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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Action Alert Reminder: March 1st Wild Horse & Burro Call-in Day

The Cloud Foundation

Cloud Foundation
Action Alert Reminder: March 1st
Wild Horse & Burro Call-in Day

Dear Wild Horse and Burro Defenders;

I know many of you are just as worried as I am about the future of our wild horses and burros and the most recent appointment of another pro-slaughter person to the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board by Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.

This is just a reminder to call in to protest the appointment of Callie Hendrickson to the Board on March 1st. Shockingly, she has been appointed to represent the General Public. If you missed our last newsletter, read more about Callie here.

Here is some clarification on exactly what to do when you call:
  • The number to call (below) is the main number for the Dept. of Interior. Please politely ask the person who answers the phone to be transferred to the Secretary’s office.
  • The person who answers in the Secretary’s office will be the one you can speak with regarding Ms. Hendrickson.
  • They may try offering you an 866 number. Say no. This is a BLM number and you want to register your complaint with the Secretary. (After all, he made the appointment of this pro-slaughter, anti-wild horse person to represent us!) 
Please remember to be polite when you deliver your message.

Ask the Secretary to rescind Hendrickson’s appointment immediately. She does not and should not represent the views of the vast majority of Americans.

Number to call: (202) 208-3100 (main DOI number)
Number to fax: (202) 208-6956 (Attn: Secretary of the Interior’s Office)
Address to email: feedback@ios.doi.gov
DOI online feedback form.

I hope you will join us in this effort to protect our wild horses still roaming free and those held captive.

Happy Trails!
Ginger









Tuesday, February 28, 2012

oust callie hendrickson from blm advisory board

Change.org

SIGN THIS PETITION!

oust callie hendrickson from blm advisory board
  1. Signatures
    438 out of 100,000
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 1 other)
  2. Created By
    deborah catalina
    wlms, OR
Why This Is Important
Ms Hendrickson represents private groups that exploit public land for private profit
Hendrickson does not represent american opinion about wild horses and burros
80% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, but Hendrickson supports slaughter
Ms Hendrickson endorses removal of all wild horses from their rangeland
Ranchers petitioned to put H. on the board in order to elliminate wild horses
Ms H. supports sale of wild horses for slaughter without limitation.
H. is a regular speaker at the pro-slaughter convention in Oklahoma


CLICK HERE to Take ACTION!











Monday, February 27, 2012

Return of horse slaughter to US soil planned for the Ozarks

Tuesday's Horse

Horse Slaughter Poster by Vivian J Grant
Cross-posted from KY3.com
Written by LINDA RUSSELL KY3 News
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. — (Feb. 24, 2012) A company called Unified Equine wants the Ozarks to be home to its first processing plant for horse meat for human consumption. The proposed plant would be just east of Mountain Grove near the Wright-Texas County line in the Twin Cities Industrial Park.
Unified Equine has been working on its business model for two years. When federal legislation in November brought back the ability for the USDA to inspect horse slaughter plants, the Wyoming company got serious about finding its flagship location.
“We wanted a state that was supportive of our efforts, and the folks in Missouri are 100 percent on board with what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it,” said Sue Wallis, chief executive officers of Unified Equine, as well as a Wyoming state legislator.
Read full article >>
The business people behind this are going to be very, very angry when they realize Sue Wallis, in her bloodlust to return horse slaughter to U.S. soil, has led them into a highly costly mistake.
Funding for the USDA inspections required to sell horse meat for human consumption has been resumed only for the current fiscal year. However, there is no money for it. Additionally, we are promised by prominent and reliable federal legislators that this will be reversed in the next budget. So no sooner than they open this proposed horse slaughter plant, they will have to close it. They will not be allowed to slaughter a single horse.
This is only the beginning of their troubles. The EU are finalizing new sanctions which should crush the life out of the horse slaughter business in North America.











