On Heber WHT.

Now you know why these horses are no longer self-reliant.

The new specialty plate for the Virginia Range mustangs features an image of ‘Ghost,’ a stallion that roams the hills near Hidden Valley, east of Reno, NV.

It symbolizes the ruggedness of wild horses and their uphill battle against those who want them removed from western rangelands.

The plate will be available to drivers across the state and a collector’s version will be offered to individuals outside of Nevada.

The Virginia Range is ‘ground zero’ in the wild horse preservation movement, launched in 1950 by Velma Johnston.

RELATED: Proof of New Virginia Range Specialty Plate Released.

Roughly 300 people attended a meeting at the Fish Springs Fire Department on 07/12/18 to protest the removal of wild horses from the Pine Nut Mountain Herd Area east of Gardnerville, NV, which could begin next week.  BLM representatives were not among their number.  See the report posted today in The Record-Courier.

RELATED: Opposition to Pine Nut Roundup Continues.

Bait-trapping concluded on 07/12/18, with 135 horses removed from lands outside the Goshute HMA, according to a BLM news release dated 07/13/18.  The report did not indicate if livestock were present on lands where the horses were grazing.

One of the captured animals was put down because of blindness.

Refer to this chart for an explanation of Body Condition Scores.

RELATED: BLM to Gather Horses on Goshute HMA Starting Next Week.

RELATED: Blindness: Death Sentence for BLM Horses?.

Virginia Range mustangs exploring new things.

Two bachelors kicking up dust on the Virginia Range.

The BLM should not back away from its plan to remove over 1700 wild horses from the Caliente HA Complex, according to an opinion piece that appeared today in the Mesquite Local News.

Plaintiffs consider wild horses to be “…more important than the livelihoods of ranchers who graze 4,500 head of cattle and sheep in the area.”  That the animals were placed on lands set aside by Congress for wild horses and burros seems to have been overlooked by the writer.

The editorial contains several elements from the wild horse narrative and lays most of the blame for rangeland degradation at the feet of the horses.

Herd areas, like herd management areas, include lands where horses and burros were found when the WHB Act was signed into law (go to the 8:30 mark in this video).  Over the years BLM has argued that herd areas don’t have the resources to sustain horses and burros.  If that’s true, why are they planning a gather in the Caliente complex?  There’s nothing to remove.

And if the land is too harsh for horses and burros, it must be unfit for cattle and sheep?

If the land is suitable for cattle and sheep, it’s suitable for horses and burros, who take priority over the livestock because of the WHB Act.

RELATED: Lawsuit: BLM Can’t Remove Horses in Favor of Livestock.

The Salt River herd answers that question.  H/T Robert Koblewski.

Two youngsters grooming each other on the Virginia Range.

On the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Maybe we should call them the Salt Water horses.

RELATED: Salt River Horses Share Water with Vacationers.

BLM plans to remove 250 horses from the Cedar Mountain HMA in western Utah, according to a news release dated 07/11/18.  A start date for the gather was not provided.  Capture will be effected by water traps.  Public observation not allowed.

Animals removed from the range will be taken to the Wild Horse Facility in Delta, UT, where they will be prepared for adoption.

The HMA covers 411,636 acres and has an AML of 390, for a target population density of 0.95 horses per thousand acres.  Pretty much in line with the national average.  The news release did not indicate whether livestock were present on these lands.  It also stated that the HMA encompassed 197,275 acres.

Gather stats can be found at this page.

Still subject to testing by Nevada Highway Patrol but the final product is getting closer.

You can check the progress of the new license plate at this FB page.

Two opinion pieces posted yesterday in the Record-Courier of Minden-Gardnerville, NV.

• National support for Fish Springs herd
• Whoa on wild horse roundup

How do you argue a case when you agree with your opponent on its outcome?

RELATED: Pine Nut Gather Moving Ahead Despite Public Outcry.

Filmed at the Butcher Jones Recreation Site on the north side of Saguaro Lake, Tonto National Forest.  Just east of Phoenix, AZ on the Bush Highway.

Like the Virginia Range mustangs, these horses are managed at the state level.

Please drive carefully in the area.

RELATED: Salt River Mustang Killed Along Bush Highway.

A neurological condition of unknown origin has afflicted several wild horses in Waipio Valley, resulting in some deaths, according to a report dated 07/10/18 from Hawaii News Now.

Locals are worried the disease could spread to domestic horses.

The illness may be related to a toxin in spoiled feed.  Blood samples have been collected and tests are in progress.  H/T Kellyerin Claybaugh of Aramat Equine Services.

See this report from CBS4 in Denver dated 07/09/18.  Dry conditions in northwestern Colorado continue.

UPDATE 1: This report from Steamboat Today confirms the existence of a fence that prevents the horses from moving to other sources of water.  So much for self reliance.

UPDATE 2: Added video.

RELATED: Advocates Win Approval to Haul Water to Sand Wash Horses.

On Heber WHT in central AZ.

Birth of a mustang, near Carson City, NV.  Pine Nut Mountains?  H/T Kathy Klossner.

UPDATE: They are Virginia Range horses per Kathy Klossner.

Bachelors playing on the Virginia Range 06/29/18.

Last photo, moments before impact on 06/15/18.  Wonder who did it?  Probably got clocked by a passing hoof.  Still works but will mount it on a better support (pipe panel or T-post).