On this last day of 2021 we publish two pieces from WHE volunteers and a. note from our founder. The first piece is about finding inspiration to survive the journey. The next is a reminder that we have a solid foundation to fight from that could bring about the changes we all seek (fair share of the range, preservation of genetics, ending abuse, etc.).
Thank you all for being a voice for our wild ones. 
Inspiration Guide from Marie:
WHE at Wild Horse Education are making new memories and reminded of previous experiences each and every day throughout the year. Memories that we learn from, memories that we celebrate and deliberate, that motivate and agitate us, and experience optimism and pessimism. It’s a clutter of sentiments that WHE all have in our cores for the Wilds.
As 2021 winds down, WHE are stung by the random pictures that crop up and are reminded that the track to each end of the year only gets more challenging to navigate the emotions that accompany the year’s flashbacks. WHE don’t typically have the “luxury” of time to reminisce, which is mostly OK by us, it’s a raw process that grinds away at the wounds of the years’ experiences. WHE keeps moving, WHE have no choice. The mental souvenirs are never far from the surface, they become the added force to drive us, bind us, motivate us, make us sorrowful, and make us joyous. They memorialize forever the faces of the free and the captured horses, the living and the dead horses, and the horses that we will never know if they survived, died, or were “euthanized”.
The circumstances that draw each of us into the web of advocacy are for a variety of reasons, the bitter realization of the inequities that our Wilds are subjected to, and for others, it is the sweet/undeniable allure of the Wilds and everything in between. Either way WHE are bound by our determination to advocate for the Wilds within our own unique experiences.
2022 is already geared up for a year of formidable challenges. To pull through these next 365 days, I thought WHE could use a survival guide.
Top 10 Survival Guide 2022
- If you doubt yourself, look into “their” eyes. You will find your faith
- Within our herds is where WHE gain our strength
- A new dawn radiates promise, be grateful
- If the Wilds can endure it, so can WHE
- Embrace every ray of hope
- Imagine “their” spirit and let it raise you to a higher ground
- When your soul is weary, restore it
- Band together for the honest benefit of “them”
- Never ever never Give up
- Don’t under any circumstances forget the depth of your passion for all things Wild
Transform your turmoil and joy, grief, and admiration into productive contributions for the Wilds. “The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do” ~Steve Jobs
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” ~ Nelson Mandela
From Colette,
Why Our Vision for Protecting Wild Horses in 2022 Works:
Every year that passes sees thousands of wild horses and other wild animals losing the wild lands they call home to profit-driven interests. As a result, wild horses are being subjected to increased roundups and removals. The longer this loss of their habitat is allowed to continue, the greater the number of horses will be forever removed. We can change this trajectory now. To know how is to understand the larger situation a bit better. We have a unique American system of public lands, and wild horses are legally a part of it. While the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act preserves and protects them where they live, too often their land is being given away leaving nowhere for them to go and a setup for their removal and a dark future. That is where the fight for wild horses and burros is and that is why preserving and protecting their habitat is a top priority for us.
WHE takes substantial legal actions to enforce laws and force compliance for wild herds and their rightful lands and explains its actions. HERE.
Given there is more appreciation for our beautiful public lands, there is the growing interest in knowing more about these places and about wild horses. WHE is pleased it could launch learning events this past year and will expand events in 2022. Public lands and public land laws may seem a little dull or intimidating, but the insights, the revelations make it fascinating and simple and relate perfectly to the issues before us. HERE.
“Can’t see the forest for the trees” or rather cannot see, understand, or focus on a situation in its entirety because one is considering only a few parts of it.
A focus of WHE is Herd Management Area Plans for all herds to save wild horses by saving their wild places. Given that it is already mandated that all herds have these plans, preserving and protecting wild horses and the places where they live in the form of HMAPs are critical and obtainable. It is unconscionable that they are nearly nonexistent. Maybe it is because HMAPs will give long-suppressed advocates a say in how they want wild horses managed and finally fulfill the National Environmental Policy Act process. Or maybe it is because the plans will serve the underserved with the benefit of a level of transparency to thwart dirty dealings and politics.
If we may, temporary fertility control may be part, only a part of an HMAP, if deemed appropriate, to manage the herd’s population.
While we are thankful, encouraged and motivated by the rising level of energy that has been building over the past year for our organization, remaining volunteer-based enables us to stay true to our commitments. They extensively cover roundup operations and their vigilance for documenting often produces exclusive video footage and images followed by our “after action reviews” to help improve the Bureau’s compliance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy and fuel improving on it.
In 2022 there will be more true and tenacious advocacy as we stand on the shoulders of Velma Johnston and honor the golden anniversary of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act by making it stronger.
Note from our founder:
As I enter another year, in the second decade of my personal journey as a wild horse and burro advocate, I am grateful for the year-after-year ground experience. My work has me at meetings talking to agency leadership, legislators and others. However, the deep rooted first-hand experiences are the places where the truth is always found that can be carried, no matter how uncomfortable it is, back into those conversations.
In 2021, WHE has become a group of extremely dedicated souls to changing the reality our wild ones exist in. They are committed to “walking the talk,” so to speak. The ground experience is taken into the official process and back out again. The work the team has done in 2021 has laid a very solid foundation for actions in 2022.
In 2022, our team is ready to run with the wild, for the wild.
We thank all of you for being a part of the team.
Happy New Year.
~ Laura Leigh and all of the volunteers, seen and unseen, at Wild Horse Education.
You can help us continue our innovative work.
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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