Sunday, February 26, 2012

Quebec Horse Slaughter Plant Resumes Operations

Canadian Horse Defence Coalition's Blog

The CHDC has learned from a valuable source that Les Viandes de la Petite-Nation horse slaughter plant (LPN) resumed operations on Thursday, February 23rd.
According to the source, LPN has now modified the plant to enable the use of a rifle instead of a captive bolt gun to stun horses and “obtain better results”.
Horsemeat from LPN is shipped exclusively to Europe and none is sold domestically in Canada.  According to our source, LPN re-opened after completing modifications such as magnet-sealed doors to prevent people from entering the zone while the rifle is fired and the installation of better anti-skid floors to prevent animals from being injured.
The CHDC questions why the facility would resort to the use of a rifle to stun horses prior to slaughter.  As clearly illustrated in footage captured at Viandes Richelieu in 2010 [ http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/chambers-of-carnage.html  - click on video links], the flailing head of a terrified horse is a moving target, and hitting the small area of the equine brain that would render the animal insensible is a difficult maneuver at best.
Further, for safety reasons, inspectors at Viandes Richelieu at the time were not permitted in the area where horses were being stunned by gunshot, therefore preventing oversight by those responsible to ensure that animals are being humanely treated.
Animal suffering cannot be prevented in an equine slaughter situation, where assembly-line speed and profit are the goals.  Horses are flight animals and difficult if not impossible to restrain when they are very frightened.  They are administered drugs during their lifetimes that are not safe for humans to ingest.
The CHDC calls upon the government of Canada to put an end to the shameful and unsafe practice of killing our noble companion animals for food.
Horse defenders can send their polite messages of concern to:
Stephen Giguere, Manager, Les Viandes de la Petite Nation Inc.
email:  stephane.giguere@taoco.com
Tel:  819.983.7941 
        888.983.2082 
Fax: 819.983.4041
vpn@taoco.com
Also email: cerfdeboileau@taoco.com
                                                                                           
Mylene Freeman
NDP MP for Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel (Saint-Andre-Avellin is in her riding.)
Hill Office
House of Commons
Ottawa,Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-0902
Fax: 613-992-2935
Email: Mylene.Freeman@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: www.mylenefreeman.ndp.ca/
Constituency Office(s)
499-B Principale Street(Main Office)
Lachute, Québec
J8H 1Y4
Telephone: 450-562-0737
Fax: 450-562-2527
149 Main Street
Saint-André-Avellin, Québec
J0V 1W0
Telephone: 819-983-1577
Fax: 819-983-1851
                                                                                            
Mayor Therese Whissell, Mayor of Saint-Andre-Avellin
http://www.ville.st-andre-avellin.qc.ca/
Téléphone : 819 983-6378
Courriel/email : maire@ville.st-andre-avellin.qc.ca
                                                                                             
Hon. Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
781 Confederation Bldg., House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Email: Ritz.G@parl.gc.ca
Website:www.gerryritzmp.com
E-mail: gerry.ritz@parl.gc.ca
Tel: 613-995-7080
Fax: 613-996-8472
                                                                                             
Dr. Martin Appelt, Manager Meat Programs, Martin.Appelt@inspection.gc.ca
                                                                                            
Dr. Gord Doonan, CFIA Senior Staff Veterinarian, Gordon.Doonan@inspection.gc.ca
                                                                                           
Dr. Brian Evans, Chief Food Safety and Veterinary Officer for Canada, Brian.Evans@inspection.gc.ca
Mr. George Da Pont, President
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Rd., Tower 1, Floor 6
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
Website: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
Tel: 613-773-6000; Fax: 613-773-6060










Saturday, February 25, 2012

Friday Fun (A Day Late)

I couldn't help myself, and I hope I'm not infringing on any copyright laws. I have NO idea the source of these photos. They came in an email. Enjoy, and visit me in jail if I messed up.


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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Please Urge the BLM to Cancel Arizona Burro Roundup, Removal & Castration Plan

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

Comments Due February 28, 2012
The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Yuma, Arizona Field Office is seeking public comments on an Environmental Assessment for a massive burro roundup and removal plan. The agency plans to use helicopters to stampede and capture 400 wild burros in the Cibola-Trigo Herd Management Area (HMA) in southwestern Arizona and permanently remove 350 of them from their home in this remote and rugged region on the border of California.
The BLM allows just 165 burros (and 150 wild horses) to live in this 179,000-acre, or 280-square-mile, public land area. The agency estimates that the current burro population is 711. In developing this roundup plan, the BLM ignored the comments of thousands of citizens who wrote to the agency in May of 2010 requesting that the allowable management level for burros be increased; that the burros be managed with humane and reversible PZP fertility control instead of removals; and that humane alternatives to helicopter stampedes be implemented if roundups occur.
Even worse, the agency has added a controversial new aspect to the plan that involves castrating 50 Jacks (male burros) and returning them to the range. The BLM is proceeding with this radical sterilization plan despite a complete lack of analysis of its impacts and a pending federal lawsuit challenging a similar plan for "managing" wild horses in Nevada.
.
.Please take action below to help Arizona burros and oppose this devastating roundup, removal and castration plan!

Click HERE to Take Action!


MORE Action Alerts HERE.










National Wild Horse & Burro Protest Day




The Cloud Foundation

March 1, 2012

Dear Friends of Cloud and the Wild Horses;

I fear for our wild horses that have been captured and are now in government holding facilities. Why has Secretary Salazar appointed yet another pro horse slaughter person to the BLM’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board?

Please read the following, mark your calendars, and on March 1st act to block the appointment of this latest threat to all captive wild horses.

