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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 2:22:52 GMT
Ill and injured horses go to rendering plants. Many others do too, left to suffer and shot to put them out of their misery....James
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Post by mollymckee on Sept 21, 2016 3:16:39 GMT
Ill and injured horses get treated here. If they can't be saved they are put down and buried here. I wouldn't even consider shipping a horse I owned. Few things make me madder than people that don't take care of their animals, especially older ones they have had a long time.
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 21, 2016 12:41:04 GMT
Ill and injured horses get treated here. If they can't be saved they are put down and buried here. I wouldn't even consider shipping a horse I owned. Few things make me madder than people that don't take care of their animals, especially older ones they have had a long time. Amen and thank you! Same here. I would no more send my oldsters away to slaughter than I would send my grandkids. My horses live here and die here, and we have enough ground to bury them here. I take full responsibility for the care of my animals, all of them. That means their end time when it comes is in my hands and I will treat them respectfully and with dignity, they all deserve that much.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 15:12:59 GMT
That is doing nothing for the wild horse problem. Do you want the wild horses put down and buried there, right at the round up pens or holding pens? This has become the problem, all those people that think all wild horses should be pets. People have to be realistic, there just is not a place for every one of them, today. Horse "lovers" are their own worst enemy, cut out the sensationalism of the problem, get down to the real problem. This mind set is why wild horses are in these pens and suffering in the wild. I love horses, respect them, would never mistreat one of God's animals but there is a place and time. Get the numbers to a sustainable level and keep the population under control, the sooner, the better. This goes for all horses. The problem is the wild horse "buisiness" was geared toward profit, it has to be changed to keep wild horse numbers sustainable, should have been from the start. When the BLM took over and there was a "market" they bred for profit. No reason they can not be processed at any USDA inspected facility, same rules as all livestock....James
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Post by here to stay on Sept 21, 2016 15:31:49 GMT
If those of you untroubled by the killing of what are essentually pets are willing to ensure the money to build a facility to humanely slaughter horses for meat, then the reality to the situation would make such killing easier. Frankly it is not the animal lovers who are the problem as much as those who don't respect animals once they do not turn a profit anymore and are willing to turn a blind eye to the suffering as long as there is no inconvenience to themselves. That leads to people whose sole interest is make money out of killing horses to do it and profits lead to wasting no care on the animals.
If the problem is to have a resolution, then a commitment needs to be made to do the ugly job with as much respect for the animal as possible. Until that care for the animal is part of the debate, this will be an unresolved debate.
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Post by mollymckee on Sept 21, 2016 15:52:52 GMT
The government made the problem, it needs to be fixed in a manner that does not include shipping the horses to slaughter facilities in other countries because they are not legal here. It is a small and cheap problem in the scope of the things the government spends and wastes money on, but the government needs to start doing things the right way and not trying to cover up the problem. If the horses that are in holding facilities are cared for while those in the wild have their fertility controlled the problem will solve itself in ten years or so. The big problem is the wild horses are in the way of politicians friends plans and they don't want to wait. That should not matter.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 16:00:20 GMT
I started with the wild horse program when the BLM decided to start the adoption process, at that time every horse could be adopted. We just hauled horses, we had big horse trailers. Never had a horse go down, each was in a separate stall. I saw what went on out there. The numbers grew, every year there were more, every year more than last year. We started hauling in semi livestock trailers, never had a horse go down, hauled at night, cooler and the horses were much calmer. Stopped every 2-4 hours to check on them, take a 15 minute break. About a 9-10 hour trip. We had great facilities at the auction yard. These sales were done quickly as we needed the facilities for our regular Wednesday livestock sale. Sales were Saturday, Friday was hauling day. There was a price, usually pretty low but it got many horses a good home. There were rules, the buyer had sign papers, keep them for a certain amount of time (2 years at the beginning) before they could sell them, and then only to someone else that would keep them. In time there were too many horses, not