RE: Re: FW: Wild Horses Debunked!

["Michael Sherrell" <grizzlyan@mindspring.com>]

Cattle selectively graze native plants over introduced annuals, which in
California has resulted in the nearly complete elimination of native grasses
and their replacement by European grasses. Before the Spanish brought cattle
here, California in summer used to be green; now it's "golden" because of
dead, dried European grasses.

Cattle displace native herbivores. There used to be herds of antelope and
elk in California grazing all through the hills and across the valley; now
there's cattle.

My main complaints about cattle, purely from a selfish perspective (but one
I think would be shared by a lot of trail riders), are:

1) where they graze is considerably less attractive because of the
trampled-up places and the cowpies; and

2) the fences necessary to keep cattle in are even more effective at keeping
horses out.

The cultural and historical relations between cattle and horses are
interesting and complicated. The Marlboro Man cowboy image is romantic, but
I find it superficial. And I personally think tending another man's steaks
is not that high of a calling.

Regards,

Michael Sherrell
Grizzly Analytical (USA)
707 887 2919/fax 707 887 9834
www.grizzlyanalytical.com

----------
From: 	Sandy Bolinger[SMTP:bolinger@bigsky.net]
Sent: 	Tuesday, December 05, 2000 9:32 AM
To: 	Michael Sherrell; 'Ridecamp'
Subject: 	RC:  Re: FW: Wild Horses Debunked!

Cattle are only destructive to the environment when managed
incorrectly...horses are also extremly destructive to the environment when
managed poorly.

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Sherrell <grizzlyan@mindspring.com>
To: 'Ridecamp' <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 8:44 AM
Subject: RC: FW: Wild Horses Debunked!


> "people who have been caring for the land and the animals for generations"
> sounds like propaganda to me. I wonder if Utah attorney White ever
> represents any of our famous friends of the environment-ranchers against
> that evil ol' federal government?
>
> Cattle are very destructive to the environment. I don't think that's fuzzy
> propaganda designed to tug at the heart strings. Whether the destruction
is
> worth the meat is a social decision.
>
> Regards,
>
> Michael Sherrell
> Grizzly Analytical (USA)
> 707 887 2919/fax 707 887 9834
> www.grizzlyanalytical.com
>
> ----------
> From: Joane Pappas White[SMTP:Lyoness@Castlenet.com]
> Reply To: Lyoness@Castlenet.com
> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 8:33 PM
> To: Ridecamp
> Subject: RC:  Wild Horses Debunked!
>
> I asked Steph for permission before posting the following in response to
> the Horse Rescue Story:
>
> Hi Ridecampers,
>
> Anybody figure out who actually sent us the Wild Horse Rescue story that
> Drin responded to so well?  While I noticed several of our members on
> the FW mailing list, the actual posters were not regulars.
>
> It bothers me when Ridecamp is used for such uninformed politcal
> propaganda.  If our own members and participants voiced an opinion and
> we had a meaningful dialectic about oposing views and IF IT WAS
> ENDURANCE RELATED, I would say great.  Instead we get this emotional
> PAP!
>
> So far all I have heard is that anyone who does not want to save every
> wild horse is evil, immoral or uncaring. If we just changed the words to
> communist, pinko, reds, we would be right back to the McCarthy Era.
> (Emotional Ploy to play on dislike of evil while tugging at heart
> strings--Basic Communications 101:Propaganda Techniques).
>
> The infamous (and equally unidentified) "Permittees" are attacked
> because they have a form of property right in
> in land which is owned by our federal government. God forbid that they
> might raise a some sheep or cows to feed this nation.  Interestingly
> enough, the ranchers and farmers are also the ones that feed the deer,
> elk, Big Horn Sheep, cougar, bear, antelope and everything else that
> lives not only the federal lands but their private ranches/farms as
> well.  But by all means, let us not ask the people who have been caring
> for the land and the animals for generations what might be best.
> Instead let us just use another propaganda technique called "labeling"
> to try and persuade the the well-meaning public that the Big Bad Old
> Cattle Baron is getting rich off "Public" land and is plotting to kill
> the wild horses to do so.  Again divide and conquer by getting us to
> blame permittees while Tugging on heart strings--and this time purse
> strings. I'm sure there is a pitch for money here.
>
> The fact that our government has deemed that the multiple use of the
> land is beneficial to all it citizens appears lost on the One Cause
> crowd.  Save the Wild Horses.  Save all of them--the sick, the starving
> and overpopuated.  Before I just attacked the "Forest Ranger" as a
> demented horse killer, I would want to know why he was rounding up the
> wild horses.  In Utah last year, a number of wild horses were gathered
> and tested and a large number had EIA.  Have you ever seen a herd of
> sick and starving wild horses?  Have you thought about the consequences
> to them and the domestic horses if you try to keep all of them alive?
>
> Finally, the "Spanish Wild horses" are used to ask us to write our
> Senators and Congressmen.  The best book on the subject, which is only a
> couple of years old, 'Born Survivors on the Eve of Distruction', argued
> that some possible Spanish bloodlines similar to the Sorraias had been
> identified in Oregon, Utah, and Nevada. I don't recall Northen New
> Mexico being listed at all.  But even if it was, the point of the book
> was to try and encourage rounding up some of the individual horses which
> best displayed the Spanish characteristics and putting them in their own
> isolated breeding program to stop the corruption of the genetic pool
> with further uncontrolled breeding. Another emotional tug at our heart
> strings over the almost extinct Spanish Sorraia without facts to back up
> the allegations.
>
> On this type of logic I am going to write my Congressmen and women?
> Yeah Right!
>
> Joane Pappas White
> Attorney at Law
> Price, Utah
> AERC # 18027
> Ridecamper from the beginning
>
>
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