Wild horses and animal welfare

No doubt a picture paints a thousand words - but there is so much more to the wild horse population and round ups than the majority of the media is covering. And it includes laws that we wrote hundreds of years ago - the land grant act, and the wild horse act - both have set regulations. Ranchers have to follow theirs to a T. BLM is trying to follow theirs - but activists with deep pockets are tying BLM's hands. The horses have virtually no predators but the laws are still there. BLM is now fighting legal battles with landowners, because of the laws; and horse lovers (I prefer to call them activists - because I am a huge horse lover), because they have lots of money given to them by those who really don’t see both sides. The just see the beautiful pictures.

 

Like these....

 

Not these...

We have a growing problem - and it is not the roundups. They are the least of the problems. The checkerboard roundup in WY was one of the first landowner lawsuits and I'm guessing there are lots more to come as they pool their money. They will win. There are laws that protect grazing, as they should - the same ones that started 4-H, land grant colleges, extension, and the public lands system. Currently, there are over double the amount of allotted horses roaming on public lands - set by law. In 71, there were ~ 26k horses, now there are close to 50k.

If you’ve ever owned a horse, you know what it costs to feed a horse - imagine what it is costing BLM to feed the 47k horses in holding facilities - or should I say "what it costs the taxpayer." The activists blame grazing, but since 71, BLM grazing has actually declined by 35%. I don't have the answer, but I do know that most of the "propaganda" that hits the news does not cover both sides...just the emotional, beautiful, free, roaming horse side (and that they are). We need a better solution than the emotional side of "stop the roundups." The roundups are going to happen! And they need to. For a number of reasons, including the horse herds health! And the whole idea that the helicopters are not humane – seriously – I have yet to meet a rancher, dude ranch, even small acreage horse owner – that hasn’t used a motorized vehicle to corral a horse that doesn’t want to be caught.

Not all of the horses are truly wild, since slaughter was cut off in the U.S., city horse owners or small acreage owners, after they find out how much a horse really costs or lose their job, and then can't afford it, and take them up and "set them free." Hay at 12 - 15 bucks for a small square, all winter, ads up fast. I am pro slaughter - American slaughter. I’ve heard rumors that some ranchers are turning them out, but I have a hard time believing that, as any true rancher knows the havoc the growing wild horse population is creating.  While I wouldn't want to take my horse to one, I do respect other people’s rights to their own beliefs – and I believe in treating all animals humanely. They are animals, and some countries eat them. Who are we do judge that. We eat beef - some countries don't. The horses getting hauled to Mexico are facing a much worse fate than anything they would ever face here, in the travel alone - we at least know our regulations and can set/monitor/control them.

Why do we let activists lead us down roads with pictures and half truths? I get it, the pictures are huge. But seriously, take a picture of your dog tomorrow, zoom in, real close, and make sure he's laying on the floor, and then picture the ads. Then throw in some sad background music for good measures.  Does he fit in? And then add a few misleading words to the picture - poor starving puppy - and post it on FB, with a "send money please". You might just hit the lottery! Like the activists do! If we could only control our emotions until we know the entire story! 

 Poor, sad, abused pit bull...

Let’s take HSUS for example. I have a Pit Bull that has the saddest look when she’s begging, but right now, she’s lying on my leather couch with her tummy full of dog food slathered in bacon grease. HSUS could use her tomorrow in one of their “save the poor dog” commercials. I have an older mare that we’ve had in the family for over 20 years. She’s got to be 30 now. If a non-horse owner saw her, they would probably turn me in for starving her – but she’s not starving – she’s old. Like a senior in the old folks home. 
It is so important to learn the facts, all of them, before you pile on! 

Pitty party for one?

Hello Blog - It's been awhile....
Rough start to this week! So I thought I'd take the opportunity to write... Oh wait, I do that every day! Just not much here anymore.
Bear, our family dog of 13 years, died Sunday - very unexpectedly, I might ad. He fed with me in the a.m., and by mid-afternoon he was gone. I was fortunate I guess - did not have to make the dreaded decision to put him down (been there done that!), and he was literally barking and wagging his tail up until the last few minutes!
While I assumed a heart attack, a vet friend of mine informed me "dogs don't have heart attacks", so perhaps a stroke. But either way, it sure threw a kink in my day! Nothing like spending the rest of the day in the tub crying and drinking wine.
I know..I know...drinking is a bad thing when you are down. But sometimes, a good pitty party is needed. And I made sure I had a good one!
Bear had quite a history with us. When I first picked him up, as a tiny puppy, I brought him home and stuck him in the laundry room with our basset hound. When my son came home, I sent him in to let the basset out, thinking he would find Bear, and be surprised! He came back out, with the basset, and no Bear.
I went in, a bit afraid of what I was going to find, and after a thorough search, found him hiding under the freezer. Apparently bassets are scary...he's been beating her up ever since.
When he was a little older, he took a liking to sheep - preferably lamb. My son's 4-H lambs didn't fare well during this learning experience. While I insisted that he was going to have to go after this, my son convinced me otherwise....we haven't had a sheep since. Mixed blessing there. My daughter ended up having 4-H pigs, in part because of Bear.
And then there was his learning experience with horses. Bear was a blue healer mix, and wanted to herd something - the basset, the kids, the horses. We got a new mare, and she wasn't having any of it, and kicked him in the head. Knocked him out cold. The vet told me he was going to need jaw surgery or he would never be able to eat again. After taking him home to "think about it over night", I found that his appetite had not disappeared, and he was eating soft dog food just fine. That progressed to hard within a few weeks, and we never went back to that vet!
Bear became quite a barker after that. But he did stay away from the horses.
Then there was the ACL surgery. He took up rabbit hunting, and was very successful! Until he tore his ACL. $800 surgery later, he was confined to the dreaded laundry room again...for a few weeks. Not a fun task for he or I. But that was several years ago.
He's been chasing rabbits ever since...up until Sunday.
I guess I can get a lamb now? Ha! NOT!
Going to miss you Bear!
May take another pity party or two to get over this one. 
Throw in the fact that I forgot my purse this morning, I'm out of gas in my car, my daughter went back to college, my mare cut her leg and it's been below zero the last 4 nights....and I feel it coming on.
I truly believe a good pity party is healthy - every now and then.