Showing posts with label RT Fitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RT Fitch. Show all posts

10/24/10

One Little Foal Step at a Time


I cried all day over this one too. How could one not? The callus cruelty and total lack of feeling for horses or people by the BLM is frightening. Especially since it has been proven over and over again that lack of feeling for the suffering of animals almost always indicates a lack of feeling for one's fellow humans as well. These people give me nightmares. This cannot be allowed to go unanswered.

Please, if you are unfamiliar with R.T. Fitch and his writings, go here and read more. Read the comments about the posts. If you want to help us after you read more, R.T. has all the links you need to make your comments and donations. Hopefully, you will do these things and then help spread the word about the travesty the BLM is making of their mandate to protect and manage these American Icons.

These magnificent, intelligent creatures belong to you, to me and to all Americans. They are part of our Heritage - our Hearts and our Souls. And they are running out of time.
Amplify’d from rtfitch.wordpress.com


One Little Foal Step at a Time

(In My Humble Opinion) by R.T. Fitch ~ author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart

Fight to Save our Wild Horses Progresses


It’s been a tough month for Wild Horse Advocates, even tougher for the horses.  Months of legal planning had been mapped out by the HfH Advisory Council in an effort to stop four, specifically targeted BLM roundups from occurring.  Two of those were postponed by a year, one directly due to our efforts. But the other two went forward, one struggle even made it to court.  Did we make any progress?  Were the horses helped in anyway?  To put it mildly; “You bet ya!”
The year delay of the West Douglas stampede happened with very little fanfare and in what appeared to be a blink of an eye, mostly due to the fact that we held off on public notification until the TRO was filed.  The intent was to give you the full story and the culmination of our efforts but by the time we issued our press release it was only hours later that the BLM backed away and said that they would reconsider the attack on the horses the following year.  We filed our contempt of court paperwork one day, our preliminary injunction order the next day following up with the TRO the next and within hours the BLM stepped back.  Was that a win?  Once again, “You bet ya!”  Even though not ordered by the court the horses of West Douglas certainly gave it a big “hooves up” as they get to live like God intended them to live for at least another year and we have additional time granted to us to better prepare to defend them.
This past Thursday a New York Judge failed to find in our favor for our effort to stop the North Piceance roundup in Colorado.  With all of the time, money, blood, sweat and tears spent was it a success for the horses?  Once again a resounding; “You bet ya!”
I’ll put it into the whispered terms of a loving women who I held, crying, in my arms upon hearing the news of the court’s denial.
“The horses of North Piceance made a sacrifice that other herds well benefit from,” whispered my wife Terry as we both struggled with tears upon hearing the news, “it’s like a new born foal taking its first steps, one at a time.  We took several little legal foal steps that the BLM will never be able to erase.”
And she is right.
Although the horses of the North Piceance herd will now slip away into the BLM’s cloud of mysterious equine disappearances and obscurity their ultimate sacrifice allowed us to win several combative, legal skirmishes against the BLM.
Although it might seem like a very small victory it will prove to be huge in the future and that little foal step was the issue of “venue” or where the suit was filed.  We landed this case far from the ranges of the west and right in the middle of Central Park in New York City.  Why?  We did so in hopes of finding a judge that was fresh, new and untainted by the influence of Ken Salazar’s special interest driven BLM.  The BLM wanted out of NYC, badly.  They wanted to be either back out west or in a D.C. court where their cronies had more influence but due to the New York based ASPCA being one of our volunteer plaintiffs, the judge let us stay thus setting a precedence for seeking out favorable venues for additional cases in the future.  Thank you ASPCA for the win and do you think we will use this in the future, “You bet ya!”
The major win of the case comes from the quiet and sincere Colorado Veterinarian Dr. Don Moore.  Dr. Moore was first taken to the North Piceance area to view the horses by his father over forty years ago.  Dr. Moore has grown up with those horses and the court agreed that Dr. Moore has suffered irreparable harm by this herd being destroyed.  The BLM’s argument was that Dr. Moore could just go somewhere else to see wild horses, what’s the difference?  The difference is gigantic and the BLM’s indifference in court outlines their failed understanding of their primary job to protect these horses instead of destroying them.  To tell Dr. Moore to go somewhere else to see other wild horses is like telling Ginger Kathrens that she does not need to see Cloud, the wild stallion of the Pryor Mountain herd that she has been following for over a decade and a half.  The BLM can simply stampede Cloud and his family into the mystery concentration camps and Ginger can just go somewhere else to see a wild horse.  How asinine is that for a defense in federal court?  It’s your tax dollars hard at work trying to defend a failed and perverted policy of systematically exterminating all of the publicly owned wild horses on publicly owned land.  The court agreed so that from this day forward, it is on the record that for future cases  Americans are irreparably damaged and injured by the BLM’s insidious action of cruelly and inhumanely stripping our federally protected wild horses from public lands.  Will we use that angle in future cases when attempting to save our wild horses from extinction?  “You bet ya!”
Over the last several weeks we have accomplished what our good friend and fellow wild horse crusader Laura Leigh from Grass Roots Horse has said,
“We laid another brick, just one more legal brick in the foundation of the major case to forever stop the BLM from violating local, state and federal laws.”
One brick at a time, one little foal step at a time we move forward and forward we did move.
I am a man driven by a wet tear on the side of my face, a woman softly sobbing in my arms and the soft yet stinging words,
“We didn’t stop the killing of the horses, R.T.  The mares, that little foal, we did not save them.”
And for that I bleed, and because of that we stand strong.
For all those who have perished; we will press on to stop the massacre of the mustangs, even if it is only one little foal step at a time.
Read more at rtfitch.wordpress.com
Enhanced by Zemanta

