Cowboy Dedicates 11,000 Acres To A Wild Mustang Horse Sanctuary

Cowboy Dedicates 11,000 Acres to a Wild Mustang Horse Sanctuary

By Richard E. “RICK” Dennis CPP
Freelance Writer and Author
© June 2020 All Rights Reserved

PLIGHT OF THE WILD HORSES AND BURROS ON PUBLIC GRAZING LANDS

​It seems, the battle between Animal Rights Activists and Horse Lovers against the Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) and the Cattle Ranchers leasing government leasing public grazing lands to cattle producers, on America’s National Park land, is a never ending saga. Records indicate, the BLM has caused the removal of a significant number of Wild Horses and Burros from their natural habitat along with a significant number of predators whose job is: to balance nature or the number of Wild Horses and Burros occupying public grazing land. As I’ve openly stated before, “ANYTIME THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVOLVES ITSELF INTO A PROJECT, IT USUALLY NEVER WORKS CORRECTLY AFTERWARDS.” A proven example of this is the governments “Helter Skelter” approach to business management, e.g.: The way the United States Post Office is run as well as all other governmental agencies, including our Military. Waste waster, and more waste.

For the record, governmental waste abounds and it seems; no government agency can balance the books and account for the billions they’ve been delegated, spent, and wasted. The government operates on a scale defying logical business operations.

For years, the BLM has been on a failed course-of-action with the Wild Mustang and Burros populating our wild western landscape. Even though they’ve been delegated with the authority to protect Wild Mustangs and Burros, their caregiver responsibilities are lacking and is an exercise in futility. Leasing large swaths of public land to cattle ranchers was destined for failure from the very beginning. Example: The BLM leases land in remote areas inhabited by predators such as: Bears, Wolves, Bobcats and Mountain Lions. Natures Natural Predators; whose sole purpose in life is to control the number of herbivores being produced annually. This herbivore group comprises Wild Horses, Burros, Deer, Sheep, Bison and Elk. Thus, the wild landscape provides the carnivores with Mother Nature’s Bountiful Dining area.

When the Cattle Producers move their cattle onto these wild remote areas, the carnivores naturally add beef to their dining option. As a result, the cattle producer whines to the BLM, the BLM pays the whining cattle producer for their livestock loss – with tax payer money, removes the predators, by either removing them or killing them outright – with taxpayer money, along with the predator removal is: The roundup of wild horses and burros to make room for more cattle. During the roundup process, many horses, burros and juvenile descendants of each species is either injured, crippled, or killed in the process. The BLM counters this fact of reality as non-existent, but facts have proven this denial is nothing more than bald face lies.

After the roundup, these majestic creatures are moved off the public landscape and incarcerated in holding pens. This treatment, of our Wild Mustangs and Burros, is not only. cruel, but it’s an expensive proposition for the American Taxpayer and a total waste of Government Funding. The annual cost for this ludicrous ideology to pacify public land cattle grazers runs in excess of $500 Million Dollars annually just for Predator Control and the removal, housing, and care of Wild Horses and Burros. However, this is only a partial expenditure. The other added costs include the subsidies the public land cattle grazers receive each year from the Government, via, U.S. Taxpayer Subsidized Funding which also is in the Millions of Dollars, annually. Hardly a worthy cause, when the actual public grazing cattle production comprises only two (2) percent of the overall annual USA cattle production. Further, BLM statistics illustrate the BLM makes more leasing RV Parking Spaces on Park Land, than they do leasing public grazing rights. Go figure.

WILD MUSTANGS HAVE AN ANGEL - DAYTON O HYDE – AMERICAN COWBOY

In an article appearing in Horsey Hooves, Published on: 06/04/2020 by Anna Stanek, the author provides her reading audience with an incredulous good deed performed, by an American Cowboy – Dayton O Hyde.

In the article, the author states: He struggled with the government and his neighbors, but American cowboy Dayton O. Hyde refused to give up. After lots of hard work and dedication, Hyde founded the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota, where over 500 wild Mustangs call home. Hyde was born on March 25, 1923. In addition to being passionate about horses, he is also known as an author and conservationist. Hyde even began his career as a Rodeo photographer on his way to being a cowboy.

Dayton O. Hyde’s Journey to Saving Wild Mustangs

His journey to save wild Mustangs began in 1987, when he visited Nevada to buy cattle. While there, Hyde was shocked to see wild horses stuck in captivity that had been captured by the federal government. “It was just too cruel to take a wild horse away from their freedom and home and be contained in a corral,” said Hyde.
Hyde was determined to help these wild Mustangs out, as he had always loved horses from a young age. He set out to start a sanctuary where these beautiful creatures could run free. However, it was not an easy journey and Hyde had to fight hard to get there. South Dakota Governor George Mickelson got news of Hyde’s plan and offered to show him land in South Dakota that could be used for a sanctuary. The land was located in the Chilson Canyon in the Southern Black Hills, bordering the Cheyenne River. Unfortunately, there was a large amount of opposition from the neighbors and local government, but Hyde and Mickelson decided to team up and form a partnership. “If you’re telling me it couldn’t be done, then that’s the wrong thing to say to a cowboy,” said Hyde in the 2013 documentary Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde.
In 1988, Hyde founded The Institute of Range and the American Mustang (IRAM) and his dream started to become reality. The IRAM, which is a non-profit organization, works to preserve and protect America’s wild horses. By fall of that year, horses began to arrive at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. One of the first Mustangs to arrive was a stunning two-year-old blue roan filly named Prairie Lark. Prairie Lark became Hyde’s partner in exploring the vast sanctuary and welcoming hundreds of horses to freedom.
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From there, Hyde dedicated his life to these horses. He would work tirelessly every day to ensure these horses could safely run free, saving wild horses from unknown futures. Hyde even described operating the sanctuary as “seven days a week; no vacations, no salaries.”Dayton O. Hyde’s LegacyOn December 22, 2018, Hyde passed away at the age of 93 after living a full life. He has been called a cowboy, a fighter and even “the most dangerous man in American conservation.”
Today, Hyde’s legacy still lives on at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. Hundreds of Mustangs still roam free on 11,000 acres in the beautiful plains of South Dakota. The IRAM still works to save the Mustang and preserve different endangered bloodlines and bands, including Spanish, Choctaw Indian, Curly and American Mustangs.
To donate, visit the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary website here. To read the entire article, click on the following link:

https://horseyhooves.com/cowboy-builds-wild-horse-sanctuary/

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”