Yesterday, February 24, 2016, I visited the valley where Protect Mustangs keeps its Wyoming 14 wild horses and was able to see them. They are in good condition and they are in a healthy natural area with an abundance of springs and grass.
They are being well cared for on a daily basis and all had full winter coats. They were not frightened of me which indicated that the people they are associating with are treating them well. The bright sheen of their coats indicates that their health is good, as does the fullness of their muscles. Their hooves are in good trim.
Quality grass hay is available to them, though most of the wild horses were eating the grass that is beginning to spring up at the end of the winter season. There is no swamp in the valley bottom, but only areas of seepage from the springs. As the grass grows higher there will be even more ample forage for them, both in the valley and in the hillside.
This area has several hundreds of acres and the horses are not over their carrying capacity here. The acreage is shared with cattle off and on.
After spring arrives much of the horse droppings will be more rapidly decomposed and reincorporated into the soils, thus reinvigorating them and reseeding many valuable plants for the various herbivores there. A rest rotation will occur to allow the valley plants to grow up to a healthy level during the spring.
The hillsides are composed of granite outcroppings and there is much decomposed granite that keeps the horses hooves in fine condition. The horses move around to a large degree and go up into the hills, which keeps their muscles as well as hooves in good shape.
The fences I saw were not hazardous and there was some profuse willow clumps, canyons and hollows where the horses could seek shelter during storms.
These are very fortunate wild horses and I was very pleased to see how they had restored their health since their initial rescue from the killer buyers by Protect Mustangs. I am attaching some pictures I took. These give a much more complete picture of the situation concerning these fortunate rescued horses.
From my knowledge of wild horses, I consider these to be the Indian Pony type (some had appaloosa traits) and well worthy of preserving as a reproducing lineage that could restore wild horses where they belong in many areas where they have been thoughtlessly eliminated.
I am alarmed by the mean-spirited and biased attacks on Anne Novak and Protect Mustangs and their laudable rescue of the Wyoming 14 wild horses. I note that these detractors seem determined to put a negative spin on this whole rescue operation. They take a few isolated snapshots and then spin their interpretation of these negatively. This is not objective science, but political dirty work and is obviously being motivated by a desire to destroy Protect Mustangs–perhaps associated with its valiant defense of the wild horses in the wild and maintaining their integrity.
You can help keep the Wyoming 14 in their pasture by making a donation on this transparent crowd-funding site: https://www.gofundme.com/MustangPasture3-16 Thank you!
Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses.
Thank you Craig Downer !! And TY Anne for all you do despite the vicious small minded people trying to bother you !! Almost glad I don’t live closer ! The despicable people were at it again yesterday on a post of mine until I turned it off . As Always Many Blessings
Craig Downer and Anne Novak Thank you for all your dedicated hard works! We all know the Wy14 are in the Very best of hands, even without the numerous videos posted by Anne Proving it so! Its just a few mean spirited non humans who are dedicated to creating drama on facebook, who want to cause harm to the WY14 and to Protect Mustangs, because of their sad ego driven strange hidden agendas.
Wonderful validation of good work being done! Thank you Craig for pouring oil on troubled waters. Malice has no place in loving societies that are “going places” … Good will “always” prevail!
Anne Novak I have said it many times that you are truly an amazing lady. Your dedication to the horses is uncontested. Why there are ugly people out there posting hate against you and your sacred mission is beyond my comprehension. What I don’t understand is why Facebook does not block these kind of negative/hate messages. I am also being targeted on FB for no reason and my posts certainly do not spell hate or negativity of any kind. I am at the point of deleting my Facebook account so I fully understand your frustration. Do not let it get to you, Anne. There are those of us that love, respect and admire you for all you do. The horses need you that is the most important factor. Nothing else matters.
Thank you Craig and Anne!!! These sweet horses have come along way after all they went through…God Bless each of them and all those that continue to support Protect Mustangs!!!
Greatly appreciate all your encouragement. These are wonderful horses and they are responding well in an atmosphere of love and caring, not mean-spirited jealousy and conniving! And I would add: advantage taking, like trying to steal the wonderful grace of these horses.
Yes, thank you Craig for the great photos of the WY14! Wow it is really beautiful there! I’m so happy for those horses, that they are some of the lucky few to escape the hell known as the BLM! I’m grateful for you and Anne and all your good work!
Thank You Craig Downer for stepping up and defending Anne Novak. I can’t believe these people are trying to start a hate campaign against her after all she has done for the Wyoming 14. I have followed them since they were rescued and anyone else who has followed them know they are treated well and have a wonderful place to live in freedom.You people need to back off with your high and mighty campaign to bring Anne down you are a detriment to all horse warriors fighting every day to try and save these horses all over the United States and beyond. If Craig Downer says its so then its so, step up and do right by all horses who need you or step back and quit blocking the efforts of others.
Unfortunately it has come to our attention – all the way to Australia, that a pro-wild mustang group is being attacked by a pro-slaughter group and a woman with a known history of pushing slaughter and advocating for removal of mustangs is part of this bullying campaign. Here is some historical evidence of a member of this wild horse hate groups activities from the Joplin Independent “Slaughtering horses becomes center stage again” Speaking on behalf of the Roswell plant, Susan Humphrey of South Dakota calls slaughter “a practical solution.”
“I’m glad this plant is finally going to be up and running,” she says. “168,00 horses went to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered in 2012. There is a demand for the meat…I’m sure there are horses going to slaughter that would make good horses, but if no one else bids on them, that means no one else wants them [but the kill buyers]. ”
WHJ sees a vested interest in her comments and as more evidence comes to light, we will post it. It is part and parcel of the type of attitude now dominating the news- that hate and bullying in the style of politicians is all that is wrong with America and destroying the ability to restore and uphold laws like the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act.
Thanks Anne and Craig for keeping on top of this and for your sincere dedication to the wild horses.
You bet, Mae Lee, and thanks for your defense of the integrity of the wild horses and those who stand for it amid too many who overly compromise their rights.
Thank you Craig and Anne for posting Craig’s affirmative report. Just yesterday I saw a FB post by a person (WS) who is a horse rescuer and had always appeared to be compassionate toward all animals. HHis post was full of disdain for Anne and her fundraising efforts. He intimated that she is falsifying vet records and that she should pay for vet costs out of her own pocket as he does for his rescues (3). I posted that people are free to contribute to whatever they believe is a worthy cause and that I would help him with his vet bills if he needed help. I reminded him that his friend, also a rescuer of slaughter auction foals raised money to buy a covered trailer a few years ago. Should she have paid with her own money? I contributed to that fundraiser and glad that the foals can now be warm in transit. Anyway, I just do not understand this hate that is out there. It does not benefit our wild horses one bit. Thank you Anne for all you have done for the WY14 and of course Craig, one of my very favorite people in the world!