3/28/10

The Silence Is Deafening


This time they brought the issue to Washington. President Obama, you saw them in Reno, but made no response. You weren't in Washington while they were there, but how could you be unaware that they were there and what they wanted?



This brief statement by Paul Killington says it all. Did you hear him, Mr. President?




Did you see this on CNN, Mr. President? This is what's happening to our wild horses. We've been trying to tell you, but you don't seem to have heard us. The horses don't have much time left, Mr. President.


Here are some of the people who have been frantically writing to you, begging for help. Now they have come to Washington to plead the case for the horses. So what happened when they got to the Department of the Interior - these American Citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly, paperwork all in order and nary a firearm in the entire group? They were met by armed guards - unfriendly armed guards - outside the door of the DOI. Then the Mounted Park Patrol joined the group, followed by Homeland Security and a motorcycle policeman. This for peaceful citizens carrying nothing but signs and information?

As they stood in front of the Mounted Patrol, facing the DOI, they could see people at the windows, but no brave soul ventured out amongst these horse hugging terrorists. Finally, someone did come down to get the packet of information from them, and probably ran all the way back up the stairs. It all made me so proud, Mr. President, of the Advocates. As for my country and its leadership - I don't believe I have ever been so sad and disappointed. Although, I suppose we should thank the DOI for providing those wonderful horses to help make the point.



On the other side of the Pond, our soul mates in London made their own demonstration in front of the US Embassy. We can never thank you enough, dear friends, for helping our precious wild horses. They obviously mean more to you than they do to their own government. The horses know. They always do.

The ball in in your court, President Obama. Do you remember your campaign promises that you were squarely for protecting our wild herds? But once elected, your ongoing silence has become a deafening roar as concerns and pleas for intervention continue to be meet with absolutely nothing.

The vast majority of us voted for you because of these campaign promises. You promised to protect our wild horses. Since you made that promise, so many horses have been removed from the ranges - or killed in merciless roundups - that there is real doubt as to how many are actually left in the wild.

We are waiting for you to keep your promise, Mr. President. The horses are waiting for your promised protection, Mr. President. They don't have much time.


