We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up on behalf of Idaho’s three wild herds, a video showing the heartwarming reuinion of a beloved mustang pair after they were separated during a helicopter roundup, and some useful tips on how you can advocate for wild horses and burros at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) upcoming Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Owyhee Field Office is proposing a 10-year plan for the wild horse populations within the Black Mountain, Hardtrigger and Sands Basin Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Idaho and we need your help.
The agency plans to reduce the wild horse populations drastically to a mere 30 for Black Mountain, 66 for Hard Trigger and just 33 for Sands Basin. According to leading equine geneticists, in order to ensure genetic viability, no population should be reduced below 150 animals. As if that isn’t bad enough, the agency is considering the use of GonaCon in these HMAs. Instead, the BLM should use the humane and scientifically proven fertility control vaccine PZP. Please take action today!
At the end of the month, the BLM’s national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet June 28-30 in Reno. This is a citizen-based advisory committee hand-picked by the BLM to offer recommendations to the agency on wild horse and burro management. The public is invited to attend both in person and virtually and each will have the option to provide public comment. Please take one moment to learn more and submit your comments today!
Beloved mustang pair, Stargazer and Nora, from the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) are on the viral animal video platform, The Dodo! The new video shows their reunification after being separated during a helicopter roundup and the pair taking their first steps of freedom together. Click here to watch!
I pulled the Donkeys, in spite of only raising half of what we need. The girls have hideous wounds from some “person” double hot branding them. Big open wounds that are pouring infection and extremely painful. They are lethargic and have been through the wringer.
Now I need to get them vetted, along with the pregnant mares who just finished their quarantine. ALL of them need vetted.
If this Pregnant Donkey rescue fundraiser is a sign of the times, we are all in trouble. I keep hearing of rescues closing and most of the ones I know are very close.
TONIGHT the phone rang AGAIN. Another (truly) orphaned foal needs our help. She needs milk, vetting etc, etc.**
THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, FOR BEING SO AMAZING FOR THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! YOU are the reason so many lives are saved!
I will keep fighting the good fight as long as I can afford to. I so appreciate all of you and so do the critters.
If you want to help with the Vet Bill, call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and life saving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
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.
Your support for our Rescue Fund powers a variety of critically important work – from providing life saving medical care to foals on Nevada’s Virginia Range to even outbidding kill buyers at slaughter auctions to protect victims of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) failed Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).
Back in January 2021, as part of our ongoing investigation into the AIP slaughter pipeline, AWHC staff were monitoring a slaughter auction in Texas when they discovered a young, red roan BLM-branded mustang, now named Fran, and her small domestic companion, Nellie.
Our team knew we had to act fast, so we quickly reached out to our partners at Montgomery Creek Ranch (MCR) to check to see if they had room for them in their sanctuary and adoption program. Once they confirmed they could take the pair in, we leapt into action and sprung them both from the kill pen and transported them to MCR. Shortly after they arrived to safety, we confirmed that Fran was in fact a victim of the AIP.
These two young horses arrived at the sanctuary scared and in poor condition from their long journey. But thanks to the kind and loving care from the MCR team, they have both grown up to be beautiful and healthy horses! In fact, Nellie has completed all of her pre-riding groundwork training and is actually available for adoption now!
Next, we’d like to introduce you to Elsa and Sven!
Almost one year ago, AWHC partnered with Skydog Sanctuary to help rescue Elsa and 15 other formerly-wild BLM mustangs from slaughter. Like Fran, and thousands of others, they too entered the slaughter pipeline through the AIP.
Upon rescue, two of the mares were discovered to be pregnant – including Elsa – so they were transported to the Colorado Sanctuary For the Love of Aria (FTLOA) to await the birth of their babies. After months of loving care at the sanctuary, Elsa gave birth to Sven who is now growing into a big, healthy colt!
Our Rescue Fund enables us to help support the direct rescues of mustangs like Elsa (and her unborn baby at the time!) AND fund the ongoing care of rescued equines at our partner sanctuaries – including supporting critical initiatives like gelding clinics or hay funds.
These precious Jennies are pregnant, and the one on the bottom is just a baby. (yearling)
THEY SHIP TOMORROW!!
I don’t want to picture the unborn babies being born and tramped in the slaughter trailer.
I need to raise around $4000 so I can cover bail, shipping and feed for the first few months. That is just the beginning.
I cannot take on more critters if I don’t have enough funds to properly care for them. Things are extremely tight for most all of the rescues right now.
