Live Encounters Special Supplement on Mustangs December 2021

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Free Online Magazine From Village Earth Special Supplement on Mustangs December 2021

Katie Costello

Three indepth articles on the plight of Mustangs of the USA Cover photograph by Katie Costello Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

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©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

Special Supplement December 2021

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Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

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Part I Mustangs of the USA Part II Bureacracy and the plight of the Wild Mustang & Burros Part II Helping the Wild Mustangs to survive

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

Special Supplement December 2021

Mustangs, Bravehearts of the Land Mustangs represent the spirit of the land, a land which was once exclusive to the indigenous peoples of North America who lived in harmony with the elements of Nature.

Much has changed over the centuries. Sadly, these magnificent creatures, the Bravehearts of the land, are now facing the ruthlessness of a section of humanity that views its wild existence as disposable.

Katie Costello’s indepth well researched three-part series on the plight of the Mustangs of USA was first published in the September, October and December editions of Live Encounters Magazine 2021.

We have published this series in one special supplement for easy reference. And to help readers decide whether to support the people fighting to save the beautiful Mustangs. All weblinks to supporting groups are listed.

Please share this.

Mark Ulyseas Editor markulyseas@liveencounters.net

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS

Katie Costello ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO Katie Costello was born and raised in Hubbard, Ohio, USA. Her greatest passion in life has always been to help animals. She is lucky enough to be a licensed veterinary technician and owner of The Canine Campus Training and Wellness Center where she helps animals through behavior work. A vegetarian since she was 6 years old and a vegan for the last 13 years, she currently has 6 dogs, 6 cats, 8 chickens, 3 roosters 1 very special turkey and 3 farm pigs that are amongst her dearest friends. She is founder of 2 non-profit organizations, K-9’s for Compassion (Co-founded with her father), a therapy animal group and The Together 3 Journey, a service dog organization. She has been on the board of many animal organizations throughout her life, including Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary and C.H.A.I.N. (Community Helping Animals In Need) and SVBT (Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians) She enjoys freelance writing about (mostly) animals for different magazines, with her favorite being Live Encounters! https://thecaninecampustraining.com/

Katie Costello

Mustangs of the USA - Part I Text & Photographs

Just say the word mustang and it conjures up images of the pioneers, the wild west, the pony express, the days of cowboys and Indians. To me nothing says what it is to be truly American more than a mustang. They are the very image of freedom and land on the range. It also speaks to the special bond that people have with horses. A partnership that has been around for so long the two have forged a road that is inseparable. Yet the plight of the mustang is in danger, and many aren’t even aware there is a problem. Over the next few issues, I will be taking a deep dive into the many sides of the problem, and hopefully empowering you to join the revolution to save the wild mustangs, and all free horses everywhere.

Mustangs are still running free in California, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, and New Mexico in the West; and wild (feral) horses are still running free in MD, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. The Interior of Defense Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Manages 179 areas of horses throughout the states in the west.

The definition of a Mustang according to Merriam-Webster is a “small hardy naturalized horse of U.S. western plains directly descended from horses brought in by the Spaniards.” There are many other wild herds of horses on the East Coast that are not in danger of being rounded up: however, they do come with their own sets of problems. It should also be noted that while we call mustangs “wild” horses, they are not native to our land, coming of Spanish descent. They are truly “feral” horses from domesticated stock that has been turned out to fend for themselves, even though they have been feral for hundreds of years. It is thought that the mustangs were brought by the Spanish explorers in the 16th century. The word Mustang comes from “Mestengo” or “Mostrenco”, meaning wild or masterless cattle.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS There is something called The Five Freedoms. These are globally recognized as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals; they include: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom to express normal and natural behavior, and freedom from fear and distress. During the discussions in future issues, we will dance around several of these. You might want to mull over these truths to see where we may be lacking.

I think as anyone masters their craft more, they see many different layers to any perspective problem.

This happens naturally and slowly, as you see more and more from the trenches. For me this has evolved in a lifetime of working with animals, and seeing how, for so many people, it is all from our human perspective. We really don’t give animals a say in much of anything. We are certain that we know what is best, or we don’t care in the first place to look deeper into facts. The meat industry for the most part survives because it is all hidden from view. Most people are only concerned about the food on their plate, not how or what it is that gets them there. We live in this “Us versus them” society, and it allows these thoughts and attitudes to persist, which is a great disadvantage to the animals that we love so deeply.

There is something called The Five Freedoms. These are globally recognized as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals; they include: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom to express normal and natural behavior, and freedom from fear and distress. During the discussions in future issues, we will dance around several of these. You might want to mull over these truths to see where we may be lacking.

