By Steven Long, publisher/editor of “Horseback Magazine”
A Horseback Exclusive
Dying Foal in BLM Pen - Photo by Laura Leigh
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The federal Bureau of Land Management has released a veterinary report to Horseback Magazine that was requested by several individuals and advocacy groups. The report provides sketchy details on the final days of a foal filmed by photo journalist and videographer Laura Leigh on assignment for Horseback during a Nevada “gather” of wild horses.
In the report, BLM veterinarian Richard Sanford wrote that “The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case…” He went on to state that “poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.”
The vet report states in its entirety:
February 6, 2010
History and Report on Sloughed Hoof Colt
An eight month old colt arrived at the Indian Lakes Facility on about 1/20/2010 and was in very poor body condition and had sore feet. It was placed in the sick pen area where treatment could be administered. Over the next ten days, the colt was treated with phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), penicillin (an antibiotic) and foot bandages (one front foot and both hind feet) on three occasions before it was euthanized on 1/30/2010.
The colt alternately improved and regressed. The colt would be standing while eating and drinking one day and not on the next day. The colt never was able to actually gain weight, improve body condition or show increased energy. Lameness improved with treatment but eventually the colt became too weak to stand. Hoof wall separation occurred on the front foot and one hind foot. The colt was euthanized for humane reasons.
The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case. However, the poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.
Richard Sanford, DVM
NV # 565
The roundup was held in the Calico Mountains. Wild horse advocates claim that horses were stampeded as much as 15 miles before being driven into pens. One horse, dubbed “Freedom” by advocates escaped and was photographed in dramatic still shots.
The treatment of horses by BLM has sparked protests from coast to coast. On Sunday, another planned roundup was abruptly postponed by the agency.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_a.png)
Categories: Horse Health, Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
When the law is broken by BLM or their contractors, who do you file a complaint with? What Law enforcement agency are these people answerable to?? Does anyone know?? mar
LikeLike
Yeah! Why isn’t this clear abuse being prosecuted under existing anti-cruelty laws??
LikeLike
I am so tired of the “poor body condition” excuse, the colts in this pen are all in good body condition, except for their hooves, which have been hurt as if a hammer had been used on them by a really strong man. That’s what their feet felt like, this baby and the other died because they were run for miles on tender feet over rocky, icy terrain. That is the reason for the abcesses and hoof sloughs.
LikeLike
It always gets me when BLM says the foal is in poor body condition because my first reaction is to look for a foal who is thin and none of them are and I am wondering who they are talking about. They want to fool all the people who have no horse experience. Then those folks will think we are the ones causing the problems and not BLM… around in a circle we keep going…
Maybe this week we should do a solid side project and find out once and for all who we can file charges with against Cattoor/BLM for, in my opinion, animal abuse and disregard for the health and safety of wild animals during the roundup by running pregnant mares and young foals to exhaustion and using a helicopter to intimidate and injure these horses, destroying horses who had been extended a shelter’s protection and not taking steps to avoid colic and causing the deaths of dozens by a severe food change, and being directly responsible for the dozens of aborted foals through all of the above, and inadequate medical attention for those young who were lame from the capture run and those who came down with colic who should have had people present to observe round the clock and administer meds and attention to them. Got anymore?? Bring it on.. mar
LikeLike
I don’t see the poor body condition in those foals.
LikeLike
Well my thoughts are from the helicopter you should be able to see a weak foal and not run them the 15 miles. Sugar coated again. Money talks as to what is said anyway.
LikeLike
And certainly not run him as hard as this sick pilot did hovering right over his back. I am surprised the little guy didn’t have a heart attack.
LikeLike
I emailed Sue Cattor (owner of Cattor Helicopter) my thoughts and I want to share with you her response:
Dear Marge, I am sorry you feel that helicopter roundups are inhumane. You need to find out the truth. I have on my web site some information on why helicopter gathers are the most humane way to catch wild horses. Do you think it would be more humane to just let the wild horses run out of food and die out there on the range? I am sorry you feel that we hate the wild horses and I am sorry that you have not taken the time to find out the truth about why and how wild horses are gathered. I am sorry you are believing all the things that are being said on the Internet. Every one of us in our organization loves wild horses and horses. We do this job because we feel we can gather the wild horses in the most humane way possible and we know what happens if the wild horses are just all left alone and they run out of food or water and die. We feel good about what we do and know we are helping the wild horses left on the range and we are giving the ones that are caught a chance to either go to a good home or live the rest of their lives where there is food and water. We do feel really bad when something happens to one of the animals during a gather or afterward. But we know we are working with wild animals and no matter how careful we are things beyond our control can happen. Have a good day. Sue
If you would like to send her an email her address is wildhorseroundups@yahoo.com
Marge
LikeLike
I think I am finally going to write to her. An open letter. But I do want to find out what law enforcement agency she is answerable to, and BLM… Ant suggestions? I can ask the FBI some questions as they are usually very helpful. These pat replies from SC are incredible, but she must get some very heady hate mail. mar
LikeLike
I read somewhere that the horses are allowed to “walk the last mile” to the trap. I have yet to see any walking. If this is a claim made by the BLM or any of its contractors, they should be held to it.
