Introducing our OFFICIAL 2023 American Wild Horse Campaign Member Card…
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We’re grateful for the generous donations supporters like you provide to AWHC year after year. As one of our most dedicated advocates, we wanted to make sure you received your virtual copy of our 2023 AWHC Member Card.
So here it is… Introducing our OFFICIAL 2023 American Wild Horse Campaign Member Card:
We have so much in store for 2023. Not only are we continuing our fight on the Hill, in courts, and in the field — we’re also working on a number of groundbreaking new initiatives — all in the name of keeping wild horses and burros in the wild where they belong.
We’re laser-focused on our mission to preserve the freedom of wild mustangs and burros. That means in 2023, we are:
Proving through our fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range that humane, in-the-wild management works,
AND expanding our fertility control programs to other herds across the West;
Continuing our lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management’s Adoption Incentive Program that’s sending horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline and our legal team is preparing for other upcoming legal battles;
Working with key legislators in Congress to pass wild horse-friendly legislation;
Spreading the word about the threats our cherished wild horses face through our national awareness campaign and celebrity ambassador program;
And so much more!!
Thank you for your support — both past and present. We’re grateful to have you along with us as we head into the new year.
— American Wild Horse Campaign
![Help us select our Official 2023 American Wild Horse Campaign member card. [[Shows each of 3 options: Option 1 shows a brown mustang looking head on into the camera and says "2023 Member" Option 2 shows a dozen mustangs grazing in the field in the sunset and says "Giving Them A Voice" and Option 3 has a big "2023" in the background and shows a brown and a white stallion running towards the camera]] VOTE NOW!](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/TDefxCKzc8F7mD9RLczZqddhMNEDDB1pa0ETZ7tMnWyEZ9HZT5n7Fg-51G_vWQmUUxgOylfz69zp5vto4fHk19WHaUHnE_vFNClpoTDyZJ-Wy50A3WvBWIDkVkRLsl-iORIGAo24zagTAFvXSmUrl0YN1GFP5JLsNIpdBBY=s0-d-e1-ft#https://prod.cdn.everyaction.com/images/van/EA/EA002/1/67303/images/AWHC-MembershipCardVote1%20%281%29.png)
Help us pick our Official 2023 AWHC Member Card >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Can you help us pick our 2023 AWHC Member Card?
We’re asking dedicated American Wild Horse Campaign supporters like you to cast your vote and help us select our Official 2023 AWHC Member Card design!
Option #1
Option #2
Option #3
A 2023 AWHC Member Card is a great way to show off your dedication to protecting America’s wild herds.Will you cast your vote and let us know which design is your favorite?
We’ll be announcing the winner soon!
— American Wild Horse Campaign
Time is running out
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Time is running out.
I’ll keep this quick: In just a few short hours, our biggest fundraising opportunity of the year — unlocking a $150,000 matching gift — expires. We’re still $24,312 from reaching our goal, and I’m worried that for the first time ever, we may not get there.
Together, we can ensure that our work in 2023 gets off to the strongest start possible; with funding for our ambitious legal, legislative, and field program goals.
Can you chip in whatever you can afford — one last time in 2022 before it’s too late?
I can’t wait to see what we achieve together for our wild horses and burros in the year ahead. If it’s anything like the momentum we’ve experienced this year, we have a lot to be hopeful about. Thank you for all that you’ve done to power our movement in 2022.
Together, we’ve accomplished so much, so I want to share with you a video our team put together highlighting some of our 2022 victories. We’re so proud of what we’ve been able to do and are so grateful for your belief in our work, Meredith.
On behalf of our whole team, thank you for your compassion and dedication to protecting wild horses and burros. We wish you and your family a peaceful and healthy New Year.
For the wild ones,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
BREAKING NEWS: The BLM is coming for Wyoming’s wild horses >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We just received word that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has denied our legal protest against a plan in Wyoming that would result in the largest-ever eradication of federally protected wild horses and their habitat.
That means it’s game on.
The BLM’s plan calls for the complete elimination of 2.1 million acres of wild horse habitat in Wyoming and the complete eradication of two iconic wild horse herds. Statewide, 43% of all wild horse habitat would be eliminated and the entire wild horse population in Wyoming — which currently totals less than 5,000 — would be slashed by one-third.
In addition to zeroing out the Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin HMAs, the BLM’s plan will reduce the population in the neighboring Adobe Town HMA by half. In total, over 1,000 wild Wyoming mustangs are stuck in the BLM’s crosshairs. If they survive brutal helicopter roundups, they will be confined within the BLM’s holding system, which is riddled with animal welfare violations and disease outbreaks.
