# Over 1000 BLM mustangs for adoption.



## Heatheranne (Dec 7, 2002)

The BLM has rounded up over 1000 mustangs from the different herds in Oregon. They are all available for adoption for $125 each. 

To see pictures, go to www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/

Click on Facility Photos, then click on Burns, OR

The BLM are having an adoption event on 19th and 20th February 2010 at the Burns, OR Facility. They named the event the Colorfest and when you see the pictures of the available mustangs you will see why.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I hope they go to real owners and not those other people. (those that dont want them as horses)


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Oh I saw a few I'd love to have, but I don't know the first thing about working with something that wild and I have no pipe pen.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

||Downhome|| said:


> I hope they go to real owners and not those other people. (those that dont want them as horses)


If you're talking about kill buyers, rest assured that the BLM does not sell to them. In order to adopt an animal, you must meet specific criteria and you do not own the animal until it has been in your possession for a year. Also, they limit each adopter to four horses total per year, to prevent hoarding. I suugesst you visit the BLM's website and educate yourself a bit about how they operate.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

2horses said:


> If you're talking about kill buyers, rest assured that the BLM does not sell to them. In order to adopt an animal, you must meet specific criteria and you do not own the animal until it has been in your possession for a year. Also, they limit each adopter to four horses total per year, to prevent hoarding. I suugesst you visit the BLM's website and educate yourself a bit about how they operate.



ok dont want to argue and Im not but we are talking about a goverment agency. this is a snipit from a article sure you can find more, horses are big buisness and bring a hefty price, my mom made me aware of the problem and showed me some of the stuff going on in florida. so well yes there are rules and laws as long as money is a motivator people will find ways to circumvent them. 

"According to a recent investigation by the Associated Press, the BLM over the last 25 years has lost track of 32,000 wild horses after their adoption; 90% were eventually sold to slaughter, according to the wire service. 

The BLM denies the claim. But a recent study conducted by the agency found that in 1995 and 1996 alone, 700 wild horses adopted through its program were sold for slaughter.

Mary Knapp, a BLM spokesperson in Washington, said that each year 266,000 horses are slaughtered at packinghouses nationwide--including wild and domestic animals and former racehorses. "So we figure that 700 is a pretty low percentage," she said."


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I miss Kesoaps!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Call me ignorant but I thought horse slaughter was banned in the US?


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

2horses said:


> If you're talking about kill buyers, rest assured that the BLM does not sell to them. In order to adopt an animal, you must meet specific criteria and you do not own the animal until it has been in your possession for a year. Also, they limit each adopter to four horses total per year, to prevent hoarding. I suugesst you visit the BLM's website and educate yourself a bit about how they operate.



ok dont want to argue and Im not but we are talking about a goverment agency. this is a snipit from a article sure you can find more, horses are big buisness and bring a hefty price in that market, my mom made me aware of the problem and showed me some of the stuff going on in florida. so well yes there are rules and laws as long as money is a motivator people will find ways to circumvent them. 

"According to a recent investigation by the Associated Press, the BLM over the last 25 years has lost track of 32,000 wild horses after their adoption; 90% were eventually sold to slaughter, according to the wire service. 

The BLM denies the claim. But a recent study conducted by the agency found that in 1995 and 1996 alone, 700 wild horses adopted through its program were sold for slaughter.

Mary Knapp, a BLM spokesperson in Washington, said that each year 266,000 horses are slaughtered at packinghouses nationwide--including wild and domestic animals and former racehorses. "So we figure that 700 is a pretty low percentage," she said."


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

wr said:


> Call me ignorant but I thought horse slaughter was banned in the US?


it still happens and many are shiped to canada and other places for the purpose. banning something wont stop it if anything it encourages it because it adds risk and risk raises the price even in legitimate buisness. 

with feed going through the roof and many people unable to care for their livestock I worry about many of these animals.

as another example look at the problem of "bush meat" its not only sold in africa but in any city in the world that has a high number of africans, I belive that the chinesse also supply a good bit of the demand.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I miss Kesoaps!


