“Blame it or praise it, there is no denying the wild horse in us.” ― Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room

This is an Editorial (a Freedom of Speech outlet), on something very troubling that exists today within our government agencies. Here I use the Bureau of Land Management as an example, as there is such an abundance of misinformation and lies coming from them constantly within the media, as well as placed over the Internet.

Today it is government agencies that use their capacity as a government entity to pass misinformation off to the Public as being truthful. Often it is easily acknowledged by those who, in this case, know horses and are well informed about Public Lands, that it is viewed as misinformation.

It is the duplicity of false information in an attempt to authenticate a government agencies, BLM, existence; their platform being that of Special Interests rather than the general public and taxpayer’s = money. . .

I conduct this not as a theory, but as a reality, the reality of oh so many decision’s today based on a false premise or acknowledged misinformation in order to manipulate or coerce. Ultimately, since it is troubling or misinformed information, and management, in this case America’s Public Lands, is simply being destroyed – well referenced within good science and recent developments in regard to America’s Public Lands. . .

The Problem

Here is one example (make no doubt many more exist and ongoing):

“Tom Gorey, a BLM spokesman, said, “the opponents of our horse gathers face a daunting question of ethics. On one hand, they imply that if Mother Nature kills off the horses from thirst or starvation, that’s OK. But if we intervene to save these horses, that’s unacceptable.”

But what happened in Nevada awhile back is a strong reminder that it’s the roundups themselves, and not Mother Nature, that present the greatest threat to wild horses:

•One mare was killed because she was blind in one eye and the BLM said that “it was dangerous for processing.” She was 15.

•A second mare was kicked by another horse while in temporary holding, and suffered a broken leg, so the BLM killed her. She was 8.

•A third mare suffered the broken neck from ramming a gate while in the trap after the roundup. She was 9.”

The Resolution

The fact is Mr. Gorey is wrong on many different levels here. Over time, the ultimate judgment of bad decision making established on false or misinformed information, in this case what has been shown wrong by not only good science, but results between what Horse Advocate state as sound management, and the reality of what transpired relating directly to BLM’s decisions – the BLM’s decisions quite costly to taxpayer’s in the millions of dollars, as well as outright cripples and kills America’s Wild Horses, America’s Heritage.

The fact is no Horse Advocate had made the statement Mr. Gorey eluded toward. In reality it was his condescension, basically to belittle other American’s, in order to generate hatred and animosity toward Horse Advocates.

The reality, no Horse Advocate would allow Wild Horses to die because of no water or food available – that’s ridiculous and childish to even assume such a remark to be ethical what so ever coming from a government employee, but does establish the types of employee’s that indeed work at the BLM.

What is stated, by many Horse Advocates, is the fact that the Wild Horse Management Areas (i.e. Taxpayer support program and Public Lands for the Wild Horses to roam freely — HMA’s) are neglectfully being over-run by cattle. These cattle I speak of are far and above the amount truly manageable and the guidelines ignored of that are within the Public Land Permit Grazing Allowance. This ultimately devastates (as good science and research in these given areas show time and again) entire Ecological Biospheres destroyed by over-grazing of cattle, which in turn destroys the available food and water for all wildlife in that given area.

From Mr. Gorey’s statement above, and the quick rebuttal showing the statement false, you have read what transpired at that time. And yet, like a spoiled child, BLM employees continue to do similar tactics and within an oddly arrogant manner. This equates to even more taxpayer money spent!

But their information is vastly in error, as what they do not mention is the fact of their supposed “Good Science research and data gather for their decisions” – very important here – have not worked out what so ever. The other ironic fact here is that BLM Management and Department of the Interior Director demanded the elimination of cattle being mentioned within any further science research, grassland studies, or technical reports. This has been accomplished over the past five years, and decisions have been made on these reports and studies. Taxpayer money spent on frivolous situations and consequences escalated tremendously, due to these manipulated technical studies and reports!

Now we get into the Wild Horse Herd Roundups that never need to occur. The BLM’s explanation for the Roundup, and to spend millions upon millions more of taxpayer money – The Population of the Horse Herds too many for the HMA’s and must be taken off Public Lands –

THE REALITY? Fewer cattle, and not less wild horses, would resolve the problem nicely and correctly. This common-sense rebuttal simply demands that BLM manage the cattle on Public Lands appropriately and in accord with the Grazing Permits and the laws stup by legislative action! Yes, that simple – but more simplicity follows! Interesting, isn’t it – the fact of not needing to spend taxpayer money at all.

Yes, this is where not only experience, knowledge, good science, sound observation, and appropriate data gathering from many, rather than just a few who all have only special interests in mind, ironically remains ignored by not only BLM management, but by the Board at the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

True Horse Herd Management

Case in point: Many horse people, to include myself, have observed wild horses in the wilds. We have also studied the wild horses, and over the years keep up with knowledgeable facts, especially how wild horses breed and their herding tendencies and characteristics.

Many knowledgeable wild horse observer’s, horsemen and horsewomen alike, observe the natural progression of herd development, mentality, communication, and control, which creates a natural pattern of minimal impact on the culture and behavior of the various Wild Horse Herds on Public Lands.

One of the most obvious, and for this matter the most enlightening here, is that young bachelor stallions are culled, or chased away by the alpha-male or main stallion — while attempting to recruit mares for themselves. Hence, the herd dynamics allowed for a stable population with long term pair bonding between alpha males and females.

Reproductive rates, it is shown through these techniques of a “natural controlled and progression of herd stability” from many herd’s studied, were estimated between 4-5 percent. We then compare, for this example and taken from a 1979-80 study, and within these same herds, after BLM random gate cuts were implemented, were estimated at 10 -12 percent and rising. This increase in reproductive rates most likely was due to the fact that stable pairs of alpha females and males had been removed leaving many mares open for recruitment from bachelor stallions previously not allowed into the herd.

In reality, this causation, or BLM’s lack of knowledge and abilities, created an incompetent interruption into the natural progression of wild horse herd dynamics, which created increased horse populations.
Which in turn and not to be overlooked created a much more expensive budget for Wild Horse Herd Management? Yes, the taxpayers paid once again for incompetence in total!

Then we start talking about the extremely vast budgets, in the millions of dollars, to roundup these horses due to over-population that BLM and their management situations (or lack of) had caused! (Horse Herd Management Principles here taken from “Standing in the Field Where the Wild Horses Whisper in Silence – https://prophoto7journal.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/standing-in-the-field-where-the-wild-horses-whisper-in-silence/ —

Conclusion

But then, it’s as simple as this – The Taxpayer’s, American’s and owners of Public Lands, should demand TRUTH from our government agency employees as well as our Legislator’s. Stop making decisions on false, misleading, manipulated for special interests, or misinformed information! That is simply not too much to ask for at all, don’t you think?