Cattle Grazing Regulations Include Doctored Environmental Analysis | Union of Concerned Scientists

This happened during the Bush Administration - but, why hasn't anything been done to correct the situation? Please, contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them.

Grazing Regulations Include Doctored Environmental Analysis

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials compromised the integrity of a BLM study by removing scientific concerns about the effects newly relaxed grazing regulations would have on public lands. Millions of acres of public land in the western U. S. are protected by BLM grazing rules, which regulate when, where, and for how long cattle may graze there.

Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times reported that prior to relaxing Clinton-era restrictions on cattle grazing in June 2004, the BLM edited out portions of an environmental analysis calling into question the environmental sustainability of the new regulations.1 Agency scientists had studied the effects of grazing on wildlife and water quality and expressed concerns.

Cart reported that the BLM eliminated the original draft's warning that the "the Proposed Action will have a slow, long-term adverse impact on wildlife and biological diversity in general." Instead, the final version of the environmental analysis endorsed the new regulations, which were supported by the cattle industry, stating that the new rules would prove "beneficial to animals."2

Erick Campbell and Bill Brookes are both recently retired scientists, each with more than 30 years experience at the BLM. Campbell, a biologist, authored the section of the BLM study on the impacts of the rule change on wildlife and endangered species, while Brookes, a hydrologist, evaluated the impact on water resources. Both characterized the edits as an attempt to suppress scientific information. Campbell termed the matter "a whitewash" and "a crime." "They took all of our science and reversed it 180 degrees," he said. Brookes agreed, adding "Everything I wrote was totally rewritten and watered down."3

The BLM argued that the changes resulted from a standard editorial process and issued a statement saying the conclusions reached by Campbell and Brookes were "based on personal opinion and unsubstantiated assertions rather than sound environmental analysis."4 In an interview Campbell refuted those charges, saying "All the science they extracted from my narrative was peer-reviewed science. This was not gray literature...This was peer-reviewed science in major journals."5 The concerns of Campbell and Brookes were echoed by wildlife experts at the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by officials at the Environmental Protection Agency.6

1. Cart, Julie. "Land Study on Grazing Denounced." Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2005. latimes.com requires subscription, article available from advocacy website, accessed December 5, 2006.
2. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing Administration--Exclusive of Alaska; Final Rule," Department of the Interior, July 12, 2006, accessed December 5, 2006.
3. Cart.
4. Bearden, Tom. "New Grazing Rules." NewsHour with JimLehrer, August 10, 2005. Transcript online, accessed December 5, 2006.
5. Mitchell, Michele and Breslauer, Brenda. NOW with David Brancaccio, July 22, 2005. Transcript online, accessed December 5, 2006.
6. Cart, Julie. "Federal Officials Echoed Grazing-Rule Warnings." Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2005. latimes.com requires subscription, available online from advocacy site, accessed December 5, 2006.


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Update On Cloud, Firestorm And Exhilaration From Pryor Wild

I sent an email to Matt at Pryor Wild a few days ago asking about Cloud, his four year old daughter, Firestorm and the others injured in that messy, mismanaged roundup. He kindly emailed me right back informing me that he'd seen Cloud and he appeared to be moving fine. What a relief! Then on Friday he emailed me that he'd updated the Pryor Wild Blog with this video of Cloud and Firestorm as they look now. As you can see, they look just great!

Also, on the last segment of the video, you can see Exhilaration, who has a puncture wound on the back of his right front leg. Matt thinks he'll be okay, but you really can see him limping in this segment. Will have updates on him ASAP.


I know many of us have been greatly saddened by the decimation of this herd as well as many others as the BLM continues on their mad pace to gather all the wild horses from their ranges. The massive gathers are not only continuing, but increasing in number and scope, with hundreds more horses already having been removed from their ranges.

Please continue your efforts to stop this madness while there are still some wild horses left to save. See the Cloud Foundation for the latest information on what's happening and what you can do. We did get their attention. We can't stop now!

For the horses.

Horses On The Range - "Wild" Or "Feral"?

~ Watch the full program here ~

America's "wild" horses are often scorned by many people - including the BLM and Ken Salazar - as domestic cast-offs, horses that either escaped or were turned out by their owners, "feral" domestic horses. As such, they do not get the protection accorded "wildlife," and they are accused of being "non-native" or even "exotic" species that damage the environment and compete with "native" species for natural resources. Is this accusation valid? According to the latest studies in molecular genetics the answer is NO:

Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife

By Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. and Patricia M. Fazio, Ph.D.*

Are wild horses truly “wild,” as an indigenous species in North America, or are they “feral weeds” – barnyard escapees, far removed genetically from their prehistoric ancestors? The question at hand is, therefore, whether or not modern horses, Equus caballus, should be considered native wildlife.

The question is legitimate and the answer important. In North America, the wild horse is often labeled as a non‐native, or even exotic species, by most federal or state agencies dealing with wildlife management, such as the National Park Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The legal mandate for many of these agencies is to protect native wildlife and prevent non‐native species from causing harmful effects on the general ecology of the land. Thus, management is often directed at total eradication, or at least minimal numbers. If the idea that wild horses were, indeed, native wildlife, a great many current management approaches might be compromised. Thus, the rationale for examining this proposition, that the horse is a native or non‐native species, is significant.

