Last Friday Wild Horse Education’s Laura Leigh and her attorney scrambled to get documents to the court after information surfaced that the horses from Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) might be in danger yet again of going to slaughter. On Monday the court ordered that Sheldon respond by Tuesday at 2 pm. Within minutes of the court order Sheldon notified us that they were shipping horses. We put out the alert. Sheldon responded to the court yesterday and we replied… however there were now no horses left at the facility at Virgin Valley.

What heightened our concern (above the extreme concern we already has given the issues of the last three years with J&S) was the emergence of posts on Facebook on October 28th. The conversation was presented to the court and can be viewed in it’s entire, HERE>>>

The post begins:

Cody Garrett Woods we do government contacting to take in wild horses and give them homes. these are not branded or tattooed mustangs. they are simply wild horses. we are not aloud to sell them. you show up with your trailer and load em up. txt me or call me for info. located in puckett ms. have 130 head. have mares as well. ########## need gone asap!!!!!!

We did have a contact that received photos from Cody Woods and confirmed that the horses were Sheldon horses at Stan Palmer’s (J&S Associates) and were leaving Sheldon by the truckload… again.

In court documents filed by Sheldon attorneys, John Kasbohm (Director of Sheldon) stated that the loads that J&S (Stan Palmer) have confirmed as being “adopted” are horses that are going to be “bucking stock.” Sheldon reports horses going to Magnolia Mississippi and Cushing Oklahoma. Kasbohm also states that they notified Palmer on October 30th that they are coming to do a site visit and check on local adoptions ( our note: this leaves the horses that have left out of the radius of “local.” Kasbohm also does not note that they were notified of the Facebook postings on October 29th).

You can read for yourself John Kasbohm, the Director of Sheldon’s Declaration HERE>>>

We did respond to the court. We did notify the court that the contractor that J&S noted last time as a “rodeo stock contractor” is not listed with the PRCA and no listings for “Sunshine Rodeo” could be found and the phone number Sheldon provided was not active. This year we can not find any PRCA listed rodeo stock contractors operating out of the locations Sheldon provided. This indicates that if these horses are “bucking stock,” and not shipping direct to slaughter, that the rodeos will be unsanctioned events and the horses will most likely be disposed of.

At this time we have no information on the extent of the investigation that Sheldon intends into J&S activities. It is our fear that regardless of what they find they will again clear the contractor to receive more horses in 2014. This fear comes from the investigation last year that showed serious issues yet Sheldon again renewed the contract with J&S after their attempts to find replacements failed.

Our efforts to protect the Sheldon horses continue. Our efforts include the horses removed this year and those left on the range. Sheldon intends to remove the last of the Sheldon Mustangs in 2014.

Additional note: 

Our “math”

Please take a moment to visit the “Action Page.” Check the representatives listed. If any of them are your Representatives please contact them and urge that Sheldon do an extensive investigation and take appropriate actions. An unregistered “rodeo contractor,” in no way represents an appropriate adoptive home. http://wildhorseeducation.org/sheldon-action/

To learn more about the Sheldon Horses we have set up a website: http://SheldonHorses.wordpress.com

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Wild Horse Education is committed to gaining protections for America’s wild horses and burros from abuse, slaughter and extinction.