" Laura Leigh - Wild Horse Education - “Voices For The Voiceless” - Feature Friday

Howdy Folks,

Laura Leigh founder Wild Horse Education,  was also one of the contributors to my upcoming feature article in TrailBlazer, "The Last Wild Horse In America Died Today." Its an honor to feature here today ~ I first featured Laura in November 2012, with this story and it is appropriate to revisit it today ~ 

Laura Leigh - Wild Horse Education -“Voices For The Voiceless”

How do I write this? Friends who know me, and know my style, know that I write about, "People & Horses Helping Horses & People," in an upbeat and happy way. Celebrating the good that people do. Championing the horses who heal people, change lives and give their spirit so that those who need healing can realize a new beginning. Every now and then, in order to celebrate the good people do, I must write about things as tears stream from my eyes to drip on the keyboard … This is one of those stories.

How do I write about horses chased by helicopters to the point of total exhaustion, and death? How do I write about tiny foals running in a desperate panic to keep sight of their mommas, running as fast as their tiny legs can manage, sometimes running right out of their hoofs, and left to die. How do I write about helicopter pilots ramming the slower horses repeatedly with the skids of their helicopters? How do I write about horses being hosed with water in the holding pens soaking them so completely the tiny foals freeze to death? How can I write about the crowded, filthy holding pens? How do I write about the truckloads of once noble and proud spiritual wild horses being trucked to slaughter? I don't think I can.

But Laura Leigh, a freelance photojournalist, founder of Wild Horse Education (WHE) is documenting in photos and videos the excessive and inhumane roundups that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting against wild horses and burros. Laura was the first to bring the public daily reports of the conditions at the roundups, and continues to be the best source for information on what is happening in the field for our wild horses and burros. WHE has been essential in providing the public with documentation and investigation of the BLM practices in the roundups and long term holding of these captured wild animals, who in reality belong to the American people. The body of work is more than a collection of photos and video. It has been used to fight in Federal Court for the welfare and well-being of wild horses and burros.

Laura Leigh on the job working for the horses

Laura has been an advocate for the rights of horses for many years. Yet her attention turned to wild horses in a daily marathon of documentation and research after looking into the eyes of an eight month old colt that was suffering from hoof slough (feet falling off) during the BLM Calico roundup of 2010/2011. She named that little red colt "Hope Springs Eternal." After being refused the opportunity to aid the colt, he subsequently died. Laura has worked every single day since then to stop the madness.

When her work began sparking public criticism, BLM sought to restrict her access to their operations and facilities. Laura, fighting for the very lives of our helpless wild horses, filed a lawsuit against BLM. The fight to document wild horses, wherever they are in the system, has been a "battlefield" in Federal Court. The case that has become known as the "First Amendment" suit won a landmark decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February of 2012 and is scheduled to head back to the courtroom in February of 2013.

Her second suit against the BLM for "Humane Care," if it wins, could put an end to the cruel practices now ubiquitous in the BLM wild horse and burro program. WHE was able to halt two BLM operations through injunctions and restraining orders related to these suits. Just recently, WHE joined on as part of the investigation team into the allegations that BLM participated in the sale of mustangs from their feed lots to kill buyers. This case too is pending.

Two years ago Laura gained the first Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the history of the BLM’s "Wild Horse and Burro Program" to inhumane conduct. Since then her documentation has gained a second TRO and an Injunction to conduct. The case against inhumane care of wild horses is still active in Federal Court.

An investigation by Laura's organization was essential in helping journalist Dave Philips, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter, break the huge story that clearly illustrates the relationship with the BLM and kill-buyers. Currently the IG's office is investigating on a Federal level and the state of Colorado has turned over information to the DA's office for prosecution

These cases, investigations and documentation, are supported solely through donations to Wild Horse Education. This group is really doing the work in the field and getting the results in the courtroom protecting the voiceless who need our voice.