Happy Trails!
Ginger

Safe in the wild, Cloud enjoys a foggy morning.

On Thursday, March 1, 2012: 
Join thousands of concerned and caring Americans around the country.
Protest Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s appointment of Callie Hendrickson to the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board[1] representing the General Public.

Background: Callie Hendrickson is the Executive Director of the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts representing ranching interests, many of whom have permits to run livestock on public lands in northwestern Colorado. The organization successfully petitioned to become an intervenor on the side of BLM to completely remove the West Douglas Creek Wild Horse Herd on the Western Slope of Colorado.
  • Ms. Hendrickson supports the sale without limitation of all unadopted wild horses to the highest bidder (including slaughter buyers)
  • Ms. Hendrickson will speak at the second pro-slaughter conference (Summit of the Horse) in Oklahoma City this spring. (Sue Wallis' creation.)  
Does Callie Hendrickson represent you? If your answer is NO, then please call, fax, and email Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and politely, but firmly ask that Callie Hendrickson’s appointment to the Advisory Board be rescinded immediately.

Tell the Secretary that she does not represent you or the 80% of the General Public opposed to horse slaughter[2].

Number to Call: (202) 208-3100
Number to Fax: (202) 208-6956
Address to Email: feedback@ios.doi.gov
 

[1] The nine-member BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board recommends management strategies to the BLM. Hendrickson would join Jim Stephenson (appointed June 2011) on the Board. Stephenson openly advocates for horse slaughter. BLM has discussed killing wild horses in holding since at least 2008. With Hendrickson, they may have just the Board they want —a Board that could recommend to BLM that they dispose of the wild horses in holding.
 
[2] A recent nationwide poll reveals that 80% of Americans oppose the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption. The survey shows that Amerricans in all parts of the country, regardless of their gender, political affiliation, whether they live in an urban or rural area, or whether they own horses or not, are against the slaughtering of our nation’s equines. The survey was sponsored by the ASPCA and conducted by Lake Research Partners.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

“But what are we going to do with all the horses?”

Habitat for Horses

It’s been firmly established that the only reason horse slaughter exist is for the love of money. No one, from the Church of Veterinarians, aka the AAEP, to the dust covered toothless hobo that hangs around the dumpster hunting for chicken parts, has been able to come up with a single, valid reason other than money.
That should come as a shock to all those who actually believed the hyperbolic propaganda put forth by those who wanted you to believe otherwise.There really is no reason to list the statements proponents have used. Each of them have been proven to be lies – complete and total fabrications put forth to convince the public that these wise men in white hats and bolo ties know best. Their souls have been lost as they manipulate others for their own selfish benefit while their pockets are stuffed with the blood money of dead horses.
"I support Horse Slaughter"
I can’t be angry at them. More than anything, it’s sad beyond belief that such humans are so willing to leave behind whatever goodness was once in their hearts, as they take a sadistic, almost perverse satisfaction in spewing the wonders of horse slaughter. I can only hope that the realization of what they are doing happens before the day they lay on their death bed and face the inevitable question, “What have you done to make this world a better place?” to which they must answer, “I killed horses.”
It isn’t to them that I speak. This is to you, their faithful followers, who have long believed the lies, who shag along behind them, drawn by the siren’s song to repeat all that you have been told as though it was written in the Gospel, who truly believe that horse slaughter in the US is the foundation of our future, the corner stone for the Temple that will once again house all that is good and right.
Bear with me for a moment as we pause and think – what if it doesn’t happen? What if all the hopes and dreams of hauling your personal collection of unwanted horses to the horse slaughterhouse in some small Oklahoma town and walking away with a few hundred dollars just never comes true? What effect will that have on the agricultural business in the US? What horrible scenes of economic collapse do you envision?
Yes, those who depend on slaughter as the way to cull the poor results of their mass breeding programs will be screaming. The BLM, who often ponders about the joy of sending all their captured horses off to slaughter (oops, I mean “humane euthanasia.” Sorry.) will have a total breakdown. The racing industry might suddenly need to take responsibility for their animals. All of them will be horrified because they will be forced to change from the way its always been done.
Whatever level of goodness still left in those industries is currently held by those who really want to do the right thing but are afraid of change, afraid of taking responsibility. People didn’t want to free the slaves because of the fear of change, didn’t want civil rights for all Americans, didn’t want to see this or that happen because…
“But what are we going to do with all the horses?”
Somehow the cotton got picked. Somehow Japan and Germany became our greatest economic partners. Somehow schools were integrated, blacks ate in restaurants, drank from the same water fountain. Somehow we pulled out of Vietnam and Southeast Asia didn’t plummet into the abyss of Communism. Somehow, today’s economy is recovering.
Somehow, when we do the right thing, we adopt to the change and the fear is replaced by the new normal. That new normal will be here soon and those who stand in the path of change are well advised to make plans for a new business model where horse slaughter is a thing of the past. The true leaders of the equine industry will be those who support long term care, limited and controlled breeding and owner responsibility.
Yes, it’s scary, but somehow that one percent of horses currently being slaughtered will no longer be a factor and the myth of “unwanted horses” will be a part of history.










McCain Response to Constituent re: Horse Slaughter S 1176

Thank you for contacting me to share your views on S. 1176, theAmerican Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011. I appreciate hearing from you.

Horses have been critical to human endeavors such as transportation, commerce, and recreation. Utilizing them in the same manner as consumable livestock has raised significant concerns among animal protection advocates. S. 1176 would prohibit the transportation of horses to Mexico to be slaughtered for human consumption. This legislation was introduced on June 9, 2011, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

As you may know, since 2006 Congress has routinely attached a provision to annual appropriation bills that prohibits the U.S. De partment of Agriculture (USDA) from spending taxpayer dollars on ante-mortem inspection of horses under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA). Supporters of this provision sought to shut down all domestic horse slaughter facilities if USDA inspectors weren’t allowed to certify compliance with the FMIA.

Unfortunately, this attempt to ban domestic horse slaughter has amounted to an animal welfare disaster. On June 22, 2011, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent investigating branch of Congress, issued a report which found a 60% rise in state and local investigations for horse neglect, starvation, and abandonment since the inspection ban was instituted (“Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter” GAO-11-228). Several animal welfare groups, like the American Veterinarian Medical Association, have also concluded that American horse slaughter facilities are more humane and preferable to less regulated Mexican slaughter facilities or the starvation of abandoned horses. As a result, Congress recently restored funding for USDA meat inspectors under the Agriculture Appropriations bill, H.R. 2112, which was signed into law on November 18, 2011.
While I question the practice of slaughtering horses for human consumption, I’m also concerned with the evidence to date showing that an outright ban on horse slaughter has done far more to increase the suffering of unwanted horses. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that horses are treated humanely under appropriate animal welfare laws. Please be assured that I will keep your comments in mind should S. 1176 be considered by the full Senate.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Please feel free to contact me on this or any other matter of concern.

Sincerely,
John McCain
United States Senator

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Please Attend Wild Horse Court Hearing February 24, 10 a.m., Sacramento

In Defense of Animals

Fill the courtroom and show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses
Important: The time and date of the hearing can change at any time. It has already changed once. In Defense of Animals will keep you apprised of any such changes.
A hearing on the groundbreaking Twin Peaks wild horse lawsuit is scheduled for February 24 at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7 (14th Floor) at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, in Sacramento. Please show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses and burros and fill the courtroom, which has a capacity of approximately 100 people.
credit: Linda HayWhen: February 24, 2012, 10 a.m. IDA strongly urges all attendees to arrive by 9:30 a.m. in order to get through security and into the courtroom.
Where: 501 I Street, Courtroom 7 on the 14th floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. Click here for directions to the courthouse.
Case Number: 2:10-cv-1852-MCE-DAD
Pro bono attorney Rachel Fazio will be arguing the case for plaintiffs In Defense of Animals, ecologist Chad Hanson, Ph.D., wild horse sanctuary founder Barbara Clarke, DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary, and wild horse enthusiast Linda Hay.
Last April, in an historic ruling, Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. refused to dismiss the case on legal technicalities, meaning that this lawsuit will be decided on the merits. Finally, the wild horses will have their day in court.
Don’t miss this unprecedented hearing – please fill the courtroom and show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses and burros.
No recording devices, cameras, cellphones or electronic devices are allowed in the courtroom. We suggest not bringing any such devices into the courthouse. Photo identification is required to get into the courthouse.
For more information: Eric Kleiman: ericsk@idausa.org

Dear Horse Advocate: An Open Letter from Former Mayor Paula Bacon

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Posted: February 21, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Tags: , , , , ,

By Paula Bacon, former Mayor of Kaufman, TX
The Former Mayor of Kaufman, TX Gives Tips to Help the Horses
Dear Horse Advocate,
When I was mayor of a city with a horse slaughter plant, the support, information and backing of horse advocates encouraged me, strengthened my convictions— you were essential to me and frankly kept me going. I want to thank you for your advocacy for horses. It is because of you that elected officials feel compelled or wise to support a ban on horse slaughter.
You are receiving this email because of your advocacy and because one or more members of the House of Representatives from your state is a good candidate to support and/or co-sponsor H.R. 2966 banning horse slaughter.  (Click HERE to find the Members that represent YOU)
This week congressional members are in their home districts.  This is an important opportunity for us to speak to members directly rather than trying to work through young staffers in D.C. 
Can you attend a public meeting or make an appointment to meet with the member this week? Also, do you know of other advocates in your state (constituents, friends, relatives of constituents, etc., in the member’s district) who could meet with the member?
It is very important.  We need as many people as possible advocating a ban on horse slaughter to their legislators.  We have strength in numbers.
Please call one of the Congressional member’s local district offices and find out when public meetings are scheduled for the representative. Or call and make an appointment to speak with the member personally this week. At a minimum, would you call, have others call, and speak directly with the member?
May I suggest that you choose and be ready with 3 major points, keeping your message simple and straightforward. You may want to thank the member for past support, and then to mention that…
  • Recent polls show 80% of Americans support a federal ban on horse slaughter.  Results crossed gender, political affiliation, urban and rural areas and geographic location. In our current political climate of divisiveness, a horse slaughter ban has broad political consensus.
  • The cost to taxpayers is millions annually, yet the market is foreign as are plant interests/ownership.  In these difficult economic times taxpayers would be forced to subsidize an un-American market with foreign interests and ownership that pays almost nothing literally in taxes and that represents a very small number of dangerous, minimal pay jobs, and which Americans do not support. This makes no sense.
  •  99% of horse owners choose to euthanize rather than having their horse butchered; horse slaughter is not a service offered to mom & pop horse owners.
  •  Horse slaughter is not a service or euthanasia. According to the USDA, only 4% of horses at slaughter are 10 years old or older;
  • The slaughter market encourages abandonment. Recent events in the news show horses rejected at the border are being dumped by kill buyers.
  •   Bring a copy of Trent Lott’s recent article on horse slaughter.  Lott is a highly respected former Congressman. Your lawmaker is the perfect audience for Lott’s message.  http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/210585-preventing-horse-slaughter-a-personal-evolution
  •  If you have children’s letters, please share copies with the legislator; they are often very effective.
Practice your message aloud, anticipate concerns from your particular congressional representative.  A concise, effective rebuttal may be simply, ‘That makes no sense when you consider that…’ Stay COOL. Emotional doesn’t help us.
Remember to thank the legislator for past support and that you and thousands of voters look forward to him/her co-sponsoring H.R. 2966.

Thank you for your invaluable help. I apologize for not being more timely. All the same, Good luck! Please email me back with updates or if I can help you with any information.
Best regards, Paula Bacon
“Write me, personally, for Paula’s email address at rt@rtfitch.com”~ R.T.













Monday, February 20, 2012

Horse Plus Humane Society News

Horse Plus Humane Society

[Read Part 2 here.]

Saturday night was the auction.  There was a heartbreaking group of 10 babies there that had been driven down from Oregon, over 550 miles.  They were all so skinny, bedraggled and sad looking.  Our rescuer knew that these had to be saved!

This poor horse was standing dejected looking, wondering why it had been thrown away like a worthless piece of garbage.

There were a lot of horses at the auction, but when the babies came in the bidding practically stopped.  No one wanted to bid on the scrawny babies.  Our rescuer put her hand in the air and all 10 were saved!   Read MORE and see the pictures! (Part 1.)

[Read Part 2 HERE.]













Friday, February 17, 2012

Public Outraged Over BLM’s Anti-Horse Appointee on Wild Horse and Burro Board

Straight from the Horse's Heart

Posted: February 17, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Tags: , , , , ,

Guest OpEd by Bonnie Kohleriter
Spokesman Gorey Slams Public Rather Than Addressing Concerns

