Nebraska Horse Eating Senators Spew Lies about Slaughter and HSUS

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Story by JoAnne Young of the Lincoln Journal Star

Politicians Prove Deceptive in Promoting Horse Slaughter

Senators advanced a bill in Nebraska on Wednesday to allow for a state meat inspection program and possibly a horse slaughter and processing facility, but one senator took the opportunity to discredit the Humane Society of the United States.
Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege, the chairman of the Agriculture Committee used strong language, calling the national group deceptive, unethical, overreaching, shameless, ruthless.
He made the distinction between HSUS and local humane societies, saying it is not the same as such groups as the Capital Humane Society and the Nebraska Humane Society.
He said the majority of the money donated to the HSUS goes to political propaganda, which he labeled “dangerous political poison,” and to executive salaries.
Carlson went on to say HSUS is largely responsible for USDA inspectors no longer inspecting horse processing facilities and for the subsequent closing of plants in Texas and Illinois. He estimated 100,000 horses are now abandoned each year in this country because of that, and horse refuges are “woefully inadequate” to meet the needs.
Horses must now be hauled to Mexico and Canada for slaughter and processing, he said.
“The result of this irresponsible behavior is the waste of a wonderful natural resource that could feed a lot of people in countries around the world,” he said.
Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill, who introduced the bill (LB305), said a state meat and poultry inspection program is needed to provide better access to inspection for rural and small meat producers. It’s an economic development issue, he said.
Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, the lone no vote in bringing the bill out of the Agriculture Committee, said this was not the right time for establishing a state meat inspection program.
“Let’s not get the cart before the proverbial horse,” he said.
A former owner of a meat market himself, Karpisek said processors have told him the state does not need state inspectors and that it would be a waste of state dollars. The federal inspection program is sufficient to meet the needs of the state, he said.
Any U.S. inspected plant can inspect any of the meats processed in the state, he said. And any processor in the state is able to get a federal inspector.
Why would processors pay extra, if user fees are charged, for what federal inspectors do now for free, he asked.
“Folks, we’re spinning this baby,” Karpisek said. “I said I’m not going to get upset and I don’t want to kill this bill, but stop the spin.”
Senators advanced the bill to a second round of debate on a 35-1 vote. They also adopted an amendment to the bill that would allow a study on the feasibility of establishing a state meat inspection program and a report on what resources would be needed to develop and maintain such a program. It also would recommend a fee schedule to fund such a program.
Jocelyn Nickerson, Nebraska director of USHS, later responded to Carlson’s comments about the organization, saying that an unfounded fear and misleading information has gotten to Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
Much of the information Carlson relayed about USHS was untrue, she said. It is not trying to destroy Nebraska agriculture or the state’s way of life, as he said. And it is not trying to make everyone vegetarians, she said.
She encouraged anyone with questions about USHS to email her at jnickerson@humanesociety.org.

Click (HERE) to read article in it’s entirety and comment!

Update: Cloud’s Herd Survives Worse Winter in 50 Years

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Story by Ginger Kathrens ~ volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation

Lean but Healthy; Cloud is Okay

Lauryn Wachs and Catherine Stokes, our Cloud Foundation interns, accompanied me on their second journey to the Pryor Mountains. It’s always an adventure and last week was no exception.

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Ginger Kathrens and property of the Cloud Foundation

According to people who live in the area, this winter has been the worst in 50 years—not only lots of snow but sub zero temperatures for extended periods. It’s a hard fact that winter often selects out the youngest and the oldest in all wild species. This is nature’s way of keeping populations in check and allowing only the fittest to survive and reproduce. So, we really didn’t know who among the wild horses might have died during this stretch of unusually challenging weather. Yet, some things never change and we were thrilled to witness the mating behavior of sandhill cranes on our drive out to the horse range. The male leaped in the air and danced around the female, paying no attention to our car and cameras eavesdropping on his display.
Once on the range, our first discovery of the trip was a wonderful surprise. We had been told that the grullo foal I named Koda Wakan (sacred friend) on the day of his birth last June, as well as his mother, were missing. When we saw them in the bitter cold of January, the young mare looked awful and we knew she might not live. If she died, we knew that Koda had little chance to survive.
As we crawled up the muddy and intermittently snowy road on Tillett Ridge, we spotted a small band on a low hill—a dun stallion, dun mare, dun foal and another foal—a grullo. Through our binoculars we studied the group and the oddity of one mare and two foals. Then it struck me. The second foal was Koda! He was foraging with the others and the mare allowed him to eat beside her. Through my scope, I could see that Koda had lost all the hair on his neck –a result of stress and starvation? The colt was one of my favorites of 2010, spirited and striped up, small but feisty. Last summer he was fond of breaking into a sprint, bucking and spinning. His love of life was so evident; he never failed to make me smile. I pray his spirit will carry him through this tough time and he will once again experience warm weather, green grass, and a good run across the meadows atop his mountain home. Time will tell.
Snow fell over night so we kept to the paved highway, finding a lovely bighorn sheep ewe near Devil’s Canyon Overlook. Farther down the road we watched the drama of the apricot dun stallion Blizzard and his revolving door of mares. The flashy horse had a different set of mares on each of the three days we saw him. This is beyond odd in my experience.
On the morning of our third day of searching, the mud was somewhat frozen, so we tried Tillett again, determined to drive higher in order to access hiking areas leading to overlooks where we could scan Sykes Ridge. I believed that this was our best chance to see Cloud, Bolder, and Flint’s families. We were stopped by snow but shoveled our way through it and patched up a washout along the way where we could have slipped off the mountain. We made it to a valley that led to a good vantage point of the mid-ridges of Sykes. Near the edge of Big Coulee we set up our scopes and began scanning one ridge after another.
Identifying the shimmering dark dots that were horses was nearly impossible, but when I panned the ridge nearly straight across on Sykes I spotted a pale horse. Cloud I said excitedly to Lauryn and Catherine. He and his family were grazing together and there was a new dun filly in the band—the small three year-old, Ingrid. Aztec and Cloud’s foal, Breeze had survived winter and looked fine from afar. Dancer was there and the Black, but Velvet was missing. Then a blaze-faced grulla mare and her foal appeared at the edge of the forest. It was Flint’s mare and foal, Feldspar and little Agate. I watched, waiting for Flint and Jasper to appear, but they never did—not in the hours we watched. Neither did Velvet. It seemed every band we spotted had some addition or subtraction to their numbers. Was the social unrest of the previous Fall continuing into Spring?
We got a brief, long distance view of Bolder, Cascade and Echo—the pale colt slipped behind a huge rock outcropping within minutes and was gone. Echo is truly Cloud’s legacy—a mirror of Cloud in looks and personality. So far, so good, I thought. He and his mother were the only members of Bolder’s family we saw, though I believed that others were hidden behind numerous rocks and trees—at least I hoped so.
There was no way we could access that part of Sykes to look for them. It is hard enough in summer to get onto Sykes and impossible at this time of year. Should we just go home? I doubted we would see much more than we already had and rain was predicted. When the next morning dawned with only broken clouds we decided to give it one more shot.
After checking for horses along the paved highway, we drove toward Tillett and stopped to glass back onto the faraway flats near the mouth of Big Coulee. In the sagebrush were dark horses and one that was light colored. It seemed impossible, but it was Cloud! He and his family had come all the way down into the desert. Quickly we made a plan as we drove back around to the red buttes at the bottom of Sykes. From there we began hiking.
Within an hour we found Cloud and his family still foraging in what appeared to be only sagebrush. On closer inspection we could see that there was green grass peppered about the sage. For the first time on our trip, it began to feel a bit like spring. For most of the afternoon we followed the band. They nibbled up the green grass and went to eat snow in the shelter of the hillsides and in the deep gullies. Feldspar and Agate were still with them, and I wondered where Flint and Jasper were? Something tells me they’re fine and the “Flintstones” will somehow reunite.
Velvet was still mysteriously absent, and I wondered where she was. She and Cloud have been together for eight years and she has never been welcoming to newcomers in this tight family. I’ve seen her lay her ears back at every new mare Cloud brought into the band in the past five years. She is not alone in this. Brumby, Jackson’s lead mare, has left him on numerous occasions in the past year or so after Jackson brought home young fillies, including Cloud and Velvet’s daughter, Firestorm. I hope Velvet will return in time. It doesn’t seem the same without her.
Cloud looked a little rough, his ribs were showing under his pale coat, but he was alert and in charge. When Aztec led the band up out of the sagebrush and onto Turkey Flat, he snaked Feldspar up the hill to keep everyone together. Both Aztec and Feldspar are thin but their foals look fine. When we left them they were all grazing peacefully.
Late in the day we drove back up on Tillett for one last time. Jackson’s band was foraging near the road. They too showed the results of the remarkably bitter winter. Even burly Jackson looked uncharacteristically lean. Firestorm was very thin but her foal, Lady Jane, looked fine and fuzzy.
As the sun was setting and we were getting ready to leave, we saw something glowing in the valley below. Through our scopes we identified the bright palomino horse. It was Cloud’s mother, Phoenix, with her family. The lovely 20 year-old mare wandered through the junipers and onto a small rise. Winter had not claimed her, or her son, or her grandson, or her great grandson and great granddaughters, and for this I am thankful.
Happy Trails!
Ginger