Please visit the Wild Horse Education site http://wildhorseeducation.org/  … Spend some time viewing the videos, looking at the pictures … You may not believe your eyes  … Also on the home page is a box that says "Educate Yourself: Myths and Facts." Here is the link to that and it is one of the best guides to what is wrong and what is going on that I have seen.  … http://wildhorseeducation.org/2012/11/10/educate-yourself-myths-and-facts/

Please share this blog and their link with your friends, ask them all to tell their friends, spread the truth, and give support.  So many lives depend on our voices and our help. What's being done by the BLM is not only wrong, it's cruel. With enough public notice and outcry, we can stop the BLM and save our wild horses and burros.

God Bless and Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

"Sheldon Mustangs Set To Vanish Into History- Update from Laura Leigh"

Howdy Folks, -

This is an update from Laura Leigh founder of Wild Horse Education ~

"Sheldon Mustangs were once part of an area where the government contracted for cavalry remounts. It is estimated in military records that nearly 500 horses a week shipped to Europe at the height of World War I, many of them taken from the area now known as Sheldon."

Wild Horse Education
For Immediate Release 6/17/2014
Contact:Laura Leigh, President wildhorseeducation@gmail.com 
Marta Williams, Vice President/Public Relations WHE.Action@gmail.com 

 Sheldon Mustangs Set To Vanish Into History 

"(DENIO,NV) The final countdown has begun for the removal of wild horses and burros on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Sheldon (NWR) has announced the final removal of horses and burros from the over 575,000 acre refuge. The removal of 70 burros will begin on July 14 and horses will begin some time in August. Last year burros were removed without any prior public notification.

Last week a case status conference was scheduled in ongoing litigation against Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for July 1, 2014. The litigation brought by Bonnie Kohleriter and Laura Leigh, founder and President of Wild Horse Education, addresses both an historic lack of access to horse and burro roundups at the Refuge and Sheldon Mustangs repeatedly finding themselves in the slaughter pipeline.

It is known that Sheldon solicited for new contractors this year to take the mustangs. Several new contracts have been approved. At this time Sheldon has made no official announcement as to any arrangements made to ensure that horses will not be sent to those likely to fail to provide protection.

In federal court John Kasbohm, Director of the Refuge, told the Judge that Sheldon changed it's contract from the year prior and that horses removed in 2013 would be protected. Very quickly it was discovered that these "changes" were inadequate. J&S Associates (Stan Palmer) was allowing individuals to take horses for suspicious purposes. Sheldon horses have undergone mass vasectomies and hysterectomies on the range that has resulted in less than a 5% birth rate on the range, yet horses were taken by one individual for "breeding." It was also discovered that older mares were shipped for purposes of "rodeo." In one such incident an employee of J&S posted on Facebook for people to "come and get 'em" post that referenced these horses in the context of a possible rodeo occurring onsite at J&S and multiple replies that included taking some of the horses to slaughter.

In prior years J&S could not account for all of the horses they received, a recipient admitting to taking horses to slaughter and foals in their care deteriorating from improper care. A few of these foals were rescued from J&S with the whereabouts of others still not known. The rescue came too late for one foal named "Apatchy," because of the spot on his flank, who was euthanized due to malnutrition and severe permanent damage to his feet.

"We are working on getting clarification on the specifics of the plans for the Sheldon Mustangs," stated Laura Leigh, "We hope to hear that issues have finally been rectified and for the first time in the history of Sheldon that real effort has actually been made to ensure that the descendants of America's war horse are not betrayed again and sent to a horrifying death."

Sheldon Mustangs were once part of an area where the government contracted for cavalry remounts. It is estimated in military records that nearly 500 horses a week shipped to Europe at the height of World War I, many of them taken from the area now known as Sheldon.

"It is incredibly tragic that the historic value of a living symbol of American history has no value to those that manage America's Wildlife Refuge system," said Leigh "The horses were there before the Refuge. They have existed in this intact ecosystem and contribute to it's beauty. It is heartbreaking that we will never have our historic herds to view in Sheldon again. It is devastating to think that the last of the Sheldon Mustangs may go to slaughter."

What will be the final chapter in the legacy of the Sheldon Mustang? We await the final announcement from Sheldon."