The genus Equus, which includes modern horses, zebras, and asses, is the only surviving genus in a once diverse family of horses that included 27 genera. The precise date of origin for the genus Equus is unknown, but evidence documents the dispersal of Equus from North America to Eurasia approximately 2‐3 million years ago and a possible origin at about 3.4‐3.9 million years ago. Following this original emigration, several extinctions occurred in North America, with additional migrations to Asia (presumably across the Bering Land Bridge), and return migrations back to North America, over time. The last North American extinction probably occurred between213,000 and 11,000 years ago (Fazio 1995). Had it not been for previous westward migration, over the land bridge, into northwestern Russia (Siberia) and Asia, the horse would have faced complete extinction. However, Equus survived and spread to all continents of the globe, except Australia and Antarctica.

In 1493, on Columbus’ second voyage to the Americas, Spanish horses, representing E. caballus, were brought back to North America, first in the Virgin Islands, and, in 1519, they were reintroduced on the continent, in modern‐day Mexico, from where they radiated throughout the American Great Plains, after escape from their owners (Fazio 1995).

Critics of the idea that the North American wild horse is a native animal, using only selected paleontological data, assert that the species, E. caballus (or the caballoid horse), which was introduced in 1519, was a different species from that which disappeared 13,000 to 11,000 years before. Herein lies the crux of the debate. However, neither paleontological opinion nor modern molecular genetics support the contention that the modern horse in North America is non‐native.

Equus, a monophyletic taxon, is first represented in the North America fossil record about four million years ago by E. simplicidens, and this species is directly ancestral to later Blancan species about three million years ago (Azaroli and Voorhies 1990). Azzaroli (1992) believed, again on the basis of fossil records, that E. simplicidens gave rise to the late Pliocene E. Idahoensis, and that species, in turn, gave rise to the first caballoid horses two millions years ago in North America. Some migrated to Asia about one million years ago, while others, such as E. niobrarensis, remained in North America.

In North America, the divergence of E. caballus into various ecomorphotypes [breeds] included E. caballus mexicanus, or the American Periglacial Horse (also known as E. caballus laurentius Hay, or midlandensis Quinn) (Hibbard 1955). Today we would recognize these latter two horses as breeds, but in the realm of wildlife, the term used is subspecies. By ecomorphotype, we refer to differing phenotypic or physical characteristics within the same species, caused by genetic isolation in discrete habitats. In North America, isolated lower molar teeth and a mandible from sites of the Irvingtonian age appear to be E. caballus, morphologically. Through most of the Pleistocene Epoch in North America, the commonest species of Equus were not caballines but other lineages (species) resembling zebras, hemiones, and possibly asses (McGrew 1944; Quinn, 1957).3

Initially rare in North America, caballoid horses were associated with stenoid horses (Perhaps ancestral forerunners but certainly distinct species), but between one million and 500,000 years ago, the caballoid horses replaced the stenoid horses because of climatic preferences and changes in ecological niches (Forstén 1988). By the late Pleistocene, the North American taxa that can definitely be assigned to E. caballus are E. caballus alaskae (Azzaroli 1995) and E. caballus mexicanus (Winans 1989 – using the name laurentius). Both subspecies were thought to have been derived from E. niobrarensis (Azzaroli 1995).

Thus, based on a great deal of paleontological data, the origin of E. caballus is thought to be about two million years ago, and it originated in North America. However, the determination of species divergence based on phenotype is at least modestly subjective and often fails to account for the differing ecomorphotypes within a species, described above. Purely taxonomic methodologies looked at physical form for classifying animals and plants, relying on visual observations of physical characteristics. While earlier taxonomists tried to deal with the subjectivity of choosing characters they felt would adequately describe, and thus group, genera and species, these observations were lacking in precision. Nevertheless, the more subjective paleontological data strongly suggests the origin of E. caballus somewhere between one and two million years ago.

Reclassifications are now taking place, based on the power and objectivity of molecular biology. If one considers primate evolution, for example, the molecular biologists have provided us with a completely different evolutionary pathway for humans, and they have described entirely different relationships with other primates. None of this would have been possible prior to the methodologies now available through mitochondrial‐DNA analysis.

A series of genetic analyses, carried out at the San Diego Zoo’s Center for Reproduction in Endangered Species, and based on chromosome differences (Benirschke et al. 1965) and mitochondrial genes (George and Ryder 1986) both indicate significant genetic divergence among several forms of wild E. caballus as early as 200,000‐300,000 years ago. These studies do not speak to the origins of E. caballus per se, but they do point to a great deal of genetic divergence among members of E. caballus by 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. Thus, the origin had to be earlier, but, at the very least, well before the disappearance of the horse 10,000 years ago.4

The relatively new (30‐year‐old) field of molecular biology, using mitochondrial‐DNA analysis, has recently revealed that the modern or caballine horse, E. caballus, is genetically equivalent to E. lambei, a horse, according to fossil records, that represented the most recent Equus species in North America prior to extinction. Not only is E. caballus genetically equivalent to E. lambei, but no evidence exists for the origin of E. caballus anywhere except North America (Forstén 1992).

