Desert Boy and a Cat

Recently Desert Boy saw this cat and took off towards it. He's been around cats sporadically, and usually they don't like all his attention. I figured I would just watch and see what happened.

He's getting close and the cat is getting nervous, ready to take off. I expect the cat to dash away at any moment.

But instead something else catches Desert Boy's eye and he keeps traipsing past the cat. I can hear the cat's sigh of relief. Whew, no little boy to put up with. I can just relax and do my own thing.

All the commotion attracts some of the horses, who had been grazing out in the field. They like being around people and don't want to miss any of the action.

Here are a couple more coming in to see what's going on.

And for this horse, it's a good reward, a little nuzzle time with Desert Boy. He's not intimidated by these huge creatures, and he usually laughs when they nip his clothes--or Mama. He's growing up to be quite an animal lover. I just am not sure what I'll do when he gets to the stage when he wants to have more pets!

Desert Destination: Wild Horse Roundup

My husband told me that there was a wild horse roundup going on in a nearby mountain range,  so yesterday we took a little drive to see what was going on. What can I say, I'm a sucker for photographic opportunities.

As mentioned in a previous post, "wild horse" is a loosely used term. These horses are descendants of horses that escaped domestication, so technically they are feral horses, but the term wild horses is usually the one used. Wild horses are found throughout the western United States. While researching them, I was surprised by just how many there are. Many are found on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and the BLM has an extensive Wild Horse and Burro Program to manage them.

 
The BLM has designated 270 Herd Management Areas (HMA) in ten western states. Click on the map above to see a larger version. Each HMA has different objectives about type of horse to be managed for and size of the herd. These HMAs support approximately 33,000 wild horses and burros (BLM Fact Sheet). According to the BLM, this is 5,700 more wild horses and burros than can coexist with the other uses on those public lands, including grazing by native species like elk and deer. 

According to the BLM specialist I talked to, the wild horse populations often increase about 25% each year--so in about four years the herd can double in size. About every two to four years, the BLM or a contractor goes out to do a roundup to decrease the herd size. Without these roundups, the wild horses would simply overpopulate an area and there wouldn't be enough feed. The roundups bring wild horses to town so that they can be adopted.

Roundups are rather complicated, expensive operations. A holding corral needs to be set up so that the horses that have been captured have a safe place to stay until trucks come to take them away. A helicopter is often used to do the roundup. It places metal gates in a semi-circle, then adds wings to the semicircle, making a wide chute so that the horses will run down the chute and then be trapped in the semicircle. As the helicopter starts moving the wild horses towards the chute, a couple domestic horses will lead the way, and wild horses will follow them in. The gates are closed, and the wild horses are loaded onto trailers and taken to the holding corral, where they are separated by sex.

These are some of the extra gates that can be used for the corral that the helicopter sets up. The cost for managing the BLM wild horse and burro project in fiscal year 2007 was more than $38 million (BLM fact sheet).

Here are some of the beautiful horses that have been captured. They are part of the Sulphur Herd Management Area, and apparently have quite a bit of Spanish blood in them. This makes them highly desired by some buyers, partly because only three wild herds have this characteristic. This Spanish blood is traced back to horses that the first Spanish explorers brought with them in the 1500s.

The horses in this herd come in a variety of colors, from dun, buckskin, grulla, bay, black, sorrel, palomino, and various roans (blue, strawberry, red).

Other characteristics include ears that curve in like a bird's beak, a dorsal stripe, bi-colored mane and tail, tiger-striped legs, and occasional chest barring (BLM info sheet).

This foal started drinking off any mare that would let her. Many of the mares and foals had paired up after an evening in the holding corral, but a couple still were wandering about.

Here's the hay truck to keep the horses well fed. By yesterday morning they had gathered more than 200 wild horses. The desired herd size is 135-180, so clearly the population is far above what it should be. The BLM specialist estimated that more than 500 might be in the HMA.

