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Re: [RC] BLM adoptions at rides. - Karen Sullivan

Jeeze Heidi!  And I thought my comments were scathing!  However I was so glad to see your post (from a professional) and also sort of backed up my gut feeling on this. 
 
It's not just the bargain basement adoption fee and all the work and effort that goes into them; it the ton of money the gov. has into each and every one.
 
I am sorry to say,the group I saw in Lakeport was a very sorry bunch.  There was not a one in the herd I was impressed with (granted, many were babies). I also heard from some folks that they bring the "dregs" of the roundups to these auctions.  The best are adopted via internet, or go to the training programs. often for a lot of $ (the Kigers' etc)
 
When I was at the Lakeport adoption, I wandered around checking out the horses AND the crowd.  The people that are establshed horsemen stood there shaking their heads. They were not bidding.  The folks walking around with stars in their eyes, planning on which one to take, were, for the most part, people who had never owned a horse before, and could not afford to buy a "trained horse.". They all had the attitude that they, and their horse, would "learn together." They were not even required to own a trailer, as BLM would haul the horses to their property for a fee. One of the gals hauling horses was a volunteer for the BLM.  She went up to the property near me (falling down field fence and loose barbed wire, one shelter), and one pipe panel round pen insufficient size for ONE  horse, and pronounced the property met BLM standards. THREE horses were crammed into that round pen!  NO access to the shelter.
----- Original Message -----
To: ridecamp ; AERC
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 6:42 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] BLM adoptions at rides.

The entire BLM "mustang" charade is one of the most disgusting, poorly-run, pie-in-the-sky projects the government has yet conceived, and that is saying something.  To start with, the entire diefication of mustangs is a fallacy--the modern horse is NOT native to this continent, and those out there are more correctly called feral horses.  They are domestic horses that have gone back to the wild.  From a range management point of view, they are a disaster--they can outcompete virtually every native species, and can destroy a habitat in just a few generations if not managed.  >From a humane point of view, letting them reproduce unchecked is a disaster--watching them starve in bad winters or die of dehydration in a drought is not a tolerable situation.  From a historical point of view, they don't belong out there in the first place.  From a horseman's point of view, unless one knows the history of a specific herd, there simply isn't much point in messing with them, as each area's herds are shaped by what sorts of stallions the local ranchers turned out a few generations ago.  Some feral herds were carefully managed by ranchers who rounded up and gelded the colts and who turned out Remount or other stallions of the breed of their choice--you will find herds with Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Morgan, Arabian, or draft characteristics, depending on what sorts of horses the local ranchers wanted--while other herds were left to reproduce willynilly. 
 
Bottom line--while some herds yield some good riding horses, in general the horses are not worth the adoption fee or the time and effort that goes into making them saddle horses.  Endurance riders who have ridden mustangs successfully have gotten specific individuals out of specific herds, for the most part, that had the appropriate characteristics.  It is much more of a crap shoot than getting a quality horse from a competent breeder who has spent the time and effort to raise a horse suitable to the job intended.
 
Personally, I find the AERC participation in this program foolhardy at best, and at worst a grave insult to its members who strive to produce quality horses.  Randy, did you engineer this farce?  If so, perhaps a proper response should be to have a few burly members horsewhip you at the next board meeting.
 
I hope RMs stand firm in not volunteering their rides to participate in this farce.  And if any of our NW rides do participate, I hope a list of rides that choose to do so will be published in advance, so that we can boycott them.
 
Heidi

Replies
[RC] BLM adoptions at rides., oddfarm
Re: [RC] BLM adoptions at rides., Heidi Smith