# ~*~Wild Horses In the West To Be Euthanized??!!~*~



## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) decides a few years after the number of wild horses was at a dangerous low, they come to say the equines are overpopulating. So their proposal is to euthanize thousands of them. 
I AM BEGGING, PLEASE SIGN OUR LETTER TO THE BLM ASKING CHANGE OF PLANS
As of its starting on July 7th, 2008 we have 529 signatures! But we need your help because this letter is being sent out the very last day of August.
DO YOUR PART AND PLEASE HELP US!

http://gopetition.com/petitions/save-wild-horses.html


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Please do your research before you blindly start signing petitions. Even online ones.

The BLM isn't just mindlessly out to get rid of the horses. There is a serious lack of adoptions going on, lack of money coming into the program and you gotta have money to operate the horse program.


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

What is the BLM supposed to do with them? People don't have the money to take care of the overpopulation of domestic horses as it is. At least they will be "humanely euthenizing" them. It's not like they are sending them to slaughter.


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## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

Slaughter has been approved as a method of humane euthnasia...unfortunately. I had a large horse protection group email me to tell me that. It was I think from the Veterinary Association (unsure what he called it)

Solon, 
I do understand your point and yes, I thank you for poiting out not to sign just any old petition.
I am 15, and trying to make a difference and start off in life doing good things. The BLM has not made their decision yet, it will come in September, but I assure you this is not some rude things saying how horrid they are as a wild horse organization.
It simply is a letter asking they find another way to manage the situation. You never know, there may just be vets out there with a kind heart to geld a stallion free, or someone that hears a horse needs a home, and may take in more than that 1! 

Please do not see what I am doing it as bad. I do not intend harm on anyone, I am simply trying to help keep wild horses and even other horses/burros as a wonderful part of our West, in fact, the United States.
I've been thanked, looked up to, written to multiple times, praised, all within the last two months of this. I assure you I never expected such wonderful feedback.
I went in not feet first, but all of me. I strived throughout this whole run to push myself and work my hardest. I expected no gratitude, just maybe a thought of changing plans by the BLM. But instead...

I recieved a miracle.
So if you sign this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and once mpore...I mean no harm.

Thanks so much!
-Cheyenne


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

My point is 1. you need to understand how budgets in state and federal agencies work, 2. you need to understand how management of animals work (carrying capacity of land vs. ALL the animals on it not just horses, and 3. there are too many people out there complaining about what the BLM does but they don't do anything to assist such as adopt a horse or contribute in any way other than to blast them without knowing anything about the above three factors.

There are too many horses.
There is not enough money to manage them due to budget cuts.
There is not enough people adopting horses because of the economy.

So, what are the solutions?

The horses shouldn't be allowed to starve. What is the alternative if people aren't adopting them and there isn't money coming in to manage them?


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## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

As I said, I am trying my hardest to understand this situation. I am not against the BLM in fact I thank them for protecting horses as they have. I kindly wrote and asked was there any way to change plans. I am not even considering blasting them, because that anger does nothing to help, you need to be kind and respectful.

As far as what alternatives are avliable, just look at the signatures we have so far! There are multiple people saying they would be willing to adopt. There are tons of ideas. 

Even if this is to no avail, at least the BLM will see there are many concerned people, and that even some hicktown, 15 year old tomboy like me can be an animal lover and that I am dedicated to helping out.
I even volunteer for my local humane society, it's all my parents would let me do but considering they just got budget cuts too and that 65% of their income comes from donations, it's worth it and I love it so far.

I also assure, if you are trying to bring me down I am strong and comitted. I love all animals, not just horses, so I am very concerned. And though young, I am intelligent and I do put everything into concern and I am not a selfish person.
But as I said, thak you for your opinion. I do not mean to seem rude, I am simply trying to help the horses. If I do seem rude the I apologize.

-Cheyenne


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

What will be more interesting is how many of those people who signed and said they would adopt actually follow through and do so.

I will guarantee you that most won't. And it's very sad.

It's not about bringing you down. It's about educating people on how state/federal government works.

