Please read this

[kycowboy]

The Bureau of Land Management?s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board met on Monday. In our pre-meeting alert, we had expressed grave concerns over BLM?s plans, asking whether ?kill authority? was next on BLM's misguided agenda. Lo and behold, BLM came out and announced it is now considering simply putting to death 'excess' wild horses! How did it come to this?

In 2001, BLM obtained a 50% increase in annual budget for implementation of an aggressive removal campaign. 24,000 horses were slated for capture, with no long-term plan for their welfare. Now, predictably, the federal agency finds itself in the untenable positions of warehousing over 30,000 horses (more than remain in the wild); the funding it wants to save by euthanizing our wild horses was wasted on years of unnecessary round-ups to cater to special interests.

6 million head of private livestock graze our public lands and BLM wants us to believe that 25,000 wild horses are overpopulating the range? Removals are based on flawed and biased data (mhtml:{811DCD01-4D38-426D-9E4C-CBFA28CFD25E}mid://00000024/!x-usc:http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/18/nation/na-grazing18); BLM itself admitted at Monday?s meeting that not even its censusing techniques are accurate. In 2005, while in the process of rounding up thousands of horses supposedly due to poor range conditions, BLM eased public land grazing restrictions for private cattle.

BLM?s irresponsible approach to wild horse management created the problem, and the agency is now asking the American public to swallow a very bitter pill, all the while continuing to round up horses by the thousands (2,000 are slated to come off the Nevada range in the coming weeks alone).

America cannot let this stand. Congress is in recess for Independence Day week, but stay tuned for a national action plan next week.

On behalf of America?s horses, thank you for your support at this critical time,

[Snareman2]

I might be ignorant, but what is the problem? I don't see anything wrong with management of the numbers of wild horses. The BLM is authorized to manage the resources. Everything the horses use take away from what the wildlife get. I say, limit the competition for the wild resources to the native wildlife.

[kytrapper]

I guess I don't understand either. If they are "wild" they must be managed. Our deer are wild and they must be managed. I think there is a "cuteness" factor similar to what we had on the otters. People saw them frolicking and playing in the snow and couldn't understand how anyone could harm them. It'd be fine in my opinion to allow capture of them also if they are wanted by someone.

[buckfever]

I say, limit the competition for the wild resources to the native wildlife.

Aren't wild horses native to America????

[kytrapper]

I may be wrong but I think they got their start from Spanish explorers.

[buckfever]

I guess I don't understand either. If they are "wild" they must be managed. Our deer are wild and they must be managed. I think there is a "cuteness" factor similar to what we had on the otters. People saw them frolicking and playing in the snow and couldn't understand how anyone could harm them. It'd be fine in my opinion to allow capture of them also if they are wanted by someone.

I'm not sure if this is the case or not, but it appears to me that the uproar is over the fact that the BLM is purportedly managing the horse herds for the benefit of a few (i.e. the private cattle ranchers that are using public land to graze their cattle).

Note: I said "purportedly" b/c I'm not sure whether it's factually accurate to say the cattle grazing has anything to do with the horse mgmt plan. It very well may be (as you point out) that a few "horse huggers" are using that misleading and false angle to push their agenda.

[kytrapper]

Well more people eat beef than look at wild horses. It seems we take the most illogical way to handle issues anymore.

[redneck1377]

according to science , the horses were native to america and travel overseas then died out here [DATE UNKNOWN]

[kycowboy]

well what happens when the deer start eating to much in an area and they just start killing them chase them over cliffs with choppers turn them into dog food if I hit another one with my car can I Sue the state

[kytrapper]

It's simple. They don't reaach that point because they are managed without getting out of check. Isn't that the point?

[kycowboy]

the horses are managed also they catch them and sell them

[kytrapper]

Sounds like they can't catch them fast enough.

[BurleyDog]

Horses haven't been native to the US since the time of the Wooly Mammoth.

They create major disturbances. Outcompete wildlife and economically important livestock and cost us millions in tax dollars to deal with em.
I know that many people have a sentimental atachment to horses as if they were dogs or something. They aren't dogs though, these are feral stock and just like feral hogs we should just kill them all.
Sorry. :(

But that is my opinion

[lonesomepine]

The wild horses cause a lot of damage out west,from what I've been told they make lousy domestic pets too.I like to ride my horses,but don't see a thing wrong with managing the wild horses and burros.

