Thankful

It is the season for being thankful, so here is a list of things I am thankful for this year!


I am thankful for cattle- in the field, at the end of a rope, or on the grill- you are making life better for someone.

I am thankful for choices- traditionally raised, organic, natural, cage-free, free-range, grass-finished and many more. Well, that is partially true, in California, aren’t we only allowed cage-free eggs? I guess I can still choose whether or not I want organic or natural eggs.

I am thankful for the new Ag Appropriations bill does not contain any language regulatory or otherwise banning the harvesting of horses, putting the issue back to pre-2007.

I am thankful that my children may have a chance to continue working in agriculture unless the Federal Department of Labor gets its way. Then, they will have to be almost adults before they could legal assist in the operations of a farm or ranch. By the way, have you sent your comments in? Comment period ends December 1st.

I am thankful that people are becoming informed about HSUS. The Humane Society of the United States is not your local humane society. It is a lobbying, animal rights organization, which spends less than 1% of its donations on the actual care of animals, even though the commercials may lead you to think something different.

I am thankful for advocates and agricultural activists like Trent Loos. Trent has an inspiring message for many people. One of my favorite quotes from Trent is~ The 2 most important people to our country are the farmer and the soldier...and the general public knows the least about them.

I am thankful that wolves aren’t officially in our county, yet. Though, a wolf has been tracked through Lake and Klamath counties, so that may not be on the list for long.

I am thankful for youth organizations like 4-H and FFA which allow young people an opportunities in leadership and citizenship along with animal agriculture.

I am thankful that the Surprise Valley BLM had a successful feral horse gather and I am hopeful for a solution to the problem.

I am thankful for having a safe, wholesome, cheap food supply and for those who work without holidays, without overtime pay, and in adverse conditions to provide it.

I am thankful for being able to write this column for the last two years!

Here is to another year of being educated, informed and involved.

Busy Weekend

Here is how I spent my weekend.  We started on Friday, gathering and working the neighbors cows.  They had some escapees who had to rounded up and sorted off their mothers.

Then, we had to move them to their new pastures after being vaccinated and pregnancy checked.  Here is my partener in crime for Saturday and Sunday.  This is Waymore.  He is a doll.  This gentle giant will get with a cow when needed and then bring it back down to kids speed.  He is one of a kind. 

Possible good news

For all of you who haven't commented on the Department of Labor's ridiculous proposed rules-- they may extend the deadline.  Many groups have been leaning on the DOL to make sure the public comment period is open for another 60-90 days. 

Just a reminder- the picture you see would be considered illegal under the new laws.  A small child, feeding hay, in a feedlot situation, not on a property owned by her parents!  The thought of such child abuse allowed to continue. 

Of course this one would be illegal also.  Riding on horseback and moving cows.  She wasn't even 16 months let alone the required 16 years.  Shocking isn't it!  Seriously, get your comments in.  Give rural kids the break they need to continue traditions, learn how to care for animals, and continue supplying food to the country.

Hello Tuesday

Sorry, missed yesterday due to lack of babysitter. Don't come into internet when I don't have someone to corral small children! :) Sunday was a great day though! The number one childrens program in the area- 4-H! Had thier horse show and I helped at it.

We had about 50 kids showing off their hard summer's worth of work. From Showmanship to Reining it was all there! These kids impress me by how much they grow throughout the year. Whether it is in height, confidence, or ability- They are amazing.

We added a couple new classes last year, so I was on board to help with the cattle. We had a Ranch horse class- down the fence, pen them, and then rope! It was great! Kids were ages 10 to 17 and showed some real promise.

We also offered steer stopping and a working cow horse for the more feint of heart! What an awesome day. Makes me want to work with my horses so my daughter has a chance in about seven years :)

A diva is born

I have decided I am raising a country diva. My soon to be two year old has decided the day is not going to continue unless she has on her PINK boots. She is very adament about the color and that it is boots.

We had a riata roping last weekend in our hometown. My husband and I both partcipated in this event to showcase quiet handling of cattle and horsemanship. My young daughter decided she wanted to ride in the arena, in front of everyone. Not in the nice quiet spot by the trailer. So, she helped me warm up my horse then helped her father warm up his. Who am I to argue with an almost two year old? I would hate to lose, AGAIN.

She would wave and yell at which ever parent didn't have her so everyone would look. However, she is quite camera shy and would turn bashful whenever a lens was in her face.

I think she learned something that weekend... Besides "Mama, me rope cows." I hope she learned that we are not a dying breed but simply altering our lifestyle to achieve the same goals we always had- to take care of animals. And if we have to showcase our abilities and compete, so be it.

Horse Gather

The Surprise BLM Field Office finally has a solid plan for a horse gather. I am impressed they are using all the tools in the box and outside of the box too. The Enivornmental Assessment is out and can be viewed at www.ca.blm.gov/345c

The plan is to gather 1100 plus horses from BLM and private properties in conjunction with gathering the neighboring field office to capture horses that are travelling between the two areas. Horses will be gathered to the low Herd Management Level. Mares that are gathered and released will be treated with fertility drugs. Additionally, they are using sex ratios to decrease herd growth.