According to the work of researchers from Uppsala University of the Department of Evolutionary Biology (Forstén 1992), the date of origin, based on mutation rates for mitochondrial‐DNA, for E. caballus, is set at approximately 1.7 million years ago in North America. This, of course, is very close, geologically speaking, to the 1‐2 million‐year figure presented by the interpretation of the fossil record.

Carles Vilà, also of the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Uppsala University, has corroborated Forstén’s work. Vilà et al (2001) have shown that the origin of domestic horse lineages was extremely widespread, over time and geography, and supports the existence of the caballoid horse in North American before its disappearance, corroborating the work of Benirschke et al. (1965), George and Ryder (1995), and Hibbard (1955).

A study conducted at the Ancient Biomolecules Centre of Oxford University (Weinstock et al. 2005) also corroborates the conclusions of Forstén (1992). Despite a great deal of variability in the size of the Pleistocene equids from differing locations (mostly ecomorphotypes), the DNA evidence strongly suggests that all of the large and small caballine samples belonged to the same species. The author states, “The presence of a morphologically variable caballine species widely distributed both north and south of the North American ice sheets raises the tantalizing possibility that, in spite of many taxa named on morphological grounds, most or even all North American caballines were members of the same species.”

In another study, Kruger et al. (2005), using microsatellite data, confirms the work of Forstén (1992) but gives a wider range for the emergence of the caballoid horse, of 0.86 to 2.3 million years ago. At the latest, however, that still places the caballoid horse in North America 860,000 years ago.

Finally, the work of Hofreiter et al (2001), examining the genetics of the so‐called E. lambei from the permafrost of Alaska, found that the variation was5 within that of modern horses, which translates into E. lambei actually being E. caballus, genetically. The molecular biology evidence is incontrovertible and indisputable, but it is supported by the interpretation of the fossil record as well.

The fact that horses were domesticated before they were reintroduced matters little from a biological viewpoint. They are the same species that originated here, and whether or not they were domesticated is quite irrelevant. Domestication altered little biology, and we can see that in the phenomenon called “going wild,” where wild horses revert to ancient behavioral patterns. Feist and McCullough (1976) dubbed this “social conservation” in his paper on behavior patterns and communication in the Pryor Mountain wild horses. The reemergence of primitive behaviors, resembling those of the plains zebra, indicated to him the shallowness of domestication in horses.

The issue of feralization and the use of the word “feral” is a human construct that has little biological meaning except in transitory behavior, usually forced on the animal in some manner. Consider this parallel. E. Przewalskii (Mongolian wild horse) disappeared from Mongolia a hundred years ago. It has survived since then in zoos. That is not domestication in the classic sense, but it is captivity, with keepers providing food and veterinarians providing health care. Then they were released during the 1990s and now repopulate their native range in Mongolia. Are they a reintroduced native species or not? And what is the difference between them and E. caballus in North America, except for the time frame and degree of captivity?

The key element in describing an animal as a native species is (1) where it originated; and (2) whether or not it co‐evolved with its habitat. Clearly, E. caballus did both, here in North American. There might be arguments about “breeds,” but there are no scientific grounds for arguments about “species.”

The non‐native, feral, and exotic designations given by agencies are not merely reflections of their failure to understand modern science but also a reflection of their desire to preserve old ways of thinking to keep alive the conflict between a species (wild horses), with no economic value anymore (by law), and the economic value of commercial livestock.

Native status for wild horses would place these animals, under law, within a new category for management considerations. As a form of wildlife,6 embedded with wildness, ancient behavioral patterns, and the morphology and biology of a sensitive prey species, they may finally be released from the “livestock‐gone‐loose” appellation.