[Foam Steak]

Who cares about the wild horses accept a bunch of hippie do-gooder tree hugging overly emotional morons who can't mind there own business. They are non-native species with no value. It costs a fortune to round them up, killing them would be a viable cheep option if it was not for the heartbroken horse loving zombies who will surely bring a lawsuit to interfear with the process. All this missplaced "love" for horses makes me want to vomit on my computer screen.

[redneck1377]

if the wild horses & burros are going to be kill anyway WHY NOT have a hunting season for them ????

[trader rob]

i had owned and raised horses for the past 30 years. the wild horses were controlled by the ranchers and wild horse wranglers in the beginning. they were sold to individuals and to the canners for meat and dog food. the horse savers sued and cried until government developed plans for round up and sales to the public to control pop. of wild horses. the horses were sold with the condition that you kept them for a year. i would say one out of a hundred made good usable horses, the rest were sold at local auctions and went to the meat markets along with the other culled horses. after seeing hundreds sold this way, it was a very good system, got rid of the culls and sorry stock, made the good horses worth something, the horse savers have lobbied until there is only a couple killing plants left in north America, effectively killing the horse market. now they are lobbying to prosecute the horse owners that have an old horse or a horse that they can't take care of, and no where to take it to get rid of it. no the meat does not go to dog food in this day and time, the last i knew of tenderloin from a horse cost around 18 dollars a pound in japan and france. the horse savers have collectively killed the horse industry, the very thing they were trying to save, and have done the horse a great disservice.

[skin_dog1]

Good post Rob. Another example of bleeding hearts putting their emotions infront of the well being of humans!

i had owned and raised horses for the past 30 years. the wild horses were controlled by the ranchers and wild horse wranglers in the beginning. they were sold to individuals and to the canners for meat and dog food. the horse savers sued and cried until government developed plans for round up and sales to the public to control pop. of wild horses. the horses were sold with the condition that you kept them for a year. i would say one out of a hundred made good usable horses, the rest were sold at local auctions and went to the meat markets along with the other culled horses. after seeing hundreds sold this way, it was a very good system, got rid of the culls and sorry stock, made the good horses worth something, the horse savers have lobbied until there is only a couple killing plants left in north America, effectively killing the horse market. now they are lobbying to prosecute the horse owners that have an old horse or a horse that they can't take care of, and no where to take it to get rid of it. no the meat does not go to dog food in this day and time, the last i knew of tenderloin from a horse cost around 18 dollars a pound in japan and france. the horse savers have collectively killed the horse industry, the very thing they were trying to save, and have done the horse a great disservice.

[Feedman]

Excellent post!! Wonder what will be next???

i had owned and raised horses for the past 30 years. the wild horses were controlled by the ranchers and wild horse wranglers in the beginning. they were sold to individuals and to the canners for meat and dog food. the horse savers sued and cried until government developed plans for round up and sales to the public to control pop. of wild horses. the horses were sold with the condition that you kept them for a year. i would say one out of a hundred made good usable horses, the rest were sold at local auctions and went to the meat markets along with the other culled horses. after seeing hundreds sold this way, it was a very good system, got rid of the culls and sorry stock, made the good horses worth something, the horse savers have lobbied until there is only a couple killing plants left in north America, effectively killing the horse market. now they are lobbying to prosecute the horse owners that have an old horse or a horse that they can't take care of, and no where to take it to get rid of it. no the meat does not go to dog food in this day and time, the last i knew of tenderloin from a horse cost around 18 dollars a pound in japan and france. the horse savers have collectively killed the horse industry, the very thing they were trying to save, and have done the horse a great disservice.

[kycowboy]

The wild horses cause a lot of damage out west,from what I've been told they make lousy domestic pets too.I like to ride my horses,but don't see a thing wrong with managing the wild horses and burros.
You have no idea what your talking about mustangs make some of the best trail horses there are

[lonesomepine]

You have no idea what your talking about mustangs make some of the best trail horses there are


Well,I know a guy who had 100 "wild" mustangs hauled in to Kentucky from out west,spent a lot of time and effort breaking and trying to train them,know how many ended up being worth a nickel? 0,zilch,nada,none,not nary a one.

[trader rob]

really you are both right. there is a world of difference in those horses, the ones that was short coupled and had well made heads were the best ones. the ones that looked like small thoroughbreds were tuff nuts. from my experience, when you got one broke to ride they would do anything you ask, made a good horse. the hook was that not many could get one broke.

[kycowboy]

Well,I know a guy who had 100 "wild" mustangs hauled in to Kentucky from out west,spent a lot of time and effort breaking and trying to train them,know how many ended up being worth a nickel? 0,zilch,nada,none,not nary a one.
who was the guy and you do not get them for free