From the White House Protest Rally

Horseback Magazine

By Steven Long

WASHINGTON - Protesters gathered in from of the White House as President Obama spoke in support of health care at a packed house at the University of Iowa today.

The protesters were met with armed guards when they reached the U.S. Department of Interior. One protester reported back to supporters of ending the federal Bureau of Land Management roundups.

"We congregated at Layfayette Park and there was a podium with microphone and speakers," she said. "Ginger Kathrens, RT Fitch, Nancy Perry fromthe Humane Society of the United States, John Holland if the Equine Welfare Alliance, Elyse Gardner, James the film producer, Rob, a BLM volunteer who is very much on our side and Craig Downer spoke to the crowd.

"There were about 100 people at the rally," she reported. "After the speeches, we walked to the Department of Interior with our signs and we chanted slogans like 'tell the truth' wild and free let them be, no Salazoos."

But the peaceful protesters were met with force when they reached the office of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

"We were met by several armed police officers standing at the top of the steps with their guns in their holsters. More police on foot came to the DOI, a policeman on a motorcycle and then 4 mounted police officers stood in a line across the street where there is a park. I couldn't believe that they felt so threatened."

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Sen. Mary Landrieu Gets Tough With BLM as DC and Global Protests Fan Fire of Disgust in Wake of Helicopter Assisted Horse Deaths 

WASHINGTON. (Laudrieu) – U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., today joined the call for a better federal plan for the treatment of wild horses and an end to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) unnecessary wild horse roundups.

The international March for Mustangs, a public protest against the inhumane treatment of wild horses, took place today in four cities across the globe: London, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Led by celebrity activist, Wendie Malick, in Washington, D.C., the protest comes in reaction to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s attempts to persuade Congress to provide more than $42 million to move animals from the West to the East.

“I have repeatedly called for an end to these inhumane roundups until a more sufficient plan is set in place by the BLM,”said Sen. Landrieu. “There is a civilized way that we can handle these horses, by providing for their adoption or their relocation to a sanctuary. But the cruel and horrific roundups, such as the recent Calico roundup that resulted in painful injury and even death for some horses, cannot continue.”

Last year, Sen. Landrieu fought to protect wild horses by championing language in the Interior Appropriations Bill to prohibit the BLM from using taxpayer dollars for the destruction of healthy, unadopted horses and burros. At Sen. Landrieu's urging, the Senate directed BLM to develop a new comprehensive long-term plan for wild horse populations by September 30, 2010.

Sen. Landrieu also supported language that encouraged all federal agencies that use horses to acquire a wild horse from the BLM prior to seeking another supplier. In addition, Sen. Landrieu supports the BLM developing an expedited process for providing wild horses to local and state police forces.

As a result of the recent 40-day BLM Calico Roundup, at least 79 mustangs have died and nearly 40 females have aborted their late term foals in the Fallon, Nevada holding pens—where the death toll rises daily as a result of the winter roundup.

Currently, the wild horse and burro population in the United States is about 69,000, and there are 32,000 horses in short-term and long-term BLM holding facilities.

International Day of Rallies

Greetings from iFH,

Thursday, March 25th, the March for Mustangs will take place not only by the White House in Washington DC but also on the Las Vegas Strip, by the Los Angeles Federal Building and in front of the US Embassy in London!

In DC we’re honored to have award-winning actress and advocate, Wendie Malick speak to the crowd at the rally. Wendie will be joined by long time advocate and advisor on the original 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act, Hope Ryden; author RT Fitch, Filmmaker James Kleinert and many, many more! We are especially pleased to announce that country music artist Clay Canfield will be at the rally to sing his incredible song “Wild Horses” and more before we march to the BLM office with signs and banners.

TAKE A MOMENT FOR MUSTANGS

Please spread the word on all the March for Mustang Rallies and support all the protests with calls to your Senators and Congress people on this important issue.

Wild herds, like Cloud’s, are being managed to extinction with our taxpayer dollars by the very agency charged with their protection. Let’s make a big push for the mustangs during these rallies. On Thursday please call your on behalf of Cloud and all the wild horses! President Obama: 202-456-1111 and Congress: 202-224-3121.

When you reach your Representative and Senators, please ask to speak to the aide on the wild horse and burro issue. 1) Wild horses are being mismanaged in cruel waste of taxpayer dollars that is destroying the last of our wild herds in the West. 2) Vote NO on supplying funding for wild horse “preserves” in the East and Midwest– already there are now far more (36,000) wild horses in holding than in the wild where there may only be some 15,000 remaining. 3) Keep up the call for a moratorium on roundups and let everyone know that you love wild horses and burros in the wild and you vote! Or find and email your Senators and Congress person here on votesmart.org.