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

1/4/10

Foal Killed, Stallion “Freedom” Injured in Dramatic Escape from BLM Cruelty

 re-posted from

 Straight from the Horse's Heart

 Updates from the deadly Calico Roundup by Craig Downer and Elyse Gardener

Below are the photos of the roundup that took place today (Saturday, January 2, 2009) showing how the captured band stallion, “Freedom,” valiantly fought for and regained his liberty although he had to leave his family of 8 adult mares and 2 colts. Jumping a 6-foot fence and immediately thereafter breaking through a barbed wire fence and injuring himself, this was an awe-inspiring, do-or-die effort demonstrating the loathing of captivity to a wild horse and his need for freedom. We can only pray for his recovery from the injuries the sustained from the barbed wire.

Before his escape, he became hung up by his front legs when he reared with all his might to attempt an escape from the narrow fenced area where he was being examined by Sue Cattoor and her wrangler.

Also included here are shots of the capture of his entire band, the 11 horses including Freedom himself.

More to come. Right now we are just sending stills. We have videos and interviews, but these photos really do capture the anguish and drama of the roundup for these majestic icons, our treasured American wild mustangs.

Sincerely,
Craig C. Downer, Wildlife Ecologist

Additional Note: On New Year’s Day, the BLM rounded up 10 wild horses but only captured 9 because a 6-month old foal died en route. APHIS vet at the scene, Dr. Al Kane, reported that after being chased by the helicopter for “1/4 mile” the little foal was behaving strangely, lying down periodically. It is reported that the pilot radioed Dr. Kane that this foal was having problems and Dr. Kane went out to see the foal who was found dead. Dr. Kane said that he did a necropsy in the field and discovered congenital heart defect and said that foal couldn’t have handled any exercise and probably wouldn’t have lived to adulthood.  They left the body in the field and refused to allow the public observers to witness the body.



Band stallion, Freedom, in the lead. You can see the Judas horse, trained to run into the pens so the wild horses will follow, being released. - Craig Downer


During examination, Freedom attempts escape and gets caught up on the fence while Sue Cattoor looks on. - Elyse Gardener


Preparing for final herculean effort to clear 6-foot fence to freedom. - Craig Downer


Freedom escapes only to hung up in barbed wire - Craig Downer


A horrible victory, injured with entire family left behind - Craig Downer










Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

12/13/09

BLM Destroyed Another Wild Horse Herd While Advocates Sat At Advisory Meeting


Get MAD! Get VERY mad while there are still some wild horses left for us to protect! 

clipped from rtfitch.wordpress.com

BLM Destroyed another Wild Horse Herd while Advocates sat at Advisory Meeting


BLM’s Don Glenn Openly Lied to Press and Advocates while Wild Horses were Rounded up
article courtesy of  The Cloud Foundation


Once free, their beautiful lives ruined - Palomino Valley 12/11/09 - Photo by K. McCovey


Following the yet-unsolved shooting death of 6 federally-protected mustangs, more of America’s mustangs are removed; at least one mare has died to date.
The discovery of shooting deaths of six wild horses on the California-Nevada border has led to the exposure of an apparently clandestine BLM roundup of over 200 horses. The roundup of the Buckhorn Wild Horses was scheduled to begin in August 2010.
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

11/5/09

The Thunder of Their Hooves


This lovely, haunting post was so moving I just had to reblog it from Straight from the Horse's Heart. If you don't read this blog regularly, you should.

The Thunder of Their Hooves
November 4, 2009 R.T. Fitch

by Jerry Finch, founder and President of Habitat for Horses

It happened long before our time, far before time even began, in a place of mist and trees, in a place of open land and brilliant moonlight, in a time and space far beyond our creation or knowledge. Aware, alert, in touch with the rhythm of the earth, they lived in a place we never knew, that we could never imagine. Their hoof beats thundered across the plains. Their cries echoed through the valley. In vast herds, in small family groups, they dwelled in a world removed from humans, in a world unto themselves.

