WILD HORSE ROUNDUPS
CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP, INC.

Calico Complex Wild Horse Roundup - 2010

Update February 28, 2010 There are still all kinds of rumors and mistruths going around about this Calico gather. One in particular that I need to address. Ms Leigh has put together a video using some of the footage she took during her visit to the trap site on January 16, 2010. The wild horses captured on January 16th were transported to the Fallon facility on the 17th and because of the weather no wild horses were gathered that day. Wild horses were captured from the Warm Springs area again on January 18th. Theses wild horses were transported to Fallon on the 20th. They were held over because the rain and snow had made the road impassable for the semis on the 19th. The weanling in question arrived at the Fallon facility on the 20th and had been captured on the 18th not on the 16th. It is not the weanling being shown in Ms Leigh’s video.

I would also challenge anyone who has seen this video footage to go back and look at it. Notice just how far away the helicopter is in the first couple of clips. You have to really look but it is way off in the distance on the right of the screen. Just a small dot. Notice the other couple drives when the helicopter brings in bands of wild horses. Then look at the one drive with this weanling when the helicopter gets close. You will notice the pilot stays back as long as he can but when the wild horses enter the wings of the trap he drops down to catch this weanling up with the rest of the band. This weanling does catch up and as soon as the wranglers come out from under the jute the pilot lifts up. The helicopter is close behind the wild horses for less than a minute. If you will look also you will see that one of the wild horses starts to turn around as they are going down the wings. This pilot has been moving this band for some time towards the trap. He has been staying above and way back from them allowing them to drift towards the trap at their own speed. While he is doing this he is reading the band and the band is getting use to the helicopter. By reading the band he knows how much pressure he must put on this particular band as they go down the wings of the trap. Each band and each run will be different as you can see from the couple of drives in this video. If the helicopter had been further back and the band had turned around in the wings or stopped and gone thru the wings it could have been dangerous and certainly much more stressful on the wild horses. This pilot also had to make one other decision as he was driving this band into the wings. If the weanling had been a little further behind the pilot could have dropped in between the weanling and the band and just brought in the band and then one of the wranglers would have taken a saddle horse and brought in the weanling. But in this case the pilot did not have room to safely do this.

Update - February 16, 2010 Some of the anti-gather folks are being very critical of the fact that we had to hold 30 wild horses in our trap overnight. These same folks arrived at the temporary holding facility not too long after these wild horses had been transported to that facility. They observed these wild horses and took pictures of them for over a hour. The wild horses were all standing quietly in the pens with food and water. They could clearly see that the wild horses had no side effects from their overnight stay in the trap. Also, the wild horses stay has been described as their being held in over-crowded conditions and that they were held in the alleyway. That is not true. The trap consist of two large catch pens and then the alleyway. Using the entire trap, the 30 wild horses were separated and had plenty of space.

Next, I would like any one reading this update to think about this fact. We did capture a number of very weak, thin wild horses. Most of the wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized have been these really weak and thin wild horses. If you will recall this roundup was supposed to start on December 1, 2009. It was delayed for a month because of the law suit. Had these really thin and weak wild horses been captured one month sooner, many of them would still be alive today. The same with the really poor mares that have lost their foals. These mares would have had a chance to get the proper nutrition and then would have had a better chance to carry their foals to full term. 

Now, let’s consider the death loss figures for a minute. The .5% to .1% death loss figure that was given at the beginning of the roundup was for the actual gather operations. Out in the field, during the actual capture operations, 1 weanling with a pre-existing condition died and 6 others were humanely euthanized. Of these six, three were very thin and old mares with no teeth. One was the mare that received a ruptured eye ball from a kick in the head by another wild horse and two were crippled stallions, one with a previous badly broken leg and one with a deformed club foot. This makes the death loss for the entire gather operations .364%. This is less that the estimated .5%. I do not believe there was ever an estimate of wild horses that might die or that would have to be humanely euthanized at the short-term holding facility. But, as of February 11, 2010 the total number of wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized is 41 head. Of this number, approximately 30 were in very poor condition when they arrived at the facility. The number of wild horses shipped to the Fallon facility was 1,914. This means 11 animals or .5747% died or were humanely destroyed for reasons other than the fact that they arrived in poor body condition. The percent of weak and thin wild horses that have died or been humanely euthanized is 1.567 %. Not the higher percentage that is being quoted by others. If you use the total numbers - 1,922 captured and 48 died or humanely destroyed the percentage is 2.507%

I am not including the aborted foals. These mares would probably not have carried these foals to full term out on the range because of their poor condition. There is an interesting article written by Tracie Lynn Thompson concerning this very subject. Her site is www.themustangproject.wordpress.com. Click on the heading “you be the judge” on the top of the home page and the article is number 8.

