WILD HORSE FOUNDATION

keeps on placing our wild horses in homes............

Have you adopted yours lately?

Our next requested shipment should be here in September 20.

All you hear about is how the BLM states it has 32,000 wild horses  and burros out on its open range lands and needs to remove over 4,000 to get it down to limits to survive.  So let me get this straight, the 30,000 that are in long term holding facilities go unmentioned because congress has given the DOI BLM a directive to find ways to place these into homes and they can't do it.  So we don't talk about these, that would make the level at 60,000 give or take a head or two.   

The DOI-BLM sent out request to the Ranchers who have the leases on the government lands to asked them to keep the wild horses and burros on them.  Now, here is the question, we the people own the land, under the Taylor Grazing Act which set fees back in the 1950's that has not been changed since then, and these Ranchers leasing this federal lands for pennies on the dollars per acre, way under fair commercial market rates, and then they complain to the government to remove a natural animal who lives  naturally on this land for over grazing it. Being the wild horses or burros.  Then the Federal Government will send a Wild Life Biologist out to do a life habitat study to see how much vegetation the area can support and then remove the excess wild horses or burros, when in fact they should be removing the cattleman's commercial livestock instead.  The term 'AUM, Animal Unit Month- refers to how much land it would take to raise a 1000 cow and calve for a month and depending on location this land can be a little as 30 acres or a much as 300 acres.  So you can lease 300 acres for around $1.25  or 100,000acres  for $125,000.00, or 333 - cows with a calf, an average sell price $1.20-1.40 per pound making it $1,300.00 each at $432.900.00 for the 333 cows at 1000 pounds each, calf at 400 pounds, $520.00. with half the cows having calves $86,560. subtotal,  total $519,480.00 The Rancher has made $1,820.00 per AUM while only paying $1.25.  Or better yet, $5,194.80 per acre.    So yes, the Cattlemen do have the ears, eyes and hands in the halls on congress.  You want to protect the wild horses and burros then make the lands fair for all to have, demand your congressman make the Taylor grazing act open to bid for all.  Highest bidder gets the land. In Texas lands to lease for grazing can costs average $20.00 per acre not per AUM this per acres so how is this fair to cattlemen here!       

In a recent letter that went out to over 300 non-profit groups requesting assistance, only 4 responded, 1 replied how sorry a job the BLM was doing, 2 replied they could take 1 or 2  and the the last one could take 4. Doing the math, that leave almost 9,000 wild horses on the over 10 years of age rule to be considered.  

While the waters were deep the Wild Horse Foundation has been the only national organization to place, on a consistent bases, wild horses and burros in homes without exception.  

Don't forget about the Hurricane Evacuation Preparedness course on Jury 8 also, free to the public here at the foundation.  You must pre-enroll space is limited by June 30.  This course is designed for Rescue Groups and open to individuals, please be reminded rescue groups will be given first priority but do register.

for more information call us : 979-828-3927

or fax your request to attend : 979-828-1122

or email us, grfield@wildhorsefoundation.org

last updated 9-20-06