Western Horse Watchers Association
Exposing the Hypocrisy, Lies and Incompetence of the Wild Horse Advocates
On the range
The incident started on July 20.
No animals were captured on Day 2.
Four horses were taken on Day 3, along with 20 burros, bringing the totals to 16 horses and 20 burros.
No deaths were reported and none were returned.
All horses have been shipped.
BLM personnel are probably holding the burros in a temporary pen.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The capture and removal goals are identical, 25 wild horses and 100 wild burros.
RELATED: Johnnie Roundup in Progress.
The Decision Record signed on July 20 authorizes Alternative B, the Proposed Action, which will establish Herd Management Areas Plans (HMAPs) for the Black Mountain, Hardtrigger and Sands Basin HMAs in western Idaho.
These plans would achieve and maintain AMLs through roundups, fertility control treatments, selective horse removals and periodic introduction of fertile animals from other HMAs to boost genetic diversity.
AMLs are small relative to the available resources because most of the food and water in areas identified for wild horses have been assigned to privately owned cattle and sheep.
But when you see the introduction of animals from other areas, you know the bureaucrats have cut the herds and breeding populations to the bone, a further concession to the public-lands ranchers.
How will the new HMAPs make life better for the horses?
Contrary to what the advocates have been telling you, they won’t.
HMAPs must conform to the land-use plans.
Herd sizes will be minimized, ranchers will receive the lion’s share of the food and water and the mares will be poisoned with ovary-killing pesticides.
As shown in the following map from the National Data Viewer, the horses suffer not from habitat loss, but from resource confiscation and reapportionment.
The EA and DR were copied to the project folder with other supporting documents.
RELATED: Comments Invited on Owyhee Resource Enforcement EA?
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 21:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Lameness and club feet were reported as deaths on Day 13, suggesting that the animals were taken alive but killed by the wranglers.
The death rate is 0.9%.
The capture total includes 312 stallions, 440 mares and 211 foals.
Youngsters represented 21.9% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 41.5% were male and 58.5% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 752 adults.
A 22% birth rate corresponds to a growth rate of 17% per year, a bit less than the 20% growth rate used by land managers to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 13 ended with 96 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup South, Day 11.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 21:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
The number of horses shipped to date is 377 according to the summary.
A stallion was put down on Day 12 due to blindness in one eye, a non-life-threatening condition.
He’d be alive today if there was no roundup, so this “act of mercy” is chargeable thereto.
Two leg fractures were reported as deaths on Day 13, suggesting the animals were also killed by the wranglers, one related to the roundup and one pre-existing.
The death rate is 1.8%.
The capture total includes 152 stallions, 221 mares and 71 foals.
Youngsters represented 16.0% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 40.8% were male and 59.2% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 373 adults.
A 16% birth rate corresponds to a growth rate of 11% per year, considerably less than the 20% growth rate used by land managers to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores on Days 12 and 13 ranged from 3 to 4.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 13 ended with 65 unaccounted-for animals.
There are no plans to treat captured mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the area.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 11.
The incident started on July 20, according to the gather page, with 12 horses captured and 12 shipped.
The location of the trap site was not given.
RELATED: Johnnie Roundup Announced.
The incidents began on July 9 (North | South). Combined results through July 19:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
The death rate is 1.0%.
The capture total includes 366 stallions, 557 mares and 250 foals.
Youngsters represented 21.3% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 39.7% were male and 60.3% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 923 adults.
A birth rate of 21% per year corresponds to a growth rate of 16% per year.
Day 11 ended with 108 unaccounted-for animals.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing, with livestock receiving an estimated 7.7 times more forage than horses inside the Complex.
*According to advocates.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 11, Antelope Roundup South, Day 11.
A report dated July 19 by AP News says the stallion that broke his leg trying to escape from the trap was pressured by wranglers, not helicopters.
The advocates point to the incident as justification for their ruinous darting programs while saying almost nothing about the causes of roundups and beneficiaries thereof.
