DC’s March For Mustangs Highlights

So many of us wished we could have attended this rally in DC. For those that couldn’t, here are some highlights from the event. My thanks to all of you that were there on behalf of our wild horses!

(Click on the individual links below)

Some of the best coverage of what is actually happening to our wild horses was in this segment by CNN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell. A must watch: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2010/03/25/jvm.horse.round.up.cnn

DC Rally (from The Cloud Foundation): http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/dc-rally/

Getty Images

Wild Horses Kick the BLM in the “Burro” in DC by Steven Long as it appeared on R.T. Fitch’s blog: http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/wild-horses-kick-the-blm-in-the-burro-in-dc/

Singer/songwriter Clay Canfield performs during the March for Mustangs rally in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, in Washington, Thursday, March 25, 2010. (The actual link to the photo: http://1click.indiatimes.com/photo/0fHD80FftNe1w?q=White%20House

Clay singing his awesome song, Wild Horses

Purchase/download the song, “Wild Horses” – part of the sale proceeds goes towards helping the wild horse preservation efforts: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/canfield3

Horses, People and a Meeting of Minds (by R.T. Fitch):
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/horses-people-and-a-meeting-of-minds/

Wild Horse Documentary Wows Crowd in DC (by R.T. Fitch): http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/wild-horse-documentary-wows-crowd-in-dc/

March for Mustangs… the Call to Stop the Roundups Goes Global (from The Cloud Foundation): http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/march-for-mustangs-the-call-to-stop-the-roundups-goes-global/

Video from R.T. Fitch:

By John Holland (President of Equine Welfare Alliance – as posted on Horseback Magazine)

WASHINGTON, (EWA) – The demonstration was great, but you really got the feeling of being in a dictatorship! Much of this might be because of the recent anti-health care bill demonstrations and threats, but I have not felt this atmosphere since the 60s.

A guy came around us, climbed the stairs and stood at the top with the armed guards and used a zoom lens to take photos of all of us individually. Funny thing was that one of the guards thought he was with us and tried to throw him off the steps because we were not allowed to touch a single step. Another of the other guards stopped the first guard. It just shows what a stupid bunch we are dealing with. I just couldn’t help thinking about the Keystone Cops.

I especially loved it when they called out the mounted patrol on us. Many of us immediately migrated toward them. One of the horses was a huge gray that did not have a body shape we could identify. I asked his mount what breed it was and he ignored me. Only their leader would talk and he was an asshole. I was so tempted to say “I have been around horses all my life and never seen one before who had two assholes” but discretion got the better of me.

I told him that if they were looking to intimidate us, they picked the wrong crowd! I said I face three times that many horses every morning for their feed. He said “We are not here to intimidate you.” So I figured that meant hey must be have been there to do something more physical.

I used to marvel that I was able to roam the halls of Congress as freely as I was, but that is changing. It is darker and more brooding every time I go. Reuters and AP were both there, so we should see more!

From Janet Carabello (Colorado Advocate):

It was wonderful to be a part of this protest/rally! We mingled and made new friends while we exhibited our cause with signs and chants. The march to the DOI took us past the White House, the Old Exec. Office Bldg., and along 17th Street, so we captured the attention of many tourists and vehicles. The reception at the DOI was cold and stonewalling, but we really dialed up the vocal protesting and caused the security guards to be on high alert. We finally got the petition handed out to a staffer who came out to collect it. Then the mounted police showed up and of course we all loved the horses!!! I saw some smiles on the cops faces. My personal highlight was getting to talk to Hope Ryden and sharing the cab ride to the Capitol to meet with Sen. Bennett’s staff. I think our cause was heard, but we have to keep up the fight and do more followup. And more protests!!! We missed you Pam!

