Advocates focusing on Solutions and proposals for improvement of conditions on the range.

More than ever it is time to gather statistics and charts, draw conclusions referring to research and science and come up with positive and productive solutions and proposals. There is no room for UTOPIA, only realistic and practical logistics can be incorporated into a broken and ailing system. Our input, whether it feels like compromise or exploitation is what will eventually improve the conditions of the range and with that the horses that we so care for.

HEWLETT GULCH - FIRE - May 14,15,16, 17

More pics...As we are driving back to the house, the wind has shifted and it is out of the west, giving us  visibility and good air...then it shifts and we get the smoke and the flames...

Livermore Post Office and Fire Station becomes the briefing point for media and public...community.

Aragon and Coppersmith

Horses are not participating in the action, they just wonder...

Silhouette and Veedawoo

Just turning at Livermore...(all photos by Kelsey Anne)

LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHILE WE ARE MAKING OTHER PLANS>>>>

This was the view from my house on the second morning...

As the crow flies 5 miles

Western Ridge Restaurant and Resort just downhill from me

looking east from 74E Redfeather Lakes Road

In our case it meant the first big spring fire. On Monday at 1pm I was hiking with my friends Frank Auer and Jacques Rieux in the Bonner Peak area close to Seaman Reservoir to look at some land that was for sale with great horse property and conditions, except that it had burned badly 7 years ago...when we drove out we noticed a plume of smoke. That it was: a fire 100 acres. Today another story. 7800 acres and 5% contained (one does not know what that means) The fire has flip-flopped directions several times burning first east, then north, then west and then north and east again with evac notices following... With my horses in 4 different locations and pastures I opted to start bringing them down to the flatlands yesterday the day before yesterday, including my 4 year old Colt Galicio, who had cut himself quite serious on the inside of the right hock (with great concern it might have exposed the joint)

Galicio leaving CSU VET hospital

He spent the night at the hospital while I was agonizing about the general fate of my horses and the future of MUSTANG ECO TOURS, if these conditions would continue...Late in the night the surgeon called and said that we had had luck and the joint was not compromised, even though the canonbone was exposed...we made a plan and today my guardian angel Kelsey Anne and I picked him up and brought him to a safe place far away from the fire to my trusted veterinarian Deb.

She still had the Christmas lights up to instill peace and quiet to a tired vet coming home in the evening from exhausting medical calls all day long...Ruigoord the 27 year old Icelandic was with us to give the young colt the necessary security around the temporary shelter from the fire.

Kelsey greeting some of the residents

After securing the little horses and thanking everyone for their support, we headed to Tim Singewald's place to check on Silhouette, Veedawoo, Aragon and Coppersmith. They had been evacuated from a perfectly good pasture to a smoke filled and health alert coral in Wellington not understanding what the purpose was.

Kelsey taking a well deserved snooze after a sleepless night

Then we headed down the road to Mountain View Arabians, where my friend and Trainer Trisha Swift  had offered to take the injured colt for the first night and Escalante, who was not agreeable with staying with the other mustangs.

Escalante being his usual impatient...

In between our eyes back on the fire....

Headed back to Aragon and Coppersmith to feed them

And then back to Redfeather to assess the situation...after 3 days of this we were getting tired....

7900 acres and 5% contained....

Shawnee is 14 years old and did NOT understand what was going on....

Channel 9 News had updates and briefing stations at the Livermore Fire Station and the neighborhood rose to the task....The fire has burned back on itself at this time and all of the evacuations have been cancelled. We will be sleeping tonight. Thank you everyone.

The story of "HAYDEN"

Hayden is a 5 year old line back Dun from the PRYOR MOUNTAINS, He was adopted during the last Roundup and brought to Montana. He was gelded and received some training. Halter. He is not broke to ride. He is the son of Jackson and Brumby (Ginger Kathrens knew him since being a baby).
Word is that he is gaited.

As a coming 5 year old he is probably in his prime and will be both a wonderfully matured animal but also a challenge. Only serious inquiries please.

For more information and photographs, please contact me: 970 224 5035 or Ginger Kathrens.

SAND WASH BASIN - MUSTANG ECO TOURS - ON LOCATION

Range Watch - Herd Watch - Reserve Design... Gabriele and Aragon

On May 4th I hauled Aragon to the Sand Wash Basin to combine a ride on the WIILD HORSE RANGE with the event of the Sombrero Roundup and a dream, that Nancy Roberts and I had formulated some time ago. She wanted to take her now 4 year old Sand Wash Mustang Odakota back to HIS range and hoped for Aragon and me to accompany her. So it goes, we met at the Maybell Fairgrounds to set up and familiarize the horses with each other. We were joined by Craig Downer and Karen McLain.