The story has been picked up by major new outlets.
RELATED: Helicopter Ban Is Not the Answer.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 19:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
The death rate is 0.8%.
The capture total includes 259 stallions, 377 mares and 190 foals.
Youngsters represented 23.0% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 40.7% were male and 59.3% were female. These statistics fall outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 636 adults. The disparity might be explained by the contractor targeting family bands.
A birth rate of 23% per year corresponds to a growth rate of 18% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 11 ended with 34 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup South, Day 9.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 19:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
The number of horses shipped to date is 274 according to the summary.
The trap was moved on Day 10.
A mare was put down on Day 11 due to blindness in one eye, a non-life-threatening condition.
The death rate is 1.4%.
The capture total includes 107 stallions, 180 mares and 60 foals.
Youngsters represented 17.3% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 37.3% were male and 62.7% were female. These statistics fall outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 287 adults. The disparity might be explained by the contractor targeting family bands.
A 17% birth rate corresponds to a herd growth rate of 12% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores on Day 11 ranged from 3 to 4.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 11 ended with 74 unaccounted-for animals.
There are no plans to treat captured mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the area.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 9.
It’s on the July 13 schedule but not on the June 14 schedule.
Billed as a nuisance roundup, the BLM will remove approximately 25 wild horses and 100 wild burros from private lands near Pahrump, NV, starting on or about July 20.
Animals will be drawn into the traps with bait and operations will not be open to public observation.
Captured animals will be taken to the Ridgecrest off-range corrals.
Gather stats and daily reports will be posted to this page.
The horses and burros are crossing state highways and have entered private properties, damaging fencing, water lines and vegetation, according to today’s news release.
The HMA is managed for burros. The AML for horses is zero.
The herd on the Maryland side of the island consisted of 14 bands and 81 horses, according to the inventory dated July 16, no change from June.
Seven foals were born this year.
The sex ratio cannot be determined but is likely skewed in favor of females.
If a dominant stallion runs each band, and seven mares are viable, the breeding population is very small, less than 20% of the herd size, seven years after the safe, proven and reversible darting program was shut off.
The BLM WHB Handbook indicates the breeding population should exceed 50 animals to maintain an acceptable level of genetic diversity.
The pesticide of choice was Zonastat-H, a miracle drug according to the advocates.
The Assateague Island Alliance updates the lists monthly.
RELATED: Assateague Pony Census, June 2023.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 17:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Aerial operations were cut short on Days 8 and 9 by temperature and wind.
A mare and stallion died of fractured necks on Day 8, probably due to collisions with pipe panels.
The death rate is 1.0%.
The advocates will point to these losses as justification for their ruinous darting programs.
The capture total includes 212 stallions, 309 mares and 158 foals.
Youngsters represented 23.3% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 40.7% were male and 59.3% were female. The proportions fall outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 521 adults. The disparity might be explained by the contractor targeting family bands.
A birth rate of 23% per year corresponds to a growth rate of 18% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 9 ended with 12 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup South, Day 7.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 17:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
The number of horses shipped to date, based on the daily reports, is 234, compared to a total of 240 in the summary.
The trap may have been moved on Day 8, possibly to another HMA, because no horses were captured and none were shipped on Day 9.
The death rate is 1.4%.
The capture total includes 93 stallions, 146 mares and 50 foals.
Youngsters represented 17.3% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 38.9% were male and 61.1% were female. The proportions fall outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 239 adults. The disparity might be explained by the contractor targeting family bands.
A 17% birth rate corresponds to a herd growth rate of 12% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores on Day 9 were 4.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 9 ended with 51 unaccounted-for animals.
There are no plans to treat captured mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the area.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 7.
Probably a fair statement. Most of them are frauds.
But what would you say if the writer was an acolyte for the Wild Horse Fire Brigade, a group that wants wild horses moved from areas where they’re not wanted, sometimes referred to as their lawful homes, to remote wilderness areas not particularly suited to livestock grazing?
