Author: Western Horse Watchers

HR 3656: Windfall for Advocates, Bad for Wild Horses

As the Democrat Party becomes more radical, anti-God, anti-life and anti-family, so do the wild horse advocates.

It’s almost as if they’re joined at the hip.

In their transition to full-time pleaders for the public-lands ranchers, they’ve abandoned any pretense of caring for the horses and now peddle mass sterilization as a practical alternative to helicopter roundups.

Their demonstration projects at the Salt River and Virginia Range are not designed to slow population growth but to reverse it.

This can only be accomplished by extensive use of the pesticide, which will result in sterilization of the mares and irreversible decline of the herds.

If signed into law, the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023 would ban helicopter roundups and increase demand for alternative methods because it does not change the resource allocations and management priorities that drive the removals.

The advocates would be waiting in the wings to spread the serpent’s venom across the fruited plain, with the ranchers coming out on top in the long run.

Imagine Congress passing a bill that puts your competitors out of business and gives you monopoly control of the industry.

That’s HR 3656.

RELATED: Advocates Double Down on Zonastat Lies.

Court Says Alpine Horse Auction Can Proceed

A federal judge lifted a temporary restraining order today, allowing the sale of 13 wild horses from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, according to a report by Courthouse News Service.

Advocates with the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group said the Forest Service is shipping the animals to kill pens in Texas.

RELATED: Salt River Advocates Trying to Block Alpine Horse Removal?

Sand Wash Bait Trap Removal Set for Mid-August

It’s not on the June 3 schedule but will begin on or after August 12 according to today’s announcement.

The capture goal is 60.  The removal goal was not specified.

The pre-gather population is 409.

Operations will probably not be open to public observation but this is not discussed in the news release.

The destination of captured animals was not given.

A link to the gather stats and daily reports was not provided.

The HMA, located in northwestern Colorado, is subject to permitted grazing.

The permanent trap site is a constant reminder that the horses are not a priority.

The incident will likely raise a few more eyebrows in the state legislature, whose members are already annoyed by the prospects of a roundup at Little Book Cliffs.

UPDATE: It’s on the July 31 schedule.

Sand Wash Basin HMA with Allotments 08-02-24

Bales Getting Smaller?

A few years ago twenty bales would fit in the bed of the truck with no room to spare.

But lately there’s space for sacks of grain as shown in the following photo.

Another example of shrinkflation?

They may be getting smaller but they were heavy and the flakes were dense.

Maybe the grower has increased the compaction of his baling machine.

The price on July 31 was $30 per bale, 20 bales minimum, compared to $19 three years ago.

That puts the cost of feed at $150 per AUM assuming five bales per month per horse.

Forage on public lands in the western U.S. sells for $1.35 per AUM.

Now do you see why more and more wild horses are being forced into taxpayer-funded feedlots as more and more livestock occupy their lawful homes?

RELATED: Price of Hay Eases Slightly?

Bales Getting Smaller 07-31-24

Currituck Advocates Announce Birth of New Colt

He has everything he needs to grow up into a stallion who will one day produce foals of his own according to the herd manager and author of an article in OBX Today.

The statement is subject to the test of future experience.

The darting program has been shut off for two years but we still don’t know the number of viable mares and if genetic diversity has been compromised.

The announcement follows the death last week of a stallion who was struck by a vehicle.

Wild Horses Clash with Klamath Dam Removal Project

Demolition is almost complete.  The reservoirs are gone and the river has returned to its original channel, exposing 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands.

A last step in the process is to replant the basins with seeds, shrubs and trees, according to a story by the San Fransisco Chronicle, which has attracted the horses.

The herd has received national attention in recent years as the Wild Horse Fire Brigade.

Their sponsor says they’re benefiting the landscape, not hurting it.

Others disagree, claiming they don’t benefit the region.

The county has an open range policy, meaning the owners of the property must install fencing to keep the animals out.

It’s not clear if that was in the original project scope and if it will force the herd to find a new source of water.

Foal-Free Friday, Childless Cat Ladies Edition

They may not run the Democrat Party but it certainly has its share of them.

Same for the wild horse world.

Can you think of a better demographic from which to recruit and train PZP darters?