We are proud to have The Cloud Foundation as Plaintiffs in our cases against the BLM, Click (HERE) to learn more.

BLM Calls for More Sanctuary Partners

The Horse.com

Wendie Malick to Star in and Produce Wild Horse Annie On Hallmark Channel

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Excerpt from TalkTVWorld.com

It’s All About Getting the Message Out

Wendie Malick (center) at Twin Peaks BLM Stampede ~ photo by Terry Fitch

Hallmark Movie Channel announces “Wild Horse Annie,” a Hallmark Movie Channel Original Premiere starring Emmy(R) and Golden Globe nominee Wendie Malick (“Hot in Cleveland,” “Just Shoot Me”), is in development with an anticipated premiere date of Summer 2012. Ms. Malick will also serve as Executive Producer of the film which is adapted from a portion of DeAnne Stillman‘s grand epic Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West. Helen Bartlett (“North Country”) is Executive Producer. The screenplay will be written by Jenny Wingfield (“Man in the Moon”). DeAnne Stillman will also produce.
“Wild Horse Annie’ is the triumphant story of Velma Johnston‘s commitment to majestic wild horses; that they be preserved, enjoyed and celebrated by generations of Americans,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. “It is an honor to memorialize Ms. Johnston’s humanity in this film,” Vicary concluded.
“Velma Johnston, also known as ‘Wild Horse Annie,’ grabbed hold of me from the moment I read about her in DeAnne Stillman‘s fascinating book,” Ms. Malick said.
“Despite physical and emotional challenges, Johnston committed her life to getting federal protection for our wild horses and burros, saving them from cruel roundups and barbaric slaughter.
“Today there are 40,000 wild horses languishing in government holding facilities, and we are in danger of losing the wild mustangs forever. Helen Bartlett, Jenny Wingfield, DeAnne Stillman and I came together to tell this courageous woman’s story, and hopefully shine a light on the plight of these remarkable creatures before it’s too late,” Malick concluded.
Velma Johnston became a leading animal rights activist in this country. Her dedicated quest to protect America’s wild horses, a campaign she began with the nation’s school children, culminated in the US Congress’ passing of the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. The bill became the law of the land, signed by then President Richard M. Nixon on December 15, 1971. Ms Johnston’s legacy lives on.
Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, Inc., simulcast in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), is a 24-hour cable network dedicated to bringing viewers family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimEd HallMark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events. In today’s crowded television landscape, the network is a unique and captivating entertainment experience, providing programming that families can watch together. It is now available in over 40 million homes. Crown Media also operates Hallmark Channel which provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 87.5 million subscribers.

Arizona: Animal Rescue Team Rescues Hundreds

HSUS video

WHO supports the cruel barbaric practice of horse slaughter?

Wild for Life Foundation - Exposing the Truth
Saving America's Horses

Horse Slaughter: Controversial Horse Slaughter Documentary Premieres Sunday

ktla.com

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A premiere screening of a controversial film examining domestic and wild horse slaughter in America will take place Sunday afternoon.

"A Nation Betrayed, Saving America's Horses" will be held at Laemmle's Sunset 5 at 12:45p.m. with a media line to follow.

Directed by Katia Louise, the feature-length documentary film combines testimony, undercover footage, and true life stories to depict a country divided on the issue of horse cruelty in America. Pro- and anti-slaughter arguments are made. Environmental risks of horse slaughter and risks associated with consumption of horse meat are also explored.

National non-profit organization In Defense of Animals (IDF) has shown support for the film.

Michael Blake of Dances With Wolves, Randal Kleiser of Grease, and Paul Sorvino of Goodfellas are some of those involved and scheduled to attend.

Horses are becoming the most recent victims of the economic slump as more and more are mistreated and abandoned each day.

WHEN HORSE SLAUGHTER COMES TO TOWN

Int'l Fund for Horses

Part 1: Environmental Impact

HISTORICALLY, the negative environmental impact of horse slaughter plants has been well documented.

In 2007, all three of the foreign owned horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down under Texas and Illinois state laws. The two Texas based plants, Beltex in Dallas and Dallas Crown in Kaufman, were closed in February when the 5^th District court ruled that a 1949 law against selling horse meat was valid and in force. The remaining plant, Cavel International in DeKalb, Illinois, closed in mid-September of the same year under a new state law making horse slaughter illegal.¹

It was community administrators and local residents who actively petitioned to have horse slaughter plants shut, citing the extreme disregard for the welfare of the people and locales where they existed as well as the merciless suffering of the horses sent to them.

