Western Horse Watchers Association
Exposing the Hypocrisy, Lies and Incompetence of the Wild Horse Advocates
On the range
The Banker horses will probably be feeling the full effects of the storm Thursday evening, with high winds and major flooding. Flying debris and falling trees may also be a problem. Inland waterways probably started to rise today. Tides will be a factor.
There may be a high pressure system to the north, impeding forward movement and steering the storm down the coast. The map above, from the NHC, suggests it will retain hurricane strength until Saturday.
RELATED: Florence Landfall Moving South.
Many residents and visitors have evacuated the barrier islands, trying to avoid an uninvited guest named Florence, leaving the horses behind. This story by WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC, posted today, is typical of the reporting on these animals last 24 hours.
The storm has deviated slightly from the predicted track, taking it away from the Outer Banks, but it will still have a major impact on the area.
The track has shifted further southward, compared to last night, with landfall now approaching the North/South Carolina state line. The Banker Horses will still be in the northeast quadrant of the storm, subject to flooding and flying debris, although perhaps with a bit less severity, due to the greater distance from the eye.
Wild horses on the southern end of the Outer Banks, near Cape Lookout (Rachel Carson Reserve and Shackleford Banks), are at greatest risk.
RELATED: Florence Still a Threat to Banker Horses.
Bait trapping ended 09/09/18, with 371 wild horses removed from the Spruce-Pequop HMA in western Nevada, according to a news release issued yesterday. Nine deaths were reported (2.4%) and no animals were returned to the range.
A foal was born at the temporary holding facility (trap site) on 09/04/18.
Five horses were euthanized due to blindness.
A mare died in the trap after hitting a panel, apparently breaking her neck.
Five geldings were gathered and shipped to Fallon, to be handed over to the State of Nevada as estray animals (which means they will probably be taken to auction and picked up by kill buyers, after attempting to find their owners).
No cattle were harmed in the process?
Gather stats and daily reports can be found at this page.
These actions are not being done out of concern for the horses but for loyalty to the public-lands ranchers and their overlords in the livestock industry.
Links are never provided for applicable grazing allotments and other documentation showing allocation of resources, so interested parties could determine which species is consuming more than its fair share of the available forage, on lands set aside for wild horses and burros.
The storm track has shifted a bit to the south, taking a little pressure off the OBX horses, but they are still in danger. The models are now saying that landfall will be near Wilmington, NC. Refer to the latest NHC map, which updates every three hours.
The Outer Banks are now under hurricane warnings. The track at Day 4 and Day 5 has bent to the west, carrying the storm into South Carolina.
RELATED: Florence Aimed at Mid NC Coast.
BLM will remove 300 wild horses from the Eagle HMA, beginning September 13, according to a news release issued today. Helicopters will be used to push the horses into the traps. The HMA is in eastern Nevada, on the Utah border, about 60 miles south of Ely.
The stated reason for the roundup is insufficient water. If an advocacy group came forward with a desire to haul water, would they allow it? Would they let the horses stay on the range? Or is there another reason for removal?
The gather will be open to public observation.
The HMA covers 660,610 acres and has an AML of 210, for an aimed-at population density of 0.32 animals per thousand acres. The announcement indicated that 1,559 wild horses would remain when the operation is finished, for a post-gather density of 2.36 animals per thousand acres.
The Virginia Range, on the western side of the state, has a population density of ten animals per thousand acres, maybe a bit more.
Captured animals will be taken to the Palomino Valley WHB facility near Reno, NV, where they will checked be a veterinarian and prepared for adoption (even though the market has likely been saturated by all the roundups this year).
Gather stats and daily reports can be found at this page.
The announcement suggested that livestock were present on the HMA but did not say if they were affected by lack of water. Drought seems to be highly selective on western rangelands, affecting mostly horses and burros. Public-lands ranchers, of course, are allowed to install water systems and make other improvements, WHB advocates are generally not.
This 26 minute video will get you up to speed on the Banker Horses, now in the path of Hurricane Florence. H/T The Natural History Channel.
Projected path, as of this morning, puts the storm onshore somewhere between Wilmington and Jacksonville, NC. People (and wild horses) living near the coast, northeast of landfall, will be hit with the surge. Refer to this map from NHC.
OBX now under hurricane watch. The system may increase water levels in that area by six to twelve feet, according to a report posted earlier today by the Charlotte Observer.
RELATED: Florence to Pound OBX?
Twelve horses have been lured into traps at the Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Range, according to a report issued today by The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, CO, with nine permanently removed from the range. Volunteers with ‘Friends’ of the Mustangs are helping the BLM with the roundup.
“The horses have been cooperative and they’ve been taking our bait.”
Body condition scores have been fours and fives, which contradict claims that the horses did not have enough to eat (due to overpopulation and ongoing drought).
“They’re in good condition. They look healthy.”
The real concern, of course, is not for the welfare of the horses, but for the prosperity of the government serfs who run their livestock on surrounding lands.
RELATED: It’s ‘Go Along to Get Along’ at Little Bookcliffs WH Range.
About a three hour job on a Saturday night. Blue is old, white is new. Can’t be without water on a horse ranch.
RELATED: More Joys of Country Living, Rural Water Systems – Repairs.
Storm track has shifted northward, landfall moving up the coast toward Shackleford Banks. You do not want to be in the northeast quadrant of a Category 4 hurricane as it comes onshore, even if you are a wild horse.
Personnel at the Corolla Wild Horse Fund said earlier today not to worry.
The models have bent the track slightly northward, compared to Saturday, putting the wild horses of the Outer Banks in the region of onshore flow. Refer to this map from the NHC. The hurricane has reached Category 2 status, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It is projected to reach Category 4 at landfall (winds 130+ mph).
Depending on the size and strength of the system, areas impacted by the storm surge could extend well beyond North Carolina.
Not only is flooding a danger to the horses, the risk of getting hit by flying objects (torn from structures) is considerable.
RELATED: Florence Now Hurricane.
On the Virginia Range. H/T Lauri Duke.
Time-lapse video of hand-drawn image. H/T Jessica Matheney Fine Art.
The storm is now aimed at Wilmington, NC, according to a story published today in the Charlotte Observer. The NHC cone appears on this page.
The wild horses of the barrier islands, especially those at Shackleford Banks, would be in the northeast quadrant of the hurricane, based on today’s projections, which brings the onshore flow (storm surge).
These horses have been on U.S. soil longer than the mustangs of the American west and are thought to be descended from those brought to the New World by Spanish explorers.
RELATED: Florence to Drench OBX?
Totally off the grid, near Cold Creek, NV. C’mon all you preppers and 2A/3P, let’s see what you got! Nevada high desert!
Too early to say. If the storm makes landfall near the North/South Carolina state line, which is where the current track puts it, the Outer Banks, and the wild horses thereon, will be on the bad side (onshore wind and water). Would a Cat 3 storm put the place under water? See the story posted today in the Charlotte Observer.
Corolla wild horses out for an early afternoon stroll. These animals have been on U.S. soil longer than those of the American west. H/T S&K vids.
A stallion named Willie Nelson brings his band in for a drink, courtesy of Wild Horse Warriors. H/T HighStakesRanch.
RELATED: Volunteers Bring More Water to Sand Wash Horses.
Thirsty stallions visit a water tank on Sand Wash Basin HMA. H/T Steve Hostetler.
RELATED: Volunteers Still Hauling Water to Sand Wash Horses.
