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SAFE
HAVEN FOR WILD HORSES OR BURROS Udated 8/9/05 Please check out the new website for LB Ranch - www.lbranchmustangs.com For those who
might be interested, we are now taking applications for another load of
mustangs. Larry Jones, email: L B Ranch Sent:
Monday, October 03, 2005 9:36 AM December 3 2006 February 11-12
Columbus, OH (M) March 4-5 Benton,
AR (J) April 1-2 West
Monroe, LA (J) May
Updated 6/21/05 We have been informed this morning that BLM is once again willing to send mustangs to Florida. We are faxing our waiting list to them. Anyone wanting one of these horses should contact Don Glenn at 1-202-452-5082 or e-mail us at lbranch@mailmt.com wit phone number and Florida city of residence. These horses are over 10 yrs old and mostly geldings, some mares, and the possibility of a stallion if one is wanted. They would have to be picked up here at L B Ranch, Myakka City, Fla. on the day chosen. Have a heart!!!! Give a horse a home!!!!! We have been asked several times about whether or not these horses are registered. No, they are not. However, all of our ranch mustangs are being registered with The American Mustang and Burro Assn. (AMBA). Any of the horses coming from BLM can be registered but it would have to be at the owner's expense. Larry Jones Updated 6/20/05 I have never shared with all of you any of the mustangs we have here. Here are a few of them. The lone Gray is our stallion. Thought you might enjoy seeing them. Larry Jones
Updated 6/6/05 We should make it clear that we are still taking in unwanted or abused mustangs. The fact that we are not bringing in any more horses from Wyoming in no way changes our policy of taking in horses from our area that need a home. If you have a horse or know of a horse that needs help e-mail us at lbranch@mailmt.com as the L B Ranch is still willing to help. Larry Jones Myakka City, FL Updated 5/20/05 To all concerned: We will not be bringing any more BLM horses to our ranch for adoption under the new sale rules. It would place to much responsibility on my wife and I as we would not be able to check on the horses with them scattered all over the state. Thank you and thank Florida Horse for all the help you have been. We will however, feep supporting all of the organizations that are trying to get the law changed. Larry and Barbara Jones Updated 5/12/05 We now have a truck load of wild horses on our waiting list, thanks to Florida Horse.Com. We will not, at this time, start another list as the future of these horses are still uncertain. Until BLM says for certain that they will provide the horses, it makes no since to keep adding names. Anyone wishing to get information, may, if they please, call Sally Spencer at 202-452-5082. We will, however, be glad to help anyone wanting to adopt at the Marianna, Florida adoption on May 21, 2005. We wish to thank all who adopted horses, helped out and a big thanks to Florida Horse.Com for keeping the information on the web. My deepest thanks
to all, Updated 5/10/05 The BLM will be conducting a Wild Horse and Burro Adoption in Marianna, Florida on 5/21 through 5/22 this month. Price is $125 unless more than one person wants the same horse. Then it goes to the highest bidder. These horses are under 10 years of age and very trainable. For more information call Shayne Banks, 601-977-5405 or call me at 941-322-1630 for more information and/or directions to the Jackson County Ag Center. You must make application for these horses either at the adoption site or previously to BLM. The horses and burros will be there Friday the 20th for preview and adoption approvals. Larry Jones Updated 5/6/05 We have been notified this date that we can resume taking names of people who want to give permanent homes to mustangs. We have at present 27 mustangs spoken for and need at least 8 more horses for the first load once sales resume. The sale has been halted only temporarily and will resume in the near future. Anyone receiving one of these horses must sign a contract and pay $100 to BLM. The horses will be picked up at L B Ranch in Myakka City, FL on a date to be set in the future. Anyone interested,
please call me at 941-322-1630 weekday only please. Updated 4/26/05 The sale of America's wild horses has been haulted for now due to the public outcry of horse lovers around the country. This is, of course, good news to everyone interested in saving these horses from slaughter. More information can be obtained by logging on to any of the many websites around the country. Although it seems to be a temporary hault maybe it will give enough time for a permanent solution to be found. Larry Jones Updated 4/21/05 There has been enough demand for mustangs that BLM is going to send down another load of horses maybe two. If anyone is interested in giving a good home to one or more mustangs they should contact me at 941-322-1630. I will get your name, city of residence, and phone number which will be sent to the Washington office. In a few days they will contact you asking you to send them $100. They in turn will send you a bill of sale and a time the horse or horses can be picked up at our ranch. If you have large acreage and want a full load, they will be delivered to you. You must have a unloading facility as there are no ramps on their trucks. Thank you, Larry Jones - LB Ranch - Myakka City, FL Updated 4/16/05 - Our adoption sale of the wild mustangs is over and was a huge sucess. We found homes for all the horses except the ones we plan to keep. Of the 34 horses that arrived 4/8/05, 14 were placed in long term care homes. We had 41 people who called wanting a horse that we could not provide. Anyone wanting one or more of these horses should now call Don Glenn, 1-202-452-5082 or Sally Spencer, 1-202-452-5196 and place an order for a horse. As they get orders of a truck load (34 horses) they will