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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Phone Interview with Jeb Beck, Acting Manage PALOMINO VALLEY Dear Readers, What follows is only a transcription of my notes. You've seen plenty of my opinions other places, but for this blog post, I put on my objective journalist's hat, asked questions and wrote down the answers. If you see quotation marks, that means this is a direct quote which I took down like dictation, word-for-word. Since I am sitting at my kitchen table and was not looking at the horses as we spoke, you'll find no judgement here from me.I attempted to focus on concerns from Facebook and Twitter posters, but of course I didn't cover everything. Best, Terri
Sale Authority and Three Strikes Horses:
Purchase of Sale
Authority horses must go through D.C. This may be a slightly longer process than before because D.C.
doesn’t just sign off. Checks and balances have been added to avoid Tom
Davis – style disasters.
Sale
Authority mares with foals at side can’t be purchased until foals are of an age
to be branded. Then, foals may
be adopted and mare may be purchased outright.
So, it’s 2 transactions, not a two-for-the-price
of one sale.
Three-Strikes:
According to Beck, horses at PV don’t get a strike just for being there,
available for adoption. They may get one if they’re featured in an Internet
adoption. After they get that "strike," they're usually shipped further East for adoption at another facility.
The horses move are based on what other BLM
facilities need. Example: if they facility has all mares available for
adopters, they might ask PV to send geldings.
Brands: U mark on
horses’ necks (in some photos, it looked
like a sideways F to me) means the horse is – on arrival at PC – a sale
authority horse because s/he is 11 years or older.
Hip brands - AC is a common one -- are tied to fertility studies and indicate when/where horses received fertility shot(s).
There are
currently 1800 horses at PV.
Although
these aren’t “fresh” horses (fresh off the range), they are all at greater risk when
they are moved – to have feet trimmed, for instance. Risk is higher than
when they’re just standing in pens because crowded horses will kick and spooked horses
may run into fences.
Hooves are
currently being trimmed on a most-needed basis.
Staff moves from corral to corral and trims hooves of all horses
in that corral based on which corralhas the MOST horses who need their hooves
trimmed.
Beck said is safer than taking them out one at a time and
stirring up all of the horses in multiple corrals. It also ensures all horses in each corral will have attention to their feet.
At this
moment, they were “halfway through yearling geldings."
Hoof
trimming is sandwiched between other chores and may be delayed if horses have
strangles or are sick.
Dead
Mustangs: between June 28th and July 8th four horses died or were euthanized.
1. Mare in pen with other horses in preparation
for hoof trimming presented with “wobbles” one morning, meaning there was swelling
around spinal chord, possible neck fracture. She was euthanized.
2. Horse died of Bastard Strangles (different
from standard Strangles because it presents in body, not neck), 2 weeks
post-diagnosis and treatment
3. Yearling from video “passed overnight” and was
found dead in her pen on the morning of July 2. Her body was removed by 8:30 am
July 2.
“Unless there’s clinical signs of cause of death, horses have to be
listed as undiagnosed,” said Beck.
4. 3-year-old was found dead. Cause of death undiagnosed.
“No animals
have passed since July 2,” said Beck.
Injured horses: Horses which appear lame from a stone bruise, kick or other minor injury are observed in their corrals and not immediately moved to sick pens. "If they're eating and drinking, we watch them," because this is safer than stirring up all of the horses in the corral.
If the injury worsens or horse seems sick, s/he is evaluated by vet and a determination on whether it should be taken out of home corral is made.
Sunburned
horses: Beck commented specifically on a
gray and white pinto, sunburned and
peeling across the withers. This horse,
he said, has been at PV for six months and had been diagnosed earlier with a
food allergy which caused skin peeling according to a vet report. That peeling
patch got sunburned.
#
Labels: 3 Strikes horses, Jeb Beck, Palomino Valley, Sale Authority horses, sunburn, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:10 PM 0 comments  
Thursday, June 14, 2012 WILD HORSES KILLED, out of kindness I suppose  Stallion fights back against helicopter Photo by Stephanie Martin/Tara Tucker, www.wildhorsesfilm.com
What did you do last Sunday?
BLM admits to destroying at least 3
mustangs in Jackson Mountains. Why did they doom these wild horses? They deemed it humane because
A yearling with a low body condition score was "unlikely to improve"
A 9 year old stallion had a "deformed right leg due to a
pre-existing fracture to the knee"
A 17 year old stallion showed a "severe
developmental limb deformity"
How did these wild horses survive for years in the wild
and then, after being pursued and harassed by a helicopter, and then stampeded for miles, exhibit "non-gather related" conditions so extreme, they had to be killed out of kindness?