Time is of the essence. Do I say YES? It IS up to you.
I will do the work as always, but I need the funds to provide them whatever they need,
The clock is ticking and time is running out quickly.
I need to let them know if we can save these 5 lives.
Please help if you want me to save them. Time is running out fast!!
THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible to get Tika buried with dignity. She was laid to rest on a beautiful ranch.
THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, FOR BEING SO AMAZING FOR THESE PRECIOUS SOULS! YOU are the reason so many lives are saved!
I will keep fighting the good fight as long as I can afford to. I so appreciate all of you and so do the critters.
If you want to help with the Vet Bill, call Goldendale Veterinary at 509-773-0369.
I appreciate every single one of our Chilly Pepper Family. God has truly blessed this rescue!
Have a safe, blessed and life saving 2023!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
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.
There are so many equine-related products on the market today that it is difficult to decide which ones you really need and which ones you don’t. For instance, the subject of splint boots and leg wraps can be very confusing. How do you know when to use them? What types of leg wraps or splint boots are best? Do they really help? In what ways do they help? What type of material should they be made from? And the list of questions goes on.
Splint boots and leg wraps vary as much as their uses. The easiest and most obvious use of a leg wrap comes when traveling with your equine. If you are taking your animal any real distance, it is always advisable to use full cover, padded shipping boots on all four legs. The shipping wraps help prevent your animal from injuring himself due to his own movements, on objects inside the trailer or because of other animals that are traveling with him.
If you have an animal that is fidgety and has difficulty standing still, applying leg wraps is the perfect opportunity to teach him to stand quietly while you handle his legs. You can begin training for leg wraps by putting them on your equine while he is outside the trailer in your grooming station, and then removing them in the trailer before unloading. Make sure he is standing quietly while you put the leg wraps on him. Also, get in the habit of always removing the leg wraps while he is still in the trailer. This makes him learn to “wait” for you before he departs the trailer. If he expects to have his wraps removed while he is still in the trailer, he is less likely to become excited and possibly bump or step on you while waiting to exit the trailer.
The best shipping boots are the ones that are full-leg, quilted on the inside and attached with Velcro straps. Some materials can collect bedding or debris and cause discomfort or pressure sores (the fleece-lined wraps are notorious for this). The best shipping boots are made from a quilted nylon material and most cover the entire leg and hoof.
You can also use quilted cotton pads and leg wraps, but they are primarily for use while your animal is stalled, in order to prevent cuts and abrasions at shows and events. Polo wraps (a soft pliable cotton wrap with no quilted pads) are also used for support during training. These types of wraps generally cover only the cannon bones and not the fetlocks and pasterns. If you do use Polo wraps or quilted cotton pads and wraps, learn to wrap them correctly to avoid pressure points that could cause problems. Consult with a professional to learn the proper wrapping technique.
There is a wide variety of splint boots available on the market and each of them is designed for a particular use. When doing light work in the arena or for trail riding, you might want to use a “front and back” set that are designed for minimal support, while providing the legs with greater protection from injury. In beginning training, you might use splint boots only on the front legs, since your animal will not likely be using his hindquarters efficiently enough to cause a problem. But once you have begun activities such as Reining or lateral work, the rear boots become important.
When making a decision about which type of protection to use, it is important to first assess your animal’s physical development and the types of activity he will be doing. Boots that are designed primarily for protection do not always lend much support to the muscles and tendons.
They do, however, protect the animal from cuts, bumps and bruises and are advisable for use during hard work, gymkhana events, trail rides in mountainous areas and other more stressful workouts. If you do use splint boots while trail riding and they get wet, do not leave them on the animal for very long or they will lose their ability to support and can cause sores from rubbing. In order to prevent this from happening, boots should be removed, cleaned and dried out immediately after use.
Since, in beginning training, the goal is to condition your animal’s muscles and tendons, “light support” splint boots are a good thing to have on-hand. At this early stage, if a boot gives too much support, the animal does not necessarily develop correctly and the areas under the boots can become weak. Muscles and tendons above and below the boot will gain too much strength and cause possible knotting of the muscles, compromising the function of that entire leg due to uneven conditioning.
After basic training, when your equine is participating in more stressful activities such as jumping, endurance and racing (or in the case of an injury), it may become necessary to use a more supportive boot to lightly support already-conditioned muscles and tendons. Support boots are designed to provide equal support over the entire area they cover. Be careful that they are neither too tight nor too loose. You don’t want the boots so tight that they cut off the blood supply to the area covered or are not flexible enough to allow the joints to move freely. However, you don’t want them so loose that they ride down on the legs.
