Help Support Fergie & her fillies with humane fertility control!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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American Wild Horse Campaign
The cost of freedom lost
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Federal helicopter roundups have paused for the next few weeks. Before they resume in September, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on the staggering cost of freedom lost so far for America’s wild horses and burros. But first, will you chip in to help fund our efforts to document and shine a light on the cruel reality our beloved wild horses and burros face at the hands of the government?
| CHIP IN TO PROTECT WILD HORSES |
Since July 1, 2024, 6,629 wild horses and burros, many of whom are young foals, have been captured as a result of seven dangerous roundup operations conducted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). So far, 89 deaths have been reported.
Most recently, roundups in the Sulphur, Marietta and South Steens Herd Management Areas (HMAs) have concluded. During these three roundups alone, 1,612 horses and burros were captured and 19 animals lost their lives. In the South Steens, where 9 horses died of traumatic injuries or were euthanized by the BLM, the agency actually increased its capture goal by 120 horses on the last day of the roundup.
| CHIP IN TO PROTECT WILD HORSES |
During the Blue Wing roundup 1,655 wild horses and burros were captured and a shocking 42 died. This helicopter operation was particularly gruesome as AWHC field observers documented shocking abuse during it, including capturing video footage of a collapsed horse being struck repeatedly in the head by BLM contractors. And in Wyoming’s North Lander roundup, a staggering 2,577 wild horses were captured, including 471 foals.
This has to stop. Over the course of the next month, over 1,000 more wild horses and burros are slated for removal. That means more horses and burros terrorized, more families broken apart, more life-threatening injuries, and more deaths
| CHIP IN TO PROTECT WILD HORSES |
Not only is this cruel and unscientific system costing these animals their lives and their freedom, it’s also costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. According to the BLM, the Wild Horse and Burro Program cost taxpayers $157.8 million in Fiscal Year 2023. For the Blue Wing Complex roundup alone, the contractor hired to conduct the brutal operation was paid $624,870.
We know there’s a better way. We’re proving just that through our successful and scientifically-backed PZP fertility control program, which only costs $30 per vaccine, and our groundbreaking Land Conservancy Project. These innovative AWHC programs show that there’s a more humane and cost-effect alternative to protect and conserve our nation’s wild horses and burros and the land they roam other than cruel and costly helicopter roundups.
We’re also fighting to hold the BLM accountable for abuses against wild horses and burros by deploying our humane observers to every single planned helicopter roundup of the summer so far to ensure the public knows what is happening to these iconic animals.
It’s up to us to continue fighting for the future of our wild herds, but we can’t do it alone. Your support is critical to powering this vital work. And by signing up for a recurring monthly gift, you can help us do even MORE to keep wild horses and burros free on the lands they call home year-round. Will you take your support to the next level and become an AWHC recurring donor today?
| BECOME A RECURRING DONOR |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Saving lives through our Rescue Fund
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We are fiercely committed to safeguarding America’s iconic wild horses and burros. Many times, our promise to protect our wild herds requires activating the AWHC Rescue Fund at a moment’s notice. The Rescue Fund enables our team to provide vital support to on the ground rescues by funding hay and feed, transport to safety, and critical veterinary care. Before the end of this month, we hope to raise $10,000 to replenish our Rescue Fund so we can be prepared to step up at a moment’s notice. Will you chip in to help us reach our goal?
| REFUEL OUR RESCUE FUND |
As we speak, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s summer roundup campagin is continuing across Western states. These cruel and costly helicopter operations endanger the lives of wild horses, and lead to capture, confinement, and sometimes slaughter. Our Rescue Fund has been pivotal in rescuing hundreds of wild horses and burros in need of help.
Now we’re aiming to raise $10,000 to ensure our vital rescue operations can continue. These funds will support local rescue organizations that are saving mustangs and burros from imminent danger.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of supporters like you, the Rescue Fund has already saved hundreds of wild horses and burros, including victims of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP). This program has created a pipeline to slaughter by awarding $1,000 to adopters per horse or burro adopted. Then irresponsible adopters are pocket the cash and dump their adopted animlas in slaughter auctions across the country.
We’re fighting back against the BLM’s inhumane management practices, including the AIP, but we need to be ready to help mustangs and burros in need.
| REFUEL OUR RESCUE FUND |
Thank you for standing with us in this vital cause. Together, we can ensure these magnificent animals remain free and wild, just as nature intended.
