population: 450
- Forage liberated to date: 5,172 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 4,310 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
- Horses displaced from HA by livestock: Unknown
RELATED: West Douglas Roundup Day 15.
Beaty Butte Roundup Delayed
A news release dated August 10 said the incident will begin on July 7.
An email to the BLM rep was answered thus: Roundup delayed until late August.
The HMA, known as Beatys Butte, lies within the Beaty Butte allotment.