enough buyers because the powers to be could make money. The BLM started hauling draft horse studs out and they were turned loose to breed the mares, more studs more babies. Breed them for the type of horse that people wanted, the best mares could be "sold" and the rest were sent to be butchered for the big money European market. BLM relaxed the rules, so much so that a person could "adopt", keep for a few days and sell to horse meat buyers. Then horse meat buyers" could just buy direct. More wild horse studs were removed as the program went along. These studs were hard to place. It became a money making business. Then the horse meat market was taken away but there were too many horses to adopt out. We hauled for 2 more roundups, all it did was get the horses closer to the Canadian slaughter facilities. We quit, BLM then went to big holding facilities. Big problem, horses held too long. Now to remedy the problem, regulate the number of studs in the herds, fewer studs, fewer babies. Get numbers to a sustainable level. But there is still a need for very regulated slaughter facilities. No different than shot and only used for render....James
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 16:24:30 GMT
IF you go back to the start, at least on the wild horses I was involved with on the Oregon/Nevada border. There were no "wild" horses out there. The people of this country wanted to be able to see "wild" horses. So it was agreed to put them where they did for ease of viewing. Then these same people didn't want any thing done to control the numbers but yet many were dying from starvation so they demanded that the government sustain them. There has always been a problem keeping the numbers sustainable. The "horse" people want more land, more of the land that was used for other uses, recreation, federal lands for natural areas, state and federal parks, farming, grazing. But the horses need more, or control the numbers. There has to be a right, honest, reasonable, sustainable number. The BLM has plans and options but they are never good enough for some people. Let everyone get together and make an honest plan. It was done, but some people again can't let it happen. Always this sensationalized story that will never die. Get to the truth and get it done, do what is best for the horses, no different than the wolf program, bears, elk. Just work together for the best, it is always changing, better practices come along, there has to be a starting point. These horses out there in the pens are the first priority. But there is still the problem of too many horses. Should every horse owner be "made" to do the same as the "wild horse program"?
....James
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 16:50:37 GMT
The government made the problem, it needs to be fixed in a manner that does not include shipping the horses to slaughter facilities in other countries because they are not legal here. The "government" didn't make this problem, the people did. IF the government is the people, the people made the problem, the people demanded that "the government" shut down the "slaughter facilities" without a plan in place. Wild horses need to be kept at a sustainable level. Adoption can still be an option for those that want one. There should not be a "Horse Slaughter Facility" there should be a place to slaughter horses at any USDA inspected slaughter facility for those that want/need that option, just the same as any other livestock, including a "bad" adopted horse. Horse meat should be sold as any meat is, to the people that want it. Supply and demand will equal the market out. There should be no horse farm for slaughter only. Just like no puppy mills. Try to find a home, only the unwanted go to slaughter, ill and injured to render, horse owner can do as they want with their own....James
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 16:55:51 GMT
It wasn't the BLM that had the vote or any plan to kill these horses. It was a committee that advises the BLM (government) they voted to do this. They even admitted to voting to get attention on the problem to get more money. The committee is not the "government"....James
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Post by mollymckee on Sept 21, 2016 18:43:35 GMT
Since the first government owned remount horses were turned loose in, I believe the late 1940's the horses mixed with wild horses or formed bands of their own. The government turned out the horses because they couldn't sell them, they had too many. At the same time they ended the purchase program so people that were using remount stallions and breeding to sell to the military had no market for their horses and some were turned loose. That was definitely the federal government's program. Until they became a problem, the government pretty much ignored the horses. Most of the BLM land is pretty bad but ranchers, mining companies and developers want it, in some places. Growing, unmanaged horse herds and shrinking habitat have made a real problem now. The BLM has not done a good job of managing the horses or the land they are on. It was first reported that the BLM was going to accept the recommendations of the committee, now they seem to be backing down. I haven't seen any proposals to use any kind of birth control or sterilization program for the horses so the problem will keep growing.