Onward,
Team AWHC
Bear Family Living in Ecological Balance With Nevada Wild Horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Many of you have been following our Land Conservancy Project, the bold initiative we pioneered last year. This program aims to perserve and enhance key habitats so our iconic wild herds can live wild and free in ecological balance in America’s western landscapes. Click here to support our Land Conservancy Project!!
| FUEL THE LAND CONSERVANCY PROJECT |
Our Land Conservancy Project is focused on three critical areas: land acquisition, habitat restoration, and humane management.
For context, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) own range data indicates that private livestock overgrazing, along with fire and drought, have depleted habitats for all wildlife, including protected species like wild horses and burros.
This preventable habitat deterioration is one reason we took a huge step forward last year by acquiring 3,300 acres of prime habitat within Nevada’s picturesque Carson Valley. The land supports a diverse array of wildlife including the federally protected Fish Springs wild horse herd. We aim to use this innovative project to help set a new conservation standard for wild horse and burro protection. Our dedicated land manager, along with a team of passionate experts, is working on the ground, actively tracking wild horse movements, studying the intricacies of the land, and undertaking vital habitat restoration projects.
Photo of a Fish Springs foal by John T. Humphrey
We’ve spent the past year compiling photo evidence and scientific insights into how wild horses and local wildlife peacefully coexist, sharing the resources this land provides.
Photo taken on AWHC land by John T. Humphrey
Photo taken on AWHC land by John T. Humphrey
AWHC has a strong track record of protecting not only wild horses, but also the land they roam. Our Land Conservancy Project aims to build on this strong record by working to restore meadows, protect creeks and springheads to provide life-sustaining access to water, and reseed areas with native grasses to ensure that wild horses and other wildlife have the resources they need to thrive.
AWHC is proud to have embarked on this groundbreaking — or ground healing — project.
| FUEL THE LAND CONSERVANCY PROJECT |
Stay tuned for future updates on the program’s progress and the advancements this program allows us to make. And as always, thank you for standing up for American wild herds!
Onward,
Team AWHC
Three more roundups started last
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Within the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began a series of wild horse and burro helicopter roundups as it continues its summer roundup campaign, aiming to remove over 7,000 federally protected animals.
Photo of the White Mountain Herd by Nenah Demunster
| PROTECT OUR WILD HERDS |
Wyoming’s White Mountain roundup began on August 15th. Our on-the-ground observer visited the White Mountain herd in the few days before the helicopters took off. She documented the beautiful mustang families living wild and free in the Herd Management Area (HMA), and who were unaware that in mere days, nearly 600 would be ripped from the only homes they’d ever known.
Tragically, almost every horse she saw in those last moments of freedom has now been captured. The south side of the HMA has been scraped clean. Every single band that has been known and documented for years has been permanently removed, every familiar face is gone. Now 536 wild horses have lost their freedom and 10 have lost their lives.
Oregon’s South Steens roundup began the same day. The BLM aims to capture 760 wild horses. So far, 574 animals have been rounded up and eight have died.
On August 18th, the Marietta Wild Burro Range helicopter roundup began as well. This Range is the nation’s first formally recognized range managed principally for wild burros and is home to an estimated population of 387 burros. This roundup will reduce the population by a staggering 75%.
Photo by Steve Paige
| PROTECT OUR WILD HERDS |
These operations endanger the well-being of these innocent animals as well as the long-term viability of their herds. These cruel roundups often leave wild horses and burros traumatized. Young foals are separated from their mothers, horses and burros are often run to exhaustion, injuries are commonplace, and sometimes lives are tragically lost.
AWHC is on the ground at these roundups, in remote corners of the West, bringing firsthand reports from the frontlines of these roundups to share the stories of these wild horses. By raising awareness, we can drive change, and our observation program is the cornerstone of educating the public about the plight of our wild horses and burros.
As the BLM pushes ahead with these upcoming roundups, we’re preparing to deploy more observers to the field – but we need your support to ensure that they have the resources they need to continue this work. These iconic animals are counting on us to shine a light on the harsh reality of federal helicopter roundups. Can you chip in whatever you can afford to support our Observation Program today?
| DONATE |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Yet again, the BLM is turning a blind eye to wild horse and burro abuse
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) Assessment of the Blue Wing Complex roundup – and yet again, the agency is turning a blind eye to wild horse and burro abuse.
