The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced plans that put two of Oregon’s iconic wild horse herds at serious risk (!!)
The BLM is accepting comments for a disastrous 10-year plan that would drastically reduce the populations of the wild horses who call both the Three Fingers and Jackies Butte Herd Management Areas (HMAs) home.
The BLM’s proposed plan would utilize brutal mass helicopter roundups and removals, and several methods of controversial contraceptives like the untested GonaCon vaccine and IUDs.
The BLM’s ultimate goal? They want to reduce the populations for both of these HMAs to a devastating total of just 75 wild horses on 63,000 acres and 65,000 acres of land respectively.
That’s one horse for every 800+ acres of land in these HMAs. Meanwhile, the agency will continue to permit thousands of privately-owned cows to graze on these public lands.
Lateral ground driving should be done slowly and taken in a natural sequence. Learn how to progress from lateral driving along the rail to laterally ground driving in the Hourglass Pattern.
Another emergency in the middle of “vetting the 46”.
I have been asked to give “GG Norma”, a chance. At the very least she deserves the best feed, love and care until she crosses over. However, even though two vet’s looked at her and didn’t give her much hope, she is telling a different story.
Her eyes are bright and she is alert and curious and says “PLEASE don’t quit on me!”
Will you help me give her the best love and care for whatever time she has left?
We are due for a Miracle, and I’m hoping you will help me give her a chance.
We have spent over $1400 on fuel so far but are all set up and ready to go. Hauling the squeeze from NV and moving horses is a large endeavor, but these amazing horses will have safe places to land because of it.
PLEASE HELP “Great Grandma NORMA”!
Thank you as always for all the love and support. I still need help to give our precious rescues the care and love they need. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING PART OF OUR FAMILY AND FOR SAVING SO MANY LIVES!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
So far this week we’ve shared stories with you that highlight just how critical our PZP Program and our Legal Funds are to protecting the freedom and the lives of America’s wild horses. Today, as we close out our National Help A Horse Day festivities, we wanted to show our cherished wild burros some love, too!
Over the next several months, approximately 2,500 wild burros will be targeted for removal by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Around 2,300 of these innocent animals will be sent to holding facilities, where many could be funneled into the slaughter pipeline via the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).
Meredith: Our Rescue Fund has helped us save over 100 wild horses and burros from the slaughter pipeline including the Oklahoma 12:
Last year, our investigative team documented these 12 burros sitting in an Oklahoma kill pen ready to ship to slaughter at any minute. We used our Rescue Fund to assist our rescue partner Evanescent Mustang Rescue and Sanctuary to pay the bail for each of these 12 burros so they could quickly get out of this kill pen and into foster care.
After these animals were safe, we obtained their title paperwork. And Meredith, as we guessed — all 12 burros were adopted through the BLM’s AIP.Even worse, they were all adopted by one family who as soon as they got their incentive payments, flipped the 12 burros to slaughter.
Even though the Oklahoma 12 are now safe and in loving care, the BLM’s unprecedented attack on burro populations means an increasing number of BLM burros will be moving through the AIP and are at risk of entering the slaughter pipeline.
It’s hard to put into words just how important holidays like today are to our team at the American Wild Horse Campaign. To celebrate a national holiday specifically dedicated to protecting the animals we hold so close to our hearts means so much to our team who day in and day out carry on the fight to protect the lives and freedom of our wild herds.
So today, as we celebrate a holiday meant to inspire the masses about the plight of our dearest equines, we wanted to tell you about Cirrus — a mare whose story continues to inspire each and every one of us at AWHC.
In 2018, an AWHC field representative was on-site to report on the ongoing helicopter roundup and removal operations happening at the Warm Springs Herd Management Area in Oregon. There he saw the most extraordinary mare:
Cirrus had the likeness of a horse imprinted on her neck. As she ran, chased by helicopters, the horse moved with her. To see something so beautiful in the most devastating of circumstances… was surreal, in a way that perfectly embodied the beauty of these innocent animals and the tragedy they are plagued by.
We managed to keep track of Cirrus while she was in holding, hoping to find her a forever home. However, we found that she was slated, along with a dozen other mares, to be a test subject for a surgical sterilization study — an unproven and brutal procedure with a high mortality rate.
When we found this out, we knew we had to continue fighting against these studies. So we joined forces with two of our partner organizations and filed a lawsuit to stop the barbaric surgeries from proceeding. And , we won.