I think it is really important to understand how strongly horses bond. Their band is a family. Their stallion will fight to maintain the herd and protect them. The mares and their foals are inseparable.

Truly, they form incredibly strong bonds with each other. To separate them is torcher.

The Wild Horse and Burro Act

Taken directly from the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) webpage we learn how this act came to be. “During the 1950s, Velma B. Johnston, later known as “Wild Horse Annie,” became aware of the ruthless and indiscriminate way wild horses were being treated on western rangelands. So-called “mustangers” played a major role in harvesting wild horses for commercial purposes during this time.

Wild Horse Annie led a grassroots campaign, famously involving many school children. Newspapers published articles about the exploitation of wild horses and burros. As noted by the Associated Press on July 15, 1959: “Seldom has an issue touched such a responsive chord.” ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS

One of the families of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on th

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

he famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS So, what happens at these gathers? A helicopter will fly low and scare the horses forcing them to run. They strategically have corrals set up to capture the horses, and as the bands come together because there is safety in numbers, the BLM will release a “Judas” horse that runs into the enclosure and the mustangs often follow into the trap. From there, the pregnant mares and the foals that can’t keep up are often separated. Even the herds that can stay together are separated by sex upon entering the coral. Life as they have always known it is over.

In January 1959, Nevada Rep. Walter Baring introduced a bill prohibiting the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on public lands. The “Wild Horse Annie Act” became Public Law 86-234 on Sept. 8, 1959, but it did not include Annie’s recommendation that Congress initiate a program to protect, manage and control wild horses and burros.

By 1971, the population of wild horses on public lands had declined significantly because of the encroachment of man and the impact of mustangers.

In response to public outcry, Congress unanimously passed the “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act” (Public Law 92-195) to provide for the necessary management, protection and control of wild horses and burros on public lands. President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill into law on December 15, 1971.

Since passage, the Act has been amended by Congress on four different occasions. Read the full, amended text of the law... https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_wildhorse_history_doc1.pdf This law means that wild horses and burros are the only two animals in the United States protected by law as national symbols of freedom in our country.

Gathers

So, what happens at these gathers? A helicopter will fly low and scare the horses forcing them to run. They strategically have corrals set up to capture the horses, and as the bands come together because there is safety in numbers, the BLM will release a “Judas” horse that runs into the enclosure and the mustangs often follow into the trap. From there, the pregnant mares and the foals that can’t keep up are often separated. Even the herds that can stay together are separated by sex upon entering the coral. Life as they have always known it is over. Accidents happen (And are reported in the BLM gather reports, seen here https://www.blm.gov/programs/whb/utah/2021-onaquiwild-horse). It is not uncommon for stallions to break their necks trying to free themselves. At the Onaqui gather in July of 2021 a mare broke her ankle and had to be euthanized. These gathers break up families, are traumatizing, and in one fell swoop these horses lose their freedom. They no longer have any say in their life, which particularly for the stallions is everything.

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO Accidents happen (And are reported in the BLM gather reports). It is not uncommon for stallions to break their necks trying to free themselves. At the Onaqui gather in July of 2021 a mare broke her ankle and had to be euthanized. These gathers break up families, are traumatizing, and in one fell swoop these horses lose their freedom. They no longer have any say in their life, which particularly for the stallions is everything.

Who manages these horses? The BLM, or Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management.

More than 60 percent of their $100 million (Taxpayer dollars) for horse and burro management budget goes to caring for horses that they have rounded up.

Each horse under the care of the BLM, on average, will equal $50,000 during their lifetime to take care of them. This means they have limited money remaining to pursue innovative measures. One of the future articles will go into much depth about the BLM, how they manage and the reasons they claim the need for the gathers in the first place and speak truth or dispel the myths surrounding this topic. For a preview and more information on the BLM see here https://www.blm.gov/whb.

I found an article written by Bruce Nock; PhD entitled “Wild Horses the Stress of Captivity” particularly interesting. You can read the entire article here ... https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59f8c99ff09ca4e7c237d467/t/5a0f433e9140b74a561ea 0f4/1510949699449/Wild+Horse+Stress.pdf .

He explains how “The BLM reported that 20-30 mares “miscarried” in association with the Calico Complex Gather. In addition to the miscarriages, one wonders whether and how many fetuses were resorbed by mares? Fight or flight dictates that digestion comes to a screeching halt as soon as the horse was alarmed. Perfect conditions for the development of intestinal compactions and colic-the #1 killer of horses. The same can be said for the horses reported to be “not adapting to hay.” Of course not! Let’s be honest. It has nothing at all to do with the hay and probably little to do with the change of diet. It’s about being scared out of their wits and the sympathetic tone shutting down processes related to appetite and digestion.

