Saving The American Wild Horse

Archives - 11/27/2009

Content Archives

2009

10/07/09 - James lobbies for the horses in Washington DC
09/06/09 - The roundup of the Pryor Mountain wild horses continues
09/04/09 - NBC's coverage of the Pryor Mountain horses
09/03/09 - MSNBC's coverage of the spiritual ride to save the Pryor Mountain horses
09/01/09 - James spends time with the Pryor Mountain horses
08/21/09 - Madeleine Pickens has a plan to save our wild horses
08/20/09 - James adopts a wild horse
04/08/09 - Moving Cloud's latest Public Service Announcement
02/29/09 - Join our List Serve for updates on issues regarding the horses
02/28/09 - Early cut of the Disappointment Valley Trailer
02/28/09 - James featured in RL Magazine
02/03/09 - Announcement of Spirit Riders release
01/22/09 - James featured in American Cowboy Magazine

2008

12/30/08 - Stop horse slaughter by visiting http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_horse_slaughter_now
12/29/08 - Join The American Wild Horse E-mail Listserve
12/17/08 - Promo for Disappointment Valley... A Modern Day Western
12/15/08 - A thankyou to those who supported Saving The American Wild Horse

2007

11/26/07 -James presents Saving the American Wild Hors on Capitol Hill

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10/07/09 - James recently returned from Washington D.C. where he was filming on Capitol Hill for his upcoming film Disappointment Valley. . . A Modern Day Western. He had the honor of interviewing Congressmen Raul M. Grijalva who heads the House of Representatives subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. Congressmen Grijalva's interview was extremely revealing in exposing the vast exploitations of our public lands and the round up, removal and slaughter of America's Wild Horses.

James Kleinert, Ginger Kathrens meeting with Senator Bingaman's (Committee on Energy & Natural Resources) Chief of Staff David Brooks.	Congressmen Grijalva's speaking in an interview
James Kleinert exiting Congressmen Grijalva's office	An amazing sunset poured onto the capitol just behind this statue of horses

09/06/09 - Despite a massive petition, protests and media coverage, the round up of the Pryor Mountain wild horses is currently in effect. However, there are still activists in Wyoming fighting the battle to save these horses. Stay up to date by checking www.thecloudfoundation.org each day. Your letters and phone calls can save this herd!

09/04/09 - NBC's The Today Show coverage of the Pryor Mountain wild horses:

09/03/09 - MSNBC video coverage of the spiritual ride to save the Pryor Mountain wild horses:

There is also a write-up of the event that dives deeper into the controversial issues of the BLM. Visit http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/03/2051511.aspx for the full story.

09/01/09 - James Kleinert has spent the last week in the Pryor Mountains of southern Montana helping to fight for a herd of horses scheduled to be rounded up this week. He and Ginger Kathrens, founder of the Cloud Foundation, organized a spiritual ride to save the horses of the Pryor Mountains.

All of the information and press coverage of the last few days can be found at the Cloud Foundation's web site, but here is the latest press release:

Famous Wild Horse Herd Granted Two-Day Reprieve from Massive Roundup

For Immediate Release

BILLINGS, MONTANA- AUGUST 31, 2009: The Pryor Mountain Wild Horses, perhaps best known from the popular Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies PBS Nature series, have two more days of freedom before an unprecedented round up could begin. The Pryors roundup has been delayed for two days to allow Judge Sullivan of the Federal District Court to hear the case brought against the BLM by The Cloud Foundation and Front Range Equine Rescue.

The Bureau of Land Management, responsible for managing wild horses on public lands in the United States, plans to round up all the horses in Montana’s only remaining wild herd and remove 70 horses plus four or more foals. This will leave a non-viable herd of only 120 horses according to respected equine geneticist, Gus Cothran, Ph.D., of Texas A&M University. The Pryor Mountain wild horses are a unique Spanish herd renowned for their primitive markings, historical connections, and spectacular habitat.