Numerous Violations Plague Communities

All three horse slaughter plants amassed numerous environmental violations and overwhelmed the waste water infrastructures due to dumping of blood, entrails, urine, feces, heads and hooves.
The Dallas Crown horse slaughter facility had been in operation in Kaufman since the late 70's and from the beginning had caused problems both economically and environmentally. "The slaughterhouse constantly flooded the town’s drinking water with blood and tissue – literally coming out of the taps – and had never complied with city water standards, or paid fines."²
Furthermore, in May 2002, the City noted that another public health hazard "was the vector attraction due to bones and horseflesh falling off your bone trailer" and that "dogs were carrying the bones into the community."³
In fact, in an open letter to state legislators considering pro-horse slaughter resolutions, the town’s mayor at the time, Paula Bacon, referenced Public Works reports regarding effluent and waste water violations "decaying meat [which] provides a foul odor and is an attraction for vermin and carrion," containers conveyed "uncovered and leaking liquids," there are "significant foul odors during the daily monitoring of the area," and "Dallas Crown continually neglects to perform within the standards required of them."⁴
Beltex was a Texas Corporation with European shareholders that had been slaughtering horses for human consumption for 27 years.
As with Dallas Crown, Beltex had a non-unionized workforce. OSHA records revealed that since the plants' inception in 1977 until its last inspection in 1997, Beltex had committed 29 violations of which 28 were deemed serious. OSHA records show that an ammonia leak occurred in 1996, but no one (fortunately) died or was permanently disabled. In 2000 the facility "accidentally pumped blood into the creek" and "in 2001, they were notified that waste water was flowing into adjacent properties and into the creek."⁵
Of particular note, the Sanitation Group of DeKalb, Illinois, where Cavel International was located, identified the incomparable hazard associated with the discharge from horse slaughter facilities.

"This hazard is uniquely acute for horse slaughter because of the wide range of drugs given to horses that are clearly labeled NOT FOR USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION."⁶

These noxious drugs are not only present in the meat intended for human consumption overseas but also in the waste water and sludge produced during processing. This runoff has the potential to contaminate down-stream water intakes, including groundwater used for human consumption, and can enter the food chain via sludge distribution on crops.
Unlike the aforementioned, decades old horse slaughter plants in Texas, Cavel International in Illinois was a sparkling new, purpose built facility that re-opened in June, 2004 with a state-of-the-art pre-treatment system.
Additionally, Cavel International had special Industrial Waste Permits that allowed much higher (8 times higher) contamination levels for waste water leaving the slaughter house. But Cavel was still out of compliance. And not just a few times. This facility was in significant non-compliance hundreds of times. In one report, a Cavel employee acknowledges "chunks" from slaughtered horses were oozing out of tanks. This does not include the numerous safety violations documented by the FSIS.⁷
As a final point, these practices and findings are not limited to the U.S. In Canada, Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, was shut down by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2009 for food safety concerns. NVF went into receivership on September 22, 2008, yet horses continued to be slaughtered at the facility by Velda Group, an international Belgian-based company. Velda was infamous in Illinois for numerous environmental charges and convictions at their Cavel International horse slaughter plant that closed business in September 2007.⁸
"Blood disposal appears to have been equally problematic for NVF as with other horse slaughter plants. Not only do horses have twice the quantity of blood as cows, but the blood is notoriously difficult to treat. The bacterial agents used in standard cattle digesters fail to provide acceptable discharge levels because of antibiotics often found in horse blood. As a result, pollution follows the horse slaughter industry where ever it goes."⁹
Former mayor of Kaufman, Paula Bacon, comments "In Canada they have apparently become even more blatant, dumping huge untreated piles of entrails onto open ground and even using a tanker truck to discharge blood and refuse into a local river."¹⁰
In any case, the negative environmental impacts and the chronic inability of the facilities to comply with local laws pertaining to waste management and air and water quality far outweigh any benefits.
This quote by Henry Skjerven, an investor and former director of NVF, sums it up: "Natural Valley Farms died the day the decision makers chose to kill horses . . . ."¹¹

Environmental issues continue to plague the horse slaughter industry. On December 3, 2010, the Bouvry Exports horse slaughter plant in Fort MacLeod, Alberta closed operations to complete renovations related to sanitation.¹²

______________________________

1 Holland, John; Horse Slaughter Trends 2006-2010; Equine Welfare Alliance; http://tiny.cc/jscti ; February 2010.

2 Testimony of Congressman John E. Sweeney; H.R. 503 – American Horse Slaughter Protection Act; http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/108/hearings/07252006Hearing1992/Sweeney.pdf ; Jul. 25, 2006.

3 Sorg, Lisa; Violations Dog Beltex, Dallas Crown; http://tiny.cc/ag62l ; Jun. 19, 2003.

4 Bacon, Paula; Open letter to state legislatures considering pro-horse slaughter resolutions; Animal Law Coalition; http://tiny.cc/2wrx6 ; Feb. 13, 2009.

5 Sorg, Lisa (http://tiny.cc/ag62l).

6 DeKalb Sanitary District; DeKalb Sanitary District Board meeting Minutes; http://tiny.cc/31y3m ; Jan. 18, 2006.

7 Allen, Laura; Animal Law Coalition; “Sacia introduces new bill to support horse slaughter,” ; http://tiny.cc/ufjo4 ; Jan. 14, 2010.

8 Holland, John; Canadian Horse Defense Coalition, Summary of Cavel International Violations – Non Compliance and Response; http://tiny.cc/sjwwj ; undated.

9 Holland, John; Horse Slaughter Dream a Financial Nightmare; Harnesslink Newsroom; http://tiny.cc/tq5o6 ; May 14, 2009.

10 Holland, John (http://tiny.cc/sjwwj).

11 Holland, John (http://tiny.cc/tq5o6).

12 Press Release; Canadian Horse Defence Coalition; http://tiny.cc/n6nx7 ; Dec. 10, 2010.

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6 Conclusion

THE horse slaughter industry is an insidious, brutal and predatory business that exists for one reason and one reason only. Horse slaughter exists to supply the demand for horse meat and to profit from it. Horse slaughter is not a humane end to a horse's life. Horse slaughter is not euthanasia.

