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/

Goodbye to Shaman, wild stallion of the Pryor Mountains

On my first trip to the Pryor Mountains of Montana in June 2004, the very first band of wild horses that I encountered was Shaman's band. I was immediately captivated as I saw a band of horses running out from under the trees just after dawn.


There was a big dun stallion bringing up the rear, with mares and foals and a young palomino stallion. The foals played and capered together, then one by one the mares started laying down for a nap. I sat down at a respectful distance, just savoring the experience of being in the presence of these beautiful wild horses on the mountaintop,one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. As I sat watching them, Shaman the band stallion grazed closer and closer to me. I held my breath, then realizing how soft the expression in those gorgeous eyes, I relaxed enough to take a photo I called "Stallion's Eyes."

I fell head over heels in love with Shaman from that moment, and as much as I adore Cloud, Shaman has always held a very special part of my heart.

Shaman was born in 1986. I was always amazed at how strong and vigorous he was even as a 19 year old stallion, grand old man of the mountain. He and Cloud always treated each other with respect when their bands came close to each other, and I once watched him fight with Baja over the salt licks, then run back to his band, leaping into the air like a young stallion!

Sometimes he made me laugh like the day I found him and his entire band giving my car a bath with their tongues.
Shaman was a wonderful and indulgent father to his foals, and perhaps too indulgent for his own good with Bolder. Bolder is Cloud's son, but born into Shaman's band and raised by Shaman. Usually stallions kick young colts out of the band when they reach 2 - 3 years old - but Bolder stayed in the band until he was 5 years old!

It was that next year, spring of 2007 that bolder challenged Shaman for his band, and won the band. That summer, Shaman followed the band, skirmishing with Bolder frequently. It was heart wrenching to watch Shaman get beaten time after time. By that next summer, Shaman had given up and was by himself.

It seemed to me that the light had gone out of Shaman's eyes. A stallion's reason for living is watching over and protecting his band, and without that family, the older stallions don't seem to last long in the Pryor Mountains.
My last encounter with Shaman was this last June. I saw him looking out at the bands going down to water, and I had a strong feeling that this would be the last time that I would see him, which made me very sad. I said my goodbyes silently, tears running down my face.

The week before the Pryor Mountain roundup, Shaman was found beside the waterhole near Penn's cabin. I heard the day before the roundup was due to start, and I was so thankful that Shaman would not have to go through the trauma of being driven down his beloved mountain - he was able to live out his life in his mountain home.
All old wild horses deserve to go this way.
http://bit.ly/ReturnWild

Wild Horses - Mustangs on the Hill

Last Tuesday September 29th, wild horse supporters from all over the country converged on the Hill in Washington D.C. to support wild horses and the ROAM Act, now S.1579. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1579
The ROAM Act has passed the House and is now in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the Senate. We concentrated our efforts in getting meetings with Senators on that Committee.
The day started out with a Press Conference and Briefing at Longworth House. Ginger Kathrens introduced all the speakers.
We started with a slideshow of the disastrous Sand Wash roundup last fall,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsIvjEbRebU
then Ginger spoke about the Pryor Mountain Roundup two weeks ago.

The next speaker was Hope Ryden, who is the author of America's Last Wild Horses and was instrumental in the passage of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act.
Next, Congressman Raul Grijalva spoke to us. He has been championing the wild horse cause and along with Congressman Rahall was successful in having it passed in the House. The last speaker of the morning was Howard Boggess, elder of the Crow Nation, who grew up alongside the horses of the Pryor Mountains and who speaks of his deep love for the horses and the land.

Then Chris Heyde of Animal Welfare Institute gave us some pointers and armed us with packets of information.

My first meeting was at Senator Mark Udall's office since I am from Colorado. Ginger Kathrens and several other Coloradans attended, and we had a good meeting, and Hope Rydan joined us and talked about her work with Mark Udall's uncle, Stuart Udall, at the time of the passage of the 1971 Act. My next meeting was at Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington's office, and then the last meeting was when I went along with the California contingent to Senator Barbara Boxer's office. All of the meetings I attended were with aides, not the Senators, but were very productive, and we had some spirited discussions. Many other people had meetings in other Committee members' offices but the one we were all most excited to hear about was Ginger's meeting with Senator Mary Landrieu of Lousiana, who has promised to make the wild horse issue her priority. She had just championed a tough new bill in the Senate that requires the BLM to come up with a new plan for managing wild horses and will not allow BLM funds to be used for the destruction of wild horses.
This was my first time on the Hill and a huge learning experience. I was inspired by all of my fellow wild horse supporters who all bring different strengths and knowledge to the table. The fight to get the ROAM Act passed in the Senate has just begun, but it is off to a great start!

Wild Horses: The Roundup of the Pryor Mountain Herd

Over the last two weeks, despite thousands of phone calls, emails, and letters to Senators, Congressmen, Ken Salazar, Bob Abbey and President Obama, the Bureau of Land Management proceeded after a two day delay, to round up horses of the Pryor Mountain herd in Montana. Their goal was to round up most of the 188 horses in the area, and to remove all of the 39 horses outside the horse range, living in Custer National Park, as well as 31 additional horses.
I have followed this herd for the last 6 years, visiting and photographing them 2 - 3times a year.


After driving all night Saturday, on Sunday morning I drove up Crooked Creek Road. Conquistador and his band and many other horses on Commisary Ridge had eluded capture the previous day, so the Cattors, the contractor hired by the BLM were sending the helicopter out one more time in that area. I arrived just as they were loading the horses, including Conquistador, a gorgeous dun stallion born in 1988 into a horse trailer to transport down to the pens at Britton Springs.