He continues to explain that psychological stress, regardless of the source, also activated the fightor-flight reaction. That means the bad news for wild horses only begins with the gather. There is the confinement itself, imagine how stressful confinement is particularly in a species that runs for survival to be held within 4 walls of a stable.

There is social unrest and don’t overlook the importance of such things as the loss of or separation from lifelong herd mates, companions, and family. Boredom goes along with captivity and loss of control.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS Recently I was able to photograph the Onaqui herd. I can’t express in words the beauty of those creatures, or the freedom you felt standing amongst them.

I went with Jenn Rogers, one of the founders of RedBirdsTrust, a 501©3 group that helps the mustangs at Onaqui horses. Jenn is very knowledgeable about the horses, and the gathers. The truth of the matter is that ALL the mustangs in the West are in danger of roundup.

People like Dr. Sue McDonnell and Dr. Catherine Torcivia from University of Pennsylvania are looking for better solutions to gathers. Dr. McDonnell is Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), Animal Behavior Society Adjunct Professor of Reproductive Behavior, New Bolton Center Clinical Associate, Widener Hospital, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and Founding head of the Equine Behavior Program. At the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine they are using drones on a limited study group of horses to see if they can accomplish the same result with much less stress. While more work must be done, preliminary results were looking promising. See more information in this article https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/1/80.

I spoke with Dr. McDonnell who was able to pose the problem in many ways to me. She had personally spoken to Ranchers, BLM cowboys and BLM management all the way through the highest person in Washington overseeing the BLM. People are at such opposing opinions it is hard to really get anything done. She explained how the BLM is in between a rock and a hard place. That they have gathered so many horses and don’t have ability to adopt them. All their money is going to taking care of the horses from the gathers, and there isn’t money left over for a better solution.

We all have something to learn from one another. The ranchers, the BLM workers, the animal rights groups, the volunteers, they are all important piece of the puzzle and where the answer to this lies.

But we all must work together, and accept that we all don’t feel the same, but there are still pieces to take away from each person.

Recently I was able to photograph the Onaqui herd. I can’t express in words the beauty of those creatures, or the freedom you felt standing amongst them. I went with Jenn Rogers, one of the founders of RedBirdsTrust, a 501©3 group that helps the mustangs at Onaqui horses. Jenn is very knowledgeable about the horses, and the gathers. The truth of the matter is that ALL the mustangs in the West are in danger of roundup. When we first arrived in Utah, loving all animals, I was super excited to see the cattle running free and I couldn’t figure out the entire thing at all. As we were there, pieces started to come together. It was a sight to behold, coming from Ohio where we are void of wild horses or free ranging cattle.

Horses are in a class all their own. In other species people have determined it is okay to have “hunting seasons” because things are out of balance, probably because we eliminate all the natural predators. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS

Member of the Onaqui herd with the Onaqui mountains in the background. Photograph by

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

y Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

MUSTANGS And my hope is to ignite a fire within each of you to show the importance of the lives of these horses, and their true wildness. To honor them for the beings that they are, and what they stand for. To find truth in ourselves to do what is right, truly right. I am reminded of the speech by Chief Seattle, leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes who said some of the most powerful words I have ever read: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

So, we justify these hunts. The problem is that the American public doesn’t think it is okay to hunt horses. We don’t think it is okay for the horses to go to slaughter for the meat industry. and while BLM feels that there are too many horses for the land to sustain, (even though 8 times as many cattle wander free on the range, called “Welfare ranching”, the horses are the problem. So they are gathered and placed on land in hopes of adoption. (This is only one of many reasons that the BLM justifies removal of the horses. The National Academy of Sciences in a report commissioned by the BLM is concerned about gathers contributing to population growth rates. They have urged BLM to adopt the use of an injectable birth control injection called PZP. PZP was first used in the Assateague population in 1988 and has worked very well in controlling and maintaining their herds. However, the land mass is much smaller than on the range. Another problem with PZP is that you must be able to dart the horses every 2 years to be effective. This has been tested in multiple forms on different herds in the west with good results. See entire article here https://www.nap. edu/catalog/13511/using-science-to-improve-the-blm-wild-horse-and-burro-program.

One of the many arguments against horses is that they are destroying the land. Yet, wild horses occupy less than 12% of BLM managed lands. Livestock graze on 88% of BLM lands and vastly outnumber mustangs and burros, thus their impacts are exponentially higher.

