Tag: wild horses

Call to Action: Wild Horses and Burros Need Your Voice NOW

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Open letter by Grandma Gregg

“There is no time to waste! Please feel free to use the sample letter below and using the form (link below) send your own message to the US House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations.” ~ Grandma Gregg

https://appropriations.house.gov/contact/contactform.htm

photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

“Do not allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Forest Service (USFS), Farm Bureau and the extraction and mining giants and the domestic livestock grazing associations to pull the wool over your eyes. There are no excess wild horses and burros on their legally designated land. Per the unanimously passed United States 1971 Congressional Wild Horse and Burro Act, the land is to be devoted principally although not exclusively to the wild horses and wild burros’ welfare in keeping with the multiple-use management concept of public lands.

The recent National Academy of Sciences study found…

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Groups File Formal Petition to Ban Cyanide Traps in Wyoming

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Story by Christine Peterson as published on the Casper Star Tribune

“We’re not at war with native wildlife, and it is irresponsible to allow poison landmines to be sown anywhere in Wyoming,”

Star-Tribune File Photo

A coalition of environmental groups formally petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday asking for a ban of M-44s, a cyanide trap used to kill coyotes across the state.

The ban request is in response to recent incidents in Wyoming and Idaho in which dogs were killed by the traps.

Many of the groups, which include Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a similar petition in Idaho in March. Wildlife Services, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, decided to remove all M-44s from private, state and federal land in Idaho.

“We’re not at war with native wildlife, and it is irresponsible to allow poison landmines…

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Video: Equine Advocates Alarmed Over Salt River Wild Horse Harassment

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Source: Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and ABC15.com

Public Harassment May Have Caused Foal’s Death

From Simone Netherlands; “Dear Supporters of the horses, please click this link first, then you can leave a comment under ABC15’s post about the harassment of wild horses. The more you care, the more you share, the more people will be aware. Thank you!”

http://www.abc15.com/news/state/animal-advocates-concerned-about-horse-harassment

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Update on Wild Horses and Burros in Jeopardy

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

An open letter by Ginger Kathrens

“Interior Sec. and Utah Congressman present fictional account of wild horses..”

Dear Friends;

I just got back from a trip to the Pryors and to the Red Desert Complex of south central Wyoming. The horses all look so fabulous and the Red Desert is horse heaven with abundant forage and so much room to roam. Maybe that is why the Congressional Public Resource Sub-Committee hearing today threw me for a loop! Here is that section of the hearing with Chris Stewart of Utah questioning and commenting to Secretary Zinke.

Secretary of the Interior testifies before Congressional Sub-Committee June 8, 2017. The Secretary is being questioned by Congressman Stewart of Utah. 5 minute clip.

This Congressional conversation bears no resemblance to what I am seeing first hand on our ranges. After I left the Pryors, I visited four Herd Management areas in Wyoming called the…

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Ochoco National Forest Doubles Wild-Horse Monitoring

via Ochoco Natl. Forest Doubles Wild-Horse Monitoring | Straight from the Horse’s Heart

by KTVZ.COM

Two census efforts set; volunteers sought

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – The Ochoco National Forest announced Monday it is embarking on a new strategy for monitoring its wild horse population for the Big Summit Territory.

This year, two wild horse census efforts are expected to provide a more complete picture of the herd’s condition, demographics and location.

A herd count has been done annually for many years on the forest. However, officials said, it is challenging to cover all of the territory and outlying areas where horses are thought to frequent in a single monitoring effort.

Horses are reported to move into many remote sites and canyons.  An accurate numbers count will provide needed information for the development of the new Herd Management Plan.

This new plan will replace the existing one, which is more than 40 years old. Many conditions outlined in the present plan have changed over the years, forest officials said.

The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition has a long-standing partnership with the Ochoco National Forest in monitoring the Big Summit herd.

This June, as in the past, the coalition will bring volunteers to help with their census ride.

“The efforts of the coalition have contributed greatly to the Ochoco National Forest’s administration of the wild horse herd,” the announcement said. “This year’s two-prong monitoring effort, to add a second census ride for two days in July into outlying areas, is expected to compliment the efforts that the coalition has coordinated in the past. ”

There is much interest in the herd, the forest officials said, and with additional volunteers to support a second census effort, the forest can make a better determination of the overall health of the horses, try to determine how many are actually on the landscape and what possible interactions they are having with the land and resources.

The forest is working with Discover Your Forest to recruit volunteers for the July effort.  Those interested in helping can contact Stacey Cochrane, Community Engagement Director, DYF at (541) 383-5530 or discoveryourforest.org.