Who is at stake: the Salt Wells Creek wild horses.
Photo: Kimerlee Curyl Photography
We have less than 12 hours until our year-end fundraising deadline and we still have a ways to go to hit our $150,000 goal. We now have even more urgency to meet this deadline as this lawsuit could cost upwards of $100,000, and we know we have a long battle ahead.
Right now, we are tracking at $112,431 of the way to our goal — $37,569 short of where we need to be to finish out strong. Any donation you make today will be DOUBLED in our fight to protect Wyoming’s wild horses. Donate now and make 2X the impact for wild horses and burros in 2023. >>
We know we’re asking for a lot during this last week of the year. But it’s because the stakes have never been higher, and we need the resources to keep the fight going. The plan in Wyoming sets a dangerous precedent for private landowners and public land ranchers to dictate whether federally-protected wild horses will be allowed to live in their designated habitats and threatens to undermine federal protections for all wild horses and burros across the West.
But we’re not backing down. We’re committed to fighting back against this disastrous plan from every possible angle, but we need your help to keep us battling in court and on Capitol Hill. We’re just HOURS away from the opportunity to unlock our $150,000 match before we close the books in 2022. Can you make a donation right now to help us unlock this HUGE matching gift opportunity?
Thanks so much.
— American Wild Horse Campaign
What the dollars you donate provide
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Earlier today, you heard from one of our dedicated roundup documenters about why it’s so critical that generous supporters like you power our Observation Fund. By having our field representatives on the ground observing the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) cruel helicopter roundups, we can ensure that this inhumane treatment does not go undocumented.
Every single dollar that we raise for our Observation Fund directly helps to hold the BLM accountable:
- $50 covers the costs of the camera lens rentals used to document the roundups
- $75 covers the cost of our emergency roadside kits in case our observers have car trouble — as they often travel to areas without cell phone service
- $100 covers daily fuel costs to transport our observers to the extremely remote public lands where the BLM conducts these roundups
- $200 covers two nights of a hotel room for our observers during multi-day roundups
- $1,000 covers the costs of renting a 4-wheel-drive vehicle for one week
It’s essential that we have the resources to cover these expenses. Often, AWHC representatives are the ONLY members of the public on-site to document the capture operations. This work helps us hold the BLM accountable by filing official complaints and briefing members of Congress. Without the photographs and videos from our observers, the public would be in the dark about what is happening to our wild horses and burros in these remote corners of the West.
Help us make helicopter roundups a thing of the past
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Apologies for all the emails from our team this week — we know it can be a lot, but it’s only because there is so much on the line for wild horses and burros in 2023.
Today I’m going to ask you to donate $25, $50, or whatever you can afford to AWHC before our December 31st End-of-Year deadline. But first, let me explain why we urgently need your support:
This year was a hard one for our cherished wild herds. Families were torn apart and freedom and lives were lost. Over 20,000 wild horses and burros were ripped from their homes on our public lands, and over 60,000 mustangs and burros languish in government holding facilities.
But as bad as this year was, it has only strengthened our resolve to fight harder.
The silver lining to this tragic story is that our advocacy has helped to publicize the severity of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) inhumane program, leading to growing public outrage.
We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of Americans come together and demand an end to the BLM’s costly and cruel roundup program. Congress has joined in as well, demanding these necessary reforms. Our champions even introduced the historic Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Protection Act of 2022 with strong bipartisan support.
So, now is our moment. We must capitalize on this momentum and continue our fight to keep wild horses and burros roaming free.
Thank you for standing with us.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Celebrating National Wildlife Day with Stargazer and Nora
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Melissa here.
Today at AWHC, we’re celebrating National Wildlife Day by continuing the fight to keep wild horses and burros wild, and if they’ve lost their freedom — making sure the ones we can help are given a life that’s truly the next best thing.
Today, I wanted to introduce you to two horses that I adopted, Stargazer and Northstar (or Nora for short), a bonded pair who I think are the perfect embodiment of what this holiday represents.
In the Spring of 2020, Stargazer found Nora injured and alone on the Onaqui Mountain range in Utah. He never left her side until July of 2021, when the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) helicopters descended on the Herd Management Area and rounded up over 400 innocent wild horses. I knew if I did nothing, these two mustangs would never be together ever again.