We went for a ride that evening overlooking the Yampa valley in wonderful sunshine. In the night Odakota remembered his wild beings and hollered all along to see whether he could raise them in the West. The next morning a bit croggy, we saddled up and got to the range to ride 7 mile ridge, whinning and looking at mustangs in the basin greeting the crisp morning.

Odakota, (roundup 2009) now 4 with Nancy Roberts, riding his home range.

We took all day and rode to the river and then back to the Sand Wash Entry where we met Melody Perez and the Mustang Trailer and several other wild horse lovers who had come "Bird-Watching" on the range

We rode till the late afternoon....What an epic experience!!!! The next day we went to join the painters, speakers and advocates at the MALL (not my favorite place) and speak to the Jerome Fox (BLM)

The Public during this event was both local and tourists, since the Sombrero roundup was occuring in Maybell. Still we took advantage of receiving and gaining more public exposure for the WILD HORSE Range.

Day 4 was get up at 5:30. Several other advocates camped on the range and we met and took one vehicle to search out the individual bands and locations. The weather was wonderful and as our eyes searched the horizons cameras clicked and binoculars identified Picasso and his newborn foal "Schatzi". There is always a good amount of walking and hiking involved which makes for so much fresh air and good lungs. And the melancholia gets her chance too.

Nancy Roberts, Karen McLain, Rachel Ann Reeves

We walked in silence hoping that the roundup of the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horses will be cancelled. Bait trapping is considered and fertility studies are in the works. We plan on work days in August for clean up and hope for some funds from the BLM Director's challenge to afford advocates to come out and help. For now it felt like the range was alive and even though the sheep had completely depleted the forage the horses looked healthy and safe.

There is a shadow on the range collecting Barbed WIRE....

MUSTANG AWARENESS DAY at the Medicine Horse in Boulder

Photo courtesy: Tony Johnson (Gabriele Moritz and Aragon)

This was a day filled with presentations and orators, riders and demos, art, photography and just plain good colorado weather. The Northern Colorado Mustang Riders performed and several inspiring speakers  gave their best to spellbind the crowd. 

Craig Downer (photo:Tony Johnson)

Craig Downer presented his book "THE WILD HORSE CONSPIRACY" and explained his concept of "RESERVE DESIGN" in self stabilizing WILD horse herds. He also put to an end the ever so tiresome dispute about the "Nativity" of the WILD HORSE in the North American Continent. Having ORIGINATED here thousands of years ago, there is not another place in the world, that can claim the origin of the horse other than NORTH AMERICA. He spoke about the importance of the post gastric digestive system of the horse and its other related species in regard to reseeding and revitalizing the lands (as opposed to the ruminant digestive system that acts as mere fertilizer) and also commented on the jaw and tooth structure of the horse having incisors and therefore being more selective in its grazing....plausible examples to make us more familiar and comfortable with the constant battle of the arguments.

NORTHERN COLORADO MUSTANG RIDERS (photo Tony Johnson)

Here is a link for the complete album of photographs from the day
http-::www.medicinehorse.org:gallery:2012_mustang:index 2.html.
Thank you Medicine Horse

"RESERVE DESIGN" and "THE WILD HORSE CONSPIRACY" by Craig DOWNER

craig and escalante

craig and gabriele

craig and escalante

Craig Downer is traveling the Rocky Mountain States to promote his book: THE WILD HORSE CONSPIRACY. He has stopped by the USGS FORT, the FOREST SERVICE, CSU Equine Behavioral Sciences and CU library to promote his model template of compassionate and self sustaining wild horse design which he calls RESERVE DESIGN. It focuses on establishing large (million acres) multi-geographical reserves with geographical barriers for mustangs with strong buffer zones that will allow the waking and waning of auto regulating and self stabilizing herd structures within designated WILD HORSE manangement areas. It will encourage the horses to stay within their safe areas by utilizing adverse conditioning. - He has stopped by the Strawbale house in Red Feather Lakes and Mustang Eco Tours for a couple of days (events at the Medicine Horse Mustang Awareness Day in Boulder, and several library presentations, incl. a meeting with the Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Partners. On May 4th he will continue to the SAND WASH BASIN WILD HORSE AREA west of Maybell Colorado to join local and out of state advocates on the RANGE (Herd watch/range watch). The DOI/BLM Director's challenge (2012) has awarded the Snake River Field Office 25 000 dollars for cooperation with advocates to improve the range, conduct census and review fertility control, etc.  In view of the planned 2013 bait trapping of some of the 250 Sand Wash horses (on 160 000 acres) this is an important opportunity to meet. It coincides with the traditional Sombrero round-up and there will be several riders, photographers and artists camping on the range.