Although the hooves look tough, they, too, can be adversely affected, particularly in gymkhana events and jumping. This is why “bell boots” may be needed for hoof and coronet band protection. The coronet is a very sensitive area and can cause severe lameness if damaged even by a small, seemingly insignificant, cut or bump. If a hoof is unusually dry, severe cracks can occur, and so it is also advisable to routinely use a hoof dressing in addition to the bell boots, in order to make sure a trauma to the hoof will not cause cracking.
When trying to decide which splint boots, leg wraps or other devices to use assess your plan for the day. Leg wraps and splint boots can change from time to time, depending on the conditions of the day. Most shows do not allow splint boots or leg wraps in certain classes. If an animal is in good physical condition, he should not need splint boots or leg wraps for the short time of the performance unless it is extended, as in gymkhana events. In this case, your animal should be conditioned well enough to forgo the actual support-type boots and would only need boots that would primarily offer protection from injury.
You may be asking yourself, “How can I tell a minimal support boot from a fully functional medical support boot?” This can be very confusing, considering all the different kinds of leg wraps and splint boots out there. Some even look identical, as in the case of the high quality Pro Choice splint boot versus an off-brand. Although the off-brand may look identical, it is often made from inferior-quality materials that do not afford the degree of flexibility needed for successful therapy. Although these off-brands are designed for support and do cover the joints, should be considered as more of a protective boot. Splint boots are strictly for protection of the cannon bones, because they do not cover the joints and offer very little support.
In the case of leg wraps, there are those that stretch and are used for support (as in the Polo wraps used for Dressage schooling), and those that do not stretch and are used over padded quilt squares for traveling and while in the stable. When researching which product will best suit your needs and the needs of your animal, equine professionals, your local tack shop or feed store, shows and expos, and the internet can all be valuable sources of information.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
In less than a month, government helicopters will descend on America’s beloved wild herds as roundup season begins in full force.
Families will be broken apart, thousands of innocent animals will lose their freedom forever, and many will be seriously injured or worse, killed as a result of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) brutal helicopter roundup operations.
AWHC has been fighting tirelessly to bring an end to this inhumane practice – but until these tragedies stop for good, we must keep them in the public’s view. That’s why we send observers to document as many of these roundups as possible. We must show the world what is happening to our wild horses.
Earlier this year, the BLM announced that it’s planning to round up more than 7,000 wild horses and burros from our public lands beginning on July 1st – permanently removing 5,857 – even though over 61,000 wild horses and burros are warehoused in BLM holding facilities.
The largest of these roundups is set to take place on Nevada’s Antelope Complex, where over 3,000 wild horses are going to be removed from their homes. And that’s just the start. Thousands more will be subjected to these deadly helicopter roundups in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, and Oregon as well.
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that when people see the atrocities our wild horses and burros face, they are outraged. That’s why we need to ensure we have enough funds to send our observers into the field. Without them, the BLM’s actions will continue to be shrouded in secrecy.
We don’t just document these animal welfare violations, we compile our observers’ photos and videos to use in legal action when we can. Not only that, but we create a record of cruelty and provide it to change makers in Congress.
We’d like to apologize. Earlier today, we mistakenly sent you the email below without linking to the proper advocacy form for you to contact your representative about the SAFE Act. If you’d still like to take action in support of this critical legislation, you can click here. Thank you for standing up for our beloved wild herds.
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up in support of permanently banning the slaughter of equines, an article about an important new bill banning the use of helicopters in wild horse and burro roundups, and an adorable guest blog post from rescued burros “Huck” and “Puck”!
On Friday, May 19, 2023, U.S. Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3475) to permanently ban the slaughter of equines for human consumption and to ban the export of equines to foreign countries for slaughter.Please urge your representatives to co-sponsor this bill today!
Huck and Puck, AWHC’s wild burro Ambassadors, were pulled from their range in Nevada in one of the Bureau of Land Management’s helicopter roundups, adopted through the Adoption Incentive Program, and flipped at an infamous kill pen in Oklahoma soon afterward. From there their luck changed, however, and they were saved by a rescue and fostered in Wyoming, before ending up with AWHC’s program specialist Mary and her husband, Dick. Be sure to read on for the “policies” Huck and Puck have adopted over the last 12 months or so.