Pot calling the kettle black?
You can’t judge a book by its cover but you can certainly dismiss an article written by one of the Benedict Arnolds of the wild horse world.
RELATED: Capitulation, Surrender, Defeat.
The Animal Defense Council of Tuscon, AZ, will pay $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible, according to a story dated July 16 by KGUN News.
RELATED: Wild Burros Found Dead in Death Valley.
A kayakers-eye view of cherished wild horses by Walking with a Wookie.
Triangle L Ranch covers 5,885 deeded acres, with grazing preference on 74,000 public acres producing 5,132 AUMs per year, according to the listing by Hall and Hall.
That works out to 69.4 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, enough to support 5.8 wild horses per thousand public acres, despite claims by the bureaucrats that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).
Why the difference? The bureaucrats assigned most of the forage in the lawful homes of wild horses to privately owned livestock.
The property features nine miles of a perennial creek and a 125-acre pivot.
The asking price includes all farm equipment but not cattle and hay.
The agent’s map ties the deeded acreage to BLM and Forest Service allotments.
On the BLM side: Frost Creek, Lindsay Creek and Browne, all in the Tuscarora Field Office, and Railroad Pass in the Bristlecone Field Office.
For the Forest Service: Mica North, Corral Creek and Cherry Springs, all in the Ruby Mountains Ranger District (Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest). Unfortunately, the AOIs for this area have not been published. The allotments can be found on the Western Watersheds map but will not be covered here.
The National Data Viewer shows the BLM allotments vis-à-vis nearby HMAs.
Railroad Pass overlaps Diamond Hills South. Click on image to open in new tab.
The Allotment Master Reports (Tuscarora | Bristlecone) put Frost Creek and Lindsay Creek in the Maintain category, and Browne and Railroad Pass in the Improve category.
The seller does not hold all of the active AUMs in the allotments.
Livestock retreat to base properties during the off season and during periods of voluntary or mandatory non-use due to drought, wildfires or overgrazing.
Instead of competing with wild horses, a buyer could leverage the deeded acres in a rewilding project by asking the BLM for change in livestock type and season of use, as American Prairie did for bison in Montana.
In this way, less than 6,000 private acres would control 74,000 public acres, exactly what the ranchers are doing except the landscape would be dotted with free-roaming horses, not privately owned cattle and sheep.
RELATED: Eureka Base Property Hits Market for $2.75 Million.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 15:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
A mare died of a fractured neck on Day 6, probably due to impact on a pipe panel.
A foal was lost on Day 7 because of an umbilical hernia. The report did not indicate euthanasia.
The death rate is 0.8%.
The capture total includes 197 stallions, 286 mares and 148 foals.
Youngsters represented 23.5% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 40.8% were male and 59.2% were female. These proportions don’t look they came from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample size of 483.
A birth rate of 23% per year corresponds to a growth rate of 18% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 7 ended with 91 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup South, Day 5.
The incident began on July 9. Results through July 15:
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
A mare was put down on Day 6 due to blindness in one eye, a non-life-threatening condition.
The death rate is 1.6%.
The capture total includes 85 stallions, 122 mares and 42 foals.
Youngsters represented 16.9% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 41.1% were male and 58.9% were female.
A 17% birth rate corresponds to a herd growth rate of 12% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores on Days 6 and 7 ranged from 3 to 4.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 7 ended with 52 unaccounted-for animals.
There are no plans to treat captured mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the area.
Other statistics:
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 5.
The remains of five animals were found earlier this week, according to a report dated July 13 by KLAS News of Las Vegas.
The animals were shot and killed in the Lower Wildrose area of the park.
The report was likely based on a news release from NPS.
The BLM assisted NPS with burro removal last year, suggesting that officials with the Park Service were not satisfied with the progress of a private contractor.
RELATED: NPS Dissatisfied with Peaceful Valley Rescue, Orders Roundup?
Western Horse Watchers Association 