39. The Consequences of a Roundup: The White Mountain Herd
Release Date: 09/02/2024
67. Planning for the Red Desert Complex Wild Horses Needs Your Comments
Freedom for Wild Horses
Have you heard about the new herd management plan for the Red Desert Complex? If not, now is the time to pay attention. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a plan that will impact the wild horses in this area, and the comment period is open. In this episode, I explain why submitting your comments is crucial and how they can influence the future of these horses. The BLM is planning how to manage the wild horses across 753,000 acres of the Red Desert Complex. This is your chance to speak up. I outline the main concerns with the current management plan, including water...
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66. The Winter that Wasn't with the Wild Horses of Salt Wells Creek
Freedom for Wild Horses
What is it like to visit the wild horses of Salt Wells Creek during a winter with almost no snow? In this episode, I share what I saw during my recent trip to this Wyoming range, where unusually dry conditions made travel easier but also raised concerns about the lack of moisture across the region. You'll hear about several of the families and bachelor stallions I observed during my time in the range, including familiar horses I have followed for years and new foals born outside the official foaling window defined by the Bureau of Land Management. This visit also highlights...
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65. A Year for Wild Horses
Freedom for Wild Horses
What could this year mean for wild horses? As we enter the Year of the Fire Horse, a symbol of movement, passion, and freedom, I reflect on what lies ahead for the horses who embody those qualities more than any other. Wild horses represent vitality and resilience, yet their future remains uncertain as policies and priorities continue to shift. More than 64,000 wild horses are currently confined in holding facilities, and over 22 million acres have been removed from herd management areas. Oversight remains limited, roundups continue to loom, and transparency has steadily...
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64. Why BLM’s Expansion of Sales Threatens Wild Horses with Debbie Coffey
Freedom for Wild Horses
What happens to wild horses once they are removed from public lands and placed in holding facilities? In this episode, I examine a new Bureau of Land Management policy that expands the use of sales as a way to reduce the number of wild horses in government care, raising serious concerns about oversight and protection. I’m joined by longtime wild horse advocate and Freedom of Information Act expert Debbie Coffey to explain what this policy change allows and why it matters. We discuss how increased reliance on sales, especially group sales, creates risks when transparency is limited...
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63. Revisting Wild Curly Horses
Freedom for Wild Horses
Have you ever wondered what makes a wild curly horse so distinctive? In this episode, I revisit my first experiences with the curly horses of Salt Wells Creek and share how discovering this rare lineage changed the way I understood the diversity within America’s wild horse herds. These horses carry traits that set them apart from others on the range, and encountering them for the first time revealed just how unique this population truly is. As I revisit this story, I also share why these horses are now at risk. Salt Wells Creek is one of the herds slated for full removal...
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62. Wild Horses: Where We Are Now and Remembering Where My Journey Began
Freedom for Wild Horses
Have you wondered what is happening with America’s wild horses as 2025 comes to a close? In this episode, I share a clear look at where things stand today. After more than twenty years of observing these herds, the gap between what the law intended and how wild horses are managed has never felt more evident. I also break down the political forces shaping the future of these herds, including how appropriate management levels are set, what the most recent government funding does and does not protect, and why Project 2025 continues to cast uncertainty over the years ahead. In...
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61. The Lost Horses: It’s Time to Pass the SAFE Act
Freedom for Wild Horses
What can you do to help stop our horses in this country from going to slaughter? Horses from every discipline, age, and background are being shipped for slaughter every year. In 2024 alone, 20,000 horses were killed. Many people do not realize how easily a Thoroughbred, a child’s lesson pony, a show horse, or even a mustang can be sold at auction and bought by kill buyers. In this episode, I talk with filmmaker and advocate Ashley Avis, creator of Black Beauty and Wild Beauty, about her newest project: The Lost Horses, a national campaign designed to help finally pass...
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60. Connecting with the Wild Horses of Salt Wells Creek and the Red Desert Complex
Freedom for Wild Horses
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to connect with wild horses? In this episode, I take you with me on my September journey through Salt Wells Creek and the Red Desert Complex in Wyoming. With the roundup postponed for another season, I was able to spend time among wild horse families who remain free, witnessing their strength, their relationships, and the quiet power that defines life in the high desert. Throughout this trip, I spent mornings watching families gather near water, stallions keeping watch over their bands, and bachelor groups moving together across the...
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59. Revisiting Wild Horse Holding Facilities
Freedom for Wild Horses
What happens to wild horses after a roundup, and how has it changed over the years? In this episode, I revisit the topic of wild horse holding facilities to examine how horses are cared for after being removed from public lands. From my earliest observations to the present, the situation has worsened, and the challenges facing these horses are more urgent than ever. I share what I’ve learned about holding facilities across Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, highlighting high-level issues such as overcrowding, disease outbreaks, and the risks to mares and foals. This...
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58. A Journey for Wild Horses and a Reprieve
Freedom for Wild Horses
Have you ever wondered where the fight to save wild horses is headed? In this episode, I take you on a journey that began 21 years ago, when I first discovered that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was planning to remove most of the wild horses from Adobe Town, a herd I had grown to love. Through 22 roundups across five states, I've photographed and shared the painful reality of the BLM’s actions. The recent 10th Circuit Court victory gave us hope, ruling that the BLM’s plan to eliminate three Wyoming herds was illegal. But the fight is far from over. This week, our group...
info_outlineThe Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently reused an outdated assessment and failed to conduct a new count despite severe winter conditions that reduced horse numbers. The roundup of the White Mountain Herd, which involved the use of helicopters, resulted in significant stress for the horses.
In this episode, I explain why I call the BLM's White Mountain wild horse roundup “a pre-zero roundup,” and how The Rock Springs Grazing Association’s influence in limiting wild horse populations, and the subsequent lack of transparency regarding post-roundup counts, are significant concerns. To safeguard the future of wild horses and prevent further herd reductions, it is crucial to spread awareness. This episode shares how you can make a difference.
Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.wildhoofbeats.com/39