Do you have any solutions if adoptions don't increase?

What would be the alternative to putting the horses down?


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## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

If adoptions don't increase, I have had several ideas pitched forth:
Many people say let them roam, but I know that would be hard.
Some say they should be left alone and not even monitored, and that the elements and normal WILD situations would keep their numbers not as high.

I will post all the responses (I will edit them to make it more understandable and not their words) ASAP and let you know, deal?
I am on your side, as far as its so hard to find another option especially in these money-tight times.

Thanks so much,
-Cheyenne


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Keep in mind, a lot of these 'wild' horses are acutally feral, not true wild mustangs and that's why there isn't a lot of support from the public.


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## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

Yes, I keep that in mind. Especially when I've heard and researched them bringing in Arab stallions to the herds and realeasing them to prevent inbreeding. But I am unsure so I dont point that out alot.

But, a horse is a horse and a horse is an animal and animals are living creatures. And living creatures all deserve some form of humane treatment and respect (unless they deserve the disrespect)


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

My family adopted over 15 mustangs from the BLM herd until my Grandpa could no longer work with them. Even toward the last few years we had them adoption numbers were going down. The fees were next to nothing. 

People are having a hard time affording the horses they have let alone adopting and that puts the herds in a pretty bad stop. But money only goes so far, whethere it's our money or the government's.


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## MemoryForStormy (Dec 11, 2007)

Yes. It seems either generation we look to, there will always be struggles dealing with money. Right now even, the ASPCA is collecting money to pay for hay for rescue organizations..
As for the adoption that is very good to hear. 
We have quite a few just plain RESCUES at the farm. Three from abusive owners (two were VERY young, less than a year old), one from a family who just wanted to be rid of her, one from slaughter, and the rest of our gang was born there.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

i think the blm needs either to be charged with neglect....they have been know to catch wild horses leaving them in pens with out food oor water for day only to be comming back and finding dead horses.....it's not only the blm...(let's get this straight i'm not a bush fan) but you lovley presendent (i am canadian living in the states) sign a bill that over ridder a 1971 bill that protected the mustangs....why?.......for the ranchers who use the public grazing land that theses horses use also...........how....$1.25 usd per cow calf fee for doing this each year...cheepr for the rancher....how come???.....because bush is also a rancher!!!, yes the blm will turn some mustangs over to the public and prison programes....to teach in mates how to traine a horse then be adopted out....while older and lame horses are being turned back out to the wild...oh yeah the also send a good amount of mustangs to mexico to be sluaghterd.... the blm is a joke


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

What are your solutions then?

People don't usually adopt the older and especially lame ones. They go for the younger ones.

People don't want them slaughtered, they don't want them euthanized, the don't want them turned back out to possibly starve on the over grazed lands. Exactly what should be done with them?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

160 years ago the buffelo where sluaghterd in order to starv the indians and reduce there numbers....ranchers are doing the same thing...this time it's the mustang.......what get;s me is that the blm will get land willed to them for the use of the mustangs....they will then turn around and lease those lands to ranchers.....although i do agree that some need to be culled out but not in the way the blm do it


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I guess I didn't ask very clearly the first time, what would you do to solve things?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

i'd get rid of them blm all to geather... kick the ranchers out and take the mares and inject them with porcine zona pellucida....let the numbers drop but natural selection...NOT sending them of to sluaghter ....or why not gelding some of the stallions upond capture? then release them.....yeah the gap os closing in on them land is being over grazzed but don't blame it on the wild horse, blame it on the ranchers who are useing blm....


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

I too have adopted mustangs (only 2) and let me tell you they were/are a handful! I have rehabbed and rescued aprox 20 horses in the last 5 or so years and they were the most difficult for me. Not saying it's their fault. They think, and react totally different than domestic horses. Even knowing that going into it, I was still shocked at the difference. That being said, I seriously doubt that the most of the people who said they would adopt actually would/will. If they truly wanted to, they could. There are several adoptions a year, and it is not expensive. We adopted a palomino and tobiano mare for $125 each.