LikeLike
Keep in mind that when writing to her, you are actually writing to their attorneys, and probably getting an answer from the attorney as well, with her signature
LikeLike
My guess is she never even reads the e-mails.
LikeLike
True, You must realize that Sue C is a spokesperson for her company and as a well known government contractor of notorious repute, she is a public figure and can be scrutinized. She is not going to touch you unless you lie, like about the conviction of her husband for stealing horses to sell to slaughter, (which he still plea bargained to a misdemeanor). Sue Cattoor (and Sue Wallis) is fair game. If we get lucky she may have to resign under threat of investigation and scandal. They are a scandal. My opinion is that the early incompetence of the Cattoors operations never warranted an ongoing contract. They never improved from their levels of abuse and death. These contractors are in contempt of the American people. We have the right to demand they be kept away from our horses. It is time to tie BLM’s hands from continuing the abuse and killing of our wild horses. mar
LikeLike
Well if she wasn’t getting much mail she will be now!!
Marge
LikeLike
I have sent Sue a few emails and this is the latest:
Keeping this gross lack of accuracy in mind, the BLM announced that they, along with the Cattoor contractors, killed 39 wild horses during the Calico round-up. 7 were murdered at the ground-up site while 32 were destroyed at the feed-lot style holding facility. Do we trust those numbers? Why did they leave out the deaths of 25-30 miscarried foals from mares that were run into the ground and traumatized to the point of spontaneous miscarriage. They also failed to mention that the Cattoor helicopters ran 2 small foals until their little feet fell off. With incidents like that how could BLM District Manager Gene Seidlitz make the statement that the “gather went well”?
All for the $$$$
LikeLike
As long as BLM/dba Cattoor Meatchoppers and Removals SAYS “they are removing the horses so they don’t starve to death — it is a terrible thing to see a horse starve to death.” AND
BLM/dba Cattoor Meatchoppers and Removals only puts photos of THE MOST THIN horses ON THEIR WEBSITE, they probably think they are IMMUNE TO PROSECUTION OR SOMETHING.
How can any modern civilized person living in this day and age believe ALL THIS OVERTLY UNINTENTED CRUELTY can be JUSTIFIED by “removing the horses so they don’t starve to death.”
THIS IS BLM’s/Catoor Meatchoppers and Removals “line” and so this is where attack must begin.
CHARGE!
LikeLike
Personally, I think the horses would prefer to starve on their home ranges than to be in the hands of these monsters.
LikeLike
There is a petition of Golde’s at Change.org and there are Advocates there who are still believing the BLM Grand Myth of Saving the Horses from Starvation… one woman wanted to drop Alfalfa to the horses in the mountains… There are many still you have not gone far enough to learn things. I was so surprised. I guess I should not be. I try to comment and I am told “you can’t do that, BLM will not let you…” whoa… I can’t hike in the herd range, observe wild ones and take photos??? mar
LikeLike
WHO NEEDS BLM? the Cattoors and Cooks. Fire the abusive and violent helicopter contractor. mar
LikeLike
If they are removing them out of humaneness so they don’t starve, why are they shooting them upon arrival? Twisted logic all the way around.
LikeLike
Good question but then again its the government and they seem to write their own laws!
You can bet the vet who wrote these comments will be out of a job!
Marge
LikeLike
Sue Cattoor hasn’t threatened to sue me yet, R.T.! Am I doing something wrong? Is she deliberately ignoring me? Have to fix that.
LikeLike
Although she has the money to hound everyone it would be stepping into a very gray area should a government contractor actually attempt to sue an American business or citizen for reporting the truth. And as a free American, you always have the “right” to your opinion as long as you do not intentionally inflict harm or loss on another through gross and outrageous untruths.
If you speak the truth you can never lose an argument. Have you noticed how the anti-horse people disappear or have a foul mouthed meltdown when we simply state facts, they just can’t hang with it.
You are doing everything RIGHT, Suzanne.
LikeLike
Oh. Well, okay. It’s easy to stick to the truth about the Cattoors – I mean, how could you possibly make up anything WORSE?