When horse slaughter comes to town, environmental hazards, economic woes, and the stigma associated with the cruelties inherent to killing horses for their meat, are only a part of the price they will pay.
Putting those considerations aside, relevant as they are, what about the horses?
Horse slaughter is a cruel betrayal of an animal who has made it possible for America to develop the richness it enjoys.
As Laura Hillenbrand, author of "Seabiscuit" says,

"Here are these exquisite, immensely powerful creatures, who willingly give us their labor in return for our stewardship. They have attended us throughout history, bearing us across frontiers and into battle, pulling our plows, thrilling us in sport, warming us with their beauty. We owe them more than we can ever repay. To send these trusting creatures to slaughter is beneath their dignity and ours."¹

_______________________

1 Save the Horses; Quotes against horse slaughter; http://tiny.cc/6dldb ; 2009.

Wild Horse Education.Org is Born

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Update from Wild Horse Education

Laura Leigh Launches New Wild Horse EndeavorToday is the launch of WildHorseEducation.org. The purpose of this new organization is to provide information to the public and to other wild horse and burro advocacy groups. This will be accomplished through documentation and distribution of material related to the care of wild herds on public land and subsequent care and disposition by government agencies.

“One month ago today I received a text message while at the Antelope roundup,” said Laura Leigh, founder, Wild Horse Education “It said the roundup was over, three days early. Armed with information the pressure was put on by the public to stop heavily pregnant mares from being driven in. That is the power of timely, accurate information.”
This seemed a fitting anniversary to launch the new project.
Data gathered in the field and research from volunteers will be shared through this organization. It is the hope of those beginning WHE that a vehicle is created to share this information in the spirit of unified action to protect America’s wild herds.
Legal actions begun through the filings by attorney Gordon Cowan of Reno, Nevada will be continued through the work of this organization. “I have taken the oath to defend the Constitution many times in my career,” said Cowan “that is what this is all about.”
To join the mailing list for WHE send an e-mail to: WildHorseEducation@gmail.com
Website: http://WildHorseEducation.org

Sugarcreek Auction & Leroy Baker

Animals' Angels


Dear Friends of Animals’ Angels:
The last week has been very eventful. Ever since we released our latest report about the horrors of Sugarcreek Auction, town officials and the Ohio Department of Agriculture have been overwhelmed with thousands of emails, phone calls and letters. Thank you so much for your incredible response to our call for action! It was a strong sign to authorities in charge that the American public is watching and not willing to tolerate the ongoing cruelty at the weekly auction.
As a result, Animals’ Angels was able to initiate a meeting with all authorities involved to discuss the further course of action and ways to improve the conditions, handling and care for the horses at Sugarcreek Auction.  Animals’ Angels Executive Director Sonja Meadows will attend the meeting, which is scheduled for April 4^th. “The meeting is definitely a step in the right direction. However, local law enforcement has to accept the fact that they are in charge of protecting these animals and that there are no more excuses”, Meadows said. We have already provided officials with a list of our suggestions and will provide more information during the meeting.
We will inform you about the outcome of this meeting right away. Thank you again for your support – as always, we can’t do it without you.    Read MORE and see the FOIA documents

Submit Comments On BLM's Wild Horse Strategy

The Desert Independent

Cruel Queen of Horse Slaughter Suffers Bout of Paranoia

Straight from the Horse's Heart

(In My Humble Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council

“Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis Feels the Heat of the Truth

Wyoming State Rep. "Slaughterhouse" Sue Wallis (left) and sidekick Dave Duquette (right) ~ photo courtesy of Scummit of the Horse

Sue Wallis, the fanatical leader of a small, fringe pro-horse slaughter group has publicly admitted that she is beginning to feel “paranoid” due to the heat she and partner Dave Duquette are feeling over supporting a move to derail a bill, SB 356, which is aimed at outlawing the cruel and inhumane practice of “horse tripping” in the state of Nevada.  Their barbaric banter has raised the ire of horse owners across the country on more than just this occasion but their intentions are made clear with this latest effort to endorse and support the cruel treatment of horses in Nevada.
“Sometimes it feels like we are being attacked from every direction – at the risk of sounding paranoid – the fact is, we are.” states renegade Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis in a communique to her handful of followers.
“Now is the time for every horse person who has any hope of raising their children and grandchildren in a horseback culture…any chance of making a living with the animals we all love…we have to stand together. We have to remain vigilant. And we have to be much more pro-active than we have ever been before.” says Wallis regarding the proposed legislation to ban this cruel practice that is alive and well, covertly, in many western states.

“AN ACT relating to cruelty to animals; prohibiting a person from engaging in horse tripping for enjoyment, entertainment, competition or practice; prohibiting a person from knowingly organizing, sponsoring, promoting, overseeing or receiving admission money for a horse tripping event; repealing a requirement that any ordinance passed by a board of county commissioners creating an offense relating to horse tripping must impose a criminal penalty for the offense; providing a penalty; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.”

Wallis and Duquette have championed past causes that have rained down shame and embarrassment upon their families, communities, states and nation in the past.  From their continued efforts to bring predatory and bloody horse slaughter to their respective states, to boycotting about every professional horseman and celebrity in the U.S. to even attempting to stop the Mustang Monument float from appearing in the Rose Bowl parade, these two are a dastardly duo of deception, bar none, and need to be exposed for the self-serving phonies that they are.

In a recent Equine Welfare Alliance press release Vice President Vick Tobin states,

““They are misleading the public with false information and trying to scare people into opposing the legislation. This is not an attack on rodeos or a first step to anything. It is a bill designed to end the cruel, dangerous treatment of horses as was the ban on horse soring.”

United Horsemeat

The press release goes on to clarify that Wallis and Duquettes’ horse slaughter front organization “United Horseman” in a recent  email to its supporters, provides a list of invalid talking points that are an insult to the public’s intelligence and a disservice to American rodeos. The group claims that the Charro Rodeo Association voluntary banned horse tripping in 1995 when in fact, they were forced to do so by a 1994 law, AB 49x – a law that was not spearheaded by the HSUS.

In her latest, paranoid email Wallis adds a little piece from an alleged resident of Nevada that gives the information on how to contact the Nevada Senate Natural Resource Committee:

SB364 has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources Committee where it will be debated. The time-frame is unknown due to the fact that when a bill is brought up for debate is a committee chairman’s decision; however, I would urge people to contact members of the committee expressing your feelings on the proposed legislation.  E-mail addresses are as follows:

John Jay Lee – lee@sen.state.nv.us

Mark Manendo, Chair – mmanendo@sen.state.nv.us

David Parks – dparks@sen.state.nv.us

Michael Roberson – mroberson@sen.state.nv.us

Dean Rhoads – drhoads@sen.state.nv.us

Another neat way to voice your opinions on any legislation in the current sessions was recently brought to my attention. Go to this website and follow the directions. It is super easy. (FYI: Madeline Pickens instructed her followers on her Facebook page to use her Wells, NV address when submitting comments. Then they look like Nevada constituents!!) Try it, you’ll like it. Don’t sit on your hands, take action, don’t wait for someone else to do it.  Remember people, Confucious say: ” Man who sit on hands has no leg to stand on.”(or something to that effect. lol)

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/AppCF/Opinion/76th2011/Poll/

That little (lol) just turns your stomach, doesn’t it?

