We can celebrate National Day of the Horse by going for a ride, maybe spending time with our favorite equine books and movies – or we can celebrate with action, declaring our dedication to protecting our beloved horses.
We can celebrate by instituting the SAFE Act and ending wild horse roundups. By contacting the media and the people in government who are there to serve you, by making the public aware, by staying mindful of the tragedies horses face every day in this country, we can truly celebrate these magnificent creatures who have brought so much to our lives.
On October 7, 2004, a resolution was submitted to the 108th Congress to initiate December 13 as National Horse Day. The resolution was sponsored by Senator Ben Campbell (R) of Colorado as well as Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mike Dewine (R-Ohio), and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana).
Below is the full text of the resolution passed on November 18, 2004:
RESOLUTION
Designating December 13, 2004, as National Day of the Horse and encouraging the people of the United States to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.
Whereas the horse is a living link to the history of the United States;
Whereas without horses, the economy, history, and character of the United States would be profoundly different;
Whereas horses continue to permeate the society of the United States, as witnessed on movie screens, on open land, and in our own backyards;
Whereas horses are a vital part of the collective experience of the United States and deserve protection and compassion;
Whereas because of increasing pressure from modern society, wild and domestic horses rely on humans for adequate food, water, and shelter; and
Whereas the Congressional Horse Caucus estimates that the horse industry contributes much more than $100,000,000,000 each year to the economy of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate–
(1) designates December 13, 2004, as ‘National Day of the Horse’, in recognition of the importance of horses to the security, economy, recreation, and heritage of the United States;
(2) encourages all people of the United States to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States; and
(3) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States and interested organizations to observe the day with appropriate programs and activities.
Our thanks to those Senators and their ability to recognize the importance of the horse.
National Day of the Horse means many things to many people, but especially those who continue to fight every day for our government to once more recognize the value of horses in our history and their contributions to the overall success of this nation.
The very first sentence of the resolution states: …the people of the United States to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.
MINDFUL.
The definition of being mindful or mindfulness is mind·ful·ness
/ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs
noun
-
1.
the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
“their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition”
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was presented with compelling evidence that overgrazing was the cause of the decline of public lands, but her office was “unresponsive” and the roundups went ahead despite rising protest.
A new year will soon be upon us and yet we are still stuck in the political mire of wild horse round-ups (and the loophole of transporting horses to the border for slaughter). The hope generated by last year’s appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior has been obliterated by her lack of response to the pleas of her constituents and fellow government officials regarding the round-ups.
In November of 2020, a letter from Congress was sent to Nancy Pelosi regarding the BLM and its mishandling of the wild horse round-ups. It asked for continued support in “the humane and sustainable management of wild horses”. They also asked for dedicated funding in any final spending package regarding PZP and reversible fertility control. This letter was signed by 22 members of congress…including Deb Haaland.
… to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.
Enter 2021 and Deb Haaland’s nomination by Pres. Biden as the Secretary of the Interior. Numerous animal rights and environmental organizations applauded her nomination based on Haaland’s previous record of support while in congress. Many (including HRL) felt that a much-needed change in how the BLM managed wild horse populations was imminent.
So what happened? The wild horse round-ups this past year including Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada went on as planned, even though there was massive support for cancellation or at least a delay. Numerous efforts by different support groups including the Sierra Club went unheeded. The office of Deb Haaland was said to be unresponsive.
Unresponsive – even though new evidence was submitted by PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) to show that overgrazing by cattle, not wild horses was responsible for the environmental decline of public lands, including the decline of sage grouse. The SIERRA Club also ratified a new policy on Wild Horse and Burro management, stating that management should be based on current, transparent, conflict-free science and including the following: “To protect wild horses and burros from injury and stress, the use of motorized vehicles (land/air) for roundups should be avoided whenever possible.”.
Both organizations submitted letters and data to the Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland before the Sand Wash Basin Roundup, after a U.S. Geological Survey study that was released earlier in September claimed wild horses were adversely affecting the sage grouse habitat.
“to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.”
However, the USGS did not use data regarding cattle in their study claiming “Our analysis did not explicitly model livestock (e.g., cattle) primarily because of the challenges of compiling quality spatial data”. Even though they had data back to 2011 showing the impacts of cattle, which PEER used in their own report.
Colorado Governor Polosi also wrote a letter to Haaland asking for a delay regarding the September 2021 roundup. Again, no response.
Next, the Wyoming roundups came into play with almost 45% of the wild horse population removed. Thousands of horses were rounded up – a goal of 4,300, with only 800 returned to the wild after vaccination for fertility control.
So how many cows are grazing in the area where these horses were captured? Good question. When attempting to verify this information, a BLM URL that started with the information searched had been removed – not in one but two places, reading only “Sorry, the content you are looking for is not found or has moved.” As of publishing, the error message is gone…but the sparse information remaining does not include this key figure.
However, data was found showing that in 2020 the number of cattle in Wyoming numbered 1,310,000 and sheep 340,000.
How many were grazed on these public lands? The BLM is not saying.