Hope Ryden, author of - America's Last Wild Horses

From Linda Hanick (Colorado Advocate):

Thanks for posting this Pam! It was an exhilarating time in DC. I do feel that we were a voice in DC–on the street, in the Senators’ and Representatives’ offices, in the rally and protest, in the hotel and restaurant, and even at Kinkos. I had my poster printed there and the young man who helped me was awestruck by your photo and couldn’t believe that there were still wild horses. We talked about the horses for quite a while, and when I was ready to pay, he just smiled and said “You have a great day!” That made my day! I was at the very end of the march from the White House to the BLM offices, and it was an impressive sight seeing scores of people for blocks in front of me marching down Pennsylvania Avenue–all with banners and signs. I stopped to pass out flyers to people on sidewalks and as made my way to the BLM building.

Linda with Sandy Elmore

The photo below is courtesy of Simone Netherlands:

Simone Netherlands, John Holland, R.T Fitch and Rob Pliskin. Simone said that President Obama has seen this banner three times now. Twice in Las Vegas and now in D.C.

Video, “We Sing For The Horse Nation” by Sandy Elmore (Montana Advocate)

Stay current with Wild Horse News: http://nickolesphotography.com/HTML/wildhorseinformation.htm

March For Mustangs

(From The Cloud Foundation)

When: Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Time: 1:00-3:00 PM – Press conference and speakers at 1:30 PM (Filmmaker/Advocate Ginger Kathrens, Author R.T. Fitch and many more- including special guests to be announced)

Where: Lafayette Park (northside of White House, on H Street between 15th and 17th Streets, NW). At 3:00 PM. Protesters will march with signs to the BLM office at 1849 ‘C’ Street.

Plus Mustangs on the Hill II: On Friday morning we’ll meet and brief people on meeting with their Representatives in meetings to save the mustangs. Please schedule an appointment with your Representatives for Thursday morning or Friday.

Why: BLM’s cruel and poor mismanagement is destroying a vital piece of the American west. The American public is standing up for our horses and burros- please join us in a March for Mustangs rally and protest.

Roundups increased significantly in 2000 in the Bush years and they haven’t let up under the Obama administration. 12,000 wild horses and burros are scheduled for removal from our public lands this fiscal year alone. These helicopter roundups come at enormous expense to our wild herds and to the American taxpayer.

Recently, the roundup of 1900 mustangs took place in the Calico mountains of Northwestern Nevada during the dead of winter, ending early in February when BLM realized the herds were far smaller than estimated. To date, 60 horses have died due to this roundup and the death toll continues to climb daily. This does not include the 30 plus mares that have aborted their late-term foals in the feedlot style corrals in Fallon, Nevada where the horses are being held. Two foals had their hooves literally separate from the bone after the helicopters ran their families for miles over rocky and sharp volcanic ground.

Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees the BLM, has decided there is no room left for our mustangs on their designated lands in the west. The Secretary and has proposed purchasing private land in the East for our Western wild horses. This only adds to the financial and humane train wreck that the Wild Horse and Burro Program has become.

So rather than spending over thirty million dollars this fiscal year to remove our wild horses and burros from the range, let’s protect them on their western lands. The intent of Congress’ 1971 Free-roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act was not to warehouse horses, but allowed them to live in freedom in self-sustaining numbers on western rangelands designated primarily for their survival. Drastic change is needed in the management of wild horses and burros if they are to survive, as wild animals, into the future. Wild horses benefit the land as they evolved in North America and they represent our living history in the west.

Annually we lose $123 million running a taxpayer subsidized grazing program is often referred to as “welfare ranching” due to the small fees charged to livestock permittees. The rate is currently the lowest allowed by law—$1.35 per cow/calf pair per month. This rate needs to be raised to over $9.00 in order for the program to break even. If cows were removed and horses allowed to stay, we’d save even more—including our valued mustangs. Holding the 1900 Calico horses alone in a feedlot style facility amounts to a staggering cost of over $10,000 per day!

