The Phantom Stallion

Phantom Stallion E-Newsletter February 2010

Dear Readers,

It's February, a month we usually think about sharing our affection with others, and that's just what I hope you will do for the wild horses.

Here's why:

January 16 was a bittersweet day on the Calico range. The sage smelled spicy-clean and the mountains soared to meet the skies, but never, all day, was there silence.

You must know from my books how much I love the wild land and wildlife of the Calico range, but it has changed and so has BLM. On December 7, at the Wild Horse Advisory board meeting (you sent your drawings, remember?), the public was told they were always welcome, but here's what I discovered just over a month later.

Wildlife trails have been graded into roads for huge trailer trucks and the incessant beat of helicopter blades sliced through me as I watch a round-up unlike any I've seen before.

About half of the Federal employees were wearing guns.

Observers like me were told when we could arrive, where we could drive in a bumper to bumper convoy, when we were allowed to get out of cars, and so on. We were followed everywhere by Federal vehicles as they let us creep over private lands where they are keeping out horses.

Everything is on fast-forward: BLM is using not one, but two helicopters to slam mismatched herds of wild horses off the range, down metal chutes and into trucks.Horses used to receive hours, sometimes a half day, to recover. Now, nostrils and eyes wide, they are given a few minutes.

Young horses (they'd be toddlers if they were human) are routinely taken from their mothers. Heather Emmons of BLM told me that's because it's safer to transport the small horses all together; that would make sense if the young ones were reunited with their mothers after they arrive in other pens, but they're not.

I never thought I'd meet a "rancher" like Linc Slocum, but BLM is rounding up horses off the public range and keeping them on the land of a man who is Slocum's twin in every way except his physical appearance. I tried to question him politely, I promise you I did. In the end, though, when I was told the horses' torment was "just business," I was so angry that a film crew asked me if I could keep my voice down.

At least 39 horses have died since the round-up began. Many were shot because they were in "poor condition" or were injured in the round-ups. Some died because of the sudden change in their diet. Two foals were so damaged in the stampedes that their hooves began to peel off and after two weeks, they were killed by BLM.

At least 69 more mustangs were born prematurely to mothers who ran and fell and panicked until their babies came too early to survive.

If you share these numbers with anyone who doesn't believe you, direct them to the BLM's own website to read details of the daily death toll. I will not share the link here, because it reads like a horror story, but it is not difficult to find.

And yet the round ups go on.

It's bad news. Awful news, but it's news we must share until the whole world is watching.

This just in . . .

HEARTS FOR HORSES

In response to everyone who's asked WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE WILD HORSES? I'm launching a Hearts for Horses campaign.

Visitors to PhantomStallion.com and TerriFarley.com find a list of ways they can act to help protect America's wild horses and keep them in their Western homes on the range, but you can also start here:

Cut out construction paper hearts, decorate them with glitter and messages, then send them to First Lady Michelle Obama.

Here's her address:

First Lady Michelle Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Print out this What Good Are Wild Horses petition and ask people to sign, then mail them to the address above.
Sign the online petition here.
Make a YouTube video that will tell millions of people around the world what is happening to the West's wild horses. KEEP IT SHORT -- 30 seconds would be perfect -- and let Terri know as soon as it's posted so that she can tell everyone else! Just email her a link at farleyterri@aol.com.
BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS! Crazy rumors about wild horses are all over the place, so be prepared with facts by visiting this link.

There, you can find the answers to these questions and more:
- What is the origin of the horse?
- When were horses domesticated?
- How did horses get to North America?
- What is a mustang?
- How do horses behave in the wild?
- Are there still wild horses in the United States?
- Where can they be found in North America?
- How many wild horses are left in the U.S.?
- Who was Wild Horse Annie?
- Are there laws protecting wild horses?
- Why are their homes and herds being threatened?
Despite their desperate circumstances, the wild horses of the Calico Range have many friends. Celebrities like Sheryl Crowe and Viggo Mortensen are on their side, people are showing up for rallies all over the world and closer to home, the great lady I rent my office from gave me a month of free rent because she knows I've been spending less time writing and more time fighting for the wild horses.

