June 16, 2008
Author Visits BLM Wild Horse & Burro Auction In New Hampshire
It was a chilly Friday, June 5th on the New England coast, where fog, mist and occasional rain marked the arrival of the enormous BLM ( Bureau of Land Management) caravan of tractor trailer trucks loaded with 70 wild mustangs and burros to the Hilltop Equestrian Center in Somersworth New Hampshire. At least that is what I understood from the review in the Eagle Tribune the previous week in terms of their numbers. The makeshift “pens” used to control and divide the horses and burros up by age, size and I believe, gender, were a sorry excuse for shelter or even containment, too small and inadequate spaces for the animals to really stretch their legs after a long road trip, and not nearly enough room for all to get to the soggy hay, which was all that was afforded to them. It was difficult enough to witness this humiliation first hand, but almost impossible to imagine what it must feel like to these once regal, roaming spirits to be in this broken place, in this broken condition. Their ribs shown through, especially the “yearlings”, from lack of proper nutrition, and lack of room to move for most of their young lives. They tangled in their small spaces, trying to get to food and water, many having open gashes from trying to defend themsleves in too small a space, no where to run, trapped in a corner of the “pen”.
Present were a trainer, offering demonstrations and discussion as to what works with reaching and gentling these wild creatures, however, I did hear her talk of their fear of humans, their first experience with Man having been their often brutal capture, traumatic tagging, shots and freeze branding procedures. Also present were two BLM hands responsible for moving the animals to New England. I spoke with “Steve” and met “Sam” his mascot mustang, to learn more about their travels. It was documented as to where the horses had been captured, their approximate age, and the process of the auction taking place the next day was explained with enthusiasm. I looked hard at all the “previewers”, searching their faces to try to determine whether they were truly there to adopt, or would these babies go over the border to Canada? Surely a possibility with bidding starting at only 125.00. Photos from the paddock where they were held will be posted shortly, along with any record I can recover regarding the results of the auction the following day, which I was unable to attend. I was told by Steve that 46 of the horses had been adopted via the internet prior to their arrival. How does one screen for qualified adoptees on the internet, I wondered?
Would that I had enough land and a place or the resourses to adopt them all and turn them out to pasture, for that is the least of what they deserve, being stolen from their “herd families’ where they have the best chance for survival.
According to the Eagle Tribune, it has been 7 years since mustangs were brought into New England for auction, as there had been a hiatus on transporting the animals from their BLM pens. If the BLM pens are anything like what I saw, these horses will lose their health and weight and spirit in a nanosecond. Surely we can do better with our tax dollars.
Please write your legislators and tell them how you want your tax dollars spent, by restoring protective lands that rightfully belong to the herds and were established for the protection of these beautiful animals, so the herds can grow and be humanely managed back to the level which was originally earmarked by the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. That number is 50,000 ( although I believe it could and should be higher than this).
Currently, there are more mustangs in BLM holding pens than there are in the wild. This is not right!! Further, petition your legislators to pass laws that make sense towards humane herd management. There is important and relevant legislation pending at this time, which begins to address fairly some of the issues at hand, and which restores some of the protection originally afforded the American Mustang. Check the links on my earlier entry to see what your legislator has done! Ask them to petition the BLM to release captive horses back to their natural habitat, and to have their lands be restored in areas known to be home to the herds, lands that may harbor natural predators, where natural predators ( such as the grey wolf) are being restored. In doing so, allow the balance of nature work towards natural populations that will balance themselves. To the extent this cannot address all the needs of humane herd maintenance, ask them to restore humane slaughter within our borders for the sick and disabled, rather than force them to suffer needlessly on long hauls to other countries where they meet an even more sordid and cruel fate. Thank you for your help.
Please, help by going to the links in this blog and contacting your legislators, let them know how important it is to preserve our national heritage in humane and sensible ways. Tell them to please… Help Save the American Wild Horses from annihilation oversesa, and further suffering over our borders.
![Saving The American Wild Horse - [Film Poster]](http://ginastoll.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/saving_the_american_wild_horse.jpg?w=652&h=556)