Source: The Cloud Foundation

Thank you.

Carol Poole

Wild Horse & Burro Advocate

Whoa, look!  Tune into CNN's Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell on Thursday at 7:30 EST for an in-depth discussion on our wild herds and a recap of the D.C. Rally!

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A Must Read A book about Wild Horse Annie!

International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros

Be one the first to order this wonderful book about Wild Horse Annie written by David Cruise and Alison Griffiths.  Wild Horse Annie, America’s mustang heroine was our first president and we are thrilled to have an exclusive in selling this wonderful book.
Here is how to order. Click on our Pay Pal button. Cost is $26.00. Note in the message section “Annie book.” We will see that you receive you book.
Annie changed America and this book will reveal how extraordinary she was.

PRESS RELEASE (Click here to download)

WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS
The Life of Velma Johnston
By David Cruise and Alison Griffiths

“This book captures the essence of the extraordinary life of Velma Johnston and what she was able to accomplish for the American Mustang. All of us who love and admire mustangs and horses in general owe this courageous woman a great debt of gratitude for exposing the plight and possible extinction of this breed. She was the difference in helping make the world a better place for these animals that are part of our western heritage.”
—Monty Roberts, New York Times best-selling author of The Man Who Listens to Horses
“This important addition to the history of mustangs and animal protection laws is highly recommended for animal lovers and Western history buffs.”
—Library Journal, starred review
Publication Date: March 16, 2010
In one of the year’s most stirring biographies, David Cruise and Alison Griffiths paint a vivid portrait of Velma Johnston, an intrepid Nevada secretary whose dedication to wild mustangs captured the heart of the country and led to legislation that would preserve the animals who embody the wild spirit of the American West. WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS: THE LIFE OF VELMA JOHNSTON (Scribner; March 16, 2010; $26.00) is the first to tell the full story of Velma’s life.
In WILD HORSE ANNIE, veteran writers Cruise and Griffiths depict the ups and downs of an extraordinary woman’s life and mission and reveal her lasting legacy.
David Cruise and Alison Griffiths are the authors of seven bestselling books, including Fleecing the Lamb, Lords of the Line, Net Worth, On South Mountain, and The Great Adventure. They spend summers on their small farm in southwestern Ontario and winters in Brooksville, Florida … with their horses of course.
Contact them at wildhorseanniestory@gmail.com. Read the blog: www.wildhorseanniestory.com

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More praise for WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS
“It doesn’t get more American than the mustang, and without Wild Horse Annie, we would not have any.  Now, as wild horses are making their last stand, it’s important to honor her legacy and continue the battle.  Thanks to this well-researched and timely book, we can.”
—Deanne Stillman, author of Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West
“The story of how Velma organized support for the survival of the mustangs, and how she and her supporters pushed legislation through Congress to protect the free-ranging wild horses, is an example of how entrenched special interests can exploit publicly held resources and a testament to how much change a determined individual can foster.”
—Booklist
“Velma Johnston (Wild Horse Annie) is one of the most important people in our American history. She single-handedly saved our mustangs and with that our western heritage. This is an important book and Cruise and Griffiths have done a spectacular job of bringing home her story.”
—Madeleine Pickens, National Wild Horse Foundation
“Velma Johnson was a strong willed individual who made a difference.  As a child she suffered from polio and in her era, careers for women were limited.  She overcame these obstacles and stopped the atrocious abuse of wild horses.”
—Temple Grandin, author, Animals in Translation and Animals Make us Human
“Anyone who cares about the plight of America’s mustangs has heard the name Velma Johnston, but too few know the extraordinary and heroic lengths to which she went to save these horses. In Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs, authors David Cruise and Alison Griffiths have given us a remarkable gift; a provocative, in-depth look into this amazing woman’s life in a story brimming with adventure and inspiration. Not only is this a fascinating and powerful book, it is also a tremendously important one. I couldn’t put it down, and when I finished reading it my faith in the power one person has to make a difference was renewed.”
—Melanie Sue Bowles, author of The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints: Stories from Proud Spirit
“One of the virtues of the authors’ account is its look at how libertarian conservatives such as Manchester Guardian publisher William Loeb and Dixiecrat politico Walter Baring helped advance [Velma’s] cause—and how Johnston eventually secured Dwight Eisenhower’s signature on a protective law known as the “Wild Horse Annie bill” that she then fought, for many years, to put teeth in.”
—Kirkus
“On her way to work in 1950, Velma Johnston saw a truck of almost-dead horses en route to the pet-food factory, thereby launching a one-woman campaign to save wild horses that earned her the moniker Wild Horse Annie. A biography full of adventure.”
—The Globe and Mail — Canada’s national newspaper
“This book is a thoroughly researched and riveting tribute to the life and achievements of Velma Johnston and her struggles — against massive odds — to protect her beloved mustangs.”
— Martin Harbury, author of The Last of the Wild Horses
“A HOT TITLE.”
—Cincinnati Public Library

Off Topic, but We're ALL About the Animals, Right?

