Working in Black and White

I'll bet you thought I'd be talking about Lefty. But...mmmmm...no. Trying to get some good sepia works going with photos taken on trips to the wild horse corrals this year. Not sure what to think of my efforts. Your thoughts? Do these do anything for you?

Tis the Season...

...for you to shop!

Unless you're going the Ba Humbug route this year, of course. And I can certainly relate to that feeling, what with the snow turned to ice rink deal we've got going here. No driving to the mall or feed store or tack shop for me, I'm afraid. I'll sit right here and wish I had a remote control stall cleaning system that would pick up the frozen piles that have accumulated overnight.

Despite not being able to hop in my little black Ranger and head to the chaos known as town, I'm assured that I'm still able to go Christmas shopping. City Boy loves to shop online...I swear the internet was developed just for men so that they didn't need to go networking at Macy's.during the holiday season. My grandmother, for years, has shopped from catalogs and her telephone...not to mention Television shows such as QVC. But me? I head to town and fight the throngs and swim like a fish upstream in effort to grab that $10 DVD player, which ironically I have no need for, not to mention anyone to give it to.

But not this year. This year I'm sitting here at my keyboard, wondering where I can find a 1200D waterproof (or at least resistant) blanket with a belly band that will fit Steve Holt!. Oh...and it must not cost more than an arm and a leg. Or worse...rendered duck fat. Exactly where does one shop for rendered duck fat? Help me out with those two items and I'll be ever so grateful.

In return, I'll send you here, where you can shop for gifts for the entire family (and, naturally, feed a wild horse while you're at it!) Everything from holiday cards and calendars (which everyone can use) to thermos' and mugs sporting photos of Oregon's wild horses. It's pretty cool stuff, really! And you don't need to traipse around in the snow or ice, or fight unruly crowds of angry shoppers to get there.

Summit of the Horse

“Now is the time for all of those who care deeply about the land and the horse, to come together as ethical and moral horse people, and find ways to address ignorance and a lack of understanding by activists and policy makers.”

Workshop to help stimulate the equine economy?


Control Excess Wild & Feral Horses: Deal with Unwanted, Abandoned and Neglected Horses on All Lands.

Or an Unholy Alliance?



Stand up. Speak out. Be heard.

January 3-6 is Summit of the Horse, sponsored by United Horsemen.

"There are some that want to believe that this organization is all about slaughter, that is simply not true," says Dave Duquette, who is co-organizing the event, along with Sue Wallis.

Rep. Sue Wallis (WY) is a well known slaughter proponent. Along with Duquette, they have put together this four day event in Las Vegas to speak on a variety of issues facing the equine industry.

No one, I don't think, can argue that there is a huge increase in neglected and abandoned horses due to the current economy. Whether you want to blame the closure of slaughter houses as a contributing factor or not, abuse and abandonment are definitely an issue. I was speaking with the Animal Control officer in the county to the south of me one day, who said that originally she'd been cheering the anti-slaughter movement. But now? Now she wishes there were a more humane end for the sudden influx of horses she's dealing with.

'Clairol' and friend, Sale Authority mares who sparked my desire to start Mustang U

This month, both Range Magazine and Western Horseman have articles on wild horse management (check out page 5 of WH...it's Dibs!) Both are very practical, though despite my pro-gather stance, I found myself wincing at the boldness of those who felt the mustang a menace. I understand it...truly I do...who wants to have feral horses wandering down highways or standing beneath street lights in the suburbs?

But there is a value in the mustang's freedom that cannot be denied. Who's heart doesn't beat even just a wee bit faster when they catch sight of those who are truly wild and free? They are not only a symbol of our western heritage, but represent what so many of wish we could be. When a nation is feeling the effects of a down turned economy, feeling pressure from all sides with little hope, it's a good feeling to know that somewhere, even if it's on the drought ridden ranges of the west, the American dream still lives.

Juniper gets a little assistance from an older colt up on the South Steens HMA

So how do we balance it all? How do we create space on the range for family ranches who've had contracts for longer than horses have been protected? How do we keep wild horses inside their boundaries, and not destroying private property?

Is it right for people who do not live this first hand...those in Hollywood or nestled into an apartment in upper Manhattan...to make life altering choices for those in the west?

And is it possible, even in the least, to have humane slaughter? I look out my window and know for certain that had I not picked up Tika, she would be one of those candidates, as would the Paisley Desert pinto mare. And out there, somewhere in Oklahoma, is a beauty known here as Clairol...or Beaty's Beauty...who's life may hang in the balance.

But despite my trembling heart regarding these horses that I know and love, I'm a firm believer that slaughter can be made humane. As someone who raises a lot of their own food, I know that I wouldn't want my lambs or pig to be hauled several hours, crammed into a trailer or truck across the state, let alone the nation. Yet for some reason, this is what faced our horses. I know for a fact that if I were able to haul my horse directly to the same facility that I've taken my other animals to, that they'd be treated well and their death would be equally as humane as euthanasia (I've seen that go terribly wrong, I'm sad to say.)

I don't know that I could ever haul one of my own horses to such a place. I don't know that, if slaughter were reinstated, it would be any better than it was before. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this summit impacts not just slaughter and the domestic horse, but America's Living Legends.