LITERATURE CITED
Azzaroli, A. 1990. The genus Equus in Europe. pp. 339‐356 in: European Neogene mammal chronology (E. H. Lindsay, V. Fahlbuech, and P. Mein, eds.). Plenum Press, New York.
Azzaroli, A. 1992. Ascent and decline of monodactyl equids: A case for prehistoric overkill. Annales Zoologica Fennici 28:151‐163.
Azzaroli, A. 1995. A synopsis of the Quaternary species of Equus in North America. Bollttino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana. 34:205‐221.
Azzaroli, A., and M.R. Voorhies. 1990. The genus Equus in North America: The Blancan species. Paleontologica Italiana 80:175‐198.
Benirschke K., N. Malouf, R.J. Low, and H. Heck. 1965. Chromosome compliment: Difference between Equus caballus and Equus przewalskii Polliakoff. Science 148:382‐383.
Fazio, P.M. 1995. ʺThe Fight to Save a Memory: Creation of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range (1968) and Evolving Federal Wild Horse Protection through 1971,ʺ doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, p. 21.
Forstén, A. 1988. Middle Pleistocene replacement of stenoid horses by caballoid horses ecological implications. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 65:23‐33.
Forstén, A. 1992. Mitochondrial‐DNA timetable and the evolution of Equus: Comparison of molecular and paleontological evidence. Ann. Zool. Fennici 28: 301‐309.
George, M., Jr., and O.A. Ryder. 1986. Mitochondrial DNA evolution in the genus Equus. Mol. Biol. Evol. 3:535‐546.
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Hibbard C.W. 1955. Pleistocene vertebrates from the upper Becarra (Becarra Superior) Formation, Valley of Tequixquiac, Mexico, with notes on other Pleistocene forms. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 12:47‐96.
Hofreiter, M., Serre, D. Poinar, H.N. Kuch, M., Pääbo, S. 2001. Ancient DNA. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2(5), 353‐359.
Kruger et al. 2005. Phylogenetic analysis and species allocation of individual equids using microsatellite data. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 122 (Suppl. 1):78‐86.
McGrew, P.O. 1944. An early Pleistocene (Blancan) fauna from Nebraska. Field Museum of Natural History, Geology Series, 9:33‐66.
Quinn, J.H. 1957. Pleistocene Equidae of Texas. University of Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology, Report of Investigations 33:1‐51.
Vilà, C., J.A. Leonard, A. Götherström, S. Marklund, K. Sandberg, K. Lidén, R. K. Wayne, H. Ellegren. 2001. Widespread origins of domestic horse lineages. Science 291: 474‐477.
Weinstock J.E. Willerslev, A. Sher, W. Tong, S.Y.W. Ho, D. Rubnestein, J. Storer, J. Burns, L. Martin, C. Bravi, A. Prieto, D. Froese, E. Scott, L. Xulong, A. Cooper. Evolution, systematics, and the phylogeography of Pleistocene horses in the New World: a molecular perspective. PLOS Biology 3:1‐7.
Winans M.C. 1989. A quantitative study of North American fossil species of the genus Equus. pp. 262‐297, in: The Evolution of Perissodactyles (D.R. Prothero and R.M. Schoch, eds.). Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
Please note: This document is the sole intellectual property of Drs. Jay F. Kirkpatrick and Patricia M. Fazio. As such, altering of content in any manner is strictly prohibited. However, this statement may be copied and distributed freely in hardcopy, electronic, or Website form (updated June 12, 2009).
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* Author Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Director, The Science and Conservation Center, Billings, Montana, holds a Ph.D. in reproductive physiology from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Patricia M. Fazio is an environmental writer and editor residing in Cody, Wyoming, holding a B.S. in agriculture (animal husbandry/biology) from Cornell University, an M.S. in environmental history from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in environmental history from Texas A&M University, College Station.

Return America’s Wild Horses to Their Rightful Ranges - A Response From The Cloud Foundation to Secretary Salazar's Plan for Our Wild Horses

ALERT!  Please post and re-post!  ALERT!

Return America’s Wild Horses to Their Rightful Ranges:

A Response to Secretary Salazar’s Plan for America’s Wild Horses Equids

For Immediate Release

OCTOBER 8, 2009‐ COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO‐‐ On October 7, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new initiative for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro program. The Secretary announced that this is a “national solution to restore the health of America’s wild horse herds and the rangelands that support them by creating a cost‐efficient, sustainable management program that includes the possible creation of wild horse preserves on the productive grasslands of the Midwest and East.”1

The Cloud Foundation is encouraged that the Interior Department realizes that there are problems with the management of wild horses on public lands by the Bureau of Land Management and is considering ways to improve the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

However, the Cloud Foundation questions the need to develop seven new preserves in the mid‐west and east (at an estimated initial cost of $96 million) when there are 19.4 million acres of designated wild horse and burro of rangelands that have been taken away from them since 1971. In just the past few weeks, 12 herds (620 horses) were zeroed out on an additional 1.4 million acres in Eastern Nevada. “It would seem that the best use of taxpayer dollars and the most humane plan for the nearly 32,000 wild horses in government holding2 would be to return them to their native lands” says Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation. “These millions of acres were identified for use by wild horses and burros and these lands are already owned by the American public.”

Rather than spending over thirty million dollars this fiscal year (October 1, 2009‐September 30, 2010) to remove a record number (over 12,000 wild horses and burros) from the range, only legitimate emergency roundups and removals should be conducted. “The BLM continues to lead the public to believe that exploding populations of wild horses are causing degradation of the range and they must be removed before they all starve. This is without merit because wild horses and burros make up only a fraction of animals grazing the range, far greater damage is caused by the privately‐owned cattle who outnumber the horses more than 100 to 1,” states Arizona advocate Julianne French.

The intent of Congress’ 1971 Free‐Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act was not for wild horses to be corralled and penned. The clear intent was that the wild horses and burros be allowed to live on western rangelands designated primarily for their survival in self‐sustaining populations.

Initial Recommended Steps for the Management of America’s Wild Horses & Burros:

1) Cease all roundups until independent analysis can be made of each herd management area. Move forward only with emergency removals if deemed necessary by independent as well as BLM specialists.

2) Return wild horses and burros in good health to the 20.8 million acres of public land designated primarily for their use in 1971 that has since been taken away from them. As per the ROAM Act (§1579): “ensure that, to the extent practicable, the acreage available for wild and freeroaming horses and burros shall never be less than the acreage where wild and freeroaming horses and burros were found in 1971.”

3) Reanalyze appropriate management levels (AMLs) for herd management areas (HMAs). Currently only about 25% of wild horse and burro herds are genetically viable.3 AMLs should not be reduced due to the private use of public lands for livestock grazing. Currently AML “is based on consideration of wildlife, permitted livestock, and wild horses and burros in the area.”4 It is not cost‐effective to remove wild horses from an HMA at a cost of $2600 ‐ over $3000 per individual removed in order to allow a cow/calf pair to graze for a payment of $1.36/month. Cattle, who originated in southeast Asia, damage the land to a far greater degree than wild horses, who are of North American origin.