There is nothing funny about promoting and prolonging animal cruelty, nor is endorsing and making one’s lifetime goal to be that of building a horse slaughter plant.  It is sick, grotesque, perverted and without morals.

The preceding paragraph was not written by an animal radical, terrorist or activist but by an average, taxpaying American citizen who is appalled at the reckless use of press and media to endorse and support cruelty and  suffering to animals and humans of any kind, shape or fashion.

It’s time for these two social outcasts to crawl back under the slimy rocks that they emerged  from because we are going to continue to shine the bright spotlight of truth and honesty on them every time they open their twisted mouths.

Not only are we not going away, we are getting stronger and when you have the wind of honesty on your back, your opponents cannot win in any race.

Wallis and Duquette, we are watching you and we are watching you very closely.

For the sake of the future welfare of American equines,

“SHUT UP, SIT DOWN and GO HOME!”

Click (HERE) to read recent UH propaganda

I-Team: Anti-Wild Horse Bill Passes Nevada Senate Committee

8 News Now
Chief Investigative Reporter George Knapp and Chief Photojournalist Matt Adams


LAS VEGAS -- With all the financial trouble Nevada is in, you might think state lawmakers would welcome a project that will bring millions of dollars to the state and attract tourists from around the world.
Read More...

Who will save the horses?

Bill Finley ESPN.com

1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand met his apparent end in a slaughterhouse in Japan.
(In the spirit of full disclosure: at various points in my career I have been compensated by the New York Times, working there as a freelance writer, and by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. I no longer work for the TRF and, so far as the Times goes, well, they seem to have lost my number. My wife is a former vice president of the TRF. She is no longer affiliated with the organization).
When it comes to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, the New York Times, reporter Joe Drape and the thorny problem of old race horses going off to be butchered in a slaughterhouse, there has been a lot of finger pointing of late. I'm not sure any of it has been constructive. Today, four days after Drape wrote a story in the New York Times that leveled serious charges against the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and the TRF responded with accusations that Drape is a lousy reporter who badly misrepresented the facts, the industry is no closer to solving a problem that has existed for as long as the sport has.   Read MORE....

Take Action TODAY: Protect Wild Horses in Wyoming's Red Desert Complex

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

Wild horses in Red Desert, Wyoming

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting public comments for a scoping period for the “Proposed Wild Horse Gather” for the Red Desert Complex in Wyoming. During the scoping period, which ends on March 28, 2011, the public can raise issues and suggest alternatives to be considered in the environmental analysis and final plan for the horse-capturing action.

In this case, the scoping notice portrays the action as a Catch, Treat and Release (CTR) plan for administration of fertility control. However, AWHPC has learned that the plan also includes the removal of approximately 500-650 horses living within and outside of the Complex. This large mustang removal will take place less than a year after BLM's Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek roundup, which removed over 2,000 wild horses from another region of Wyoming's famed Red Desert.

This is an historically significant wild horse population; many of the mustangs have genetic markers that link them directly to the Spanish colonial and other New World Iberian breeds that distinguish them from domestic horse breeds.

Yet, instead of preserving these unique horses, the BLM has systematically reduced their habitat and their numbers to dangerously low population levels.

While AWHPC supports safe and proven fertility control methods for managing wild horses on the range, we oppose the proposed removal of approximately 200-250 yearlings, foals and other horses from within the Complex and the removal of approximately 300-400 horses outside of the Complex

Please get your comments in by March 28th to request that alternatives for avoiding the removals of horses be included in the Environmental Assessment and the final action plan.

Please personalize the letter below by adding your own comments. Be sure to include your mailing address so that the BLM does not have an excuse to dismiss your comments. Thank you for continuing to take action to protect wild horses and burros.

CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION!

Willie & The Nelson Family Sing “Wild Horses”

Willie & The Nelson Family Sing “Wild Horses”

BLM Hopes to Increase Wild Horse Birth Control

Kylee Perez | Travel & Outdoors | NewWest.Net

Horses pay dearly for TRF’s failure to pay true costs of their care

National Equine Advocacy | Examiner.com

Cattle-driven Rhoads pushes bullshit horse law

Las Vegas City Life

By GEORGE KNAPP It's great to know our state lawmakers have solved Nevada's budget woes and have nothing else to do with their time in Carson City. How else to explain a recent vote by the Senate's Natural Resources Committee regarding wild horses?    Read MORE....

STOP SUGARCREEK AUCTION HOUSE CRUELTY!

Click HERE to sign Care2 petition!

Hopefully Seeking Volunteers. Good researcher, writer? Love horses? Apply now! Quick online form

Int'l Fund for Horses

If you would like to volunteer your time and talents working with iFH to protect the health, safety and welfare of horses, we would be delighted to welcome you to our team. CLICK HERE.

Equine Sanctuary Certification an Answer for Further Abuse and Neglect

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Forward by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council

Ensuring Best Practices is the Key to Horse Rescue Success

Over the past several days a dreadful news story has broken about one of the largest Equine Rescues in the world, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, willfully and without explanation allowing the care of some 1,000+ horses deteriorate to the point of starvation and death.  Well funded but grossly mismanaged the organization unraveled with the horses, who were promised a comfortable and painless retirement, getting the bitter short end of the stick.

Click (HERE) to read the story and acquire the background.

Read MORE...

Sadistic Horse Haters Target Both Wild and Domestic Horses

Straight from the Horse's Heart

(In My Most Outraged Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council

Horse Eaters Wallis and Duquette Stick a Fork in Horses, AGAIN!