BLM is dispatching National Wild Horse and Burro Program staff for this round up, perhaps because they expect trouble from humane advocates who are currently being prevented from observing this roundup. “Never before in my experience have plans been so vague and operations so secret in the Pryors,” says Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation.” The BLM will be closing down roads to the mountain top where the majority of the herd spends their days grazing peacefully in their subalpine meadows. Young foals, only days old will be driven by helicopters and are in serious danger of being hurt or killed. Billings BLM Field Manager Jim Sparks told one advocate that they would expect a loss of 2% or six horses as a result of this operation.

The BLM has always had signs posted at the entrances to the horse range that tell the public to ‘report violations of harassment, death or removals.’ “Why are they above the law?” Asks Crow Tribe Historian and Elder, Howard Boggess. “Everything that is against the law for me they are planning to do to these horses. This is a very sad thing as far as I’m concerned. The horses have lived here for over 200 years. Even under the harassment of the BLM they’ve survived since 1971.”

The BLM claims that it is necessary to remove 70 horses in order to “maintain a thriving ecological balance.” However, the range is still green in late August following three years of above average precipitation after a multi-year drought. The horses are fat, preparing to go into winter. “Why are they removing nearly half the horses after the drought is over? I’ve told them [the BLM] if you take these 70 horses you’ve destroyed the bloodline, the gene pool will no longer be there,” continues Boggess. “Their whole goal is to get rid of the horses.”

“What they are proposing to do is criminal— people locally and all across the Nation worked so hard to save these horses from eradication in 1968,” explains Kathrens. “This range was specially designated for wild horses, the first of its kind in the nation. This is their refuge and it is about to be invaded.”

The BLM plans to remove 17 horses over ten years old and by BLM’s Standard Operating Procedures, “old, sick or lame horses shall be destroyed.” “When they take out the old horses they remove the ones that know the way to the water, the good grass, the way around the canyon - they’re taking out all of the knowledge of the herd,” Boggess explains. “It is really sad to sit there and look at the horses and think that in the next ten days they’ll be taken off this range and they’ll never see it again.”

This case is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, September 2nd, and thousands of people around the United States and the world await the decision of Judge Sullivan which will decide the fate of the unique and beloved Pryor Wild Horse Herd.

On Saturday August 29th, Emmy award winning documentary film director, James Kleinert, of Telluride Colorado and the Spirit Riders Foundation joined together with Ginger Kathrens and members of the Cheyenne and Crow American-Indian Nations. They held a horseback ceremony honoring America’s Wild Horses. The group of riders rode to the summit of the Pryor Mountain wild horse range, uniting together in mind, body, and spirit for the preservation of America’s wild horses in one of the last remaining wild and scenic public lands. Kleinert’s up coming film, “Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western,” is a hard-hitting documentary film exposing the truth and lies behind the Bureau of Land Management’s failed policy of managing America’s wild horses. Viggo Mortensen, Sheryl Crow, Daryl Hannah, Michael Blake (Author of Dances With Wolves) and many others come forward in Disappointment Valley supporting the film’s message and shedding light on an American Icon, the wild horse. Kleinert and his Telluride film crew, David Glynn, David Byers and Chris Andrews, are currently on location in Montana documenting the situation and awaiting the ruling by Federal Judge Sullivan. “Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western” will be released in this coming Fall. For more information please visit www.theamericanwildhorse.com & www.spiritridersfoundation.org.

For more information contact:
The Cloud Foundation
Valerie Kennedy
312-371-4933
info@thecloudfoundation.org

08/21/09 - Madeleine Pickens is working with BLM directors to create a Wild Horse Sanctuary for wild horses currently in long term holding facilities. Visit www.madeleinepickens.com for more information.

08/20/09 - James Kleinert and his adopted wild horse, Austin, special thanks to Rouliff Annon for his help in making this possible.

04/08/09 - Our latest Production is a Public Service Announcement featuring Viggo Mortensen and Sheryl Crow. The PSA is being carried by respected organizations helping to educate and inform the American public:

View in HD at American Wild Horse PSA - Sheryl Crow & Viggo Mortensen, hosted on Vimeo.

