Story of the Assateague Ponies

If you don’t understand the difference between the Assateague and Chincoteague wild horses, this film will get you up to speed. The distinction is the state line.

Unlike the horses in the west, they are not managed by the BLM or Forest Service.

The annual pony swim, seen at 4:25, was cancelled this year. Would it qualify as harassment?

The remarks from 4:43 to 4:57 might give you the impression that the Assateague horses live their lives as they choose. But the story goes south at 7:52.

The fertility control program, launched about 30 years ago, is discussed for the next four minutes. Unusual characteristics of the herd, such as declining size, abnormal sex ratios and high mortality rates of stallions, are not considered.

The video provides a nice demonstration of the stalking and darting of wild horses, which absolutely do not quality as harassment because the PZP zealots said so.

The program was shut off in 2016 but the herd is only now starting to recover.

The Film Alfred Hitchcock Forgot to Make

Here’s a storyboard.

Horses and Birds 06-03-20

More Virginia Range Babies!

Haven’t seen these guys before. Photos at 09:04 show two youngsters. Can you spot the stud? He’s probably 15 to 16 hh. Tank on the left had been overflowing because they flipped the filler out of the water. That problem was fixed on 06-05-20.

New Babies 05-30-20

Jackson Mountains Emergency Roundup Starts Next Week

Approximately 300 wild horses will be gathered from the Jackson Mountains HMA due to lack of water, according to a news release issued today by the BLM.

The HMA covers 283,775 acres in northwest Nevada and has AML of 217. The stocking rate allowed by plan is 0.8 wild horses per thousand acres.

The operation, to be carried out with bait traps, will not be open to public observation.

Jackson Mountains HMA Map-1

The HMA intersects six grazing allotments according to an environmental assessment from 2012, with all of its acreage subject to permitted grazing (Table 3.3). Table 3.7 in the EA shows 10,151 AUMs per year assigned to livestock inside the HMA (79.6%), with 2,604 AUMs per year available to the horses (20.4%).

The announcement did not indicate if any of the captured animals would be returned to their home range. Those removed will be taken to the Indian Lakes corrals in Fallon.

Gather stats and daily reports will be posted to this page.

Comments Invited on Nevada Targeted Grazing EA

BLM announced today the start of a 30-day comment period on a draft environmental assessment for fuels reduction in northern Nevada via livestock grazing.

The EA contains 149 pages plus front matter and multiple appendices. A project of this size should have a 90-day review period.

The EA and supporting documents can be found on this page.

Wild Horses Assemble Peacefully on the Virginia Range

Sort of.

Water Tanks 05-25-20

Bunch of Babies!

This is such a great video. Posting again to piss off the PZP zealots and their ranching allies. Volume up!

New Darting System: How Would It Really Work?

Operation of the machine can’t be all that bad, as the video shows a horse coming back to eat after ‘treatment.’ Most of them probably did the same thing, so it was hard to choose the right clip for the video.

Darting Machine-1

Do you think the user of this equipment will want darted mares eating more of the bait, when there is so much need out in the pasture? Do you think said user will be willing to feed the studs when they come in for a bite?

Hell no!

There must be another feature in the machine that drives the animals out after they’ve been treated or deemed unnecessary, such as an electric shock.

POW! Hit ’em with a dart. Then ZAP! So long sucka!

They Forgot to Mention Privately Owned Livestock

The following video, posted in 2017, shows a prototype of a machine that automatically darts wild horses in the field. The company now seeks investors to commercialize the technology.

The device targets the forequarters of the animals, contrary to the conventional wisdom in the darting world. It is not clear how the PZP zealots, whose purpose in life is now at risk, will respond.

Oil and mining companies, the greatest threat to wild horses and burros according to some ‘advocacy’ groups, have shown little interest in the contraption.

New Machine Darts Wild Horses Automatically

Wildlife Protection Management, a team of “scientists, engineers, ranch managers, and outdoor enthusiasts,” has developed a system that vaccinates and microchips wild horses on the range, without human involvement.

“There is tremendous interest from policy makers, rangeland managers, tribal entities, and horse advocates,” according to an announcement posted today by EIN Presswire.

The only thing missing is a hopper that refills the trough with hay.

Mustang Monday

On the Yakama Indian Reservation with Rick Rinehold.

More Water Woes

Finally got a new controller for the UV sterilizer, warranty claim took three months to process. Old one had been in service for about a year and a half.

A few weeks later a leak appeared on one of the tank tees. Turned out to be a crack in a threaded connection, probably caused by the pipe plug. The fitting is threaded on the inside (female) and outside (male).

Replaced with a ball valve. The system supplies water to the Virginia Range mustangs.

CAES Refutes BLM Statement on Unauthorized Water Troughs

The naturally occurring water sources in the Muddy Creek and Sinbad HMAs are in hazardous locations and not accessible to wild horses and burros, according to a rebuttal posted yesterday by Citizens Against Equine Slaughter.

The organization insists that water must be provided until monsoon season.

Virginia Range Migration

May and June are the best months to find them up here. Elevation 6,200 feet.

Horses Near Water Tanks 05-17-20

Dry Conditions Spreading Across the West?

Looks like they’ve arrived on the Virginia Range.

Running Past Water Tanks 05-17-20

Another Virginia Range Casualty

Who dunnit?

RELATED: Handiwork of the PZP Zealots?

Another Abnormality 05-14-20

Onaqui Trivia

One of the most-viewed herds in the western U.S., the name of their HMA means “place of salt,” according to an article posted today by the Standard-Examiner of Ogden, UT.

The term is pronounced “Onakee.”

BLM Relocation Moves Ahead Despite Vacancies

A report posted today by The Hill says that 220 positions are shifting from Washington, DC to the new headquarters in Grand Junction, CO, with additional jobs moving to offices in other states, leaving just 61 employees in the Washington office.

Unfortunately, only 68 employees have agreed to move, leaving many unfilled positions in the new locations, including several top posts.

The agency hopes to complete the move to Colorado in July, according to the story.

Wild Horse Population Control Plan Still in the News

You can’t have a conversation about wild horses without having a conversation about public-lands ranching, but a story published yesterday by KSL News of Salt Lake City does exactly that.

Why don’t the horses have any natural predators? Public-lands ranching.

Why can’t the land support more than 27,000 wild horses? Public-lands ranching.

Why do they leave their HMAs in search of food and water? Public-lands ranching.

Nature determines resource availability but resource allocations—and the problems arising therefrom—are man made.

When you carve out 80% or more of the forage for privately owned livestock, wild horse numbers must go down. The programs are not independent, but intertwined.

The PZP zealots want to see the horses wild and free on their home range, they just don’t want them conceived and born on their home range. Makes perfect sense.

Confined to Government Boxes