"Feature Friday – Mustang Meg"

Howdy Folks,

Sonya Spaziani aka "Mustang Meg" is devoted to supporting, defending and protecting our wild horses and burros by publishing news and photos documenting the current assault of the BLM on our mustangs and burros. It is her mission to collect, document and research information regarding the brutal mishandling by our government of our noble wild horses and burros, and share that information with others who seek to protect and defend our wild horses. You can find her easily on her Facebook page – "MustangMeg," where she shares mountains of information and photos.

"Wild horse and burro advocacy has become the greatest "grassroots" effort in history, and since the government in DC has proven it is less then concerned with our wild horses entrusted in their care, this union of wild horse enthusiasts and concerned citizens band together to remind lawmakers the importance of wild horses to the people. It is my mission to support all who join in this effort."~ Mustang Meg.

She has also created, and with the help of other photographers and artists assembled, a series of breathtakingly beautiful photographs and artworks available for purchase at www.wildhorsespirit.com. "A percentage of the proceeds benefit a wild horse program working hard to preserve our wild horses in the natural ranges of our western high desert. The Cloud Foundation, American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign and Return to Freedom work tirelessly through various means to preserve our wild horses, and help to keep them managed appropriately in the wild. Donations are allocated to organizations with greatest need on behalf of the wild horses and burros. You may also request a preference." ~ Mustang Meg.

"Besides the natural lure of the wild horses, I am on this mission to 'protect to preserve' our wild horses and burros full force since I discovered an amendment to their protected Federal status.  With the insult of the sneaky rider/bill introduced by Montana Senator, Conrad Burns in 2004, slipped in the appropriations bill, during the major holidays and without public knowledge or review, single-handedly and with the swift motion of a pen, deteriorated wild horse and burro protection given in 1971 known as the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act. This tragic amendment was signed by President George W. Bush on December 6, removing most protection for our wild horses and burros, where a majority can be sold/ auctioned/ processed "without limitation". ~ Mustang Meg.

The efforts of Mustang Meg, and folks like her may yet save our wild horses, but the outlook is dim. Please join the struggle.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"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