Tuesday October 27, 2009, 12:31 am
A wild-horse auction turned chaotic when a stud tried to jump a fence, another horse escaped during loading into a trailer and another reportedly died Friday afternoon in Dickinson.
To control population and administer a research contraceptive, wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora were rounded up earlier this week and sold at auction Friday at Stockmen's Livestock Exchange. The auction was moving quickly when bidding on Bashful, a 2-year-old stud, began and about four minutes into his bidding, things came to a screeching halt. After being tapped on the rear by a ring attendant's flag, an anxiety-ridden Bashful attempted to jump a 6-foot fence separating him from the crowd. Screams erupted and people began to scramble. As the horse was struggling to get his rear portion over the fence, his rear right leg became entangled between thick wires. The horse began to violently thrash in an attempt to break free, biting anything in its way. Bystanders said the horse's front legs knocked an elderly man to the ground. As the horse began thrashing, its front legs stomped the man. "He landed in the crowd, then crawled over it (fence) and then he was in the first walkway and he was just stomping and kicking because the man was underneath him," said Dan Sparling of Bismarck, a witness to the incident.
Larry Schnell, manager of Stockmen's Livestock Exchange, said he was unaware if anyone was hurt, but had heard reports. Stark County Sheriff Clarence Tuhy said a man was transported to the hospital in an ambulance. No tranquilizers, rope or wire cutters were on hand to assist in freeing the horse. "I've been doing this for 35 years and I don't remember anything close to that happening," Schnell said. Status of the injured man is unknown. Some people experienced with wild horses feel the event could have been handled differently. "Anybody that's got a little common sense, you don't start bringing these wild horses in," said Frank Kuntz, executive vice president of the Nokota Horse Conservancy, a nonprofit group aimed at wild-horse preservation. "Bring them in separate. Plus, who knows how these guys are handling them out back? They should have the fence higher. It's total stupidity and total inexperience."
Horses were dropped off at the livestock yard Thursday afternoon, said Valerie Naylor, TRNP superintendent. "They bring them here to the sale barn, turn them loose to these guys and leave," Kuntz said. Rev. James Kilzer of Richardton said one buyer who loaded his newly purchased horse into a trailer found it dead a short time later. "The buyer checked for breath … the horse died of shock," Kilzer said. Calls to Dr. John Rowe, a veterinarian on hand during the auction, went unreturned. Later, a gray mare escaped a corral while being loaded into a trailer. Several people went after her with trucks and on foot. Michael Sparling of Bismarck, who didn't intend to buy a horse at the auction, purchased Bashful for $35 with plans to rehabilitate and train the horse using a natural training method. "A horse like this, you should never trap like that," Sparling said. Patty Griffith, a horse trainer from Toppenish, Wash., plans to train the 11 horses she and her husband purchased. Griffith has attended several wild-horse auctions and said horses and protocol at the auction could have been handled better. "Those horses wouldn't even be rattled if they didn't come along with those fly swatter things and scare them," Griffith said. "They are in a hurry. They're doing their job, but these aren't cows."
The horses sold for prices ranging from $35 to more than $1,400, surprising many. "The prices were much higher than we expected," said Marylu Weber, a volunteer for the roundup and a member of Nokota Horse Association, another wild-horse preservation organization. "This is phenomenal prices for these horses," said horse buyer Nola Robson of Hayfield, Minn. Naylor said 77 horses were sent to auction and 77 were sent back into the park, including most of the breeding-age mares. "Everything went very well," Naylor said. "It's unfortunate this had to happen at the sale."

BLOGGERS NOTE: I hope the injured man sues the pants off of the NPS as well as the livestock co for gross negligence in the handling of wild horses. Maybe they will stop offering them at public auction with no limitations. Maybe its time to amend the 1971 WFH&B Act to Include protections for the National Parkland Wild Horses & Burros - after all, it was clearly the intent of the Act to protect all of our nations wild horses on their historic lands everywhere. This is what we must fight for,...to keep them wild and free and in viable numbers on their historic rangelands, ....the ROAM Act will "strike out" the "where found in 1971" provision of the WFH&B Act which will effectively divest them of their right to stay upon their historic rangelands. Is this the kind of protection we want for our National Herds? To allow them to be shuffeled off of their historic rangelands and into the hands of public and/or private individuals all across the country who will put them in long term holding pens and/or in zoo-like settings the stallions to be gelded and the mares given birth control? That is what the ROAM Act will allow!!

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 12:54 am
These poor innocents being treated so cruelly, frightening them by treating them with ignorance. So sad.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 4:11 am
The actions of the stupid propelled by the ignorant produce the problem of people and animals being in a confined space together! What did they expect when they treated these wild animals in the way they normally abuse domestic cattle? These magnificent beasts should not have been taken from the wild in the first place!

