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The Last American Icon |
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| The American Mustang is being subjected to conditions that would put any other species on the Endangered Species List. America's mustangs are cherished nationally and internationally as symbols of independence and freedom and are protected by an Act of Congress. Yet the BLM's destructive management policy has reduced their number to a mere 20,000. The BLM warehouses more wild horses in government holding in the Midwestern States of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, the east coast, South and North Dakota, than are left on the range. The cost to the taxpayers for this broken BLM program is expected to exceed $70 million this fiscal year, (2011). Spanish horses were originally brought to the United States over 500 years ago during the Golden Age of exploration. Various strains of Spanish horses can be found across the country and each strain is adapted to the climate and geography of their regions. | |
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| Horse advocates are calling for the return of wild horses and burros to the 24 Million Acres originally designated for their use. Only 180 of the 339 herds identified for protection by Congress in 1971 remain in the wild. The BLM continues to “ZERO OUT” herds each year without proper justification. The Mustangs are going to lose their freedom, they are going to lose their family members (units) and some will lose their lives, due to the brutal way the BLM stampedes America's Icons over lava, cold and wet on a winter's day. | |
| Some Mustangs are chased for miles in the hot, dry, summer, when temperatures reach the 90' or 100's, the horses arrive exhausted and lathered with sweat. This is not a "gather" which implies being gentle, as in gathering flowers from the field. This is not a "roundup". A roundup is with men on horseback and twirling their lassos over the heads of the Wild Horses. This is a full-blown, scary stampede, with helicopters coming so close to the Mustangs that sometimes the BLM pilots set the skids along the backs of the Wild Horses, forcing the Mustangs to the ground. | |
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| If the stampede is in the spring, many of the mares miscarry, coming into the traps bleeding and their foals are aborted on the desert floor, usually ending up as dinner for their natural predator, the mountain lion. A few foals have been found by "round-up watchers" who are kind hearted people, who using their own money, help the Mustang foals to grow up and have a healthy life. | |
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| The older generation of the Mustangs are usually killed because the literally run these Wild Horses to death. The "Mustang Senior Citizens" come into the trap area hurt, limping on sprained ankles, hopping or dragging their broken leg, having seizures or fall down for lack of breath. Their reward for keeping up, running with their family, is to have the BLM shoot them in the head on the spot, no medical help for these "Mustang Senior Citizens". There is documentation from Nevada, where the "Predator in the Sky" (aka helicopters) ran a herd of Mustangs for miles over lava fields and the hooves of the young foals were ground down to the bone. These new born foals were running for their lives on their bleeding ankle bones, they had no hooves when they finally got to the trap the BLM had set, miles from where they were first seen. These brave little Mustangs were also rewarded with a bullet in the head. | |
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| There is no reason to run the horses for miles and miles. Traps can be set closer to where the horses eat or drink. The BLM chopper pilots get paid for how many horses go into the traps, it doesn't matter if the Wild Horses are dragged into the trap dead or run into the trap alive. The BLM and their hired chopper pilots showed deliberate abuse, neglect and just plain lack of compassion for horses. The ground crew are mean and nasty to the mustangs. The Wild Horses are already terrified and scared, yet the BLM wranglers are constantly poking the Mustangs with sticks with a noisy plastic bag, even when the Horses have fallen down, the wranglers are making noises and scaring these Wild Horses, even more. Help us save these innocent Wild Sulphur Horses. Become a supporter. | |
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