12/29/2009 - You can now join Kleinert's e-mail list serve. Just fill out the form below to stay up to date with Kleinert's film making and the progress of the American Wild Horse.

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2/28/09 - Disappointment Valley Trailer:

2/28/09 - An article about Kleinert's film, Saving the American Wild Horse recently appeared in RL Magazine. Check out his blog to see the article, "Run Wild, Run Free."

2/03/09 - Kleinert will be releasing the film, Spirit Riders, this fall. Visit www.spiritridersmovie.com for more on the film.

Artistinterviews.com also recently published an article on the film. Check out Kleinert's Blog to see the article.

1/22/09 -

Kleinert will be featured in the American Cowboy Magazine, also Americancowboy.com, as a top "15 Westerners To Watch in 2009." They claim "it's a time for looking for answers and leadership... and the West is a fine place for finding both." Kleinert is included in the list with an encouraging message from the organization. Check out Kleinert's blog to read the entire article.

12/30/2008 - "Although Americans don’t eat horses or raise them for slaughter more than 100,000 American horses were slaughtered last year for human consumption in Europe and Asia, where the meat is considered a high-end delicacy"
Stop horse slaughter now! Visit: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_horse_slaughter_now

12/29/2008 - Join The American Wild Horse Listserve

12/17/2008 - We are very proud to announce the up-coming release of our feature documentary film, Disappointment Valley. . . A Modern Day Western. Disappointment Valley examines the plight of America's wild horses and the rapidly deteriorating condition of our wild and beautiful Public Lands in the majestic, haunting American West. (Please see Disappointment Valley Synopsis for more information).

Disappointment Valley will be showing in Washington D.C. in early 2009 for our law makers and to help with new legislation being drafted for America's Wild Horses and Burros. It will also begin film festival release in the Spring of 2009.

12/15/2008 - Our associates here at The American Wild Horse would like to thank all of you for supporting our documentary film, Saving The American Wild Horse. Saving The American Wild Horse combined with the efforts of many other individuals and organizations has brought great attention to the current plight of America’s Wild Horses and Burros.

Recently Madeleine Pickens announced that she plans to adopt over 30,000 wild horses and burros in the Bureau of Land Management long term holding facilities. She is working with the BLM staff to adopt the horses, said Henri Bisson, the bureau’s deputy director, while the agency persuades Congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and protect the horses now in captivity for another year. Ms Pickens plans to purchase large tracks of land in the American West and to return these profound, wild creatures to their natural place. We commend Ms Pickens for her generosity and support of the wild horses and burros.

We support Ms Pickens in her endeavor and hope that these large tracks of land she is purchasing will be open to the public. The American people want so much to connect with these profound, wild, majestic beings. We here at The American Wild Horse will continue to work towards urging the Bureau of Land Management to implement In The Wild management policies.

In addition, in early 2010 we will release the high definition film, Horse Medicine. Horse Medicine invites you to join us as we listen to the stories and legends shared by Wranglers, Indians, Cowboys, and other indigenous cultures from around the world, whose lives have been transformed by this amazing animal. (Please see Horse Medicine Synopsis for more information).

11/26/2007 - Saving The American Wild Horse that was shown in the LBJ Room of the Senate on Sept. 26 to a full house of Congresspersons and their staffers. We invited the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to co-host the event that we organized, and they joined us. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stopped in at the screening and has personally requested a copy of the film. HSUS continues to work on Capitol Hill responding to the positive responses we received and connecting with prospective co-sponsors for related legislation.

Kleinert presents Saving the American Wild Horse on Capitol Hill:

Purchase Saving the American Wild Horse:

DVDs North America $20.00 International $25.00 Educational $25.00

You can donate to Saving The American WIld Horse through the Spirit
Riders foundation, which is a 501c3 nonprofit:

Fight for the rights of the wild horse in America:

The American people need to call:

The Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (202-208-3100)

Director of the Bureau of Land Management Bob Abbey (202-208-3801)

Visit Madeleine Pickens' web site at http://www.madeleinepickens.com for more information on contacting the BLM and becoming proactive in the effort to save the American wild horse

Thank you very much for your time and concern.