I was thinking the same thing. What happened to her?


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Horse slaughter was not outright banned in the US. There are certain conditions that must be met in order to legally slaughter horses. Conditions that make it much more difficult to turn a profit slaughtering horses in the US, but it is not banned. I don't remember what the exact details are. I think that initially the USDA was no longer going to be sending agents to inspect facilities that process horsemeat. I'm not sure how it progressed from there or what the current regulations are. I think that slaughter may also be performed on Indian/Native American/First American/American Indian reservations.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Slaughter of horses in the U.S. may not be totally banned ... I'm not sure of the legalities of that. My understanding (which may not be correct) is that the USDA would no longer provide agents to inspect horse slaughter facilities and therefor horses could not be slaughtered for human consumption, since there were no USDA inspectors. Since the biggest profit came from overseas sales, for human consumption, and because the cost involved in hiring private inspectors cut into this profit too substantially,I believe all of the horse slaughter plants in the U.S. closed.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

The ban is on slaughtering horses for human consumption. And since that's what made it profitable, most US slaughterhouses closed. As we all know, horses are still shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, it just means the horses have to travel farther.

For the record, I am pro-slaughter - uselelss animals abound and there needs to be a place for them to go and be utilized, in some form or fashion. Including Mustangs.


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## fellini123 (Feb 2, 2003)

Heatheranne said:


> The BLM has rounded up over 1000 mustangs from the different herds in Oregon. They are all available for adoption for $125 each.
> 
> To see pictures, go to* www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/*
> 
> ...


I couldnt get the link to open, even when I tried to go around the site. I couldnt see any pictures?? Are they going to ship any of the horses to other sites. like they have in the past??
Alice in Virginia


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Pam, I can't speak for other provinces but in Alberta, no animal may be sent to auction or slaughter without brand inspection and the BLM brand would cause a huge uproar (because of the difficulty in being able to check to ensure the horse has not been stolen). In all reality, if a BLM branded horse entered into the province, it would end up purchased long before it ended up in kill pens.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

blm stands for bureau of land management, these animals have been here for centuries they are part of the ecosystem not like the destructive hogs running parts of the country, not even near the destruction of the feral pigs, I even have a friend dealing with feral cattle. these horses are part of the environment and deserve all the protection afforded all the rest of the wild life.

I'm pro trapping till you get to pack animals, there are dynamics at work when we interfere there is trouble, animals that pack should not be molested in any shape or form let nature take its course


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## Heatheranne (Dec 7, 2002)

Here is a link to many more pics of the mustangs. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/page2/


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I miss Kesoaps!


So do I Lisa... she has been very, very busy if her Blog is anything to go by.
We email once every great once in awhile. You could too.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

||Downhome|| said:


> blm stands for bureau of land management, these animals have been here for centuries they are part of the ecosystem not like the destructive hogs running parts of the country, not even near the destruction of the feral pigs, I even have a friend dealing with feral cattle. these horses are part of the environment and deserve all the protection afforded all the rest of the wild life.
> 
> I'm pro trapping till you get to pack animals, there are dynamics at work when we interfere there is trouble, animals that pack should not be molested in any shape or form let nature take its course


They are an invasive species that wreck havoc on the environment. If they weren't there would be no reason for the BLM to round them up.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Try telling that to a Sioux who believes that horses were gifts from the creator and had been around long before the piggish manifest destiny race came along and ate up the land with his cattle. Or how about the bison herds in the thousands... there were literally millions and somehow they managed with "invasive" horses without overgrazing their land. So I'd be much quicker to point the finger at the race that has ultimate control of their decisions than a horse who has survived hundreds of years in peace with its environment.



tinknal said:


> They are an invasive species that wreck havoc on the environment. If they weren't there would be no reason for the BLM to round them up.


I believe that's the same reason they listed when they turned their agendas against wolves,bison, roosevelt elk, pumas... etc and obliterated them.