Two people who are standing by the horses, out on the range, almost every day are Elyse Gardner and Craig Downer. With their permission, I'm posting some of their photos and comments below. They tell a bit of story about a wild stallion they named Freedom.

1/02/10 11:11:32 a.m.
Photo by Craig Downer

Freedom's band being driven into the trap area from Craig's vantage point up on the mountain. Note the foal in the rear, trying to keep up. More foals than adults die from roundup injuries and subsequent complications. Additionally, many foals end up footsore and limping. We saw numerous foals limping in the Fallon holding facility on Thursday, 1/7/10 Like human babies' bones, their hooves are not yet hard, and they simply cannot sustain the pounding inherent in long treks keeping abreast with frightened adult horses, especially here on the hard lava rock, at any speed over a walk.

Freedom is in the front attempting to lead his band away from the helicopter threat, to safety. Sensing danger, he has slowed to a trot despite the looming pressure of the helicopter. Stallions are all about protection of the family. They are either in front, leading, or at the rear, placing themselves between the perceived threat and their family, in which case the dominant or "lead" mare assumes the responsibility for leading the band.

PHOTO B: Freedom stretched out now in a full gallop, a last-ditch effort to escape the demon helicopter on his tail. Although the helicopter sometimes hangs back over the long drive toward a trap site, at this critical juncture the pilot applies maximum pressure to make sure the horses move past their resistance all the way into the pen. This means the helicopter is very close and very low. The noise and wind are terrifying. This is a great shot by Craig capturing the release of the Judas horse, who is trained to run ahead of the wild horses straight into the pen. The wild horses, being frightened herd animals, tend to follow a strong leader.

11:11:46 a.m
Photo by Craig Downer

PHASE II of Captivity

Stuck on the Fence, Freedom. Photo G - 1/2/2010 11:28:48 a.m - Elyse Gardner

This processing area was a narrow alleyway approximately 15 feet long within which the Cattoors would individually separate the horses to assess gender and condition. The horses were spray painted on their backs in here, also, to identify from which herd area they were taken.

As you can see below (photo H), Freedom is stuck (see right front elbow). Sue Cattoor is holding her flag whip (see the thigh-level white plastic bag, which is affixed to a whipstick approximately 3 feet long).

Freedom's hind legs, his only traction, are struggling, and he's slipping on the icy walkway as he thrusts to get enough lift to extricate himself. His mouth is slightly open in these photos; he is extremely stressed. Being immobilized is frightening enough to a horse, let alone a wild horse, but being immobilized in such close proximity to the greatest predators on earth would be a terrible ordeal for him. We can be sure he is highly motivated to get down off this fence.

11:28:59 a.m. - Elyse Gardner This very present, collected band stallion of ten other horses driven in with him (eight mares, two six-month-old youngsters -- a sizeable, very respectable band) now turns to look at his persecutor, below. He has his left front leg over the fence bar as well, giving himself some relief from hanging on the one side and definitely wanting to go over this fence and be free. I've seen horses escape confinement; their only interest is to get away.

Photo by Elyse Gardner

In the photo below, Freedom struggles again to dismount off the fence. Bear in mind it's only been about 6 seconds since the wrangler walked away from the opposite side of the fence. What I've termed a "rest" was really just a split second of cessation of struggle. He was struggling ongoingly to come off this fence.

11:30:18 a.m.
Photo by Craig Downer

Failing his first effort by having hit the fence and fallen backwards, Freedom now struggles to see over the fence and focuses his full acumen on assessing the power and stride necessary to clear this fence, this barrier to freedom. I feel such pathos in this hysterically desperate, burningly focused, do-or-die mission to flee to his mountains. He wants it, needs it, so badly he can taste it . . .

11:30:34 a.m.
Photo by Craig Downer

After unsuccessfully hitting the fence twice, Freedom recalculated, and in a final herculean effort he mustered the wherewithal to sail over the fence only to encounter this terrible barbed wire perimeter fence which he hit full bore, becoming ensnared in its strands.

Photo by Craig Downer

Finally, a bittersweet freedom, making a run into the relieving embrace of his mountains, leaving his cherished family behind. His mares were desperate. There was one mare in particular, whom I've got on video, who made several runs at the fence but knew she couldn't clear it and repeatedly slid to a halt at the fence, stopping short of an actual jump. It was heart-wrenching.

