[VivaLasVegas]

Originally Posted by mftx4

It's pretty much the same. They gather the younger ones to be sold. Seniors and breeding stock are kept on the islands. You may be right about the location. I thought there were some small bands on the islands off the Carolina coast. Marsh Ponies, I think. Either way, it just seems to make sense. The herds numbers are kept low but yet enough there to maintain them.

Yeah.. theres ponies all over the southern east coast... I like to go down to Assateague every now and then, I really like the way they are managed.. well actually the MD side and VA side are totally different. The MD side uses birth control on ponies and the VA side rounds them up to sell. The BLM tries to do this, but 37,000 horses over 10 western states are a lot harder to manage than 200 oin a tiny island. Thats really all it comes down to. The BLM can only afford to round up an HMA every 4 years unless it is an emergency and horses are going into winter with no flesh on their bones. Its a lot easier to get a homes for 25-30 fairly tame ponies than several thousand completely wild horses.

[VivaLasVegas]

Originally Posted by Lyrical Lass

Is that a Fact? .. or your Opinion?
I'm not looking for an argument, just proof

~ Lyrical Lass

From what I can tell, fact. I have asked them myself, and the treatment I received was less than hospitable. Needless to say, they did not get my money.

[Lyrical Lass]

Originally Posted by VivaLasVegas

From what I can tell, fact. I have asked them myself, and the treatment I received was less than hospitable. Needless to say, they did not get my money.

From what you can tell????
( I'd be interested in your area of expertise that led you to "that" conclusion )

You asked them yourself???
I would love to have heard THAT conversation
~ Lyrical Lass

[seaglimmerfarms]

keep in mind that these are young horses who have had their joints severely stressed. Foot tenderness in horses that aren't old enough to really have hardened feet can lead to a life time of problems. The mare that tied up was a huge indication that this was a poorly thought out round up. The footsore horses should tell you A LOT especially when they released young horses that are so lame they can barely walk, let alone run, away from predators. How concerned can they be? I believe that bay filly was one of the horses released but I can't be sure. There's going to be a list with photos put up shortly.

Please keep in mind that right now cattle on grazing permits out number the range horses 200 cows per 1 mustang. If they're so concerned about the ranges why don't they cut back on the cattle? The horses were there first and are a national icon and many people are up in arms now that the numbers are being released regarding cattle grazing.

They do have another round up set up in Wyoming to bring in 948 horses.

Fish and Game is rounding up over 400 head in Sheldon, Nevada. Right now the outcry should to be release Conquistador and Grumpy Grulla to allow them to live out whatever amount of life they have left in the same state of being that brought them into this world. It's cruel to remove them from everything they've known for over two decades. At 19, Conquistador still maintained his own band of mares and neither he or Grumpy Grulla showed any signs of slowing down. Forget sanctuaries. Let them go back home. They deserve it after surviving out there for so long.

But beyond Grumpy Grulla and Conquistador, the 400 head of horses in Nevada are sincerely in danger because Fish & Game have a different set of "rules" then the BLM do. in 2006 several horses died after being hog tied on the range and left for hours and in Canada RCMP officers seized ten horses at a feedlot IDed as Sheldon horses.

the Pryor horses are an EYE OPENER. Hopefully now attention will shift to lesser known herds that just go quietly into the night without even being noticed.

[VivaLasVegas]

Originally Posted by seaglimmerfarms

keep in mind that these are young horses who have had their joints severely stressed. Foot tenderness in horses that aren't old enough to really have hardened feet can lead to a life time of problems. The mare that tied up was a huge indication that this was a poorly thought out round up. The footsore horses should tell you A LOT especially when they released young horses that are so lame they can barely walk, let alone run, away from predators. How concerned can they be? I believe that bay filly was one of the horses released but I can't be sure. There's going to be a list with photos put up shortly.
Do gathers put a lot of stress on horses? Yes. Do some horses occasionally get injured durring a round up? Yes. When dealing with wild animals you need to expect te unexpected, but the BLM does the best they can for them. As far as the mare being tied up... I've seen domestics tie up on trail rides - it happens. As far as running these horses too far and too hard, horses move at a rate of at least 20 miles a day, 10-12 miles isn't that bad. They were not moving these horses at a full gallop, they are allowed to go at their own pace until the end, that is when they get them moving, release the trained domestic, and get them into the chute.

Please keep in mind that right now cattle on grazing permits out number the range horses 200 cows per 1 mustang. If they're so concerned about the ranges why don't they cut back on the cattle? The horses were there first and are a national icon and many people are up in arms now that the numbers are being released regarding cattle grazing.
First off, if you are talking about the Pryors, there are NO cattle on those lands. Cattle are also only allotted a certain amount of time on the range per year. Ranchers pay to be there, beef makes money and feed people. Horses look pretty. I personally feel that unless one doesn't eat beef, then one should not complain about cattle. Look I love these horses, and that is why I do so much to help them, but I have to be realistic. As far as horses being there first? Horses are feral, they are not native and in reality have NO right to be there. BBQ is an American icon too.

They do have another round up set up in Wyoming to bring in 948 horses.
Yep.

Fish and Game is rounding up over 400 head in Sheldon, Nevada. Right now the outcry should to be release Conquistador and Grumpy Grulla to allow them to live out whatever amount of life they have left in the same state of being that brought them into this world. It's cruel to remove them from everything they've known for over two decades. At 19, Conquistador still maintained his own band of mares and neither he or Grumpy Grulla showed any signs of slowing down. Forget sanctuaries. Let them go back home. They deserve it after surviving out there for so long.
They were removed because they were outside of the PMWHR. They have been herded back into it several times and keep leaving. They are only allowed to be on the range, not off of it. They had to be removed.

But beyond Grumpy Grulla and Conquistador, the 400 head of horses in Nevada are sincerely in danger because Fish & Game have a different set of "rules" then the BLM do. in 2006 several horses died after being hog tied on the range and left for hours and in Canada RCMP officers seized ten horses at a feedlot IDed as Sheldon horses.
I am not involved with fish and game in any way and therefore do not know enough about them to comment.
the Pryor horses are an EYE OPENER. Hopefully now attention will shift to lesser known herds that just go quietly into the night without even being noticed.

The Pryor herds got public attention because people saw them on tv, and know nothing about the actual situation. These horses have been rounded up for nearly 40 years.

[mftx4]

Why aren't the folks working so hard for this herd, training and sending people into the field for these other, lesser known herds?
I'm sure many people will be up in arms, but, if they are honest with themselves, isn't it inevitable, that thousands of these horses, will no longer exist, in time to come. Vast numbers of natural preditors have been removed, natural habitat has been taken over by ranchers, that pay for leases to these lands. These horses compete for the same food that cattle do.
Why hasn't the thought of 'safari' type tourism been introduced. People pay to go look at nature in other countries, why not here? Why aren't colleges being encouraged to steer students towards programs, setup to work on these issues? Students pay to go to other countries to study rocks and bones, why not students in equine education programs, gear some of them to help solve these problems?
At some point these herds will have to be made smaller and when it happens, many will cry foul, but yet no one seems to be making any headway to cure them.
Sadly they are a relic of the past. A romantic thought in millions of heads. Ask the average person in New York, Chicago, or Detroit what the issues of the wild mustang is. I'd say 95% won't have any idea. Some won't even know that they still exist.