  • Female
  • Liberal
  • Innumerate
  • Depressed
  • Specializes in meals for one
  • Rejects families and the natural order

Leading the way is the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses and its army of nitwits.

CAAWH Membership Card Exposed 01-01-24

Allegations of abuse at the Blue Wing Complex may encourage more cat ladies to come out of the closet and become foot soldiers for CAAWH.

They’re a miserable lot, working alongside the legacy contractors to help the bureaucrats achieve their goal of ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Plausible Deniability Edition.

Pesticide Patrol 08-16-23

Blue Wing Roundup Over

The incident concluded today with 1.305 horses captured, 1,268 shipped, three released and 34 dead.

There were no unaccounted-for animals.

The capture and removal goals were 1,373 and 1,333, respectively.

The death rate was 2.6%.

The average daily take was 52.2.

Body condition scores were not given.

The capture total included 536 stallions, 544 mares and 225 foals.

Youngsters represented 17.2% of the animals captured, consistent with a herd growth rate of 12% per year.

Of the adults, 49.6% were male and 50.4% were female, well within the limits of variation from a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

Video of the abuse of a captured horse gave the advocates an opportunity to sell mass sterilization as a practical alternative to helicopter trapping.

Better Way 10-25-23

The number of horses removed depends on the number returned.

The June 3 schedule indicates that 40 mares will be treated with a fertility control pesticide and be returned to the Complex, leaving open the possibility of another GonaCon crime scene.

As for the burros, 360 were captured, 353 were shipped, none were released and eight died.

More animals were processed than caught, putting the unaccounted-for total at -1.

The capture and removal goals were identical at 356 each.

The death rate was 2.2%.

The average daily take was 14.4.

The capture total included 186 jacks, 152 jennies, and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 6.1% of the animals captured.

Of the adults, 55% were male and 45% were female.

There were no plans to treat any of the burros with pesticides and return them to the range.

The Complex is subject to permitted grazing.  The roundup liberated 17,784 AUMs per year, giving new hope to the Blue Wing permittees.

RELATED: Blue Wing Roundup Announced.

UPDATE: The BLM news release was issued on August 7.

Socialist Media Update for July 2024

Traffic from Facebook and Twitter accounted for 5.1% of the total during the month, down considerably from the same period two years ago.

Did you know that Project 2025 targets America’s wild horses and burros?

You didn’t hear that from the advocates.

Western Horse Watchers brings you the truth about wild horses, resource management and the Love Triangle on America’s public lands.

RELATED: Socialist Media Update for June 2024.

Traffic from Socialist Media July 2024 08-01-24

Blue Wing Roundup, Day 23

The incident started on July 8.  Results through July 30:

  • Scope: Blue Wing Complex
  • Target: Horses and burros
  • AML: 555 horses and 90 burros
  • Pre-gather population: 1,912 horses and 476 burros
  • Type: Planned
  • Method: Helicopter
  • Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
  • Better way: Snuff out new life with PZP (according to advocates)
  • Goals
    • Horses: Gather 1,373 and remove 1,333
    • Burros: Gather 356 and remove 356
  • Captured
    • Horses: 1,261, up from 1,173 on Day 21
    • Burros: 360, no change from Day 21
  • Shipped
    • Horses: 1,185, up from 1,113 on Day 21
    • Burros: 353, no change from Day 21
  • Released
    • Horses: 3, no change from Day 21
    • Burros: None
  • Deaths
    • Horses: 31, up from 26 on Day 21
    • Burros: 8, no change from Day 21
  • Average daily take
    • Horses: 54.8
    • Burros: 15.7
  • Unaccounted-for animals
    • Horses: 42
    • Burros: -1
  • 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

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Horses

Three stallions and two mares were dispatched on Day 22 for conditions that made them unadoptable, not unable to survive in the wild, bringing the death rate to 2.5%.

The capture total includes 516 stallions, 526 mares and 219 foals.

Youngsters represented 17.4% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 12% per year.

Of the adults, 49.5% were male and 50.5% were female, results that could be produced by a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

Body condition scores were not given.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

More burros were processed than caught, throwing the numbers out of balance.

Captured – Shipped – Released – Dead = 360 – 353 – 0 – 8 = -1

The death rate is 2.2%.

