No Longer Home on the Range

I'd like to point out that the 30,000 horses currently held by the BLM are not old, sick, and lame. Finger pointers out there calling others "PETA types" flat out don't know what they are talking about. As someone who just came from spending time amongst a large herd of wild horses, I can tell you that when the food supply gets short, the ranchers move the cattle, while the horses are "confined" to their area. Fair? No way!

I'd like to point out that the 30,000 horses currently held by the BLM are not old, sick, and lame. Finger pointers out there calling others "PETA types" flat out don't know what they are talking about. As someone who just came from spending time amongst a large herd of wild horses, I can tell you that when the food supply gets short, the ranchers move the cattle, while the horses are "confined" to their area. Fair? No way!

I don't want to see the horses go hungry in the wild, and I don't want them to be killed for lunchen meat. We are in the process of adopting two horses which is all we can afford to keep, but if these wild horses are lost, I feel we will be lost as a national that much more.

I don't want to see the horses go hungry in the wild, and I don't want to see them die for lunchen meat, we are in the process of adopting two horse which is all we can afford to save, but if these wild horses are lost, I think we get lost also.

After reading the comments I would ask how do you prefer these horses live when old and near their end here on this earth. Would you like them to starve to death in the cold of the winter becasue there is no graze? The range has it limits and I have no idea where you live but if you feel so driven, attend a adoption meeting and adopt one or two and take them home in your care.

What is more desirable to you. Is starving to death or freezing to death because of no range feed? If they don't go down on their own, the wolves will take them. The range has limits

Why is it that people so often turn to killing as the "answer" to a percieved problem? It's so hard for me to understand how anyone could condone the killing of these animals. Under no circumstances should anyone be allowed to interfere with the natural cycle of life. There is a natural balance that can be maintained if people just stay out of it! People.. we need to speak up and cryout against this! If you think this doesn't really affect you... just wait until something that does matter to you is threatened.

I am deeply saddened to think that slaughtering these beautiful mustangs is even considered as a possibility to controlling the horse population. I think it is pathetic how humans feel the need to interfere with nature in such a devastating manner. The horse should be left alone to roam freely as they are meant to, just as hundreds of other species do. There is nothing ethical about it - no matter how "humanely" the killing is done.

As one of the competitors/Trainers for the 2008 Extreme Mustang Makeover coming up in September in Fort Worth TX, I can tell you first hand The wild Mustang is the smartest Horse I have ever trained. This country was built on the back of these horses. They cleared our land, hauled us from one end of this country to the other, they took us to our jobs every day and our children to school. Now the livestock lobbyist and ranchers regard the mustangs as pests!!!!! I would like to see the ranchers go back in time and have them round up their cattle and do their ranch work with out the Horse. How fast they forget! Back then the horse were not a pest they were the only way to get their ranch work done and get their cattle to market so they could make the all-mighty buck. The Horse industry in this country is a multi Billion dollar business and I???m sure it employs more people than any beef operation. So my question is why are they making choices for the wild Mustang and not the Horse people? My answer to that question is that the beef operation/ livestock lobbyist has someone greasing someone???s palm. Again this country???s Heritage is sold to the highest bidder by a greedy government official. Freedom is what this country is all about and the Wild Mustang represents that. Are we going to let them take our freedom icon away from us? If we do then the only freedom that we will have is the freedom to do what they tell us to do. I???m going to do everything that I can to stop it, Are you?????

As an owner of two mustangs I can honestly say they make great horses. Culling the herd for breed quality, gelding stallions and removing older herd studs would be a great start. But as there are already too many in both holding pens and roaming free another alternative needs to be considered. How to accoplish that I don't know. I do know you can only adopt a few mustangs per year, maybe exceptions need to be made for qualified adopters.

I live in Wyoming where the largest population of wild horses in the U.S. resides. I've seen first hand what uncontrolled populations of horses can do to the cattle industry. Right now Wyoming is in it's tenth year of the worst draught since the Dust Bowl. That means less vegetation for the cattle industry, which is the largest industry in Wyoming. I don't believe in killing all the horses, but their numbers have to be kept under control somehow. And euthenizing them is the cheapest way. The other alternatives such as gelding and spaying are good ideas, but where is that money going to come from? What vet students are going to come to Wyoming to help out? There are only 28 universities in the U.S. that even have vet programs, the closest one to Wyoming is in Ft. Collins, CO. The next closest is near Spokane, WA. Another way to help out: replanting vegetation and fertilizing? Again, another very expensive procedure. Wyoming already doesn't have the water to regrow the vegetation that is lost, how would that even help? I don't want to see the wild horse population gone, but until there's any better way that is cost effective that my taxes don't have to pay for, the best means is euthanasia and adoption. So, rather than waste your time complaining about the poor little animals, do something and adopt one of the damn things.

I've made a committment to rescue one horse every year. Get it healthy and find a good home for it. It's all I can afford to do - if I could save them all, I would - but I can't. These horses I rescue are not coming from the BLM, but the local sale barn. It makes me sick to see them there - some are emaciated, dehydrated, are sick and have infection and some are just being left there for somebody else to worry about. The number of horses in the wild is peanuts in comparison to those in captivity. There are approximately 11 million horses in the US and 46% of horse owners have an income of $25,000 to $75,000 annually. In today's economy that is barely enough to feed their own family much less a horse(s). A friend of mine owns a boarding stable - every year she has at least 2 or 3 horses that are left there for the owners never to return because they can't pay their board. What happens with the BLM horses is disappointing to say the least, but until people learn to take on the personal responsibility that comes with owning a horse - ESPECIALLY the responsibility in breeding them - there will never be enough homes to adopt BLM horses because there will always be millions more horses out there that were too mean, too fast, too slow, too fat, etc. that the BLM horses have to compete with in finding suitable homes. Until the issues surrounding unwanted/neglected horses in our own communities are addressed - the BLM issues will always be there. We may not have control of the BLM - but we can take control in our own communities and address the issues locally.

Have we lost our collective minds?? We can't allow wild Mustangs to be killed. It's insane! I agree, gelding and thinning the herd to be sold to horse 'owners' - not slaughter houses - is the only way to go here.

What has this country become? Why have we allowed our symbols of freedom and individuality to be reduced and dwindle to the point of extinction? Live and let live, let the wild horses roamed this great country as they have for centuries before we ever had the chance to step on America???s soil.