LikeLike
Here is my response from Sue Cattoor:
Dear S, You are right Ms Pickens had every right to attend the gather. She did not have to right to fly over the gather area and move the wild horse further away from the trap. She did not have the right to fly close to our helicopter and scare the wild horses and turn them back around causing them to have to come further to the trap. She was instructed to land at the ranch and to not fly over the gather area. She ignored those instructions. And for your information we did not leave the wild horses overnight without feed and they were not in a small pen. The wild horses had feed and plenty of room. They were not given water because we could not get in to the area to take them water because the frost had gone out of the ground. We could not get to the trap until early the next morning. Studies have been done that show horses do fine without water for up to 24 hours. Sue Cattoor
LikeLike
Why was this foal not given anything to relieve the pain? It is hard to heal when in excrutiating pain.
LikeLike
Bute would render the animal “unslaughterable” for human consumption, according to the new Canadian and EU regulations.
LikeLike
Isn’t the goal to heal him first? What is the problem with the vet? He obviously is a hack.
LikeLike
Just wanted to suggest that the Department of Interior Office of Inspector General handles investigations of abuse by DOI agencies (like BLM). There are several reports of investigations of BLM over the past 10 years, including one on deficiencies in the adoption program and another about failure to keep AMLs. (These are older…in the 90’s, but this is the office with jurisdiction over BLM and they have a hotline — http://www.doioig.gov/index.php?menuid=382&viewid=511&viewtype=PAGE
This is the link to the home page of the Office of Inspector General http://www.doioig.gov/
LikeLike
This does not seem to be law enforcement but official criticism. But then they could inspect the situation on the ground and compare with papers filed and even the lawsuit. Has anyone heard if the Processing began??? There are people in Nevada who were attempting to stop the gelding.
If Long Term Holding is illegal then preparing the stallions for long term holding by gelding would be illegal also. mar
LikeLike
ooops, thanks, Amy… mar
LikeLike
you are asking the wrong group!
Why don’t you email the BLM and ask them!
Marge
LikeLike
I did.
LikeLike
Those that partake in the inhumane destruction of life will answer to the universal justice system. We should spend our energy focusing on sending our positive universal energy to ending the plight for wild horses.
LikeLike
Please lets not get into the universl justice system. By the time that happens there won’t be any wild horses left.
As far as us focusing on sending our postive engery etc. what do you think we are doing here???
Marge
LikeLike
I think I am going to throw up after watching this. I keep telling myself I am not going to watch another video but I decided to watch this one. Seeing him hanging back because of his sore feet!!!! I have so many horrendous pictures etched in my mind I dont know why I keep watching more.
One thing they say the horses are thin, well I dont see any thin horses, just ones that are fit and fitting into their environment, we are not like the Cattoors who breed QHs and fatten them up for the showring, horses in their natural environmnt sure wont be FAT, what is wrong with these people, I want to use strong words but am refraining.
I agree with RT and others, when we contact or comment we must be careful we dont give them ammunition to use against us with what we say. Even if it is the truth, to defend a lawsuit is very costly and een if you end up winning in the end you still have to go through the expense, trauma and all the rest that goes with it. The Cattoors can afford it because they are been handed millions of our dollars, but I sure cant, so just be careful people.
Off to take another valium!!! God I feel sick.
LikeLike
Some music I post as a prayer for the horses. Enjoy.
LikeLike
“The colt had sore feet”.(Sore feet??? His hooves fell off!)
“The colt would be standing while eating and drinking one day and not on the next day”.(Was he standing on the days there were no witnesses and lying down just when the humane observers happened to be there? How convenient.)
“The colt was euthanized for humane reasons”. (He was shot in the head after lingering in agony for days.)
“The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case”. (Gee, you think?)
“However, the poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather”. (What poor body condition? By weakness, do they mean tired from being chased for miles down mountainous terrain in the dead of winter on legs that are not yet fully mature?)
The BLM and the Cattoors are monsters. Wanna sue me for definition of character, Sue? Bring it on!
LikeLike
Just to clarify what I saw.
The three foals at the end of the video were all lying down when I first saw them. The one you hear John Neill say has “ouchie” feet on the clip rose right away. I vocalized to see if the others would rise. The second foal did. The third tried to raise his head to look. His eyes were glassy.
These horses should have moved away (or attempted to) from me as I approached.
LikeLike
Laura,
Was it your blog that has a photo of Tomahawk? i am trying to find to send to someone before he is gelded.
LikeLike
Savewildhorses, it is up at Elyse Gardner’s Humane Observer blog… mar
LikeLike
Elyse and Craig are following “Tomahawk.”
I’m following a horse I call “General,” and his son and daughter.
I’m writing about him and will post soon.
