How to Decipher Articles about Wild Horses

A story about Sand Wash Basin by the Craig Press reads like it’s based on a BLM press release, blog post or news conference, but the source was not disclosed.

Here are some tips for interpreting the article, starting at the top.

Majestic wild horses – Pests, an indication that you’re about to be deceived.

Landscape is out-of-balance – The horses are robbing forage from the public-lands ranchers.

Investing the funding necessary – Pissing away your hard-earned tax dollars on useless endeavors.

Public land users – Livestock operators.

That’s just the first paragraph.

Sage-grouse numbers are lower in areas with wild horses than in adjacent areas – Areas with horses are also grazed by livestock but you’re not supposed to know that.

Gather of horses – Roundup.

Horse populations have climbed above this carrying capacity – There are more horses than allowed by plan, not more horses than the land can support. AMLs are small relative to the available resources because most of them have been assigned to ranchers.

End of second paragraph.

Gather enough wild horses this year to get us back on track – Ensure that ranchers receive most of the authorized forage.

Beautiful horses – Pests.

World-renowned herd – Pests.

Landscape under stress due to drought exacerbated by climate change – A temporary change in the weather unrelated to human activity.

End of third paragraph.

Thriving and sustainable wild horse herds – Livestock receive most of the authorized forage.

Healthy herds on healthy public lands – Livestock receive most of the authorized forage.

This investment will help the BLM restore Sand Wash Basin for the public, for wild horses, and for greater sage-grouse and other wildlife species – Livestock receive most of the authorized forage in an area set aside for wild horses.

You can have your wild horse and burro program as long as it doesn’t interfere with the grazing program.

Thriving Ecological Balance-3

TRNP Comment Period Closes, Discussions Continue

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Senator John Hoeven shared their concerns with park officials in a phone call yesterday, according to a story by The Bismarck Tribune, with an emphasis on collaboration between state and federal agencies.

Comments on the scoping newsletter were accepted through January 31.

The next step in the project is to draft an environmental assessment for public review.

SOWH Call to Action Promotes McCullough Darting Program

A “How To” provided by Save Our Wild Horses begins with some information about livestock grazing and forage allocations, including an unsubstantiated remark about the number of horses the HMA can actually sustain (wonder where they got that from), then goes off the rails by defending the safe, proven and reversible fertility control program, claiming that PZP is not a pesticide, does not sterilize and has no effect on sex ratios!

Did you know that some advocates are vegans, not necessarily at SOWH, as they don’t agree with the slaughter of animals for human consumption, yet they have no problem with the killing of pigs to support their PZP habit?

The group sponsored a conference in Washington last year, where attendees had smoke blown up their butts for several days about HMAPs, which must conform to RMPs and are therefore of no use to America’s wild horses.

PZP Dangers 10-21-22

Foal-Free Friday, Throwing in with Your Adversaries Edition

One of the most astonishing developments in the wild horse world is the enthusiasm among the advocates for the Montana Solution, not for population control but for population reduction, evident in the outpouring of support for the darting program at McCullough Peaks.

That they would beat down population in the lawful home of wild horses, so livestock can access most of their food, speaks volumes about their intentions and loyalties.

Working Together for a Horse-Free Future 12-21-22

Groundhog Predicts Another 500 McCullough Comments

He saw his shadow this morning, according to a report by AP News, meaning six more days of babble from the advocates, including today.

You have to give them credit though, they really fired up their base for this one.

The total passed 2,500 today and continues to climb.

Go to ePlanning for the latest results.

Advocates Have New Playbook for Wild Horse Management?

Since 2019 they’ve been stalking the mares across 300,000 acres in western Nevada and destroying their ovaries with a restricted-use pesticide.

Next year they’ll refer the animals as self-boosting, a code word for sterile.

Their goal is to win the approval of the bureaucrats and ranchers and spread the destruction over a much larger area, moving them into the upper echelon of the wild horse removal industry.

That’s how they protect wild horses.

But you won’t see any of that in this article about the Virginia Range darting program.

The story said that advocates with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses announced yesterday that their four-year long fertility control effort is reducing births and could set a new model for managing wild herds but did not say where or how the announcement was made.

Standing Up for Wild Horses on Virginia Range 06-18-22

Veterans Against Mustangs Act Reintroduced in House

The advocates never stop.

Now they’re praising HR 726, legislation that would protect wild horses and burros on federal lands, reduce or eliminate the need for inhumane helicopter roundups, and provide jobs and avenues for healing American veterans with Post Traumatic Stress and other disorders resulting from combat, according to a news release on EIN by Animal Wellness Action.

This would be accomplished by stalking the mares and jennies in their lawful homes and destroying their ovaries with a restricted-use pesticide.

Protect Wild Horses from Advocates 08-29-21

The advocates refer to the product as a vaccine, available from the Billings School of PZP Darting and Public Deception.

Other benefits:

Barren mares
Confused stallions
Increasing death rates
Shrinking herds
Injuries and infections
Abnormal sex ratios
Massive human involvement
Disruption of natural order
Loss of genetic diversity
Sterility
Subordination to livestock

As for the full range of wild behaviors in a natural setting, forget it.