But change is on the way for our wild horses and burros! Some 25 protests have been mounted from coast-to-coast including Chicago, LA, NYC, Denver, Las Vegas, Reno, and Sacramento since late December. Thousands of people have braved the cold and come out with their families to hold banners and signs demanding that President Obama react to the hideous mistreatment of our spectacular wild horses and respond to the incredible waste of taxpayer dollars on a broken program that only lines the pockets of powerbrokers and cattle barons. Now is the time to say enough is enough. Open the gates and return our wild horses to their rightful ranges.

Please take action for our wild herds. An immediate moratorium on all roundups is needed! This must be followed by hearings and investigations on BLM mismanagement; accurate and independent assessments of just how many wild horses we have left and the real range conditions. Then we need to develop a sustainable plan for our wild herds on our Western public lands and restore their protections set forth in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Moving our wild horses in non-reproducing, broken families to the East is not the answer.

Join us on Thursday, March 25th for a Mustang March on Washington and take action today to save these incredible animals who are currently being managed to extinction.

– Call President Obama 202-456-1111

– Call your Senators 202-224-3121

For more information, go to The Cloud Foundation: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org

You can follow the Calico horses through the Humane Observer, Elyse Gardner’s Blog: http://humaneobserver.blogspot.com

Stay current with Wild Horse News: http://www.nickolesphotography.com/HTML/wildhorseinformation.htm

There are many other informative sites listed under my Links heading on the right.

Adobe Town HMA stallion (Wyoming)

Pryor Mountain Roundup – 9/8/2009

We had been shuttled off the grounds pretty quickly the night before. There was a sense of urgency about it and we all felt uneasy and suspicious of why. At the morning briefing, it was disclosed that Jackson’s mare Brumby had tied up after coming in and Cloud’s daughter Rain had colicked. Sickening, troubling news, but the Vet assured us that both horses were doing fine. We asked for and were granted a walk through of the corrals so we could see the condition of the horses for ourselves.

On the way into the corrals, you pass the youngsters - several of Cloud's family are in this pen and available for adoption including Image, Rain, Arrow, Ember, Summer and Sage. From L-R: Ben Susman, Ginger Kathrens, Carol Walker and a BLM representative.

Little Image looked so sad and lost

Image

Ginger Kathrens peers in at the babies she's known and documented since their births.

Brumby - the mare who tied up

Jackson

Jackson's band

R.T. Fitch, Ginger Kathrens, Elyse Gardner and Terry Fitch at the corrals

Bolder

Bolder's band

Bolder's filly

Cassidy - tagged for adoption

Band stallion Chino - he has gorgeous amber eyes and he's a rare color among the Pryor horses. A beautiful buckskin.

Band stallion Duke

A foal from Duke's band who was very sore

Duke's band

Morning Star's band

Ben Susman, Ginger Kathrens, Carol Walker, Sandy Elmore, R.T. Fitch and Terry Fitch.

Cloud

Later, we were taken over to Greasewood Flats to observe more horses being processed.

Starman in the alley while he waits for other members of his band to be processed

Bolder watches the activities

A lucky group - they all have the blue dots that indicate they will be released

The band stallion Cappuccino bangs his head in the chute in an attempt to escape

And he does get out

He frantically runs up and down the alley way looking for members of his family

Finally, another family member is processed and released into the alley way

Band stallion Mescalero did not want to go into the chute. BLM personnel haze him with plastic bags attached to whips

They actually hit this horse - a member of Mescalero's band

Mescalero released into the alley way

Once the processing was completed, we were allowed back up on the viewing ridge.

Baja's band

Baja's band - Baja's mare Bacardi and another foal were missing as the others were brought in. We were later told that the foal just couldn't keep up so the pilot decided not to pursue them. They were left behind without their family.

The two foals that did come in with the band were very, very footsore. It's inconceivable to me to push any horse, let alone a foal, that hard for that many miles.

(And though I failed to mention it in my earlier posts, if the distance wasn’t enough, these horses were also forced down the mountain in 95+ degree temperatures).

After Baja’s band came in, we were told no more horses would be brought in. The helicopter was finished for the day. It was pretty early yet. Again, we wondered about the motives for this move.

