First of a three-part series on chores around the ranch.  Here is the as-found condition of the corral, 24 hours since last cleaning.  Most of the stalls have been removed, leaving an open space in the shelter.  Horses can interact with each other, come and go as they please.  Remaining stalls only used for recovery from injury or illness.  Filmed 08/19/18.

One of Rick Gore’s classic ‘white board’ videos.  Discussion of pastures and corrals begins at 4:10.

RELATED: Gates, Corral Design, Corral Safety.

Leo Kuntz said they were the ‘Labrador Retrievers of the horse world,’ according to this 13 minute podcast posted today by KFGO in Fargo, ND.  They are no longer found on the range, existing only through preservation efforts of conservancies.

RELATED: Leo Kuntz, Guardian of the Nokota Horses, Passes On.

RELATED: Story of the Nokota Horses, Nokota Horse Conservancy.

Sort of.  The text posted with the video suggests it’s part of the Drummond Ranch near Pawhuska, OK.  Probably an off-range pasture contracted to the BLM.  This is where the older/unadoptable horses end up.  Almost like being on the range…except there are no stallions, no bachelors, no foals, no families.  All mares in this case.

More info in this article.  H/T Sherryl Hannah.

RELATED: BLM Seeks Additional Off-Range Pastures for WHB.

BLM announced today that thirty saddle-started and halter-trained horses and burros will be offered for adoption at the Wyoming Honor Farm September 7 – 8.  Refer to this news release for details.  Photos will be posted to the BLM Wyoming FB page.

Gentling and training were provided by inmates at the facility, located about a mile north of Riverton, WY.

Events are free and open to anyone interested in wild horses and burros.  A training demonstration will occur on the 7th, with competitive bidding on the 8th.

WHB posters will probably be available somewhere on site.

All done, good for another day.  Filmed 08/19/18.

About halfway through.  Mom steps aside to poop then goes back to eating.  Note how she went to an area that hadn’t been cleaned yet.  Filmed 08/19/18.

First of a three-part series on the day-to-day routine in a wild horse corral.  This can be one of your gentling techniques—just go about your business and let them figure out you’re not a threat.  Using an old cracked water bucket to carry hay.  Filmed 08/19/18.

Every evening they get some rice bran, crimped oats and hay pellets, along with some carrots and apples.  Everything mixed in buckets (barn), which are then dumped into the troughs.  No hand feeding.  Any supplements, such as Farrier’s Formula or Red Cell, go in there too.  Sometimes they get a fig newton or some flax seed.  Filmed 08/19/18.

At the Kuntz Ranch, April, 2017.  H/T Emma Zeigler.

RELATED: Leo Kuntz, Guardian of the Nokota Horses, Passes On.

You can support the work of Leo Kuntz and help carry on his legacy with a donation to the Nokota Horse Conservancy.

RELATED: Leo Kuntz, Guardian of the Nokota Horses, Passes On.

Virginia Range mustangs grazing on private property about an hour before sunset.

You’ll want to keep some parts on hand to keep your system running smoothly.

• Filter elements
• O-rings for filters
• Wrench for filters
• Bulb for UV unit
• Quartz tube for UV unit
• Pump for well

These items can be stored in the pump house.  Filter elements should be replaced when water pressure gets low (takes longer to fill water buckets for your horses).  The UV bulb should be replaced annually.

Don’t forget salt pellets for the softener.  Not really a spare part but a consumable.  Put at least five 50-pound bags in storage.  Check the brine tank once a month and add salt as needed.

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.

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.

Played the video at this post while these guys were eating to see if they’d react.

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.

Day 94, 02/21/16.  Baby getting bigger, mom showing some signs of pregnancy.  New colt was about four months away at this point.  No strings, no ropes, no confined spaces.  Just go about your daily business and let them figure out you’re not a threat.

It’s Friday evening so might as well post a video of a drunk woman on a horse.  He’s a good sport and lets her down easy.  H/T Elizabeth Forrest.

Day 24, cold and wet, 12/13/15.  Get your butt out there and clean that corral.