be shipped to drop-off points in Florida for pick-up. One lady told me she and her husband want a truckload themselves. This is what it is going to take to save these horses. All you guys out there jump on the band wagon. If you need any help contacting BLM call me at 1-941-322-1630. Thank all of you who are trying to save these historical horses. Larry Jones Updated 4/15/05 At this time I would like to express my many thanks to Floridahorse.com for your help in finding homes for some of the wild horses BLM sent to us. Thank you for all your help. I am sure we would not have the success without you. We plan to bring in another load in the near future. As we find homes for them we will bring them in. I would like, at this time, if I may, make a comment about Dr. Walter Brash and AOWHA. Although their efforts and thoughts are good, and we need to keep pressure on congress, the fact of getting this bill turned around is slim to none. Our government
is broke. This is an appropriation bill. Money to opperate. All this stuff about ranchers killing horses in the 1800's and big ranchers out west not liking mustangs, etc is all true. But we also killed a lot of Indians in the 1800's and there will always be those who don't like mustangs. The only chance these horses have is if they can be placed out of harm's way. This takes a lot of money. Money the government dosen't or is not willing to have. They also need oil as we do have a oil crunch world wide. Some third world countries can't even get it. It makes no difference who is the cause of the problem at this point. There simply is not going to be a change in the law. There are NOT, and I repeat, there are NOT enough votes at the present time in the house or senate. Besides, President Bush does not want it changed. He is too broke and has other matters he considers more important. In the meantime each day that goes by, while we wring our hands and grit our teeth, the horses are getting closer to the slaughter house. And by the way, it has been told to me by sources in Washington that the anti-slaughter bill will be doomed to the same fate. I hope and pray that if anybody who wants to really save these horses will start working on finding shelter for them. It is the only chance they've got. Anyone that would
like to see these horses are welcome at our ranch. Just please call first.
L B Ranch 1-941-322-1630. Updated 4/12/05: The horses arrived here last Friday as planned. Saturday the people who were supposed to pick their horses up did so. Because of the newspapers and other media across Florida as well as the nation (BLM posted it on the ap wire), we have had many, many calls wanting one of these horses. We will hold a sale Saturday next, 4/16/05, for anyone wanting to purchase a horse. There are 15 mares in the group. We have had some calls about this and yes we will let some of the mares go. The cost is $100 dollars each. We will meet here at the ranch at 10:00 o'clock A.M. and everyone will pitch in helping each other load. If you do not have a trailer, some have said that for a small fee they will haul your horses. Anyone needing directions can call 1-941-322-1630 or my cell 1-941-720-1514. After Saturday, any horses here will stay here for life. We have several nice geldings that anyone would be proud to own. Thank You, Larry Jones L B Ranch - Myakka City, FL
Updated 4/7/05: The wild horses we have been talking about are en route. They will arrive here at the ranch sometime tomorrow. Anyone interested can see them saturday after 8:00 A.M. If they plan to take one or more they must bring their trailer with them. They must also pay the $100 freight cost per horse/burro that we paid to get them down here. They can call
941-322-1630 for directions to the ranch.
This letter was received by us in March 2005 and we wanted to pass along this offer to you: "My wife and I own the L B Ranch in Myakka City, FL. We have approx 1,000 acres which we run cattle on. We also have 4 wild mustangs, 9 domestic horses and 13 wild burros. Recently the Sheriff's Department brought us 2 mustangs, a mare and a stallion, that had been abandoned and near death. This is the second time we have rescued wild horses. I have been working with horses now over 20 years, both wild and domestic, and am learning that it is hard to find anyone who wants to work with the wild ones. So we are putting out the word that any wild one that needs a home has one here. If there is no title we will pay the transfer fee to BLM. I am now 66 years old and can't think of anything I would rather do with what time the good Lord gives me. I have a 37 yr old son to carry on. With the government going to kill them off (they have been wanting to for years I found out in my travels west) the fine people around the country who will take them in is their only chance. We have trucks and trailers for hauling if needed." Larry and Barbara Jones lb@mailmt.com or Phone: 941-322-1630 Updated 3/23/05 "Since my last message we have made a deal with BLM and 35 (a truck load) is coming here to our ranch. If anyone wants one of these horses they should contact Sally Spencer. She can be reached at Sally_Spencer@blm.gov or by telephone at 1-202-452-5196 or Don Glenn at Don_Glenn@blm.gov They are putting the loads together that will come to us as a drop off point and they can be picked up here. We expect the horses to start arriving in about 3 weeks. But he has to be able to put together lots of 35 in order to ship them to us. Anyone wanting a horse or burro needs to let him know ASAP. Thanks again for your help, Larry Jones"
Updated 3/30/05 "This morning I have received a call from Don Glenn at BLM to inform me the first load of wold horses will arrive here at the L B Ranch in Myakka City April 9, 2005. Anyone interested may e-mail me at lbranch@mailmt.com or Don_Glenn@blm.gov or call him at Washington, D.C. 1-202-452-5082.
