and always back to the source...

 Whenever the amount of input gets to be too much, we have to turn out and either ride, walk or get in touch some other way. To live close to a wild horse area allows for daily visits, photo safaris, or other outings to search for and witness the wild horses. Ecotourism will be invigorated as individuals venture out and seek out the tracks and traces of wild horses...on foot or on horseback. For now the BLM still allows horsecamping in wildhorse areas, but that might be coming to an end, as the public is less appreciated on wild horse land....

some of the individuals of the sandwash Basin

ADOPT A HERD - SANDWASH BASIN WILD HORSES

The Girl And the Horse

The Cayuse Ranch in Oshoto is an example of an early Wild Horse Preserve.

In 1957 Bob Brislawn land surveyer for the Geologcial Survey, recognized the radical extermination of the Mustang.  He wanted to preserve the Horse and collected a founding stock for the Spanish Mustang Registry, that till today live on the Cayuse Ranch in Oshoto. As we consider Alternatives to BLM managed mustangs on Public Lands, this is one example that weathered many decades.

For more information, www.cayuseranch.com and www.neilblathreula1.com (Starflower Ranch)

An exercise in patience and balance and hand/eye coordination....

This was a little item, I found in a store, took apart and revamped into a drawing of my beloved mustang Aragon V. I think it turned out nice and is a constant reminder of the importance of patience, balance and hand/eye coordination....

Redfeather Library Mustang photograph exhibition

NEXT STOP: JB-ANDREW the black Frisian, that was a BLM mustang...

Give him a big hand, he has carried the torch for more than a decade and he is also a LOVABLE LOCAL.

He was born on the public lands and rounded up as a youngster, brought to Canon City and eventually his training began. He then was adopted by Ginger and started a career as dressage horse. He proved to have talent and aptitude and is till today the only MUSTANG that has reached FEI dressage levels.. There is a breyer model horse, that calls him a Frisian and indeed that is what he looks like but only to those, who have preconceived ideas about what a mustang should or could represent.

 For more info visit: www.classicalequestrian.com

  

There is nothing like digging deep into a horses' mane and neck....

Ginger Kathrens visiting with Escalante, photo by Krisztina Gaylor

Rusty, Chisel, Veedawoo and Escalante ...where is the grass

Veedawoo, the little black one, comes from the Chocktaw horses in the Kiamichi mountains SE Oklahoma, 6 years old. Escalante, the grulla white on the right, comes from Oshoto Wyoming (www.cayuseranch.com , his father is Grey Eagle) 8 years old. Silver Chisel is 4 months old and comes from Redfeather Lakes and so does 1 1/2 year old Rusty. The IRON MUSTANGS will be travelling on the Flatbed, the other ones have to stand in the trailer.

For this event they all came out together to greet the audience and give a bit of HANDS ON THICK MANE....

http-::collegian.com:index.php:article:2010:11:111110_horsetalk 2

Here is the link to the full article, that drew over 150 people at the Behavioral Sciences at CSU for a presentation by Ginger Kathrens (www.thecloudfoundation.org) about the
"REAL NATURE OF WILD HORSES" on November 10th.
Present were also several local mustang-Advocacy groups:
The Winddancer Foundation (Michael Golembeski) :www.wind-dancer.org
Mustang Eco Tours (Gabriele Moritz) :www.mustangecotours.blogspot.com
Mustang Meet-up Group of Ft.Collins: www.meet-up.com (mustang-meet-up ft.collins)
Sandwash Basin Wild Horses (Nancy Roberts): www.sandwashwildhorses.blogspot.com
Lourie Zipf Photography: www.louriezipfphotography.com
Iron Mustang Artist Dwayne Cranford: metal2sculpture.com
Mustang Adventure Rider Guenter Wamser: www.abenteuerreiter.de

Escalante greets the audience at Behavioral Sciences...Iron Mustang in the background

Escalante and Veedawoo at the CSU Behavioral Sciences event

Two of MustangEcoTours members got to go to the event at the Behavioral Sciences of CSU on Nov 10. Here depicte Escalante, as he greets the audience with the beautiful sculptures of Rusty and Chisel by Dwayne Cranford in the background. For more info, go to www.collegian.com and search: Ginger Kathrens (Nov 10th)

Rusty and Chisel will join Ginger Kathrens at Behavioral Sciences Ft. Collins

Rusty and Chisel, two over life-size sculptures by local Redfeather Lakes Artist Wayne Cranford will be joining the life mustangs during the presentation of Ginger Kathrens at the University of Colorado on Nov.10th. Cranford, who has been travelling the country with the two animated mustangs, will have them on display before they return to their winter pasture along the rock outcroppings of the artists home. You will be able to see them from the road (74E) travelling towards Redfeather Lakes on the left side past gate 6 on Glacier View Meadows or go to : www.metal2sculpture.com

ANNIVERSARY OF CITIZEN INITIATIVE "Ft.Collins Mustang Meet-up"

About a year ago, 5 of us joined forces to start "Ft.Collins Mustang-Meetup" a citizen initiative for the preservation of the American Mustang. Most of us had been involved with one aspect or another of the mustang issue and felt it was time to organize, update and illuminate the current controversy.

We studied the issue, interviewed the US Geologcial Survey, participated in a letter writing campaign, organized protests and travelled for a summit to Washington. We witnessed several round-ups, joined other mustang volunteer organizsation that monitor and improve the WildHorseRange, we visited the Canon City Correctional Facility WHIP (wildhorseinmateprogram).

We participated in the MustangHeritageFoundation Extreme Mustang Makeover, launched a MustangEcoTourism project and several associated educational websites and blogs. (Winddancer Foundation).
In the spring we followed a call for help in the Blackjack Mountain (Kiamichi) SE Oklahoma, and then wittnessed the atrocities of the Nebraska 3 Strikes Ranch Mustang Killing.

With the focus on our Local Colorado Herds, the Little Bookcliffs, the Sandwash Basin, we established Standing by visiting, wittnessing and claiming these horses for our individual lives and recreation. Under the Title "HERDWATCH" the public gained  insight and access to its natural resource. Radio interviews  and artistic events increased awareness and shed light on the educational and emotional potential of a "No child left inside" curriculum.

Nonetheless the aggressive Round-ups continued and thousands and thousands of Mustangs were added to the 35 000 already in permanent feed-lots. Senseless death and injury to the animals. The demand for disclosure and transparency continues.

The voices grow louder and with todays event we reach out and hope to increase interest and awareness in our work.