Stargazer and Nora on the Range. Photo at left, Kimerlee Curyl Photography. Photo at right, Darlene Smith Photograph
Over the next several months, I did everything I could to reunite this pair. I needed to get my home ready for them, get my adoption application approved by the BLM, and keep an eye on the auction calendar for my chance to bid. After many delays, auction day was finally here and with bated breath, I finally secured the winning bids.
This bonded pair was coming to their forever home with me.
Picking them up from BLM holding was an emotional day. The two had been placed in a special pen together — they were never seen far apart, often touching. Nora would lie down in the mud and Stargazer would stand over her, protecting her. We loaded them onto the trailer, clearly nervous, they stepped in unsure of what was to come, but they would do it together.
Stargazer and Nora waiting in holding to go to their forever home
Photo: RJ Stein Photography
When they arrived at our farm, Stargazer and Nora seemed to recognize they were no longer in danger. They had a dry space, fresh water, space to roam, and gentle humans to care for them. Every day, these two gorgeous mustangs are curious, open, and trusting. They are willing and forgiving.
When I watch them with one another, I still desperately wish they were in the wild, but sadly I know that can’t be an option for them again. So every day, the staff at AWHC works to fulfill our mission to honor the mustangs and burros that were taken from the wild by fighting to keep those still on public lands wild, free, and with their families.
Stargazer and Nora home at last
Photo: RJ Stein Photography
I am so proud to be a part of the important work that AWHC is doing – in the field, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill. Please consider donating in celebration of National Wildlife Day as we fight to keep our cherished wild herds in the wild where they belong.
| CONTRIBUTE |
Thank you. For the wild ones,
Melissa Tritinger
Deputy Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
Thanks to you, our first major media campaign was a success
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Last month, more than 800 wild horses were removed from Piceance Basin in Colorado. You asked us to speak up and be a voice for these protected and treasured mustangs. So we did.
Thanks to the commitment of supporters like yourself, we were able to create a media campaign that made Colorado residents aware of the cruel roundup of innocent wild horses — the biggest in state history — happening right in their backyard.
We took to TV screens and major Colorado news publications to launch a statewide campaign highlighting how unnecessary and poorly-timed these ongoing summer roundups are — and how the helicopters must be grounded immediately.
Our TV spot aired for two weeks across three cable networks in the Denver market and we were able to reach hundreds of thousands of Colorado residents who took action swiftly. Over 19,000 Coloradan wild horse advocates sent messages to their Congressional representatives demanding an end to the Piceance Basin roundup.
Thanks to supporters like you, we were also able to:
But, we cannot escape the cruel truth that more than 800 wild horses were rounded up in Piceance Basin and now face an uncertain future. We will not stop working until each and every one of these cherished American mustangs is able to live out their lives in the wild where they belong.
The BLM’s Piceance Basin roundup was filled with animal welfare violations, injuries among innocent mustangs and foals, and several avoidable casualties. Thanks to all of our supporters, new and old, not only were we able to help keep over 700 wild horses free on the public lands they call home, we were able to drive essential messages about this devastating roundup and build awareness of our mission to protect the freedom of America’s wild herds.
Our shared efforts will not stop at the Colorado border. In fact, thanks to your support, we’re just getting started → We’re planning to take this campaign NATIONWIDE to keep up the focus on the protection our wild horses deserve.
When we raise our voices together, there is nothing we can’t achieve for our beloved wild herds. We need to maintain this momentum from the Colorado campaign and expand our efforts across the country. But we’ll need your continued support to do that. Will you make a contribution now to help us take this campaign to the next level nationwide?
| DONATE |
Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
ICYMI: 16 Wild Mustangs Rescued From a Notorious Colorado Kill Pen >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to share some recent updates around roundups, our latest report on the Bureau of Land Management’s Adoption Incentive Program, and a heartwarming rescue of 16 wild horses! Read on to learn more and take action to help us protect our cherished wild herds. >>
Tell BLM: Stop the Cash Incentives for the Adoption Incentive Program
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
This summer, the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) released an explosive investigative report that detailed the devastating and deadly consequences of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program, which pays individuals $1,000 to adopt up to four wild, unhandled mustangs and burros a year.
