Yes, July is foaling season.
About twenty miles northeast of Price, Utah, the Range Creek Herd Management Area (HMA) roundup began on July 1. The HMA is about 55,000 acres and the AML (stocking level for wild horses) is set at only 75-125. BLM states that their inventory shows that populations will reach about 220 this year (including new foals). BLM plans to remove 125; if they exceed this number some will be released back to the range treated with fertility control.
This is the first roundup of the completion of the 2020 schedule: over 5000 wild horses and burros will be removed from now through Oct 7.
There is an action item at the bottom of the page if you want to help in the fight to manage wild horses on the range.
Stace and Summer join WHE’s field team.
Wild Horse Education has a team onsite. WHE volunteers Summer Brennan and Stace Contompasis are heading to their first roundup experience and will be joining the WHE darting and field team. We will feature some editorials from the team, on how this experience has effected them (after joining our founder to view our wild, wild ones), in our ongoing roundup updates.
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Range Creek
Cumulative to date, July 6:
captured: 148 (about 70% of the existing estimated population)
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Most recent report at the top, scroll down for earlier reports.
July 6: 13 (3 stallions, 6 mares, 4 foals) were captured today.
July 5
Our team is reporting in that BLM has hit the goal of the removal operation.
Captured today: 31 (14 stallions, 11 mares, 6 foals)
BLM will continue to capture wild horses tomorrow, July 6. We have been informed that BLM will release additional wild horses after fertility control at an announced date in the future.
Wild horses from this operation are being taken to the Axtell facility in Utah.
Our brand new volunteers are heading to the Science and Conservation Center in Montana to be trained, with a couple of other new WHE volunteers, in the use of fertility control darting methods.
“Wild horses” are a multi-layered subject with interconnecting parts. Advocating for wild horses gets complicated fast. Our new volunteers have just begun their “Wild Horse Education.” We will have more on their journey as we feature our volunteer journal; as we require of all of our volunteers. Keeping a journal of your own advocacy can help you understand the issues, and yourself, much better. This exercise helps you become a better voice for the wild ones.
A good place for people at home to begin is by reading some of our “Wild Horses 101” material. You can find that material HERE.
Tiny baby desperately racing to stay close to family. Mom is watching.
July 4: It’s about 60 degrees as the convoy heads to the range; the high is expected to reach near 90 degrees.
Our team has finished loading and our editor is busy! A day of babies, babies, babies. Yes, it is foaling season.
58 (23 stallions, 23 mares, 12 foals) were captured today.
You can read our supplemental update on “Baby Feet” and roundups HERE.
Baby gets separated and slips under the jute to evade the roping crew
Our teams report that they estimate about 59 wild horses were captured today (we will update after editor counts the files).
The new baby breaks away from the trap
New babies should not be run, particularly over rough terrain. Ask any horse breeder what that could do to new legs and feet.
BLM claims July is not foaling season. All documentation demonstrates year after year, range after range, the number of newborns and heavily pregnant mares coming in during the month of July.
Baby fled as fast as possible
We believe this is a throwback, to the beginning of the roundup machine, to when helicopter contractors also moved domestic livestock in September and October, but were readily available in July and August (no livestock operator would want new calves run). We truly believe this is where “roundups in July” became “ok.”
Like most things “BLM Wild Horse Program” we find a lot based on myth and human convenience. It needs to change, now.
The babies mother fought and fought and fought the helicopter. She kept looking for her new foal.
We will have edited video and more on this mare and foal, as well as the others captured today. Be patient as we load files and edit. Our teams are still covered in dust. Check back as this page will update often.
July 3:
35 were captured today. We will update post to include more detailed information. We are transferring files and will edit video.
Our observers reported that the day ended early with temperatures not exceeding the mid 70’s all day at trap. Runs came in fast.
They saw several young foals and a dramatic escape (the band featured in the slideshow below).
July 2: 0 captured.
July 1: 11 (2 stallions, 6 mares, 3 foals) were captured off private lands; operation suspended due to wind.
A young foal gives everything it has to keep up and then stumbles and falls. The foal then raced toward the trap to try to find family.
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The fight for a human handling policy has been a long one. Wild Horse Education is the only org to ever take BLM to court over abuse during capture, Our work continues to fight to enforce and improve that policy. We get a lot of questions about CAWP. More HERE.
You can take action to help protect our wild horses that remain free! BLM is mandated to manage, they are not mandated to remove. Help us push this machine toward range management HERE.
Humane Management is not just about a roundup. More HERE.
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If you are shopping online you can help Wild Horse Education by choosing us as your charity of choice on IGive or Amazonsmile.com
Categories: Lead, Roundups, Wild Horse Education
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