Caliente Roundup, Day 35

The allotment, in southwestern Wyoming below the I-80 checkerboard, offers 16,298 active AUMs on 181,182 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 16,298 ÷ 12 = 1,358, 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 1,358 ÷ 181,182 × 1,000 = 7.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

The bureaucrats and ranchers tell us 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 bolster the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 181 and 1,177 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in the state carry livestock equivalent to 158,425 wild horses on 17,312,214 public acres, or 9.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Another Wild Horse Family Struggling on Virginia Range

Mares that don’t respond to PZP have weak immune systems, a trait that can be passed on to their offspring.

The pesticide tricks their immune system into attacking their ovaries.

What does the future hold for this little guy?

Maybe his mom fled from another area in fear of the advocates.

The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses administers the sterilization program, now in its sixth year, presumably, although the new agreement with NDA has not been posted to its darting resources page.

Mustang Monday

At the Onaqui Mountain HMA with fureyfamily.

Foal Spotted on Virginia Range!

This is an essential part of their existence and the advocates are trying to shut it down.

If Wild Horses Had Principal Use of Snake River

The allotment, on the east side of the Sand Wash Basin HMA, offers 6,082 active AUMs on 53,855 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage allocation for horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 6,082 ÷ 12 = 507, 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 507 ÷ 53,855 × 1,000 = 9.4 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 give their assent though their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 54 and 453 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, for an average of 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Caliente Roundup, Day 32

The incident started on April 16. Results through May 17:

Scope: Caliente Complex
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
Goals: Gather 350, remove 350
Captured: 159, up from 124 on Day 28
Shipped: 136, up from 113 on Day 28
Released: None
Deaths: 5, up from 3 on Day 28
Average daily take: 5.0
Unaccounted-for animals: 18

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A stallion was dispatched on Day 31 due to a fractured leg along with a mare because of blindness, lifting the death rate to 3.1%.

The capture total includes 65 stallions, 70 mares and 24 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.1% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of ten percent per year.

Of the adults, 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

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

Forage: 1,908 AUMs per year
Water: 1,590 gallons per day

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Caliente Roundup, Day 28.

Deerwood Ranch Open House Set for June 8

The event runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, registration is not required and there is no admission fee according to a story dated May 18 by the Laramie Boomerang.

BLM staff will be on-site to answer questions and approve adoption applications.

The January Facility Report put the capacity at 350 and current population at 340.

The off-range pasture, described by its owners as a wild horse ecosanctuary, represents victory for the ranchers and failure for the horses.

Bordo Atravesado Roundup, Day 16

The incident started on May 1. Results through May 16:

Scope: Bordo Atravesado HMA
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
AML: 60
Estimated population: 276
Goals: Gather 235, remove 225
Captured: 140, up from 129 on Day 13
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: 2, no change from Day 13
Average daily take: 8.8
Unaccounted-for animals: 140

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The death rate is 1.4%.

The capture total includes 69 stallions, 53 mares and 18 foals.

Youngsters represented 12.9% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 56.6% were male and 43.4% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The destination of captured animals was not disclosed.

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

Forage: 1,680 AUMs per year
Water: 1,400 gallons per day

Ten mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, and be returned to the range according to the latest schedule.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Foal-Free Friday, Abnormal Sex Ratios Edition

The Draft EA for Little Book Cliffs WHR, released for public review earlier this week, indicates in Section 2.1.3 that mares outnumber stallions by a margin of nearly two to one, and that the BLM intends to adjust the ratio to one to one.

How did it get so far out of whack?

The advocates and their safe, proven and reversible darting program.

They don’t refer to the condition as an abnormal sex ratio, they say the mares are living longer.

What’s the solution?

More of the same.

Curiously, they’ve scrubbed their home page of any references to PZP and plastered it with images of foals.

As for the Little Book Cliffs herd, the number of viable mares and size of the breeding population are unknown.

Pesticides R Us Better Way 11-07-23

Little Book Cliffs Draft EA Out for Public Review?

Today’s news release says comments will be accepted through June 15, but the project folder contains only three maps, no EA or supporting documents.

It may auto-populate overnight.

UPDATE: The EA has been copied to the folder with five appendices.

Caliente Roundup, Day 28

The incident started on April 16. Results through May 13:

Scope: Caliente Complex
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
Goals: Gather 350, remove 350
Captured: 124, up from 115 on Day 13
Shipped: 113, up from 112 on Day 13
Released: None
Deaths: 3, no change from Day 13
Average daily take: 4.4
Unaccounted-for animals: 8

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

No activity was reported between May 3 and May 13.

The death rate is 2.4%.

The capture total includes 51 stallions, 55 mares and 18 foals.

Youngsters represented 14.5% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of nine percent per year.

Of the adults, 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

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

Forage: 1,488 AUMs per year
Water: 1,240 gallons per day

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Caliente Roundup, Day 13.

Bordo Atravesado Roundup, Day 13

The incident started on May 1. Results through May 13:

Scope: Bordo Atravesado HMA
Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
AML: 60
Estimated population: 276
Goals: Gather 235, remove 225
Captured: 129, up from 103 on Day 9
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: 2, up from zero on Day 9
Average daily take: 9.9
Unaccounted-for animals: 127

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A horse died of injuries sustained in the roundup on Day 10. No details were given.

A horse was dispatched for a pre-existing condition on Day 12. No explanation.

The death rate is 1.6%.

The capture total includes 65 stallions, 49 mares and 15 foals.

Youngsters represented 11.6% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 57.0% were male and 43.0% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The disposition of captured animals was not stated.

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

Forage: 1,548 AUMs per year
Water: 1,290 gallons per day

Ten mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, and be returned to the range according to the latest schedule.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

If Wild Horses Had Principal Use of Hubbard Vineyard

The allotment, located north of Wells, NV, offers 13,031 active AUMs on 112,213 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage allocation for horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 13,031 ÷ 12 = 1,086, 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 1,086 ÷ 112,213 × 1,000 = 9.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

This brings more distress to the bureaucrats and ranchers, who 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 bolster the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 112 and 974 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in Nevada carry livestock equivalent to 173,144 wild horses on 40,194,360 public acres, for an average of 4.3 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Public Lands Rule Published

The new rule appeared in the Federal Register on May 9.

They will use it to bludgeon wild horses while coddling the ranchers.

CBS Sunday Morning Visits Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary

Sanctuaries represent victory for the ranchers, failure for the horses.

Forage Interchangeability: Key to Wild Horse Carrying Capacity

Call it dietary overlap if you’d like.

Horses graze in allotments and cattle graze in HMAs.

It’s the same land.

Forage doesn’t grow with little tags on it. “I’m for horses.” “I’m for cattle.”

Once you understand that it’s easy to compute the True AMLs, the number of animals the land can support if it was managed principally for them.

AML-1

NPS Developing Management Plan for Ocracoke Ponies

A meeting will be held on May 21 at the Ocracoke Community Center to receive public input ahead of the plan’s development according to the May 6 news release.

An online option is not available.

A search of the Cape Hatteras planning list yielded no results for “horses” or “ponies.”

Herd demographics and previous management actions were not discussed.

No foals have been born since 2018 according to the FAQs at the Ocracoke Horse page.

A driver of the project is man-made climate change and sea level rise, a hoax.