Wild Horses of Alto - Save the herd!: Herd advocate responds to livestock official's statement

Wild Horses of Alto. Save the Herd!

WILD HORSES OF ALTO (W.H.O.A!) disclaimer: this blog is in no way associated with the group WHOA (Wild Horse Observers Association). This blog has actually become like a vertical file in the library where important past documents - like newspaper articles - are filed and kept for research when needed. It has become almost a lesson in librarianship for me.

WILD HORSES OF ALTO The herd of wild horses in Alto, N.M., are the offspring of estray horses that roamed Sierra Blanca on Mescalero and National Forest land. Today the herds roam the same territory as well as dropping in to visit some of the subdivisions, such as Enchanted Forest, Sierra Vista, Sun Valley, LaJunta, Little Creek and occasionally Alto Lakes Golf & Country Club. For the most part, the herds are loved and welcomed. But sometimes not.

At this time, it is being decided in a court of law whether the horses are wild or domesticated (and therefore estray). At present, the horses fall under the auspices of the N.M. Livestock Board. We are trying to save all members the herd and other herds that exist in the area. We do NOT want to deny the horses the freedom they have known in the past and the comradeship the herd provides them.

To institute change in the policy and protect the future of our magnificent Wild Horses of Alto herd, we have a petition at https://www.change.org/p/new-mexico-governor-save-alto-wild-horses, a fundraising site for lawyers and feed/care at https://www.gofundme.com/altohorses, an account set up at City Bank-Ruidoso for donations to the "Wild Horses of Lincoln County Trust Fund" and an ongoing facebook group "Bring Ruidoso Horse's Back". Click on the Stallion's photo to go directly there.

PLEASE SPEAK UP, sign petitions, give to the trust fund for the horses. Sign up to this blog to get continual updates and to also post your own comments.

We LOVE our horse herd.

HELP save the Wild Horses of Alto (WHOA!) herd

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Herd advocate responds to livestock official's statement - Ruidoso News Sept 2, 2016

The wild horses of Alto hauled away by the state livestock board must be returned, advocates say

Reacting to a statement by William Bunce, executive director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, in an article in Friday’s Ruidoso News about the fate of the Alto wild horse herd, Shelley McAlister, one of the major advocates for the herd submitted the following response.
She referenced Bunce’s remark that, "However, it is not an accurate statement to say with any certainty that the horses will go back...."
“Well, Mr. Bunce, these horses have to come back, no exceptions,” she wrote. ”We must stand together and keep making noise and calling the Livestock board and voicing our concerns for our Wild Horses to come back. We have a long legal battle in front of us to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again. You can call Bill Saubie, at the Livestock board, 505 841-6141 to voice your opinion. He is on the Board of directors.
“We will need to have continued financial, emotional and physical support for these horses including the costs of feed, vet care and attorneys Steven Sanders and Freda McSwane. It's our awesome community that is holding this all together.”
Twelve members of the herd, mares and their foals, were hauled away Aug. 27 by the livestock board after a resident in Enchanted Forest complained and penned them up for collection. The community immediately responded with protests, calls, letters and on social media. A rally was conducted Sunday and on Monday, a town hall meeting was called where advocates announced that the herd would come home. However, in an email Tuesday, Bunce tamped down that optimism with some of his statements qualifying what could be done and the efforts underway.
McAlister pointed out that The Wild Horses of Lincoln County account has been established at City Bank with the backing of the Horse Advocate Group, WHOA, a non profit group, with Patience Odowd. But all funds raised for Alto will stay here to protect and care for the herd, she said. The gofundme account is active as well, McAlister said.

Wild Horses of Alto - Save the herd!