A youngster steps out from behind some trees, 08/10/18.
Volunteers Hauling More Water to Sand Wash Horses
Water deliveries to the Sand Wash Basin HMA have doubled in the last few days according to a story posted 08/14/18 in Steamboat Today. Personnel with Wild Horse Warriors are now bringing 3400 gallons of water to the mustangs.
Continued dry conditions in northwest Colorado, where the HMA is found, may prompt an emergency gather. BLM staff are monitoring the situation.
A fence around the HMA prevents the horses from moving to greener pastures. What might be on the other side? Who would benefit if the horses are confined to a fixed area and can’t reach better sources of food and water?
British Press Covers Roundup at Bible Springs Complex
Captured horses look good. So much for the wild horse narrative and claims of overpopulation and malnutrition. See the photos posted yesterday by the Daily Mail.
Some of the horses involved in the gather are no longer available for comment.
The report did not indicate if cattle and sheep were present on the affected lands.
Also omitted from the coverage are the names of the shitweasels who hide in the shadows while the Bureau of Livestock Multiplication does their dirty work.
August Nights on the Virginia Range, Part 1
Virginia Range mustangs grazing on private land an hour before sunset, 08/10/18.
Horses React to Audio of Virginia Range Mustangs
Played the video at this post while these guys were eating to see if they’d react.
BLM Starts Chemehuevi Burro Gather This Week
BLM will remove up to 140 wild burros from the Chemehuevi HMA in southern California, beginning on 08/15/18, according to a news release posted today. The method of capture will be bait traps. Justification for the roundup was public safety and vehicle hazards. Accommodations for public observation were not addressed.
Captured animals will be taken to the Ridgecrest Off-Range Corrals to be prepared for adoption or purchase.
The HMA is bounded by Hwy 95 on the west and the Colorado River on the east. It covers 138,333 acres and has an AML of 108, for an aimed-at population density of 0.78 animals per thousand acres.
A link for gather stats and daily reports was not provided in the announcement nor was the current population of burros.
Mustang Monday
On the Salt River, Tonto National Forest. H/T Robert Phelps.
How to Make Your Horse Pushy and Disrespectful, Part 3
Feeding wild horses is not recommended. Aggressiveness and obnoxiousness are learned behaviors.
Somebody will get hurt, people will complain and the horses will be removed from the range.
RELATED: Horse Befriended by Campers Removed from Big Summit WHT.
RELATED: How to Make Your Horse Pushy and Disrespectful, Part 2.
Judge Sides with BLM on Three Fingers HMA
Wild horses removed from the Three Fingers HMA in eastern Oregon after the 2016 Cherry Road Fire will not be returned to their home range, according to a report in Capital Press dated 08/10/18.
The fire burned about 90% of the Wildhorse Basin Pasture on the north end of the HMA, which was inhabited by the majority of the horses. The Riverside pasture in the south, inhabited by a smaller percentage of the horses, was not affected. Movement between the two pastures is limited by steep and rugged terrain. Refer to the BLM Emergency Gather Plan for details.
Removal occurred in the Wildhorse Basin Pasture.
BLM argued that horses will migrate from the south and re-establish the herd in the north.
Advocates disagreed, noting that the animals tend to be territorial and in this case would not attempt to cross to the north.
The decision leaves the northern part of the HMA basically free of horses, which may be good news for the government serfs.
Wild horses removed from the nearby Sands Basin HMA after the 2015 Soda Fire were recently returned to their home range.
Life on the Salt River
Swift current, good eats. H/T Julie Ann.
Just Before Five Mile Flat
Looking west across the old Geiger Grade Road, toward Mt. Rose. Materials and supplies came up the hill, silver and gold flowed out. Built in 1862, it was a toll road to Virginia City and the Comstock Lode.
A few hundred feet to the south is a straightaway known as Five Mile Flat, an area frequented by the Virginia Range mustangs.
Suspect in Firebombing of BLM Corral Captured
A fugitive accused of firebombing the Litchfield Off-Range Corral near Susanville, CA in 2001 has been apprehended and taken to Portland, OR, where he appeared in court, pleading not guilty. Refer to this story in The Sacramento Bee, posted 08/10/18.
The suspect was detained in Cuba as he tried to board a flight to Russia. Authorities are holding him in custody as a flight risk and danger to the community.
Charges include conspiracy to commit arson, arson of a government building, and use of a destructive device. Damages to buildings and supplies amounted to $85,000.
Families That Eat Together Stay Together
Small band grazing on the Virginia Range, about an hour before sunset. One of them comes in for a closer look.
The sniffing noise at 1:25 and 2:05 is normal, it means the horse is collecting information about you for his/her database. Something that should happen when gentling a mustang or working with a new horse.
Filmed 08/10/18.
Hazy Conditions in Nevada Due to California Wildfires
Looking west to Mt. Rose from Geiger Grade (road to Virginia City). Filmed 08/10/18.
Antelope Valley Gather Complete
Bait trapping ended 07/31/18 but the news release was not issued until 08/10/18.
Stats for the operation:
- 265 horses removed
- 259 horses shipped
- 6 deaths (2.2%)
A twelve year old stud was put down due to blindness and a ten year old mare hit a panel inside the trap and broke her neck.
A domestic gelding was captured and will be transferred to the State of Nevada as an estray.
The announcement did not indicate if livestock were present on the HMA and surrounding lands, and if they were at risk due to inadequate water.
Wild Horse Adoption: Routine
Day 94, 02/21/16. Baby getting bigger, mom showing some signs of pregnancy. New colt was about four months away at this point. No strings, no ropes, no confined spaces. Just go about your daily business and let them figure out you’re not a threat.
Under the Influence
It’s Friday evening so might as well post a video of a drunk woman on a horse. He’s a good sport and lets her down easy. H/T Elizabeth Forrest.
Utah HMA Stocking Rates
The chart below shows the stocking rate in animals per thousand acres as a function of land area for HMAs in Utah. Stocking rates are based on the upper values of the AMLs (mostly horses, some burros).
Three observations from the chart:
- Stocking rates are less than two animals per thousand acres
- Stocking rates are not a function of HMA size
- Stocking rates are distributed evenly about the mean of 0.72
The HMA with the largest stocking rate is Range Creek. The smallest rate corresponds to King Top Mountains HMA.
Utah has been a focal point for wild horse gathers this year, with the Range Creek, Cedar Mountain, Four Mile, Bible Springs, Tilly Creek, Sulphur and Muddy Creek HMAs targeted for removals.
How much of this is being done at the behest of the cattle industry? Gotta pacify the government serfs and reward the political donors, keep the gravy train rolling. There are real reasons and stated reasons. You only hear the stated reasons.
Good example of an unelected bureaucracy catering to a special interest against the wishes of the American people.
RELATED: Utah HMA Population.
And Now for Something Completely Different
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Down At The Twist And Shout.
BLM Concludes Piute Gather
Bait trapping operations, which began 06/28/18, have ended, according to a BLM news release published earlier today. Forty one burros were removed from the Piute Mountain Herd Area, with no fatalities reported.
Recent precipitation should be sufficient to support the remaining animals, which will be monitored by BLM staff.
Gather stats and daily reports can be found on this page.
Herd areas have no AML and are not managed for WHB, but this may be a case where the BLM has bent the rules a little to help these animals out.