Graphic courtesy of PPJ Gazette

If perversity, lies, slaughter, blood, gore and criminal misrepresentation make you a tad bit squeamish then I would not recommend that you read any further as Wyoming state Rep. “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis and her inane and clueless main squeeze, Dave “Dumb as a Box of Rocks” Duquette are once again unleashing their bloody lies and twisted rhetoric upon the sane world.
We have not heard much out of their fringe and extremist group “United Horseman”, a pro-horse slaughter front, in a couple weeks and I guess things must be kind of boring up in Wyoming and Oregon these days (the haunts of the Despicable Duo).  So being that they have not been in the slimy, sub-culture spotlight for a bit, ole bloody Sue and doinky Dave have come up with a double barreled tub of horse blood to splash around in.  It’s been bad enough that the masters of deception and twisters of the truth have been trying to slice and dice up the domesticated American horse but now they have turned their attention, and butcher cleavers, toward our federally protected wild horses.  (The Wallis family is into the sale of “range” meat so adding wild horses would be another flavor that they could add to their business menu.)
“Untied Horseman” touts itself as being a non-profit organization that furthers the humane treatment of horses from birth to death.  Sue Wallis and Dave Duquette have been presidents and vice-presidents of a myriad of alleged groups (fronts) over the past several years and each and every one of them has crumbled into obscurity once their true mission statement became public (We have never met a horse that we wouldn’t eat) so don’t count on this bogus org to survive for long, either.  Their claim to fame is that they generate mass emails filled with hateful intent, inhumane content, deceptive statements and unsubstantiated facts and figures.  In the past several days they have issued two such erroneous and heartless pieces of trash.
The first gory circulation is calling upon all “horseman” to respond to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed Wild Horse and Burro strategy.  They are in full support of doing everything in their means to ensure that the 40,000+ wild horses that are currently being held in long term holding be released for auction, to killer buyers, and not allowed to go to sanctuaries or even adoption.
“Each family member should send in comments as it appears the number of comments is important.  You can rest assured that the horse advocates are sending them in by the hundreds and we can too if you all have your friends and family send them in.”
Paranoia and fear run deep with this bunch!  Don’t worry about research or honest input just plug up the mechanics of the process by slinging trash at the target.
For all you radical pro-horse people, please feel free to click (HERE) to read the BLM document and comment by sending your thoughts to the email address of wildhorse@blm.gov (include ‘Comments on the Strategy’ in the subject line) so that we can make their beloved nightmare come true, wouldn’t that be a gas?
Excerpts from their bloody letter to BLM kingpin Bob Abbey go something like this:
“Our organization was founded to restore humane (no such thing) and regulated processing (killer word for Slaughter) of horses in the United State…and to control the overpopulation of wild and feral horse”
At least they tell you that they have a screw loose right up front!
“We oppose implementing “catch, treat, and release” (CTR)… as horse people who understand unmanaged horse behavior…we strongly suggest that you heed the expert advice of your gathering contractors”
Hot Damn, that makes a lot of sense.  Dave and Sue Cattoor have made millions off from the backs of America’s vanishing icon so let’s elevate and raise them up to expert status.  Ole Dave has the documentation as he copped a federal plea to illegally rounding up wild horses by helicopter, go figure, and then selling him off to slaughter, he knows all about this stuff.  And then there is the other firm, Sun-J, that just used a helicopter as a weapon against wild horses at the despicable Antelope Complex stampede, that off-the-wall pilot could be another subject matter expert.  GIVE ME A FLIPPEN BREAK!
“We would not oppose adjusting sex ratios with more males.  However, we suggest the ratio of 70/30 to be more effective.”
Keeeyripes, let’s bend the laws of science and nature even further to torment the poor horses. These two even manage to surpass the BLM when it comes to junk science and cruelty.
“Horses are the most destructive ungulent on the range due to their grazing habits and hoof structure.  Because horses have teeth on the top and bottom, unlike cattle and sheep, they bite vegetation off at or below ground level leaving the plant with little opportunity to rejuvenate itself.”
This out and out lie was stated during the public comment session at the BLM Advisory Board Meeting, last week, and both the Board and the Cattlemen got a chuckle out it.  A clear example of fact distortion as anyone with even a tad of exposure to cows and horses knows that the pasture you graze your horses on for 4 months can only be grazed by cows for one.  Horses are movers, nomads and do not overgraze in the wild nor do they destroy watering holes as cattle do.  Blinking cows have been the worst thing to ever happen to our public lands and it doesn’t even take a trained eye to observe the destruction that they wreck upon the environment at the public’s expense.
“The WFRHBA provides for the sale of excess horses.   We support BLM selling horses to the highest bidder and not keeping horses in long-term holding facilities providing a $40 million savings to the taxpayer and provide a revenue stream to the BLM.”
Yeah, get those horses out there on the market and available for slaughter, yum yum.  But we have a plan that is even better and the public could save not only that puny sum of $40 million a year but over $70 million that the BLM fritters away on capturing and enslaving wild horses and burros every year.  Do you know what it is?  Get a pencil or if you are lazy turn on you phone’s recording feature because here it comes:
‘LEAVE THE HORSES ON THEIR LAWFUL LAND, YOU STUPID SACK OF COW POOP!’  Good grief how complicated is that?  Manage them ON the range not off.  I guess that this simple bit of logic escapes the Duo of Deception but that might also explain why they refer to the 7^th grade as their Senior Year.
“We are opposed to adoption…because this puts the federal government in direct conflict with the domestic horse industry which is already over-stressed with too many excess horses and no viable markets.”
Didn’t you idiots just say in the preceding statement that you support the selling of wild horses?  I am confused, or maybe it is you two who are confused?  Would this be doubletalk, could this represent flawed thinking and conflicting information?  Or is this just one of multiple mind farts that you both seem to suffer from whenever you open up your mouths or sit before a keyboard.  You know, they do make medication for such ailments.  But then again, you would have to read the directions and we know that for the both of you that would be a stretch as you would want to argue with the manufacturer and avoid the obvious truths.
“Horses should be sold outright for whatever their value is, and neither the BLM, nor the US taxpayer should retain any further responsibility…to ensure that any livestock animal is not cruelly and unnecessarily abused.”
‘FWAPP’ <- another mind fart.
“We are particularly opposed to any legislation that would require governmental agencies that use horses to use only wild horses as this is putting government in direct conflict with private enterprise..”
Awww, come on Sue and Davie, you are showing the color of your underwear, again.  It’s ugly enough just to mentally visualize but you don’t need to rub that green stuff in our face, we know it is all about the money, first and foremost.  You see, we pay attention, we read, we check facts and figures (means we can cipher, Dave) and we do not spout lies, innuendo and rumors.  You could learn a lot from us if you would just put away your butcher cleaver for a bit.
But enough of that cruel stupidity, (if you have the stomach to read their rag of a letter you can do so by clicking (HERE) but ensure that you have your gag reflex fully under control before venturing into their “LaLa” land as it tends to make a sane mind reel with disbelief) it’s time to move on to their second self-debasing issuance.
Besides dedicating their lives to killing and eating horses these two social misfits now have ventured into endorsing the inhumane treatment of horses, the very thing that they say they oppose…again, either I am confused or that mind fart thing is going on again.
In another release the Decadent Duo are calling upon horsemen, not women, to stop the Nevada state legislature from passing a bill designed to prevent the inhumane activity of “horse tripping”.  In a paranoid rant about Peta and the HSUS the two deceptively contrive and weave a tale that the bill is designed to put an end to Rodeo and horse related sports as we know it.  Dave and Sue see the HSUS as the big boogie man under their moldy beds, hell, last year they put out a gigantic list of celebrities and horseman that they claim are being paid by the HSUS to be horse friendly individuals.  From Willie Nelson to Pat Parelli and even radical horse friendly people like myself sit at the mailbox and wait for that big, fat, juicy HSUS check to roll in every month.  Wallis and Duquette are so lame and out of touch with reality that they even listed DEAD people who they felt they should boycott because of their former horse friendly ways.  How in the hell do you do THAT?
If you care to witness the meltdown of logic and good sense you can view their nonsensical and perverted morals posted on Horseback Magazine by clicking (HERE)
None the less, the Evil Princess and Duke of Doink have shown their ample backsides to the world, again, and are proving to be an embarrassment to family, area, state, nation and species as they rant and tear across cyberspace on their bloody quest to kill and eat the horses of this great land.
You have to give them credit, though, as they are the kind of enemy that everyone needs as they are so delusional and disengaged that they prove OUR point every single time they make a collective comment, it’s a lot like watching a dark and demented cartoon show on cruelty and crime.  If not for the sick perversity of their bloody ways it would almost be funny, but there is no humor in the lack of common decency and the absence of a moral compass.
If anything, we should pity them for their lack of two vital and life sustaining organs, a brain and a heart…and let’s not forget that other important fiber that binds those two organs together, a soul…it must be very lonely to live without one.
They should know.

