‘The Wild Horse Is Us’

Why don't we move them to someplace where they can be used ? Seems a real waste that they just sit there.

The wild horse is the one picture of freedom that we have left. The way the wild horse roams without a care in the world and runs forever showing whar real freedom is. America can not kill the one picture of freedom that we have. Killing the wild horse would kill so many hearts. I can not imagine an America without the wild horse. The way they helped America get to where we are today, there is no way killing them off is the answer to the problem. Horses are meant to be free and running wild not in some holding place where they will die anyway. Even the Indians knew the power of the wild horse and how the spirit of the horse was as powerful as any spirit. The wild horse reflects what so many hearts and spiriits hold inside and to kill that would be to take away a part of the spirit of the people. We need to stand together as Americans and say No to killing these animals. Their spirit and freedom will live in forever inside of us all as they remain free and running wild!! Wake up America!! Thier is more than just jobs to worry about; how about putting some passion back into what we really feel and the wild horse is a symbol to be highly reveared!! We must save them before it is too late!!!

killing these animals would be wrong beyond all reasion. these horses have been here longer than any humans and we were imposing onto their land! Taking away their homes for our "needs." Not seeing wild mustangs running free across the barren plains of the west is as un-American as not playing base ball or not saying the Pledeg of Alegiance. As Americans say, "No" to the slaughtering of these amazing and beautiful wild horses.

So we're concerned about polar bears in the arctic, but we don't give a damn about our own ecosystems. Those animals have been here long before we were. They deserve a little respect. How would you feel if someone wanted to euthanize you if you were considered a pest? Jeez, these people are a-holes.

SAVE THE HORSES ......................
they should not be treated this way................
say NO! to this bad thing that the BLM want todo to these amazing animals that we have on our earth......
RISK TO LOSE ONE OF THE GREAT ANIMALS....................
we need to come together and fite it .............SAY NO!!!!!!!!!

geee blackandwhitehorses...ya think your horse prejudice or what, these animals are americas history, as a horse owner of 10 years, what is going on bs. There is no reason for the Federal Government needs to step in, IT IS POLITICS not the benefit of the animals that consume there thoughts or processes. These animals survived without us for many years it was by the hands of humans that they are in this position, maybe even ranchers. DId you read the article, I doesn't take a genious to know that the government is leasing land to keep the food consumption going in the US and every damn place else. This is ridiculous, no reason to euthanize these animals, 33K horses is not a lot considering and nature will take care of it themselves we don't need to be involved. Don't ranchers have confined spaces for animals at times. Come on people how much more are we going to stand for in life, how much more can we compromise!!!!

it is pathetic that wild animals on public grazing land are being killed (or want to be) for the benefit of cattlers. Does anyone know that overgrazing by for profit cattlers caused plenty of wildlife die off for generations? It was in the 1800s and 1900s that these ranchers would kill one another over grazing land which is why we have public land and grazing rules...now they are going to buldoze that freedome also. What is wrong w/ the morals of this country. We complain about china hunting whales to extinction, but are happy to do that to horses for profit?? What makes us better?

Send the excess population of mustangs to the anti horse slaughter proponents like Bo Derek and Willie Nelson.. Why don't all the "rescue groups" like Best Friends Animals Sanctuary take what's left over. City slickers and bleeding heart animal advocates have done more to destroy the quality of life for the mustangs by insisting there be NO culling just forced containment in holding pens for years on end. To spay and geld to prevent continued population increases is yet another form of torture. I speak from experience after having my own UTERUS ripped out from surgery. Unfortunately for me it was necessary to cure a serious medical condition. Frankly I don't understand anyone wanting to adopt a WILD horse and condemn it to a life of confinement when it has run FREE since birth. How is that a quality of life for a WILD horse? Culling is necessary especially in the wild herds. Let them die with dignity instead of being couped up in a 12X12 pen the rest of their lives. That is NOT life that is prison. BTW for those of you who think cattle destroy the range....newsflash horses are the ones that damage to rangeland. They can crop the grass down to roots as they eat with two sets of teeth....cattle wrap their tongues around the grasses instead. Horses large hooves cause far more damage to the ground than the cattle's split hoof. Also horses will peel and eat the bark off the trees, cattle do not. In short horses are far more destructive to rangeland than cattle.