So it’s business as usual. Previous administrations have also carried the same unlit torch, leaving the BLM to manipulate and prioritize the wishes of the cattle industry.
“ to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.”
This is no different than the Carter/Fitzpatrick and Menendez amendments offered for the HR 3684 bill, in regards to the banning of transporting horses to the border for slaughter. Previously passed in the house both amendments were ignored when they reached the Senate.
HRL reached out to various members of Congress and the Senate to find out how and why this happens, but as of publication have received no response.
On October 18th, 2021 the Senate approved a monetary amount to be allocated to the BLM regarding the wild horse issue. Championed by Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey, money was dedicated to the fertility vaccine control issue, as they stated roundups should not be the only solution. They also demanded a report within 45 days regarding this action.
A New Mexico rancher has developed a humane and easier way of equine birth control for remote areas. It would be cheaper and more humane than the roundups.
Unfortunately, more money was also given in support of the round-ups themselves, so the result is a band-aid application. Millions of tax-payer dollars will continue to be spent in the removal of horses from public lands and housing them in corrals, many for years.
The BLM market their product, the wild horses, by portraying them as being adopted by loving and caring homes – and a few might. But by paying a person $1000 to adopt a horse you are creating more issues. It came to light that some of those being paid to adopt were accepting the money and then transporting the horses to the border for slaughter. Was there not enough oversight by government officials, or were they just turning their heads and looking the other way?
Organizations such as United Horsemen and Protect the Harvest sound like they would have an animal’s best interest in mind, right? Wrong. Their interest lays with the cattle companies and ranchers. They tout science and claim concern regarding the environment when in actuality they have their interest to protect: money.
There is no further need to elaborate. It has long been known that the public lands meant for wild horses and other native species have become a range war between ranchers and the wild. The data is available, the number of cattle versus the number of wild horses on so many thousands of acres. The BLM has said data showing just how out of control the cattle numbers are comparatively and yet it continues to perpetuate the idea that wild horses are causing ruin to the environment. Recent science has shown the opposite, that equids help other native species to survive.
“ to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.”
It has also been proven by science how cattle are contributing to climate change and environmental damage – and not just on public lands. The “where’s the beef” mantra (if you are old enough to remember that phrase) has been replaced by “the beef is in your backyard”. Tax break incentives have people raising cattle in some states on five, ten acres simply because of agricultural tax exemptions. It should be the other way around: give tax incentives to people who don’t raise cattle in favor of reducing the carbon footprint, or have larger tax incentives raising trees, bees, etc.
Also, there are circumstances where novice-raised cattle suffer. Young cows are prematurely bred, not having the physical ability to pass a calf almost as big as they are. Recently a veterinarian stated he was seeing five to ten of these cases a week, and that both the cow and the calf usually end up dying.
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“It came to light that some of those being paid to adopt were accepting the money and then transporting the horses to the border for slaughter. Was there not enough oversight by government officials, or were they just turning their heads and looking the other way?”
There are a large number of equine welfare groups continuously looking for a way to end the traumatic way the BLM insists on governing the wild horse herds. Some are small groups that are simply trying to draw attention to the issue. Others, such as AWHC, Peta, PEER, and Sierra Club are large and have legal support as well as the donated funds to continue the fight.
Yet no matter the efforts, the lackadaisical mentality of those in government creates another brick wall with each new administration.
There are also 47 lobbyists representing the cattle companies – equaling one lobbyist for every two senators. Many lobbyists held prior positions in government, including the senate; we voted them in, and after a few years they left their positions for…more money.
“to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States.”
With the Invest Act H.R. 3684, there were over 500 proposed amendments. The Carter/Fitzpatrick amendment did not make the vote.
Climate change is and will remain a huge issue politically and in reality. Some states were already scrambling for hay this past summer due to the drought consuming almost a third of the country during the growing season. With winter upon us, the need for hay will become even greater. And as years go forward, you can expect more of the same.
So the question is if the BLM is holding all of these horses and there is already a hay shortage, how does that work? Adoptions are miniscule compared to those being held captive in corrals.
Then what happens? Slaughter?
It’s beyond time for change. To stop denying the impact of cattle and sheep, and make available a humane birth control method for the wild horses who are native to the land. To limit the allotments given to ranchers for grazing rights on public lands. Time to explore other options with the true “to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States” as stated in resolution 452.
Because right now the character of the United States, as currently shown by the BLM and other parts of our government, is nothing to be proud of.
I understand it is up to us to make our priorities and wishes known to our representatives. But if the big guns like PETA and Sierra Club cannot get results, where do you go? Whose doors do you knock on? These issues have been going on for decades and yet year after year, hundreds of horses are rounded up so more cattle can graze…and more horses are transported for slaughter.
If we want to celebrate the National Day of the Horse in its intended spirit, we must create a wave that cannot be ignored by either the House or Senate. Make your voice heard for banning horse transport to the border for slaughter and wild horse round-ups. Petition, call, and email your government officials, and let news organizations know what you want to see in their newscasts. Share resources like AWHC (American Wild Horse Campaign) and Returntofreedom.org as resources for information.
Let’s make 2022 “The Year Of The Horse”.