 Tiny foals stampeded, chased and roped in Jackson Mountain Photo by Stephanie Martin/Tara Tucker, www.wildhorsesfilm.com Labels: BLM, foals, helicopter roundups, Jackson Mountains, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:45 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Why Are We Paying to Kill Our Wild Horses?  photo by Cat Kindsfather Dear Readers, Here's a list of 18 wild horses that BLM admits have died at the Indian Lakes wild horse corrals in Fallon, Nevada in just two weeks. Press and public are locked out of Indian Lakes, which is located on a private ranch. • 9 month old colt was euthanized for a broken leg • 10 yr died due to spinal/neck injury • 2 yr died due to spinal/neck injury • died due to spinal/neck injury • 10 month old colt was euthanized (down and unable to stand on its own) • 10 month old colt was euthanized (down and unable to stand on its own) • 15 yr died reason unknown • 20 yr died due to spinal/neck injury • 25 yr was euthanized (down on truck upon arrival body condition 2) • 2 yr old died due to colic • Unbranded foal born at facility was euthanized due to club foot • 2886 1 yr old euthanized due to club foot • 2876 1 yr old euthanized due to club foot • 2849 1 yr old euthanized due to club foot • 2 yr old found dead death cause unknown • 2 yr old euthanized due to double cryptorchid • weaned foal died due to upper respiratory infection • 2457 weaned foal died due to upper respiratory infection Euthanized is the term used here, but most horses are shot. To met, these look like round-up and transportation injuries and the odds of 3 mustangs surviving for one year in the wild with "club feet" so debilitating that BLM destroyed them, is hard to believe. We are paying for this. Best, Terri Labels: BLM, Broken Arrow, Indian Lakes, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:52 PM 3 comments
Sunday, July 18, 2010 Old Tuscarora Stud BLM Nevada News Euthanized on Wednesday, July 14, a 20 plus year old blind stud with broken teeth Here's a stark example of what's wrong with BLM's wild horse plan. Here's this old guy -- BLM doesn't note dehydration or starvation -- and he's doing okay out there on the range because he's a WILD HORSE. Wild horses don't depend on sight as we humans do. Smell and hearing are much more important. Besides, he had a lifetime of experience and his herd. Wild horses depend on each other to reinforce what they hear and smell and if they can't see, others can. This time, the old stud probably shouldn't have obeyed the shoulder bumps and snorts, but he did, following his herd when the helicopters came for them. I wasn't there. I didn't see this old boy. Judging by BLM's press release, this stallion was destroyed because he didn't measure up to what BLM expected in a horse. And that's just plain sad. Labels: BLM, Tuscarora, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:34 PM 0 comments
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 Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 7:03 PM 3 comments
Saturday, April 03, 2010 Phantom foals  photo used by permission of Cat Kindsfather Three things to think about: 1) Newborn horses like the dun foal above -- trying to rise and nurse despite a broken leg suffered in a corral crowded with adult horses -- do not exist in the world of BLM until they are branded. 2) Only one vet is under contract to care for the thousands of mustangs in BOTH the Fallon and Palomino Valley facilities. 3) Despite promises to welcome the public at wild horse gathers and holding pens, program manager Don Glenn allows NO humane observers at the wild horse facilities except "by appointment" If you object, please sign this petition to President Obama, asking for an immediate moratorium on wild horse roundups Labels: BLM, Don Glenn, Indian Lakes, mustangs, Palomino Valley, phantom foals, pigeon fever, terri farley, wild horse deaths, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:00 AM 8 comments
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Let 'em Run  Dear Readers, The captive wild horse above is the reason that I've barely talked with you since biologist Craig Downer and I returned from BLM's Fallon corrals, Sunday, then searched out remnants of the wild herds of the Calico range on Monday. Every spare hour since then, we've worked toward this: FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST WILD HORSE ROUNDUP SEEKS RETURN OF 1800 HORSES TO NEVADA RANGE When photographer Cat Kindsfather enlarged this photo, she realized that the seepage from this mustang's awful wound had pulsed all the way down to his hoof. This callous cruelty cannot be allowed to continue. Terri Labels: BLM, Craig Downer, Fallon, lawsuit, mustangs, terri farley, wild horse deaths, wild horse injuries, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:26 AM 3 comments
Friday, March 26, 2010 Fallon Foal Death  Mare stands guard over new foal, photo by Tara Kain There's a new set of hooves in Heaven. BLM's death tally for the week doesn't show what happened. However, visitors are allowed to tour the tax payer funded Indian Lakes wild horse facility. It's land-locked inside a private ranch in Fallon, Nevada, but opened once each week by reservation only for two hours. Three observers from the CalNeva Cloud Foundation and photographer Cat, visited Sunday, March 21 and took photos, video and notes. Saturday, March 20 a pale dun foal is born to a buckskin mare Sunday, March 21 11:00 Members of the public arrive to tour the Fallon facility. Director John Neill is their guide and he waits for a late arrival 11:37 tour begins 11:45 visitors observe buckskin mare and newborn foal in a pen with other adult horses. Foal looks like "he had melted into the contours of the ground" according to one observer and Mr. Neill said the foal was a weak newborn from the night before. 