Western Horse Watchers proposes that Cameron Ring and his mercenaries be officially designated as the Dartmoor Brigade.

Advocates Fuming After BLM Nabs Pine Nut Horses

Getting rid of wild horses is their job, not the government’s.

The possibility of a nuisance gather was mentioned in the January edition of Horse Tales, in a column starting at the top of page four.

The author, a real estate agent, PZP darter and pleader for the public-lands ranchers, was interviewed for a story about the removal by The Record-Courier of Minden, NV.

Five horses were captured and taken to the off-range corrals at Palomino Valley.

Note the absence of youngsters in the photo. This is the handiwork of the advocates.

The horses don’t have to compete with cattle according to the article, although the National Data Viewer suggests otherwise.

In this map, the Pine Nut HA is shown in black, the HMA is orange and the allotments are green. Click on image to open in new tab.

Governor Joins Supporters of TRNP Wild Horses

North Dakota governor Doug Burgum sent a letter to the Park Service today expressing confidence that the agency can find a solution that supports genetic diversity and protects the environmental integrity and capacity of the park for current and future generations of visitors, according to a report by The Bismarck Tribune.

Mustang Monday

Horses have the day off. In the Little Picacho Wilderness, part of the Chocolate Mule Mountains HMA in southern California, with Lonnie Huffman.

Buried on the Virginia Range

This was the scene today, water tanks barely visible.

Compare to these photos from last year.

Water Tanks Buried 01-28-23

Rio Ro Mo Ranch to Become Wild Horse Sanctuary

The Wild Animal Sanctuary, a Colorado non-profit corporation, acquired the property for a wild horse refuge, according to a news release on PRN.

The refuge will house up to 500 wild horses taken from HMAs in Colorado.

The announcement did not indicate of the horses would be darted, sterilized and/or kept in segregated pastures.

The transaction represents a victory for the bureaucrats and ranchers. Get the horses off the public lands and into private care, giving livestock unfettered access to their food.

The facility covers 18,650 deeded acres west of Craig, with an additional 3,500 acres in BLM leases and one 300-acre private lease, according to the agent’s listing.

The operator information report in RAS links the ranch to grazing authorizations 0504787 and 0504788.

The allotment information report ties the authorizations to three allotments.

The allotment master report provides management status, acreage and active AUMs.

The authorization use report shows livestock types and grazing seasons.

The news release did not say if the new owners would petition the BLM for changes in livestock types and seasons of use, as American Prairie did in Montana. Such changes would likely have the ranching community crying foul, as it did with American Prairie.

Foal-Free Friday, Embracing New Technologies Edition

With catch-treat-release promising to alleviate the feud between the advocates and roundup contractors, new adjuvants working their way through the research pipeline, and IUDs gaining traction among the uninformed and misinformed, the future looks bright for the public-lands ranchers.

The concept of a self-assembling IUD was discussed at the same conference attended by your chair of the WHBAB, but the video doesn’t show the actual device.

That gap has been closed with the demonstration below. More information at iUPOD.

Although helicopter roundups are the fastest and most efficient way of shifting food and water to livestock operators in areas identified for wild horses, population growth suppression ensures the herds don’t bounce back, keeping the resource scales tipped in favor of the ranchers for many years to come.

Judge Hears Arguments in Big Summit Legal Challenge

Attorneys for the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition and the federal government appeared today before a federal judge regarding a plan by the Forest Service to reduce the AML and bring the current population in line therewith, according to a story posted today by Courthouse News.

The judge adjourned the hearing after two hours, stating he would take the matter under advisement and issue an opinion at a later date.

Removal of wild horses from the WHT has been delayed by equipment problems and the lack of an adequate off-range holding facility.

A government attorney said that horses not sold or adopted would be euthanized.

Park Service Rejects TRNP Comment Extension

The agency has denied a request by state legislators to add another 60 days to the comment period, according to a report by KX News.

The scoping newsletter will be available for public review through January 31.

Jakes Valley Reward Increases

Wild Horse Education pledged $5,000, bringing the total to $25,000, according to a BLM news release.

The shootings occurred in November 2021 but were not announced until August 2022.

The incident liberated enough forage to support ten cow/calf pairs on a six-month grazing season.

RELATED: Jakes Valley Reward Doubles.

Dickinson Press Calls for Longer Comment Period at TRNP

The Editorial Board announced their position in an op-ed posted this morning.

Western Horse Watchers would like to see the Park Service come clean on the history of wild horses at the park, going back to Fort Buford, and to consider the reintroduction of the old bloodlines now preserved by The Nokota Horse Conservancy.

Mustang Monday

At the Ozark National Scenic Riverways with Tim Layton, another area where the Park Service manages wild horses (for those arguing against their removal at TRNP).

McCullough Comments Hit 500!

The project is still in second place but there are probably less than two dozen original thoughts in the queue, and the rest are talking points furnished by the advocates.