Wild Horses: The Cremello Colts Come Home

Unfortunately when I am talking about "home" I don't mean back to the range that they grew up in - the McCullough Peaks Herd Area in Wyoming. They were removed forever from that home in October of last year in a BLM helicopter roundup. They will never see that home or their families again. But they are now in their new home with me in Colorado. It has been a long journey for the two three year old First they were transported to the Rock Springs holding facility, then sent to Steve Mantle's Ranch in Wheatland. They were not adopted at the April adoption in Powell, WY so they were sent back to Steve's ranch. I adopted them in April, and Rich Scott picked them up in May and brought them to his place for a few months of gentling and training.



I watched Rich work with them slowly, patiently, gaining their trust, and observed how things I don't normally think of as scary for a horse could startle them - like moving a hand abruptly toward them. He did a wonderful job working with them, and has made having them her at home possible for me.





Rich got them to a point where they could be caught, haltered, led and trimmed and trailered, which was what I needed, and then a month ago he brought them to my home near Lyons, CO.





They were so calm when they unloaded from the trailer - and investigated their new corral. They immediately figured out the automatic waterer and went into their shed. It has taken a little longer to get used to me.







I was so excited the first day when we turned them loose into my big pasture - I expected them to run off thundering up the hill - but they stuck fairly close to the corral.





Rich has continued to come out and work with me to improve my skills in approaching and handling them.








It has also been interesting seeing the differences in personality of the two colts. Claro, the one with one blue eye and one dark eye, is the boss. he herds Cremosso around. He is the one who investigates things first, and has been a bit easier to work with. Cremosso, who has two green eyes lets Claro boss him around, and has been more guarded.




I was thrilled the first time Claro approached me and let me stroke and pet him without a halter when they were in the field. Cremosso hasn't let me do that yet, but he is thinking about it - I can tell. They both spend alot of their time near the house, and always watch me when I am outside. I love seeing them out there, together, calm and content in their new home with a huge pasture to roam in. It reminds me of why I have been working to help keep the last of our wild horses free. They are worth it.

Wild Horses: Delivering Public Comments to the BLM on Adobe Town

On Monday, I had the honor of delivering to the BLM in Rock Springs 3516 comments from people all over the country on the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek roundup.
This is the herd, Adobe Town, that I have followed for 7 years and wrote about in my book, Wild Hoofbeats: America's Vanishing Wild Horses.

How did this come about? This is a good question. For the first time, the BLM refused to accept comments from the public on a proposed roundup EXCEPT by mail or hand delivery. No emailed or faxed comments were allowed - the thinking on the part of the BLM was to prevent being "bombarded" by "frivolous" comments. Comments by the way, that are from the public that pays their salaries. The letters were from supporters of the Wild Horse Preservation Campaign and its coalition partner, In Defense of Animals. Both organizations decided that they wanted to do something and allow the public to have their say about the upcoming roundup of 2000 wild horses and the removal of almost 1600 from their 1.5 million acres home in the Red Desert.
When they contacted me, I told them I would be glad to help, and deliver the letters to the Rock Springs BLM office on the last date comments were to be accepted, August 16.



On my way, I spent a couple of days with the wild horses of Adobe Town, perhaps my last opportunity to see most of them again in the wild before the roundup.



As I headed out to the horse range on Saturday afternoon, I saw a rainbow over the horses range. I took this as a sign that our efforts might meet with a favorable outcome for these wonderful horses.



The first group I saw was the grey stallion, mare, grey two year old and this year's palomino colt - and that new colt had grown! He had darkened up too, and the band was more skittish than on my last visit, but I was very happy to see them again.




Many horses in the area I visited 3 weeks before had moved out of the area, and I also enjoyed meeting some new horses. My favorite encounter was with a grey stallion with bitten off ears who actually drove his mare right toward me so he could get a good look at me!




Just after dawn, I found a large group with primarily greys on a hillside of sage - still enjoying their morning nap, but now awake once they spotted me, and moved off, with a mare with an amazing dreadlock in front.




One band had beautiful colors, and they kept edging closer and closer to check me out. Their stallion ran in front of one of the many thousands of oil pumping stations dotting the area.




Last, a young bachelor who had been kicked out of his band came between me and the band he did not want to give up. The separation of the young colts from their band is a natural one - how much harder and more traumatic will it be for thousands of these horses to be ripped from the only homes and families they have ever known?



I have to hope that we have made enough of a difference through our comments to stop this unnecessary and cruel roundup which is scheduled to begin October 1. Thank you to everyone who participated in commenting to stop this roundup.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_00cc2b7a-a9ad-11df-9850-001cc4c002e0.html

Wild Horses - The Roundup of the McCullough Peaks Herd in WY

I have been following and photographing the wild horses in the McCullough Peaks Herd Area near Cody, WY for the past 5 years. This herd is one of the most easily access able of the herds, and also one of the most colorful, with gorgeous pintos, palominos, cremellos, buckskins, greys, bays, black and chestnuts color the landscape.

The herd was scheduled to be rounded up last year but due to a lack of money, the BLM held off until this year. 110,000 acres to roam on sounds like plenty for 220 horses, but the BLM claimed that the range was becoming "degraded," probably their favorite cop-out term this year. The horses in this area have had a very good year and some are positively fat - so that explanation does not wash with me.
I heard that one of my favorite stallions, a black and white pinto I call Washakie (know as Rerun by the BLM) was possibly going to be removed, so I made plans to attend the roundup with a great deal of trepidation.