4) Congress should follow‐up with hearings on the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program as recommended by the Government Accounting Office (2008 report).

Photos and more information available from:

The Cloud Foundation

719-633-3842

info@thecloudfoundation.org
______________________________________________________________

1 Department of Interior press release, 10/7/2009.

2 Nearly 32,000 wild horses are in holding as of 10/7/2009 according to BLM records. No independent inventory has been conducted and the truth of this number cannot be verified.

3 Genetically viable defined here as a population of horses 1 year and older that is at or above 150‐200 individuals with a Ne (genetic effective number) of 50 or more. This is the bare minimum for genetic viability of wild horse and burro population.
More information here.

4 According to Nevada BLM site, accessed 10/8/2009

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Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigative Report and More…

Investigative reporter and Peabody award-winner, George Knapp, reports on what is really happening to Nevada’s wild horses in “Stampede to Oblivion”. This special report will air on Saturday, Oct. 10th at 9pm in Nevada. It will be available online later as well– stay tuned. Watch a preview here:

   more on: The Cloud Foundation Blog

Senate Votes to Stop Slaughter of Wild Horses and Burros!

This just in from The Animal Law Coalition ~

Senate Votes to Stop Slaughter of Wild Horses and Burros!
Posted Feb 25, 2009 by lauraallen

* Wildlife
* Horse Slaughter

Wild burros

The Senate also prohibited BLM from using funds to kill healthy unadopted wild horses and burros!

Update Sept. 25, 2009: The Senate has voted to pass H.R. 2996, an appropriations bill for 2010 for the Dept. of Interior including the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM").

BLM manages the nation's wild horses and burros. In the bill the Senate made clear to the BLM: Appropriations ... made [in this bill]shall not be available for the destruction of healthy, unadopted, wild horses and burros in the care of the Bureau of Land Management or its contractors or for the sale of wild horses and burros that results in their destruction for processing into commercial products.

Follow the link below to read all about it!

Senate Votes to Stop Slaughter of Wild Horses and Burros! | Animal Law Coalition

ALERT! Cloud’s Herd Roundup on CNN tonight ALERT!

This just in from the Cloud Foundation ~

Cloud’s Herd Roundup on CNN tonight «: "Cloud’s Herd Roundup on CNN tonight
By thecloudfoundation

CNN tonight (Headline News) around 7:oopm EST

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/issues.with.jane/

Chantal Westermann, who was at the roundup, will be on the Jane Velez Mitchell show tonight on the CNN-HLN channel. This will also be available online post broadcast. This will be short, please ask CNN to do a longer story as soon as possible!"

If you miss the program, you can read the transcript a little later as soon as the transcript page is updated. Don't forget to send your comments to CNN and ask for a longer story soon!
  

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!

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Documents From the BLM

Please follow the links to see how the BLM plans to eradicate American wild horses.

clipped from www.conquistadorprogram.org For Immediate Release Contact:   Patricia Haight, Ph.D., (480) 430-2294, pathaight@yahoo.com Julianne French, 520-309-5791, J_French@cox.net Documents from Bureau of Land Management Reflect Intent of BLM for Wild Horses in Holding Facilities & on Public Lands Quote from internal BLM document discussing euthanasia of wild horses: “Increased support from public relations and management staff would also be needed to insulate those doing the actual work from the public, media and Congressional scrutiny/criticism.”

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

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

Status Update

Please! There is still time to help Cloud! Keep calling and writing!

www.thecloudfoundation.org - Status Update

On Sunday we think that the Cattoors will round up all the horses on the mountain-top-- Cloud's band included-- and drive them the 10-12 miles down the mountain. We are most concerned with the week-old filly and the elderly Bigfoot. There is no reason to bring these specific horses down the mountain and we are requesting that the roundup crew leave them alone.
There is an incredible public outcry for these horses and while the BLM is turning a blind eye to the public whose horses they are charged with managing, others are listening. Please continue to call and demand that your congressionals ask the Montana senators Baucus and Tester, as well as congressman Denny Rehberg, why they are allowing the destruction of this unique little herd on their watch. Tester and Baucus' offices have been telling us that this matter is in the BLM's hands-- this is unacceptable. Demand that fewer horses be removed. These horses are far too special to give up on.

Thank you everyone-- all of us here witnessing this roundup feel your support for these horses and we will keep working to save this precious herd.

--Ginger

National Wild Horse and Burro Meeting!

Please attend if you can. If you can't, follow this link to The Cloud Foundation for information on snail mail and email addresses. I can't go myself - but you can be sure I will be sending those letters and emails!

www.thecloudfoundation.org - National Wild Horse and Burro Meeting

National Wild Horse and Burro Meeting
E-mail Print PDF

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 10:51

Sept. 28, 2009 in Arlington, VA - Please come speak for our wild horses

For immediate release: Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Contact: Tom Gorey 202-452-5137

BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board for September 28 in Arlington, Virginia

LAST CHANCE FOR CLOUD'S HERD

Please follow this link to learn more! The roundup is TODAY!