The wild horse act removes protection from horses that have been adopted for one year. Those horses get titled to the adopter and can be sold, traded or given away at that time just as any other horses. The protection is for those who are in the wild. Horses that have been in holding pens for years, some for a decade, can no longer be considered wild.

Something has to be done, the country is in an econmic situation and budgets are being cut everywhere. The wild horse program has operated in the red almost from the beginning.

Things must be changed and not all changes are going to please everyone. The policy discussed has been in the original law since the beginning 31 years ago. I have sent suggestions to the BLM for years, such as what I suggested below.

The time for finger pointing and blame game has long passed. Drastic times calls for drastic measures and what needs to be done, get done now. It is time for people to step and take responsibility as Americans for America's symbol of wild horses.
Go out and adopt one or two.
Write a college or University, ask about sterilization programs and taking in a group of horses as a study group to humanely develope feasible sterilzation methods that would work on the wild herds.

Ask your state or national parks in your area to set up, a sanctuary and take in sterile, un-bred mares and castarted males to live the rest of their lives in the open rather than a feed lot.

Ask those Animal Rights groups and Wild Horse Advocates like Deanna Stillman, to cough up some of that tax-free donations, purchase some land and take in some of these horses. They receive Millions of tax free donations every year, and can cerrtainly buy some land for the purpose they are promoting and asking donations for.

They can sell syndicate papers to people who donate, designating certain horses as being the donors, complete with photographs of the horse, like the feed the children campaign.

there are plenty of ways people can do something rather than demonizing other citizens who have actually stepped up and done more for the horses athn other people want you to believe.

Just sit back and brain storm ideas and do it!

How about going through the holding pens, all of them, and select the horses with good size, conformation and a popular/ high demand color.(Appaloosa, Pinto, Roans, Buckskins, Palomino's, Curlies, etc.) Then set those horses aside to place into select management areas at the time of roundups.


That would provide new genetic balance into a herd, build up and improve the quality of future adoptable horses. More people would be willing to pay more for a good sized, decent conformed horse with the color that people like to see. I have seen horses with those qualities go for a $1,000. vs horses that are stunted, solid colored and less desirable conformation, not even selling as a buddy horse for $25.00.

Ask about turning loose a mammoth Jack into a couple of the larger ranges to take over a herd or two? It would provide a sterile crop of colorful mules that are very popular. It would also keep the herd size to a reasonable rate as the offspring will be sterile and the mares would throw a few more sterile offspring, without adding more fertile fillies or colts to the range. Then (before people start screaming about genetic diveristy) at the time of the roundup, remove the mule offspring, remove the Jack and stick one the previously selected studs, with size, color and conformation in with the ones for release.

Offer some of the older horses to the Indian Nations. Offer some to sanctuaries at no cost. They just come and get them, rather than BLM taking them there. Take some small, sterile groups and establish sanctuary areas in various National / State parks east of the Mississippi. With them being sterile, it will be an area where more can be placed as the original ones pass on from natural causes, as none will be born there.

Offer a higher incentive to Ranchers and other interested groups to provide private land to take in some herds. The requirement must be that the horses be sterile, or unbred mares and castrated males. That way no one is going into the "private Mustang breeding business", the sanctuaries remain available for more in the future when the older ones die off from old age/natural causes.

Contact some of the colleges and universities and give them field practise for spaying, castration, donations to BLM. They get practise under supervison of the Veterinarian School and the BLM gets free services. Donate some to Veterinary colleges and Universities as a study herd to perfect sterilization methods to use on some wild herds.

The rest of the unadoptable, for what ever reason, euthanize humanely and dispose of them. It has been in the BLM policy to humanely destroy the unadoptables from the beginning of the Mustang program. It is the sitting back and waiting and Wild Horse Advocate lawsuits, that has allowed the program to get in the sorry shape it has become.

Ranchers already own their land..

Cows were brought over the same time as the horses. Check out Spanish expeditions.

Take back our nations land! Let the ranchers go and buy their own piece of property. Get your cows off of my land. If you are interested in bringing animals onto my land to put money into your pocket, try bison. At least they were there before you or your ancestors were (until they killed them off as well). I fully trust our governments assessments on everything (especially the environment or wmd's)! hahaha