I copied and pasted this link. I hope that's the legal way to do it. It's just shameful and despicable what is going on with the wild horses in this country. Here's the article, you be the judge about what should happen to this guy and people like him and people enabling this to happen.
Wild horses sold by U.S. later ending up at slaughterhouses?
Until next time
Quote for Today
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
I've been trying to avoid this story as I hate to hear about such dreadful things, but I saw it posted on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI always worry about any horse that's sold. There are too many people out there who think horses are just throwaways if something doesn't work out. This guy is even worse as he decided to make money off his disgraceful inhumanity.
Wonder how big a crime the government will consider this? I hope they consider it as defrauding the US government. I think that kind of crime has some pretty stiff penalties.
Then again, maybe the government should spend some time prosecuting itself for fraud, or at least deliberate blindness. The decision not to investigate an obvious case like this is deplorable.
ReplyDeleteThinking again of the overpopulation problem, perhaps some of that money spent on shipping, etc. could be used for gelding and contraceptive techniques to control some of the breeding herds.
As I've said, selling a horse to anyone is a risky business. Selling to someone like this guy is downright dangerous.
I couldn't agree with you more. The people in Washington may not even know what's going on and I'm sure wild horses aren't on their priority list. What the BLM is doing is illegal and violates the law enacted in the 70's. They are supposed to be in charge of caring/helping the horses and it's just not the case. There are too many greedy people involved. This guy is obviously friends with the Salazar family and they are all making some shady deals in my opinion. I'd love to see them all prosecuted to the fullest. I hope someone follows up on this travesty before more horses are led to inhumane slaughter.
ReplyDeleteThe big cattle ranchers out west don't want to share grazing on OUR public lands (free for them) with OUR wild horses.
ReplyDeleteIt's disgraceful. Is there no end to greed?!
I think some of the problem lies with the fact that there are lots of rancher/cattle lobbyists with lots of money to spread around. I don't think there are many, if any, advocates for the wild horses.
DeleteI believe at one point gazillionaire T Boone Pickens' wife Madelyn, attempted to set up a sanctuary for tens of thousands of mustangs on one of their large ranches, but somehow it fell through...
DeleteI had heard that too. I'm not sure what happened but they wouldn't let them have the horses for some reason or another. That would have saved a lot of the wild horses and gave them a good home. Who knows why it was blocked but I'm sure it was political in some way.
DeleteIt was four years ago that I posted a story about Madeleine Pickens and her plans for saving the wild horses/Mustangs. Things looked very hopeful at that time.
DeleteHowever, with each step she has taken forward, there have been giant steps backwards. The politicals agree with her plans and then back out. The political heat from Washington and irrational behavior from the locals, has only kept Pickens from being successful, which is their plan.
Politically, the obvious goal is to rid our country of these "undesirable animals". Pickens is a thorn in their side. However, Madeleine Pickens fights on.
I've joined countless others in signing petitions and writing Washington big-wigs. Not sure it helps, but doing nothing certainly does not help the helpless.
In the meantime, if we all stay tuned regarding Pickens and her current efforts and her fights, if we help out where we can (with signatures)we just may win this battle. Check out Google for Madeleine Pickens website.
Thanks for the information. I've also signed many petitions and written to Washington and countless representatives. You just never know if anything is getting through to them. Hopefully, someone is aware and sympathetic. I'll check out her website and see what else can be helpful.
DeleteThese stories make me both depressed and angry. There is no punishment bad enough for these people. However, the government allows these situations, creates these situations. I agree with Jean's comment: "the obvious solution is gelding and contraceptive techniques". In searching for "good" stories for my blog, I wade through endless heartbreaking news reports just to find ONE good story about horses. What is wrong with this world?
ReplyDeleteIt makes me angry and depressed too. Mostly, because it makes you feel so helpless to do anything to make a difference. It seems the dye is cast where these horses are concerned.
DeleteA lot of the wild horses and mustangs on federally owned land are rounded up and slaughtered. The BLM is basically run by big ranchers who would rather run their cattle over the land than allow the horses to live and graze there. So they get their hand in the BLM and start pushing and pulling until the horses are gone. It's a sad thing that not many people know about.
ReplyDeleteI believe you're right. So many people don't know what's happening and it's a shame but so many don't care either.
DeleteI saw this today posted on the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition Facebook page. Sickening. I can't see how this is legal. If these horses are on federal land and are considered "heritage" animals, this can't be right. To be honest, we don't treat our wild horses here in Canada any better. It's the ranchers that win.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they can always find a way around legalities when money and motive are involved.
ReplyDeleteI don't follow closely what goes on with the BLM, I think it is terrible for anyone to lie in order to haul horses to slaughter, whether they are taking mustangs off the range to slaughter or racehorses after promising their trainers and owners they would find them a good home. The only thing I have close knowledge of is with the mustangs I have seen with my own eyes over the years. I see inexperienced people "adopt" mustangs because they are cheap, I have seen inexperienced people with lofty dreams of owning a horse that goes directly back to the "Spanish they escaped from" when in reality these horses are a big mixed lot of everything that got loose, released, or was culled from the herd because they didn't meet the standards. Unfortunately, inexperienced person and green horse, especially if it's an animal out of the wild, even if the horse was born in captivity, is a tragic mix. Mainly for the animal once it is put on craigslist for $100. Right now we have more than one mustang sitting in our barn, owned by inexperienced people I mentioned above that are creating dangerous horses that I am sure will eventually end up on Craigslist.
ReplyDeleteI am also tired of seeing what are basically just horse traders regularly putting 30 days on a mustang, selling it to the next inexperienced dreamer, and heading back to the BLM roundup. I don't know what the answer is:(
I agree that any inexperienced person shouldn't take on the training of a horse. It doesn't matter whether it's a BLM horse or racetrack horse or any green horse for that matter. It's a shame that horse traders are taking advantage of inexperienced dreamers instead of doing the right thing and really training the horses they're selling. That's the nature of people's greed I guess. There has to be a solution but I don't know what it is either.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the guys are run the BLM are the actual ranchers who want to get rid of the horses so their cattle can have the land. It's like the foxes guarding the hen house.
ReplyDeleteOn a good note, New Jersey recently banned horse slaughter. Now we have to get the federal government to follow. Obama is against it but he had to give in on that when we needed to raise the debt ceiling because the Republicans wouldn't agree to let us pay our bills unless we agreed to certain things and allowing horse slaughter was one of them. It's a money-making business.