What it must have been like for that first human encounter! Gentle, inquisitive, brave, that lone stallion that walked through the morning fog and stood before the hunter. Did the hunter stand in awe of his beauty, unprepared for the encounter, unknowing of all that stood before him? Did the hunter lay down his spear and walk gently toward the stallion? Did the stallion walk toward the hunter? Did they greet one another as equals, two spirits born of freedom?

I’d like to think it started that way, that the first encounter was of a gentle nature, that the two instantly understood, acknowledged, and eventually passed on through the fog, understanding that nothing, ever again, would be the same for either one of them. Tens of thousands of years ago, seen through the early morning mist – a brief meeting of two spirits that would forever change all that we are to one another. Our future, and that of that horse, would thereafter be entangled together.

They didn’t depend on us. It was us who depended on them. We mounted and rode swiftly across the plains; they became our wings as we soared to distant lands. They carried us, our families and our belongings. They expanded our world far beyond the horizons.

Through some twist of evolution, we were able to bring them into our world. We asked them to forget about their world, to leave behind all that was and become part of all we created. Far later, such a move would be called “dominion” and be claimed as a right given to us from our God.

And under that authority, we herded them, raised them, bred them, stalled them, whipped them into submission, put restraints on them, saddled them, shoed their hooves, and used them until they dropped, then we either left them to starve or killed them and ate their flesh.

natural_history_prehistoric_horses_200Not all humans did that. Even in the days before the Bible, people wrote of gentle training, of the majesty and the glory that stood before them. On cave walls are paintings that show the wonder of the horse, the awe we felt as we stood before them. The Bible has more references to equines than any other animal. Countless images and words bring an understanding of the devotion that many had, the love which many felt.

Yet our history is one of cruelty, not of love. Many cry over the fallen, while only a few do the killing. We’ve let it go on for so many centuries that we’ve accepted it as human nature. We’ve let the few destroy what the many want to save.

Listen to the horses on a quiet morning. Listen as they nicker to one another through the early morning’s mist. Hear their soft sounds beneath the background of the crickets and the awakenings of the birds. We didn’t remove all that they were. They are still as wild and majestic and perfect as they were ten thousand years ago. They could still live without us. They don’t need us, you and I.

They don’t need us, but we need them.

We need them to forgive us for all we have done, all for all we continue to do. We need them to bring us to the earth, to bring us back in touch with the purity of nature. We need to feel the warmth of their breath, the touch of their nose. We need to be assured that all is forgiven, that we, no matter who we are or what we have done, will be accepted by those who live in a place so far away from our own, in a world that we will never understand, one of which we can only dream.

For we know that despite all the cars we buy, all the digital cameras we own, that regardless of the perfect houses we live in and the jobs we have, we’re missing something. There is emptiness beneath our soul, a piece that was never found in a puzzle that will never be complete. In our desperate attempt to claim all that we see, to show that we are the masters of the universe and all that stretches before us, we’ve forgotten that essential part of our nature that belongs with the hunter, looking through the early morning mist at the stallion that stands before him.

We’re forgotten that we share the world. We’ve claimed dominion, but we’ve failed as caretakers. In our efforts to become gods, we’ve lost sight of the true function of God – to protect and have compassion for the earth.

In listening to the horse we can hear the calling, we feel the return. It’s there, just beyond our reach. If only….if only we could feel the thunder of their hooves.


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

9/18/09

MustangGate

Another outstanding blog post from R.T. Fitch here. What he is referring to in that since the BLM "happened" to schedule the Pryor Mountain roundup over the Labor Day holiday - when we couldn't contact our Congress people, animal welfare advocates or news services - the BLM agents working the roundup were getting double time pay on Labor day and overtime pay on Sunday. What does that little nugget do for your blood pressure?

Yup, while Cloud and his family were running for their lives, down the mountain, BLM agents were dipping their hands even deeper into your pockets and laughing all the time.   See how profitable hunting down innocent mustangs can be?  There is big bucks for the BLM in stripping our native wild horses from our public lands and it’s just not the big boys, with special interests, who make out but the field agents get a slice of the pie too and you get to pay for it all.  That really leaves one with a warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it?rtfitch.wordpress.com, Straight from the Horse's Heart, Sep 2009
You really do need to read the entire article.

