On the heels of a news report indicating that Freedom, the proud stallion who escaped the BLM’s trap pens, may have been recaptured, comes the news that two more horses have died as a result of the Calico roundup. One, a colt, who should have been cavorting in the hills with his mother, someday having a chance at being a proud band stallion, was instead terrorized and stampeded by helicopter so long and hard that his little hooves were bruised to the point of sloughing off.  He died in the cold, in pain and alone in the BLM holding pens.

Another foal at BLM Fallon feedlot where Calico horses are being held.

According to the BLM, the little colt, stampeded for miles at top speeds from the only home he had ever known, forcefully separated from his mother and other family members, confined in trap pens, crammed onto trailers loaded with other terrorized horses, trucked four to five hours to the BLM holding facility at Fallon — suffered for two weeks before the BLM “euthanized” him (likely by rifle) and sold his body to a rendering plant.

The vet report below confirms that his death is a direct result of the roundup:

January 22, 2010

Black Rock East

History and Report on Sloughed Hoof Foal

This foal was received at the Indian Lakes contract holding facility from the Calico complex gather around 1/6/2010. He was fed and watered for a day and when noticed to be lame was removed from the general population and placed in a hospital pen. On 1/8/2010 this horse was treated with phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and penicillin (an antibiotic) for presumptive sole bruising and abscesses. No abscesses were noted at this time but there was some foot swelling suggesting hoof trauma. During the next 5 days the colt which was nine months old was fed and watered in the hospital pen and observed for body condition and lameness. He was retreated on 1/13/2010 with phenylbutazoneand penicillin. Sole abscesses and potential hoof sloughs were noted. Both hind feet were flushed with betadine (an antiseptic) and bandaged with gauze, antibiotic ointment and tape. The colt was slightly improved after treatment but over the next couple of days spent more and more time lying down. On 1/18/2010 the 2 hind feet were examined again. Multiple hoof sloughs were noted and the foal was euthanized for humane reasons. The cause of these hoof abscesses/sloughs was most likely hoof trauma from the gather operations. (Emphasis added.)

Richard Sanford DVM

NV #565

Also dead is a mare who went down in the trucks transporting frightened horses between their Calico homeland and the Fallon holding facility. No help was given to this mare on the four to five hour journey; she died shortly after arriving at this newest BLM feedlot.

At the same time it announced these latest fatalities, the BLM also revealed that it was treating 20-25 additional horses for injuries and lameness suffered in the roundup, where helicopters are chasing horses for up to ten miles or more over treacherous terrain at full gallop speeds.

If a person were to chase a horse with a truck so long, hard and fast that his hooves were bruised and damaged, that person would be put in jail on animal cruelty charges. If a private citizen were to transport a horse from one barn to another in a trailer where the horse went down, was afforded no assistance, and died, that citizen could be brought up on charges of neglect. But the BLM considers this blatant cruelty an acceptable side result of its capture operations, which it claims are done in the best interest of the horses!

Clearly the vast majority of American citizens find this treatment of our nation’s beloved wild horses unacceptable. Amidst growing public outrage, the BLM’s days of business as usual may be coming to an end.
Please do your part in stopping this cruelty by taking action here and here.