BLM~ Friend Or Foe?

I get the question a lot. "Why does the BLM feel they need to round up those horses? I see fat horses running wild in photos, and skinny horses in corrals."

And you know...sometimes that's true. Take, for example, the mare and foal above. If I were to tell you to compare that mare with the horses you see below, you'd be aghast. And people who love to hate the BLM won't give you a lick of information other than that.

The truth is, that mare was part of an emergency gather last fall. Originally slated to be brought in were the South Steens horses. But a quick change was made when it was apparent that the Coyote Lakes/Alvord Tule and Sheepshead horses were going into the winter with relatively little flesh on their bones. Mares were giving all they had to their foals and with severe drought conditions in their area, the chances of survival through the winter were not nearly as good as those mares in South Steens, pictured above.

So yes, sometimes you'll see thin horses at the holding facilities. But sometimes you see them at rescue facilities, too. Best to find the story behind the photos.

Next question is always, "Why do they let the ranchers use our public lands? If they just stopped letting the cattle graze it down, the horses would have enough to survive!"


Wrong again, Grasshopper. First off, cattle ranchers have had contracts long before the wild horses were protected. That's not going to change, so we need to just move on and consider a new solution. Why? Well, because the ranchers are only allotted so much time on the range anyway. Plus, when wild herds multiply at the rate of 100% every four years, the 33,000 that are out there now will be 420,000. In four years! Go ahead, move all the cattle and sheep off, but you're still going to be stuck with the same problem. Too many horses, not enough grazing land.

From where I sit, the folks at the BLM have an impossible job. They're stuck between two entities that each have extremely vocal members. It's important to remember that BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management...they manage the grasslands and ranges with the goal of always having enough forage for all who use it. Horses are not native, nor are cattle or sheep. Keeping things at a healthy level for native wildlife is of primary importance, and it's a constant balancing act when you've got to factor in what the public also wants. Unfortunately, we the people struggle to be united in this war of the rangelands.


I can honestly say there's not a simple solution. Many of the people I've gotten to know who work for the BLM in Oregon & Washington with the horses have a real passion for them. But like any organization, there will be those who are passionate and those who are in it for the money (aka, paycheck.) Take the thoroughbred industry; some folks love the horse, others love the win, race, show, and whatever happens to the horse is just a figure on their bottom line. There's good and bad in the mix, no matter where you go in the horse industry. It's not just a BLM issue. If it were, you wouldn't see so many horses neglected and starving, and rescues wouldn't be filled to the brim with domestic bred animals.

What it all boils down to, at least for me, is standing outside the fence and hollering that things need to change is unacceptable. If you want change, come on inside. Volunteer to put up posters for an adoption. Post a link from your blog or add a signature to your email. Consider adopting a mustang for yourself, or sponsoring one at a rescue. Join a mustang organization such as AMBA. Make yourself accessible.

You know, a month or so I ago I'd absolutely had it with being spammed here by Madeleine Pickens. Oh, it probably wasn't her, just one of her trolls. Here she sits, money to burn, yet she wanted a contract and to be paid by the BLM to offer the horses a home. Good grief...that's what they're doing now! Any of you who's ever adopted or donated has done more to help the plight of the mustang than Madeleine has done. She can afford to take a couple thousand horses and have cash left over, while many of us pour every last cent into a horse or two and wear second hand jeans so we can afford it.

Okay, now I'm rambling. Hopefully knowing just how passionate I am about my mustangs will help you realize that I wouldn't be sitting here defending gathers and range management if I didn't think it needed to be done. Those that I know are a great group of folks. They rejoice when there's a successful adoption, cry when there's a life lost, and admire the spirit within. Basically, they're just like us.