I am looking very forward to sharing an in depth look at 3 parts to this problem in future issuesBLM’s side, Ranchers side, Animal rights side and how to take action to help mustangs on many levels.

This is a topic that I am very passionate about. These horses have admittedly stolen my soul, and I spend every second of vacation that I possibly can in their presence. However, I fully believe that it is important to understand all sides of the problem. It is only when you understand those different opinions that you can truly formulate an educated opinion about any problem. That is my goal with these articles. I want to present you with all sides, to allow you to form an opinion that makes sense to you. And my hope is to ignite a fire within each of you to show the importance of the lives of these horses, and their true wildness. To honor them for the beings that they are, and what they stand for. To find truth in ourselves to do what is right, truly right. I am reminded of the speech

by Chief Seattle, leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes who said some of the most powerful words I have ever read: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

Katie Costello

Bureacracy and the plight of the Wild Mustang & Burros - Part II Text & Photographs

“Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

All things are bound together.

All things connect.”

Chief Seattle, Leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American Tribes …..and yet, even as they connect, we still find ourselves at the top of a food chain making many decisions for many different beings- whether they live or die, if they are allowed to have freedom or even keep their families together. This really shouldn’t be a “decision” to be made. We should all strive to make the lives of every being better…no matter the species. We are all interconnected. We are all part of one.

In part one of this story I attempted to lay out an overview of the many complexities of wild mustangs and burros, and the way they are losing their freedoms. This months deep dive will take a look at The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), those who oversee The Wild Mustang and Burros Act of December 15, 1971, signed by President Richard M. Nixon. To understand this act, let’s put it into perspective. The Vietnam/American war was still being fought, and Watergate was 6 months in the future. It wouldn’t be hard to make a feel good story of saving mustangs.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Smart political move during a tumultuous time. But how did it go so wrong? The current system is rife with concern and failure for certain. I am truly afraid for the future of these mustangs and burros and all that they have come to mean to the West, to America, and to those who love the magnificent beauty and love story of them.

To understand the laws, the BLM website is pretty self-explanatory. It is full of their data, which is a good thing. They aren’t hiding some of the awful things that occur, which allows us to pull from these, and consider how to make things better. You can browse their website for much information, https://www.blm.gov/whb, and to understand the entire Wild Mustang and Burros act please see this website. https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_wildhorse_history_doc1.pdf During the 1950’s, “Wild Horse Annie”, Velma B. Johnston fought a grassroots campaign, using mostly school children to educate people about the wild horses and burros, and the mistreatment of the mustangs at the time by the “mustangers”. Annie was able to get a bill passed to stop the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on public lands, but she was not able to have congress initiate a program to protect, manage and control horses and burros. This fell short of her goal. It wasn’t until the 1971 bill that this occurred, and then subsequently fell apart. You can see the full act here: (And all amendments) https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_ wildhorse_history_doc1.pdf

I think it is important to be said that everyone needs to work together. I am not writing this as someone that is against ranching or the BLM: I look at them as a piece to the puzzle in which needs solved. A communion of many different people that come together and actually do what is right for these horses. To help them in a way that is fair to them, and just. We are amazing beings when our minds are put to a task. I would like to see everyone put aside their differences and start working towards a better good. One that benefits and allows wild mustangs to remain wild and free.

Below I will follow the money trail from the Onaqui round up in July of 2021. I do believe patterns will unfold that will be shocking. First, MILLIONS of our taxpayer dollars in America are spent on rounding these mustangs and Burros up. So, there is the extreme stress of the roundup, and then they are taken to holding facilities, with thousands of horses, waiting for adoption, often separated from the families that surrounded them their entire lives. The stress is overwhelming. And long term stress adds to long term medical conditions.

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

©Katie Costello

Wild burros in The Manti–La Sal National Forest, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

I think it should be said that there aren’t hoards of people out there wanting to adopt wild mustangs.

Especially in today’s economic society, many don’t have the money to properly care for these mustangs, not to mention the fact that these are wild animals; and the information that is out there to help and train and make mustangs a part of your family is few and far between and also another piece to this problem. Much information is out there, but much is one sided and unfair for the wild animals.

From the second the horses are removed from the range, their lives are forever changed in a way that is very stressful to them.

Are adopting wild animals out to homes fair? I think it is a piece to consider. I strongly believe that we need to hear from the veterinary behaviorists in whole about this. I would love to see more articles and information out there. I personally love Dr. Sue McDonnell and encourage anyone that is wanting to adopt out a wild mustang to reach out to her for advice and help on how to make this transition the easiest it can be for the mustang or burro. For the BLM adoptions no screening is being done. Certainly there are people out there that are doing what is right, or attempting that.

