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On Sunday night, George Knapp was joined by philanthropist and activist Madeleine Pickens (the wife of T. Boone Pickens), along with horse advocate Jerry Reynoldson, to discuss their quest to save thirty-thousand wild horses by building a sanctuary for them. These wild horses are currently kept in holding facilities by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at an increasing cost to taxpayers. In this current environment, the animals can't run or exercise or even get much shade, said Pickens, who added that this arrangement is neither fair for the horses, or the taxpayers. | ||
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She has proposed that a private foundation create a sanctuary for the wild horses. About one million acres in size, the sanctuary would be securely fenced in so the horses don't graze on neighbors' property, she explained. Such a sanctuary, placed in Nevada, for instance, could serve as an historical/educational attraction, and highlight the wild Mustang as part of America's heritage, said Pickens and Reynoldson. |
MY BELIEF:
This is a story near and dear to my heart! My beloved husband was and I'm quite sure he STILL is, a horseman. Horse trainer, horse lover, horse advocate, and above all, horse whisperer. That was magic to watch, magic to listen to. He would talk and those beautiful creatures would talk right back to him! Once when he was training a wild horse, it stumbled and fell. He actually picked that horse up and had it back on its feet, but the stallion just couldn't seem to support its own weight, collapsed again and stopped breathing. My husband pulled out his pocketknife, cut off a section of garden hose lying nearby and thrust it down the throat, trying to breathe life into that now dying horse. He tried for 30 minutes but it was too late! With tears running down his face, my husband laid down beside the lifeless animal and said goodbye. I am sure those two are riding the ranges of the Other Side today.Each of these wild horses deserves a place to be safe and run free. America loses a wonderful and grand legacy each time one of these horses starves. And I have seen the ravages of starvation and neglect. While setting up our ranch, we were contacted by the local Humane Society who had just taken custody of a herd of wild mustangs that had been culled for destruction because the wild horses are just too numerous on America's plains. Theses horses were pathetic, many sick, a few dying of mange, lack of food and water.
Something must be done on a national level. Hundreds of ranchers and farm owners are doing their part by adopting. But how many more beautiful animals die each day while America debates on what to do? Unfortunately my husband died before we could adopt any wild mustangs. Something tells me, though, he's the one writing this.....NOT me. Happy Trails, honey!
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