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 21, 2016 20:38:02 GMT
I started with the wild horse program when the BLM decided to start the adoption process, at that time every horse could be adopted. We just hauled horses, we had big horse trailers. Never had a horse go down, each was in a separate stall. I saw what went on out there. The numbers grew, every year there were more, every year more than last year. We started hauling in semi livestock trailers, never had a horse go down, hauled at night, cooler and the horses were much calmer. Stopped every 2-4 hours to check on them, take a 15 minute break. About a 9-10 hour trip. We had great facilities at the auction yard. These sales were done quickly as we needed the facilities for our regular Wednesday livestock sale. Sales were Saturday, Friday was hauling day. There was a price, usually pretty low but it got many horses a good home. There were rules, the buyer had sign papers, keep them for a certain amount of time (2 years at the beginning) before they could sell them, and then only to someone else that would keep them. In time there were too many horses, not enough buyers because the powers to be could make money. The BLM started hauling draft horse studs out and they were turned loose to breed the mares, more studs more babies. Breed them for the type of horse that people wanted, the best mares could be "sold" and the rest were sent to be butchered for the big money European market. BLM relaxed the rules, so much so that a person could "adopt", keep for a few days and sell to horse meat buyers. Then horse meat buyers" could just buy direct. More wild horse studs were removed as the program went along. These studs were hard to place. It became a money making business. Then the horse meat market was taken away but there were too many horses to adopt out. We hauled for 2 more roundups, all it did was get the horses closer to the Canadian slaughter facilities. We quit, BLM then went to big holding facilities. Big problem, horses held too long. Now to remedy the problem, regulate the number of studs in the herds, fewer studs, fewer babies. Get numbers to a sustainable level. But there is still a need for very regulated slaughter facilities. No different than shot and only used for render....James Maybe in the good old days no trailers were overloaded and no horse ever went down, but this ISN'T the good old days and horses go down ALL THE TIME being hauled across the border. I saw in a kill buyers pen with my own eyes a gelding that had a compound fracture of his left hind cannon bone, there was an inch of bone protruding up out of that horses leg. Rather than putting him down, they stuffed him on a huge cow hauler, stacked as many horses in as they could get, and off they went. Don't even try to tell me that gelding didn't go down on that trip, there was no way he WOULDN'T have gone down in his emaciated, broken condition. THAT is what I am opposed to, whether it is in this country or any other country. That is the utter epitome of inhumane treatment. Had there been a shred of decency in any person in any one of the places that horse was, he would have been at least shot in the head to end his horrific suffering. I would have taken him myself to get him to my vet for euthanasia, but the kill buyer wanted 600.00 for him. That's right, 600.00 for a horse just to get him put down. I was already buying a heavily bred mare and a young, nearly dead 2 year old colt (not the mares colt, just a random one in the kill pen) from the guy, I simply couldn't pay another 600 on top of the indecent amount of money he wanted for the mare and the colt. If I had the extra money, I would have bought that horse in a heartbeat and driven him directly to my vet to put him down. I also have watched the BLM for years with the wild horse round ups, and their pathetic handling of such. There are other ways to handle the situation, like gelding stallions and turning them back out, as well as medicating the mares so a pregnancy doesn't happen. Where there's a will, there's a way. Also, on one point I do truly agree with you...there is a serious need for very regulated slaughter in this country, I am not opposed to slaughter, but as I stated before I am opposed to HOW they slaughter horses in particular. If you have been around them much, then surely you don't actually think they are merely as other livestock and have little sensitivity to their surroundings? My horses are clearly stressed in certain situations, and I know from experience that the kill pen horses know there is something up and they are pretty much all nervous and anxious or aggressive as a response to their surroundings. Cattle are not so much, sheep and goats, either. But horses ARE different, they are much more aware of things and sense things are bad. I have seen it, I know.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 22:34:59 GMT
Sure it happens all the time, more reason slaughter needs to be done everywhere, close. It happens with well trained horses too, get spooked and get hurt. You can't have it both ways, all the time. They don't want to be rounded up, cut to be gelded or given a shot or run down a chute. Or touched, roped, broke to saddle. Are they anxious, yes, it is the way God made them. My daughter has a little pit bull female, I have been around it a lot, it shivers and shakes, even with her. Just the way it is, never been abused or hurt. Horses are more high strung, more than some other livestock, but you, the human are putting your feelings into it more also. Horses are livestock to me, sure after having been around each one, I grow attached, as much as anyone. Don't want anything bad to happen to any animal. I have my little team buried out under the pear trees on a little hill near the pond. I have seen many animals slaughtered, none unless killed in their own surroundings are without fear, especially not after hearing what has gone on around them. My chickens sense something going on and I never butcher them so others can see. Even the DS's dog never wants to go to the vet and still growls when she comes near....James
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 22:48:03 GMT