Thanks to donations made to our Legal Fund and our amazing legal team, we were able to make this court win a reality.Saved from an uncertain fate, Cirrus is living out the rest of her days at AWHC’s Board President Ellie Phipps Price’s 2,000-acre sanctuary, Montgomery Creek Ranch — the next best thing to being wild and free.
Tomorrow, April 26, marks National Help A Horse Day — a day dedicated to bringing horse advocates like yourself together to protect America’s beloved equines and to spread awareness about the threats many of these cherished animals face. Help us celebrate with a donation today! >>
Here at the American Wild Horse Campaign, we’re kicking off this important day early, because there is just so much to cover when it comes to protecting America’s wild herds! We never stop fighting to preserve the freedom of mustangs and burros, so this week we wanted to share exactly how we are protecting these innocent animals and highlight some heartwarming stories from along the way!
Saddle Shoe is a 10-year-old pinto mare that lives on Nevada’s Virginia Range, a 300,000-acre habitat in the greater Reno area where we operate the world’s largest wild horse fertility control program! Through our documentation of the wild horses who call this area home, we have discovered that Saddle Shoe is the mother of at least 4 other mustangs who live wild and free!
The lands surrounding the Virginia Range are slowly being swallowed up by encroaching urbanization as commercial companies build offices and housing throughout their habitat. We started our PZP program on Nevada’s Virginia Range because we wanted to ensure horses like Saddle Shoe and her babies maintain their freedom on the lands they’ve called home for centuries.
Our work on the Virginia Range provides scientific evidence to the public and lawmakers that there is a humane way to manage wild horses that doesn’t require mass roundups, crowded holding pens, or dangerous sterilization surgeries.
One of the biggest wins from this groundbreaking program? The wild horses of the Virginia Range, like Saddle Shoe, get to stay together with their families, and in the wild just like they’re meant to be!
My heart is shattered as I write this.Although he fought valiantly and beat all the odds, our beautiful Norman is running free in heaven with his Mama. Sadly, Norman’s lungs were permanently damaged and he let me know when it was time to go. He was having seizures and was so weak he couldn’t always get up. His knees were buckling over and although his heart was pounding constantly and Doc said it sounded like he was trying to breathe through a straw, he was a happy, playful little boy.
Doc and I both knew it was coming, but that doesn’t lessen the devastation. She said he picked the right time. He was starting to suffer and that wasn’t fair. That little man lived and loved so fully in his short little life. Thank you for giving him that precious time.
So now IN HONOR OF NORMAN, I want to answer the 911 call I received yesterday. The horses shown are part of one of the worst neglect cases in Idaho. My rescue is not handling the rescue per say; due to the fact that we specialize in wild or unhandled horses, and our success in safely sorting, without injury, the 907 wild ones in South Dakota, I have been asked to come in as a consultant and help get the remaining 46 their Coggins so they can be picked up by their adopters.
This is the 2nd and LAST attempt to get their blood pulled. – WITHOUT COGGINS AND HEALTH CERTS, THEY CANNOT BE ADOPTED and we know what that means. Their lives literally depend on us getting this done!
We need approximately $5000 for this. We have to pull 2 trailers from NV, go to WA, then to Idaho, then back to WA. We are bringing the right equipment to insure this is doable. Fuel is going to be close to $1400? for the two rigs. I have to pay my crew and the folks back home watching the horses in NV. We are also going to be on this project for possibly 5 days, if not more.
Thank you as always for all the love and support. I still need help to give our precious rescues the care and love they need. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING PART OF OUR FAMILY AND FOR SAVING SO MANY LIVES!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Thank you so much for standing alongside us in the fight to protect America’s wild horses and burros this Earth Day and every day.
While we take some special time to celebrate today’s important holiday, I want you to know just how grateful the entire AWHC team really is for your continued dedication to protecting our beloved equines year-round.
Allow me to explain — as you well know by now, preserving the freedom of our cherished wild herds is an ongoing battle. One that isn’t won overnight. So, recurring monthly donations help to keep us in the fight for our wild horses and burros throughout the entire year. Monthly gifts, no matter the amount, are critical to continuing our work on the Hill, in the courts, and in the field.
More than 50 years ago, Earth Day was created as a day to put all other issues aside and focus on the protection of our beautiful planet and all of the amazing creatures who call it home.
Every single day, our team sees firsthand the threats that wild horses and burros face — whether that be the dangerous adoption incentive program, brutal helicopter roundups, or the interests of the cattle industry superseding the needs of these innocent equines.
Over the next 5 years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to conduct mass roundups and removals of over 100,000 wild horses and burros from across the West – more of these animals than even exist today!
What has been framed as a plan for “necessary” population management, is no more than a thinly veiled attempt to appease the special interests of the livestock industry — an industry that has been lobbying Congress for decades so that ranchers may graze their personal animals on public lands for cheap.
This is not a path forward, it’s a path toward ecological destruction.
So, as we celebrate Earth Day today, we can think of no better way to commemorate this special holiday than by doubling down on our commitment to ensure that our cherished wild horses and burros remain free, in the wild on the public lands they call home. Here are 3 ways you can take action to support our wild herds today:
It’s time to shine a lil’ light on all of AAE’s volunteers.
You make a difference for our horses every single day!
Through rain, sleet, and snow, and through the heat you go!
Day in and day out, you contribute more than you know.
Thank YOU for all you do,
YOU are making lives better, one horse at a time!
We are adjusting to many the many changes a new home brings. Unfortunately, it’s not all rainbows and roses… we recently had a positive strangles case with one of our lil ponies, Minnie. She’s been with us for quite some time (more than a year).
We have been on heightened alert with the recent EHM outbreaks in local areas, and we have been extra careful, so it’s really a surprise. In 13 years, we’ve never had a serious contagious disease, and we’ve worked had to keep it at that way!
Minnie was tested out of an abundance of caution due to a cough and fever, but never did we expect a positive result by any means. She’s been a healthy lil’ one from the start, and it’s unlikely she was previously exposed (though not ruled out as potential carrier). She’s doing very well now, and she’ll be scoped tomorrow to flush her gutteral pouches and re-test. You can learn more about Strangles, here.
We have implemented multiple protocols to minimize risk of further exposure, and we are working alongside our vet to keep this under control, as best we can. So far, we’ve had no new cases, an
We have NO idea where it came from. We are diligent with our quarantine practices. We haven’t had any new horses in for over six weeks, and last was a mare that was in quarantine for about six weeks w/a confirmed dental-related (localized) sinusitis issue. She came from a situation where she was the only horse around for 3 to 5 months and hadn’t been off that property.
We haven’t seen any concerns with any of the remaining horses, yet, though one other was tested at the same time with negative results. We are under quarantine until the coast is clear. No horses will be coming in or going out until we are as confident as we can be that we are Strangles-free.
We have not done kill pen rescues for over 10 years. We have not done auction rescue for many years (but haven’t eliminated that option entirely). We can only guess it came in with someone or something. We have had biosecurity measures in place for our volunteers with horses or those involved in horse activities due to the recent outbreaks, as well, so that is always possible, too, but not as likely.
We want you to be aware. We have also notified our volunteers and nearest neighbors with horses.
Free to email with questions, and we will respond as quickly as we can. Please remember, we are almost an entirely volunteer run organization, and right now, we are stretched. Stay healthy and safe, all, and thank you for your support and understanding during this time.
We welcomed Gabby earlier this year after being contacted by a nearby animal control who needed assistance with a skinny mare. Well, skinny was an understatement!
She arrived at AAE very underweight and with some other health concerns, too. In her time here, she has gained 90 lbs so far (and still gaining). She had a chronic sinus infection on her right side due to some dental problems. It’s looking like she will need one, maybe two teeth extracted.
She’s got a ways to go, but this girl’s looking so much better! Gabby’s such a sweetheart, and we look forward to seeing her become healthier and happier in this next chapter of her life!
If you’d like to help with her care, please consider making a one-time donation or sponsor her with a monthly donation.
We were told by the animal control officer that the person who had her had rescued her a few months before, but he had cancer and was unable to afford veterinary care because of his own health care costs.
When we arrived to pick her up, we met a very sad, very emaciated, and very stinky (localized sinus infection) older gal. She had a nasty smelling discharge from her right nostril and below her right eye was a large crusty patch. Her teeth needed attention. Though her condition was quite grim, she was so kind and forgiving.
Based on the one-sided nasal and eye discharges, and odor, too, we suspected she had either a tooth infection, a sinus infection, or both. We also found a lip tattoo, but it wasn’t entirely legible. If we’ve guessed right, she was born in Minnesota in ‘98, never raced, and she’s registered as Timber Buck’s Luv.
Gabby is a luv! She loaded into the trailer readily, she traveled well, and she unloaded calmly. She handles easily, too. The sweet gal was vet checked shortly after arrival, blood was drawn, sinus/tooth infection confirmed, and antibiotics started. She had her dental done and some head radiographs, now we’re waiting for to put on a little more weight before surgery. In the meantime, she’s looking better, feeling better, and she’s getting a little sass about her….oh, she’s a mare!
More than 50 years ago, Earth Day was created as a day to put all other issues aside and focus on the protection of our beautiful planet and all of the amazing creatures who call it home.
Every single day, our team sees firsthand the threats that wild horses and burros face — whether that be the dangerous adoption incentive program, brutal helicopter roundups, or the interests of the cattle industry superseding the needs of these innocent equines.
Over the next 5 years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to conduct mass roundups and removals of over 100,000 wild horses and burros from across the West – more of these animals than even exist today!
What has been framed as a plan for “necessary” population management is no more than a thinly veiled attempt to appease the special interests of the livestock industry — an industry that has been lobbying Congress for decades so that ranchers may graze their personal animals on public lands for cheap.
This is not a path forward, it’s a path toward ecological destruction.
So, as we celebrate Earth Day today, we can think of no better way to commemorate this special holiday than by doubling down on our commitment to ensure that our cherished wild horses and burros remain free, in the wild on the public lands they call home. Here are 3 ways you can take action to support our wild herds today:
Today marks the first day of National Volunteer Week. To honor this important week, we wanted to spotlight our fantastic volunteers who define AWHC — Animal-loving, Wonderful, Helpful, and Committed.
Our dedicated volunteers are the backbone of so much of our work, from implementing the world’s largest fertility control program for wild horses to playing an integral role in our investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s Adoption Incentive Program. We could not be more grateful, so we wanted to share their stories as fearless defenders of our wild horses and burros, and then ask you to sign a thank you card for our volunteers!
Without their commitment and support, our work would not be possible!
Ground driving the hourglass keeps you and your equine organized and in good posture. Watch Meredith show you how to get into sync with your equines using this pattern.
Tessa is home safe. Thank you!! That was the easy part, “saving her from the slaughter truck” and transporting her to safety. However, now the real work and expenses begin.
Tessa is in much worse shape than we thought. She needs to gain at least a few hundred pounds, will need vet care for her teeth and serious farrier care. Her feet are horrific and she barely has her front right hoof at all. Her coat is rough and she is sad and was extremely depressed. However, she and Honey Bandit seem to have fallen in love across the road. So now we are already seeing less depression. PTL!
Hay prices are through the roof and it is imperative that I order more asap. It is about $7500 + to get a semi load of hay right now. We have a lot of special needs guys that love to eat.
Norman is still with us, although not doing so well. He looks PERFECT, is gorgeous and growing like crazy. Sadly, his lungs are not keeping up and it is causing his little heart to beat at an extremely high rate. He had a very bad seizure when I was leading him into the stall. He needs a miracle. The next step is x-rays to see how much damage he has in his lungs. His knees are always wobbling, he is shaky from the lack of oxygen, HOWEVER, inside his oxygen deprived body is a FIERCE little stallion, full of life and love.
Please say a prayer and if you’d like to help with his vet bill at Goldendale Veterinary Clinic, you can call 509-773-0369.
Thank you as always for all the love and support. I still need help to give our precious rescues the care and love they need. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING PART OF OUR FAMILY AND FOR SAVING SO MANY LIVES!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Wild horse foaling season is underway, so from April to July, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has paused its wild horse roundups. Instead, it has set its sights on wild burros. The BLM is planning to roundup record numbers of burros starting on April 30th – one day before the start of Burro Awareness Month.
Over the next few months, the BLM aims to round up over 2,500 wild burros from five Herd Management Areas (HMAs) and permanently remove over 2,300. The largest operation will take place in the most genetically diverse burro herd, located in the Black Mountain HMA in Arizona where 1,120 wild burros will be permanently removed.
Even worse, the agency intends to use helicopters to chase these beloved animals into traps. This is a notable departure from primarily relying on bait trapping to capture burros.
AWHC field representatives will be on site at these burro roundups to hold the BLM accountable and our team will be working nonstop — on the Hill, in the courtroom, and on the range – to help save wild horses AND burros from inhumane helicopter roundups. But we need your help.