Biased Appointment puts America’s Icons at Risk ~ photo by Terry Fitch
The BLM recently appointed Callie Hendrickson to the BLM National Advisory Board. The American public opposes and rejects this appointment.  Tom Gorey, spokesman for the BLM, chose to attack and insult the public over its concerns rather than convey the extremist thinking of Callie Henrickson to which the public takes exception.(See the Atlantic Monthly article: The Lasso Tightens Around America’s Wild Horses by Andrew Cohen) Callie Henrickson is to assume the position of “General Public” advocate on the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, but do her views represent the opinions of the public or for that matter, of the Congress, BLM employees and contracted employees?
So what are Ms. Henrickson’s  views?  In 2011 she presented a paper to the National Advisory Board.  Subsequently, she sent this paper along with a paper done by the United Horseman to her constituents.  She urged her constituents to follow the ideas in these papers and write to the BLM commenting on the BLM’s Strategy for Reform.  The ideas in her paper as well as in the United Horseman’s were as follows:
1)    Support fertility control treatment only if it is done annually and only if the financial commitment is available.  As the treatment is costly and difficult to perform on skittish, skeptical horses on an annual basis, suggested was, forget fertility control treatment.
2)    Perform sex ratioing of 70/30% male to female rather than the 60/40% currently performed by the BLM though neither plan has been researched  as to its effect on the health of the wild horses.
3)    Sterilize the wild horses and burros on the range though again, this plan has not been researched as to the health of the wild horses. (This idea was not presented in her paper to her constituents but to the recent NAS Committee members in their meeting in Spokane, Washington.
4)    Don’t trade cattle permits for horse permits.  Horses are the “most destructive ungulate on the range due to their tooth and hoof structure.” If trades are made no government help should be extended (though government help is extended to cattlemen using public lands).
5)    Excess horses, upon removal,  should be sold to the highest bidder.
6)    Government funding should not be given for long-term pastures or ecosanctuaries.
7)    Slaughter of tribal, wild and domestic horses is to be sanctioned and performed. (While she did not advocate this position in her paper, she has aligned herself with the United Horsemen who take this position.)
The opposition to the appointment of Ms. Henrickson on the BLM National Advisory Board is not due to the public opposing the removal of the wild horses on the range as suggested by Tom Gorey in his vitriolic rants in the Atlantic Monthly article.  Rather the opposition to her appointment is due to her extreme ideas in the handling of the wild horses and burros both on and off of the range.
Bob Abbey, in his speech to the first Slaughter Summit Conference, said the wild horses are not available for slaughter.  Yet Ms. Henrickson continues to press it in the second Summit conference soon to be held.  The HSUS and others are continuing to work with the BLM to try to get a 2 and 3 year fertility drug with the goal to stabilize and maintain the wild horse and burro population on the range.  They have gone beyond the use only of the one year drug.  The Mustang Heritage Foundation is working to train and adopt as many horses as possible. Congress has said the wild horses are not available for slaughter and 80% of the American Public in a recent well respected poll done by Lake and Associates is opposed to slaughter.
The BLM has so many problems it is addressing and should be reforming and refining from appropriate rangelands management, appropriate horse and burro management on the range, humane gathering,appropriate corral management, securing of long-term pastures and ecosanctuaries.  Does the BLM and public really need to deal with the views of an extremist and of a minority at this time?
Ms. Callie Hendrickson is the Executive Director of the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts in Meeker, Colorado.
Links of Interest:
http://www.michiganhorsecouncil.com/Assets/Files/Index/BLM_Proposed_Wild_Horse_Strategy.pdf
http://wildhorsecoalition.com/images794/GatherListLetter.pdf












Horses injured in Tennessee trailer crash rejected at Mexican slaughterhouse

Tuesday's Horse

More at NBC station WSMV, Channel 4 Nashville

The story of the horses who were injured in a trailer crash in Tennessee this past January went viral, and so later did the stories of where the horses ended up. Three were euthanized due to the injuries they sustained. The remaining horses were later reloaded and continued on their journey to Texas.
We did our best to track them, hoping to intervene on their behalf. It was not to be. The driver must have traveled through the night, without stopping, to reach the horses’ grisly and final destination. Our investigator told us there was only one conclusion to reach, the decision made to take the remaining horses directly to a Mexican slaughterhouse — bypassing the feedlot — mostly like to avoid any further adverse publicity and consequently their rescue.
About the same time, different accounts began popping up on Facebook of what happened to at least some of these horses, saying they were in various states across the country. Since our investigator was going on hearsay, and not able to document that the horses were slaughtered in Mexico at that time, we were unable to contradict these false reports.
NBC station WSMV, Channel 4 Nashville, who followed this story from the start reports:
New documents uncovered by the Channel 4 I-Team indicate that in January, several horses from Three Angels Farm in Lebanon were so badly injured that they were not allowed to enter Mexico, where they were expected to be sold to a meat-packing company.
Mexican documents show that four injured horses from Three Angels Farm were rejected by Mexican veterinarians at the border, just two days after a Three Angels Farm trailer wrecked on the interstate in Tennessee.
The records show that three horses that arrived on Jan. 18 had injuries to their legs and a fourth had an eye injury. It’s not clear where the horses went after they were refused entrance into Mexico.
The night of the wreck, reporters were told that three horses had to be euthanized and one had a slight injury. The owner of Three Angels Farm, Dorian Ayache, told reporters that the surviving horses were headed to a farm in Oklahoma after the accident.
However, documents on file in Mexico show 34 horses were sold in Mexico to Inter Meats, an exporter that frequently ships horse meat to Belgium. According to an invoice, Ayache sold the horses for 37 cents a pound, for a total of $11,100.
Ayache declined to talk to Channel 4 about the shipment.
From what we understand, horses rejected at Mexican slaughterhouses are simply abandoned. So the horses who endured this horrific crash, then made a painful journey with no food or water to Mexico, have mostly likely died of starvation and dehydration by now.
For anyone who thinks that their country can slaughter horses better, that it is more humane in some countries than others, wake up to the facts.
This story began with a killer buyer in the U.S. and ended in Mexico. It would have been no better if these tragic horses had been driven across the country and butchered on U.S. soil. What happened in this heartbreaking story is an example of what horse slaughter is all about, and can take place anywhere.
We are grateful to Fugly Horse of the Day who updated us on this story. They have a great analysis of these events, and we recommend you read it. It is entitled fittingly “Lucifer was an angel“.