There are yet others adopting these mustangs for the namesake of having a mustang, and treating them as if they are domesticated horses is not fair to them, or to the person that is adopting these animals out.

In July my family visited the Onaqui herd just about 1 week after the roundup that took 435 horses from their home.

The cost according to USASpending.gov, Shayne Sampson, owner of Sampson livestock, received $105,710 for the roundup and then hauling the mustangs off to the range. https://govtribe.com/ vendors/sampson-shayne-f-sampson-live-stock-6qq57 Please note that Shane is only one person within the chain. I only chose him because this was a roundup I had first hand knowledge of. There are many “Shaynes” in the chain here. You can see the substantial amount of money he stands to make.

And then the Onaqui horses, at 435 head, where taken to Delta, Utah where G and R livestock was awarded 1.4 million dollars to build a new holding facility. https://opengovus.com/sam-entity/117142048 the money here is crazy. Taxpayer money. And I am pretty sure almost everyone would like a better solution. I am convinced few know where this money is going.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Po

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

Another main company that takes care of the roundups in the west is Cattoor Livestock. http:// www.wildhorseroundups.com/about.html and some pictures of their roundups. http://www. wildhorseroundups.com/photos.html My only challenge here is that there is absolutely nothing that you can do to remove a wild animal from the wild into captivity and make it a place without stress. Incredible stress will come to these animals removed. We can all do better working together.

The BLM has what it calls Appropriate Management Level or AML. This is what they use to determine how many horses can live on the land safely and manageably. It is a very common myth that these horses are removed because they are starving. This is a myth that works, because the last thing that anyone wants is to see them starve. This is a nice scapegoat that allows for roundups to happen, and people to be fed that lie and believe it. This is probably the most commonly said reason for rounding these horses up. However, please know that 80% of the public lands that were set aside for the wild horses and burros is actually going to the welfare ranching done in the west. 80% of cattle and sheep reside on that land. So, this statement is a little misleading at best.

This year alone the BLM has scheduled 18,000 horses to be rounded up. Let that number sink in.

How many horses and wild burros are left on the range? (Throughout the country) approximately 86,189 animals. There are 177 herd management areas across 26.9 million acres of public lands.

It is also important to put things into perspective. We need to decide what wild is, and do we ever intervene? On the East Coast of America, for example, are the Assateague Ponies and Chincoteague horses. Management of these animals is important in understanding what happens with them when things go wrong. For Assateague (Maryland side), the herd is owned by the National Park System and there is said to be no intervention. These are truly wild horses. The only time intervention happens is to dart the herd with PZP birth control to control the herd in a way that doesn’t require removal from the land that they reside wild on. If there is a severe injury, a herd management veterinarian can euthanize the animal. Now, having said that, on the Assateague side there are horses with problems with their feet, or who are older and have trouble keeping weight on. These are not things that are treated, but those horses are wild. They aren’t wormed. They aren’t supplementally fed. And problems with feet are things worked through, and thin horses don’t equal suffering when you are at a lifestage that causes a lot of calories to simply survive. Personally, Assateague is one of my favorite places in the world, and I love the fact that these horses are truly wild, and almost exclusively left to their own to make decisions for their lives.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Wild burros in The Manti–La Sal National Forest, Utah.

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS In last months article I spoke with veterinary behaviorist and previous BLM board member Dr. Sue McDonnell. She has also authored an amazing book called “Understanding your Horses behavior”. During our conversation, I had said that I felt that the numbers of what the BLM used to decide how many horses can stay on the land was arbitrary. She said, loosely it really was. It wasn’t science. We need that science in order to get to a real answer.

In the case of Chincoteague, the Virginia side of the island, the herd is managed by the Fire Department of Chincoteague. They do a “salt water roundup” every year as a fund raiser which people flock to. This upsets me to the point that I rarely go to Chincoteague anymore, and never during that week. It upsets me tremendously that they force these horses through the channel and then sell them (there is an option for donating the horses back to the herd)…but it is stressful, and families are separated.

Just to understand the complexities of the above model, let me explain a situation that just occurred this summer between Assateague and Chincoteague. A horse on the Assateague side named Moonshadow and her foal were hit by a car in July. Moonshadow ended up passing away from her injury leaving her foal orphaned. Because he wasn’t old enough to be on his own, the foal (being called Moonbeam currently) was sent to the Chincoteague farm where he could be raised and able to live.

It is this sort of give and take and working together that I think can allow for so many different opinions to come together and do something good for the horses of the west as well.