Despite the horrific incident our humane observers captured on video in which a BLM contractor brutally kicked and punched a collapsed wild horse, the BLM gave the operation a CAWP score of “excellent.”
This CAWP report clearly flies in the face of the reality of what’s been happening on the ground at wild horse roundups. In addition to the abuse our observers documented, the operation has also resulted in the shocking deaths of 42 animals so far, making it the deadliest roundup of Fiscal Year 2024.
The BLM conducted the assessment on July 18th and 19th, approximately a week before the documented abuse took place. However, despite acknowledging the abuse on its Facebook page, the BLM neglected to amend the CAWP report or deploy a second CAWP team to conduct a follow-up assessment.
It’s clear that had it not been for the presence of our humane observers at the roundup who were able to document the cruelty this horse was subjected to, the BLM would have never brought this abuse to light.
| FUEL OUR OBSERVATION FUND |
That’s why AWHC intends to continue fighting for this horse and all the other horses and burros who are chased by helicopters into traps, separated from all they hold dear — family and freedom. We pledge to continue serving as the boots on the ground at these inhumane roundups to ensure no incidents of abuse like this are swept under the rug.
The summer roundup season is still in full swing and AWHC has observers on the ground right now. Please help us keep them in the field by supporting our work fighting for transparency and accountability at federal roundups.
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Conservation
This week’s eNews: an update from Capitol Hill on the abuse uncovered at the Blue Wing Complex
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
This week’s edition of eNews is full of updates from Capitol Hill, the country’s first wild burro range, and Utah’s off-range holding facilities. Read on to learn more about lawmakers speaking up for wild horses, the Marietta wild burros, and for a look inside the Sutherland and Axtell holding facilities.
Members of Congress Speak Out Against Wild Horse Abuse Incident
In response to AWHC’s recently released video showing a Bureau of Land Management contractor repeatedly kicking a collapsed wild horse during the Blue Wing Complex helicopter roundup, Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) have called for increased transparency, scrutiny, and strict adherence to animal welfare standards during roundups. They joined a chorus of organizations and individuals calling for an investigation into the incident, including re-evaluating the relationship with the contractor involved. Click here to read more.
| Read More |
Marietta Wild Burro Range
The Marietta Burro Range is the nation’s first formally-recognized range managed principally for wild burros. It was designated as such in 1991 in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. In just a few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to round up 75% of this historic burro population. Last week, AWHC observers made a trip to survey the conditions of the range and to document the burros in what may be their last week of freedom. Click here to read more and meet the Marietta wild burros!
| Meet the Burros! |
Utah Off-Range Holding Facility Tours
AWHC’s observer recently attended two tours of Utah’s off-range holding facilities. The first was at the Sutherland off-range corral, which is overcapacity and is home to 1,524 wild horses. The second tour was at the Axtel facility, which holds 1,612 wild horses and 968 burros. Click here to read AWHC’s report from these tours and see photos of the captured wild horses.
| Read the Reports |
Onward,
Team AWHC
RED ALERT: Wild Horse Abuse By Fed’l Contractors Caught On Camera
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Almost two weeks ago, we released graphic footage, taken by our humane observer, that showed a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contractor kicking and punching a collapsed wild horse during the Blue Wing Complex roundup.
In response to this shocking and cruel abuse, we called on our herd of advocates and wild horse allies to sign a petition demanding that the BLM hold these contractors criminally responsible for violating the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Our goal was to collect 20,000 signatures to show the BLM that this type of abuse cannot be tolerated.
However, as of right now we are only half-way to our goal.