The atmosphere at this roundup was 180 degrees different than the Pryors roundup where so many of the National BLM officials participated. Here, the BLM people from Wyoming were friendly, helpful, and actually answered questions and requests. Still, a roundup is not anything other than a horrible event. Families of horses who have been together for many years are ripped apart, probably forever. Unlike at the Pryors roundup, the horses are not brought in in bands and kept together - instead they are all brought in in large or small groups as they come bunched together by the helicopter, and immediately mares and stallions and older youngsters are separated from each other. The younger foals were kept with their mothers.

On the first day the largest groups were brought in. In this area many bands will stay close to other bands in relatively peaceful groups I call "megabands" sometimes numbering 40 or more. I anxiously waited to see a certain black and white stallion, and he came in with another band with another favorite stallion of mine, a grey named Indigo. His band includes buckskin mares and two gorgeous 2 year old cremello colt that I have watched grow up - I know they will be removed, with their beautiful coloring they are good candidates for adoption.

It is so cold, and the horses are hot from running, so when they arrive in the corrals, they steam in the early morning air.

Band follows band, and it is an awe inspiring, although sad sight to see so many horses running together. Three of the megabands came in, from Red Point, Coon Creek and Dry Creek.

The most excitement we had the first day was when a bay stallion poorly named Snoodle defied the helicopter. He had a black mare and a lighter foal, the helicopter must have spent a good half an hour trying to drive him in, and finally he split from his mare and in a moment of breathtaking bravery, stood still facing off with the helicopter.


Then he ran full speed and got away. The contractor sent a wrangler out to capture the foal who had been left behind, and another couple of wranglers after the mare, as the foal was too small to be weaned. The mare and foal were scheduled to be released, so hopefully Snoodle would be able to find them after the roundup.

The next morning, there had been a stallion hanging out near the corrals, and we wondered if it had been Snoodle, looking for his mare and foal.

The first group which came in also gave the helicopter a merry chase, and one stallion got away, named Olathe. I was of course cheering under my breath.
However, one humorous note for the day - earlier this summer I photographed a mule who had been tagging along first with one band, then with a bachelor. He led one group into the corrals.

Once the smaller groups that were easy to find had been brought in, the decision was made to move to a smaller trap site in another area so that they could catch some of the more elusive horses from Coon Creek and the Badlands. I followed the horse trailers carrying trap materials and the wrangler's horses. After some time spend figuring out the perfect spot for the trap, they set it up very quickly. The Cattoors are very efficient, and the contractors who have worked with the BLM the longest they have the most experience working with wild horses, which paid off this roundup with no injuries. In fact, as a stark contrast to the Cooks whom I have seen drive horses directly into a trailer with no regard for safety, they separated out a young foal so that he would not be injured when transported back to the main trap site.

My favorite band to watch come in was Stage's band, with the most gorgeous pintos and one grey mare.



After bringing in as many horses as they could fine, the rounding up was over - 193 captured,93 removed and sent to Rock Springs Holding Facility, and roughly 120 left in the wild - this was much better than the planned 100 left in the wild. This is however below the minimum number of 150 adulst that the herd needs to remain genetically viable. There were no injuries and no deaths - this is exactly the way ALL roundups should be - istead teh BLM has reported 206 wild horse deaths during roundups over the past 2 years.
I was extremely relieved to see may favorite stallions in the pen slated for release - Washakie, Indigo, and Warbonnet (Medicine Boy to the BLM).
The part of this that made no sense at all was instead of having an adoption planned in a couple of weeks there in Cody, the horses being removed were shipped to Rock Springs to be gelded, branded, and some trained, and an adoption to be planned in the spring. Perhaps some of the horses would be shipped all the way back to Cody for an adoption - a much better place for it - but meanwhile we taxpayers are paying top dollar for the horses to stay at a holding facility for 6 months!

I returned the next day to see the releases of the horses. This would take place after blood samples were drawn and each of the mares to be released received a shot of birth control primer and a freeze brand. The BLM will determine which mares will receive a second shot in the field of PZP 1 year birth control this spring.
The wild horse expert Tricia Hatle had decided she wanted to release the horses back roughly into the areas they lived in, 4 different area, instead of releasing them all in one group to hopefully prevent them all from staying in one small section of the horse range. This required several trailers, with mares and stallions separated, driving to different areas. I followed a group of stallions into the Badlands.

They seemed bewildered at first, then ran off happily. I returned to the main trap site in time to see the Red Point mares released. They strolled out, grazing casually and looking curiously at the observers.


One buckskin mare from Indigo's band stopped and looked back at the corrals, perhaps looking for her lost sisters and foal, who she would never see again.

Next the stallions were released. I knew that they would not stroll! Washakie was first out with the other stallions hot on his heels,

and they ran and ran and ran until they were out of site. I was so happy to see them go. May they remain forever free.


The ROAM Act was not passed in time to save this herd from being rounded up, nor the other almost 1000 horses in WY being removed this month, as well as the thousands being removed from Nevada. However we still have time before the end of the year to get this vital legislation passed in the Senate.
Here are some great action steps to take from the Cloud Foundation:
http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/