Calico Update - February 5, 2010. On February 3, 2010 we shipped wild horses from our temporary holding facility to the Fallon facility. It was snowing while we were loading but quit soon after. This was an observation day. About noon when the clouds had lifted up off the mountain tops the Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Jerome Fox flew with our pilot. We did not set a trap nor gather that day. After their flight and after going over all the numbers, the BLM decided to capture again the next day. On February 3rd, we transported the wild horses that had been held overnight in the temporary holding facility to Fallon and then set up one more trap. The wild horses captured were sorted and then transported to the Fallon facility. The wranglers tore down the trap and the temporary holding facility and got everything ready to move back home to Nephi. The total number of animals captured on this roundup is 1,922. Percentage of animals lost during gather operations is .003%. Only one death was gather-related. The others were the one pre-existing condition and animals that needed to be humanely euthanized.

Now that the roundup is over, the anti-gather organizations are focusing on the aborted foals and the number of weak and poor (thin and unhealthy) animals that have died at the Fallon facility. We captured a good number of really weak and poor wild horses during this gather. These animals were starving and had probably been eating a lot of brush. We, of course, do not know how many, but a lot of these and others that are starting to pick up and do good would probably have died out on the range this winter and on into the spring. That was the purpose of this roundup, to not let the animals starve to death out on the range and to remove enough so the remaining animals will have enough grass. Most of the weak, poor mares that have lost their foals in the pens would probably have lost them out on the range when the green grass came and they changed feed there, too. That usually does happen in areas when the mares have a very hard winter.

If you or I had horses in our pastures that were really weak and poor, someone would call the authorities. We would then have to feed and take care of them or risk going to court. The BLM is trying to take care of the wild horses that they are under the law required to manage and protect. We all worked really hard to capture them as humanely as possible and now they are being cared for in the very best way possible.

I will continue to update in order to answer questions or address rumors.

Calico Roundup Update February 2, 2010 - On January 27, 2010 no wild horses were captured. The Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Jerome Fox flew with our pilot to determine the location of the wild horses in the Granites and West Calicos. Trap sites were then selected based on this information. We set up a trap at a site we had used before just East of the Granite Ranch and gathered wild horses there on January 28, 29, and 30^th . January 30^th was an observation day. It was raining and snowing in the morning but cleared up later in the day so the observers were able to watch the wild horses come in to the trap that day. One more very old thin mare and one stud, crippled because of a club foot, were humanely euthanized on January 29^th. On the 30^th a mare was kicked in the head by a stud in the sorting alley and her eye was ruptured. She was also humanely euthanized. This is the first gather related death we have had here at the gather site. All the other wild horses captured were transported to the Fallon facility.

On January 31 we moved to the North side of the Granite Mountain and set up a trap. This was a warm sunny day and by afternoon the frost had gone out of the ground. Two pickups with trailers became stuck in the mud getting back to the trap site after offloading the wild horses. Another pickup became stuck trying to pull out these pickups. The decision was made to not try to haul the remaining wild horses under these conditions but to wait until the ground was more solid from the frost early in the morning. So some of the wild horses remained in the trap overnight. They were fed hay and moved to the temporary holding facility at daylight the next morning. There were no serious injuries nor any deaths. Later that day, on February 1, after the wild horses were brought to the temporary holding facility, the wranglers returned to the trap site and tore it down and moved it while the ground was still frozen. These Granite wild horses are in better shape than any we have captured so far. In fact, if anyone is interested in adopting any of the Calico Complex wild horses these would be good ones to choose.

Later in the day, a trap was set up at Leadville to gather the East side of the Calicos. This was an observation day so the observers were able to watch the trap and wings being erected. This trap site was not a real good one for observers and Dave had selected a place up on some rocks where he thought everyone could see good but the observers chose to go across the flat and up on some other rocks. That was probably the best viewing spot but quite a long walk through the snow. We captured wild horses again at this trap today, February 2. There were no serious injuries or deaths.

