Endangered US Horses Avoid Slaughter

By LEAH McLAREN

Globe and Mail
Friday, April 29, 2005 

Six weeks ago Randy Bird stood on a government ranch in Rock Springs, Wyo., watching as a herd of endangered wild mustangs galloped around the paddock, terrorized by his human scent.

Today he feeds his own small herd by hand on his ranch near Harwood, Ont., east of Toronto.

"They'd never seen a tree or a barn or even eaten grain when they arrived," he said proudly. "Now they come straight up to the fence when I call them."

If it hadn't been for Mr. Bird and the efforts of a little-known Canadian group called the Save the Mustangs Foundation, nine mustangs would likely be dead -- sold by the Bureau of Land Management to so-called kill-buyers under a controversial new U.S. law that allows mustangs over the age of 10 to be sold "without limitations."

It was a close call for these Canadian equine refugees, who have become poster ponies for a drive to raise awareness of the plight of these historic horses in the United States.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of the Interior stopped delivery of mustangs to buyers while it investigates the recent slaughter of 41 wild horses.

The horses were killed after being sold to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. There are 8,400 wild horses and burros eligible to be sold for slaughter under the act.

Cattle ranchers complain the wild horses compete with their herds for food, and every year, the Bureau of Land Management rounds up thousands of them to be placed into captivity.

In December, Congress amended a 34-year-old ban on slaughtering mustangs to permit older and unwanted horses to be sold "without limitation."

Critics haved warned that the legislation would allow for mustangs to be killed and sold for dog food or human consumption in Europe. But Senator Conrad Burns of Montana -- who spearheaded the amendment -- defends the legislation.

He says tribal officials violated a specific federal contract in selling the horses for slaughter. "I am dismayed that another group has lied to get horses, then sold them for slaughter," Mr. Burns said in an interview from Washington.

"The BLM is working to tighten the program to avoid situations like this in the future, and I support them in their ongoing efforts, and will continue my discussions with them to make sure the sale of these animals runs as smoothly as possible."

Still, a lot of people, including animal-rights activists, are incensed that the mustangs are being killed at all. The cause has even caught the interest of big business.

Spurred on by an irresistible combination of corporate self-interest and social responsibility, Ford Motor Co. signed on this week to help save the lives of 100 more horses.

The company recently relaunched its famous sports car, which is named in honour of the breed. But the Canadians of Save the Mustangs were there first.

The group travelled to Wyoming last month to meet with officials and the Bureau of Land Management in Rock Springs, where they selected and purchased nine horses for $50 each.

The mustangs were then trucked to Ontario.

While there are other wild horses in the Maritimes and Western Canada, the Wyoming horses are believed to be the first true Spanish mustangs ever to graze on Canadian soil.

Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez brought the first mustangs to North America in 1519, and the Canadian horses are their direct descendants.

They remain powerful and rare living symbols of the American Wild West.

Back at the ranch in Harwood, the five geldings (which are all around 12 years old) are being slowly trained by Mr. Bird to wear harnesses and, eventually, to pull a carriage in a team.

The idea behind breaking the horses is to show that older mustangs can, in fact, be domesticated and adopted as pets.

"You have to remember they're wild animals -- they can't be trained like regular horses," says Mr. Bird, an internationally known trainer who is, to his chagrin, often referred to in equestrian circles as "the Canadian horse whisperer."

"They are incredibly smart. "

"They never play and they savour every mouthful of food."

Local curiosity about the mustangs has been growing since they came to the area, he says.

"I've had so many people out to look at them. People are fascinated."

When the herd came over, it consisted of five geldings and three pregnant mares, one of which just gave birth to a chestnut foal. The mares are being kept separately from the males on the grounds of the Haldimand Hills spa, a 15-minute drive away.

The Canadian group is relieved they managed to get the horses out when it did and encountered no problems at the border. "We've said from Day 1 that this amendment is going to lead to slaughter," says Grafton, Ont.-based filmmaker Albert Botha, one of the main forces behind the rescue mission. "Once it happened, everyone realized we were right and now they're scrambling to find an alternative."

Mr. Botha is currently looking into adopting more mustangs and setting up a wild horse sanctuary somewhere in Canada.