Wanna do something about it? You can ~

Phone calls to make:

ask for the release of the older horses and reform of the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, fax your comments as well:

    * White House Switchboard – 202-456-1414 (fax: 202-456-2461) E-mail here  Ask for Senior Advisors:  Valerie Jarrett  and David Axelrod. Ask for Michelle Obama too, her office is recieving a tremendous number of calls and they need to continue.
    * Call your Senators – switchboard 202-224-3121 and ask that they support S1579, The Restore our American Mustang (ROAM) Act
    * Call the Senate Committee of Natural Resources – 202-224-4971 (fax 202-224-6163) Email here. ask that they push the ROAM Act through immediately– it must go up for a vote soon in the Senate
Take Action… and an update « (17 September 2009)
 http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/take-action-and-an-update/
 http://snipurl.com/ryaas


Demand reform for our wild horses, it is too late for thousands but it is not yet too late for Cloud's herd and many others.  The roundup crews are headed next to the Steens Mountains of Oregon.We have been told that there will be no observers or photographers allowed. This  is illegal- these are the public's wild horses.

Right now 12 herds are being zeroed out in Nevada, 650 horses off 1.4 million acres because the land is not suitable… but the horses have been living there for over a hundred years.

Please join us and many others at the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Arlington, VA on September 28th. Make your voice heard – and then join us on the hill for meetings the following day. Their hoofbeats need to be heard in Washington DC.

Take Action… and an update « (18 September 2009)
 http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/take-action-and-an-update/
 http://snipurl.com/ryqa5

Come to DC for Wild Horses!
September 17, 2009 by thecloudfoundation

Please join us for MUSTANGS on the HILL- people are coming from all over the US to speak up and show up for our wild horses.MUSTANGS ON THE HILL Flier
 (18 September 2009)
 http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/
 http://snipurl.com/ryqw2

We will be attending the BLM Advisory Board Meeting on the 28th of September in Arlington, VA and also "Mustangs On The Hill" in Washington DC on September 29th to support the ROAM ACT. Please click for more details on the BLM Meeting. Send in your comments as soon as possible to Ramona_delorme@blm.gov and reference: WH&B Advisory Board Comments. We are working on getting local and national media to both events and also, Celebrity Speakers.

We will be gathering on the West Front Lawn of Capitol Hill on the 29th, which is reserved from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. This is where we will have speakers and we will be meeting with Senators (in their offices) on the Committee of Energy and Natural Resources to urge them to support the ROAM Act and place it on the calendar throughout the day.

We will have a Banner that we will give to the Committee of Energy and Natural Resources with the names of everyone who donated to the Freedom Fund. If you plan on attending either of these events, please RSVP as soon as possible so we can plan for the amount of people coming. You may RSVP to mustangsonthehill@gmail.com. We are expecting 2,000 people for the event on the 29th so please join us and help preserve and protect our wild horses! Thank you to everyone for your continued support and we hope to see you soon!
MUSTANGS on the HILL « (18 September 2009)
 http://thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/mustangs-on-the-hill/
 http://snipurl.com/ryqz4

For more information about any of the above, contact The Cloud Foundation Blog  Do whatever you can. Remember, the old horses from Cloud's herd will be offered for sale starting September 26th. Time is of the essence!




Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

9/12/09

The Managed Extinction of Cloud's Herd - KEEP CALLING AND WRITING! THIS IS NOT OVER!

This is NOT over! We MUST keep the pressure on the BLM. They have been extremely careful on this roundup because of the glare of worldwide publicity. We DID make a difference! Keep it up! There is also hope that more horses will be released, but only if we keep calling, posting and writing. If you wrote your Congressmen, write again. Tell them the old stallions and the babies need to be freed! SPREAD THE WORD!