I would like to address a couple of rumors or myths that I have learned about while talking to some of the observers. First, when we transport the wild horses they are not packed into the trailers so they can lean against each other to stand up. Horses and wild horses stand up in the trailers just like you or I would. Second, they are given adequate room. Our contract is specific in the amount of space required on the trailers for each animal. We always adjust that according to the size and condition of the animals being transported. On this gather we have been putting 12 adult wild horses in each compartment of the trailers even though the footage supports 13 head. If there are weak animals or wild horses in poor condition, we load even less in a compartment or put those wild horses in with the foals.

Next, with reference to the habitat, everyone needs to understand that wild horses do not move from one area to another to find food or water by migrating or jumping over the fences like deer and elk do. They are not wildlife. A wild horse will sometimes go through an open gate or through a hole in a fence. But if they run short of food or water and are living inside even a very large fenced allotment area, they will just die there. And it is a slow painful death.

Calico Roundup Update January 26, 2010 - Since my last update January 19^th I have been away on family business and just returned to Gerlach tonight. The temporary holding facility has been moved closer to Gerlach . On three different days wild horses from the Calico HMA have been captured at two different trap sites. Today and yesterday were again weather days and no wild horses were gathered. All the wild horses have been transported to the Fallon facility. There have been no serious injuries or deaths during the gather.

Visitors coming to the traps and temporary holding facility for the rest of this roundup will notice some changes in the areas where they will be allowed. We have been doing everything possible to accommodate the public so they can get good photos and video and to observe all operations. We have reviewed the activities of the last thirty days and have become very concerned about the safety of the visitors, and the BLM escorting them and feel we have been way too lenient in our safety precautions. Therefore we will have a barrier ribbon at the trap site and temporary holding facility to designate the exact area where the public will be safe from the helicopter and all of the activity of the vehicles our personal horses and the wild horses. Closer access will be limited to just our wranglers, the vets, and the COR & PIs assigned to the contract.

Cattoor Livestock Roundups, Inc has also reviewed their contract and under Section C which is the Description Specifications/Work Statement. Under section C.5 Trapping and Care (a.) it states “The primary concern of the contractor is the safe and humane handling of all animals captured. (h.) states “It is the responsibility of the Contractor to provide security to prevent loss, injury or death of captured animals until delivery to final destination. This is another reason for restricting the areas where the public may be. The safety of the wild horses must come first. We must do all we can to limit the stress on these animals. I am sure everyone will understand the reasons for this new policy.

January 19, 2010 - Update on Calico Complex Roundup. We gathered wild horses from the Warm Springs HMA on January 15^th and January 16^th then had another weather day on the 17^th and no wild horses were gathered. Yesterday and today we gathered again on the Warm Springs HMA and finished that area. We used two different traps so the wild horses could be brought to the one they were the closest to. We are now finished gathering the Warm Springs HMA. Since my last update there have been no serious injuries and no deaths. We are still seeing quite a few thin and very thin wild horses. Most of the weanlings appear to be spring or early summer foals and good size but some are very thin.

We could not ship any of the horses to the Fallon facility today because the rain and snow yesterday and last night had made the road impassible for the semi trucks. Hopefully the rain will cease and the ground will freeze tonight. Some of the pens were enlarged with additional panels and the wild horses were provided plenty of hay and water. Once these wild horses are transported the to Fallon facility this temporary holding facility will be torn down and moved. Our next trap will be just above the Wheeler ranch and the temporary holding facility will be moved closer to Gerlach. We will then be capturing wild horses from the Calico HMA.

I would like to address a couple of rumors circulating about the stallion that escaped from the temporary holding facility at the Paiute Meadows ranch. One rumor is that he might have been captured and the other is that he was seen limping across the ridge above the trap site on Saturday. There was a black wild horse traveling through the rocks on the ridge that day. This wild horse was not limping. No one was very close to it and it could have been either a mare or a stallion. The Paiute Meadows ranch where the stallion escaped is clear over on the other side of the mountain in the East Black Rock HMA and there is a fence between the Warm Springs HMA we were in on Saturday and the East Black Rock HMA in which this stallion was captured. Plus it is at least 20 plus miles and not a direction he would normally travel. From where he escaped he could possibly move into the West Black Rock HMA where we gathered last week but that would be highly unlikely. It is also a fact that if by some slim chance this wild horse did join up with some of the other wild horses and come back into the trap none of us would recognize him. There are a lot of black and black looking wild horses that live here in this Calico Complex.