This is finally a plan I can support. They are leaving some horses out there but not near the 500% increase over what they should be. Treating them so we are not in the same boat in a couple of years. In addition, the plan is to gather from outside the Herd Management Area on BLM property and private ground so they get ALL the horses!

Comments can be sent to: cahighrockcomplex@blm.gov

I wish you could go to the page and just hit the like button because it is a decent plan.

The article came out.

Awhile back I wrote about talking to a reporter. The article came out~ guess what? She didn't use anything in our interview only a quick question from a meeting I was running. GRRR... She portrayed me as a horse hater. All I asked was if the water was privately owned on the allottments which horses were present is the BLM capable of zeroing out that area and moving the horses. She got the part about zeroing out the herd. That was it. I wish I had some reprecussions but the good news is~ I have been biding my time and the public is speaking out against the reporter and her whimsical articles.

I don't think the editor is going to stop printing her articles because they sell papers. On another note, there has not been one letter to the editor supporting the reporters stories. Guess, it shows what a little emotion and some science can do. Hopefully, we have convinced some people on the fence that horses need to be managed like other livestock.

Lookout Idaho

House bill 149 in Idaho is once again Disneyfying horses. They are taking the majestic livestock to the lowly staus of companion animal. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Horses are livestock and should be treated, legislated, and managed as such.

They do not sell ponies in a pet store for a reason. They are big, they can be dangerous, and they require special care. They can not be placed in a backyard or cage and left. Quit trying to make them a dog. They do not do well with a walk a day. They require space, hay, and water along with their love.

Please write to these people and let them know. Even if you are not from the state. I think it is degrading to horses.

Media

I just recieved a phone call from a reporter in the local newspaper. They wanted my opinion on the wild horses in the area. I really I hope I got my point acrossed without sticking my foot in my mouth. This women has been know to write stories akin to "Spirit". Except it was about Blade the poor mustang that was disposed of because he had a confirmation problem in his front end that she attributed to gathering as a foal.

I tried to make the point- Horses are good if managed. Horses are bad if left to reproduce willy nilly. They do not belong in long-term holding. Herds need to be sustainable- large enough to be genetically viable but small enough to not trash riparian areas, be a detriment to wildlife, cause havoc on range conditions and animals sorted be adoptable.

I also attempted to explain, herd management area populations are fluid. Horses are able to roam for 200 miles without encountering a fence. Thus, making concrete population estimates difficult to determine. In this area, herds intermingle and may not have the issues of genetic diversity associated with more isolated populations.

I will let you know how the article goes.

Feral Horses... GRRR!

Sorry for the repeat for many of my cyber friends but I am still a bit agitated. I was in a public meeting today about county business- board of supervisors. The agenda item was on a letter of support for a feral horse gather to take place. A lady in the audience, stated that horse gathers were cruel and they should use alternative means of controlling populations. I am not against using alternative means. It was her suggested way of doing it that was asnine. She wanted to geld all the stallions.

I calmly, tried to explain that gelding all the stallions would require 50% of the herd to be handled. To which she replied- Anyone with commonsense would know that there is only one stallion per herd! I couldn't help it- I became emotional. I told her anyone with commonsense would know that a foal crop is 50/50 male and female. Making half the herd in the area males. That is when the chairmen stopped the conversation.

I was dissappointed because I didn't even get to delve into the science of reproduction. How actually, when they do sex ratios to decrease the amount of reproduction it is the females they put out in lower numbers. I didn't get a chance to explain that it is only the females who bear young. I also didn't get a chance to explain one stallion can breed 25-50 mares per year but a mare can only have one colt... Along with other things. :)

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully, she will do some research and find out how WRONG her basic assumptions are.

Summit of the Horse

The Summit of the Horse in Las Vegas, NV has been going on all week. It is a group of ranchers, animal activists, and others discussing the need or not of horse slaughter in the United States. It has even recieved recognition from the Wall Street Journal.

In 2007, before horse slaughter was made illegal about 100,000 unwanted, untrainable, or otherwise useless horses were harvested, in the US and about 7,000 went to Mexico. Most of the meat was exported overseas for human consumption. By-products were used in the US for pet foods and zoos.

When the ban was enacted, about 54,000 horses with the number still rising, have been sent to Mexico. Unfortunately, our neighbor to the South does not have the same laws and regulations about humane slaughter as we do. Videos from Mexican facilities are unnerving to say the least and down right sickening in many senses.

The timing of the ban has created issues for many people. In 2007, was the start of the recession and many horse owners were and are unable to care for their animals adequately. Incidences of malnutrition and neglect have significantly increased since the ban. In addition to, horses being turned out on public and tribal lands to fend for themselves when owners are unable to properly care for them.

It is time to reenact horse slaughter in the US. It gives owners a humane, legal, outlet for unwanted animals. It allows for an exported product to help the economy. It also gives the horses a death with a purpose.