They have used sterilization, it lasts up to 2 years, IF it works, then has to be done again. But people don't like that either and it is expensive. The government has tried to manage the horses for the last 20 years but some people won't let it happen. Both sides came together to do what was needed, plans were approved but even today the committee makes recommendations, votes for it but the government can't even do what the committee voted to recommend because people sensationalize it into something bad. It has to start somewhere, fix the big problem right now, the 45,000. Then reduce the population to a number that can be sustained and keep it that way, what ever it takes....James
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 22, 2016 2:16:23 GMT
Sure it happens all the time, more reason slaughter needs to be done everywhere, close. It happens with well trained horses too, get spooked and get hurt. You can't have it both ways, all the time. They don't want to be rounded up, cut to be gelded or given a shot or run down a chute. Or touched, roped, broke to saddle. Are they anxious, yes, it is the way God made them. My daughter has a little pit bull female, I have been around it a lot, it shivers and shakes, even with her. Just the way it is, never been abused or hurt. Horses are more high strung, more than some other livestock, but you, the human are putting your feelings into it more also. Horses are livestock to me, sure after having been around each one, I grow attached, as much as anyone. Don't want anything bad to happen to any animal. I have my little team buried out under the pear trees on a little hill near the pond. I have seen many animals slaughtered, none unless killed in their own surroundings are without fear, especially not after hearing what has gone on around them. My chickens sense something going on and I never butcher them so others can see. Even the DS's dog never wants to go to the vet and still growls when she comes near....James We will have to agree to disagree on horses being more than just livestock with no feelings or understanding. Every single one is different, with a different personality, traits that they exhibit, intelligence levels. Yes, a few of mine are not terribly bright:-), but others are very smart, some are really clowns, and some are delightfully sweet and kind. Most of mine are very aware there is something different about my little grand daughters who are deaf, and my grandson who has Mast Cell disease. My paint mare laid her big ol head against my daughters baby bump every time my daughter came to the barn while she was pregnant with our grandson, and after our grandson was born, that mare went directly to his carrier he was in and gently, lovingly, nuzzled his face and tiny arms. That is the same mare who attempted, unsuccessfully, to remove my farriers head the first time he tried to touch her body. That same mare who loves only my daughter and our grandson. Seriously. I have a huge TB mare who comes only to me and my grand daughters. She is absolutely cautious and aware of my girls being around, and she intentionally stands quite still when they are near her so as not to knock one of the girls down or injure them. I had a blind mare that was putty in my 8 year old grand daughters hands the second my grand girl touched her, but would try to move away from all others who came near. Truly, horses sense more than some other livestock, and are able to distinguish between a child and an adult, and somehow between a disabled child and a non-disabled child. I don't know how that happens if it is merely me putting my own feelings into them. I am confident in what I see every single day in my herd, and so we will have to respectfully have to agree to disagree on this point.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2016 2:31:45 GMT
It is true but has nothing to do with a wild horse that has never seen a human. It is a wild animal same as any other until it learns to trust....James
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 22, 2016 2:39:25 GMT
It is true but has nothing to do with a wild horse that has never seen a human. It is a wild animal same as any other until it learns to trust....James I have had 2 wild caught horses. They are the same as my domestic herd as far as having different personalitlies and behaviors that they were born with. One was a metal minded goober that taught me a ton of good stuff as a young girl on her very first horse. The second is with me now, and he is a totally different horse, very much different, than my first one. Trust, yes, but they come with attitudes, abilities, and personalities. Even wild horses have those things, whether they have ever seen a human or not. They are all different.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 22, 2016 2:59:05 GMT
It is true but has nothing to do with a wild horse that has never seen a human. It is a wild animal same as any other until it learns to trust....James I have had 2 wild caught horses. They are the same as my domestic herd as far as having different personalitlies and behaviors that they were born with. One was a metal minded goober that taught me a ton of good stuff as a young girl on her very first horse. The second is with me now, and he is a totally different horse, very much different, than my first one. Trust, yes, but they come with attitudes, abilities, and personalities. Even wild horses have those things, whether they have ever seen a human or not. They are all different. You had wikl-caught horses but how long had they been corralled and became adjusted to humans? Any hungry wild animal will quickly learn where its food comes from and many wild instincts vanish. In the early years, I suspect that horses were not held long before being shipped to their new homes. Even then, they already knew that humans were their source of food and adjusted their behavior accordingly. When it comes to attempting to deal with the public when it comes to a conservation issue, this state has had them with bear, deer, and wolves. A good slogan applied to some of those is that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. That seems to be so very true with horses as well. Martin
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 22, 2016 13:05:53 GMT