I have a very mixed opinion when it comes to the blm, on the one hand they adopt out their young colts to good homes for practically nothing. But on the other hand their methods are unorthodox. They routinely round up herds over long distances knowing that many of the mares have recently dropped and that their foals will not keep up and perish of exhaustion and starvation. Apparently the mercy of a 22cent bullet to the head is too expensive. And also the fact that they allow convicts with no horse experience to mount malnourished 2 year olds... as if the horseworld needs more troubled people who think they can pass themselves off as horse trainers

And no the blm does not adopt its colts out to meat buyers, that's where the send the horses 3 and over when the cramped refuges are too full.


This situation is what I like to call a manufactured OK, it goes against our natural ethical sense... but if it helps us get that 7th big mac for even cheaper we'll shut our conscious up long enough


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Playing the race card huh shoupie? :shrug:


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## Jay27 (Jan 11, 2010)

Shoupie said:


> Try telling that to a Sioux who believes that horses were gifts from the creator and had been around long before the piggish manifest destiny race came along and ate up the land with his cattle. Or how about the bison herds in the thousands... there were literally millions and somehow they managed with "invasive" horses without overgrazing their land. So I'd be much quicker to point the finger at the race that has ultimate control of their decisions than a horse who has survived hundreds of years in peace with its environment.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like you


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I kind of get a little heated with the way that the wild horses get treated Im aware of what shoupie points out, as a second thought there should be management but it should be simular to a no kill "hunting" season, with regulations that would help to maintain herd dynamics. buy a license and find your horse.
after a little thought the indians and others rounded up horses, I just dont like how the blm does it.


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## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

man i wish i was closer, i need a new horse, i used to have a half mustang mare a few years back i got from mexico, great horse.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

> They are an invasive species that wreck havoc on the environment. If they weren't there would be no reason for the BLM to round them up.


I can't see how this would ever be a valid arguement considering all sorts of non invasive species are hunted in ridiculous numbers each year. Deer hunting wiped out the white tailed deer population in the county next to ours, and one can HARDLY call deer an invasive species.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

||Downhome||, your idea is sound in principal but how many people are really qualified to to catch a feral horse? It's not like you can just wander in, shake out a loop, catch one, load it up and haul it home. 

Regardless of how people feel about the mustangs, their populations have to be managed and without management, they would destroy ecosystems and many would simply starve. 

I dont know the specifics of BLM gathers but we had a surplus of feral horses that were gathered a few years ago and mortality was incredibly minimal (2 dead) but they were gathered in winter so the foals were strong. The adoption process was very stringent


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

They never have adoptions close enough to me.

Probably a good thing though.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

deineria said:


> I can't see how this would ever be a valid arguement considering all sorts of non invasive species are hunted in ridiculous numbers each year. Deer hunting wiped out the white tailed deer population in the county next to ours, and one can HARDLY call deer an invasive species.


And feral horses ARE NOT HUNTED! If they were it would be easier to manage the population. As to your assertion that deer have been "wiped out" in a county near yours, cite please.


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## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

deineria said:


> I can't see how this would ever be a valid arguement considering all sorts of non invasive species are hunted in ridiculous numbers each year. Deer hunting wiped out the white tailed deer population in the county next to ours, and one can HARDLY call deer an invasive species.


maybe that county should have better game management


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Poachers killed of the last tiny white tailed deer in this area last year. My DH got the doe the Poachers shot at 1 am in our main field from the Road with his tractor and he called Fish and Game. Really sad part.. her and her spotted fawn.. which did not survive, were the last of the tiny, very rare and not supposed to be hunted deer in this area. Needless to say when the head Fish and Game and the main Sheriff saw this... the were ticked...I mean really ticked. 

I see the big black tailed deer once in awhile now that the tiny white tailed deer are gone but we have soo many poachers in this area..its scary. No hunting signs doesn't stop them at all.


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

Guess I'm confused... was this post added for information? Or to start an argument? Or is it that people just can't help but post TO start an argument? I'll back to minding my own business now.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

therunbunch said:


> Guess I'm confused... was this post added for information? Or to start an argument? Or is it that people just can't help but post TO start an argument? I'll back to minding my own business now.