Moonshadow and Moonbeam’s story: https://www.wmdt.com/2021/07/assateague-island-national-seashore-wild-horse-dies-in-apparent-hit-and-run/ and her foal https://mdcoastdispatch. com/2021/07/13/injured-foal-relocated-to-assateagues-virginia-side/

But we all need to come to the table to make that happen. We need to put aside our differences and really have conversations using science based methods and facts versus arbitrary thinking or “all or nothing thinking” that has gotten us to where we are. And to shut down our minds and stop talking because we don’t like a way that things are being done isn’t going to help either.

In last months article I spoke with veterinary behaviorist and previous BLM board member Dr. Sue McDonnell. She has also authored an amazing book called “Understanding your Horses behavior”.

During our conversation, I had said that I felt that the numbers of what the BLM used to decide how many horses can stay on the land was arbitrary. She said, loosely it really was. It wasn’t science. We need that science in order to get to a real answer. And yet, embedded in “what has always been” and government bureaucracy -getting there has been impossible so far. But it is very much where we need to be. The BLM workers feel that they are doing a dangerous job and that no one understands that. Dr. Sue McDonnell is the perfect person to be able to help them to understand the stress, and how increasing stress in any species actually increases danger.

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KATIE COSTELLO And yet, embedded in “what has always been” and government bureaucracy -getting there has been impossible so far. But it is very much where we need to be. The BLM workers feel that they are doing a dangerous job and that no one understands that. Dr. Sue McDonnell is the perfect person to be able to help them to understand the stress, and how increasing stress in any species actually increases danger.

Dr. Sue McDonnell was also able to allow me to see a side of ranchers that I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Many of the ranchers can’t stand to see the horses without water and will dig wells for them. We all need to own our little piece of this problem and reach out to the other side to see how we can all make it better. Maybe perfection isn’t where we can start, but better. We can all agree to that.

The money given to the BLM to help solve this problem is overwhelming. For 2020, expenditures totaled $91.2 million. Off-range holding accounted for $57.0 million (62%) of expenditures, composed of $30.0 million for long-term care and $27.0 million for Short-term care. $12.3 million (13%) was expended for program support and overhead. Placement into private care through adoptions and sales was $9. Million (11%), another $7.0 million (6%) was expended for varied purposes including less than 1 percent for fertility control. In my opinion this is the area that we could focus on that could make an immediate difference. I know that many volunteers are ready and willing to sign up to be part of the darting process of birth control. If the horses aren’t reproducing as quickly, we also don’t have as many to remove from the field. And with all of the numbers being thrown around? $200 dollars per mare per year is the cost of PZP. Less stress. A big savings to the BLM. A potentially big problem solved. PZP is only one solution, and one that some do not like. From following Assateague’s ability to manage I have been in favor of this method, but understand it has its problems. More than giving ONE solution, I think we need to start somewhere with A solution.

Safely done, birth control on the range is going to easily win over removal from the range and the stress and lives destroyed.

And there is hope that we can move past the danger for anyone! Veterinary behaviorists and some scientists have been working on some different methods to help with PZP injections and positive reinforcement where the horses would be willing to walk into an area that they can be scanned, willingly, and given PZP as needed. This would be hands off. And allowing these animals to make their decision. Stress free…keeping people safe. There are options. It only takes working together.

One need look no further than Zoo medicine to see how far we can train animals in a positive manner, allowing them to make their own decisions, to have medical procedures done.

Welfare ranchers pay $1.35 per cow calf pair or 5 head of sheep to the government to roam these public lands that compete with the horses. The ranchers feel that the horses compete for their livestocks’ food and water and cause range damage. Range damage is a real thing. For BOTH the rancher’s animals and the wild mustangs and burros.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Members of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed P

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

However, there are contradicting reports out there about how this all works. This is another area that needs to be uncovered and debated and tried through time to see how it all plays out. More science is needed here. I will delve into this more in the third series next month. I would also argue that the cattle and sheep are competing for the horses’ livelihood.

A little-known fact, less than 2% of all beef sold in the US is raised on public lands. If public land grazing ended tomorrow it would have zero impact on the beef industry. The ranchers don’t need the public lands, but they do have a claim to them.

Upwards of 2 million cattle graze public lands, not to mention millions of sheep compared to a measly 79,568 wild horses. The horses are not the only problem here with the destruction of lands.

Currently there are close to 60,000 horses in holding. This is a major problem. Work needs done here to figure out how to lower these numbers and stop them from having to be rounded up in the first place.

And please understand, while I am speaking about Onaqui, there are 177 Herd Management Areas.

Each with their own issues. Each needing their own help and each being threatened by the ever more looming roundups.