If you want to see a video of Freedom's capture and escape, visit this video on YouTube.

Want to send a Valentine which tells the world how you feel about wild horses? See and send this one!

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE A PEEK AT THE COOL PINECREST SCHOOL MUSTANG MURAL INSPIRED BY TERRI'S "WRITING THE WEST" VISIT WITH SUZANNE MORGAN WILLIAMS.

CALLING ALL WRITER-RIDERS!

Beginning March 1st 2010, GirlsHorseClub.com will host March for Wild Horses. The intent is to use our collective, creative voice to speak out for the rights of wild and feral horses on public lands, and show our support for the individuals and organizations who are their loving protectors. We'll accept contributor submissions the last week of February, and throughout the month will share stories, essays, poems and artwork created by horse girls, inspired by wild horses. Check it out: http://www.girlshorseclub.com/blog/

Sam's blog

Hi all! This month Sam's blog is an anniversary encore of the February 2008 Sam's blog!

read more

Where is Terri Farley?

February 2010
Elko School visits (more tk)

March 13
Terri will help judge the Horse HeART: Art Exhibit, Competition, and Fundraiser to Benefit Wild Horses.

Visual artists are invited to submit images for consideration for Horse HeART, a special event celebrating the spirit of art and horses.

Horse HeART seeks equine art that evokes qualities shared by mustangs and artists: resilience, adaptability, power, beauty, wildness, freedom, and intelligence.

Event will run March 12 through April 12 at Art Attack Gallery in upscale Incline Village, NV, located on Lake Tahoe. Proceeds from a fundraiser raffle and a portion of art sales will benefit the Let 'Em Run Foundation, a non-profit organization co-founded by country-western singer Lacy J. Dalton that works to preserve wild horses. For more information and to view the Prospectus, please visit www.tahoeartgallery.com

Thursday, April 29th
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Hooked on Horses at Sparks Library, Sparks Nevada

June 10, 2010
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
SCBWI workshop & available for limited school visits

Buy Phantom Stallion

Terri's books are available for KINDLE!

Phantom Stallion books are available at your local bookstore and online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.org


