FOX35News-Mornings's Blog

As someone who is very much involved in horse rescue, I hate to see this happening.

However, culling the herds to keep down their numbers, because no one wants to adopt them, is a lot better than letting them eat all of the food that they have available and watching them slowly starve to death.

In fact, I think it might be a better idea to get some effort going to get more money to the places where they're kept.

A lot of people love horses

Okay, tell the whole story, now! MOST of these horses WILL BE ADOPTED! Those that ARE euthanized, will be ones that are severely injured or sick. (lame, eye injuries-happens all the time in the wild-, myriad of other injuries horses get that don't have regular veterinary care- such as Eastern or Western Equine-Encephalitis (difficult to treat-usually fatal) Many cattle ranchers still use Mustangs, because they're so "quick on their feet" meaning they're very fast and agile, an attribute helpful in rounding up and penning cows, sheep, goats and other "herd" animals. Others will be adopted by private individuals, who will keep them for pleasure horses, to love and spoil, like I do MINE!

It's not right, they should live. They will be abopted! LET THEM LIVE PLEASE. -Felysha

OldVamp I like the way you think. I hate to see any animal put to sleep(other than people), but it is better than starving to death.. It does make them Stronger if they weed out the sick & weak, as we all know the food supply is very limited in most of the areas our fine government has set aside for them. Again we can spend BILLIONS on ILLEGALS and not a penny on these Beautiful animals

Deb/Wiz so do it ! Donate some money but don't let the government set new taxes to expand the program ...how many hundreds (thousands ?) of acres do you think we should set aside for them ? And how many millions should we spend ?

Historically, many of the Indian tribes bred their horses carefully to improve them for their purposes. Among the most capable horse-breeding people of North America were the Comanche, the Shoshoni, and the Nez Perce. The latter in particular became master horse breeders, and developed one of the first truly American breeds: the Appaloosa. Most other tribes did not practice extensive amounts of selective breeding, though they sought out desirable horses through capture, trade and theft, and quickly traded away or otherwise eliminated those with undesirable traits.

Controversy surrounds the presence of feral Mustang herds. Supporters ague that Mustangs are part of the natural heritage of the American West, whose history predates modern land use practices, and thus the animals have an inherent right of inhabitation. However, other people remain vehemently opposed to their presence, arguing that the animals degrade rangeland and compete with livestock and wild species for forage.

Researchers note that most current Mustang herds live in arid areas which cattle cannot fully utilize due to the lack of water sources. Horses are better adapted by evolutionary biology to such climates; they may range nine times as far from water sources as cattle, traveling as much as 50 miles a day. This allows them to utilize areas not grazed by cattle. In addition, horses are "hindgut fermenters," meaning that they digest nutrients by means of the cecum rather than by a multi-chambered stomach. In practical effect, horses can obtain adequate nutrition from poorer forage than can cattle, sur

Most horses that are captured are offered for adoption to individuals or groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care after payment of an adoption fee that ranges from $25 to $125. In order to prevent the later sale of mustangs as horse meat, adopted mustangs are still protected under the Act, and cannot be sold in the first year except when certain very specific criteria are met.

Due to the fact that there is a much larger pool of captured horses than of prospective adoptive owners, in January 2005, a controversial amendment was attached to an appropriation bill before the United States Congress by former Senator Conrad Burns, dubbed the "Burns rider." This modified the adoption program to allow the sale (with the result usually being slaughter) of captured horses that are "more than 10 years of age", or that were "offered unsuccessfully for adoption at least 3 times." In the 110th Congress, legislation was introduced to have the rider repealed and the original language restored. The matter passed the House and as of mid-2008 still awaits action in the Senate.

I copied the goals of the New Mexico Horse Project, and I am posting them here:

New Mexican Wild Horse Project

Purpose, Goals & Mission
Our Mission:


The New Mexican Wild Horse Project brings together key individuals that love wild horses for the purpose of promoting healthy herds, enhancing & protecting their habitat and encouraging community involvement.
To Protect and Preserve.

Goals:

1. To locate and DNA test, all free-range horses in New Mexico and surrounding regions that appear to be similar to those that have been tested and proven to be New Mexicans.

2. To research and archive the history of the horse in the United States of America and Canada.

3.To establish preserves where these animals that are proven to be New Mexicans may live and prosper as free animals without interference from human intervention.

4. To share this information, as requested, with individuals or groups that share the same goals as those of the
New Mexican Wild Horse Project.

5. To reestablish this breed of horse and its descendants in the United States and throughout the world.



The project is concerned only with the preservation and protection of the breed.

These horses will never be sold.


I think this says it all!

Sorry I know you are level headed Deb ..you know who I am yelling at and why. People who want to “save the world” but never get up off their butt and expect some one els to do all the work, it just drives me nuts that so many people will say how sad it is but not be willing t do anything...making a difference of “change” as THEY say starts at home !
All I can think of is the “great victory” environmentalist had in New York state over hunters , and the horror of my one day drive across that state recently ...I lost count in the first 2 hours when I had seen over 80 dead dear on the high way it was like a slasher film every car had blood on it . So I asked at a truck stop (while I was washing my windshield) what was going on and I was told that they have not allowed hunting in the past 10 years so now the dear are over running everything including eating 1/3 of the total agricultural crop of the whole state every year ...great job New York !

RNC, same danged thing down here with the bears and gators! I guess a few more people have to be eaten by gators, and a few more bears slaughtered on the highways, before they have a "real" hunting season. (the Sept-Oct hunting season for gators, with its 275.00 price tag for a license is ludicrous- it should be year-round and 25.00!) Of course, no bear huntin'- yet.

Don't see a lot of bears over here but I am sad to how many die each year on I-4 ...