Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

… and a guessing game.

Who is that, and what’s the landmark behind him?

This is not a hint but another teaser: He’s involved in a recent change-up in the basin … (L&K, don’t give him away; you already know!)

🙂 More promised.

Here’s looking forward to a better future for our nation’s wild horses, one of freedom rather than pens, of soaring hawks rather than the terror of helicopters, of what they – and the American public – have been promised: Horses wild, always.

Here’s to our mustangs!

A holiday success story! The palomino mare I recently posted about has been found and reunited with her owners! Thanks to members of both the Four Corners and Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen for the news!

“Amy Wollert sent me a message last evening saying that whoever took her horse got scared and dumped the mare off on a county road near Eads, CO. All’s well. I’m positive that the amount of emails circulating by everyone (including you) put the fear into the thief. So, hooray for everyone who helped! What a great new year’s present for the Wollerts—and the horse”

I wish all of you a very merry Christmas. May your lives be blessed in all ways by the horses you know … and those you know from afar … in 2010.

This isn’t a mustang, but it is in Colorado, and the hope is that the more coverage, the better the chance these folks will get their mare back.

Forwarded to me by one of our Wild Bunch group:

Please be on the alert for this palomino mare, recently stolen from Wiley, CO. To make sure this was not an internet hoax, I spoke directly with Amy about it—the horse is a good roping horse, known on the circuit in that area, so Amy believes that the thief is someone who knows the horse or has seen her compete. Ropers travel great distances, so please spread this information and see if we can’t help bring the mare home for Christmas.

Please contact Amy or Brandon, information listed below:

9 year old palomino mare stolen from my house in Wiley, Colorado.  She is a dark yellow. Branded lazy D or W on left front shoulder, freeze brand.  Blaze face, 2 hind pastern markings and wire cut on left rear cannon.  If you have seen her or have any info please contact me at 719-660-9389 or Brandon at 719-688-2357
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS!!!!!!!
Thanks
Amy Wollert
amywollert@rocketmail.com

I found this blog a little while ago about the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota and decided to add it to the blog roll as another resource for people who want to follow another herd of wild horses (and one managed by the Park Service as opposed to BLM). A roundup was recently conducted there (I think that’s how I became aware of the blog). The current post is about three young stallions that need homes. They were adopted but need more time than their adopter can provide – although it sounds like he might be a trainer and has put a great deal of time already into gentling them.

By way of introducing that blog on my blogroll, I thought the need for adopters for those horses was as good excuse as any. Find it here: http://wildhorsesoftrnp.blogspot.com/

And hopefully there are some folks local to his location who might be interested in one of these colts (3 and 4 years old).

As far as our Spring Creek Basin horses, I’m glad they’re all mostly in great shape and winter-coated because we got blasted this week with snow and wind and icy temps. Because of that – and the roads in less-than-ideal condition for a trip that, on a good day, takes me two hours – I decided not to venture out to see them this week. More snow is forecast to blow in Friday through Monday. I miss them now; by next week, I might not be able to stand not seeing them. Keep them in your thoughts, though I think they’re probably quite well and happy with all this “fresh water” for the taking, whenever they want it … though it might be a little hard moving around and browsing! Also, think of all the great water our ponds – especially the newly dug ones – will be full of next spring!

From an email update from American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign:

The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued its 2010 Round-up Schedule (http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/pdf/roundup-schedule-2010_20091.pdf) which provides for the capture of a staggering 12,000 additional wild horses and burros, at the cost of 32 million of our tax dollars! Given BLM’s recent handwringing over the number of horses in government holding, this announcement is simply baffling. More than ever, America’s wild horses are under siege, their long-term survival increasingly threatened.

[Note that West Douglas  is on the list – 60 horses (of how many?) to be removed – in February. Don’t know how many horses out there; BLM still claims there are four herd areas in Colorado, not five.]

Nevada’s Calico Complex, with over 2,500 horses slated for removal next month, is high on the list of questionable removals and another example of BLM’s out-of-control behavior. This herd was last rounded up in 2005, when BLM left an estimated 575 horses on the range and gave the mares a contraceptive vaccine. Yet, BLM now claims there are over 3,000 horses in that same area, a preposterous number, even by BLM standards. Locals familiar with the herd are adamant there are far from that many horses left on that range. Indeed, only BLM’s creative accounting could find that a herd has quintupled in size in less than five years, let alone a herd under a contraceptive program!