'America's Toughest Sheriff' Upstaged by Horse

MyFoxPhoenix

Updated: Friday, 17 Feb 2012, 9:53 AM MST
Published : Friday, 17 Feb 2012, 9:52 AM MST
PHOENIX - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is not expecting to be overshadowed at one of his events.
He was talking to a crowd of people during a horse feeding demonstration, but it didn't go as planned -- and he didn't know what to do!
“About 10 years ago, we decided to put the horses in the tents. They won’t fit in the cell block,” Arpaio said and then began to laugh as the horse ate the carrot he was gesturing with right out of his hand.
Arpaio upstaged at his own media event -- when does that ever happen?!
The horse is part of the sheriff's no-kill animal rescue program, called MASH, and he's hoping someone will adopt it.
Online:  www.mcso.org/Mash


I-Team: Madeleine Pickens' Battle to Save Nevada's Wild Horses

8 News Now



LAS VEGAS -- Thirty thousand wild horses are stacked in government-supported holding facilities -- more horses than are found on the open range.
The program costs more than $70 million per year, but an ambitious plan to cut costs and improve conditions for the horses has been bottled up within the Bureau of Land Management for more than three years, in part because cattle ranchers don't like it.
Read MORE....

A Horseback Exclusive: Recollections on Beating the BLM

Horseback Magazine

February 16, 2012
By Gordon Cowan, Attorney
Editor’s Note: On Valentine’s Day morning a Reno lawyer was stunned to receive an opinion from California’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that he had prevailed in a case against the federal government. But it wasn’t just any lawyer, it wasn’t just any case, it wasn’t just any plaintiff. It was Laura Leigh, a modest, intelligent, and savvy journalist and photographer credentialed by Horseback Magazine who sued the mighty Bureau of Land Management because they were trampling her rights to report the news. The lawyer was a cowboy hat wearing legend in Nevada courtrooms, Gordon Cowan (assisted by Bruce Wagbman), and the case was Leigh vs. Salazar. The BLM has plenty to hide, and the agency has successfully hidden its misdeeds for decades. Thanks to the opinion rendered by three jurists in the Golden State, perhaps the bureau’s shameful practice of denying press access will now come to an end. Here’s Gordie’s story. – Steven Long, Editor, Horseback Magazine
RENO, (Horseback) – The Editor of Horseback Magazine asked me to write about my feelings when having received the opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the Laura Leigh v. Ken Salazar case (Case 11-16088). I didn’t have time to write a short article, so I wrote a long one (a comment stolen from Mark Twain).
It is not my usual course to post comments. The closest I came was when writing the editorial, “The Silence of the Foals and Journalists” which Horseback Magazine graciously published September 2010 (http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/3052) when frustrated over hearing about good horses being injured and good journalists being denied access to report important government work.
This Tuesday morning I came into the office at 9:00 a.m. The Ninth Circuit’s opinion came through about an hour earlier. When signing onto the federal courts account, I saw the filing notice from the Ninth Circuit. My first thought was that I had lost. Only five weeks had passed since I argued the case. It is, after all, much quicker for the court to deny relief in this type matter than to grant the requested relief. As a result, I did not open the email notice right away, not feeling the need to become depressed at the beginning of the day.
Sometime later, I sucked it up and opened the posting, waiting for the large boxing glove to come flying from the screen with a swift knockout punch. With eyes closed, I expected to be pummeled.
I was so prepared for a wailing or hazing the likes of “thank you Sir, may I have another,” that the opinion just didn’t make sense, at first. I grabbed a cup of Joe and came back, refocused.
My first reading was a quick skim through. On the first paragraph of the second page, I stopped after the sentence, “We have jurisdiction . . . and we reverse.” That’s when it hit me that perhaps, this was a partial success. I went from there to the final page where I ran into Judge Wallace’s final paragraph which started, “I prefer to end the detours now.” My heart sank once again, until the third sentence which included the words, “I dissent.” “Ah, this is either a dissent or a partial concurrence.” From there I went to the front and began anew, a third time. Only then did I understand that the appeal effort caused concerns with the court.
