Seven Tears Into the Sea
Phantom Stallion Series
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Where have all the horses gone?
Dear Readers,
Like Sam Forster in PHANTOM STALLION, I am not at my best when it comes to numbers, but I must share some with you. They're terrifyingly simple.
Short version:
BLM admits trapping 74,000 wild horses off the range
BLM says there are 29,500 horses left on the range and that number may be high
Simple subtraction = it won't be long until they're all gone.
BLM, which you know I've treated fairly in my books, wants to kill horses so that they won't have to spend any more money on them, but, hello? Quit gathering them with million dollar helicopter round-ups & that would save a lot of money! BLM is not backing down from this "great idea", as you can see in this article from yesterday.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say more wild horses may have to be killed because of full shelters and a lack of federal money.
The bureau removed an estimated 74,000 horses from the nation's ranges in the last seven years, with about 44,000 adopted and the rest euthanized or held in federal facilities and private shelters, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday
The horses are removed from the wild to protect habitat and maintain an ecological balance, said Doran Sanchez, the land management bureau's communications chief in Nevada, noting more may have to be euthanized because the agency's budget is not expected to increase.
* Terri's Note: this "habitat protection and ecological balance" argument is bogus. BLM is encouraging game animal herds (antelope & other animals people hunt) to grow unnaturally large, and they're not limiting cattle (because ranchers pay for each animal grazing on the range).
Wild horse advocates say they will ask Congress to stop most of the roundups and return some of the horses to historic ranges.
"How can we let our government destroy the last of what we have?" asked Karen Sussman, president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
An estimated 29,500 wild horses roam 10 western states, with nearly 16,000 in Nevada followed by lesser populations in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and other states, the bureau said, while Sussman estimates the total number of wild horses to be around 14,500. LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say more wild horses may have to be killed because of full shelters and a lack of federal money.
The bureau removed an estimated 74,000 horses from the nation's ranges in the last seven years, with about 44,000 adopted and the rest euthanized or held in federal facilities and private shelters, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.
The horses are removed from the wild to protect habitat and maintain an ecological balance, said Doran Sanchez, the land management bureau's communications chief in Nevada, noting more may have to be euthanized because the agency's budget is not expected to increase.
Wild horse advocates say they will ask Congress to stop most of the roundups and return some of the horses to historic ranges.
"How can we let our government destroy the last of what we have?" asked Karen Sussman, president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
An estimated 29,500 wild horses roam 10 western states, with nearly 16,000 in Nevada followed by lesser populations in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and other states, the bureau said, while Sussman estimates the total number of wild horses to be around 14,500.
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:14 AM
Comments: thats stupid. they should take the horses and then whatever is left keep some then release the rest!
What can we do to save them? don't live any where near wild horses! I still want to help.
(I love your books and I'm working on collecting tem all!)
Will you ever come to Pennsylvania?
Hi Terri!
I can't believe what they're doing! It's horrible! :( I wrote to the Queensland Government about the brumbies earlier this year and I pointed out that WE do more damage to the environment than they do... and it's the same for the mustangs. They only take what they need and move on. If they were damaging the environment so much, then y, after THOUSANDS of years, do they still have food to eat?? That's what i dont understand. If they're so 'trecherous' to the environment then they should have destroyed it by now. I mean, look what WE'VE done... I think they're done better than humans.
I can't believe what they're thinking of doing. In reality... the number that are left... it's not that much at all. They make it sound like such a big number... but really its not. :(
xo Crystal
I can't believe that. It's so wrong, and killing horses that should be running about the playas and fields. Take away the cows!!! Horses are better!!
I too agree that there reasoning is a bunch of bologna. I very much agree with what Crystal said. However I think if you really thought about all sides you would probably see that in the balance of nature when an area gets over populated they will eat and drink more than the area can provide. Therefor I think natures way is that when they (any kind of animal) get over populated a bunch will starve and die then the small numbers of the hardiest animals will gather and repopulate. When that happens I think it's a great thing... not that lots of them die but that it's kinda like survival of the fittest and smartest. I am willing to bet that's how the mustang came to be such wonderful horses.