The actions of this contractor is a dark mark on the BLM. And it’s past time for a line to be drawn and decisive action taken. We are pursuing action through the office of the Inspector General by filing an official complaint, but we need your help to keep the pressure on and not let this horse’s horrific story be forgotten.
| SIGN ON |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
——– Forwarded message ——-
From: Team AWHC <contact@americanwildhorsecampaign.org>
Date: July 30, 2024 at 5:52 PM CDT
Subject: RED ALERT: Wild Horse Abuse By Fed’l Contractors Caught On Camera
To: <meredith@luckythreeranch.com>
Our humane observers recently documented extreme abuse during the Blue Wing Complex wild horse roundup. Our footage shows contractors repeatedly kicking a collapsed wild horse in the head. The horse is one of over 1,700 wild horses and burros targeted for removal from Nevada’s Blue Wing Complex as part of the BLM’s mass summer roundup campaign.
| SPEAK UP FOR THE BLUE WING WILD HORSES |
The ongoing Blue Wing Complex roundup has been conducted under punishing conditions, amidst two prolonged heat waves and poor air quality due to wildfires in the area. An astounding 39 horses have so far died during the roundup. The causes of death include:
- Traumatic injuries such as broken necks and blunt-force trauma
- Three animals arriving at the holding corrals dead on the trailer after transport from the roundup site.
- Non-life-threatening conditions like arthritis and clubbed feet for which the BLM routinely euthanizes animals.
| TAKE ACTION AND DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION |
AWHC immediately lept into action and filed a formal complaint regarding this horrific act of violence, calling for immediate investigation into the abuse, which rises to a level of criminal conduct under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 one year in jail or both.
Now we need your help. Can you please sign on to our petition calling for the BLM to hold these contractors criminally responsible for the abuse inflicted upon the Blue Wing Complex wild horses? We’ve set an ambitious goal of getting 20,000 signers to show the BLM that this type of treatment is unacceptable. Please sign on now.
| TAKE ACTION |
Including wild horse conservation in your legacy planning
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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Roundups Status Update
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) summer helicopter roundups have officially been underway for a full month. Today, I want to provide an update about these cruel and costly ongoing federal operations in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming that put our wild herds in danger of injuries or worse, death.
In Nevada: Over 1,660 wild horses and burros have been captured so far from the Blue Wing complex, including 247 foals. So far, there have been a staggering 42 deaths due to traumatic causes or euthanasia, often for non-fatal physical abnormalities.
In Utah: Roundups concluded last week in the Swasey Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA). The BLM rounded up nearly 190 wild horses — including over 30 foals.
In Wyoming: A grueling 23-day roundup targeting the North Lander Complex, which includes the Conant Creek, Dishpan Butte, Muskrat Basin, and Rock Creek Mountain HMAs, has concluded. In total, 2,577 wild horses were captured — including 471 foals — and 16 wild horses were killed across the Complex. A second federal roundup is scheduled to begin later this month at the White Mountain HMA.
Your support has been instrumental in raising awareness and advocating for the humane conservation of America’s iconic wild herds. Thank you for standing with us in our fight to protect wild horses and burros from eradication. Your advocacy never goes unnoticed.
Onward,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
RED ALERT: Wild Horse Abuse By Fed’l Contractors Caught On Camera
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Our humane observers recently documented extreme abuse during the Blue Wing Complex wild horse roundup. Our footage shows contractors repeatedly kicking a collapsed wild horse in the head. The horse is one of over 1,700 wild horses and burros targeted for removal from Nevada’s Blue Wing Complex as part of the BLM’s mass summer roundup campaign.
| SPEAK UP FOR THE BLUE WING WILD HORSES |
The ongoing Blue Wing Complex roundup has been conducted under punishing conditions, amidst two prolonged heat waves and poor air quality due to wildfires in the area. An astounding 39 horses have so far died during the roundup. The causes of death include:
- Traumatic injuries such as broken necks and blunt-force trauma
- Three animals arriving at the holding corrals dead on the trailer after transport from the roundup site.
- Non-life-threatening conditions like arthritis and clubbed feet for which the BLM routinely euthanizes animals.
| TAKE ACTION AND DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION |
AWHC immediately lept into action and filed a formal complaint regarding this horrific act of violence, calling for immediate investigation into the abuse, which rises to a level of criminal conduct under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 one year in jail or both.
Now we need your help. Can you please sign on to our petition calling for the BLM to hold these contractors criminally responsible for the abuse inflicted upon the Blue Wing Complex wild horses? We’ve set an ambitious goal of getting 20,000 signers to show the BLM that this type of treatment is unacceptable. Please sign on now.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thank you for your advocacy.
Onward,
Team AWHC
ROUNDUP ALERT: Swasey Mountain Horses Need Your Help
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Amidst the hottest months of summer, a series of helicopter roundups have officially begun in Wyoming, Nevada — and, now, Utah. American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is on the ground documenting these brutalities as they unfold. We’ve set an ambitious goal to raise $15,000 by the end of the month to ramp up advocacy efforts in Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah, where roundups are taking place. Will you chip in to help us reach this goal?