I have had 2 wild caught horses. They are the same as my domestic herd as far as having different personalitlies and behaviors that they were born with. One was a metal minded goober that taught me a ton of good stuff as a young girl on her very first horse. The second is with me now, and he is a totally different horse, very much different, than my first one. Trust, yes, but they come with attitudes, abilities, and personalities. Even wild horses have those things, whether they have ever seen a human or not. They are all different. You had wikl-caught horses but how long had they been corralled and became adjusted to humans? Any hungry wild animal will quickly learn where its food comes from and many wild instincts vanish. In the early years, I suspect that horses were not held long before being shipped to their new homes. Even then, they already knew that humans were their source of food and adjusted their behavior accordingly. When it comes to attempting to deal with the public when it comes to a conservation issue, this state has had them with bear, deer, and wolves. A good slogan applied to some of those is that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. That seems to be so very true with horses as well. Martin One of mine was already broke to ride. The other had been caught up by mistake when a domestic herd was rounded up (brought in for weaning foals, shots, etc) on a large ranch in Nebraska. He apparently had gotten in with the mare herd as a young foal, possibly his own dam had died?? He was only a youngster, about 10 months old, but no one was able to even get close to him, and he wouldn't leave the mare/foal band, so when they culled foals he went with the foal group. I bought he and a 3 month old QH colt for 50 dollars out of the 2nd auction the were run through, where kill buyers were bidding on horses as well. We ran them onto a trailer, and from there it took me nearly 2 months to calm that wild caught boy down and get a halter on him. He was so afraid, and so unwilling to just let his guard down... That was 10 years ago that I got my two boys. The QH is a lovely boy, and the mustang as well. Doc, the wild one, has never gotten over his fear of people, and he knows very well how to avoid them for the most part. He comes in for meals and willingly loads for vet visits, but because he was so badly handled and mistreated in the first days of being captured, he is still difficult to get past his immediate fear of humans, though he will warm up to you eventually if he is around you all the time. I ride him, but not often, since his distrust of all people makes him untrustworthy under saddle. But he is here and an integral part of my herd. He is the one who takes most of the new horses under his wing and guides them around for the first few weeks after they are put out with the herd. He is always protective of my lead mare, and he plays really well with all of my geldings. He has a lifetime home no matter how he is or isn't. I fully agree, wild only goes so far until they realize food is dispensed by the new owner:-). But sadly, the fear and fright of how they were handled at the onset by any human does taint a wild horse, at times to the point of what my guy is like. Since we own a large ranch, he is a grazer, and he doesn't have to rely on me or others here to get feed from. Even after he was first caught, he wouldn't go in for feed, and to this day he stays out far enough away from lead rope range to not be caught for meds (he foundered a year ago and gets hoof supplement daily now) until all other horses are tied. He is a good hearted boy, but a wary one.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 22, 2016 14:37:28 GMT
If anyone ever watched the TV series of the Horse Whisperer, there were some truly wild ones that were quickly tamed. That is, we call it "tame" now but used to be "broke". For awhile, I wondered why my maternal grandparents and my mother spent some time in Kansas during WW1. He broke horses for the Army. Some of my early years were on the original family farm and we had 2 teams yet in 1950. They were a team of brown mares and their black gelding sons. When we got a Ford tractor, one mare was sold for pulling logs. Then lost one of the geldings when he slipped on ice and died. Major problem in that it left us with two right hand horses. I was 12 but told my uncle that I could make the gelding become a left-hand horse but didn't have to work hard other than harnassing him. The mare was his mother and when he tried to step over the tongue to her side, she chomped down on his neck and he was left-hand from that moment on! Adopting wild horses only works if one has the acreage and dedication. Too many are adopted and then boarded elsewhere. I have two great sources for horse manure and I don't think that either own a horse. All they are are live field ornaments and that's supposed to be a better life than they had? A better example is what can eventually result from adopting. The link below is to a daughter of a cousin who grew up with me on the family farm. She got started with a BLM horse. I used to pick a favorite horse to follow but every time I did that it would be sold. Now all of them are my favorites! www.jjpaintsandquarterhorses.com Martin
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 23, 2016 0:45:41 GMT
paquebot, I agree that adopting a wild horse should be done by someone with the time and space necessary for a good result long term for the horse. We, personally, have 213 acres that is fenced and cross fenced, my herd has access to half of that for grazing and moving around. My Mustang comes and goes with the herd, and I have dedicated much time into his training and handling. He is just a different kind of guy, and has never lost the fear of humans he was ingrained with by his initial interactions with people. I have worked all of my own horses in several different disciplines, none that are able to work get out of doing something. The ones that I rescue or rehab, they can be pasture ornaments all day long for all I care, their life is quiet and peaceful and that is what I want to give them. I don't care at all if they don't do much besides graze and wander, they are magnificent animals and I love them all. I would not like them to be on a small little paddock for a lifetime, and am glad we can provide them with much more than that. And all of them are my favorites, too:-) Oh my, the Cremello stallion is just GREAT eye candy! Lovely boy!!!
