We had to be careful in my previous post about the Unlucky 29 because the horses weren’t loaded and home.  We still have to be careful to not say anything derogatory because we are hoping to recover the rest of the band…

In case you missed it, here is the original post about the Unlucky 29 older mustangs from the Twin Peaks gather who were sold to a person in Michigan.  That person had hoped to sell these mustangs to people in her area for their breeding programs (sheesh).  That didn’t work out… so she had 29 horses that she couldn’t care for properly.

The Mustangs were in small pens and were starving.

Even under these dire conditions, this person was unwilling to release her Mustangs to authorities.  Instead, she spread them around Michigan.  Some died.  Nine were recovered at the time of the last post.

(Since then a few more have been turned over and are awaiting transportation donations to get home.)

NEW HOME

DreamCatcher Sanctuary in California offered to give the entire band (all 29) a forever home on their vast land.

The September Bucket Fund was set up to help collect money to put these unhandled 9 onto a safe transport truck.  And, we did it!  Enough money was collected in the first few days to guarantee that these 9 would make it to DreamCatcher!

THE PART WE DIDN’T SAY

The part we didn’t speak about before is that we don’t want to slander or say anything bad about anyone here for fear that the people who now have the surviving members of the band will not hand them over –  just to be put on the firing line.  It is much more important to ask for these horses to be turned over and right the wrong – instead of placing blame.

Besides, these new owners didn’t do the damage…

THE LIST

Here is a list of the surviving 9 who were turned over to authorities.

# 1765 Keeley – red spot appy mare with appy colt
# 1994 no name – buckskin mare – dun colt not coming
# 1981 Jewel – sorrel mare
# 1755 no name – drk grey mare w/black mane – colt not coming
#  2006 chocolate brown pinto mare w/white spot on left side
# 1598 Duke – light dun buckskin gelding
# 1557 Onyx – black gelding star & cropped ear
# 1523 Cortez – black gelding w/4 white socks

THE PROCESS

First the 9 were picked up and brought to foster care.  In foster care, they were evaluated and treated.  All were given proper nutrition so they could gain weight and strength for the trip back to California.

When these 9 were fit enough, several knowledgeable people had to figure out a way to transport them all safely – in a group.

They chose BOB HUBBARD TRANSPORT who offered a sweet deal at 50% off the normal price.  Bob’s vehicle is huge, temperature controlled, has feed and water compartments and is large enough to carry all of them safely, untethered.

The next step was loading them… hauling them and ….

offloading them at the Sanctuary!

 

 

A PHOTO DOCUJOURNAL OF THEIR TRIP HOME

 

 

AFTER FOSTER CARE AND AWAITING TRANSPORT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE HELP THE REMAINING FEW ‘UNLUCKY 29’ REJOIN THEIR HERD!

Since these 9 were loaded and released, a few more of the original Unlucky 29 have surfaced.

Since there are only a few, DreamCatcher can hire a much smaller rig to transport them back to CA.  Right now, these few are in foster care, plumping up.

Dreamcatcher hopes to wait a bit to see if any more of the Unlucky 29 are given up.  In the meantime, we are continuing to collect funds through the Bucket Fund for the final few who remain in Michigan.

ISN’T THIS WONDERFUL END RESULT WORTH IT?!  I think so… Thank you for your support and continued well wishes for these Mustangs.

If you receive this post via email, click here to donate!

 This thermometer is for the few ‘Unlucky 29’ still in Michigan awaiting transport to join their herd in CA.

To watch the thermometer rise, click here.

 

 

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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!

If you receive this post via email, click here to donate.

 

 

 HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

 

 

 

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.