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
The BLM’s latest roundup initiative hit the ground (and skies) a week ago, targeting 134,000 acres of public land in Utah called the Swasey Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA). This federally sanctioned operation aims to slash Swasey Mountain’s wild herd population by 46%. In fact, in the past seven days alone, 189 wild horses have been captured at Swasey Mountain. That number includes 33 foals — many of them subjected to dangerous levels of stress by helicopter roundups that often separate mares from their young.
| CHIP IN TO FUEL OUR FIGHT |
As of the latest reports (updated on July 25) here’s what we know:
- 2,577 wild horses have been captured in North Lander, Wyoming.
- 1,429 wild horses and burros have been captured in Blue Wing, Nevada.
- 189 wild horses have been captured in Swasey Mountain, Utah.
- 720 foals have been captured.
- 48 animals have died, often euthanized for non-fatal deformities.
Together, these three operations have already cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million in field operations costs alone and that number is on track to rise steadily for the next two months. All told, the expensive, inhumane BLM roundup enterprise is expected to cost American taxpayers up to $154 million and target more than 10,000 wild horses on the public lands they have roamed for generations.
| CHIP IN TO FUEL OUR FIGHT |
As you can see, we need all hands on deck to ground the BLM helicopters and secure the humane conservation of our nation’s federally protected horses and burros. Thank you for being an ally in our ongoing fight to protect America’s iconic wild herds from eradication. Your advocacy never goes unnoticed.
Onward,
American Wild Horse Conservation
TAKE ACTION: Demand cameras on BLM helicopters!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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Tails from the Wild
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We have quite a few updates for you in this week’s edition of e-news. Read on to learn about our recent political efforts, a timeline of our 12-year battle for Wyoming’s wild horses, and an exciting tale (or tail!) from the Virginia Range!
AWHC Political Update
Recently, AWHC’s government relations team has been hard at work both at the state level and at the federal level! Read our most recent blog about our efforts to support wild horse-friendly legislation in both Colorado and Congress.
| Read More |
AWHC Litigation Update
We often get asked, “Why don’t you sue?” And the answer is, we do!
When considering potential litigation, there are many factors our expert legal teams consider — including the viability of legal action and the precedent the lawsuit will set if we win or lose. We take on litigation that will have the biggest impact on our wild horses for years to come.
In the Wyoming Checkerboard, we’ve been litigating to protect 1 million acres of public lands and the horses who inhabit them for the last decade. Read the full timeline of our legal actions here. AWHC and partners took the BLM to court over their decision to completely eradicate two wild horse herds in the Great Divide Basin HMA and Salt Wells Creek HMA. The court will determine if the BLM has the authority granted by Congress under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to make such drastic and harmful decisions. This case could set a precedent for the future of wild horse protection. Longtime AWHC attorney Bill Eubanks said, “Arguably this is the most important wild horse case that’s ever been argued.” Watch his full interview here!
| The Wyoming Checkerboard Timeline |
Tails From the Wild
Wild horse bands have a complex social structure that is incredible to witness when you get a chance to see them in the wild! One day, AWHC volunteer Deb Sutherland was there to witness them in action. She was hiking on the range documenting the Virginia Range mustangs for AWHC’s fertility control program when she came across a chestnut stallion with a star, a dark blue roan stallion, a light bay mare with a funny-looking blaze, and a dark bay mare. A herd of bachelor stallions was playing in the spring that this family was walking toward. Click here to read what happens next!
| Read the Full Story |
Roundups Update:
- Total number of wild horses and burros rounded up (as of July 18): 3,460
- Total number of foals rounded up (as of July 18): 592
- Total number of deaths (as of July 18): 35
- Wild horses and burros to be rounded up before Oct 30: 6,844
Thank you for reading this edition of e-news, Meredith.
Stay wild!
Team AWHC
Wild About Wildlife Month
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Happy Wild About Wildlife Month!