Uncle Jacks Cats small animal rescue is in trouble. Sandy does a great job with her rescue here in Glendale and has been operating for ten years. She and these furry wonders could really use our help! It's not their fault we are in such a lousy economy.

PLEASE send just a little. If everybody pitches in, we can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Thank you.

http://unclejackscats.org/services.html

PLEASE Take a Moment to Sign this Petition!

SHOW ME HORSE SLAUGHTER IN SHOW-ME MISSOURI?

 

 

 

Targeting: The Governor of MO and The MO State House

Started by: KINSHIP CIRCLE

Missouri, the "Show Me State," is already the nation's puppy mill capital. Now the enterprising state aims to reinstate horse slaughter. Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Republic, has introduced H.B. 1747 to sidestep federal regulations that bar horse slaughter for human consumption. According to Viebrock, his bill would jump-start the "ailing equine industry."

WHEREVER YOU LIVE: THIS BILL AFFECTS YOU. The last three U.S. kill plants were shut down in 2007. Don't let Missouri revive a despicable industry.

 

BLM gets budget boost for wild horse management

RGJ.com

By Frank X. Mullen Jr. • fmullen@rgj.com • March 21, 2010
The more horses that are removed from the range, the higher federal care and feeding costs soar.

They are about to go a lot higher.President Barack Obama's 2011 budget proposal calls for a $12 million increase in the Bureau of Land Management's $64 million wild horse and burro program. If approved, that would bring that portion of the agency's budget to $75.7 million.
The budget proposal makes a separate request of $42.5 million for the purchase of land for wild horse preserves in the Midwest or East. The land would become a pasture for the captured Western horse herds.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said his plan would "restore the health of America's wild horse herds and the rangelands that support them by creating a cost-efficient, sustainable management program..."The current path ... is not sustainable for the animals, the environment, or the taxpayer," Salazar said in a letter to Congress.
Wild horse advocates oppose the sanctuary plan, which they see as a gift to ranchers whose cattle won't have to compete with as many wild horses for forage. Instead, they said, cows should give way to mustangs and antelope and the horses should be kept on -- and captive horses returned to -- Western acreage.
"Any proposal to improve horse and burro management in the West should include removal of domestic livestock from public lands to make way for horses and burros and wildlife," said 

Mark Salvo of the New Mexico-based WildEarth Guardians.
The Colorado-based Cloud Foundation says acreage for mustangs should returned to 1971 levels. That designated land, provided for the wild horses by federal law, has been reduced by nearly 40 percent.
"It would seem that the best use of taxpayer dollars and the most humane plan for (36,400) wild horses in government holding would be to return them to their native lands" said Ginger Kathrens, the foundation's volunteer executive director. "These millions of acres were identified for use by wild horses, and they are already owned by the American public."
Salazar said his proposals would put the wild horse program "on a more sustainable track, enhance the conservation for this iconic animal, and provide better value for the taxpayer."

Please Take Action for the HORSES!

Anti-Fur Society

CAUTION: Graphic images!

BLM Spins as More Horses Die

Horseback Magazine

By Steven Long

HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The federal Bureau of Land Management’s Washington spokesmen, Tom Gorey, is one of the best in the business. He’s able, articulate, savvy, and to use a term often bandied about in the nation’s capital, a master of the fine art of spin. On Thursday, he spun a web worthy of the fictional Charlotte herself.

For the better part of a week, Horseback Magazine has featured a series of articles on the missing credentials of two veterinarians attending the captured horses of Nevada’s Calico Mountains. Thus far, at least 115 have died, including miscarried foals. Horseback has repeatedly asked for the credentials of the vets who have set such a dubious record of death on their watch. Gorey finally complied, albeit in a round about way, dodging five questions drafted for the magazine by a physician and academic veterinarian and submitted to the agency. 

The vets in the spotlight are Dr. Richard Sanford, the vet in charge of the BLM holding and processing facility at Fallon, and Dr. Albert Kane who is not licensed in the State of Nevada.