We drove quickly down the mountain, because they were going to start driving the horses from horse range on the top of the mountain by helicopter, a distance we were told by Sue Cattor was only 10.8 miles. However, that may be as the crow flies, and horses are not crows. Who knows how many times they doubled back trying to elude the helicopter, and how many miles they added to their journey?
The first two days of the roundup, the BLM had stopped mid afternoon when the heat was in the high 90s because many public and press were there. On Sunday when the temperature hit 96 degrees, they continued on until the helicopter had flown for 8 hours.
Bolder's band came running in with a beautiful buckskin filly. Next was Cloud's band. He tried to evade the helicopter, running far off on the hills to one side and then the other. Ginger and I were encouraging him under our breaths as we watched. Finally they pushed his band into the jute passageway, and released the Judas horse, who runs to the pens and that the wild horses are supposed to follow.

Cloud ignored the Judas horse completely, and turned to face the helicopter. I have NEVER seen a wild horse behave in this way. I think if he did not have his band to worry about he might have tried to charge by it. Finally he turns and leads his band to the corrals.
When we did the walk through that afternoon, I was never so happy to see a blue spot of paint on a horse's rear, as when I saw it on Cloud's!
Blue paint means to be released. Unfortunately Image Cloud's grandson, Rain, and Arrow were all removed from his band to be adopted.

We were rushed out of the corrals that night at 5:00 even though the helicopter was bringing another group in. We found out whey the next morning. Jackson was the last stallion whose band came in before we left, and his mare Brumby had tied up - this is a condition caused by overexertion. One of Cloud's daughters, Rain, had colicked as well. We asked to see both of them and were led on a tour of the corrals - both Brumby and Rain appeared to be fine and had been observed and treated by the vet. We watched the horses being processed and run though the pens to the squeeze chute where the mares were given pzp, the horses to be adopted were shaved and freeze branded, hair samples were collected, and those to be adopted were separated from their families. The cries of the newly separated family members was wrenching, and the reunions when they were put back together were very sweet.
Roundups by their very nature are extremely dangerous to horses under the best of circumstances, and this was my third roundup I had observed. Because this was under so much public scrutiny I believe that they were much more careful with the horses and took more time to do things than is the norm. Still, there were problems. A young bachelor stallion named Hunkpapa reared up 5 times before being forced into the electric squeeze chute - which made a terrible noise.
When they put Conquistador in with several other stallions including Trigger and his sons, there were horrible fights between the stallions.
And of course the worst was yet to come. They brought in Baja's band on Tuesday. There were 3 young foals in his band. he only came in with 2, and apparently his mare Bacardi and her foal, the youngest of the 3, had been left behind on the mountain when they could not keep up. However, when we had the opportunity for the walk through that evening I went to see the foals as soon as I could, and called Ginger over when I observed how terribly lame and sore the younger of the two, a sorrel colt was. he kept picking up one foot after the other trying to get comfortable, and when he hobbled over to his mother so slowly it was heartbreaking to watch. Both foals were under veterinary care, and we were told they would be kept with their family until they healed and could be released. We were extremely concerned for Halcyon's foal, only 10 days old, and sure she would never be able to make the trecherous trip down the mountain if Red Raven's band were driven in as planned the next day.
We went to the morning briefing and were told that gather operations were over because they had footsore horses coming in and there was a new black foal on the mountain, and that they would take more horses from the 130 they had now to make up for the ones who had not been brought in. This was good news for Electra, Cloud's sister, Quelle Colore, the 19 year old mare, and Halcyon and foal, but bad news for Sage in Bolder's band, Sax in Diamond's band and many others. Cloud Dancer, Cloud's daughter was removed from her family and put with a young bachelor stallion Exhileration. Unfortunately, this was done immediately before Cloud's family was released, so Cloud did not want to leave. We watched as Cloud herded his mares back to the corrals time and time again, not willing to leave so many of his family members behind. Finally the wranglers forced him to move on out and back up the mountain. Several other stallions were unwilling to leave family members behind, including Bolder and Chino. Morningstar, one of the stallions with the largest bands on the mountain had no family members removed. Baja, the stallion with the two lame foals was not kept in till his foals were healed - he was released with the black foal and his mother, still very sore while the sorrel colt and his mother were marked for adoption! This was completely the opposite of what we had been told.
After the release of the last horse at that time, as Duke's band was being kept in because of a sore foal and Cloud Dancer was being kept with her new stallion to try to form a bond, they were supposedly going to be released in a few days.
I drove Ginger and Ben her intern up Crooked Creek Road to see how the returning horses were doing. We immediately saw Doc's and Two Boot's bands, drinking, and having evaded capture int he trees. The first band back on top of the mountain was Bolder's , with Bolder in the lead, running for water at the reservoir waterhole. He chased Doc's band out of the way, as if to say, you have no idea what we have been through. It was such a beautiful peaceful scene, with the birds calling, the wind blowing gently, and the afternoon light shining, such a stark contrast to the hell of the pens below. Many horses had red clay on their feet from stopping at the waterholes on the way up the mountain. The next band to come in was Cloud's, with Cloud in the lead, proudly trotting down to the water. This was coming home for Cloud and his band, and he was whinnying, as if calling for his missing family. The next group to come to water was Diamond's , with Phoenix, Cloud's mother in the lead.

We headed back down the mountain, happy to have been there to welcome them home.
There is more work to be done now. Here is a link you can go to for phone numbers of the Senate Committee of Natural Resources - we need them to move the ROAM Act out onto the Senate Floor for a vote, and we also want to pressure the BLM to release the horses over 10 years old that were removed from the Pryor Mountains: http://bit.ly/CallAction

Youtube video of the Pryor Mountain Roundup:
http://bit.ly/jfXAS