Today marks Colorado’s official 150th birthday, “celebrated as the sesquicentennial of the Centennial State joining the Union in 1876.” (Interestingly, for this Aggie, also the year of the founding that October of Texas A&M University, known then as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Yes, I know that has nothing to do with anything, but I *am* a Texas Aggie living in the Centennial State (and for much longer now than I lived in Texas).)
Sadly, today also marks the start of the roundup in Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area (needed but still incredibly sad that so many mustangs will be removed in the antiquated cycle of round-up-and-remove) and West Douglas Herd Area. More than 1,000 mustangs will be removed from these ranges, followed by nearly 250 more next month from Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area. Please don’t make negative comments about this; it just needed to be noted. The advocates are intimately involved and working to ensure the safety and best treatment of those mustangs. Fertility-control programs hopefully will be stepped up, especially in Piceance-East Douglas, and I might have more information about that in the future.
In all the ways that Colorado’s statehood birthday is being celebrated, I haven’t seen anything about celebrating its mustangs, which, in my opinion, is a missed opportunity to uplift these remarkable animals and the giant roles they have played in this country as a whole, as well as the wilds of Colorado. So we’ll just have to do it ourselves. 🙂
I am thankful that we HAVE mustangs, still, in Colorado. And with hope and better management, they’ll be here another 150 years.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
The only comment I will make about the round- ups is that I am so very grateful that we don’t do that anymore at Spring Creek Basin. Other HMAs could learn from ours. And happy birthday Colorado from a thankful native! My Alma Mater – Colo. St. Univ. – was also an original A and M, founded in 1870, six years before statehood! Ain’t history fun! 😁 And yes, any Colorado history celebration should include our many mustangs; they are foundational to this state’s narrative.
Unfortunately, it’s not that they’ll never happen here … just that, with good management using fertility control (native PZP), we’ve been able to do what we set out to do: greatly reduce the interval between removals. Very interesting history about Colorado State University!
So true. TJ. Our HMA has done it right and you’re a big part of that.
Amen!💗🙏
🙂
Happy Birthday Colorado! What a beautiful place for people and of course horses!
It IS a beautiful place for horses and humans and other wildlife. 🙂 I’m so glad I landed here.
Thank you for this post of recognition 🫶🏻♥️🫶🏻.