Fight continues to save Cloud’s herd « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Dear Supporters,
We’re sorry to announce that the District Court judge in DC denied our request for a temporary restraining order today and the roundup of Cloud’s herd is to start tomorrow. You can read the court documents here. BLM’s reasoning for this roundup is pathetic. Please don’t give up - we are doing everything we can to monitor this operation and influence the outcome. Young foals only DAYS OLD are on this mountain. Horses in their LATE TEENS and TWENTIES will be removed- this is unacceptable.

Secretary Salazar and the BLM aren’t listening to the public, nor are the Montana Senators. Cloud’s herd represents all wild horses in the West and if we can’t save this most famous herd, what chances do we have with the rest? Please continue to call and fax your congressionals, President Obama (202-456-9000), and all media outlets you can. Read a recent USA Today article here.


Watch our 2 new YouTube videos! Crow Elder & Historian Howard Boggess speaks out for the horses and Advocate Julianne French tells us just who has been hired to do this roundup.
Read and share our most recent Press Release on the current situation and the federally indicted contractor hired to round up Cloud’s herd.

National media attention is being focused on the plight of the herd. We hope it will make a difference.
Please help us bring the struggle of these wonderful animals to the attention of our government. They must not turn a blind eye as this enduring symbol of the American West is lost.

My thanks to all of you who are working so hard. Never give up!


Happy trails,
Ginger Kathrens
Volunteer Executive Director

Pray For The Horses

Please don't stop calling and writing! I will post the results of this hearing as soon as I know anything.

Hearing Set Wednesday, Sept 2, on Roundup and Removal of Cloud's Herd | Animal Law Coalition

Update Sept. 1, 2009: U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in Washington, D.C., has set a hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009, on a motion for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, (attached below) filed by Cloud Foundation, Front Range Equine Rescue and nature photographer, Carol Walker, in their lawsuit to stop the roundup of Cloud's herd. 

EMERGENCY! Time Is Running Out For Cloud's Herd!

I just received this information from the Cloud Foundation -

Cloud Foundation
WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! KEEP CALLING
We've just been told that BLM Director Bob Abbey is meeting with other officials regarding this round up due to the number of calls and e-mails they are receiving. KEEP IT UP- KEEP CALLING, FAXING AND E-MAILING.

These are our wild horses living on our public lands!

HALT THE PRYORS ROUND UP and all others across the west.

BLM Director Bob Abbey
Call: 202-208-3801
Fax: 202-208-5242
Robert_Abbey@blm.gov

Please visit Angels for Cloud for more information and sign the petition! Time is running out!

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!

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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.

Indy To The Rescue - Really!

The strangest thing happened to my husband, Mike, the other day, but, before I continue, a word about Mike is in order. Mike is a very intelligent, rational person. He isn't given to misinterpreting what he sees or getting overly excited without reason. He's very detail oriented and precise.

Now, about my mare, Ami. We've had her since she was a yearling, and she's now 18. She wasn't moody until she had a miserable bout with what my vet finally diagnosed as Lyme Disease when she was about 8. She had become extremely defensive about being touched. In fact, if you didn't stop when she told you to, she could become agressive to the point of actually being dangerous. As it turns out, this is a common sign of Lyme in horses, and it can remain as a permanent after effect.

This is apparently what happened to Ami. She's nothing like what she was when she had active disease, but she's certainly not like she was before either. She still doesn't like to be touched. Sometimes I can groom her reasonably well by starting slowly and staying away from the places she especially wants left alone.

Ami was never as much of a "people" horse as Indy, and now she'd really prefer for Mike and I to just leave her alone as far as "fiddling" with her goes. She doesn't seem to worry about me, but she is downright hostile to poor Mike, and he does NOT touch her if he can help it, believe me.

When she and Indy are eating hay at the outside feeder, all Mike has to do is walk by and she'll pin her ears and swing her head at him. Sometimes she will take a step toward him, and sometimes more than that.That's why he never goes into the paddock without a manure fork. Ami is smart, and she won't even try anything if he's "armed."

That's what happened on the day in question. The horses were eating on opposite sides of the hay feeder when Mike walked by. Ami pinned her ears and swung her head at him. Then she took a step toward him, and then another.

Mike said he didn't have time to react to Ami before Indy whipped around the end of the feeder to cut Ami off, ears flat and head snaked out at her. Mike said he'd never seen Indy look like that. Ami too realized that, for once, Indy meant business and jumped back instead of all but ignoring him like she usually does. Indy was protecting Mike - there's just no other way to look at it. Mike himself is absolutely sure about Indy's intentions, and he was the one that was there after all.

All I can say is, we knew Indy was a hero. Now he's proved it in no uncertain terms. Whatta guy!

Pro Slaughter Group Issues Tainted Survey Results

The big money is with the pro-slaughter groups. It's up to US to save our horses from this horrible, inhumane death.

clipped from rtfitch.wordpress.com Pro Slaughter Group Issues Tainted Survey Results In Horse Slaughter on July 10, 2009 at 9:33 am FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHICAGO, (EWA) – The Unwanted Horse Coalition, a subsidiary of the American Horse Council continues to present a false facade of neutrality on the explosive issue of horse slaughter in America, all the while doing everything in its considerable power to bring back an industry shunned by the overwhelming majority of Americans. For the sake of the horses, the truth needs to be heard! The Washington D.C. based lobbying group has the support of pro slaughter breeders, ranchers, and others with an economic interest in disposing of horses for profit – no matter the cruelty involved.

