For the past few days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been rounding up wild mustangs at the Sand Wash Basin on the Utah/Colorado border and putting them in jail, literally. The horses will go up for auction in June of this year.
According to the Wild Mustang Rescue, “the horses are being captured through a live bait and trap and then transported to crowded, dirt-holding pens at the Cañon City Penitentiary. Often mustang families who have been together their entire lives are permanently separated during this process.”
Representatives of the Wild Mustang Rescue group explain that horses are, quite literally, herd animals. “Just like us, they form lifelong bonds. It is not uncommon for a horse to lose their will to live after the loss of a loved one, just like us. This breaks our hearts, and while we can’t adopt them all, we can do something.”
The Middle Way, outside Fairplay, Colorado. Courtesy photo
A horse rescue group called The Middle Way, based in Fairplay, has announced an effort to adopt three mustang mares who have been together in the wild for more than 16 years, Razzle, Dazzle, and Felicity, to bring them home to Park County.
Located at 65 Stamper Lane in Fairplay, The Middle Way, is inviting horse-lovers to join their group and help rescue these three mustangs. Their ranch currently houses and cares for 17 horses on a total of 74 acres at 9,000 feet. Some are sanctuary horses who were mistreated, or injured and then left for dead once they weren’t able to perform. Others are therapeutic horses who enjoy being ridden and romping in the fields in their free time.
A 35-acre plot right next to the sanctuary that they already run, they say, would make the perfect home for the three mustang mares. But they admit they need help to make this happen.
“We are planning a huge GoFundMe Campaign in order to raise $30,000 so we can bring Razzle, Dazzle, and Felicity home to The Middle Way and make sure they are together, comfortable, and cared for throughout the rest of their days.”
The group says that it has a lot of the materials necessary to get the parcel ready to receive the adopted horses: they have most of the fencing material for six-ft. high fences, a community pledged to provide the free labor to build the fence, and 20 volunteers who will feed and care for the horses.
But they lack the full financial resources to make this happen, which is where an invitation to support The Middle Way community comes in. They have listed the needs that underlie the coming creation of their GoFundMe page:
- Each horse costs $365/month to feed, house, and provide veterinary care for (that’s $13,000 a year, straight out of the taxpayer’s pockets in the event they’re not adopted).
- The well costs $5,000 to install.
- The land requires monthly payments of $800.
- The materials for the stables cost $10,000.
- The additional fencing materials and installation cost $16,000.
“This is not only a job posting, it’s an invitation to join The Middle Way community,” said the group’s organizers. “We don’t require you to live in the area, but if you did, you could come and enjoy horses with us and meet the mustangs when they arrive. We are fiercely dedicated to growing and building an indoor arena in the next few years so we can continue our work year-round. There is lots of room here to grow and play!”
For more information go to: https://m.facebook.com/jobs/job-opening/134352471929226/?source=post&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fjob_opening%2F134352471929226%2F&_rdr
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