Some Cheers and Some Jeers. Mustang supporters, gather ’round… Our September Bucket Fund Story.

CHEERS AND JEERS

Let’s start with the Cheers, shall we?

Well, the August Bucket Fund was beyond successful! Incredible. We collected $5675!!!! Every penny went to bailing, feeding and transporting the horses in the killpen on the Fallon Feedlot.

The receipts will be posted later this week (because there are so many to organize), but for a quick tally of how THE HORSE AND MAN GROUP Bucket Fund helped these desperate horses, here is a quick summation:

BAIL PAID (Plus Pay Pal Fees @ 3%):

4 Foals ($125 x 4 = $500): #s 13, 17, 23, 12

1 Yearling ($225): #47

5 Mare Pairs ($450 x 5 = $2250): #s 43, 50, 51, 52, 53

1 BLM Donkey ($175)

HAUL FEES PAID: $1287

FOOD/ BABY SUPPLEMENT: $1166

PAY PAL FEES: $89.25

Wowee!! You should all be very, very proud of this accomplishment. All of you that forwarded this information, all of you that held good thoughts, all of you that donated, all of you that physically hauled and housed these horses… Well done.

Really, really, really well done.

It feels good, doesn't it? Over 100 youngsters and mare pairs rescued. This was one of the mare pairs saved.

OUR SEPTEMBER BUCKET FUND STORY… THE PLIGHT OF SOME VERY UNLUCKY MUSTANGS.

OK, I have to be genteel here because this rescue mission is mid-save. We don’t want to rock the boat.

But, basically, here is the story as I’m allowed to tell it…

Last year, the BLM rounded up over 1700 wild mustangs in the Twin Peaks area. Lots of groups petitioned to stop the roundup but they failed.

Fast forward…

What many of us don’t know is that under the infamous Burns Amendment any rounded up wild horse over the age of 10 may be sold—not adopted—to anyone, anywhere for as little as $25.

$25.

$25 is less than their meat price. So, ahem, I won’t say what happens to many of these glorious, older mustangs who have survived and hold the smarts for the younger ones…

Anyway, this is what happened to 29 of the elder Twin Peaks horses.

This is the unlucky foal born into dire conditions who didn't survive.

THE UNLUCKY 29

So last year, 29 of them were sold to a woman in Michigan.

Why California-raised and acclimated horses would be shipped to Michigan is beyond me, but that’s where they went.

Evidently, this woman had a slew of people who wanted these wild, untouched horses for breeding. Yup. You heard me right. Breeding.

Sheesh.

OK, well, when the horses arrived after their roundup ordeal, the containment and subsequent travel some were a bit sick. So, all of the prospective ‘buyers’ backed out.

The woman now had 29 untouchable (and some pregnant) horses to feed.

Well, she didn’t. Feed that is… She ran out of money.

Of the original 29, only 19 can be accounted for… Of the 19 we learned that one mare escaped and was shot by police as she ran down a busy highway. Another mare was shot after her neck was broken. And a foal died soon after birth. All of the remaining horses are skinny…

So, on top of being rounded up, corralled, shipped to flipping Michigan, stuck in small pens without food, some dying, and one shot while running down a highway trying to find her freedom… well, these horses have suffered more than their share.

You understand the urgency.

One of the Unlucky 29 in Michigan... She lost her foal shortly thereafter.

DREAMCATCHER SANCTUARY

Enter DreamCatcher Sanctuary (lovely place where captured wild horses are freed – and they have an excellent business plan – linked here). DreamCatcher has long been fighting the good fight for the Mustangs. For the Unlucky 29, they have offered a permanent home.

Sadly, after months of legal wrangling, only 9 of the original 29 Twin Peaks elder statesmen will be heading back to California and DreamCatcher.

But, those 9 will have a chance at the life they once knew. They will be fed, cared for and free.

Click to go to the website

WHAT IS NEEDED

These 9 are scheduled to come back to CA on Sept 9th via Bob Hubbard Transport. Many of you know and appreciate Bob Hubbard. The trailers are wonderful, safe and comfortable. He’s also reduced his fee by almost 50%.

DreamCatcher needs some help with the reduced fee ($10,000).

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU? – they are offering prizes because people don’t donate to help older horses…

Well, DreamCatcher has found a few ways to sweeten the pot… Since donations are generally poor for older horses, they feel they need to offer some prizes.

–DreamCatcher is offering a Catherine Scott photo of the Twin Peaks horses to any donor giving at least $100

–And for donations of at least $1000 a VIP tour of DreamCatcher, participation in our 2012 spring release of the horses onto summer grazing, and two night stay at the resort in Eagle Lake (donated) which is only 20min away!

Wow! I’d love the opportunity for any one of you readers to participate in watching the Mustangs RELEASED onto summer grazing. Wow! What a privilege to observe. Take good notes and lots of photos!!

OK, I’LL START…

OK, I’ll start by donating $250. I feel very strongly that if we can help any Mustang return to the wild, we should. And, I feel very badly that the intelligent elders are being treated this way…

How about you?

We have until Sept 8 to collect fund for this trip – and after that, any monies collected will go towards their welfare and healing at DreamCatcher.

Thank you in advance. As an elder statesman myself, I really feel for these horses…

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANY MUSTANG SUPPORTERS!

Click here to watch the donation thermometer rise!