It is also something to be considered that other species that are out of “balance” with what humans feel is adequate end up with a hunting season on their heads. Or, possibly back to slaughter. These are not solutions anyone wants either. It should be noted, that while BLM and all agencies at work here need to step up to the plate and come together in some way, at least at this moment in time the slaughter has stopped.

Six states have already lost their entire wild horse populations: Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. New Mexico only has one area left. I do fear that if solutions do not come soon, we will lose the wild mustang and burros forever.

The BLM website is great for information, one sided maybe, but a part of the puzzle. They do provide details. The accidents that happen, the deaths, the separations, how many are rounded up. There is data on this site that can be pulled to make everyone better.

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KATIE COSTELLO Upwards of 2 million cattle graze public lands, not to mention millions of sheep compared to a measly 79,568 wild horses. The horses are not the only problem here with the destruction of lands. Currently there are close to 60,000 horses in holding. This is a major problem. Work needs done here to figure out how to lower these numbers and stop them from having to be rounded up in the first place.

How can you help the wild mustang? There are 3 organizations (and I welcome anyone to reach out to me as I become better at knowing all of the powers that be!) and there are 3 organizations that as far as I can tell go far above and beyond and keep donations with the mustangs: The American Wild Horse Campaign (Having a large auction) The Cloud Foundation RedBird Trust

Next instalment will be ways to help the problem and who and where to write for action! Thanks for supporting the wile mustangs and burros!

I look forward to wrapping up with the final installment next moth where we look at ways you can help the wild mustang!

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

Katie Costello

Helping the Wild Mustangs to survive - Part III Text & Photographs

I truly believe that without some quick and serious intervention, we are going to lose what is left of the wild mustang and Burros.

The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM plans for roundups is appalling and frightening, and the removal plan is drastically increasing in numbers. Wyoming is the first target. With a goal of eradicating the wild mustangs entirely. Delete following in brackets (They want to eradicate the wild mustangs from this state). Wyoming says “wild west” more than most other states!

This would be a huge disgrace and loss of an American icon.

We need a modern day “Wild Horse Annie”. We need a hero that can come in, fight legislation, and save the wild horses and burros. Maybe Wild Horse Annie lives within all of us. Maybe WE (collectively) are the answer.

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Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

The government is spending millions on their current program. I am convinced if the public knew the truth they would be outraged. We are all told a story about how they are starving to death, there isn’t enough food and water, etc. And of course, the public doesn’t want anyone suffering. So, this plea works. But if you speak to people that love these horses, they have another side to tell.

What they are seeing aren’t underweight horses starving at all, and they have pictures to prove it.

Our taxpayer money is allowing our government to remove horses and burros for other benefits.

They remove the horses without a plan and have them living in storage facilities holding thousands of horses, and paying prime money for them to stay there. They hope to adopt out these animals, but the reality is the homes aren’t there. There aren’t enough able and willing to take them in. They are better served to stay where they are, in the wild that they have always known, with their families that they have strong ties with.

From a behavioral standpoint, adopting a wild mustang is served only to the most dedicated. A wild horse would certainly come with different behavioral issues because he/she is wild. He/she isn’t a pet horse. I am not sure why anyone would want to try to “tame” a wild horse. Of course, with the current plan of the BLM, it is the only shot they have. But I must say I worry about the well-being of these animals. Placed into the hands of someone that doesn’t know or understand behavior, or doesn’t reach out to a positive based trainer worried about the welfare and well-being of the horse, it is a recipe for disaster. These animals deserve better.

But of course, this is a complex problem. As discussed in the earlier two articles on this subject, when government determines a species to be overpopulated, they allow a hunting schedule. This, obviously, is not what we want either. Education, working together with the BLM, and fighting at the government level to create better legislation is the way out of this. It is the only way to win for the horses and burros.

Below is a list of way to help. This list includes options for all levels of lifestyles. Some take as little as a signature and clicking the “send” button all the way up to actively going to the sites of the horses and volunteering to clean up. I beg everyone reading this article to please take some action.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the mustangs and burros are running out of time.

As I type this, gathers continue, and more families are displaced. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Po

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah. ©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

There are organizations that have been fighting for the plight of the wild mustang for years, successfully.

There really isn’t much need in thinning the money out further and starting a new organization. Find one of the current organizations that are truly making a difference, and help them as much as you can.

I am certain there are more; however, these are the organizations that I know, love, trust and donate to regularly.

So what can you do to help?

01.

Support the agencies that are successfully helping the mustangs with your donations.