Ex-BLM wrangler accused of neglecting more than 20 mustangs he owned

Oregon Live.com

A former wrangler at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's wild horse corrals near Burns was accused Thursday of failing to properly care for more than 20 Kiger mustang horses he owned, including one that died.   Read MORE...

The Horse | Oregon Authorities Probe Wild Horse Shootings

The Horse | Oregon Authorities Probe Wild Horse Shootings

Tell Nevada Legislature and Governor: DEFEAT SJR5!

American Wild Horse preservation Campaign

Nevada Senate Natural Resources Committee Passes Anti-Mustang Resolution 

Last Friday, March 11, 2011, the Nevada Senate Natural Resources Committee passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 5. This resolution, while non-binding, opposes solutions currently being explored by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to create mustang preserves in Nevada. Sadly, a small group of special interest ranchers have gotten Nevada legislators to put special interests above the public good and created SJR5. This anti-mustang resolution must be stopped - it is not good for Nevada and it's not good for mustangs and burros.
Tourism is the #1 industry in the state of Nevada - more money and jobs are generated by tourism than any other industry in the state. With more than half of all wild horses and burros residing in Nevada - wild horses are one of the state's most valuable untapped assets. Now is the time to put Nevada's two best assets together - tourism and mustangs - and create a world-class wild horse and burro eco-tourism industry. This is a promising new opportunity for Nevada - with preserve proposals from Return to Freedom and Saving America's Mustangs currently under review with the BLM.
However, SJR5, if passed, would send a message from the state of Nevada to the Interior Department that the state does not want wild horse preserves and prefers to continue the decades-old unfair and unsustainable wild horse management program, which favors the interests of livestock ranchers over the wishes of the general public.
Please take a moment to personalize the message below by editing the subject line and first few sentences. This message will be sent to the Nevada Governor and legislators urging them to reject the anti-mustang SJR5.

Please share this alert 

TAKE ACTION: CLICK HERE.

Obama’s BLM Squandered Wild Horse Funds Now Looking for Help

Straight from the Horse's Heart

(In My Humble Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Board

After years of wasting money on deadly Wild Horse Roundups the well has run dry

BLM: "Please, you can trust me."

As part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) alleged “New Strategy” the agency claims that it is extending its hand “soliciting proposals for private-public partnerships to establish wild horse ‘ecosanctuaries’ on non-BLM managed land.”  In a press release, dated 03/16/2011, the BLM states that they will entertain said partnerships in an effort to help the BLM care and feed the “excess” wild horses the BLM have removed from their rightful homes.
On the surface this would appear to be a wonderful new and revolutionary idea but in reality it is not even a concept that the BLM can claim to be its own.  Madeleine Pickens has made the commitment to acquire half a million acres of grazing land, in the west, in an effort to give a better home to the horses that the BLM has unjustifiably removed from their lawful range.  Years of research and lobbying went into the plan and BLM Director Bob Abbey give Pickens a thumbs down after months and months of reassuring her that the plan was viable.  Of course, Abbey now says that he was misquoted but what do you expect from a guy who has been gorging himself at the government’s feed trough for his entire career, the truth?
A glaringly obvious consideration, with this entire scenario, is that it is nothing more than Secretary of the Department of Interior Ken Salazar’s “Zalazoo Plan” only in a different flavor with someone else helping to pay the bill.  The proposal still calls for separate, “non-producing” herds of gelded stallions and chemically sterilized mares segregated onto different land.  Abnormal, death herds of shattered former families living out their lives separated from their natural partners simply waiting to die.  No bands of wild horses, no births or babies but instead just herds of gelded stallions running separate from herds of mares.  Ain’t that sweet?
As usual the BLM is looking at the backside of the horse versus making corrections and guiding the head.  Don’t get me wrong as I would welcome anything to help improve the quality of live for those that are in holding but again, the collective bureaucratic mind of the BLM can only see to treat the symptom versus curing the disease and now that they have squandered away tens of millions of your dollars on senseless and deadly roundups they want help with the very problem that they created.
Fix the problem you knuckleheads!!!  Stop swelling the bank accounts of cruel stampede contractors Cattoors and Sun-J.  Settle into the idea of accurately COUNTING the ACTUAL number of horses on the range and partner with professionals who can recommend humane management practices and stop fueling the problem by recklessly removing wild horses and burros from their rightful homes.  It’s an easy fix but to continue down the road of ripping every single wild horse and burro off from their rightful land and then shoving them into long term holding has proven to be a failure.  Fix it!
If the BLM were forced to function within the private sector they would have failed in business many decades ago.  The roughshod concept of full speed ahead at all costs without proper numbers, planning and finances would run a private company straight into the dirt but instead the BLM has used your money, destroyed your herds, ignored years worth of public protest and now that they are out of money, they want you to help.  It’s time to put some business sense into the running of our government and if we can’t succeed in doing it at the top then lets run the leaders of this agency out of town on a rail and build a bureau of professional, compassionate and accountable business personnel who realize that 1+1 does not equal 20.

Click (HERE) for BLM press release

Related Articles

• Phoenix Rally Meeting Report – Take Action! (thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com)
• Madeleine Pickens to Join Wild Horse Advocates and Celebs at Mustang Rally (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
• BLM Captures 1,400 Wild Horses: Releases 31 (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
• BLM Called Upon To Halt Wild Horse Roundups Until “New Normal ” Policies Enacted To Ensure Humane Treatment of Mustangs (yubanet.com)
• Progress! House Votes to Reduce Agency Budget for Wild Horse Roundups (news.change.org)
• Video Shows BLM Contractor Targeting Pregnant Wild Horses (rtfitch.wordpress.com)

BLM solicits proposals to establish wild horse ecosanctuaries

Tuesday's Horse

Posted on Mar 16, 2011 by Vivian Grant

The latest public relations exercise by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who issued a news release yesterday announcing they are soliciting proposals to establish wild horse “ecosanctuaries” on non-BLM managed land to “help the BLM feed and care for excess wild horses that have been removed from Western public rangelands,” exposes the hypocrisy that runs rampant through the Department of Interior agency.    Read MORE....