For those interested in further information about the program, please contact project team leader Tory Kurtz at (541) 416-6500 or tkurtz@fs.fed.us.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/ochoco-natl-forest-doubles-wild-horse-monitoring/529495671

Feel Good Sunday: Hay – The Final Frontier

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Story by Johnny Oleksinski as published on NYPost.com

“I must say that Capt. Kirk and I share several mutual passions regardin our feelings for our brother/sister equines friends.  But his celebrity status aside, we do differ on one glaring obvious issue: he has hair and I do not…sigh.” ~ R.T.

Shatner rode a horse alongside Patrick Stewart in the 1994 movie “Star Trek: Generations.”

William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on “Star Trek” for three seasons and seven movies, is peeling back yet another layer of his complex personality: He’s come out as an equestrian.

Hollywood’s jack-of-all-trades, Shatner is a Shakespearean actor who’s starred in “Henry V,” a musician who’s recorded trippy spoken-word covers of “Rocket Man” and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and a prolific author who’s written or co-written more than 30 books.

Now the 86-year-old opens up about his love of horses — a passion so…

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A Plea to Save our Wild Horses & Burros from advocate Bonnie Kohleriter

debbiecoffey's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation photographing members of the Cold Creek Herd, Sept. 2012 ~ photo by R.T. Fitch

by Bonnie Kohleriter

PLEASE CONSIDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WILD HORSES AND BURROS ALLOWED ON

  29 M ACRES OF OUR PUBLIC LANDS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THEIR CONTINUED VIABILITY

CONCURRENTLY PLEASE CONSIDER TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF ALLOWABLE LIVESTOCK IN

THOSE SAME AREAS TO PRESERVE THE RANGELANDS

THESE STEPS TAKEN WILL PROVIDE A COST SAVINGS TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS

The BLM manages 245 M acres of our public lands and the USFS manages 191 M acres. Wild horses and burros (WHBs) are limited to 27 M acres on BLM land and 2 M acres on USFS land. Only 26,600 WHB are allowed on the BLM 27 M acres and only 2000 on the USFS 2 M acres. In addition, some 400,000 livestock are allowed on the same…

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Speak Up Against BLM’s Plans to Decimate Wyoming’s Red Desert Wild Horse Herds

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

by Carol Walker as published on Wild Hoofbeats

“The BLM should raise the Appropriate Management Level for the Red Desert Complex wild horse populations…”

Red Desert Wild Horses at Risk of Removal and Slaughter

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning a massive roundup and removal of 2,096 horses, or 80% of the 2,620 horses in the Red Desert Complex that includes Antelope Hills, Crooks Mountain, Green Mountain, Lost Creek, and Stewart Creek Herd Management Areas.  BLM wants to end up with a  low Appropriate Management Level of only 524 wild horses on 753,000 acres of public land.

Please also consider that any horses currently in short and long term holding, as well as any removed from their homes on public lands this year will be in jeopardy of being sold without limitation and may end up at slaughter if the Trump Budget is passed.

There is no…

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Feel Good Sunday: Men hold exhausted horse’s head above floodwaters for hours to save it from drowning

R.T. Fitch's avatarStraight from the Horse's Heart

As published on AccuWeather.com

“No words required…” ~ R.T.

Click Image to view video of event.

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Boise BLM wild horse adoptions on hold due to equine distemper | KBOI

By KBOI Staff

Members of the public interested in adopting a wild horse or burro should contact the BLM Boise District Office at (208) 384-3300 to provide their contact information.

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) – The Bureau of Land Management has temporarily suspended wild horse and burro adoptions at the Boise BLM Wild Horse Corrals due to strangles, or equine distemper, in several horses.

Strangles is an upper respiratory tract infection in horses and although usually not fatal, is highly contagious.

While the symptomatic horses are quarantined and being treated by a veterinarian, the BLM has decided to close the corrals to adoptions and public visitors as a precaution until further notice.

“Our priority is the safety of the horses at our facility and the potential of the disease being transmitted to privately-owned horses,” said Raul Trevino, BLM Boise Corral Manager. “We just don’t want to take any chances while we wait for the disease to run its course. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will resume adoptions.”

Horses showing sickness were first observed on May 17.

Lab results later confirmed the presence of strangles in one horse, with six others being symptomatic.

All of these horses are presently stable or showing signs of improvement.

Strangles cases are not rare and have happened at other private and wild horse facilities throughout the country.

Members of the public interested in adopting a wild horse or burro should contact the BLM Boise District Office at (208) 384-3300 to provide their contact information.

They will be contacted to schedule an appointment after the corral reopens for adoptions.

For more information, contact the Boise District Office at (208) 384-3300.

Source: Boise BLM wild horse adoptions on hold due to equine distemper | KBOI