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 4:16 am
Flippen idiots!!

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 4:37 am
I agree Michelle. Thanks Simone

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 4:51 am
Going to be sick...just looking at this photo proves that they should never have these wild horses put into anything period.

And...now with this big round up, just thinking about all of these special creatures that are going to be killed and put to death makes me want to hurl!!!

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 6:19 am
Sadly noted. These proud free animals being treated as tame animals-and for what--a small amount of money.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 8:01 am
This is terrible shame on them!
Thanks Simone

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 9:31 am
for a $ people will sell their souls. gods wrath is free, eternal, just and final. enjoy your $

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 11:37 am
absolutely vile barbaric sick perverse , no feeling towards the poor terrified creature whatsoever !

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 12:04 pm
Money talks. For those interested, here are 2 petitions to help wild horses:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/166841148

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/991573141

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 2:26 pm
When will s**t like this end????

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 8:10 pm
Somehow the term Thundering Morons seems so pathetically inadequate to describe ALL of these people. It's time to put a stop to this, a screeching and tire-smoking halt to this for good and for ever. Right now is a good time and we're the ones who can get it done.

There are petitions here at Care2
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/166841148
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/991573141
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/stop-the-massive-removal-of-cloud39s-wild-horse-herd
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/revoke-grazing-permits-on-public-lands-give-back-to-the-wild-horses
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/STOP-THE-ROUNDUPS-SAVE-OUR-WILD-HORSES
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/speak-up-for-the-wild-horses
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/nevadas-wild-horses-an-endangered-species
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-our-wild-horses--say-no-to-hr-767-as-is
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/11/restore-the-coyote-canyon-wild-horse-herd-to-its-native-habitat-in-the-region-of-beauty-muntain

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-to-helicopters-in-wild-horse-chase
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/speak-out-against-plan-to-kill-thousands-of-wild-horses
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/11/save-the-wild-mustangs
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-Our-Natios-Wild-Horses

I've signed and commented all that I can find; I've written my two (lame) senators and my House Rep. I've written to Ken Salazar and others, and I've even written to President Obama.
latest comments-
These horses belong to the American people and they belong roaming free on our public lands. It's time to stop the corruption and stop selling us and our precious resources out to the freeloading ranchers who push the horses off the land to graze cattle at OUR expense. It's time to stop all leasing of all public lands for good. No mining, no drilling, no blowing the tops off of mountains and leaving the rubble and pollution behind. And most of all, NO MORE ROUNDING UP our WILD HORSES to sell for 35$ each for pete's sake. STOP, just STOP.

There are also groups at Care2 and one of them posted this:
Pro horse Advocate HR1018 is now Senate Bill S1579 it is time to call write or e-mail your senators. Free the 30,000 Mustangs and Burros Now being held prisoner By The Bureau of Land Management. Also HR503 and S727 need your support for protecting horses

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 10:20 pm
Just my opinion but this is only the beginning of tragedy and injury to the horses and people alike.There are many stories that do not get reported to the American Public at large. In this latest RUSH to GET RID of wild horses and burros the people that have been given the authority do not care about anything or anybody except THEIR OWN agenda, with greed, arrogance and a catering to special interest as the bottom line. This kind of thing and worse I suspect, will happen many more times. It is disgusting, absolutely unacceptable AND totally preventable. OUR horses, burros and wildlife are being completely "mismanaged" by unscrupulous and corrupted personal and policy. OUR Country has to take a stand and call for moratorium on ALL roundups and a complete overhaul of the BLM Horse and Burro tactics, plans and policy. Actually, we need to strip the BLM of horse and burro management. They have proven time and again that their judgment is not just lacking in many decisions but also it's abundantly clear that special interest come before the law. This agency is just part of the "washing out of dirty politics" in OUR Government that Americans need to under take. PLEASE KEEP PUSHING YOUR SENATORS and ALL with the power and authority to pass the ROAM ACT and provide for protection and safe haven for all of OUR Wild Horses and Burros. Even though I have some problems with the ROAM ACT and it certainly needs tweeking, imo, it's the best we have right now. Without it we have virtually nothing to have a base to go from. I certainly do agree with Simone that the 1971 Act has to be brought up to date and written in such a way that OUR horses and burros will have protection in perpetuity. I simply cannot look at the picture, it makes me so deeply angry and sick to my stomach but the American Public HAS to know and be informed about all of this if we have a chance in Hell fighting the government for OUR Wild Horses and Burros. Their ancestors gave their lives to build this Nation and we cannot turn our back on them now. Thanks All and THANK YOU Simone.