Saturday, September 04, 2010

Twin Peaks RESCUE!

DEAR READERS,
Palomino Armstrong, "mom" to Chilly Pepper the Miracle Mustang, puts her hands where her heart is. Today she's fighting Death for a foal from the Twin Peaks round-up.
Palomino & husband Matt were supposed to leave on their delayed honeymoon (the first one was spent saving Chilly Pepper)today. Instead, HONEY BANDIT is stealing their hearts. And their honeymoon fund. I will post Palomino's journal today & tomorrow. Terri
THURSDAY
3 a.m. Am I crazy getting up this early to drive to a roundup that I know is going to break my heart? At least my friend Jennifer is coming along.
4 a.m. Driving fast as I dare toward TWIN PEAKS, not wanting to get a ticket or take a chance on missing the round up. We fly down the highway, through the darkness, towards the unknown.
6 am We missed it. In the dark, we drove right past BLM's Litchfield facility, but a BLM staffer says we might be able to catch the "crew".
6:30 We see some of the most beautiful country in California. It's harsh beauty, stretching as far as we can and then some. A perfect place for wild horses -- but all that's left are the lonely echo of their footprints.
7:30 am Finally, we turn around and head back to Litchfield -- still feeling there's something we have to do here.
(time gets crazy after this)
I was out of the car for about 2 seconds when I heard something about a "foal". Office staff confirms there's a 1-2 month old whose mommy had dried up.
I had "gut feeling" that tells me every minute counts. Without going out to see the foal, I offered the help of Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang, Equine Rescue & More. That would be me.
Negotiations began.
"It seems like having someone who would put in the time to help that baby live is the most logical, solution to the problem," I coaxed BLM.
Quietly, Jennifer asked, "Don't you want to see it first?"
I just smiled and said, "Nope", because when you rescue you don't "choose"; you take which ever one needs you.
But BLM wanted me to take a look before I committed. Here's HONEYBANDIT --

--covered in bites from his head,down to his tail, and everywhere else, and emaciated. His eyes held the look of a baby who had known the worst kinds of evil and given up.
BLM staff said Honey Bandit had been rounded up 2 weeks ago. They figured his mother's milk had dried up -- but they couldn't find her to show me.
When he tried to nurse from other mares,their babies objected with bites and kicks.
Now, he was starving. And he was mine.
I called my husband and he was on his way. I helped Honey Bandit to the trailer. At first, it looked like things might be okay.

Labels: Honey Bandit, Palomino Valley, Twin Peaks

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:03 AM   3 comments

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Notes from Twin Peaks round-up, pt. 2

Monday, I could not see inside the Cattoor family's wild horse trap. With binoculars, I could see what went on just outside.
Men waved flexible whips attached to plastic bags, spooking mustangs into trailers. They also flipped the whips to prod the thick ends into mustangs' flanks, or slam them repeatedly over horses' backs. This wasn't encouragement. This was beating.
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Law suits focused judicial eyes on our First Amendment rights, so members of the public are allowed to watch our wild horses on our public lands, but we were warned that BLM rangers would "take things to the next level" if we didn't obey orders.
****
Two days earlier, near the Litchfield BLM facility, my car was pulled over by two white trucks with flashing lights. A ranger asked for my i.d. while his partner looked in my backseat.
The ranger was polite, even smiled when I showed him the red tags from my wild mares' necks (yes, they are still in my purse), but he explained they were expecting trouble at the Twin Peaks round-up.
I'm pretty dialed-in to wild horse issues, I told him, and I'd heard of nothing brewing. He kept the details to himself.
****
After Monday's round-up, as wild horses were trucked to temporary holding pens, I overheard rangers describing how they'd been "primed for a riot."
****
I have friends and family in law-enforcement and fire departments. You're kidding yourself if you don't believe part of the excitement and fun of such jobs is based in conflict.
I get that. I've dedicated books to a bunch of emergency professionals because their work fascinates me.
I know they run toward trouble as most of us run away. And I admit I'm not in BLM's inner circle, but I'm confused. I don't know what to hope for.
Truth? That means threats have put BLM on red alert against horse advocates.
Lies? That means BLM rangers have been sicced on non-existent trouble.
Go see for yourself, please.

YOU can view the Twin Peaks round-ups 7 days a week. You can drive to round-ups from anyplace in the U.S. and see wild horses galloping -- for their lives, it's true, but this may be your last chance because BLM plans to round-up 6,000 wild horses by summer's end.

Labels: beating, BLM, Cattoors, Twin Peaks

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:33 AM   3 comments

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

BLM: TELL THE TRUTH & YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THE LIES


photo by SacBee photographer LEZLIE STERLING
A white stallion looks over his wild mustang mares on Bureau of Land Management land near Susanville.

Dear Readers,
Despite the hot weather deaths of this weekend, BLM still plans to round up 6,000 wild horses by summer's end.
The BLM said it plans to conduct the summertime "gather" of 2,300 horses and 280 burros from the Twin Peaks area in northern California (home to the small herd in the photo above) to avoid doing it later in the fall, when it would conflict with deer hunting season.
Readers, I guess I'm getting suspicious and skeptical because I just bet the reason for this round-up will change before long. BLM will say they're "gathering" for the horses' own good, or range protection, just as the Tuscarora horses were dying of thirst this week. Last week the Tuscarora mustangs were being gathered for knocking down fences.
BLM, here's a tip: TELL THE TRUTH AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THE LIES.
Hugs to you with humane hearts,
Terri

Labels: BLM death statistics, deer hunting, knocking down fences, mustang, Twin Peaks, wild horse deaths

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:03 PM   3 comments

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