Horses – our companions through centuries. They are a symbol of freedom, a symbol of power, and a wonderful symbol of strength and sensitivity going hand in hand. Horses have served humans for centuries. Of all the domestic animals, horses have been of the most important ones through all times. They have been more than an animal, they became part of the family. Because of them man could move over longer distances before an other horsepower took over. The horses became a be or not to be for farmers, without good horses it was difficult for the farmers to run their farm. They have been through wars for us, they have run across country carrying the messenger with important messages, and they have been the one to trust in difficult situations. Today we don’t need horses like we once did, but they still have a special place in human’s heart. All over the world there are herds of wild horses. They are the real symbol of freedom. They are an important part, not only of history, but also of the symbiosis of nature. Every creature has a mission.
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In America’s west, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is running aggressive roundups of the wild horses. The horses are removed from public land to holding facilities where the best ones are being adopted and the rest is sent for slaughter. The number of wild horses has decreased dramatically just in a few years. Why? Corporate oil, gas and mining companies need the land. When watching videos about the roundups, reading articles and hearing about it, I question - who are they to go in and make this anti-homeostasis? The ones in charge of this – who are they to stir up the symbiosis of nature? Yes, today’s community requires oil and gas, but to what expense? What are we willing to sacrifice? Are we willing to let the wildlife die to have a comfortable life? Do we want all the green lungs to be developed for corporate companies? How far ahead are the ones in charge thinking? I wonder how it would look like if they started to think more holistic – what is human kind without having an open land, forest or mountains to go to? We are also a part of the symbiosis, we need the diversity of nature and wild life. If this development continues in the same speed, we will not only have destroyed the wildlife, but the land – the free, untouched, wild landscape will also be destroyed. We destroy our children’s inheritance.
The horses that meant so much to our ancestors,
don’t we want to take care of the inheritance?
Don’t we want to pass it on to our children and grandchildren?
How the roundups actually are being done is another aspect. Helicopters are being used to chase the horses into the direction of the paddocks. The horses are fenced in together with horses from other herds in small paddocks. Herds are being split. Frightened horses fighting for their lives, stressed mares losing their foals. Live transportation to the next destination – a truck so filled with horses they can barely move. The horses ooze of fear. Again I question, who are these people to do this to another living being? What are they made of, don’t they see the fear? If the ones behind the decisions for one moment could put themselves in the same position – what would that be like? How would they react to that? And what about the ones that actually do the work, those who have the close contact with the horses. Don’t they see the fear? I wonder if they ever question their job.
Watch the new trailer of "Disappointment Valley... A Modern Western Day", a documentary made by James Anaquad Kleinert about the roundups of horses in the west.
It is time to change the story. It is time to raise our voice.
NOW IT IS TIME TO SAVE OUR WILD HORSES!
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