	Newsletter \| Newsletter Archive
	Phantom Stallion E-Newsletter February 2010 Dear Readers, It's February, a month we usually think about sharing our affection with others, and that's just what I hope you will do for the wild horses. Here's why: January 16 was a bittersweet day on the Calico range. The sage smelled spicy-clean and the mountains soared to meet the skies, but never, all day, was there silence. You must know from my books how much I love the wild land and wildlife of the Calico range, but it has changed and so has BLM. On December 7, at the Wild Horse Advisory board meeting (you sent your drawings, remember?), the public was told they were always welcome, but here's what I discovered just over a month later. Wildlife trails have been graded into roads for huge trailer trucks and the incessant beat of helicopter blades sliced through me as I watch a round-up unlike any I've seen before. About half of the Federal employees were wearing guns. Observers like me were told when we could arrive, where we could drive in a bumper to bumper convoy, when we were allowed to get out of cars, and so on. We were followed everywhere by Federal vehicles as they let us creep over private lands where they are keeping out horses. Everything is on fast-forward: BLM is using not one, but two helicopters to slam mismatched herds of wild horses off the range, down metal chutes and into trucks.Horses used to receive hours, sometimes a half day, to recover. Now, nostrils and eyes wide, they are given a few minutes. Young horses (they'd be toddlers if they were human) are routinely taken from their mothers. Heather Emmons of BLM told me that's because it's safer to transport the small horses all together; that would make sense if the young ones were reunited with their mothers after they arrive in other pens, but they're not. I never thought I'd meet a "rancher" like Linc Slocum, but BLM is rounding up horses off the public range and keeping them on the land of a man who is Slocum's twin in every way except his physical appearance. I tried to question him politely, I promise you I did. In the end, though, when I was told the horses' torment was "just business," I was so angry that a film crew asked me if I could keep my voice down. At least 39 horses have died since the round-up began. Many were shot because they were in "poor condition" or were injured in the round-ups. Some died because of the sudden change in their diet. Two foals were so damaged in the stampedes that their hooves began to peel off and after two weeks, they were killed by BLM. At least 69 more mustangs were born prematurely to mothers who ran and fell and panicked until their babies came too early to survive. If you share these numbers with anyone who doesn't believe you, direct them to the BLM's own website to read details of the daily death toll. I will not share the link here, because it reads like a horror story, but it is not difficult to find. And yet the round ups go on. It's bad news. Awful news, but it's news we must share until the whole world is watching. This just in . . . HEARTS FOR HORSES In response to everyone who's asked WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE WILD HORSES? I'm launching a Hearts for Horses campaign. Visitors to PhantomStallion.com and TerriFarley.com find a list of ways they can act to help protect America's wild horses and keep them in their Western homes on the range, but you can also start here: Cut out construction paper hearts, decorate them with glitter and messages, then send them to First Lady Michelle Obama. Here's her address: First Lady Michelle Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Print out this What Good Are Wild Horses petition and ask people to sign, then mail them to the address above. Sign the online petition here. Make a YouTube video that will tell millions of people around the world what is happening to the West's wild horses. KEEP IT SHORT -- 30 seconds would be perfect -- and let Terri know as soon as it's posted so that she can tell everyone else! Just email her a link at farleyterri@aol.com. BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS! Crazy rumors about wild horses are all over the place, so be prepared with facts by visiting this link. There, you can find the answers to these questions and more: What is the origin of the horse? When were horses domesticated? How did horses get to North America? What is a mustang? How do horses behave in the wild? Are there still wild horses in the United States? Where can they be found in North America? How many wild horses are left in the U.S.? Who was Wild Horse Annie? Are there laws protecting wild horses? Why are their homes and herds being threatened? Despite their desperate circumstances, the wild horses of the Calico Range have many friends. Celebrities like Sheryl Crowe and Viggo Mortensen are on their side, people are showing up for rallies all over the world and closer to home, the great lady I rent my office from gave me a month of free rent because she knows I've been spending less time writing and more time fighting for the wild horses. Two people who are standing by the horses, out on the range, almost every day are Elyse Gardner and Craig Downer. With their permission, I'm posting some of their photos and comments below. They tell a bit of story about a wild stallion they named Freedom. 