Comments on: Wild horses deserve a home in the west

By: CYNTHIA L TOEPFER

CYNTHIA L TOEPFER — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:56:55 +0000

Our local newspaper just printed this article yesterday. Do we really have too many wild horses or have we been led to believe that? I’m from Wisconsin and the first time I saw wild horses was from a helicopter in northern California. I was in awe and that picture and feeling will stay with me the rest of my life. I will always support wild horses and this article makes me believe it is the right thing to do!

By: Raven

Raven — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 18:50:44 +0000

In reply to Kris.

I would ditch this argument. It doesn’t stand on all four feet. It can be said that both horses and dogs evolved in North America. As in the Family Equidae and Canidae, or the genera Equus and Canis, respectively. Equus (genus) callabus (species) did not evolve in North America. An ancestor, an entirely different species, did. The “horses evolved here” argument would be imperfectly akin to pointing out that since Canidae/Canis evolved in North America, though even Canis lupus did not, that therefore feral domesticated dogs somehow belong on the landscape. Of course, gray wolves along with bison, indigenous peoples, and many others, all migrated here naturally, and long, long ago, making them natives unquestionably. Aside: there is evidence that domesticated dogs descended from an extinct wolf species, rather than from extant gray wolves themselves – https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba9572

By: Chuck Cavaness in New Mexico

Chuck Cavaness in New Mexico — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 03:37:17 +0000

Scott, you need to ask the public and the ranchers in towns close to the wild horses. Or ask people who go hiking and camping on BLM land. In those areas with high horse populations they are destroying the range.
BLM Agents tell ranchers how many cattle they can put out on their allotments but their is little management of the horses. They are way over populated and cost exorbitant amounts to care for on collection facilities. People that live in the areas that have wild horses feel they should be culled heavily as the horses are not fat and sassy. Due to over grazing by them and severe drought, the government is feeding them in some areas to keep these horses alive. What a mess brought on by people who live in cities like Portland, New York and other metropolitan areas that think they know best. The height of arrogance.

By: Lindsay Mann

Lindsay Mann — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 15:20:59 +0000

Excellent artice, thank you. So full of common sense and truth.

By: sandy

sandy — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 16:20:05 +0000

I have been trying since ’06 to save the Wilds, but the ranchers and their powerful and heavily paid lobbyists have won, so far………and We, the public pay to house them in HMAs or for helicopters to round-up.and kill lthose who fall, saying it is a “pre-existing condition”

By: Leslie Hassett

Leslie Hassett — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 03:58:26 +0000

I appreciate Mr. Beckstead’s accurate portrayal of wild horses, their relationship to the land, and the injustice that is inflicted upon them by the United States Government agency, the BLM. I’ve looked into these statistics myself at the original sources and they can be verified, despite the government’s increasing attempt to hide them and remove them from the internet. I appreciate that Mr. Beckstead does allow for the possibility of humane “management” on the range with proven (not experimental) fertility control and emergency (not made up emergencies) gathers but that those ought to be extremely rare. I appreciate Mr. Beckstead’s reasoned voice on the issue of wild horses. Thank you for this piece.

By: Carolyn Borkowski

Carolyn Borkowski — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 17:08:09 +0000

Unless enough voices cry out in support of the wild horses and other species struggling for survival the day WILL come when our western public lands are devoid of plant life and animal life, due to centuries of unchecked livestock grazing, human greed, and ignorance. Thank you, Scott, for being one of those very strong voices.

By: Purtzer Jane

Purtzer Jane — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 02:44:25 +0000

Thanks so much for giving an accurate and complete picture of the wild horses and their land!

By: Alice Stagg

Alice Stagg — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 01:15:07 +0000

Mr. Beckstead makes all valid and true points. Too bad the BLM and its enablers are so corrupted and uninterested in actually managing the public lands properly. 5 star rating for truth.

By: Leslie Young

Leslie Young — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:59:26 +0000

Scott knows what he’s talking about and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is skewing the facts!