  ---  This is a sad day indeed ~ Gitty Up, Dutch Henry 

~~~~~~~

Wild Horse Education is devoted to gaining protections for America's wild horses and burros from abuse, slaughter and extinction. Main website: http://WildHorseEducation.org 

We have written numerous articles on the history of the horses and burros that inhabit the Refuge. http://wildhorseeducation.org//?s=Sheldon 

We are currently working on our short film on the Legacy of the Sheldon Mustang, "Forsaken," with a new rough cut expected soon. You can view the "trailer" here: http://wildhorseeducation.org/sheldon-nwr/ 

Litigation remains active pending final announcement.

We are out documenting the last of Sheldon Mustangs on the range.

You can join our "action team," in case we must make a rapid response at http://SheldonHorses.Wordpress.com

"The Last Wild Horse In America Died Today - Feature Friday"

Howdy Folks,

We looked up and they were no more … Just as this year the Black Rhino in Africa was poached to wild extinction, our own Federal Government will, with reckless abandon and determination, do the same for America's wild horses.

Proud horses, families and bands yanked apart and driven mercilessly by helicopter and other violent means, to greatly overcrowded corrals where they stand, broken hearted and bewildered, awaiting their uncertain future ... Often that future is years in those filthy, overcrowded corrals while their health and spirits deteriorate. Their future dims. 

Accustomed to wide open spaces to run and live free, suddenly they have a mere few square feet in those concentration camps, with little or no protection from driving snow, or blistering heat, and too often a gross shortage of water to drink. Out of reach are their familiar sheltering valleys and watering holes. Hooves that are used to traveling tens of miles a day grow long with neglect … confused foals try to understand. Confined band leaders search for their families. Fights occur regularly because separation is not possible. Crowded as they are, sickness is a constant.

Once the wild horse was one of our proudest and most magnificent symbols of the great American Spirit. Even the United States Congress declared it to be true in 1971 when they recognized them as, "Living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people." Today that same Congress considers them, "Feral nuisances" that need to be gathered and removed, often sent to slaughter.

Shallow, transparent excuses like, "overgrazing, and land management," are the most sited excuses for this race to annihilation. In many cases cattle and sheep roaming those BLM managed grasslands outnumber the horses 100 to 1 ... Causes one to wonder who's actually doing the over grazing.

Many wonderful and concerned folks have been working hard and politely to defend and protect our wild horses. I've written about some of those fine people. Thousands more have contributed donations to help those folks defend the noble wild horses. In response those government employees and departments, "charged with managing millions upon millions of acres grazing rights and other management practices," continues to run hell-bent toward the extinction of our wild horses, in a most disgusting, brutal and underhanded way.

BLM helicopter running terrified horses through barbed wire fence

On any given day there are over 30,000 wild horses in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) long term holding pens, and another 11,000 in temporary holding pens. These 40,000 wild horses, burros and Mustangs outnumber those running free today; the BLM estimates the number of still wild horses at about 20,000. A number so low it virtually guarantees extinction. Many of the herds now clinging to freedom are too small to continue viable genetic bases. The BLM does not own the wild horses, they are charged with managing the grasslands. The American people own the wild horses.

From Laura Leigh founder Wild Horse Education - "Very little of what happens to our wild horses and burros on public land actually has to do with wild horses and burros. Livestock interests and extractive industry drive our public land policy. In the 12% of public land occupied by our last American herds it is no different. If we are not careful the industrialization of public land will not only change the physical landscape, but will extinguish our American spirit in the form of the wild horse." 

I weep in fretful fear of the day headlines scream, "The Last Wild Horse In America Died Today."

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry 

Photos courtesy of Laura Leigh and Wild Horse Education -

Update - Wild Horse Education – By guest blogger Marta Williams on behalf of Laura Leigh

Howdy Folks,

Today we have a guest blogger, Marta Williams of the Wild Horse Education organization sharing an update on their continuing battle to help save and protect our wild horses. There is much formation here, and it is important to note, the horrible suffering continues. Even though WHE has won cases in court against the BLM there is much more that is needed if the suffering is going to be stopped. "WHE is not seeing a “meeting of the minds” in terms of their federal law suits against BLM." Please read, share and consider helping. There are a few important links in the story, too.