I don't have any answers unfortunately. I have "heard" on other boards that if you geld a stallion and turn him back, then that is signing his death certificate. That the intact stallions will kill them. But, I don't honestly know if that is true or not. I have never witnessed it and you can't believe everything you read on the internet. If it weren't true, I think that would be a viable option to keep down the numbers, but remember, just one stallion can impregnate many, many mares. You wouldn't need too many to keep those numbers up.

I don't know if birth control for the mares would work either. I have tried it for a couple of my mares and it didn't work. I have a beautiful tobiano filly from a mare on birth control. I don't know enough about the "marbeling" technique to talk intelligent about it.

And as for them getting slaughtered. You are expressly forbidden to knowingly sell, transfer or give away a BLM horse knowing it would go to slaughter. That is part of the reason for the freeze branding. Slaughter is NOT an approved method for getting rid of any mustangs. Humane euthnasia is being talked about. Nothing has been decided about that either at this point. As I said before, you can't believe everything you read on the internet.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

KANSAS_TWISTER said:


> i'd get rid of them blm all to geather... kick the ranchers out and take the mares and inject them with porcine zona pellucida....let the numbers drop but natural selection...NOT sending them of to sluaghter ....or why not gelding some of the stallions upond capture? then release them.....yeah the gap os closing in on them land is being over grazzed but don't blame it on the wild horse, blame it on the ranchers who are useing blm....


I'm just curious, but how old are you?

Who would run the program if BLM were gone? 
Do you know how much it takes in time, money and personnel to run a program like this?
Natural selection = some dying of starving - is that acceptable to you?
Gelding costs money, birth control for the mares cost money, euthanizng costs money. It's really about how to manage the little money they get every year.

A lot of those ranchers you despise lease some of that land which then goes into a coffer to pay for some of the program costs. 

I don't know what your experience in things like this, but you seem to not understand how these programs operate under the public surface. What happens behind the scenes. How budgets are operated.

I think what you'd find is a group of people trying their best to work with hardly any money and no matter what they do, under the big words BLM - they will always be the enemy when they ARE NOT.

I've been in state government for over 17 years. I work with fish and not horses but it's the SAME thing. You get your budgets cut every year, you still have to manage the fish 'herds' and to make the public happy. The public sees you as the bad guy because fish numbers are going down but they don't see why or care to take the time too.

I NEVER hear of anyone offering up ideas or suggestions other than to be really hateful. I can imagine the folks at BLM feel the same way.

So, maybe take a step back and realize there are people in that program that want to be there and want to try and help the horses. The decision made for that program are often made over their heads AND not decision they really agree with BUT they have to do it. 

When you poop on BLM - you are pooping on these people that are out there trying to make it all happen. People are in these jobs not to get rich but because they want to be there.


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

Solon, I was wondering the same thing. Not because I am trying to put anyone down, but because with age comes experience. It is daunting and unfortunate the things that govt employees have to put up with. They have to live by budgets and rules irregardless whether the employees or the public think they are right. It is difficult to change things once they are in place. Widespread generalities such as "they should get rid of......" or "they should just....." are unrealistic. And unfortunately, we live in a realistic world.


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## wildhorsemoon (May 10, 2008)

*Was just going to post this*

I have signed and have a link on my blog for this too. Thanks for posting it here.

Tracey


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

they wouldn't be starving to a extream point if the ranchers were not over grazzing on public lands.....but i guess it's ok with you that the blm will once in a while trap a hurd...leave them for a while with out food or water and kill them off that way?, (a park ranger friend use to work for the blm and witness it a few times) he even stated that it would be better run by a privet comp other then the blm......btw i've been about horses for 35 years and you?


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Longer than 35 years.

I was just curious. And you have yet to offer up any solutions.

I don't know what happened with the horses at the pens. I think I'll check into it though and call some of my contacts over at BLM and see what they say.

But I do know the overgrazing isn't as simple as giving the ranchers less area for their livestock. It's not only livestock out there. It's also widlife. That along with the horses and livestock equals not a lot of area for grazing. 

Since you are so against BLM, I'd like to hear what you would do different. And how have you helped out the program so far?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

i gave you my sultions before you just didn't care to read them.......you know if i did belive that the blm was doing a good job i've be donating a lot of money to them....how about how they handle the ponies on sable island (CND) and Chincoteague , Chincoteague v.f dept owns them and handles there care and sales....again it comes to moeny and what people do with it.......that's my openion...i'm done...will not be dragging this one any futer thnx


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Actually you said you'd get rid of BLM but you different offer up any alternatives to who would run, how they would run it etc. That's what I was asking about.

It takes a lot of money and time to operate a program like this. We manage wildlife and we end up with the same issue with deer/elk as they did with the horses. Of course we are also labeled as evil even though we do our best to do what we can.

I believe it's a lack of understanding and knowledge and people sitting back to just point fingers and do nothing themselves to help out.


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## wildhorsemoon (May 10, 2008)

*No easy solution*

There aren't going to be easy answers to this problem, but slaughtering them just to solve this problem quickly and easily is no answer either. It is just always the easy way out. No one is saying there is a simple solution, and it will take resources and people to step up and help. Arguing will not solve it , your energy would be better spent thinking of long term answers and helping the situation. There will always be those, even horse owners who don't really care that much about the wild horses, if it isn't their pure bred this or that thats being killed. Not everyone will be on your side. There is alot of breed predjudice among horse & dog people for that matter. *** I am not saying that is anyone here though, just a point to make, not everyone cares about them.***
Don't waste your energy agrguing, spend it thinking, networking and looking for answers. It will take alot to save these horses, who I think have the same worth as any other horse. They deserve a chance, and they deserve some time and effort to save them. We need ideas, and to let those who disagree, have their opinions, while we work on to save them.
I respect those who have a big heart, whether logic, real life and reality like it or not.

Tracey


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Like I mentioned above, my family did a lot to support the program. For over 15 years. I think it's sad that I hear of people complaining who haven't. See what I mean? 

If they can get more money into the system (and there are trusts that have been developed that people can donate too), then they can get more money for the holding facilities and possibly deal with the extra horses without having to kill any of them.

Signing a petition doesn't do very much. But speaking with your money and your time (volunteering) does.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

ok last time i say any thing solan.....you stated that people should speak with there money?. my father makes a large donation every year in to which it is requested by either child, grand child or so forth...last year is was twards cancer resurch (in which my mother died of last year) i'd rahter put in time vulenteering with the blm the handing the gas money to them to drive the mustangs to slughter.....


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you just wrote.

For anyone that actually wants to help out, you can donate money that goes to a trust fund. I believe there are two trust funds set up. Or you can contact the different BLM offices and see about volunteering with the horse program. Adopt a horse would be even better.

Or you can just sit back and complain about how crappy things are like a bunch of other people instead of acting.

Hats off to all the people out there that have participated in the adoption program or helped out. No BLM is not perfect. What agency really is. :lol: People can get involved though, people can help make it better.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

ok solan should i double space and in large it????? why should i dump thousands of dollers (from a family trust fund) to the blm each year when they turn around and could posably use the money them selves to send horses to sluaghter?, yes i aplod the people who adopt them, but i would rather be giving money to horse rescues for there wish lists...(which we have done over there years) ....i'm finish with it...youonly seem to hear what you want...


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I'm not sure where you got that you had to use your trust fund money?? I'm talking like one or two dollars. :lol: Why would you spend thousands of dollars on that, unless you wanted too. 

You can do what you want, I was saying that it's easy for people to sit back and complain, but not do anything at all.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

it's a fund that my family set up to make a big donation's every year to some thing that is near and dear .....who know maybe after the elections thing's might get better for the blm....i'm not a bush fan at all (he seem's to be sealing the fate of every thing) and that has really turned me off of it because of him.....my husband has been looking in to buying land adjasent to blm land just so mustangs could grazz freely and not worry....maybe some day


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