The horses will be taken to an adoption facility, where they will be checked out by a veterinarian, given vaccinations, dewormed, and have a blood sample taken. Some of the horses will be chosen to be returned to the herd to maintain the genetic characteristics that are deemed desirable. The others will be prepared for adoption, which will occur about a month after they've been captured.

According to the BLM specialist, only about 50-60% of the young horses will be adopted at the first facility. The ones that are left will be shipped further east, and eventually most of the horses from this herd are adopted. Extra horses from other herds are often not so fortunate.

Thinking about the number of horses in just this one herd management area roundup multiplied by the numerous herd management areas boggles my mind. There are a lot of horses up for adoption every year, and the number won't slow down any time soon. The number of people adopting horses has decreased for a number of reasons: higher fuel and feed costs, urban sprawl, and many horse lovers already have as many horses as they can afford. 

What happens to the left over horses? Some are offered for sale, while others are taken to BLM long-term holding facilities, where our tax dollars go to pay for these horses to graze on public lands until they die, usually 10 to 25 years after they are placed there. So many horses are being taken to these areas that the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program has the majority of its budget going to these holding facilities, which means less money going for the roundups and adoptions. If wild horses aren't rounded up, major ecological damage will result, with water holes trampled, insufficient feed for native animals, and excessive erosion. Nevertheless, the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act puts many limitations on what can be done with wild horses. This is a situation that needs some more attention and creative answers. 

Desert Boy Rides a Horse in the Kitchen

This morning I was in the kitchen eating breakfast when Desert Boy came trotting in on his horse. I couldn't help myself, I totally cracked up. The little stuffed horse is tiny in comparison to him, but still he thought up the idea all on his own and had a lot of fun riding his horse.

He even had some good horse riding noises and made the horse go in all different directions.

After a bit of riding nicely, he decided it was time to get adventurous.

His California cousins do vaulting, gymnastics on horseback, so maybe he was inspired by them as he started doing some interesting moves.

How low can you go?

Golly, I wish I was so flexible!

But alas, even a toy horse can buck, and Desert Boy ends up flat on his back on the ground. 

Ramblings about Horses

Horses crack me up. They have distinct personalities, just like humans. Some are friendly and want to come over and say hi while others want to be left alone. Some like to go, go, go while others are just plain lazy. But one thing they all have in common is that they are bigger than me. Yikes! I feel kind of small and vulnerable around horses, waiting for one to step on my foot or decide to knock me over just for the fun of it. I know I need to spend more time around the horses to get more comfortable, so this was my goal one fine day.

This is Kate. The ranch often names horses after the people we buy them from. If it's a female horse, it may be named after the seller's wife. If we buy a horse that already has a name, we keep that name.

Kate's a good-natured horse who didn't mind posing for a few photos. She's really good with new riders and usually doesn't try too many tricks, like bucking or taking off at a gallop just for the fun of it.

Here's Jewel, a dependable work horse. She's all saddled and ready to go.

My sister-in-law Tana makes riding look so easy. 

My first horse ride was in Girl Scout camp the summer after third grade. I recall walking down to the stables and being told exactly what to do. The things I remember most are: 1. There are lots of flies around horse barns; 2. You should always, always mount a horse from its left side; 3. Riding a horse around and around and around in a circle while walking gets boring after awhile. 

Nevertheless, each year for the next few years afterwards, I would get all excited about my 15 minutes of riding two times during the week of camp. I imagined myself riding across the plains, chasing bison, my hair flying in the wind. I dreamed of being out on a big ranch with lots of cattle, being one with the horse as we galloped through the swaying tall grass. But I never, ever dreamed about being a jockey. I guess that thought never entered my mind.  

Over the next few years I had a couple opportunities to go on trail rides, which involved old horses walking slowly, obviously bored. Again, my mind would always race with ideas of what I was really doing. I was going up a steep mountain trail with important supplies for a scientific expedition. Or I was helping a handsome cowboy move cattle from winter to summer feeding grounds. Somehow a lot of my horse imaginations involved ranching and cattle and cowboys. Romance novels were my number one source of horse knowledge until I married my husband.