Our latest AIP report makes it clear: Handing out cash to adopt wild animals is a dangerous and fiscally irresponsible plan. To ensure mustangs and burros are protected from slaughter, the BLM must abandon the cash component of this program — and we need your help.
| TAKE ACTION |
The Rescue of the Eaton 16 Mustangs
On the same day AWHC released its report on the deadly consequences of the BLM’s Adoption Incentive Program, 16 BLM-branded mustangs showed up at a notorious kill pen in Eaton, Colorado. What happened next was a monumental effort involving group collaboration to get these horses to safety.
| READ MORE |
In Full Swing: Summer Roundup Season
Photo by Nenah Demunster for AWHC
As we write this, BLM-contracted helicopters are stampeding wild horses and burros into traps in four different Herd Management Areas (HMAs) across three western states with the goal to roundup 5,600+ animals. AWHC has field representatives on the ground to bring you the latest.
Read our reports for each of these roundups:
| READ MORE |
Thanks for all you continue to do to protect wild horses and burros, Meredith!
— AWHC Team
So! Who’s Your Daddy?
By Margie Sloan
Three colts walk into a barn.
The fillies perk up. After the whinnying and a few snorts, the boss mare asks,
“So! Who’s your Daddy?”
Colt one loudly boasts.
“He’s a Thoroughbred worth big bucks and runs around a track!”
Colt two very loudly boasts.
“Mine’s a Warmblood dressage dancer and can do the equine jitterbug and ballet!”
Colt three doesn’t see a need to boast. He simply states,
“Mine is a wild man, a hero and he’s free.”
The boss mare is intrigued. She wants to hear about all the Daddies but first she wants to hear about the wild man.
His name is Merlin. He’s a stallion of the Colorado Sand Wash Basin Herd. And he is indeed a hero in every sense of the word. No one knows just how many he has sired. However, his role as the Godfather to a forgotten foal is a compelling story of compassion and courage.
Last September, The Bureau of Land Management conducted a roundup of the Colorado Sand Wash Basin wild horses in their effort to thin the herd roaming on Northwest Colorado Public Lands. The roundup was done with helicopters and wranglers stampeding the horses to holding pens.
Observers from wild horse rescue groups and nature photographers noticed a tiny foal that looked to be no more than a few days old, terrified and isolated. Her mother, a mare identified as Serendipity, herself sired by the legendary Picasso was last seen running to escape the low flying helicopter.
Scott Wilson, the winner of the 2022 Sony Open Competition Natural World & Wildlife Photographer of the Year experienced a once in a life time example of the bonds of wild horses protecting their herd at all costs.
What Wilson saw and memorialized on film is the stuff of campfire stories and cowboy movies. It’s doubtful that any screen writer could come up with anything better than the true story of a mustang stallion confronting an uncaring wrangler and protecting a defenseless newborn foal at his own risk of certain capture. Wilson experienced a brief moment of hope and heroism in the midst of a brutal round up.
“Even a tragedy needs a hero. Just after sunrise, on a ridge to the left of an area designated as a viewing area…viewing area i s a term I use loosely since i t was nearly a mile from the holding pen and the helicopters approach was obscured…appeared a tiny newborn foal with what observers assumed was a mare, until it became apparent this was a mustang stallion known locally as Merlin.
The newborn, as yet unnamed, had been without its mother or her milk since she was rounded up the previous day. The stallion, in a huge sacrifice was seeking to bring the young foal to help. Instantly, we knew were witnessing an extraordinary example of compassionate wild animal behavior at its finest.
At this point, you want the foal to enter the trap without any drama or be humanely captured so it has the best chance of being reunited with its mare or milk at least. But you also want the stallion to escape. Between the soaring helicopter and an approaching cowboy, Merlin clearly sensed danger and bolted with the foal in tow until Merlin turned and placed himself between the foal and the cowboy.
Observers were ordered back to their cars at this point, so we have no idea what happened next or how, except the foal eventually made it to the pen and on to a foster facility in Craig, Colorado.
Stallion Merlin paid the price with his freedom and was held in a holding pen with 120 wild horses rounded up in just one morning. But not for long.
In an extraordinary act of defiance the following morning, Merlin vaulted the seven foot high fence around the BLM holding pen, with no room for a run up, and galloped his way to freedom. The dramatic escape instantly elevated Merlin to Sand Wash Basin legend status. Artists have been inspired to write poetry and paint versions of the tale.
Perhaps even more magical is that Merlin was just one of four wild stallions during the 10 day round up who sacrificed their right to roam in order to return a foal to its mother.
Unbelievable family values!
The foal, a beautiful black filly was given a chance at a good life. She is growing up and thriving in Kiowa, Colorado at a horse sanctuary. Her name i s Stella Luna and she i s one of the lucky ones.”
The boss mare liked the story. The other two colts were dumbfounded as they had never known about wild horses.