12:30? Sometime during the tour, members of the public notice a nursery pen with just six mare and foal pairs inside and wonder why the buckskin and her foal aren't with them*  (RIGHT: As adult horses move, mare makes a protective barricade of her body, photo by Tara Kain) 1:45 Tour ends, passing by the buckskin mare and her foal. Mr. Neill agreed with visitors that foal might be sick and indicated he would check on it. If necessary, a vet would be called. He added that volunteers from WHOA might be asked to bottle feed the foal if it couldn't rise to nurse. 2:00 as observers depart, foal is still down. Monday, March 22 no deaths are listed on the BLM's facility update, so CalNeva Cloud observers hope for the best Tuesday, March 23 9:55 am Still no deaths listed for the weekend**, but one observer calls and talks to John Neill who says "the colt was euthanized." She understands Neill to say the vet had determined the colt had a broken femur and must have been kicked. The caller commented, "Oh, that's why he never got up." Neill replied, "No, he was up that morning nursing." Sometime after that, he speculated, the colt must've been kicked." Neill said the foal was destroyed via chemical injection.  (with freedom tantalizingly close, mare urges foal to rise and nurse, photo by Tara Kain) Friday, March 26 I reached John Neill at Palomino Valley wild horse corrals and he answered my questions about the Medicine Hat stallion I've told you about before and this foal. He clarified two points from the timeline above: * "Once we know the colt's strong, we put them in the nursery pen" along with their mothers ** Live births are not entered into BLM's system until horses have been freeze-branded, which takes place after four or more months. Since foals delivered "in facility" are not listed as born, they are not listed as dead. So, they are not posted on BLM's online Calico Round-up updates. John Neill described the last hour of the little dun's life. "He was down during the tour. Afterward I went out to check on him and he was packing a right hind leg and he had to be put down." "When did the vet come?" I asked. "He didn't." "Was it a compound fracture so that you could see it was broken?" John answered, "I could just tell, so I took care of it." After our call ended, my English teacher brain flashed to "I am cruel only to be kind." Hamlet, I remembered, and knew that if I were watching over a newborn foal with a fatally fractured femur, I would not want it to suffer. But "Hamlet" ends with a stage strewn with corpses. I tried to get confirmation that such a leg injury is easily diagnosed, but the two vets I consulted disagreed on both diagnosis and prognosis. John Neill told me "We have births daily and if something happens like this or there's a bad mother, we can't track them all accurately." Is it fair to the public that our mustang foals are born and die without notice? This is not Neill's decision; it is BLM policy. As with so many other BLM policies, the numbering of lives and deaths are rough estimates. That's wrong. There are no disposable mustangs. Taxpayers have no disposable income, especially for a system they hate. There must be a moratorium on the capture of our wild horses, before a ruined system erases an entire species. Labels: BLM, Fallon, helicopter roundups, Indian Lakes, mustang, wild horse deaths, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:17 PM 5 comments
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Mustangs in Misery  Dear Readers, What did you do on Saturday? Did you have breakfast in your pjs? Hang out with your friends? Sleep in a warm house? On Saturday, I talked with Senator Harry Reid about BLM's treatment of our wild horses. Since then, at least six more wild horses have died at BLM's modern state of the art facility. A two-year-old filly died after sustaining a serious spinal injury A 10-year-old mare was found dead of "foaling complications." Her full-term foal was not properly positioned in the birth canal, and they both died. A four-year-old filly was euthanized due to "poor condition" A 25 year old stallion was put down due to poor condition Two 20-year-old mares were put down because they never recovered from the stress of the capture You can read the government account of all that's happened to the wild horses since they came into contact with BLM here: Calico Horses I warn you, it is not pretty. It is also a sickening use of my tax dollars. Wind and rain are predicted for Fallon, after snowstorms and still there's no shelter for the horses, only a few plywood panels on one side of the hospital pens. Beset by thoughts about greed, Terri Labels: BLM, Fallon, mustangs, wild horse deaths Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:27 PM 5 comments
Sunday, February 07, 2010 Killing colts as world watches makes BLM uneasy  A rest before dying/photo by Lora Leigh Dear Readers, Someone at BLM has realized we're watching, and we care. After nearly 2000 beautiful horses were captured and injured, the Calico Complex round-up was halted. Now, the Eagle territory round-up has been postponed: Ely, Nevada – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has determined there is not adequate time to safely conduct the proposed Eagle Herd Management Area (HMA) gather prior to the beginning of foaling season, and therefore, will defer issuing a decision on the proposed gather until later this year after the foaling season. We're having an impact. Terri Labels: BLM, Calico, Eagle Herd Management, foals die, wild horse deaths, wild horses Permalink to this blog post Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:08 PM 7 comments
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