Wild horses are kinda like baby seals and wolves. People anthropomorphise the heck out of them.


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

lol.. Thanks Tinknal. And what a fabulous word for my day!


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

therunbunch said:


> lol.. Thanks Tinknal. And what a fabulous word for my day!


Jeez, don't rely on my spelling. My spell check didn't know WHAT to do with it.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Use google, I do all the time. Anthropomorphize


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

therunbunch, you must not drop by here very often. We have been known to have a few debates and thread drift is not uncommon.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

What needs to be is getting the word out about Mustangs. They are trainable and show-able.
This video shows a bunch of cowgirls that have trained their own Mustangs and then compete to different types of competition through out the country.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFifwLiO9dY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFifwLiO9dY[/ame]


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## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

JK-Farms said:


> man i wish i was closer, i need a new horse, i used to have a half mustang mare a few years back i got from mexico, great horse.


There is an adoption coming up in Seguin. Dont know where you are, but you might want to check into it.

Horses and burros.

We have a spotted jenny who's momma was a wild burro in Nevada. A friend adopted her, had her bred to a mini jack and I got the jenny foal later .


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## karenbrat1 (Jun 25, 2009)

I love horses, have owned horses for 40 years. But I personally have no problem with the excess wild horses (or any other unwanted horses) being used for meat, whether for people or for animal food. At least they are serving a purpose that way, instead of standing around eating their heads off forever in BLM pens. 

The weanling and yearling Mustangs generally tame down very quickly, maybe up to two year olds, but older than that and the person had better know what they are doing or they're gonna get hurt. If they survived to that age in the wild you had better believe they have very strong self preservation instincts, and those hooves can strike like lightning. A friend of mine who was a very good trainer was working with a five year old freshly gelded Mustang. One day he wore a different hat than usual and when he moved toward the horse, the horse struck out and literally ripped the buttons off the front of his shirt! Just a little bit closer and his chest would have been caved in.

I adopted a yearling filly two weeks after her capture (not BLM, but from a Fish & Game jurisdiction area) and she tamed down incredibly quickly. It took a while to gain her trust but when she gave, she gave unreservedly. I passed her on to someone else after three years and they just love her to pieces.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

lol thanks Jay 

Sorry but that whole evil invasive species excuse is super weak as far as I'm concerned. Cattle are an invasive specie but because they have human owners they're allowed to ravage PUBLIC grasslands. I would rather have my public lands populated by wildlife not cow turds.

Back on track now. These guys make the best pack strings. They don't have half the hoof problems your average horse has and are already accustomed to rough terrain and all the obstacles that might spook a farm raised horse. My farrier swears by them and tries to talk me into one every time he shoes my geldings white feet. I recommend getting a weanling, since they're on scrub they don't get the best nutrition and a horse that would have been amazing conformation wise might end up looking like an ugly pony with a draft head.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Shoupie said:


> lol thanks Jay
> 
> Sorry but that whole evil invasive species excuse is super weak as far as I'm concerned. Cattle are an invasive specie but because they have human owners they're allowed to ravage PUBLIC grasslands. I would rather have my public lands populated by wildlife not cow turds.


The cattle are managed and are given the boot long before overgrazing occurs. They also create jobs and contribute to the tax base, which of course PAYS FOR THE LAND the feral horses occupy! Mayhap we should scoop out some big water holes and introduce whales too?


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

We have went from the mustang being a source of income for an enterprising (broke) cowboy, who could gather a few up and break them or sell to a slaughter buyer. To being a burden on tax payers having to pay to round them up and take care of them some untill they die because nobody wants them.


