Our wild horses, burros and public lands are truly an American treasure.

At WHE, most often we have to focus on how fast we are losing both. Mining, energy and oil and gas have been encroaching at record breaking speed as they carve up wild places and draw down limited water tables. Livestock gets the lions share of grazing land as that industry continue to be the number 1 source of degradation.

It is not an easy thing to watch the resources our wild ones have shrink year-after-year when they were never given a fair share in the first place. It is so hard to watch migratory routes and waters cut off. This has become so bad in the American West that you see more and more wildlife on highways and caught in barbed wire fencing.

Our volunteer in Idaho, Bobbie Moller, routinely checks on herds for us.

In this piece she focuses on the wonder of wild places. A moment of gratitude.

When my husband and I go out to check on the wild horses in Idaho and surrounding state HMA’s, sometimes we see the wild horses and sometimes we don’t.  We go out so frequently that one would think we would know all of their hangouts.  But being wild, they are always on the move, keeping us on our toes!

Even when we don’t see them, we are always learning more about the HMA’s.  The HMA’s are Bureau of Land Management controlled wild horse areas.  We find dirt roads there that we haven’t taken before, new creeks that the horses are using as watering holes, easier routes to known hangouts etc..

The HMA’s are beautiful and peaceful areas, but they are full of pleasant surprises too.   Sometimes we see some pretty incredible wildlife!   We have seen antelope, coyote, golden eagles, big horn sheep and yes, snakes!   Here is a picture of an antelope in a Wyoming HMA.

The Idaho HMA’s have amazing rock formations.  This one reminds me of a dog’s head

Or this wall of rock that is just pretty amazing looking! (Maybe a sleeping dragon?)

As you can see in these pictures, HMA’s are pretty desolate, lonely places.  But sometimes they aren’t!   We have been dive bombed by a pilot practicing his take offs and landings at an abandoned air strip!  We’ve also met many hunter’s, most have been very friendly.  One day, we came across a makeshift gun practice range.  It was right near a wild horse watering hole.   Unfortunately, doesn’t look like the horses go anywhere near it now!

On BLM controlled land, especially on the weekends, there are people recreating out there on their UTV’s, ATV’s and mountain bikes.  This may sound hard to believe, but they have been incredibly polite!  We have not had a bad experience (nor seen any of them chasing wildlife like many other people have) other than they stir up a lot of dust!   We have at various times gone up a hill in our UTV, only to be met at the top by some folks on their ATV’s.  Most of the time, they pull out of the way and let us pass.  There could be 4 of them and only us on our UTV, but they still stop and let us go ahead.  They also forewarn us, when they come quickly over a hill, how many more are still coming.  First one will put up 3 fingers to signify that 3 more ATV’s are coming, next one puts up 2 fingers and so on.

We have come across animal carcasses on HMA’s, mostly cattle.  Might seem a little gross, but actually it’s kind of interesting to examine their remains and wonder what might have happened to them.

We have seen the aftermath of flash flooding in one of the Idaho HMA’s but by far the most amazing thing to see there, besides wild horses of course, are the gorgeous landscapes.  There are mountains and mesas that take your breath away!

And of course, there are still amazing wild horses that speak not only of their own beauty, but the magnificent history of the land they stand on.

I am grateful to all that stand up to protect what is left of the wild in this country.

In the United States we are fortunate to have the public domain, our public lands.

I am proud to be a part of a movement to gain protections for our wild horses and burros and the land they stand. I am thankful to all of you that stand with us.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and take time to count all of the things (and moments in time) you are grateful for.

Happy Holiday.

All of our work is only possible because of your generosity and we are grateful.  Help us continue keep the team and litigation running. 

Thank you for keeping WHE running for our wild ones!

There are many ways to support the work of WHE from direct contribution, stock donations and even while you shop. More HERE.