“Tomahawk” is on the Cloud blog and “humaneobserver” blog … I think.
: )
LikeLike
I have posted ideas on the DOI page.
I don’t’ know how to insert the web page link – if someone smarter than I could respond with that please.
I hope I followed their rules and they are still there.
Go and do your stuff, you mighty warriors – vote, add comments.
LikeLike
Is this the link you want Roxy?
http://openinterior.ideascale.com/a/ideafactory.do?discussionID=11883
Really a lot of great comments on this site, good that is if the Department of Interior “bean counters” choose to read them. Go to this site, vote for the good suggestions and make comments. Read them all–there are some suggestions well written in “government speak” that pertain to record keeping that would apply to the BLM’s lack of record keeping.
LikeLike
Just received a DOI email that they’re booting my request for “More Explanation of Why Ideas are Removed as ‘Off-topic'”. It’s still up, but will be in the trash can soon. More “We don’t want you to know what we don’t want you to know.”, if that makes any sense.
LikeLike
Oops – forgot to check those boxes!
LikeLike
Please sign, print and mail or email asap:
http://www.capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/issues/alert/?alertid=14619476&type=ML
LikeLike
Bandages applied? I don’t see any so called bandages. There is not one shred of physical evidence that the BLM agents or vets attempted any sort of aid to the injured colts. Injuries the BLM round up agents purposely caused without care or hesitation. They simply want all Mustangs and Burros hanging on slaughter hooks. There is no nice way to say this.
“Calico Callie” was released to a group for emergency care. Why was this colt not released to a pleading Laura Leigh? WHY?
LikeLike
Its just a power-trip for them! They do whatever they want because they can get away with it. Just like “our” reps in D.C. They just keep doing whatever they want to and never listen to the people! I don’t understand why the BLM wants to keep horses that need vetting? If they had any sense (ha ha) they would get these horses outside help as soon as any physical trouble started. An experienced horse person may have been able to save the horses who were colicky and the ones who had “sore feet”. I really think some of those people are sadists.
LikeLike
BLM’s own regulations require that they: “must protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death AND PROVIDE THESE ANIMALS WITH HUMANE CARE AND TREATMENT.” 43 C.F.R. 4700.0-2
To the extent that BLM’s actions can be seen as “arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law, and without observance of procedure required by law” they are subject to reversal under the Administrative Procedures Act. This argument has been raised in pending lawsuits against BLM, and I think it’s a good one.
I am of the opinion that lawsuits are the way to go, not just because I am a retired attorney. I believe we are well on our way too establishing legal precedent making it illegal for BLM to remove and relocate our wild horses. Once that legal precedent is established, subsequent lawsuits can be won on summary judgment (basically motions filed by both parties where the facts are agreed upon and the question is one of law) without the huge cost of a trial.
Bringing a case that highlights BLM’s refusal to follow not only the federal law protecting wild horses, but also their own regulations is the only way to get the government’s attention. I believe that federal judges that are looking at these cases can see the clear violations of black letter law. This is the most effective way, in my opinion, to hold their feet to the fire.
LikeLike
“Studies have been done that show horses do fine without water for up to 24 hours.” I read that comment from SC and just froze, didn’t know whether to laugh, punch a wall or scream. What has that got to do with anything??? I too watched the video after having promised myself no more. That pilot did everything but land on that horses back!!! I don’t know horses myself but I know ill health and too lame (normal persons definition of lame not BLM BS definition) and in too much pain to move. I also know when an animal is even thin and I don’t even see that among these horses. I did see some that were a little bit thin but after comparing them to photos in the Henneke scale it was nothing. Just more of the same–fat horses being run to death for the Fat Cats of business and politics.
LikeLike
I also fail to see any budgetary reason why foal or other horse who need intensive care are not allowed to be “adopted” by those who offer, but only to some chosen few, when it is decided to. If you are a FB friend, or can have someone share it, Wendall Stockdale posted a picture of an emaciated Kiger mare offered for adoption in 2003. I shared it, because I was involved with trying to help her. It was posted almost a month ago. The mare was rounded up in beautiful condition, and within a month was skin and bones, pregnant, coughing, with green snot out of her nose. No one bid on her at all. I begged BLM to let me have her, care for her. They refused — the reason given is that she was a Kiger. I pestered them for weeks asking how she was, finally they brought her to where she had shelter and said they grained her. She had a nice colt, and they put them up for adoption at another Kiger adoption 10 months later. They both looked normal by then, save a healing huge scar on one of her rear legs that was not there before. Did they get big bucks? Heck no! She and her foal went for minimum bid….Do you think it cost them less than $250 to care for her all those months? Budget problem? What budget problem?
LikeLike