“Between them, Drs. Kane and Sanford have more than 40 years of experience
as equine veterinarians and over 30 years of that includes working with
wild horses,” Gorey wrote. “They each have all the qualifications, credentials, and
licenses that are appropriate or required by law. The BLM is fortunate to
have such experienced and dedicated professionals working in the agency's
Wild Horse and Burro Program.”

But you didn’t answer the questions, Tom. Medical and veterinary professionals have questioned the sudden dietary switch from sparse desert grasses to rich hay in captivity as a likely cause of the deaths. In fact, the BLM’s published reports frequently mention the gastrointestinal condition, colic.

“The diagnosis for most of the Calico mares that have died at the Indian
Lakes facility is hyperlipemia characteristic of metabolic failure
attributed to re-feeding syndrome, he continued. “This condition is a result of the very
thin body condition of some of the horses because of starvation conditions
on the range, in combination with the late-pregnancy status of some mares.”

Horses in hundreds, if not thousands of photos shot by activists show fat healthy horses, not animals on the brink of starvation as BLM continues to spin.

The pregnant mares Gorey mentioned were stampeded for miles in the dead of winter by a roaring helicopter hired from a government contractor. Two foals were put down after painfully shedding their hooves after the stampede, which Sanford earlier acknowledged was caused by the chase.

“What Tom is conveniently neglecting to recognize is how the actual stress of the helicopter roundups and subsequent confinement and change in diet, placement in truly overcrowded conditions, etc. pushed these wild horses over the edge,” said Craig Downer, a famed wild horse expert on assignment for Horseback Magazine.

“Diagnostic and other information on the horses has been posted to the BLM's Website at www.blm.gov,” Gorey continued. “The BLM will continue to post updates on its Website under the Calico gather links as the horses continue to improve and are readied for adoption.”

 

Wyoming’s “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis Gets a Dose of Red, White and Blue

Straight from the Horse's Heart

March 19, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

News commentary by R.T. Fitch, author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“

Family man and Veteran Nick De Laat Challenges the Evil Princess of Horse Slaughter, Sue Wallis, for her ample Seat

HOUSTON (SFTHH) – There is a fresh wind blowing across the State of Wyoming; from over the mountains and across the prairie the breeze is carrying a whisper of change and the fragrance of new life and regeneration.  That change may be in the form of one Nick De Laat, Navy veteran, blue collar worker and a family man dedicated to making a change in a country and state where things have gone “bad wrong”.  Mr. De Laat is challenging bloodied Rep. “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis for her State House seat in Wyoming’s 52^nd district and with his energy and pure conviction he just might make the infamous horse eater go away.
With only $380 in his pocket, honorable Navy veteran Nick De Laat, his wife and 3 year old son boarded a Greyhound bus in Grand Rapids, Michigan to head out west, to Wyoming, in an effort to be part of the unemployment solution instead of being a part of the problem.  Several short years later Candidate De Laat owns a nice home, has two cars paid for and two more children while he lives the American dream that you can progress and improve your life as long as you set your mind to uplifting yourself and those around you.
During a recent interview with “Straight from the Horse’s Heart” (SFTHH) reporter R.T. Fitch, Mr. De Laat mused, “I got out of the Navy at the wrong time, things were bad for the economy but the Navy proved to be even worse for a family man.  I wanted better and the only way for “better” to happen was to go where the work was and Wyoming was calling, so we moved west.”
Reminiscent of tales titled “Move West Young Man” Mr. De Laat has bettered himself and extends the offer to assist others from economically challenged areas to do the same.
“I open up the doors of my home to assist friends and family from back east to come and find work.  It’s here and I will help any way I can to ensure that able bodied Americans earn a living if they are interested.”
Mr. De Laat’s care and compassion extends far beyond the people of his country and new found state;  Nick also reaches out to animals in need.
“Every dog that this family has cared for has been one that we adopted from the local pound.” Said De Laat. “I am shocked at my opponent’s stance on horse slaughter as the act of killing horses to eat goes against the grain of what I support.”
“I am not aligned with Rep. Wallis’s arguments on the issue of “unwanted” horses and would tend to believe that responsible breeding and shelters would be the proper way to manage any issue of horses in need.”  stated De Laat.
“It’s time that we get this country back on track and I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to run for office and, hopefully, to make a difference.”
And the strength of the clean breeze freshens.

(To learn more about Nick De Laat’s effort to unseat “Slaughterhouse” Sue click HERE)