The places that I recommend should always tell their story loud and clear and have many regular updates as to what exactly they are doing. Sign up for their newsletters.

03.

Write to your congressman, and to the congressmen that have horses in their jurisdiction.

Remember that the congressman work for the people, and the more people say this is important, the harder they have to fight for it. Because you are their ticket to re-election. Many of the organi zations will send out pre written letters and tell you exactly who to email or call, all you have to do is sign it.

02.

04.

Many of the organizations that I will recommend have shops that you can buy items from.

Support these organizations.

If you live near any of the wild mustangs, volunteer with local organizations.

This could be cleaning up wire and debris from stopping the horses from being injured, to asking for donations, holding fundraisers, etc. I recently held a virtual and in person Pampered Chef party where I ask that all, I would have received for being a host be transferred to an organization of my choice. For 1 evening of fun we raised over $1,000.

Remember, legal fees are incredibly expensive and fighting this at the court level is the only way this will be won. Many of the organizations work on litigation to stop further round ups, legislation to get ahead of this, fertility control which needs addressed, and documentation of the roundups, which enforces accountability.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

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HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

05.

Planned gifts, wills, and living trusts are all ways of leaving a legacy for something you love.

There are many implications with this choice and you should talk to a financial adviser on the best way to do it.

07.

Write an opinion piece and help to educate on the problem. Talk to groups and people about this. If the public knew more about this, I am convinced that things would be different.

06.

08.

09.

Donate stock! Speak to the organizations to see if this is something that they do many of the large organizations do.

Train to be a PZP (or sterilization darter) to help to keep the numbers of horses workable.

Train to document wild herds. Data driven statistics will keep everyone accountable as well!

10. Adopt the wild burros and mustangs to keep them safe and out of the hands of slaughter houses.

The American Wild Horse Campaign is one of my favorite organizations. Their website has many options, and is well organized and thought out. Go here to see and educate yourself more on the problem or donate! https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/action-center

Another favorite of mine is The Cloud Foundation. The story of Cloud is beautifully documented.

They have a great team of people that are on top of the latest developments. https://www.thecloudfoundation.org/get-involved And then Red Bird Trust holds a special place in my heart as the Onaqui Horses are the first wild mustangs I visited. They do things a little differently, they work at cleaning up the range so the horses don’t injure themselves, as well as horses that are injured to help care for them. https://redbirdstrust.org/#/page/how-to-help/ Return to Freedom: https://Returntofreedom.org

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KATIE COSTELLO

Return to Freedom has a wonderful hyperlinked page on writing the congressmen, president, BLM, and petitions. Check this out and spend a few minutes doing this. Remember! You vote your congressmen in. Your opinion matters! See the page here: https://returntofreedom.org/8-ways-to-help-americas-horses-2/ A few other notable mentions work from the realm of getting the burros and mustangs adopted. http://www.uswhba.org https://ispmb.org Many of these organizations can receive a percentage of your amazon sales simply by going to Amazon smiles and setting the organization of your choice as your default. Then every time you spend money at Amazon, a percentage automatically goes to that horse organization.

As with any great cause, education is first and foremost. If you truly want to help the wild mustangs and burros (And I hope you do-they need your help!). Educate yourself on all sides of the problem, and then talk to everyone you know about it. Spread the word. Educate. Education empowers people and calls them to action. It is through the power of the people that the legacy of the Wild Burros and Mustangs will be saved. I will leave you with some great articles to read to educate yourself on the entire cause. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/wild-horse-managementoptions?loggedin=true https://awionline.org/content/myths-and-facts-about-wild-horses-and-burros https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/myths-facts-about-blm-wild-horse-and-burroprogram https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/wild-horses-part-two https://returntofreedom.org has an entire part of their website dedicated to education. Click on “Learn” to see all of the choices.

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HELPING WILD MUSTANGS

https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/media/roundup-report-wild-horses-wyomingcheckerboard https://americanwildhorsecampaign.org/issue https://www.thecloudfoundation.org/get-informed One of the best books out there is Wild Horse Country by David Philipps.

I hope you will join me in any way in helping the wild horses and burros of the Wild West of America.

I just know they can inspire you as much as they inspire me. They remind us all of what freedom, endurance, and what it means to be truly free.

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KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Member of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

PLIGHT OF MUSTANGS

Members of the Onaqui herd. Photograph by Katie Costello while travelling on the famed P

©liveencounters.net december 2021 Celebrating 12th Anniversary

KATIE COSTELLO

©Katie Costello

Pony Express at Tooelle, Utah.

Text & Photographs © Katie Costello

Special Supplement on Mustangs 2021 december © liveencounters.net

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