Calico Roundup, Jan 4, 2012. Photo by Mike Lorden.

I read of two BLM “gathers” (the new name for cull) of wild mustangs to take place this month.  Pursuing terrified wild Mustangs with helicopters, pushing them, even knocking them down is not a “gather.”  Nor is driving them into chutes where foals are separated from their mothers, where herds are pulled apart and stallions from competing herds are forced to battle in small enclosures while “cowboys” scream and wave plastic bags at them, increasing their terror and panic.  “Gather” is a poisonous euphemism for what is actually happening.  It is brutality.  On our watch.  Your tax dollars at work.

Laura Leigh of Wild Horse Education has been a witness to many of these ugly culls, and currently has a law suit pending against the BLM for their inhumane handling of the Mustang herds.  You can read more about that here.  This is a longer video taken by Laura on January 5 of this year.

If you have been following my blog, you know about Nelson, the Mustang stallion that I have been working with for the past year. Prior to being rescued from slaughter, this was Nelson’s experience.  It has taken me much of this year to build a relationship with him, because he was so sure that anything connected with a human was nothing he wanted to experience.  Most of these horses are not as lucky as Nelson.  Some are adopted.  Many, especially the older stallions like Nelson, end up on a truck bound for slaughter.  Others stand in holding pens knee deep in feces and mud for months on end.

To me, this is not just a horse issue.  This is about who we are, our essential nature, and how that informs the way that we treat each other and our fellow creatures.  Don’t just stand by.  Let this touch your heart.  Make a call, share this blog post.  Be heard.