Over 50,000 wild horses now sit in government holding facilities. Over 100,000 have been removed from the range in the last decade alone.

On this day in 2012 a video we put out to the public went viral, officially viral.

The video was published in July of 2011, but in January of 2012 the video began getting over 100,000 views each week. It has been viewed nearly 4 million times.

“I was putting out videos of each roundup, photos and reports on a daily basis starting in 2010. This was before BLM posted their ‘daily update’ or photos on Flicker. I felt like the daily newspaper from the roundup. Back then we were also removing nearly ten thousand wild horses from the range each year. One of those years I put 112,000 miles on a vehicle as BLM ran two helicopter contracts much of the time simultaneously. A lot of miles and a lot of photos and video I wanted to put it in an overview so I essentially did a music video in a year in review kinda thing. I had no idea it would have that kind of impact.” WHE founder, LLeigh

During a litigation on First Amendment right in the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals, federal judges smiles and said “Is it bad enough for you?”That single case spanned 4.5 years and prevailed through multiple hearings up and down the court system.

Video below of Leigh right before making the video. Actively involved in litigation on First Amendment Rights. The very next roundup Leigh began to litigate against inappropriate treatment of wild horses creating the first court orders against suck conduct in the history of the Act, with multiple wins that followed. Leigh has attended more days of roundups than any observer, government or private, and has created the largest digital library of wild horse captures from 2009 to the present, in the world.

“I have witnessed almost ten thousand horses a year coming off the range a year in a 5 year time frame. Roundups the last few years were limited, a fact many fail to recognize. What I documented no one should ever have to document again. We have the tools to improve on the range management. My fear is that just like gaining a humane handling policy, the attempt to ‘do the right thing’ will be wrapped in denial and drama instead of a fair effort.”

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