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## Heatheranne (Dec 7, 2002)

Here is a well trained mustang that took part in the Extreme mustang Challenge. 
She is free to good home. See her pictures, she looks very refined, more like a TB doing dressage. 
http://www.nevaehkfarm.com/Midwestmustangchallenge.html

If you are interested in her - here is where you will find the contact info. 
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233234


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

ya invassive species is a very weak argument because if we follow that logic everyone that is not of native american is a invasive species and well look whats happened to the north and south american enviroment. 

as was pointed out earlier my idea on the end owner being the one to go catch thier horse was said to be sound in therory but not in practice because most people are not setup or able to round up or corral a wild horse , how many people go on a grizzly hunt with out a guide and outfitter or really any big game? not many so thier ya go they could be managed in a better way well still creating jobs in the form of guides and outfitters adding revenue at the state level and the only horses rounded up would be those that where wanted.

al your argument about the horse being destructive holds as much water as a sieve,
all animals pose a risk to the enviroment they live in even the native species, but you know plants are pretty niffty things they have evolved with those grazers and browsers even human gardners emulate what the animals do, pruneing,cuting,trimming plants for improved growth, everytime you mow your lawn isnt one reason to make it spread and grow thicker? 

and no horses are a not a introduced species but a reintroduced species that have refilled a niche and show me wich animals they have displaced in the this process? did you know that the foals and yearlings are one on the mountain lions prefered food sources? so what happens when you remove a food source. well me personally I find something else to eat, kinda wonder if hikers and campers will replace that on the lions menus (kinda like in california).also how will that affect the other herds dynamics you know the elk,deer,sheep and so on?

Im sorry for the thread drift and gettin off topic but again the blm and their practices are not favored by me.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

||Downhome||, I can understand why you would not agree with BLM practices but do you feel the mustangs would be better off without them? If so, how would they be managed?


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I do think they would be better off with out the blm, I belive nature takes care of herself and the mustanges are part of nature, for one the mountain lions do a pretty good job on management, may not be pretty but again nature at work, theres many other things that the horses fall too, I belive it is termed survival of the fittest much like any other wild animal only makes the rest stronger. 

these are wild animals and they have family groups and a social hiarchy that they will never find in a private corral (as most horse owners know horses have a good memory and are intelligent), thats why I suggest that management be put in state hands and run like hunting programs (no kill of course) and a set of rules established that would protect herd dynamics, and those that where not able to organize a round up could hire a outfitter and revenues from the sale of licenses (both to new owners and outfitters)
would go towards wildlife management.
michigan has a lot of revenue created by our natural resources from those who come just to watch to actual hunting. people not only buy a license but pay to stay somewhere and purchase other things so instead of people going to a sale barn for a couple hours they make a trip of it and again create some revenue. as far as horses gathered they should be as young as possiable as to avoid "mental issues" and easier intergration into thier new lives.

think about it how many places in the world that wild horses roam? not many at all.
even africans are learning ecotourism is the way to go. our wild horses can be managed better and provide revenue in the process they are part of the west as much as any other animal that roams there and a wonderfull natural resource to be valued and kept free.


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## dwbunnies (Jan 16, 2010)

What was there main reason for rounding them up? Were they running out of feed or were they running out of range area? All of the books I have read have said how the BLM have come up with stupid ideas to round them up.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

||Downhome|| said:


> ya invassive species is a very weak argument because if we follow that logic everyone that is not of native american is a invasive species and well look whats happened to the north and south american enviroment.


Silver carp
Milfoil
Kudzu
Zebra muscle
Purple loosestrife
Feral hogs
Burmese Pythons
English sparrows
Feral cats
Asian ladybugs
Sea lampreys
HIV
Feral horses
Norway rats

Just a short list of invasive species that have wrecked havoc on our environment. Stop watching Disney movies and look at the real world.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Heck, I forgot Chestnut blight, the elm bark borer (with it's elm bark disease), and the Emerald Ash Borer, which threatens billions of NATIVE American ash trees.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I was talking about the horses al and people that should not be here by that logic but of course it dosnt work that way does it. and there is a much much larger list then that people have been leting all kinds of plants and animals go wild for centurys. some are a real problem others fill a nich. but again horses are a reintroduced species.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

||Downhome|| said:


> I was talking about the horses al. and there is a much much larger list then that people have been let all kinds of plants and animals go wild for centurys. some are a real problem others fill a nich.