The barn manager came in to do his chores and turned the radio on.
The horses swayed back and forth in their stalls and the barn manager sang along with Janis.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose. Nothin, don’t mean nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free.”
Photos by Scott Wilson
Copyright © Margie Sloan, May, 2022. All rights reserved.
Email: argiema@yahoo.com
Read the article on The Plaid Horse July 2022- The Horse Care Issue.
THANK YOU!!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
You’ve heard a lot from us recently about our Rescue Fund and the work we’re doing with our on-the-ground partners to provide lifesaving care to foals abandoned on the range, mustangs dumped in kill pens, and other innocent wild horses and burros who found themselves in need of help across the West.
You also heard that we set an ambitious goal of $15,000 to replenish the resources of our Fund to assist rescue operations and field veterinary, feed, and formula costs. Well, I’m happy to report that we raised above and beyond our goal!
From all of us at AWHC, thank you so much for your generosity and dedication to protecting America’s wild herds.
Every single dollar of our Rescue Fund goes right back into caring for foals, supporting our partners and rescuing these animals from the most vulnerable of circumstances. These donations will make a difference in the lives of so many wild horses!
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our ongoing rescue efforts. Thank you again for all your support!
With gratitude,
— Suzanne + the AWHC Team
UPDATE: More than 124 wild horses have now died at this BLM facility
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Last week, we alerted you to a highly contagious and deadly infectious disease outbreak occurring in real time at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Cañon City holding facility in Colorado. In just the last 11 days, at least 124 wild horses have died in these holding pens — making this possibly the deadliest disease outbreak in BLM history.
Nearly 2,500 wild horses are confined in this facility and remain at risk — please speak up for them now by calling on your members of Congress to demand an investigation into the BLM’s holding corrals.
Since we last emailed you, the BLM was able to identify the virus that has killed dozens of these cherished animals — Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) — a virus that the BLM is supposed to vaccinate wild horses and burros against once they are rounded up and removed from the wild.
The BLM reported that the 124 mustangs killed were either entirely unvaccinated or only partially-vaccinated against the deadly virus even though they had been at the facility for over 9 months.
At the same time, an active disease outbreak is occuring at the BLM’s off range holding corrals in Wheatland, Wyoming, where a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes strangles has so far infected half of the 2,750 horses confined there.
This developing situation raises serious concerns about the conditions in the BLM’s off-range holding system where 59,749 wild horses and 862 wild burros are being held — and we deserve answers.
| TAKE ACTION → |
Thanks for your help.
— AWHC Team
———- Forwarded message ———
From: ACTION ALERT! via AWHC <contact@americanwildhorsecampaign.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 6:26 PM
Subject: BREAKING: Wild horses are in danger at this BLM facility
To: <meredith@luckythreeranch.com>
Since Saturday, at least 67 wild horses have died in a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding facility in Colorado due to an unidentified, highly contagious, and deadly infectious disease.
More than 2,500 BLM-managed wild horses are confined to the Cañon City facility where this outbreak occurred and are at risk. You could help us speak up for them by contacting your members of Congress calling for an investigation into the BLM’s off-range corrals.
| TAKE ACTION → |
This is the second government holding facility to close in recent weeks due to disease outbreaks related to the intense confinement of these wild animals.
RIGHT NOW → almost 60,000 wild horses and 862 wild burros are confined in BLM off-range holding facilities. And with plans to remove 19,000 more wild horses and burros from public lands this year, the BLM is putting thousands of these innocent animals at risk.
And — wild horses and burros aren’t just dying from disease in these facilities. Records show that hundreds of mustangs are dying from traumatic injuries like broken necks, skull fractures, broken legs, and even evisceration from castration surgeries following capture at government facilities across the country.
These wild horses do no harm where they belong — in the wild, but our government is placing them in harm’s way by cramming them into crowded holding facilities.
We must protect the thousands of federally-protected wild horses and burros in captivity today, but Meredith, we need your voice to help them.
| TAKE ACTION → |
Thanks for taking action — we’re grateful for your support.
AWHC Team
This week’s eNews: Take action to protect the North Lander Complex wild mustangs!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
We wanted to share some recent updates about roundups, a happy ending for a few rescued burros, and actions you can take to help protect Wyoming’s wild horses from further danger. Read on and see how you can help to protect these cherished animals. >>
Speak Up For the North Lander Complex Wild Horses
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released an Environmental Assessment on a management plan for the North Lander Complex in Wyoming. The proposed action would reduce the wild horse population from 2,000 to 320, skew the sex ratio to 60/40 in favor of stallions, castrate 95% of the captured males, insert unproven IUDs into a portion of the mares captured and administer an experimental fertility control vaccine GonaCon to all mares slated to be released.