The capture total includes 186 jacks, 152 jennies and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 6.1% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 55% were male and 45% were female.

General

The location of the trap site is not known.  Five HMAs are involved.

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

  • Forage: 17,256 AUMs per year
  • Water: 14,380 gallons per day

The June 3 schedule indicates that 40 mares will be treated with a fertility control pesticide but this is not acknowledged at the gather page.

There are no such plans for the burros.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Blue Wing Roundup, Day 21.

Blue Wing Complex with Allotments 05-02-24

If You Want to Help the Ranchers Give Money to the Advocates

No need to vet the farm bureaus, stockgrower’s associations and cattlemen’s groups.

The advocates want the horses off the range as much as the bureaucrats and ranchers.

They have a plan: To replace motorized removal with nonmotorized removal.

Forget about Velma, the 92nd Congress and principal use.

Better Way 10-25-23

Today, they’re working alongside the legacy contractors to make sure the herds don’t bounce back.

Deniz Bolbol TCF Darter 03-11-23

Their long-term goal is to put the contractors out of business, or at least make them unnecessary in areas identified for wild horses, by spreading the serpent’s venom across the fruited plain.

Putting the horses out of business, a gradual process known as mass sterilization, never seems to enter the discussion.

RELATED: Best Way to Disarm the Wild Horse Protesters.

Blue Wing Roundup, Day 21

The incident started on July 8.  Results through July 28:

  • Scope: Blue Wing Complex
  • Target: Horses and burros
  • AML: 555 horses and 90 burros
  • Pre-gather population: 1,912 horses and 476 burros
  • Type: Planned
  • Method: Helicopter
  • Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
  • Better way: Snuff out new life with PZP (according to advocates)
  • Goals
    • Horses: Gather 1,373 and remove 1,333
    • Burros: Gather 356 and remove 356
  • Captured
    • Horses: 1,173, up from 1,106 on Day 19
    • Burros: 360, no change from Day 19
  • Shipped
    • Horses: 1,113, up from 1,040 on Day 19
    • Burros: 353, no change from Day 19
  • Released
    • Horses: 3, no change from Day 19
    • Burros: None
  • Deaths
    • Horses: 26, up from 25 on Day 19
    • Burros: 8, no change from Day 19
  • Average daily take
    • Horses: 55.9
    • Burros: 17.1
  • Unaccounted-for animals
    • Horses: 31
    • Burros: -1
  • 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

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Horses

A mare was put down on Day 20 for club feet.  The death rate is 2.2%.

The capture total includes 479 stallions, 487 mares and 207 foals.

Youngsters represented 17.6% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 12% per year.

Of the adults, 49.6% were male and 50.4% were female, results that could be produced by a random process centered at 50% males / 50% females.

Body condition scores were not given.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

More burros were processed than caught, throwing the numbers out of balance.

Captured – Shipped – Released – Dead = 360 – 353 – 0 – 8 = -1

The death rate is 2.2%.

The capture total includes 186 jacks, 152 jennies and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 6.1% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 55% were male and 45% were female.

General

The location of the trap site is not known.  Five HMAs are involved.

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

  • Forage: 16,200 AUMs per year
  • Water: 13,500 gallons per day

The June 3 schedule indicates that 40 mares will be treated with a fertility control pesticide but this is not acknowledged at the gather page.

There are no such plans for the burros.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Blue Wing Roundup, Day 19.

Blue Wing Complex with Allotments 05-02-24

If Wild Horses Had Principal Use of Disappointment Creek

The allotment, on the west side of Spring Creek Basin HMA, offers 2,508 active AUMs on 34,232 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage assigned to horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 2,508 ÷ 12 = 209, the number of horses the land could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute.

The stocking rate would be 209 ÷ 34,232 × 1,000 = 6.1 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

The bureaucrats and ranchers claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates support the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 34 and 175 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in Colorado carry livestock equivalent to 49,546 wild horses on 7,448,367 public acres, or 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Wild horses can be placed on public lands not identified for their use by acquiring the base property associated therewith and converting the grazing preference to horses, as American Prairie did for bison in Montagna.

RELATED: The Allotments Tell the Story: They’re Lying, All of Them.

Disappointment Creek Allotment 07-29-24