And here's my husband leading this beautiful horse, Jamie. My husband knows a fair bit about horses, but he likes to say he doesn't. He's grown up with them and has fallen off them (he doesn't like that part at all). He can ride a horse that's going faster than a walk and not panic. Nevertheless, I think the lasso is just for looks--he's never actually showed me his roping skills. Of course, he still has some secrets.

Up on a Horse

The ranch has some beautiful horses, but they're all working horses, meaning that they can be a little feisty and aren't the docile retired animals that you usually find at trail rides. Seeing how that's the only type of horse I had been around before I moved out to the desert and got married, I've had a bit of a learning curve as I try to master riding a horse.

My sister-in-law Tana makes it look easy. She's a true cowgirl, and has no problem taking little Desert Boy for a ride. They both are loving it.

Desert Boy even looks like he knows what he's doing, holding on to the reins and looking around to search for cattle. Tana started riding before she could walk, so perhaps with Desert Boy starting early he will also make it look easy.

This is my nephew Tractor Buddy. When I look at him, I figure that this is what Desert Boy probably will look like in about eight years. 

And now it's my turn. Tana let me take a ride on her horse Jewel, a gentle horse who had just finished herding cattle and was feeling a little lethargic. Perfect for me, the neophyte. I love riding horses, as long as I feel in control. I feel in control when the horse is moving slowly--anything faster than a walk gets my heart pounding!

That dusty ground looks like a soft landing in case I do take a spill. I walk Jewel around in circles, and then...

...the world starts getting topsy-turvy. Oh no!

Just kidding, I wouldn't have actually been able to take a photo while I was falling off. That would take too much coordination. Here I am, just strolling along, pretending that I am a world-class horsewoman. 

Moving Cattle

On Sunday my husband received a call from his brother Dave that he needed help moving 350 cows out of the meadow and into the corral so that they could be preg-checked (checked to see if they were pregnant) the next day. Desert Boy and I tagged along to photograph the event. We went down to the big meadow at the south end of our property, where the cows were contentedly grazing, unaware of what was going to happen next.

My husband doesn't like horses much, but he sure looks good on one! He even dug out his old cowboy boots so that he would be prepared. The cowboy boots usually remain on the floorboard of his truck, buried under irrigating boots, electrician's manuals, parts for different tractors, and grease-stained jackets.

My sister-in-law Tana is in the front, with Dave behind. They both know about everything you can know for riding horses, so I always try to soak up a little knowledge from them. My nephew Tractor Buddy is in the back, drafted into service and not too sure that this is what he wants to be doing. Our old cowboy Lee, 80+ years old and still riding strong, is along for the ride, along with Tractor Boy's dad (my husband's other brother).

Once they get into the meadow, the cows no longer are milling about in all directions, but sense that it's time to move. They gradually start heading in the right direction.

The horses and riders keep them going, and the cows are really well-behaved.

I am just loving every moment. The mountains in the background give a sense of the Wild West to the picture. It's quiet all around except for the sound of hundreds of cattle moving through the grass, mooing now and then.

Here's my nephew Tractor Buddy. He looks like he's doing pretty well on a horse. He chose his nickname, so you can see what his first love is.

The first 350 cows have been moved through the gate and are at the corral at the end of the area I'm waiting in. Dave opens the gate...

...and they start in. This area is really dusty, and you can see the dust cloud starting up, obscuring the mountains.

The cows ignore us over on the truck and just head right into the next corral where they're supposed to go. They were being really good! Sometimes they'll mill around and walk in circles and make life a little difficult.

The horse riders are really in the dust following the herd. Nevertheless, my brother-in-law Dave has a big smile on his face, glad the cows are doing what he wants. Or maybe he knew I was taking a photo.

Dave and my husband follow the cattle into the corral, eating the dust.

And then all we can see are ghost riders on the range.