The plan threatens the long-term sustainability of this iconic Wyoming wild mustang herd. Please take action to protect the wild herds of the North Lander Complex. >>
| TAKE ACTION |
Death Toll Surges in Aftermath of Wyoming Checkerboard Roundup
Nearly 50 federally-protected wild mustangs died in the aftermath of the government’s recent roundup of the Great Divide Basin wild horses of Wyoming. The BLM officially reported the deaths of six mustangs following the roundup, which took place from October 5, 2021 to November 7, 2021, but didn’t release any information regarding the deaths of animals once they were removed from the range.
Under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, AWHC was able to obtain records that an additional 43 wild horses from the Great Divide Basin died or were euthanized while in holding just 90 days after the roundup. The Wyoming Checkerboard roundup was the largest on record by the BLM, with more than 3,500 animals permanently removed from the range.
Four other wild horse herds were removed during the operation, and we expect to see significantly higher death rates as those records come in. The BLM has announced more of such operations across the West for 2022, with plans to remove an unprecedented number of horses. Learn more here. >>
| LEARN MORE |
AWHC & AWI Partner in Homes for Horses Coalition Initiative
Photo by Kimerlee Curyl
In an effort to permanently put an end to horse slaughter, AWHC has partnered with the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) as a sponsoring organization of the Homes for Horses Coalition. The Homes for Horses Coalition (HHC) is a national initiative made up of more than 520 member organizations with the ultimate goal of ending horse slaughter and all other forms of equine abuse for good.
Through this initiative, AWHC joins AWI in supporting the boots-on-the-ground rescues by providing advocacy leadership to address the root causes of the problem while providing resources to strengthen the nonprofits doing heroic jobs to help horses in need.
Right now, AWHC continues to push for the passage of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act in Congress, which would permanently prevent horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S. and stop the export of horses, burros, and donkeys for slaughter. Learn more here. >>
| LEARN MORE |
Four Rescued Burros Find Their Forever Home at Montgomery Creek Ranch
AWHC’s Rescue Fund helps us to fuel rescue missions across the country. From orphaned or injured foals on Nevada’s Virginia Range to mustangs and burros in kill pens — your support helps us save the lives of these treasured animals when they desperately need our help. Recently, we coordinated the rescue of 4 BLM-branded burros from a kill pen in the Midwest. AWHC Board President and owner of Montgomery Creek Ranch Wild Horse Sanctuary, Ellie Phipps Price agreed to take them in.
When rescued, the burros were in very rough shape — three of these innocent animals had open wounds all over their bodies from a hot brand. The older white burro has a fallen crest, meaning his neck muscle hangs over to the side. They spent a few weeks at a quarantine shelter to treat their wounds and get them healthy enough for transport. Finally, they were healthy enough to go to Montgomery Creek Ranch where they will continue to heal and be prepped for adoption.
| READ MORE |
— AWHC Team
CHILLY PEPPER – It’s “GO TIME”. 1st 911 of the year. Emaciated, starving Great Grandma n 2 others
The following is from Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang:
First emergency call of the new year. 31 year old, Injured, emaciated mare was down in the snow and couldn’t get up. 5 total thin? horses that need saved NOW!. Thankfully the 2 mustangs have a safe place to go. I was called for the 3 old horses. Animal Control is involved.
So Matt n I are on the way. My son has been there and thankfully Great Grandma was up again. A bunch of wonderful folks were on scene to help, PTL!
As I just had surgery, I will be “supervising “. Thankfully both Matt and Travis are available for whatever these horses need.
I already have a call into Doc, but we are 7 hours away and funds are extremely low. Please help if you can and say a prayer that Great Grandma stays up and we can help her. Trav took supplies over so at least she has a little bit more energy.
We need your help to save these horses!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HELPING SAVE THESE PRECIOUS LIVES!
Please check out our Adoption page!
https://www.facebook.com/
If anyone wants to help,
Supplies can be sent to
Palomino
Chilly Pepper
12965 Green Saddle Drive, #233
Golconda, NV 89414
checks to PO Box 233,
Golconda NV 89414
or Donations can be made at:
CashAp-$LauriArmstrong
Venmo – @Lauri-Armstrong-2
THANK YOU for everything we have received. **
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
You can go to gofundme
You can go to Paypal
if you would like to help these horses.