Unlike wild horses, who generally stay together during helicopter roundups and follow other horses into a trap site, wild burros are stoic animals and often stand their ground in the face of the helicopters, or scatter in an attempt to avoid capture. As a result, helicopter roundups can be even more brutal for burros.
On April 26, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a legally-mandated meeting on the use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles in wild horse and burro management. These meetings provide an important opportunity for public input into the BLM’s inhumane and costly wild horse and burro management program.
Just yesterday, the BLM released its 2022 wild horse and burro population numbers showing a mere 4,000-animal reduction in the on-range population despite the agency’s removal and stockpiling of more than 13,000 wild horses and burros from the wild in 2021.
Why? Because roundups are not only inhumane, they also don’t work.
We’ve been saying it all along: the BLM must listen to the National Academy of Sciences, which clearly stated that the BLM’s helicopter management approach is “facilitating high rates of population growth on the range.” For 50 years, the agency has used this cruel and unsustainable method that has resulted in mass deaths and injuries during the operations, the highest number of wild horses in history in off-range holding facilities, and a price tag approaching $1 billion just since 2018.
The meeting will be held virtually on April 26, 2022, from 3 to 5 p.m. MT using Zoom video conferencing and live-streamed at BLM.gov/live. You will also have the ability to provide comments during the virtual public hearing, though you must register in advanceby April 25.
Tessa is a special mare. She is in pretty rough shape as you can see, and her poor hoofers are horrible. But if you look at that face, well there is something special..
God keeps putting her in front of me, so I know I am supposed to save her.
She is scheduled to load on the trailer this afternoon, on that horrific trip to slaughter. So once again I have to decide if she lives or dies based on Faith. I truly believe that we are supposed to save her. Just look at those beautiful eyes. She is asking us to save her!
Will you please help me save this beautiful old girl?
Norman says THANK YOU SO MUCH! He celebrated his 3 week old birthday yesterday. He is still struggling with multiple issues but every day he survives gives him that much more strength. Please keep him in your prayers!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
We wanted to share some recent updates around roundups and holding, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 proposed budget for managing wild horses and burros, and a distinguished award won by a member of the AWHC herd! Read on to learn more and help us to protect these cherished animals. >>
The Biden Administration recently released its proposed FY2023 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior and called for $153.1 million to fund the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. While this is still a $16 million increase from the FY22 spending bill passed last month, the increase in spending is noticeably smaller than in previous years. Now it’s up to Congress to determine how much money will be appropriated to this mismanaged federal program.
The wild horses that call the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota home have roamed the badlands for centuries, and many believe they are descendants of Sitting Bull’s horses and related to the rare Nokota breed. Although the wild horses are not protected under the 1971 Wild Horses and Burros Act, they are a significant part of the historical and natural heritage of the park and the state. Equally important, they’re a huge tourism draw for North Dakota.
Right now, the National Park Service is considering many management options for this herd, including slashing their populations or eliminating them entirely. Please take action TODAY!
The BLM recently canceled an adoption event scheduled for April 1 at its Wheatland Off-Range Corral holding facility due to a “strangles” outbreak — a highly contagious upper respiratory disease with an up to 40% mortality rate.AWHC is calling for an immediate moratorium on all Wyoming roundups pending inquiry into the disease outbreak, as well as dozens of deaths of horses from other causes in the state’s holding facilities.
AWHC Board Member and wildlife photographer, Scott Wilson won the coveted Natural World and Wildlife Award in the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards for his photo of a Colorado mustang, titled, “Anger Management” (above). Scott’s photo was chosen for the top prize out of 170,000 entries!
The photo was taken just months before the devastating roundup of the Sand Wash Basin wild horses of Colorado, where 684 wild horses were captured. Scott’s photo is bringing international attention to the plight of America’s wild mustangs. Scott is a strong advocate for the preservation of wild horses, and we are proud to have him as a member of the AWHC herd!
Getting a “feel” for the drive lines requires patience. Begin by using the “halt” command to change direction before making any turns to prevent confusion and resistance from your equine. Progress to making “S” turns through the middle of the round pen when your animal is ready. Once he is able to remain calm and obedient through the “S” turns, you can introduce the rein cues for the “Reverse”. All these maneuvers will help your equine to understand the rein cues coming from the drivelines before he is mounted and ridden.