Update - Wild Horse Education – By guest blogger Marta Williams on behalf of Laura Leigh

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundup schedule for this season includes upwards of 1,300 horses and burros to be taken within the next eight weeks alone. Most of them are healthy and don’t need to be removed from the wild. Wild Horse Education (WHE) has been in the field documenting the situation at areas on the target list, and the group is gearing up to go back in the field to document the inhumane treatment that has become a signature of BLM roundups. 

BLM chasing foal in the heat of summer at Jackson Mountain roundup.

WHE has also been documenting the condition of the animals in short and long term BLM holding  (read more) and is urging BLM to halt all roundups except those that are absolutely necessary if animals are starving or the range is irretrievably degraded. Some of the removals of healthy herds in Nevada have been dropped in favor of more necessary removals – that is progress! WHE just completed a written field assessment of Gold Mountain and Fish Lake Valley  (see report) and plans to do more such assessments as time and funding permits.

Light skin horse with critical sunburn in BLM Holding facility.

However, WHE is not seeing a “meeting of the minds” in terms of their federal law suits against BLM. A Reno judge has remanded the WHE First Amendment Case back to the Ninth Circuit Court. This means that WHE has had to put in more long hard volunteer hours to revise the case, and pay for more filings, more records and more printing. The first Amendment Case originated during a roundup in Silver King in 2010 when WHE founder, Laura Leigh, was restricted by BLM and denied access to what was really happening. The Ninth Circuit Court heard this case once already,  when a Reno Court initially dismissed it, and the Ninth Circuit ruled that Leigh’s and the public’s right to know and see what the government is doing were violated. WHE is confident of finally winning the First Amendment case in a return to the Ninth Circuit Court. This will assure that the public has access to what BLM is doing to our wild herds at all roundups and holding facilities, many of which are now off limits. 

WHE has also had to scramble to amend the other two cases pending in federal court against BLM to include First Amendment components. These two cases, Owyhee and Triple B, concern BLM’s observed inhumane treatment of our wild horses and burros.

Horses run into barber wire fence at Owyhee Roundup.

If you have ever read through a legal brief, you will understand the incredible amount of work involved for Plaintiff Leigh and WHE attorney, Gordon Cowan, working on a shoestring budget under the intense pressure of court-designated deadlines. If WHE is successful in these cases it will mean that BLM will have to adhere to a court-dictated humane treatment standard from roundup to final disposition for all our wild horses and burros. 

The Owyhee case goes further into outlining BLM’s flawed method of determining what they call “excess” animals. The BLM claims horses move between five separate Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in the Owyhee Complex of HMAs, yet there is no data to support this claim. WHE has pointed out this lack of adequate data for years. The  recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report (read more), commissioned by BLM to evaluate the Agency’s wild horse and burro program, corroborated this lack and recommended, among other things, that the BLM stop all roundups until adequate data is acquired. The NAS report cited a lack of any scientific method employed in the government roundup machine and asserted that current BLM roundup activity may actually be increasing the reproduction rate of wild horses and burros due to the intense stress on the populations.

WHE has recently set up a volunteer program called Keep Them in the Wild, to explore all possible avenues for creating a sane management program for wild horses and burros in the wild. If you want to volunteer you can go to the Keep Them in the Wild website.

Amidst all this intense activity, Laura Leigh was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has undergone surgery and is doing well with a good prognosis.

Laura Leigh with captive wild horses at BLM Holding Facility.

Even though she is supposed to be conserving her energy, she and Attorney Cowan have filed seven briefs in the last 30 days with no sign of the pressure letting up. With all that is going on and all they are doing for the wild herds, this tiny group could really use your support right now; please stand with them to secure a future for the wild horses and burros. Wild Horse Education website. 

Please help us help the wild horses - Marta Williams.

Thank you Marta, Laura and WHE for all you do, and folks if you can help by spreading the word, volunteering or donating, please do. 

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry