The Triumphant Return Of Blaze

(2011.OCT.29) -

The story of Blaze is the stuff local legend.

(2011.OCT.28) The Triumphant Return Of Blaze - and Co.

 In August, the BLM arrived in this peaceful valley, intent upon removing ALL of the wild horses living here.

 

Blaze - taken a few days before the round-up.
I feared it would be the last image I would ever get.

Blaze, a three-year old bachelor, was photographed running behind a string of mares and foals destined for the trap.

Later, I heard that a stallion had escaped from that trap – and that a palomino foal had tried to follow suit. The stallion got away, but the foal was killed after her injuries from the barbed wire were deemed too serious for treatment.

When I went back to survey the area days later, I saw a family of nine horses. A rancher told me that the band had sneaked off into a canyon while the helicopter was chasing the escaped stallion, and that after the trucks left with their haul (25 mustangs), the stud had gone back to reunite with his family in hiding.

Although I was glad to find this band alive and well on their home turf, there was sad disappointment when I discovered that the stallion was not Blaze, but his old sire.

Advocates that went to Gunnison prison told me that no horse fitting Blaze’s description had ever come in. I did not dare to hope. I wondered what had become of my friend. Had he been an undocumented casualty of the stampede?


 

2011.OCT.28 - Blaze & Friend

On a recent jaunt through the valley that this herd calls home, I noticed two mustangs off in the distance. I thought they must be young stallions driven off from the “Cherry Creek Nine” - now, the only remaining wild band in this valley. They were too far away to get a clear shot, and I had people with me, so I went on my way without trying to get in closer.

I returned the next day alone. The two horses were a little closer to the road, and I was able to approach them, a BIT. When I got close enough, they bolted and headed for the trees. My heart was leaping, for I was almost certain that the lead stallion was my friend, Blaze. Couldn’t wait to get home and magnify my images … and what I found there, was confirmation that one of my wildest dreams had come true: Blaze was home!

Putting all the pieces together, I realize that the old stallion with the Cherry Creek Nine had never been in the clutches of the BLM’s machine, but had remained with his mares the whole time. The valiant escapee had, indeed, been Blaze.

I don’t know where he has been, these past two lonely months, but I am over the moon to see him again, back where he belongs. Happier still, that he has a companion, now. I am not yet 100% sure that’s a mare by his side, but OoooH! Is he ever protective of his beautiful young friend!



The reason for the name: Blaze



The first time I saw Blaze alone.

Blaze's first family: The Cherry Creek Band (stallion not shown)  --  2011.OCT.27

Farewell To Freedom

Wasted Sorrow

(2011.AUG.27) Triple B - Report by Maureen L. Vanderstad

Report by Maureen L. Vanderstad
Photography by Arla M. Ruggles

(Repost from GrassRootsHorse.com )


You can see the jute trap wings crossing the road behind the helicopter in the photo below. It is evident why the horses are dripping in sweat [].

As viewing was so limited at the trap, I do not know if all 5 horses shown in the segments of the highlighted sequence were captured. I think possibly one may have gotten away.





The contractor’s pilot follows his usual pattern which still remains unchecked by the BLM or law enforcement. The pattern consists of breaking apart bands of wild horses and then targeting specific horses. The assault shown here is only a segment that began at 7:12 am when he began to harass a group of 8 wild horses. The wild horses were captured at 7:29 am.
 


He continuously challenges some of the horses and cuts them apart from the rest. He repeatedly dives down at the horses and flies dangerously close. Often it appears he is losing control of the aircraft as it dips and sways, unsteady in the currents he creates by his actions.



The wild horses change direction to find safety and it appears to me that it angers him and he continues the pattern of abuse even more aggressively.



This seems more to me like he is hunting horses, not herding them.
In the photograph below there is a foal behind the light colored horse underneath the skids



The pattern of chasing the wild horses back and forth, splitting and targeting horses including singling out the foal continues. These stills are only part of the sequence. Another man is in the cockpit with the pilot and I believe it to be John “Jake” Holmes, the owner of Sun J, the helicopter contractor and who is, the pilot Josh Hellyer’s boss. A complaint was filed with the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office.

 

In this specific sequence this goes on for 25 minutes and is not an isolated instance but has been the  documented “norm” throughout the roundup. 




At the trap wings, which is the entrance to the trap, the pilot makes a severely aggressive push to the lead horse which is really what I would call an attack. This is just out of view of observers who are now contained in the horse trailer on the ground level of the hillside.  











The aggression escalates. My opinion is he knows the public has been contained in a horse trailer surrounded by juniper trees and they have minimal viewing. **At the time the public observers were restricted to the horse trailer, our range photographers documented the pilot was running wild horses up and down the hillside behind them. Photographs were taken from the observation area as well showing the helicopter flying low on the top of the hill and behind it.
The wild horse and burro specialists, Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson are in constant radio contact with the pilot and ground crew as is the Public Relations person Chris Hanefeld. If they did not know this was happening then they certainly should have known. It is the responsibility of Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the wild horses at the roundup.



This is a preliminary Part 1 of only 1 round up day. Please don’t wait to contact your congressional representatives. Ask their help today. We will be including other contact information and way that you can take grass roots action !

Please help support this work, whether a donation or volunteer we welcome the help to continue. Donations are tax deductible and we can accept donations of real property as well – cars, trucks, helicopters :)

www.grassrootshorse.com

(2011.AUG.27) GrassRootsHorse report on Triple B Gather (repost)

(2011.AUG.27)

Report by Maureen Lynch Vanderstad
Photography by Arla M. Ruggles


The photograph below shows the seconds before the photo above. You can see the jute trap wings crossing the road behind the helicopter in the photo below. It is evident why the horses are dripping in sweat and notice the small foal to the right in the photo above. As viewing was so limited at the trap, I do not know if all 5 horses shown in the segments of the highlighted sequence were captured. I think possibly one may have gotten away.


The contractor’s pilot follows his usual pattern which still remains unchecked by the BLM or law enforcement. The pattern consists of breaking apart bands of wild horses and then targeting specific horses. The assault shown here is only a segment that began at 7:12 am when he began to harass a group of 8 wild horses. The wild horses were captured at 7:29 am 

He continuously challenges some of the horses and cuts them apart from the rest. He repeatedly dives down at the horses and flies dangerously close. Often it appears he is losing control of the aircraft as it dips and sways, unsteady in the currents he creates by his actions.

The wild horses change direction to find safety and it appears to me that it angers him and he continues the pattern of abuse even more aggressively.

This seems more to me like he is hunting horses, not herding them.
In the photograph below there is a foal behind the light colored horse underneath the skids

The pattern of chasing the wild horses back and forth, splitting and targeting horses including singling out the foal continues. These stills are only part of the sequence. Another man is in the cockpit with the pilot and I believe it to be John “Jake” Holmes, the owner of Sun J, the helicopter contractor and who is, the pilot Josh Hellyer’s boss. A complaint was filed with the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office.
 
In this specific sequence this goes on for 25 minutes and is not an isolated instance but has been the  documented “norm” throughout the roundup. 

At the trap wings, which is the entrance to the trap, the pilot makes a severely aggressive push to the lead horse which is really what I would call an attack. This is just out of view of observers who are now contained in the horse trailer on the ground level of the hillside.  











The aggression escalates. My opinion is he knows the public has been contained in a horse trailer surrounded by juniper trees and they have minimal viewing. **At the time the public observers were restricted to the horse trailer, our range photographers documented the pilot was running wild horses up and down the hillside behind them. Photographs were taken from the observation area as well showing the helicopter flying low on the top of the hill and behind it.
The wild horse and burro specialists, Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson are in constant radio contact with the pilot and ground crew as is the Public Relations person Chris Hanefeld. If they did not know this was happening then they certainly should have known. It is the responsibility of Ben Noyes and Ruth Thompson to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the wild horses at the roundup.


This is a preliminary Part 1 of only 1 round up day. Please don’t wait to contact your congressional representatives. Ask their help today. We will be including other contact information and way that you can take grass roots action !
Please help support this work, whether a donation or volunteer we welcome the help to continue. Donations are tax deductible and we can accept donations of real property as well – cars, trucks, helicopters :) www.grassrootshorse.com

(2011.JUL.20) Day One - Triple B Gather

(2011.JUL.20)

In our role as advocates for better treatment of our wild herds, it often seems like only the mistakes and abuses are talked about. The worst aspects of wild horse management operations do need to be brought to light, AND we should be just as quick to recognize improvements as they occur. 

Today, it must be said that Sun J and BLM did an excellent job in all aspects of their gather operations, and every part of the process was carried out with professionalism and skill.

Sun J pilot, Josh Hellyer, showed marked improvement from his earlier
performances at the Antelope Complex gather, early this past winter.

Throughout the day, Josh held back from the running herds, and at one point, even fell back and allowed them to rest and regroup before continuing into the jute enclosure.

None of the horses entering the trap appeared unduly stressed, and no lather appeared.



We noticed that most of the overhead railings were padded. Our BLM rep explained that the padding had been suggested as a way to reduce neck and head injuries, this small improvement has been incorporated into the standard setup. (One example of how speaking quietly gets better results than screaming epithets.) 

Padded overhead rails are known to reduce injuries significantly.



 A few of the railings were missing pads, and this was also pointed out to the rep.

Situated in a gravel pit, the gravel mounds provided an excellent point of vantage for wranglers.

Today's trap set-up was unique, inthat the trap and sorting corrals were directly connected to short term holding pens. This eliminates one in a series of loading and unloading, as the horses will be taken directly to their destination in Gunnison, UT.  This not only reduces stress on the horses, it is economically advantageous.

The pens were well supplied with fresh water and hay. A water truck from BLM Fire filled troughs, and then encircled the pens with a swath of cooling spray to quell the dust. We noticed that the animals seemed undisturbed by the large truck driving around the pens, while workers on foot were frightening to them. Given that this is a mining area, the horses are used to heavy vehicles rolling through their habitat.



The sorting process was carried out quickly and efficiently, and each group of animals settled down quickly after sorting.

The four-wave gather brought in eight stallions, eight dry mares, two mares with foals, and two heavily pregnant mares, for a total of twenty-two. At the end of the day's gather operations, we were invited to approach the holding pens.  All animals were in very good condition, and no series injuries were observed.

It is gratifying to note that cooperative efforts between advocates and BLM have brought about some improvements in the roundup process. We can be grateful for the horses' sakes. Such progress in dialogue bodes well for continuing efforts to achieve a healthy equine environment, and an end to mass removals of horses from their native ranges.

This is no time to relax our efforts toward achieving transparency  in all phases of wild horse management.

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Blaze Of Glory: Final Days Of Freedom

(2011.JUN.29) - Northwestern Steptoe Valley - Nevada, USA





Blaze (as I have come to call him) is a bachelor stallion that originated from a band of wild horses that have become known as the ’’Cherry Creek Nine". He was forced out about two years ago, when he had reached maturity and became a contender to the patriarchy. Still, Blaze continues to stay fairly close to his first family, though now he wanders alone, waiting his chance to start a family of his own.

The Cherry Creek Nine inhabit a narrow strip of public land in northwestern Steptoe Valley (Nevada), and they are scheduled for removal by the BLM in early July.



2011.JUN.27





2011.JUN.27

His fate is grim. At four years of age, Blaze is too old to adapt well to captivity, and won't be very adoptable. He'll most likely be shipped (eventually) to a long-term holding facility in Oklahoma, to live out his days in captivity, among other geldings.

If the "gather" is "successful", Blaze will never again know freedom. Will never again follow the trail to water, that he has followed nearly every day since his birth on the open range. He will never reach his mustang potential; will never mate or sire a foal.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF BLAZE



2010.APR.13

Blazing Stallion 2009

2009



2008 - Just a pony, still at home with his family.
(Blaze is #3 in this parade.)