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Post by paquebot on Sept 23, 2016 2:32:31 GMT
Oh my, the Cremello stallion is just GREAT eye candy! Lovely boy!!! Yep! For years I used to pick out a favorite from the herd as the one that I'd buy if I had the chance. Definite charm as next thing I'd see that Jill had sold it! Last one was a beautiful black breeding stallion. Never found out what happened but he had to be put down. A picture and Jill's eulogy is at the bottom of the Stallions page. I tear up every time I read it. No more picking a favorite after Ebony Socks.
Martin
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Post by willowgirl on Sept 26, 2016 2:42:34 GMT
Sad to think these horses are in jeopardy. I adopted a BLM mustang once. The BLM neglected to inform me that he had been in captivity for 4 years, had been adopted out previously and was neglected by his previous owner, leading to reclamation by the BLM. He had issues beyond what I would have expected from a wild horse.
Because he didn't get along with my other geldings, I ended up giving him to a trainer on the condition that she would break him to ride, which she did. He bonded with her and turned into a great horse -- she even trained him to 'give her kisses' on her cheek!
I lost touch with her when I left Michigan, but I hope he's still with her and doing well.
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Post by merks on Sept 26, 2016 5:09:52 GMT
Here's my take on it, They should be managed just as any other wild animal is. There should be a hunting season on them. That would help keep the population in check. I hate to say it because I know so many of you look at them as domesticated pets. but Horse meat is very good eating. I lived over seas and had some without knowing it and to be honest I loved it.
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 26, 2016 12:47:00 GMT
Sad to think these horses are in jeopardy. I adopted a BLM mustang once. The BLM neglected to inform me that he had been in captivity for 4 years, had been adopted out previously and was neglected by his previous owner, leading to reclamation by the BLM. He had issues beyond what I would have expected from a wild horse. Because he didn't get along with my other geldings, I ended up giving him to a trainer on the condition that she would break him to ride, which she did. He bonded with her and turned into a great horse -- she even trained him to 'give her kisses' on her cheek! I lost touch with her when I left Michigan, but I hope he's still with her and doing well. It's really hard to get an abused wild horse to be anything more than an abused wild horse. It's sad how these animals are treated, and I will say it again, horses are different than other "livestock" animals. They are much more sensitive and cautious in life, and humans can ruin them quickly by trying to dominate and break them. I am the lead mare in my herd, and anyone who gets out of line knows in an instant that I have no problem smacking them once to get them back in order. In a herd, that is what they do to each other, one swipe of the teeth or a fast smack with a hoof sets the offender back on track. But it isn't by beating them or commanding them around that they respond, it is by respecting them for what they are, and being the leader, not the "master". My whole herd responds to me differently than to others who come to see them, they are respectful of my space and mind their manners around me. Other humans don't always get the same treatment, and while I don't like it and will correct my horses every time, it is generally the fault of the pushy, loud, brash human that gets them in trouble with a horse, not the other way around. Wild horses need time, attention, and intelligence when handling them. Not whips, spurs, and roughness. And they do not need to be hunted like other animals, that would be a huge mistake.
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Post by mollymckee on Sept 27, 2016 1:42:32 GMT
Here's my take on it, They should be managed just as any other wild animal is. There should be a hunting season on them. That would help keep the population in check. I hate to say it because I know so many of you look at them as domesticated pets. but Horse meat is very good eating. I lived over seas and had some without knowing it and to be honest I loved it. Hunting wild horses would be a real problem. For one thing I doubt horses running wild and shot by a hunter would taste very good. They don't run on great pastures, they run wild with emphasis on run. I believe horses that are used for food are feed like beef cattle, not wild animals. How will hunters know if they are shooting at wild horses or some ranchers horses? Then how do you plan to butcher the horse after you shoot it? Very few people can do it at home and butchers are not going to be able to do. Then there will a huge protest from all the people that want the wild horses or do not think they should be shot. Not a practical idea, or one that would work. The wild horses deserve more than that. The governments poor practices have caused this problem, they need to fix it in a humane way, not sweep it under it under the rug.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 27, 2016 3:03:43 GMT
The government has the right idea, capture and adopt. Capture part is working well, adopting part not working.
Martin
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