Solutions
Dispelling the Myths
"Existence is a personal journey. It is not the realty of the soul. To exist in a body and be a soul is the object of the journey. We needn’t make it so complicated or taxing. If we be that which we are, we are in harmony and life flows with and through us. Nature supports. Spirit supports. Be uncompromising about expressing qualities of your soul first. All souls desire to resonate to harmony. Insist on harmony.
Souls are, essentially, one -- love, compassion, patience . . . "
—The Horses
Wild horses, as with any horses, are by nature fair, sane, considerate, and gentle. Long term fear, abuse and criminalization of wild horses, and other wildlife species, have created a false and twisted image of these animals. To restore sanity and wisdom to our wild lands management programs, these misrepresentations and inaccurate images must be replaced with truth. Wild horses in the American West are comparable in size and history to the small horses that live on the barrier islands off Virginia, commonly known as Chincoteague Ponies. The main difference is that horses in the west have been captured by poachers and by government, terrorized, starved, frozen, or baked to death in captivity. The have been collected and shipped to slaughter routinely both before and after BLM management of herds began in 1971. Much of this is a vestige of the violent nostalgia associated with the “wild west”. This treatment of these pony sized wild horses has, rightfully, made them terrified of humans.
The concept that you are superior is deeply ingrained in human consciousness. It is a collective thought pattern cultivated culturally, promotes individual and socially. It is your way of coping with your naked fear and sense of inadequacy
—The Horses
Behavior of wild horses in the west is misunderstood, misinterpreted and misrepresented. The sparring between adolescent males is a rite of passage; it is the power of their bodies and their beings that leads humans to interpret this as violent, dangerous behavior. In society, at the right time, and place, this is a demonstration of readiness to take on the responsibility of adulthood. For the stallion, this is protecting the life of his mares and their young, with his own life, and to the death, if necessary.
The absence of rituals to demonstrate the arrival of manhood leads to unhealthy working out of those natural social processes through gangs and violence in human youth. Hence, our misunderstanding of the dynamics of sparring behavior in horses.
In wild horses, living in our remote western states, fly-by for fun shootings terrorize bands of wild horses. Ride-by horsemen shooting the wild ones for sport, and helicopter hazing traumatizes wild horses, which,quite rightly, develop a distrust and disrespect for humans. Following these exposures to human's random violence, none of their behaviors around humans can be considered natural and normal.
As an stark comparison, the wild horses on Assateague Island, off the coast of Virginia, have been maintained through successful adoption and herd management programs for over 85 years. The ponies (pony is a designation for a small horse...most of the wild horses of the west fall into that category) are rounded up annually from their remote island habitat, and swum across the channel to an adjacent island. Each year, tens and even hundreds of thousands of vacationers flock to the small island for the event and argue for the right to adopt one of the ponies.
Photos of wild horses from Assateague Island, known also as Chincoteague Ponies, who have just “swum” across the channel during the round up, show them standing quietly at the edge of the water. The horses, having had no reason to fear people, are not fazed by crowds of tourists who have come to witness the annual event.
Out of the water, they march down streets lined with tourists, at a relaxed walk or jog, into well-maintained corrals waiting for them. No fuss! No trauma! Just tens of thousands of people appreciating them and being grateful for the chance to be near them. They are not stressed or frightened: the mounted “cowboys” are not jostling them or threatening them. There are no helicopters overhead or steel corrals bashing at their bodies.
Compare this to the helicopter madness in management of the BLM herds in our western states: the terrorized horses, the dead horses, the violence, the madness, the fear.
(http://wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/study.html)
I am not an old horse. But I know some things about being wild and being free and being in touch with who we are and about being in agreement with who you are.
We like to be in agreement. That creates safety.
—The Horses
While the vision of equines running free captivates us, it is neither historically accurate nor practical. Without value to society, horses have been, and will continue to be subject to the dismissive and abusive practices that have threatened their livelihood. Factually, wild horses have always been domesticated, and, up to recent years, ranchers broke wild horses for riding stock.
Since there was earth experience for humanity,
we have befriended you,
Helping you to expand your horizons,
discover your creative power, and now,
to open wide your heart on the brink of a
New Civilizations, born of compassion.”
—The Horses
Given the shortage of petroleum based fuels, reconsideration of horses as a local transportation resource in rural areas is prudent and practical. Most rural economies depend on livestock for power, transportation and trade. At worst, our oversupply of wild horses could be an economic windfall to people in poverty stricken third world areas of Latin and South America, as well as parts of our own country. Heifer International, a private non-profit organization has effected great improvements in impoverished cultures by gifting a productive female to a struggling family. Thinking globally about our ecology and the world economy is a sane and ethical approach to addressing the various issues regarding a great natural resource: wild horses.
Homes for Mustangs and Burros; one person at a time.
We believe that many people, in providing a home for 1-6 wild horse(s) through sponsorship, adoption or purchase, will effectively address the crisis with the 33,000 wild horses in BLM holding facilities. Increased communication, networking and support among horse and wild horse enthusiasts will expand the possibilities and insure the future for wild equines. Wild horse enthusiasts are the best resource for creating new wild horse enthusiasts, by sharing experiences and introducing our horses to others.
Restoring Wild Horse Habitat
Originally the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act allocated 54 million acres for wild horse habitat. Over the years since that legislation was enacted in 1971, 98% of the Federal lands designated as wild horse habitat has been taken away and given to the livestock industry as long term leases at low cost. This alone is the cause of depleted and insufficient natural forage for wild horses. They have been squeezed onto inhospitable areas of 10 western states; this is a repeat of what has occurred to Native Americans. Great secrecy and significant misinformation about the Native Peoples resulted in deception and fear from the mainstream population: the same fears and misinformation that surround wild horses today. Effectively, the BLM has broken its “treaty” with the Wild Horse Nation.
"When you have agreements, it is important to keep them. This is important for us, but more for you.”
—The Horses
Pictures and public reports tell us that wild horses are overpopulating. All of this is misinformation. The National Academy of Science studies differ from BLM claims about wild horse overpopulation.
http://wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/nas_report.html
Independent scientific studies of the existing wild horses in natural habitat has demonstrated that existing herds are much more depleted in number than the BLM reports and that the reproduction rates are much lower than the BLM reports. It is ecologically irresponsible to continue to deplete the numbers and habitat of horses living in the wild, thus jeopardizing yet another species of wildlife.
Co-creating a Sustainable Future for Horses and Humans
"Feeling the earth beneath our feet is connecting to the pulse of the earth mother. That is why we know what we do: it is not 'animal instinct'.
It is the connection to nature, earth. It is a oneness with all."
—The Horses
Given the current global oil and transportation crises in our country, a complete alteration of our current lifestyle and economy, and a return to environmentally friendly transportation is imminent. Horses are historically a most reliable, ecologically conscious, and efficient means of transportation. From a practical standpoint, the wild horse populations may be our nation’s chief point of recovery from economic and technological upheaval.Violence towards wild horses, or any species, is detrimental to the sustainable future of the ecosystem and humanity.
The Greater Good
"When we have differences of opinion we discuss it and even if we don’t agree, we choose what serves the greater good of the group."
—The Horses
Horses have demonstrated that they are sentient, intelligent, beings and have stood with us, supporting humanity on its path of evolution. The survival of the equine species depends on agreements among individuals within the herd so that the good of the whole prevails. We humans have much to learn from equine society. Respect, compassion, collaboration, and interdependence among diverse species, as well as honor for the environment that supports us all, is the foundation for lasting peace.