Welcome to the “My Place” page
 My name is Scott
I run the Rope and Wire website.
My original idea for this page was to give those living in the country the opportunity to tell others about the things that made their farm or ranch so special.
Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that either no one likes to brag or no one lives on a farm or a ranch. Whatever the case, no one submitted an article so I felt it was high time to try something different.
So for now this will be literally “My Place.” I’ll use this page to post a western blog or short articles. They will either be mine, or possibly one from a contributing R&W community member.
The theme will remain Western but the content will change weekly, or there about.
If you click on any of the links to past blog's, you can return to this page by clicking on the My Place button across from my picture.
I hope you enjoy it but if not, might I suggest you “stroll the grounds.” Read a story or watch a movie.
Thanks for visiting.
Scott
Wild Horses Spared? We Shall See
Madeleine Pickens, thoroughbred racehorse breeder, animal rights activist and philanthropist who often donates to animal rights causes, has been in the news recently with her proposal to purchase up to thirty thousand wild horses currently under BLM (Bureau of Land Management) care, and return them to a yet to be purchased one million acre parcel of grasslands in the West.
Madeleine Pickens is the wife of T. Boone Pickens, an oil and energy tycoon worth an estimated $4 billion dollars.
So why is this even necessary?
It has to do with the BLM. Under the “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971” (the legislation that prohibits commercial capture of wild horses but mandates government roundups) The federal statute calls wild horses, "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and that they should be "protected from capture, branding, harassment or death."
As part of this legislation the BLM must control the number of wild horses with government roundups and offer these horses for adoption at $125 each, the remainder are sold “without restriction” which usually results in numbers of horses and burros being euthanized or sold to slaughter houses outside of the United States. The dilemma for the BLM is that adoptions of these wild horses have been steadily declining while the number of horses currently in BLM holding pens are steadily increasing.
About 33,000 horses still roam wild on federal lands in 10 Western states. The federal agency believes the range can accommodate only about 27,000 horses, so each year, government-hired cowboys round up between 7,000 to 13,000 horses and take them to holding pens in several states. Currently there are approximately 30,000 horses being held.
The BLM has been reluctant to euthanize or sell these animals to foreign slaughterhouses due to an anticipated public outcry. But the cost of managing these holding pens runs well over $25 million per year or about three-fourths of the BLM’s total wild horse management budget. With no better options available, and against public opinion, the BLM has been considering euthanizing 2000 healthy mustangs that are becoming too expensive to maintain.
Madeleine Pickens, who just a few years ago, led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States is well aware of the situation, and has recently stepped up to the plate with her grand proposal. Pickens wants to adopt all the wild horses and burros now in federal holding pens, sterilize them and let them loose on her one million acre "retirement ranch." As the government rounds up additional horses each year, she said she could absorb them as well because they would replace horses on the ranch that die from natural causes.
"I see it as an eco-vacation spot," Pickens said. "Could you imagine taking your kids there, staying on the range in log cabins or tepees? I love the idea of sharing it with the American people. If we can together establish a plan for the permanent retirement and care of these magnificent animals, it will be a legacy that all Americans can be proud of.” Besides purchasing land, Pickens will start a foundation to raise money for the cause. Ms. Pickens has recently stated that “This is our national heritage, and it needs to be preserved.”
With this latest offer on the table, the bureau’s deputy director is working to persuade congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and hold the horses currently in captivity for another year.
One key to Ms. Pickens’ ambitious plan is federal tax credits to help attract financial donors. Part of the land will be acquired through private sale and part through a lease with the federal government. She is considering several pieces of land, ranging in cost from $10 million to $50 million. Pickens said she met last week with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to discuss the proposal. Reid's spokesman, Jon Summers, said Reid was intrigued by the proposal but did not commit to it.
Cattlemen are not so keen on the idea. They argue that turning these horses loose would be a drain on the already scarce grazing lands of the West. But horse advocates say federal officials have made faulty assumptions about the number of horses that can be accommodated on federal land, tilting those findings in favor of cattle interests.
This could turn out to be a rough ride.
Stay tuned!
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