A fine example of virility and potency.  Filmed 10/19/18 just after sunset.

Piceance Mustangs, an advocacy group for the wild horses at the Piceance-East Douglas HMA in northwestern Colorado, has scheduled a work day for 10/27/18, according to a story posted today in the Rio Blanco Herald Times.

Volunteers work with the BLM to promote healthy horses and rangelands.

Who defines ‘healthy horses and rangelands?’  The BLM, of course.  That means—wait for it—a fertility control program starting next year.

Sure would be nice if the wild horse world could move toward ‘What can we do for the horses?’ instead of ‘What can we do to the horses?’  Keeping them on the range would be a good place to start.

The HMA has an aimed-at population density of 1.25 animals per thousand acres.

RELATED: Stop the Roundups, Fertility Control is Better!

They’re not a part of the natural ecosystem.  They destroy western rangelands and squeeze out wildlife, just like the horses.

A private organization has been hired to remove them, every one, even though they are dispersed at a rate of approximately one animal per thousand acres (in line with the average density of wild horses on BLM lands).

“Burros, natives of North African deserts, were once among the West’s most precious resources: sure-footed in rugged terrain and capable of carrying heavy loads long distances in extreme temperatures.  But with wild populations that doubled every five years, they were damaging habitat sought after for cattle grazing, mining, development and off-road vehicles.”

Refer to this story, posted today by the Los Angeles Times.  Bait traps have been set up to capture the burros.  If that doesn’t work, helicopters will used to finish the job.

It’s not about saving money.  There are no plans to close departments, sell buildings and lay people off when the roundup is complete.  Who benefits?

From the video owner: “America’s wild horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American landscape.  They need our voices and protection….”  Regarding the caption at 2:47, darting mares with PZP is not protection, it is capitulation to the public-lands ranchers and their anti-horse agenda.  H/T Donna Gentile.

RELATED: Stop the Roundups, Fertility Control is Better!

Ride the train.  You might see some Virginia Range mustangs.

“We have wild horses and these big, monstrous open spaces.  It’s a pretty spectacular view.  That’s why we have these big windows — so people can see the scenery.”

Refer to this story about the V&T Railroad, posted today by Carson Now.

Personnel with the Law Enforcement Division won’t discuss any details or answer any questions until the investigation is complete, according to a report posted this morning by the White Mountain Independent.

Both horses have been buried.  Necropsies were not performed and the bullets were not recovered.  Apparently, evidence is of no use in these ‘investigations.’

RELATED: Investigation of Heber Wild Horse Shooting Continues.

The Herald and News of Klamath Falls, OR allows itself to become a conduit for government propaganda.  Not one word about livestock and grazing allotments that cover the entire territory—lands set aside for the horses!

Two advocacy groups have joined forces to block the unrestricted sale of wild horses removed from Devil’s Garden WHT, some of which might end up in slaughter.  Refer to this story, posted today in YubaNet, an online news service in Nevada City, CA.

RELATED: Fate of Devil’s Garden Horses?

UPDATE: See also this story in The Sacramento Bee dated 10/22/18.

Their descendants roamed an area known today as Theodore Roosevelt National Park, until the NPS rounded them up and sold them off, with some ending up at the Kuntz ranch.  They are the Nokotas.

“Fun fact, depending on what historians you talk to, some believe Comanche was actually the only true survivor of the tragic Little Bighorn battle.”

Refer to this article about a war horse named Comanche that appeared on 10/04/18 in Cowgirl Magazine.  He died in 1890, receiving full military honors.

RELATED: Nokota Horses to Be Dispersed.

On Steens Mountain Wilderness (includes South Steens HMA).  H/T RV Travels.

A judge has ruled that the New Mexico Livestock Board has no jurisdiction over the wild horses in Lincoln County and can no longer gather and sell them.  The horses live in an area north of Ruidoso, NM.  Refer to the story that appeared yesterday Ruidoso News.

The case was brought by the Wild Horse Observers Association, an ‘advocacy’ group that favors fertility control over roundups.

Both stock tanks are now on float control.  The underground water supply line and yard hydrant have been installed.  Short video posted to WHW YouTube channel.

The idea is to keep the horses up in the hills and away from populated areas, a practice known as ‘diversionary watering.’

The gather is complete according to a report posted yesterday by The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, CO, although the BLM has not issued a news release confirming that.

“The agency undertook the operation because of concerns about heavy grazing pressure by the horses, a problem exacerbated by drought.”

The wild horse population at the beginning of the roundup was 190, barely large enough to maintain genetic viability of the herd.

RELATED: Stupid Horses Won’t Take the Bait at Little Bookcliffs.

Family band came in for a drink on 10/19/18, shortly after the stock tanks had been dumped, bleached and refilled.  Great to see the youngster!

Temperatures at night are reaching the low 30s / high 20s for a few hours, which is not a big problem, but the system will have to be shut off and drained in a few more weeks.

Wild horses in eastern Utah, somewhere between the towns of Ouray and Bonanza, possibly on BIA land (go to page 3 in this map).  There are no HMAs in that part of the state, only the Bonanza HA (red border), which is no longer managed for WHB due to ‘inadequate food and water.’  Yet there they are!

If you want to deceive the public about wild horse overpopulation, count horses like these, outside of HMAs, and compare the result to the allowable number of horses inside HMAs.

H/T Susan Allison.

The Navajo County Sheriff’s department has offered a $2500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible.  See the report posted yesterday by AZFamily, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix.  Includes video.

RELATED: Horses Shot at Heber WHT.

Refer to this report, posted tonight by Las Vegas Now.  BLM said the horses were in such poor condition that life-ending actions were justified.  A photo was provided to support their position.

This is not a problem of humane methods of euthanasia.  Rescues take in horses like that all the time.  It’s a problem of enmity toward wild horses.  Eight of them were executed summarily by the agency entrusted with their care.

The report says all documents related to the case have been formally requested, which probably means FOIA.

RELATED: Spruce-Pequop Gather: Absence of the Story is the Story.

Trailcam photo of some Virginia Range mustangs at the stock tanks.  Check out the stud on the left with the bi-colored mane and tail.  You guys are awesome!

Still no coverage of the wild horse massacre by national news outlets.  The original story can now be seen in this FB video.

Questions that have not been answered:

• Are guns a common tool for euthanizing animals on BLM lands?
• Is shooting wild horses in the abdomen a standard practice for the BLM?
• Is that what they do to horses that are blind or have other physical defects?
• Were the shots fired from the ground or from the air?
• What were the body condition scores of the horses that were killed?
• Why were the eight deaths omitted from the gather reports?
• Who was present when the incident occurred?
• Who pulled the trigger(s)?
• Has an investigation started?

The original report by Las Vegas Now can be found here.  GET.  THE.  WORD.  OUT.

RELATED: Massacre at Spruce-Pequop HMA Getting Some Media Attention.

Free-roaming horses on White Mountain HMA, in southwestern Wyoming, with Pilot Butte in the background.  Classic western image at 1:22.  H/T Voyageurs 64 Sylfred.

RELATED: Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Tour.