January 15, 2010. Update on Calico Roundup. We did not gather on January 9, 10 ,11 because of fog and rain. We did ship some horses to the Fallon facility. The wranglers set up a trap south of the ranch to be used to capture some of the Warm Springs wild horses. The Black Rock mountain was still foggy on January 12 so we captured some of the Warm Springs wild horses. There was some wind and light rain and snow in the higher elevations so we shut down operations early in the afternoon. About the same conditions on January 13. We were again able to fly on the Warm Springs HMA and captured horses there. There were no serious injuries or deaths. We are seeing some very thin horses and shaggy malnourished weanlings.

Yesterday, January 14, the sun was out bright and the weather clear. This is my opinion of how the day went. We shipped horses to the Fallon Facility first thing in the morning. Finally the fog had lifted on the Black Rock West HMA and the helicopters headed up to there to finish capturing the animals in that area. The wranglers took the saddle and "pilot" horses and got the trap ready. Good Morning America, Madeline Pickens, and several others representing the various interest groups were scheduled to come watch and film. At about 8:50, those of us at the holding facility could hear helicopters coming towards the ranch. We were aware that Madeline and her group might be flying to the gather. They had permission from the ranch to land on their private air strip. We were getting ready to walk down and greet them at the airport. To our dismay the three helicopters bringing Madeline’s group flew right over the air strip and into the Warm Springs gather area. They then disappeared from our view. Next we could hear them over in the West Black Rock area where our pilots were herding the wild horses towards the trap. They flew thru these areas for at least 25 minutes before finally landing at the air strip. This act of complete defiance of the explicit instructions given to them by Jerry Reynolds and Heather Emmons and caused the remaining Warm Springs wild horses to move clear up into the upper part of the HMA. They will have to be driven miles further to the trap when we go to round them up and bring them to our trap. This was very unfair to the wild horses and caused them a lot of unnecessary extra stress. Federal law specifically prohibits harassment of wild horses.  But more importantly, they put our pilots in danger. One pilot was herding some wild horses and, like always, was way above them and a good distance from them just letting them drift towards the trap. The three large helicopters came between him and the wild horses and scattered the horses. I assume Madeline wanted pictures of the wild horses. Our other pilot was also herding some wild horses - they work together and are always in communication with one another. The pilots of Madeline’s three helicopters were not in communication with our pilots and had no idea where they were and could have caused a mid-air collision. Our pilots radioed Dave and he told them to leave the area as quickly as possible and get on the ground.

We did not go to greet Madeline and her party in the three helicopters after they landed as planned. We were very upset and shocked by what had just happened. We waited until the rest of the public and the people representing Good Morning America arrived by vehicle and then Alan Shephard, the Contracting Officer’s Representative for the contract asked to have a meeting with the BLM personnel accompanying the public before any public could approach the area. Following this meeting, Alan explained to the people what had just happened and how it affected the wild horses and the gather operations.

In the meantime, Dave & Troy and the two pilots got back in the air to see if any of the scattered wild horses could be brought to this trap today or if we would need to wait until another day to give them time to regroup. While they were doing this recon of the Black Rock Area, the public and news media were taken to the temporary holding facility to ask their questions and to do interviews and take video and pictures.

When the recon was finished Dave, Alan and the pilots talked about the situation and decided to try to bring in some of the wild horses that were not too far from the trap. Everyone was taken to the trap site and watched the roundup for the rest of the day. Approximately 50 wild horse were captured and taken to the temporary holding facility where they were sorted and put in pens with hay and water.

I am still very angry about Madeline Pickens causing all this extra stress on the wild horses when we always try so hard to gather wild horses in the most humane way possible. But I am even more angry because our pilots were put in danger. These two young men always try very hard to do what is best for the wild horses and their job is what you would call very high risk. They did not deserve to have this happen.

I am also adding this recent press release from Robert Abbey “Many Myths in Wild Horse Management Debate” to my web site.