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is wild about preserving the lifelong freedom of America’s wild horses and burros in their natural habitats. And those habitats include a host of other wildlife who live alongside these iconic animals! Last year, we launched our Land Conservancy Project to protect the ecological balance of America’s wild herds and their cohabitants across America’s western landscapes. In celebration of Wild About Wildlife Month, will you donate to fuel our land conservancy project?
| FUEL THE LAND CONSERVANCY PROJECT |
According to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) own range data, much of the land it manages has degraded in condition due to extractive uses, such as the overgrazing of livestock. These activities — along with fire and drought — have depleted habitats for all wildlife, including protected species like wild horses and burros.
Our land conservancy pilot project area includes more than 3,000 acres of rolling foothills, sprawling meadows, and natural spring water around the Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada. This innovative conservation initiative provides a safe environment for thousands of animals to live, graze, hunt, and play.
Click here to enjoy 15 seconds of one local bear-y blissful bath! Our ponds and streams are also enjoyed by coyotes, deer, antelope, and many other species of wildlife that live alongside our cherished wild herds.
We’re proud of the progress made on this exciting project, which solidifies conservation as the key driver behind our advocacy for wild horses and burros.
As always, thank you for standing with our wild herds.
Onward,
Team AWHC
National “I ❤️ ” Day
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Did you know that today is National I Love Horses Day? Here at American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), we take any and all opportunities to celebrate horses, both domestic and wild!
And, tomorrow, AWHC’s lawyers will be in Court arguing two cases that will decide the fate of not only the wild horses from Wyoming’s Checkerboard, which include the Salt Wells and the Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas (HMA), but will also set an important precedent for generations to come: Will private interests be allowed to dictate the use of public lands and decide whether our federally protected wild horses and burros can live on them?
| POWER OUR WORK |
In honor of National I Love Horses Day, we want to tell you a touching story from the Great Divide Basin HMA.
AWHC’s partner and co-plaintiff in this critical litigation, Kimerlee Curyl, was out photographing the incredible Great Divide Basin horses when she came across a stunning, heavily pregnant white mare. Kimerlee stayed a respectful distance away from her, watching the mare and her family interact. While she was sitting there, a group of boisterous bachelor stallions approached the band, trying to steal the band’s mares. But their lead stallion was not about to back down. He fought the bachelors with fury.
The other mares and a few youngsters in the group were extremely distressed, but they knew they had to protect their pregnant family member. They started running circles around her — kicking up dust, determined to keep her safe. This made it extremely hard for any bachelor to try and infiltrate the group.
Kimerlee wrote about this experience:
“Finally, the stallion drove the last of the bachelors towards the horizon, the ground shook with the stampeding of hooves across the desert floor. I didn’t think he could do it, but he did. The powerful stallion won this battle with his strength, determination, and the unbreakable family bond they possessed.
He swiftly galloped back to the family and returned directly to her side with an air of chivalry. A testament to the enduring noble nature of the wild. She returned her tired head to the space upon his back where she had been resting, let out a big breath and all was calm in their world once again. Witnessing such events and moments in their wild world is the inspiration to continue the fight to keep them wild.”
She memorialized the touching moment between this mare and her stallion with this photo.
Photo: Kimerlee Cryl Wild Horse Photography
It is stories like these that make us even more determined to protect wild horses and burros across the West — and it’s why we’ve been litigating for over a decade to protect this herd and set legal precedents that uphold the law and protect all wild horses and burros. This National I Love Horses Day, join us in celebrating our wild horses and the incredible family bonds they hold.
| POWER OUR WORK |
You are the backbone of our movement.
Thank you for your generosity,
Team AWHC
Are you still with us?
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Here at American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), our team is dedicated to preserving the lifelong freedom of America’s wild horses and burros in their natural habitats. Every day we work to advocate for better protections by lobbying Congress, taking legal action, and mobilizing our grassroots army to achieve change.
We noticed you haven’t been opening our emails lately, so we wanted to check in with you to see if you’d like to keep hearing from us. If you’re still with us in the fight to protect our wild herds, let us know by clicking this link!
| COUNT ME IN |
AWHC is fighting on all fronts to end cruel helicopter roundups in favor of humane management and in-the-wild conservation initiatives, such as scientifically proven, safe, and reversible fertility control vaccines. Every year, thousands of our nation’s wild herds are rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and taken from their homes. These brutal operations often lead to severe injuries – or worse – deaths.
If you’re still with us, we’re so grateful for your continued support! We’ll be in touch with more opportunities to speak up for our wild herds. In the meantime, be sure to follow us on our social media pages to get all the latest updates on the fight to save America’s wild horses and burros!