->You can donate via check at: (PLEASE NOTE NEW PO BOX #)
Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang,
PO Box # 233
Golconda, NV 89414
You can also donate via credit card by calling Palomino at 530-339-1458.
NO MATTER HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL – WE SAVE THEM ALL!
SAVING GD’S CRITTERS – FOUR FEET AT A TIME
Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang, WIN Project – Rescue & Rehab
We are now part of the WIN Organization
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.
2021 in Review: Uncovering the Adoption Incentive Program’s slaughter pipeline
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
2021 was a year full of highs and lows — and we’re so grateful that through it all, you stood by our side in the fight to protect wild horses and burros.
One of our biggest accomplishments was our investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which resulted in a front-page New York Times exposé, elevating the tragedies of the AIP to a national level.
As one of AWHC’s lead investigators into the AIP, every single day, I identify and track new BLM mustangs and burros in kill pens across the country. After months of investigation, we confirmed that the titles of the horses and burros we were rescuing matched those of animals adopted through the AIP.
Time and time again in this investigation, we’ve identified adopters who have collected the AIP cash incentives, then dumped the horses and burros they had adopted at slaughter auctions as soon as the money cleared their accounts.
Our Rescue Fund was key to this investigation as it allowed us to support our rescue partners in pulling wild horses and burros from kill pens. This not only saved these innocent animals’ lives but also gave us access to information — including titles and brand numbers — that helped us connect the dots to expose the program.
Supporters like you helped to fuel this lifesaving work. Will you make a donation to AWHC once again to fuel our Rescue Fund and help us continue our fight to terminate the AIP? From now until December 31 all donations will be matched up to $100,000. Donate now to DOUBLE your impact for wild horses and burros in 2022. >>
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Since uncovering and exposing this slaughter pipeline, we’ve made some impressive strides! Congress has taken notice of this problem, and our Government Relations team is working with elected officials on solutions to better protect our wild horses and burros from slaughter.
After the New York Times exposé, the BLM announced a list of reforms to the Adoption Incentive Program. But, these reforms did not go far enough, so we filed a lawsuit. This week, government attorneys informed our lawyers that the BLM would be unveiling a new Adoption Incentive Program in the new year, and we will be watching closely to see if meaningful reforms are forthcoming.
Meredith: Supporters like you make these important initiatives possible — our investigative work to uncover this slaughter pipeline, our rescue fund to help save the AIP’s victims, our Government Relations work on the Hill, and even our litigation against the BLM. None of this would be possible without your help.
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Thanks,
Amelia Perrin
Communications Associate
American Wild Horse Campaign
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Attention young horse lovers: Spirit Untamed premieres in theatres TOMORROW — and all of us here at AWHC are SO excited for this film’s debut!
In case you have yet to hear about the movie, it features a young girl named Lucky who moves to a new town where she befriends a wild mustang. Now, Lucky and her new friends must save a wild herd of mustangs from wranglers.
Not only is it great to see a movie that aligns so closely with our mission of protecting wild horses making it’s national debut — it’s also an amazing opportunity to inspire a younger generation of wild horse lovers!
It’s so important that the wild horse and burro issue is brought to the forefront. Just last week, the Biden Administration released its proposed budget for next fiscal year, and it included an increase of $36.8 million for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program — which could remove nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros from their homes on public lands.
You can bet we’re doing everything we can to fight back against this proposal, but one of the best ways to protect wild horses and burros in the years to come is to spread awareness around the issue!
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Thank you,
American Wild Horse Campaign
It’s Time to Speak up for Wild Burros
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Wild horses & burros need your help!
Guest Blog: It’s Time to Speak up for Wild Burros
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the US Forest Service, and the National Park Service have long treated these long-eared equids with disregard and deliberate misinformation campaigns. Cattle grazing, road-building, big game hunting, gold and lithium mining and other commercial uses erode their habitat and damage their access to water.
With Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior, there’s a chance to change this harmful pattern. But it may not save their skins unless awareness leads to concerted action — and pronto.
In the spirit of Burro Awareness Month, we would like to share with you a guest blog about these incredible animals written by advocate and burro-extraordinaire, Charlotte Roe. After you read it, follow the link at the bottom to support America’s burros.
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Speak Up for the Sand Wash Basin Herd
You may be familiar with the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) in Colorado because of the world famous stallion, Picasso who called this 157,000-acre public lands habitat home, and who died wild and free on this very land. Unfortunately, the surviving members of his herd may not be so lucky.
