Wild West Wipeout

    When you hear Misty of Chincoteague, you probably think of this fun and exciting experience to go round up some wild horses off shore and bring them back to awaiting families. Hearing their laughter, whinnies, and a lifetime of joy ahead. Back then there was no such thing as helicopters, no stallion shootings, no slaughter. Now, we have all that and the technology and politics to back it up and somehow make it legal. And no more wild horses.

     The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) claims that they do not send horses off to slaughter. This is true. But they price their horses and burros extremely low, making them easy targets for people who are looking for an easy profit. Buy a horse for $125, turn around and sell it for $350-$425 to slaughter. $225-$300 profit from just one horse. This the reason for the basic rule 'Don't sell your horse under $400' in our little world. The BLM should follow this rule, also. The BLM does not do background checks on people looking to adopt or keep tabs on the horses adopted out, as they should to ensure the horses' safety. It would improve our economy, too, because doing background checks would increase the number of jobs in America! But the thing is, there are caring homes and rescues who would love to take them in, but they can't because they are already overrun tons of horses just dumped on them. This is the result of excessive and reckless breeding in the horse community. It is harming our economy as a whole. 

     Also, if a horse or burro isn't going fast enough for their liking, which could be from age, sickness, injury, pregnancy, etc., they hit them with the rails of the helicopter they corral them with, into a pen to later load them into an open cattle trailer. Don't believe me? Go to YouTube and type in American Wild Horse and Burro Abuse by ProtectMustangs. You'll change your mind then. As shown in the video, a panicked stallion could have easily broken both front legs in a collision with the metal bars holding him in trying to escape. And the people working there caused it! They taunted him with flags and sticks in attempt to load him into an already overcrowded, overheated livestock trailer. What horse would want to go in there? Would you? I wouldn't.

     According to The Cloud Foundation, in just two roundups in Nevada, out of 1780 horses and burros removed, there were 15 deaths. And this is not a rare occurrence, either. My mom tells me all the time of fatal injuries as a result of the round ups she hears about. Many of these include panicked stallions. People are attempting to separate a stallion from his herd, and he goes nuts! It is his job, given to him by nature, to protect his herd of mares and foals, and he is merely trying to do just that. They let the horse thrash about in his cage. After inflicting multiple major injuries, they finally shoot him. By this time, death is welcome. But the herd is still in jeopardy. Their lost stallion was their armor, and without it, they are easily defeated.

"When you voice out, don't merely ruffle some leaves before fading away. Boom like thunder, and shake the world." 

***Call your US Representative today to tell them things need to change. These roundups need to be made less frequent and more humane. The acreage of the land available for the horses and burros to roam needs to be increased to 40 million acres across the western US. 

For more information,

go to Youtube and type in American Wild Horse and Burro Abuse by ProtectMustangs 

Or go to Mary Nash's website, www.kaufmanzoning.net