Government-Approved Slaughter
Almost every day, a dozen or so wild burros come down from the foothills of the Black Mountains of northwestern Arizona onto the main street of Oatman, a revitalized high desert mining town about 15 miles from where California, Nevada, and Arizona meet. No one remembers when the burros first came into the mountain town that is bisected by the hairpin curves and switchbacks of Old Route 66, but they do know burros have lived in the area for more than a century. However, it wasn’t until the tourists began visiting the town in the early 1970s that the burros made their regular visits, arriving each day on no set schedule, but usually leaving about 4:30–5 p.m. when the tourists leave. The townspeople provide love, concern, funds for veterinarian bills, and two water troughs for the burros who work the Main Street tourist industry. Sometimes the residents will brush the burros, but the burros themselves are adept at making sure the entire pack is clean and groomed. The tourists pet the burros, have their pictures taken with them, chat with them, and feed them carrots, available for $1 a bag from the Oatman General Store or any of a dozen other stores. The burros work for food. Once protected by federal law, the nation’s 3,000 wild burros and 33,000 wild horses, as well as 24,000 horses in short- and long-term sanctuaries, now face Congressionally-approved slaughter. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) inserted a rider into the 3,000 page omnibus spending bill of 2005, approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush, that requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell all wild horses and burros which have not been adopted in three attempts or which are 10 years or older. Wild burros have life spans of 25–30 years; domesticated burros can live 45 years; wild horses have life spans of 20–25 years. The animals, according to the legislation, “shall” be sold, and can be butchered. There were no hearings or debate. The public may not know what forces helped convince Burns to silently insert the rider into the Appropriations Act, but one thing is certain—the beef industry has its brand all over it. During the mid-1800s, more than 2.3 million wild horses and 60 million bison freely roamed America’s west. But, ranchers, who had already seized land from the Indians and were deep into a land war with farmers, saw horses as competition for unfenced grazing land. They poisoned the horses’ watering holes, blinded the lead stallions by shooting their eyes out, or simply ran them to death, up and over cliffs, according to Mike Markarian, executive vice-president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Ranchers “even captured wild mustangs, sewed their nostrils shut with rawhide so they could barely breathe, and returned them to their herds so they would slow down the other horses and make them much easier to capture,” says Markarian. In 1897, Nevada allowed unlimited killing of mustangs. By 1900, the bison were almost extinct, the result of indiscriminate killing during the nation’s “Manifest Destiny.” A half-century later, mustangs were close to meeting the same fate as the bison. That’s when Velma Johnston, to become known as “Wild Horse Annie,” began a national campaign to save wild horses and burros. It took two decades until Congress unanimously passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 that gave federal protection to the animals and made it a felony for anyone to capture or harm them. In 1974, the first federal census of wild horses and burros revealed that only 60,000 remained in Arizona, California, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The BLM plans to reduce the population on public lands to about 20,000, removing at least 11,500 wild horses and burros in 2005. This number is below the minimum necessary to sustain healthy populations, according Dr. Gus Cothran, equine geneticist at the University of Kentucky. The minimum number of horses and burros in each herd management area (HMA) needs to be at least 150, says Cothran; under BLM plans, about 70 percent of the HMAs will have fewer than 100 animals. Estimates by animal rights groups place the number that will probably be slaughtered by the end of the year at 6,000–14,000. Prior to the new federal law, the BLM sold “excessive” horses and burros for $125, and then gave full ownership only after a year, during which time the owner had to provide adequate space, shelter, and care. However, the BLM has a long history of neglectful oversight after the animals are sold, and even has a history of willful violation of the law. In 1997, animal rights activists revealed that BLM employees personally profited by selling mustangs and burros for $400–$500 each, and then falsified records. However, under political pressures, the investigation, which had resulted in indictments by a federal grand jury, dissolved. Even if no horses and burros were slaughtered, and current levels maintained, that still would be too much for the ranchers. The 33,000 horses and burros, apparently, are taking up too much space and are infringing upon forage land of the 4.1 million head of cattle. A statement by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released about the time of the Congressional appropriations measure declared, “excessive numbers of feral horses and burros continue to cause increasing deterioration of range conditions.” Why the cattlemen want more land is a matter of economics as reflected