Indy Earns His Stripes - Er, Carrots

Indy and I got in that next ride since my last post. In fact, we've had four rides since then, including today's - which may explain my lateness in posting the results of my "bit experiment." On the first one I used the Myler snaffle again, like I posted last time, and no doubt about it, Indy much prefers that bit over all the others - Happy Mouth double jointed snaffles and the French link. I'm not sure why, but I'd be willing to bet it's because of the way Indy hates to have his tongue interfered with.

Indy has this funny way of using his tongue to remove bits of food from his mouth - just like humans do after eating. You know how you use your tongue to get that annoying stuff out of your teeth and between your teeth and your cheek? Well, he does that too. His tongue is not quite as well suited to this as a human tongue, but he certainly does his best! He really works at it and continues until he gets it done to his satisfaction. So, you can imagine how upset he can get if the use of his tongue is seriously restricted.

The Myler has a thinner mouthpiece than any of the others, and, for the reasons stated above, Indy prefers this. For the same reason he likes the bit snugly against the corners of his mouth - not tight, but certainly not flopping around. Also, the Myler snaffles are unique in having slots for the headstall and rein attachment instead of their just being inside the bit ring. This gives this bit much more stability in the mouth, with each arm moving independently and only in response to the rein. I think that is probably the major reason that Indy likes it so much better than the others.

For the last three rides however, I used the head gear he really prefers above all others - his sidepull. I think Indy will always prefer bitless because of the complete tongue freedom it affords him. He was working very well too. I think working with a bit every so often makes him stay lighter in the sidepull. Since I do want him to accept the bit and work well in it, I will do what I did with DJ - who liked bitless as well. Do bit work regularly but spend most of the time bitless. I will however, stay with the Myler with Indy. ;o)

These last two rides I've been working on leg aids. So far, I've stayed with rein cues, but I think it's time to advance. Yesterday, Indy was "getting it" incredibly well. He even gave me a few steps of a correct leg yield! It felt great - light and effortless. After the first time doing this, man, were my legs sore the next morning! I'm not sore after yeaserday though, so maybe I can recapture my old form after all. 'Course, it doesn't hurt that Indy learns so incredibly rapidly. We'll be doing shoulder in next time!

Probably won't be riding for a few days though. Supposed to get into the 90s, then a couple of days of rain. It actually sprinkled on us yesterday in fact. Oh well. Things have gone so wonderfully these last few rides - especially his quick response to my legs - I think I can manage to stay pumped for a few days.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

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.

Can This Last?

What can I say? Nothing but good news to report. How 'bout that?

First, I rode Indy last Sunday - the last good day we've had for riding incidentially - and he was fantastic. He did look in the window a couple of times, but other than that he was his usual self again. No tension, no bouncing, just good ole Indy. Ami was quiet as well. Whatever it was that was bothering them, it's either gone or they don't care about it anymore.

Not only was Indy his calm cool self, the first time we rode up the "playpen" he stopped and started an attempt the stretch into urinating position. Since he's never urinated under saddle yet, I tried to encourage him as much as I possibly could. No dice. He straightened up and continued walking.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I bring all this up - and I couldn't blame you. LOL! It's just that many geldings have problems urinating under saddle. It's not that they can't, but I guess they don't think they can, or, maybe they think they're not supposed to. In any case, some geldings NEVER learn to urinate while being ridden, and others only after witnessing another gelding doing it. Needless to say, on a long trail ride this can become extremely uncomfortable for the poor horse, so I wanted Indy to catch on even though he didn't have another gelding to "set an example."

So, I kept taking him back there where there were lots of old shavings to tempt him. Finally, he stopped and tried it again. This time he did the Deed! I praised him to the skies and stroked his neck and everything else I could think of to let him know that this was a goooood thing he was doing. Sure glad there was no one else around though...

Hopefully, this will carry over. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to ride again, but maybe tomorrow.

The only "bad" note is that I'm sure now that Indy does not like the French link bit. After observing him with different bits now that he's more used to the idea of bits in general, I'm convinced that he still likes the Myler bit the best. Maybe it's the thinner mouthpiece. Or the slots it has for the headstall and reins - this may hold it more steady in his mouth and give his tongue more freedom. Whatever it is, it's his mouth so he gets the bit he prefers.

I'll use the Myler for our next ride and see how it goes.

A Tale of Two Rides

I usually make a separate post for each ride, but, given that I'm having trouble typing right now - more about this later - I decided to combine two rides. These particular rides are probably best discussed together anyway.

I had tentatively titled the earlier ride "An Interesting Ride," because interesting it was. There was a lot going on - field work in both of Lowell's fields, Mike mowing, Bernadine mowing, so that might account for some of the excitement. Still, both Indy and Ami seemed as high as kites, especially Ami. She acted like she couldn't find Indy, and he was right there, in the small paddock just like always.

I've never seen Indy so worked up, and certainly not when I was riding him. It was really strange, especially when he started insisting on turning and racing for the entrance back into the barn, both he and Ami seeming close to panic.

I didn't have a clue as to what was going on with them, except that I couldn't let Indy quit on such a note. Now, if you've read many of my posts, you know that I'm not the boldest rider in the world - even before I had my hip replaced and smashed the heck out of my rib cage, I wasn't the world's boldest rider, much less now, even with a helmet and rib protector.