Thank you!
Team AWHC
Defending Wild Horses in the Courtroom on July 16
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, some of the most important work we do for our wild herds is in the courtroom — and, as a matter of fact, we’re currently engaged in two significant court cases near where you live!
| POWER OUR LEGAL FUND |
In the southwest region of Wyoming known as the “Wyoming Checkerboard,” our decade-long struggle continues against the demands of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) to remove wild horses from over 1 million acres of public land.
Twelve years of our legal intervention will come to a head on Tuesday, July 16 when we present oral arguments on BOTH cases in the U.S. District Court of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Here are the details:
When:
Tuesday, July 16 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Where:
U.S. District Court
2120 Capitol Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001
Courtroom No. 3 / Room No. 2104
What:
If you come to the arguments, please be quiet, courteous, and respectful at all times. ANY noise or disrespectful behavior will result in removal from the courtroom and could have negative consequences for our case.
10:00 a.m. Argument | Striking Back Against Unprecedented Eradication Measures
In 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adopted amendments to a Resource Management Plan (RMP) that would authorize the federal government to eliminate more than 1 million acres of habitat across federal public lands in Wyoming and fully or partially eradicate multiple wild herds. Under these amendments, the wild horses of Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin would face total elimination. These unconscionable amendments are detrimental to the Checkerboard’s natural ecosystem. Moreover, they represent the first time in the 53-year history of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act that the BLM has eliminated entire wild horse herds where sufficient habitat characteristics (i.e., forage, water, space, and cover) exist on public lands.
Photo: Wild Horses of Salt Creek Wells by Kimerlee Curyl Photography
| POWER OUR LEGAL FUND |
2:00 p.m. Argument | Protecting Public Lands from Private Interests
Last March, the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) filed a suit compelling the BLM to remove wild horses not only from private lands used by RSGA members to graze livestock but also from federal public lands (also used by RSGA members’ livestock) throughout the Wyoming Checkerboard. AWHC immediately intervened against this preposterous lawsuit. Clearly, we’re up against very powerful interests who view wild horses as competitors to their private livestock on our public lands. A huge legal principle is at stake: Will private interests be allowed to dictate the use of public lands and decide whether our federally protected wild horses and burros can live on them?
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We’re at a pivotal moment, and your support has never been more important.
Thank you,
The American Wild Horse Conservation
BeautiFOAL rescue story
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We’re back in your inbox with another heartwarming rescue story. This time we bring you the story of Roxy the “spicy tater tot,” a spirited Virginia Range foal whose sheer determination and will to survive are an inspiration to us all! But first, could you please chip in to help refuel our Foal Rescue Fund? We’ve set the ambitious goal of raising $20,000 to ensure we are able to support foal rescues on the Virginia Range.
| REFUEL THE FOAL RESCUE FUND |
A few weeks ago, an observer on the Virginia Range in Nevada noticed a young foal being treated strangely by her band of wild horses. The observer noted that some of the horses showed interest — sniffing her curiously — while others were actively attempting to push her away. Our range partner, Wild Horse Connection (WHC), dispatched a rescue team to monitor the foal and assess the situation.
The rescue team confirmed the foal was likely caught in a mixup and separated from her family. So they spent hours searching the area for other bands trying to locate the foal’s mother, but as time passed, the foal grew more and more lethargic. Time was running out.
As a last resort, the rescue team brought the foal to the veterinarian hospital. The name “Roxy” stuck almost immediately. Roxy was treated for severe dehydration. She needed two plasma infusions and constant monitoring.
Lethargic or not, Roxy is a fighter! Volunteers got such a kick out of her spicy attitude that she earned the affectionate nickname “spicy tater tot.”
When she was released to WHC’s foal nursery, a long-time WHC volunteer on duty instantly fell in love and filled out adoption papers on the spot. Roxy was taken home to her new acreage that very afternoon, where she continues to be cared for and live her best life alongside her new family of horses and minis.
Your support has made it possible for us to help offset veterinarian bills for rescued horses and foals like Roxy. Our rescue work would not be possible without generous support from advocates like you.
| REFUEL THE FOAL RESCUE FUND |
| REFUEL THE FOAL RESCUE FUND |
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
Liberty and Justice for All
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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