With that said, I think that's how it should be. But with rangeland being turned into housing and so many people not understanding a thing about horses much less about mustangs it's not really practical. A lot of problems can come from my personal favorite way of protecting the mustangs (let nature take it's course... it will all balance). Some of those include that people will go crazy if the government who is supposed to protect them doesn't feed them and lets them die, and that in need of food the mustangs might get gutsy enough to go into towns or peoples yards or even knock down ranch fences (and let the livestock out?). Keep in mind I am not a mustang expert but I do know a thing or two about horses and other animals.
As much as I wish that's how it could be... them running wild and free and nobody messing with nature... it really can't.
Now, about more horses and less cattle. I am a born and raised Texas ranching cowgirl. I know zip about Nevada or other states as far as there ranching goes. What I do know is that cattle are food and feed millions of people everyday. Farmers and ranchers do not get near enough credit because if you think about it they are one of a kind just like the mustangs. Only the hardiest, most determined, strong willed and bull headed, and most creative ones can survive a drought or just the everyday happenings. (My small rants for the farmers and ranchers of America lol)
If it came down to choosing I would choose to get loose the mustangs and keep the food for ourselves.... selfish? No. I may not be popular for saying so but horses are just animals and the human life is more important. Only a fool would watch his family struggle and starve while feeding the horse. (By the way, it was legal to eat horse in the U.S. during the great depression).
However, I don't think we have to choose. The answer to the problem I have yet to come up with. I think it lies in the fact that the BLM is not looking out for the land and animals, they seem to be changing the natural balance to fit todays lifestyle... is that wrong? Yes and no.
I think I could go on forever and a day on several subjects I have brought up but as my closing line....
Please remember to think logically and do your research before you decide the answer to a problem. Everything that happens affects the balances, cause and effect.
As a rancher I have learned time and again that you must look at the whole picture and loose somethings in order to keep others.
I am not bad mouthing anyones ideas or thoughts... it's not that way. I say this because as the daughter of a rancher much like Sam's dad I can see both sides of the issue and have argued with myself back and forth about it. But in the end I realize that I don't have the perfect answer (it's not a perfect world) and if it came to choosing I would choose my family rather than my beloved horses.
-Kyley
Those poor horses!!! It's like if the government rounded up every single white tailed deer in pennsylvania and killed them!!!!!
except there aren't that many. It's ridiculous, poor things!!!!! It's not right!
I completely agree with all of you guys. they really should consider what us humans have don't to the land instead of horses. i mean, c'mon. you don't see the people roaming around, chasing us with helicopters, and bringing us in. its so stupid!!!!!!!!!!!
That was great Kyley! A billion thumbs up. Your a great writer! I can never get my thoughts down that well. You really know what your talking about.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. This is not an easy problem to solve, and I hope the BLM in D.C. will see that as clearly as you all do.
As the granddaughter of a rancher, I sympathize with them, too, and I'm glad that comes across in my books. I just wish BLM would bar those who take weeks off work to damage the desert for fun during their vacations, or charge them higher fees.
From what I've observed, humans do far worse damage than any animals -- wild or domesticated.
Everyone, this is kind of off topic, but I thought you might want to look at this website. The website is: www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
This website is about the BLM and you can look at it, learn about it, see what horses are on it, how to adopt, etc... Enjoy. :) I might even adopt a horse from there. :D
I just now read this blog, and i can't believe it!!! It is SO wrong. other "Comment leavers" are right: It is bologna, we hurt the environment more, and horses are so much part of our history, we have to leave some for future generations!!! Come on, it's because of us(meaning our race, not specifically anyone imparticular)!!! buildings are shooting up everywhere, taking the horse's land, so they become "crowded"!! of course, we do need cattle for food, but still, we should maybe not have quite so much so more horses. I agree with Kyley: no one should watch their family starve so horses can live, but we do still need to preserve our wild mustang population!!
Oh yeah, great reviews everyone, and Crystal from Australia: WAY TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!! It's awesome that you wrote to the gov and stood up for the brumbies (has any one seen The Man From Snowy River? that has brumbies and is my fav movie, WATCH it, you'll be happy you did)
Post a Comment
Where have all the horses gone?