Still, I could not quit, so I took most of the slack out of the reins - enough to maintain some control but not pulling - held on to the saddle horn with both hands and kept going. Indy never tried to buck, but some of his turns made me glad I had that saddle horn! We trotted and cantered back to the barn, then we went out again, came back, went out... Actually, staying on was easy, Indy's trot and canter being lovely and smooth.

I never got either of them to calm down, but when I decided we could quit, I got Indy away from the barn to dismount. As always he stood still as a statue as I eased off trying not to stress my left hip joint any more than necessary. Then I walked him around the paddock a bit. He was ill at ease, but he never attempted to pull away or anything like that, so I felt it would be fine to end here.

Our next ride was last Friday. I again used the Myler bit, pulled snugly into the corners of Indy's mouth. This is definitely what he prefers - he hates for the bit to flop around in his mouth even a little. He also seems much happier with the thinner mouthpiece of the Myler over the thicker Happy Mouth. I think that, with Indy, less is definitely better. He hates having his tongue restricted, so whatever takes up less room and stays off his tongue is always going to be his preference. And, since it's going to be in his mouth, his preference is the one that counts.

Friday's ride was much better. Ami didn't seem much calmer, but Indy was. I could feel it not only through the reins, but his entire body felt different - softer. He still wanted to go back over to Ami, but he wasn't nearly as extreme about it.

I kept just a tiny bit more contact this time. There was still a loop in the reins, but not as much as last time, and if I closed my hands, I made very light contact. Indy has never been ridden on contact - until now! - and again, I didn't want him to feel trapped or punished. And all I asked of him was to keep his cavorting within bounds.

Not only did he keep himself within bounds, when I used the light contact to ask him to "easy," I could feel him not only obey, but actually accepting the contact and softening his jaw. It was brief, but it was real, and it was the first time. I feel that we had a real breakthrough.

A training breakthrough is always cause for celebration of course, but even more so for me here is that I, as they say, "did it my way." By that I mean no pulling, no punishing. I just keep him going when he's not doing what I want, and I praise him when he is doing what I want. Indy is so intelligent - really, he is - that I had to spend a lot of time figuring out the best way to handle him.

He's more than willing to offer his opinion about everything, and I didn't want to squelch that, while still having him understand that there were times when he just had to do it my way, period. I wanted him to respect me, and I always knew that I would definitely have to earn that from Indy even more than one usually does with any horse. But, I also wanted him to trust me and mind me out of that trust - not fear. And besides, Indy is not easily intimidated. With his smarts and self confidence, the "do it or else" type of handling would probably lead to disaster.

Fortunately, all my noodling over him seems to have paid off. I know he isn't afraid of me, but he's is very respectful and does what I ask - and I do ask, not demand. I really don't think he's been testing me the past couple of rides. I don't think that's what this has been about, but I think I did handle it the right way for us. I always said that if I ever had another greenie to train, I wouldn't make the same mistakes I did with DJ. Of course, I never intended to have another green horse. But, such is fate.

Being totally dependent on the weather is a severe handicap when you're trying to train a horse as green as Indy was. Consistency is hard to come by when training sessions are weeks apart sometimes. I don't even have a place to do useful ground training when it's wet, very cold, and/or very windy - not to mention all three at once. Around here the winter is pretty much a total loss without some sort of indoor facility. And it's not only the cold - which can be very cold. It's also the wind and the footing. Even on relatively nice days, the footing is nothing short of impossible - hard, slick and extremely uneven.

It's also hard training such an inexperienced horse without the benefit of other horses giving him confidence by example. On the other hand, I don't have a dozen well meaning friends advising me to do things that I would later wonder about. Tight nosebands, not letting him "get away" with anything, whacking him instead of taking time to figure out why he was doing what he was doing, etc. I was pretty green myself then, and I knew it. Now, well let's just say that since then, I've developed my own ideas about training - with a lot of credit to John Lyons - and they are quite different from the style I was using in the 1980s.

The two most important things I learned from John weren't techniques, but matters of attitude. The first is that my idea of patience was woefully inadequate. That's the mistake I regret most with DJ. I thought I was being patient with him, but I wasn't - not nearly, no matter what I was hearing from other "Monday morning trainers," or even seeing with other horses in the hands of other pros.

The other thing is equally important, especially for someone like me. And that is that it's okay to love your horse. It's even okay to love on your horse. I have to admit, other pro's I'd seen/read made me feel like an idiot because of the feelings I had for my horses and the way I loved to pet on them. John took an approach that was totally different. I'll never forget the first time I saw John kissing his beloved Zip. Maybe that's why John's methods work so well for me both in the saddle and on the ground.

Oh yeah - about my finger. When I was putting the saddle back on the rack after that last ride, I guess my grip slipped a little with my right hand, and somehow I caught my left pinkie between the full weight of the saddle and the metal rack. Yikes! I really smashed it. It turned a deep purple and even with iceing it, within hours it was so swolen I couldn't even bend it - or straighten it for that matter. Guess a few days of rain that we're supposed to be getting won't be so bad after all - this time.

John Lyons and Bright Zip

John Lyons and Seattle, by Bright Zip