Interesting background information: last year, BLM authorized a 300% increase in cattle grazing for the area, and the building of a fence that BLM itself admitted might cut wild horses from their winter range and cause them to die. Wild horses would also be locked out of the best pasture with the most abundant water during the driest time of the year. At the time, BLM justified its decision by arguing that wild horse populations in the area were minimal. A couple of months later, it came out with its puzzling claim of population explosion, setting the stage for this massive round-up.

Clearly, something here is amiss. Where did these 3,000 horses come from?

Comments to BLM regarding this round-up must be provided by Thursday, November 12, 4:30 pm PST to Jerome Fox, BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445; Fax: (775) 623-1503; Email: wfoweb@nv.blm.gov (please be sure to include the following reference #: DOI-BLM-NV-W030-2010-0001-EA)

More importantly, the Department of Justice, which is currently investigating BLM for other misdeeds, must be made aware of another instance of this federal agency running amok. Please express your concerns over BLM?s questionable practices and continued mismanagement of our wild horses to:

John Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice, Room 2141
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
Email: john.cruden@usdoj.gov
(note: letters to the DOJ are not subject to the Nov. 12 deadline)

On behalf of America’s wild horses, thank you for your support,

The AWHPC Team
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
www.wildhorsepreservation.org

If anyone has a device to stop time or put more hours in a day, I could sure use it.

There have been some changes in the herd, and as it’s taking me so long to process photos, this will be a words-only post.

Only one change is worrisome: All three introduced mares (and baby Corona) are back with Kreacher, and Duke is alone – and hurt (left hind). I’ve seen pictures and a video clip of him, but I haven’t seen him for myself since I got the report from two of the herd’s biggest fans, Lynn and Kathy from New Mexico. Hard to judge the extent of his injury, but I have great hopes that he will heal and be just fine.

Chrome has finally had success after dogging Grey/Traveler’s band for a couple of months: He has Jif and her baby, christened Hayden as a nod to him being born while I was in Yellowstone, and Iya wandered over while I was there Saturday, so we’ll see whether that lasts. I think the “acquisition” happened last weekend, and the horses seem to be staying near each other, for the time being, at least. The horses themselves seemed perfectly fine with the new arrangement – very calm and relaxed.

There is one – singular – horse that qualifies as bony: 20+-year-old Molly. The old girl is definitely skinny. Her 4.5-month old filly, Liberty, looks great, though, as do Seven, Roja (who is the absolute, extreme opposite of bony!) and Ze.

Aspen, Hook and Twister alternate between hanging out by themselves and latching onto Steeldust’s band. Twister can most often be seen very close to Hook.

Cinch and Bruiser have been most often in the north and were seen Saturday drinking from the Flat Top pond, which held water after that big rain right before I left on vacation but is already drying from the edges.

Poco and Roach went back “home” and are not with Hollywood’s band right now, and Hollywood’s have been roaming all over the basin – including in Poco and Roach’s home territory. They all look great.

Bounce is keeping a low profile, and his lovelies all look lovely.

David and Shadow and the pintos seem to be staying close to the one reliable water source I know of in the south – which, by them hanging out in that location so consistently is what makes me think it’s their best/most reliable water source.

Steeldust’s big band still includes bachelors Mouse and Comanche and the young stallions Butch and Sundance. The interesting thing in this band is that one-year-and-almost-3-month-old Storm is still nursing from still-tolerant Alpha!

Everybody – except the aforementioned Molly-girl – looks very healthy!

We could use some more rain (I suspect I could type that phrase as part of every post). The reclaimed “road” to Wildcat Spring is now even better protected with a line of boulders. There’s a new sign up telling people to stay on designated routes. Thanks to D and B, K and R  of the National Mustang Association, Forest Service, San Juan Mountains Association and Bureau of Land Management for completing these projects.

Someday soon, I’ll get some more pix posted of my fabulous beauties!