Yes, horses fill a "niche", once filled by elk, mule deer, antelope. Of course an invasive species has advantages not available to the species that they supplant. Want to go fishing? A few years ago I could have offered you native walleye (delicious) but now we will have to settle for carp. Sound appetizing?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

||Downhome|| said:


> I was talking about the horses al and people that should not be here


I am of the same species that previously occupied the area. Are you of a different specie?


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

you know darn well what I mean.
unless you are of pure native blood you shouldnt be here under the introduced thought frame (maybe I should of said subspecies) seems every part of the world has its own human subspecies aye.

my peace has been said so I must agree to disagree with you sir.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

The unfortunate part of the mustang dilemma is that while many of them make wonderful horses when trained, most of them do require more time, effort, knowledge and better facilities than are available to the average person.

I've ridden several mustangs in my life and in particular, two of them were wonderful horses. I've also seen the black mustang that was on the "horse expo" circuit for years (early 90s?) in dressage exhibitions ... incredible.

But the bottom line is that many mustangs are, when trained, simply good, average horses. And there are many "good, average" domestic horses available that do not require as much time and effort to train to be good, average trail/pleasure horses. And for each of those mustangs that do get to the "can compete successfully in dressage" (or any other specialized competition) there are many domesticated horses that are bred specifically for that competition. And those horses are as good, or better, than the mustang and get to that stage without requiring a trainer experienced in dealing with the specialized issues inherent in training a wild-caught mustang.

For those that have a reason for wanting to succeed with a mustang, fine. But for most people it isn't something they are equipped to do or even have a desire to do.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

SFM in KY said:


> The unfortunate part of the mustang dilemma is that while many of them make wonderful horses when trained, most of them do require more time, effort, knowledge and better facilities than are available to the average person.
> 
> I've ridden several mustangs in my life and in particular, two of them were wonderful horses. I've also seen the black mustang that was on the "horse expo" circuit for years (early 90s?) in dressage exhibitions ... incredible.
> 
> ...


Too bad we can't ship them to Afghanistan. An aggressive light cavalry could do wonders there. Afghans are pretty good horsemen too.


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## dwbunnies (Jan 16, 2010)

tinknal said:


> Too bad we can't ship them to Afghanistan. An aggressive light cavalry could do wonders there. Afghans are pretty good horsemen too.


That would be a good idea instead of the mustangs sitting around in a BLM pen all their lives. Mustangs would be great over there because of their great feet and endurance. We did use mustangs in one war I think, but I do not know which one.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

dwbunnies said:


> We did use mustangs in one war I think, but I do not know which one.


Mustangs were an integral part of the US Army up until WWII.


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## dwbunnies (Jan 16, 2010)

tinknal said:


> Mustangs were an integral part of the US Army up until WWII.


I think also the Forest Service use them sometimes when they go riding up in the mountains. Also, the border patrol use them now when they are chasing down illegal immigrants.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

dwbunnies said:


> I think also the Forest Service use them sometimes when they go riding up in the mountains. Also, the border patrol use them now when they are chasing down illegal immigrants.


I believe that they have also been used in prison programs. The inmates train them and then they are sold to the public.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

The problem, for most of these suggestions, however, is still the same one. The additional "investment" in time, effort and expertise in getting them trained, no matter where they go eventually.

I'm not sure how many mustang were used "directly" by the cavalry. The buyers for the U.S. Cavalry horses ... and some other countries as well ... had certain requirements. One was size, they had to be a certain height and many mustangs just simply weren't that tall. 

I do know that mustang mares and ranch mares originally bred from mustang stock were used to cross to "hot blood" stallions by ranchers who raised horses for the cavalry. This was the "Remount" program which was managed by the U.S. government. Some of my father's family did this and I can remember him talking about the Hambletonian stallion they had from the Remount service ... they drove him as a buggy horse. My first saddle horse was also sired by a Remount stallion someone was using and out of my mother's old cow pony mare.

I think both the Border Patrol and the Forest Service have some mustangs that have been trained by people in some of the federal or state prisons who have programs for this. And these programs are limited because there are not enough prisons set up to do this and not enough people to train prisoners how to do it. But that is about the only way that getting mustangs into useful programs can be done ... with what is essentially "free labor".