Dear Readers,
Like Sam Forster in PHANTOM STALLION, I am not at my best when it comes to numbers, but I must share some with you. They're terrifyingly simple.
Short version:
BLM admits trapping 74,000 wild horses off the range
BLM says there are 29,500 horses left on the range and that number may be high
Simple subtraction = it won't be long until they're all gone.
BLM, which you know I've treated fairly in my books, wants to kill horses so that they won't have to spend any more money on them, but, hello? Quit gathering them with million dollar helicopter round-ups & that would save a lot of money! BLM is not backing down from this "great idea", as you can see in this article from yesterday.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say more wild horses may have to be killed because of full shelters and a lack of federal money.
The bureau removed an estimated 74,000 horses from the nation's ranges in the last seven years, with about 44,000 adopted and the rest euthanized or held in federal facilities and private shelters, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday
The horses are removed from the wild to protect habitat and maintain an ecological balance, said Doran Sanchez, the land management bureau's communications chief in Nevada, noting more may have to be euthanized because the agency's budget is not expected to increase.
* Terri's Note: this "habitat protection and ecological balance" argument is bogus. BLM is encouraging game animal herds (antelope & other animals people hunt) to grow unnaturally large, and they're not limiting cattle (because ranchers pay for each animal grazing on the range).
Wild horse advocates say they will ask Congress to stop most of the roundups and return some of the horses to historic ranges.
"How can we let our government destroy the last of what we have?" asked Karen Sussman, president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
An estimated 29,500 wild horses roam 10 western states, with nearly 16,000 in Nevada followed by lesser populations in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and other states, the bureau said, while Sussman estimates the total number of wild horses to be around 14,500. LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say more wild horses may have to be killed because of full shelters and a lack of federal money.
The bureau removed an estimated 74,000 horses from the nation's ranges in the last seven years, with about 44,000 adopted and the rest euthanized or held in federal facilities and private shelters, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.
The horses are removed from the wild to protect habitat and maintain an ecological balance, said Doran Sanchez, the land management bureau's communications chief in Nevada, noting more may have to be euthanized because the agency's budget is not expected to increase.
Wild horse advocates say they will ask Congress to stop most of the roundups and return some of the horses to historic ranges.
"How can we let our government destroy the last of what we have?" asked Karen Sussman, president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
An estimated 29,500 wild horses roam 10 western states, with nearly 16,000 in Nevada followed by lesser populations in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and other states, the bureau said, while Sussman estimates the total number of wild horses to be around 14,500.
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:14 AM
Comments: thats stupid. they should take the horses and then whatever is left keep some then release the rest!
What can we do to save them? don't live any where near wild horses! I still want to help.
(I love your books and I'm working on collecting tem all!)
Will you ever come to Pennsylvania?
Hi Terri!
I can't believe what they're doing! It's horrible! :( I wrote to the Queensland Government about the brumbies earlier this year and I pointed out that WE do more damage to the environment than they do... and it's the same for the mustangs. They only take what they need and move on. If they were damaging the environment so much, then y, after THOUSANDS of years, do they still have food to eat?? That's what i dont understand. If they're so 'trecherous' to the environment then they should have destroyed it by now. I mean, look what WE'VE done... I think they're done better than humans.
I can't believe what they're thinking of doing. In reality... the number that are left... it's not that much at all. They make it sound like such a big number... but really its not. :(
xo Crystal
I can't believe that. It's so wrong, and killing horses that should be running about the playas and fields. Take away the cows!!! Horses are better!!
I too agree that there reasoning is a bunch of bologna. I very much agree with what Crystal said. However I think if you really thought about all sides you would probably see that in the balance of nature when an area gets over populated they will eat and drink more than the area can provide. Therefor I think natures way is that when they (any kind of animal) get over populated a bunch will starve and die then the small numbers of the hardiest animals will gather and repopulate. When that happens I think it's a great thing... not that lots of them die but that it's kinda like survival of the fittest and smartest. I am willing to bet that's how the mustang came to be such wonderful horses.
