Author: Western Horse Watchers

Leo Kuntz, Guardian of the Nokota Horses, Passes On

He was a Vietnam vet with a couple of medals and a disenchantment with life.  Then he discovered wild horses.  He followed them in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, buying a few here and there after roundups.  He bought 54 horses after a large gather in 1986 and the herd grew to around 600 head.  At the time of his death there were around 200 wild horses on the Kuntz ranch.

He called them ‘Nokotas.’

Mr. Kuntz died August 12, at the age of 69, from injuries suffered a few days earlier in a crash of his ATV, according to a report by WDAZ, the ABC affiliate in Grand Forks, ND.

“He took care of them.  They were his life.  It’s all he had.”

Family and friends are now scrambling to care for the herd.

The horses are traceable in part to ponies confiscated from Sitting Bull and his followers when they surrendered at Fort Buford in 1881.

UPDATE: Video owner no longer allows embedding.  View it on YouTube.

UPDATE: Video has been reposted to YouTube.

WHB Coming to Swanzey, NH

Wild horses and a few burros will be offered for adoption at the Cheshire Fairgrounds August 24 – 25, according to a BLM news release posted today.  They have been checked by a veterinarian, vaccinated, de-wormed, and blood-tested.

“With kindness and patience, these animals can be trained for many uses.”

A trainer experienced in gentling mustangs will provide demonstrations both days.

WHB posters may be available at the event.

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Volunteers Hauling More Water to Sand Wash Horses

Water deliveries to the Sand Wash Basin HMA have doubled in the last few days according to a story posted 08/14/18 in Steamboat Today.  Personnel with Wild Horse Warriors are now bringing 3400 gallons of water to the mustangs.

Continued dry conditions in northwest Colorado, where the HMA is found, may prompt an emergency gather.  BLM staff are monitoring the situation.

A fence around the HMA prevents the horses from moving to greener pastures.  What might be on the other side?  Who would benefit if the horses are confined to a fixed area and can’t reach better sources of food and water?

RELATED: Advocates Bringing Water to Sand Wash Horses.

British Press Covers Roundup at Bible Springs Complex

Captured horses look good.  So much for the wild horse narrative and claims of overpopulation and malnutrition.  See the photos posted yesterday by the Daily Mail.

Some of the horses involved in the gather are no longer available for comment.

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The report did not indicate if cattle and sheep were present on the affected lands.

Also omitted from the coverage are the names of the shitweasels who hide in the shadows while the Bureau of Livestock Multiplication does their dirty work.

RELATED: AWHC Urges BLM to Stop Bible Springs Roundup.

BLM Starts Chemehuevi Burro Gather This Week

BLM will remove up to 140 wild burros from the Chemehuevi HMA in southern California, beginning on 08/15/18, according to a news release posted today.  The method of capture will be bait traps.  Justification for the roundup was public safety and vehicle hazards.  Accommodations for public observation were not addressed.

Captured animals will be taken to the Ridgecrest Off-Range Corrals to be prepared for adoption or purchase.

The HMA is bounded by Hwy 95 on the west and the Colorado River on the east.  It covers 138,333 acres and has an AML of 108, for an aimed-at population density of 0.78 animals per thousand acres.

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A link for gather stats and daily reports was not provided in the announcement nor was the current population of burros.

Judge Sides with BLM on Three Fingers HMA

Wild horses removed from the Three Fingers HMA in eastern Oregon after the 2016 Cherry Road Fire will not be returned to their home range, according to a report in Capital Press dated 08/10/18.

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The fire burned about 90% of the Wildhorse Basin Pasture on the north end of the HMA, which was inhabited by the majority of the horses.  The Riverside pasture in the south, inhabited by a smaller percentage of the horses, was not affected.  Movement between the two pastures is limited by steep and rugged terrain.  Refer to the BLM Emergency Gather Plan for details.

Removal occurred in the Wildhorse Basin Pasture.

BLM argued that horses will migrate from the south and re-establish the herd in the north.

Advocates disagreed, noting that the animals tend to be territorial and in this case would not attempt to cross to the north.

The decision leaves the northern part of the HMA basically free of horses, which may be good news for the government serfs.

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Wild horses removed from the nearby Sands Basin HMA after the 2015 Soda Fire were recently returned to their home range.

Suspect in Firebombing of BLM Corral Captured

A fugitive accused of firebombing the Litchfield Off-Range Corral near Susanville, CA in 2001 has been apprehended and taken to Portland, OR, where he appeared in court, pleading not guilty.  Refer to this story in The Sacramento Bee, posted 08/10/18.

The suspect was detained in Cuba as he tried to board a flight to Russia.  Authorities are holding him in custody as a flight risk and danger to the community.

Charges include conspiracy to commit arson, arson of a government building, and use of a destructive device.  Damages to buildings and supplies amounted to $85,000.