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

The Mustang Heritage Foundation, founded right here in Austin, Texas is doing all it can to promote the mustang as useful, trainable, viable mounts and companions. They are the creators of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, which I and kesoaps, another member of this board, have participated in. We volunteered (after being approved as trainers) to take previously unhandled animals, train them for 90 days, then bring them to the competition to judge how well we did. They hold these competitions all over the country and are the greatest advocates these animals have - they're sole purpose is getting the animals handled and as broke as possible and then getting them adopted. Here's a link to their website if you're interested in knowing more: http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/

Here's their mission statement: The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation is to increase the adoption of BLM-housed American Mustangs through innovative gentling competitions and awareness programs.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

dwbunnies, I certainly don't claim to know everything but the mustangs I've seen have not been in pens for years but in loose on government land. Could you please explain when they might be held in pens for very long periods of time?


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## dwbunnies (Jan 16, 2010)

Because some of the wild mustangs that the BLM have rounded up don't get adopted so they stay in BLM pens. I read in one article that one mare was moved to three different BLM adoption centers.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Gotcha, from your previous statement it sounded like the all live in pens. Perhaps breeding should be managed to a point where demand is greater than supply.


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## dwbunnies (Jan 16, 2010)

There are still wild ones on goverment lands, but not as many as there used to be. I don't know if you ever watched the Cloud The Wild Stallion of The Rockies, but if you haven't you should go and buy it or watch it on youtube because it shows you a lot about mustangs and how much land they can actually survive on.


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## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

BobbyB said:


> There is an adoption coming up in Seguin. Dont know where you are, but you might want to check into it.
> 
> Horses and burros.
> 
> We have a spotted jenny who's momma was a wild burro in Nevada. A friend adopted her, had her bred to a mini jack and I got the jenny foal later .


im from Fallscity, only about 45min away from seguin.


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## Heatheranne (Dec 7, 2002)

For more pics of the available mustangs see http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/page2/


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## melwynnd (Dec 25, 2004)

Okay, I'm going to hop in here.

I live in Wyoming, right smack between several different mustang herds. I have trained and ridden mustangs. They make nice horses with great feet. They can be beautiful or ugly, sweet or evil incarnate. They generally have good heads(the dumb ones don't live long).

I don't know if any of you have ever seen the sort of land these animals live on, but we get less precip than Phoenix AZ, so the feed isn't too abundant. Also a lot of these "mustang" herds have a bunch of just regular old horse blood in them because people who can't afford their horses any more just turn them loose. The sight of an animal slowly starving to death isn't something I enjoy. There aren't even close to enough predators here to keep the number of mustangs in check.

You can pick up a horse (not mustang) at the sale here, already broke and ready to go, for under $100.00. A friend of mine went to a sale and came out to find somebody had put a horse in her trailer. So the argument that horses are valuable isn't too valid. 

I realize there is sort of a romantic mystique of the thundering herd that runs through people's mind. But it isn't really that way at all. It's wonderful to see the herds if they are managed, but a bunch of starving, dull eyed animals is the reality without the roundups, and even with them on a dry year.

Sherry


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

melwynnd said:


> Okay, I'm going to hop in here.
> 
> I live in Wyoming, right smack between several different mustang herds. I have trained and ridden mustangs. They make nice horses with great feet. They can be beautiful or ugly, sweet or evil incarnate. They generally have good heads(the dumb ones don't live long).
> 
> ...


Great post! They should me managed like wildlife. Open a hunting season on them. Treating them as anything other than wildlife falls right into the evil little schemes of the "animal rights" crowd.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

tinknal said:


> Great post! They should me managed like wildlife. Open a hunting season on them.


Only if you plan on eating them as well.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

My understanding is the cougars will not take care of all the horse. Left to themselves, starvation would be the only thing that would. Every so many years you would have a large die out from starvation and then they would start to build again.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

2horses said:


> Only if you plan on eating them as well.


Of course! Why wouldn't I???? :shrug:


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