One of Baja's foals that came in so very footsore

Another footsore Baja baby

Tom and I left Britton Springs, Lovell and our fellow observers that afternoon. We had made the difficult decision to move on to the McCullough Peaks HMA to photograph the horses there before the scheduled round up. We had just enough time to capture a few evening light photos before finding a place to stay in Greybull, WY. Though we were exhausted, we both had something nagging at us that we finally discussed before calling it a night. It wasn’t over – we hadn’t seen the conclusion or outcome of this roundup and it didn’t feel right to either of us. We knew we had to go back. We decided to leave Greybull very early and catch some first light photos at McCullough Peaks which would put us back at Britton Springs close to noon. Nothing much (other than the briefings) really went on until then anyway – or so we thought.

(More to follow…)

Stay updated on the latest wild horse news and information available on my website under the Wild Horse Information link: http://www.nickolesphotography.com/HTML/wildhorseinformation.htm

Pryor Mountain Roundup – 9/7/2009

Having made it through our first day with a decision to commit to a second, Tom and I arrived at Britton Springs at the designated time for briefing. Briefings were held to present the plan for the day’s activities/goals. At the end of these briefings, we were allowed to ask questions (specific to just that day’s operations), but it was clear queries were to be kept to a minumum. There were times when the Independent Humane Observer was cut short with her questions and requests for more and closer access to the horses. Elyse (The IHO) was persistant, but she was often met by less than cooperative attitudes by some of the BLM personnel. I was told that her admittance to the area had been better earlier on (when the press was there), but shortly after the media left, so did most of Elyse’s access.

BLM personnel delivering the morning briefing

R.T. Fitch, Elyse Gardner (the Independent Humane Observer) and Ginger Kathrens at the briefing

At the conclusion of the briefing, we were allowed another walk through to view the captured horses.

Exhilaration with Chino in the background

Bolder's band

Horses tagged for adoption

Flint - who is also known as Blue Moon

After going through the corrals, we were told that they were going to begin processing horses – putting them in the squeeze chute, taking hair samples, shaving necks, freeze branding (for those going up for adoption) and PZP’ing the mares. We were escorted to an area where we could watch, but it was from a pretty fair distance.

The squeeze chute is an incredibly loud device. It has to be a very frightening experience for a wild horse.

Horses to be processed

Processing a horse through the squeeze chute

And then there was quite a commotion – a terrified young stallion was trying to escape from the chute.

They did finally get the stallion through the process, but I’m sure he was quite shaken. It was very hard to watch and feel helpless to do anything.

With the processing complete, we were escorted to the viewing ridge.

Looking down at the holding corrals from the viewing ridge

Ginger Kathrens, Ben Susman, Sandy Elmore, Terry Fitch, me and Elyse Gardner at the observation ridge

Behind the jute fence

Bringing in Morning Star's band

As we listened to the helicopter approaching with more horses, we started to hear radio chatter going on behind us. Most of us had our lenses pointed towards the direction of incoming horses and when they finally came into view, the reason for the increased radio communication was clear. It was Cloud. Apparently, there was some concern that our little group might go ballistic or something at the sight of Cloud being captured, so our escorts were being forewarned. I remember hearing one of them relay back to the base folks, “they already know.” With that, the radios were silent and we watched the powerful, pale-colored stallion direct his band from one side of the valley to the other, giving the pilot a run for his money trying to save his family. Just before reaching the end of the jute driveway, Cloud did the most amazing thing – he turned and faced the helicopter. One last defiant gesture by the courageous stallion before he was forced to continue down the capture chute with his family.

Cloud and his band - several family members were about to lose their freedom forever

Shortly after Cloud’s family came in, Jackson’s band followed.

Walking back from the ridge at the end of the day

As we walked by the holding corrals on our way back from the viewing ridge, I looked over and snapped my last photo of the day. His eyes spoke volumes and mine filled with tears.

A captive Cloud

(More to follow…)