With that said, I think that's how it should be. But with rangeland being turned into housing and so many people not understanding a thing about horses much less about mustangs it's not really practical. A lot of problems can come from my personal favorite way of protecting the mustangs (let nature take it's course... it will all balance). Some of those include that people will go crazy if the government who is supposed to protect them doesn't feed them and lets them die, and that in need of food the mustangs might get gutsy enough to go into towns or peoples yards or even knock down ranch fences (and let the livestock out?). Keep in mind I am not a mustang expert but I do know a thing or two about horses and other animals.
As much as I wish that's how it could be... them running wild and free and nobody messing with nature... it really can't.
Now, about more horses and less cattle. I am a born and raised Texas ranching cowgirl. I know zip about Nevada or other states as far as there ranching goes. What I do know is that cattle are food and feed millions of people everyday. Farmers and ranchers do not get near enough credit because if you think about it they are one of a kind just like the mustangs. Only the hardiest, most determined, strong willed and bull headed, and most creative ones can survive a drought or just the everyday happenings. (My small rants for the farmers and ranchers of America lol)
If it came down to choosing I would choose to get loose the mustangs and keep the food for ourselves.... selfish? No. I may not be popular for saying so but horses are just animals and the human life is more important. Only a fool would watch his family struggle and starve while feeding the horse. (By the way, it was legal to eat horse in the U.S. during the great depression).
However, I don't think we have to choose. The answer to the problem I have yet to come up with. I think it lies in the fact that the BLM is not looking out for the land and animals, they seem to be changing the natural balance to fit todays lifestyle... is that wrong? Yes and no.
I think I could go on forever and a day on several subjects I have brought up but as my closing line....
Please remember to think logically and do your research before you decide the answer to a problem. Everything that happens affects the balances, cause and effect.
As a rancher I have learned time and again that you must look at the whole picture and loose somethings in order to keep others.
I am not bad mouthing anyones ideas or thoughts... it's not that way. I say this because as the daughter of a rancher much like Sam's dad I can see both sides of the issue and have argued with myself back and forth about it. But in the end I realize that I don't have the perfect answer (it's not a perfect world) and if it came to choosing I would choose my family rather than my beloved horses.
-Kyley
Those poor horses!!! It's like if the government rounded up every single white tailed deer in pennsylvania and killed them!!!!!
except there aren't that many. It's ridiculous, poor things!!!!! It's not right!
I completely agree with all of you guys. they really should consider what us humans have don't to the land instead of horses. i mean, c'mon. you don't see the people roaming around, chasing us with helicopters, and bringing us in. its so stupid!!!!!!!!!!!
That was great Kyley! A billion thumbs up. Your a great writer! I can never get my thoughts down that well. You really know what your talking about.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. This is not an easy problem to solve, and I hope the BLM in D.C. will see that as clearly as you all do.
As the granddaughter of a rancher, I sympathize with them, too, and I'm glad that comes across in my books. I just wish BLM would bar those who take weeks off work to damage the desert for fun during their vacations, or charge them higher fees.
From what I've observed, humans do far worse damage than any animals -- wild or domesticated.
Everyone, this is kind of off topic, but I thought you might want to look at this website. The website is: www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
This website is about the BLM and you can look at it, learn about it, see what horses are on it, how to adopt, etc... Enjoy. :) I might even adopt a horse from there. :D
I just now read this blog, and i can't believe it!!! It is SO wrong. other "Comment leavers" are right: It is bologna, we hurt the environment more, and horses are so much part of our history, we have to leave some for future generations!!! Come on, it's because of us(meaning our race, not specifically anyone imparticular)!!! buildings are shooting up everywhere, taking the horse's land, so they become "crowded"!! of course, we do need cattle for food, but still, we should maybe not have quite so much so more horses. I agree with Kyley: no one should watch their family starve so horses can live, but we do still need to preserve our wild mustang population!!
Oh yeah, great reviews everyone, and Crystal from Australia: WAY TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!! It's awesome that you wrote to the gov and stood up for the brumbies (has any one seen The Man From Snowy River? that has brumbies and is my fav movie, WATCH it, you'll be happy you did)
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