I sat back and read it a fourth time. This is when I recognized the court’s effort. I picked up the statements of Judge Milan Smith who included in the court’s opinion, writings of the “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison. The court referenced the struggles of famous journalists such as Ida Tarbell (she took on Standard Oil single-handedly with her investigative reporting), Rachel Carson (her publication Silent Spring caused the nation to reconsider its pesticide safety policies and she is credited with inspiring the beginnings of the EPA), and Izzy Stone (a prolific publisher whose weekly investigative newsletter was ranked sixteenth by fellow journalists who assembled the “Top 100 Works of Journalism in the United States in the Twentieth Century”). Judge Smith then used quotes from some of the most important press freedom cases ever published. Judge Smith fashioned his own statements that would likely be recited by his fellow brethren in future decisions from the federal bench across the country. “The free press is the guardian of the public interest, and the independent judiciary is the guardian of the free press,” is but one of Judge Smith’s several profound statements.
When finished, and with a clear understanding of the implications of the court’s work, I felt numb and was wondering what kind of trouble I caused. The Ninth Circuit suffered recent, unfortunate attacks by some running for President. One candidate calls the court a “rogue circuit” while another says the court operates outside the Constitution (the latter comment by a guy who thinks the U.S. Marshall Service would follow his order to take “activist judges” into custody).
Opinions such as the one Judge Milan Smith issued in this case should quell any notion that the Ninth Circuit has but one mission, which is to protect our Country’s Constitution. The federal judiciary is the only branch of government whose members are not swayed by lobbyists, or “super pacs,” or by money. This particular panel of judges included three of the toughest, most conservative judges on the bench, all of whom were appointed by conservative Republican Presidents (G.W. Bush, Reagan and Nixon). (A close friend, who saw the decision, called and said he had traveled with one of the judges where they engaged in humanitarian efforts together in foreign countries).
To finish the story, I could not reach Laura Leigh to tell her of the court’s ruling. She was at a BLM government roundup of wild horses and was staying several days in a remote region outside Tonopah, Nevada. Not until she left the roundup in frustration because the restrictions imposed on her kept her afar from roundup activity, did her phone connect with a signal which downloaded my message. She drove until she had clear service, and then called.
When reading her Judge Smith’s words, it was the classic dichotomy: a court suggests that she holds a fundamental right to see and report on government activity while at that very moment, the government was restricting her access to view a wild horse roundup.
Yes, it is true that I choked with emotion at least twice, when reading Judge Smith’s opinion to the client. (Please don’t let my cowboy buddies know of this). When reading I was picturing Judges Smith, Noonan and Wallace who had asked tough questions of me last month when I stood before them. I was comparing in my mind’s eye, their faces with the likely dust caked Laura Leigh who listened to the message while braving a wind chill that lowered into the teens.
What is my interpretation of the court’s opinion? Three American heroes (again, Smith, Noonan and Wallace) saw the plight of a hard-working photojournalist who is repeatedly shut out from reporting government activity that is newsworthy. “When wrongdoing is underway, official have great incentive to blindfold the watchful eye of the Fourth Estate,” said the court. This is particularly so where the activity occurs in a remote, desolate, unpopulated region. The court fashioned an exemplary opinion in short order and provided guidelines that are protective of a free press. This decision was crafted to be cited and cited often.
I have received accolades from the horse advocate community. My hope is they recognize that I was but a mere messenger. Ms. Leigh is the one who didn’t give up. The court, particularly Judges Smith, Noonan and Wallace, are the heroes who accepted the message and crafted a path of correction, not just for Ms. Leigh, but for the press and journalists like her.
Moments like these make one proud to be a bar member of the Ninth Circuit. The next time a sound bite-toting candidate desires to bash this court over its good work, please refer them to me.












Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Lasso Tightens Around America’s Wild Horses

R.T Fitch of "Straight from the Horse's Heart" has obtained permission from the Atlantic to share this information, so please go to his blog to read it, or go to The Atlantic HERE.

[Excerpt.]

With 45,000 or so wild horses in federal control, the Bureau of Land Management selects a “pro-slaughter cattlewoman” to be the public’s voice on its advisory board
Twin Peaks Horses ~ photo by Terry Fitch
To wild horse advocates, the ones who fret daily over the worsening plight of the American mustang, Montana’s Republican former senator Conrad Burns holds a special spot in the pantheon of enablers, cynics, scoundrels and villains who have conspired for generations to endanger the health and safety of the herds. In November 2004, at the last minute, it was then-Senator Burns who inserted into a 3,300-page budget appropriations bill a single-paged rider that amended the 1971 Wild Horse Protection Act so it was legal, once again, to slaughter wild horses.   Read MORE.... at The Atlantic