[lbhugg]

Does anyone know about how many free roaming mustangs there are? Approx. how many foals per year? How many are rounded up per year?

[pest 357]

A best guess 27,000 left in the wild and that includes the few wild horses in the east. As to the rest of the numbers foals would vary from year to year.Right now Cloud's grand daughter is a beautiful filly named Wildflower, who looks like her Grand Dad. The round up numbers are known only to the BLM but in the meeting last month they talked about 11,000 to be gathered this year and I repeat they can't feed the ones they have and turned down.Ms. Pickens offer.However I believe that may in some form still be in the works??

[Fallon]

They have to do something. Instead of spreading propaganda find a solution.

I still don't see a single other viable solution offered.

Offer one.

They are required by LAW to round up the horses and control the numbers.

Period.

Whether they can feed them or not, they are required by LAW to do so.

Zeroing out a few HMA's makes room in the budget for more feed.

It also allows the land to recover.

If you don't like it offer a solution.

One that is viable, doable, and that will work.

One that is not leaving the horses alone to breed willy nilly, wander whereever, and do whatever they so desire.

By LAW the BLM is required to control those things.

Until another solution is offered up, they will do what they must. Period. Find a solution.

[doubledutch]

[quote=lbhugg;3916745]

Originally Posted by Fallon

Gelding and releasing causes huge problems within the herd structures. It's a nice idea but not practical at all. The expense, the care needed for gelding (try doing that for a wild horse), and then the herd social ramifications of having geldings who won't fight off a stud running loose in the herds etc... Not good.



I guess i don't see it by gelding some of them they are basically lower on the totem pole because at that point they don't have a hard drive to fight aka another stallion is lead. I am not saying to geld them all. As far as cost and care I don't know what your vet charge out there or anything but I sure would think it is cheaper than housing feeding all those horses. Again I don't know how you run things that way but when a geld is done around here it isn't really any care turn them out and go they want them exersized but nothing gets put on them.

I have mustangs who came off the range. I have to say that returning gelded boys to a wild herd would pretty much doom them in times of water or feed shortages. My girls wont let ANY gelding eat or drink in their pasture untill they have had their fill. does that sound like a good place to force a gelding who has suddenly been dropped to the bottom of a very long pecking order. If i didnt interfere at feeding time my boys would not get to eat period. One of my mares will share with the oldest mare we have, but will fight to protect 2 or 3 piles of hay from the boys.
It is amusing to me when people who have never actually delt with mustangs (looking at one in a pen doesnt count) think that they are the same as any demestic horse.LMAO

[Stormyheart6160]

WHY.....did they turn down Mrs. Pickens offer????? For an organization who is "supposedly" only interested in "saving" the mustangs from starvation and extinction......What is so wrong with what Mrs. Pickens wants to do for them? When she would take 100% responsibility for their care and upkeep??? It seems to me that letting her do just that would save the BLM tons of money, and it would reduce the numbers on the range.

Someone PLEASE help me to understand this, because it seems to me that killing thousands of wild horses is going to net the BLM some money???????? Is that all they are about anymore???

[Drafty]

god i hope someone can help these horses this is not fair and never would happen if they were allowed that other land

[Stormyheart6160]

Originally Posted by Drafty

god i hope someone can help these horses this is not fair and never would happen if they were allowed that other land

Haven't you figured it out yet? When it comes to the "human species wants"....."fair", does NOT enter the equation.

[Fallon]

Originally Posted by Stormyheart6160

WHY.....did they turn down Mrs. Pickens offer????? For an organization who is "supposedly" only interested in "saving" the mustangs from starvation and extinction......What is so wrong with what Mrs. Pickens wants to do for them? When she would take 100% responsibility for their care and upkeep??? It seems to me that letting her do just that would save the BLM tons of money, and it would reduce the numbers on the range.

Someone PLEASE help me to understand this, because it seems to me that killing thousands of wild horses is going to net the BLM some money???????? Is that all they are about anymore???

Mrs. Pickens apparently wanted the BLM to pay her X amount per horse per month to keep them. Which of course wasn't the goal from the BLM side of things and it's not how she made it sound to begin with. They are still trying to work on doing something, but so far nothing is going to happen.

[mftx4]

I hadn't read any followup on the Pickens deal. She made it sound all rosey, like she would put them on a free range for nothing and care for them.
Where are those rose colored glasses?

[Stormyheart6160]

Originally Posted by Fallon

Mrs. Pickens apparently wanted the BLM to pay her X amount per horse per month to keep them. Which of course wasn't the goal from the BLM side of things and it's not how she made it sound to begin with. They are still trying to work on doing something, but so far nothing is going to happen.

Ahhh....I hadn't heard that she wanted the BLM to pay her to keep them.

In fact, I heard just the opposite.....the BLM wanted her to BUY all of them.

Why can't I be rich? I would take all of them.