The BLM is currently planning to roundup and remove over 80% of the Sand Wash wild mustangs, leaving only a population 163 — about 1 horse per every 980 acres!
Adding insult to injury, the local organization, Sand Wash Advocate Team (SWAT) has worked tirelessly to implement a PZP program to humanely manage the Sand Wash mustangs — and it’s working. Instead of a costly and cruel helicopter roundup, the BLM should invest more time and resources to support SWAT’s efforts and expand the PZP program in the HMA. This would be more humane for the horses and more cost-effective for the American taxpayers.
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The Calico Complex is on the Chopping Block — Speak Out!
Photo: Mike Lorden
It’s unfortunately more bad news for the wild horses and burros that reside within the Calico Complex in Nevada. The BLM is targeting the estimated 1,700 wild horses and 70 wild burros for removal in this nearly 600,000-acre area.
The agency is also considering extreme manipulation of the wild horse and burro population remaining on the range by implementing unproven IUDs over scientifically proven PZP fertility control, unnaturally skewing the sex ratio in favor of males, and managing a fourth of the population as non-reproducing, including by castrating stallions.
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Help a Horse today!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Every year, April 26 is a day dedicated to encouraging horse lovers to come together and advocate on behalf of America’s beloved horses. And this year especially, we need your help to protect wild horses in danger of slaughter.
As part of an investigation into the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program, AWHC staff members have been monitoring kill pens across the country and documenting so many BLM mustangs being sold at these slaughter auctions.
In our search, one AWHC staff member came across a one-year-old mare at a kill pen in Texas. She was all alone and due to ship to slaughter in less than a week.
The sad reality is, that with so many wild horses and burros in kill pens across the country, many rescue organizations are spread thin in their efforts to save these animals.
We knew we had to step in and save the little roan filly, so we partnered with Montgomery Creek Ranch, a beautiful wild horse sanctuary in northern California, to pull her out of the kill pen.
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So far, we’ve been able to help rescue more than a dozen wild horses from kill pens, thanks to wonderful sanctuaries and rescue groups, and with the help of generous supporters like you. Your support will help us help save more horses from slaughter, like the filly we were able to rescue from Texas.
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American Wild Horse Campaign
The BLM is trying to remove hundreds of Utah’s Onaqui wild horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Here is your latest news on all things wild horses and burros!
Action: Forest Service to Cull Small Arizona Herd
The Heber wild horses of the Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona have been through enough. Since 2018, the bodies of 28 horses from this small herd have been found shot to death in the Forest and not a single person has been brought to justice.
Now, the Forest Service has just released a Territory Management Plan that continues this assault — in a different way. The agency wants to reduce the population of these mustangs to as few as 50 animals on nearly 20,000-acres of public land.
Why? You might ask — well, taking a look at who else resides in the Forest might be a good place to find answers. At the same time that the Forest Service wants to drastically reduce the population of the herds, it permits nearly 500 cow/calf pairs to graze within the horses’ habitat.
We cannot let this stand. Please take one moment to speak up for Arizona’s Heber wild horses.
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The wild horses in the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) of Dugway, Utah are arguably the most visited and cherished mustang population in the country. The herd’s accessibility provides a unique experience for visitors and photographers who, in turn, share their photographs and stories of these iconic animals with an international audience. Not only that, but there is a successful PZP program, spearheaded by volunteers, to stabilize the population numbers.
But none of that seems to matter to the BLM, which recently announced that it will be targeting hundreds of the Onaqui wild horses for removal as early as July 2021. When we heard the news, we sprung into action and are currently developing a plan to fight back. We will give you more details on that soon, but for now, please read our most recent oped in the Salt Lake Tribune about this situation.
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The BLM released an Environmental Assessment this week outlining a plan to continue its nearly decade-long assault on the iconic wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard. Under the proposal, the BLM would use helicopters to permanently remove 3,500 wild horses — or nearly 40% of the wild horse population in the state.
The BLM continues to cater to the interests of the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA), whose members view wild horses as competition for cheap, taxpayer-subsidized livestock grazing on public lands. Since 2011, AWHC has been involved in litigation against the RSGA and the BLM to defend the wild horses in this area and has amassed numerous court victories, including at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We intend to continue legal action to defend Wyoming wild horses and to rally public opposition to this plan — but more on that soon.
Check out our latest news release on the situation and stay tuned for more ways to take action in the coming weeks.
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—The AWHC Team
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