STOP-THE-ROUNDUPS PRESS CONFERENCE IN PHOENIX; SAVE OUR WILD BURROS AND HORSES DEMONSTRATIONS AT NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING OF OUR WILD HORSES

Humane Observer: Elyse Gardner

 With numerous supporters of our American wild horses, I traveled to Phoenix to attend the first 2011 meeting of the national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, as well as the press conference we held to Stop the Roundups.

Here are a few clips for you from the press conference officiated by Ginger Kathrens, Emmy winning filmmaker of the Nature series on Cloud, the inimitable wild Palomino stallion of the Rockies.  I will be posting more as I get the clips ready for you.
Michael Blake's statement at the March 10, 2011, Stop-the-Roundups press conference.

Read MORE...(More videos)

Sugarcreek Horse Auction in Ohio

Animals Angels reports. Animals' Angels undercover investigation at Sugarcreek Horse Auction in Ohio.
Warning: Graphic Content!

Rep. Mike Simpson Critiques BLM Budget that Robs Resource Management

The State Column

Rep. Mike Simpson released the following statement:
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, questioned BLM Director Bob Abbey regarding a number of issues, including the Wild Horse and Burro program, grazing on public lands, and the Administration’s new “Wild Lands” policy. Simpson’s subcommittee examined the President’s FY2012 budget request for the Bureau of Land Management.   Read More...

BLM still not making wild horse sense

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Posted by John L. Smith
Monday, Mar. 14, 2011 at 09:25 AM

You don‘t have to be a Nevada native or a liberal horse hugger to appreciate the unadulterated economic nonsense of the Bureau of Land Management’s hilarious helicopter mustang roundup.
Boulder City resident Barbara Pennelle writes, “I consider myself a social conservative as well as an animal lover. I am concerned that perhaps some day the only place you might see an American mustang is in a zoo. That would be a real tragedy.”   Read More...

Take action for Sugarcreek Auction horses with Animals Angels

Tuesday's Horse

Posted on Mar 15, 2011 by Vivian Grant
Dying Horses at Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio

Join Animals' Angels to put a stop to atrocities against horses and other animals auction at Sugarcreek in Ohio.

You have read reports here on Tuesday’s Horse about Sugarcreek Auction and the atrocious acts of cruelty committed against horses. Horses, of course, are not the only ones who suffer at the hands of Sugarcreek Auction, owned and operated by Leroy Baker.

Animals’ Angels state:

      After four years of solid work at the Sugarcreek Auction, Animals’ Angels current investigations show that the conditions remain unacceptable:

      Typically upon arrival, investigators find emaciated, injured, lame, sick, infected, blind, heavily pregnant and dead horses; horses subjected to extremely rough handling, hitting horses with full force across the face; extreme overcrowding, and horses being trampled to death – due to ignorant and cruel handling. Virtually without exception auction veterinarians refuse care.

Animals’ Angels ask you to help bring Baker to justice and put an end to his shameful enterprise.

      Animals’ Angels is currently filing new complaints at state and federal levels. To be as effective as possible, Animals’ Angels is asking you to help push these efforts to the next level. We have damning evidence against Baker and you can make Baker’s cruel history roar and resonate more in the ears of authorities.

      Will you help us raise our voices to say no human being can continue to accept this cruelty and ignorance?

      Thank you for making a difference and for being there for these animals!

      Please contact:

      Sugarcreek Mayor
      Jeremiah Johnson
      Phone: 330-852-2271
      Jeremiah.Johnson@VillageofSugarcreek.com

      Tuscarawas County Visitors Bureau
      124 East high Avenue
      New Philadelphia, OH 44663
      Phone: 330-602-2420
      Fax: 330-602-2433
      info@ohiotimelessadventures.com

      County Commissions of Tuscarawas
      Chris Abbuhl, Kerry Metzger, Jim Sheldenright
      125 East High Avenue
      New Philadelphia, OH 44663
      Phone: 330-365-3240
      Fax: 330-602-7483
      commissioners@co.tuscarawas.oh.us

      Sugarcreek Police
      Chief Kazzar
      202 Fairview Rd
      Sugarcreek, OH 44681
      KKSugarpd@neohio.twcbc.com

      Tuscarawas County Humane Society
      6895 Dover-Zoar Rd
      Dover, OH 44622
      330-343-6060
      contact@tuschumanesociety.org

      Tuscarawas Chamber of Commerce
      1323 4th Street NW
      New Philadelphia, OH 44663
      Don Hoffman (Iterim President/CEO)
      donh@tuschamber.com

      Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board
      8995 East Main Street
      Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
      livestockstandardsboard@agri.ohio.gov
      James Zehringer (Chairman of the Board)
      administration@agri.ohio.gov

      Ohio Department of Agriculture
      Dr. Tony Forshey (State Veterinarian)
      Phone: 614-728-6220
      tforshey@agri.ohio.gov

      State Representatives

      Ohio Senate
      State Senator Joe Schiavoni, D. (33rd District)
      Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor
      Columbus,OH 43215
      Phone: 614-466-8285
      SD33@maild.sen.state.oh.us

      State Senator Jason Wilson, D. (30th District)
      Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor
      Columbus,OH 43215
      Phone: 614-466-6508
      SD30@maild.sen.state.oh.us

      Ohio House
      State Rep. Al Landis, R. (96th District)
      77 S High Street, 11th Floor
      Columbus, OH 43215
      Phone: 614-719-6996
      district96@ohr.state.oh.us

Contact the above individually OR compose a message suitable for all of these individuals and send it out in a single email.

Copy and paste the following into a new email message:

To: Jeremiah.Johnson@VillageofSugarcreek.com
cc: info@ohiotimelessadventures.com, info@ohiotimelessadventures.com, commissioners@co.tuscarawas.oh.us, KKSugarpd@neohio.twcbc.com, contact@tuschumanesociety.org, donh@tuschamber.com, administration@agri.ohio.gov, tforshey@agri.ohio.gov, SD33@maild.sen.state.oh.us, district96@ohr.state.oh.us

Baker owes back fines of $162,800.00 to the USDA for abuse violations, and those are the fines we know about.

EVIDENCE

– Animals’ Angels Video
http://www.animalsangels.org/media-center/video.html
Warning! Graphic!

– Animals’ Angels Leroy Baker and Sugarcreek Auction Violation Compilation Reports Obtained through FOIA
http://www.animalsangels.org/the-issues/horse-slaughter/foia-requests.html