by the AUM. An AUM (animal unit month) is the amount of forage “required to feed an average-size cow and calf per month, or one horse, or five sheep,” according to the BLM; currently, an AUM is about 800 pounds of air-dried foliage. The BLM, in its 2005 budget justification report, apparently bowing to rancher concerns, states that removing the horses and burros will “eliminate the need to reduce permitted livestock grazing during a drought.” The BLM charges ranchers $1.79 AUM to graze one cow and calf upon public land; the cost to lease private land is $20–$50 AUM. Half of the fees collected by the BLM and Forest Service from the ranchers holding about 23,600 permits are eventually returned to them for range improvements. Even with income from the ranchers, the program had a loss of about $124 million in 2002, according to an independent study conducted by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson. However, the cost could be $500 million to $1 billion to subsidize ranchers because “it was difficult to get a clear idea of just how much money the government is pumping into the federal grazing program [for cattle] to keep it going,” according to Karyn Moskowitz, principal author of the report. Co-author Chuck Romaniello, a BLM economist, raised the problem that “numerous programs both in and outside the two agencies [BLM and Forest Service] also bear costs [and] we could find no system that adequately accounts for all of these costs.” Even raising the grazing fee for cattle to come close to the cost of private leased land “will not cover the real costs,” according to George Wuerthner, one of the researchers. “If we did a full accounting of the ecological costs—soil erosion, extirpation of predators, water pollution, endangered species, spread of weeds, dewatering of rivers for irrigated pasture,” said Wuerthner, “the price we pay annually . . . would be in the billions of dollars.” The report has spurred the Government Accounting Office into an investigation of below-cost grazing on public lands. In contrast, the BLM spends only about $39 million for the wild horse and burro program. This includes costs of helicopters to round-up the animals and then to ship them to holding facilities where, under the new law, they are likely to be sold for slaughter. About 24,000 wild horses are now in one of 11 holding facilities in Kansas and Oklahoma, at least 8,300 meeting minimal criteria imposed by the repeal of the 1971 law. The cost to keep the horses and burros in the sanctuaries and not running free on land that cattlemen want may be as much as one-third of the budget, an expense not necessary if the horses and burros were allowed to run in herds. The sale of horses to slaughter houses is financially attractive. Depending upon market value, a 1,000 pound mustang can bring $700–$900 at a slaughter house. Horse meat is a gourmet meat in Western Europe, Japan, and several other countries. About 65,000 domestic horses, unprotected by any laws, were butchered last year. Because wild horses eat natural grasses, and have not been subjected to mankind’s artificial foods, chemicals, and drugs, the meat is considered especially delicious. The first sale of wild horses under the new federal law was in February to a company in Wyoming, which bought 200 horses for $10,000, $50 a horse. Wild Horses Wyoming says it plans to put the horses into a sanctuary, and not sell them. Some ranchers, just wanting the animals off public lands to allow for more cattle, say they will buy the horses and burros, and then create tourist attractions in Mexico. However, there is no guarantee that the animals will be protected or that they won’t then be sold for slaughter in Mexico or transported across the border to Texas, home of two of the nation’s three foreign-owned slaughterhouses. There is a possibility that the 1971 law protecting the animals may be restored. A bill by Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), with 15 co-sponsors, is in a subcommittee of the House Resources Committee. The lobbying pressure against the bill is expected to be intense. However, more than 60 national organizations are now on record calling for the repeal of the recently-passed legislation. When it rains in Oatman, Ariz., the burros and the tourists both head for cover beneath the stores’ wooden porches, both groups chatting with each other, both groups eating munchies. On a plaque in Oatman is a reality— “[I]f it were not for these burros, in all probability, neither you nor the plaque would be standing here today.” Beneath the wooden awnings of stores, the burros of Oatman remind us that all of us, human and animal, need each other. [Assisting on this story were Rosemary Brasch and Gail Fox. For more information, go to the Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org <http://www.hsus.org> ), International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (www.ispmb.org <http://www.ispmb.org> ), American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (www.wildhorsepreservation.com <http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com> ), Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates (www.aowha.org <http://www.aowha.org> ), and Bureau of Land Management (www.blm.gov <http://www.blm.gov> ) Brasch is an award-winning journalist, author of 15 books, and a university professor. You may contact him through his website at www.walterbrasch.com <http://www.walterbrasch.com> ] |
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