The Managed Extinction of Cloud’s Herd « Straight from the Horse's Heart
And while a deep silence lay over the witnesses, Cloud, the leader, the master of the mountains turned from the gate and took a stance starring back directly at his aggressor, the helicopter.  His intent was obvious, his message was clear, his point was well taken and a few quite sobs were heard within Cloud’s family of human followers.  He made his stand, then turned and walked towards the gate.  He had done all he could do, the observers had tried all that they could and collectively the humans and horses knew that they had lost all control, their future and fate was no longer in their hands, Cloud’s family was to be ripped apart and all that remained for them was a few final moments of togetherness, a gentle touch, while they huddled in fear against the gate that lead to their group’s destruction.  Their cries intermingled with those from their human friends high above who felt their loss and shared their helplessness, they cried together and bowed their heads.

The betrayed innocent, Cloud
The betrayed innocent, Cloud

We are told that Cloud will once again run free, that the blue mark on his rump dictates that he is one of the lucky ones that can go back to living his life in the beauty of the Pryor Mountains.  But he will do so with several of his loved ones ripped from his band; he will, now, love mares that have been chemically sterilized so that they will bear him no foals and he will be forced to do all of this while surrounded by a herd that will not be able to genetically sustain itself.

This is the gift of managed extinction that we give to our native, American horses, this is the legacy that we leave to our children and this is the image that we Americans project to the rest of the world.

It is not a pretty picture


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

8/20/09

reBlog from rtfitch.wordpress.com: The Force of the Horse®

This is an update to my last post - see below this one. The BLM is still planning this roundup. Please note this word of advice and write to the suggested individuals.

We are running out of time!


UPDATE: A kind insider, within the BLM, has a word of advice for us: “You might remind folks that letters to the State Director of the BLM in Billings and/or their Federal Representatives (Senators and Congressmen) are worth their weight in gold. The later (letters to Congressional reps expressing your concern or horror and asking for your Congressional rep to get answers/details from the BLM) are more effective than petitions. Petitions are viewed as “one comment” instead of many, many comments of concerned citizens: one letter = BIG pile of correspondence that the BLM must respond to.rtfitch.wordpress.com, The Force of the Horse®, Aug 2009

Thank you so much!


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

8/7/09

reBlog from Abbie Knowles: The Force of the Horse®

Finally! Someone has heard what we have been telling them for years:


August 6, 2009 — Hitchcock, Texas — For decades, the gourmet diners of Europe and Japan have eaten American horse meat poisoned by chemical contamination. The horse flesh exporting by unscrupulous producers and horse slaughter plants will come to an end in April of 2010. The new rules enacted by the European Union will mandate chemical free horse meat entering those countries.Abbie Knowles, The Force of the Horse®, Aug 2009

You should read the whole article.


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

6/30/09

The Force of the Horse®

I follow RT Fitch's blog, Straight From The Horse's Heart, and he recently posted this:



SFHH Update: Often, on this blog, we speak of the atrocities of horse slaughter and continued distortion of the facts by pro-slaughter advocates. But we have yet to explore the complexities that intertwine the fate of our American Wild Horses with those same bloody crimes that threaten our domesticated equine partners and companions. Today, we will make a sincere effort to bridge that gap.Good friend and fellow member of the Equine Welfare Alliance, Sonya Richins, has produced the in-depth documentary “Mestengo” in an effort to clear the air and put all of the facts surrounding the wild, American Mustang before the people of the world. The story will astound and infuriate you as the details of a government agency, out of control, is unfurled in vivid cinematography before your leaking eyes. How did we let this happen? How did it get so far out of hand with no one noticing? In this country, things like this are not supposed to happen! But they DID and it is still going on.Stimulate your sense of dignity by being aware of the injustice; take a moment and view the trailer.The day of “Mestengo” is coming and you can be a part of it.Watch, learn then act.R.T. Fitch Author – “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“The Force of the Horse®, LLC1-800-974-FOTHThe Force of the Horse®, Jun 2009



Please visit this blog, see this moving video and read the whole article. After that, get angry, very angry. We cannot allow this to continue.


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
"From my earliest memories, I have loved horses with a longing beyond words." ~ Robert Vavra