1/02/10 11:11:32 a.m. Photo by Craig Downer Freedom's band being driven into the trap area from Craig's vantage point up on the mountain. Note the foal in the rear, trying to keep up. More foals than adults die from roundup injuries and subsequent complications. Additionally, many foals end up footsore and limping. We saw numerous foals limping in the Fallon holding facility on Thursday, 1/7/10 Like human babies' bones, their hooves are not yet hard, and they simply cannot sustain the pounding inherent in long treks keeping abreast with frightened adult horses, especially here on the hard lava rock, at any speed over a walk. Freedom is in the front attempting to lead his band away from the helicopter threat, to safety. Sensing danger, he has slowed to a trot despite the looming pressure of the helicopter. Stallions are all about protection of the family. They are either in front, leading, or at the rear, placing themselves between the perceived threat and their family, in which case the dominant or "lead" mare assumes the responsibility for leading the band. PHOTO B: Freedom stretched out now in a full gallop, a last-ditch effort to escape the demon helicopter on his tail. Although the helicopter sometimes hangs back over the long drive toward a trap site, at this critical juncture the pilot applies maximum pressure to make sure the horses move past their resistance all the way into the pen. This means the helicopter is very close and very low. The noise and wind are terrifying. This is a great shot by Craig capturing the release of the Judas horse, who is trained to run ahead of the wild horses straight into the pen. The wild horses, being frightened herd animals, tend to follow a strong leader. 11:11:46 a.m Photo by Craig Downer PHASE II of Captivity Stuck on the Fence, Freedom. Photo G - 1/2/2010 11:28:48 a.m - Elyse Gardner This processing area was a narrow alleyway approximately 15 feet long within which the Cattoors would individually separate the horses to assess gender and condition. The horses were spray painted on their backs in here, also, to identify from which herd area they were taken. As you can see below (photo H), Freedom is stuck (see right front elbow). Sue Cattoor is holding her flag whip (see the thigh-level white plastic bag, which is affixed to a whipstick approximately 3 feet long). Freedom's hind legs, his only traction, are struggling, and he's slipping on the icy walkway as he thrusts to get enough lift to extricate himself. His mouth is slightly open in these photos; he is extremely stressed. Being immobilized is frightening enough to a horse, let alone a wild horse, but being immobilized in such close proximity to the greatest predators on earth would be a terrible ordeal for him. We can be sure he is highly motivated to get down off this fence. 11:28:59 a.m. - Elyse Gardner This very present, collected band stallion of ten other horses driven in with him (eight mares, two six-month-old youngsters -- a sizeable, very respectable band) now turns to look at his persecutor, below. He has his left front leg over the fence bar as well, giving himself some relief from hanging on the one side and definitely wanting to go over this fence and be free. I've seen horses escape confinement; their only interest is to get away. Photo by Elyse Gardner In the photo below, Freedom struggles again to dismount off the fence. Bear in mind it's only been about 6 seconds since the wrangler walked away from the opposite side of the fence. What I've termed a "rest" was really just a split second of cessation of struggle. He was struggling ongoingly to come off this fence. 11:30:18 a.m. Photo by Craig Downer Failing his first effort by having hit the fence and fallen backwards, Freedom now struggles to see over the fence and focuses his full acumen on assessing the power and stride necessary to clear this fence, this barrier to freedom. I feel such pathos in this hysterically desperate, burningly focused, do-or-die mission to flee to his mountains. He wants it, needs it, so badly he can taste it . . . 11:30:34 a.m. Photo by Craig Downer After unsuccessfully hitting the fence twice, Freedom recalculated, and in a final herculean effort he mustered the wherewithal to sail over the fence only to encounter this terrible barbed wire perimeter fence which he hit full bore, becoming ensnared in its strands. Photo by Craig Downer Finally, a bittersweet freedom, making a run into the relieving embrace of his mountains, leaving his cherished family behind. His mares were desperate. There was one mare in particular, whom I've got on video, who made several runs at the fence but knew she couldn't clear it and repeatedly slid to a halt at the fence, stopping short of an actual jump. It was heart-wrenching. If you want to see a video of Freedom's capture and escape, visit this video on YouTube. Want to send a Valentine which tells the world how you feel about wild horses? See and send this one! THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE A PEEK AT THE COOL PINECREST SCHOOL MUSTANG MURAL INSPIRED BY TERRI'S "WRITING THE WEST" VISIT WITH SUZANNE MORGAN WILLIAMS. CALLING ALL WRITER-RIDERS! Beginning March 1st 2010, GirlsHorseClub.com will host March for Wild Horses. The intent is to use our collective, creative voice to speak out for the rights of wild and feral horses on public lands, and show our support for the individuals and organizations who are their loving protectors. We'll accept contributor submissions the last week of February, and throughout the month will share stories, essays, poems and artwork created by horse girls, inspired by wild horses. Check it out: http://www.girlshorseclub.com/blog/ Sam's blog Hi all! This month Sam's blog is an anniversary encore of the February 2008 Sam's blog! read more Where is Terri Farley? February 2010 Elko School visits (more tk) March 13 Terri will help judge the Horse HeART: Art Exhibit, Competition, and Fundraiser to Benefit Wild Horses. Visual artists are invited to submit images for consideration for Horse HeART, a special event celebrating the spirit of art and horses. Horse HeART seeks equine art that evokes qualities shared by mustangs and artists: resilience, adaptability, power, beauty, wildness, freedom, and intelligence. Event will run March 12 through April 12 at Art Attack Gallery in upscale Incline Village, NV, located on Lake Tahoe. Proceeds from a fundraiser raffle and a portion of art sales will benefit the Let 'Em Run Foundation, a non-profit organization co-founded by country-western singer Lacy J. Dalton that works to preserve wild horses. For more information and to view the Prospectus, please visit www.tahoeartgallery.com Thursday, April 29th 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hooked on Horses at Sparks Library, Sparks Nevada June 10, 2010 ORLANDO, FLORIDA SCBWI workshop & available for limited school visits Buy Phantom Stallion Terri's books are available for KINDLE! Phantom Stallion books are available at your local bookstore and online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.org