february 2010 magazine

En Fuego...En Fuego...En Fuego...En Fuego...

LLLLiiiizzzz AAAAllllvvvvaaaarrrraaaaddddoooo

Collateral DamageCollateral DamageCollateral DamageCollateral Damage

Herd, but Not SeenHerd, but Not SeenHerd, but Not SeenHerd, but Not Seen

Death of the Calico ColtDeath of the Calico ColtDeath of the Calico ColtDeath of the Calico Colt

The Silent Language of LoveThe Silent Language of LoveThe Silent Language of LoveThe Silent Language of Love

The Let Em Run Foundation is a non-profit

organization in partnership with government,

businesses and the community committed to the

protection and preservation of the wild mustang

and the heritage of the American West.

Call 775~847~4777 www.letemrun.org 501(c)3

Publisher Equine Angle Marketing Uniquely Equine Marketing & PR Advertising EMK online Call 818 642 4764

Editor & Creative Director Calamity Cate Crismani Cover/Pictorial Photographer Linda Vanoff

Contributing Photographers Kurt Golgart Ginger Kathrens Elissa Kline Alise Lemoraux Carol Walker Contributing Writers Caroline Betts, Ph.D. Jim Gath Ginger Kathrens Elissa Kline Alise Lemoraux

VIVO LOS MUSTANGS! SUBCRIBE TODAY Paypal online $24/year

www.truecowboymagazine.com

Apple I-phone download @ .99cents

Available at the Apple App Store trueCOWBOYmagazine app

Heard roun’ the

waterin’ trough

I received an email last issue from a

BLM employee telling me that true-

COWBOYmagazine was biased and

only published one side of the mustang

“situation”. I openly, and gladly,

invited her to send an article from her

viewpoint on the “situation”. I never

heard another word from this reader.

So, as not to be biased on an subject

that is based on a biased effort, I have

run two viewpoints on the same issue,

the conclusion of the Calico Herd

gather, “A Horse of a Different

Color” (pg20). The first is from the

Cloud Foundation and the second is

from the BLM and posted as a press re-

lease at the BLM site. Two very different

takes, two different sentiments, same

event.

As a reminder, our mission at true-

COWBOYmagazine is to raise aware-

ness of the plight of the wild mustangs,

burros and horses in the USA.. The

DOI, the BLM and the known players

that contribute to that plight are part of

the problem and that’s also what we

publish. Openly, I say again, ALL are

welcome to submit your written

opinions...afterall, we all have ‘em, and,

last I looked, this is still a free country

with the right of freedom of speech.

Besos & rockets, Calamity

www.horseboymovie.com

FEATURES

8 Collateral Damage...Calamity Cate Crismani

10 Herd, but not seen...Elissa Kline

20 A Horse of a Different Color...two viewpoints, same issue

26 The Death of the Calico Colt...Ginger Kathrens

29 The Silent Language of Love...Alise Lemoraux

32 Skin Trade...Interview with Director Shannon Keith

36 Our February Buckle Bunny….Liz Alvarado

54 I am a horse...Jim Gath

63 The Slaughter Issue, Confusion Reigns...Caroline Betts, PhD.

“The blizzards promise to bring more blizzards, Please “The blizzards promise to bring more blizzards, Please “The blizzards promise to bring more blizzards, Please “The blizzards promise to bring more blizzards, Please take a moment now to go to this site and donate to take a moment now to go to this site and donate to take a moment now to go to this site and donate to take a moment now to go to this site and donate to

OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org OUR wild mustangs survival! www.ispmb.org Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.Greatfully appreciated, Amigos!” Calamity Cate.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE COLLATERAL DAMAGE COLLATERAL DAMAGE COLLATERAL DAMAGE By Calamity Cate Crismani

Historically, wars are fought to acquire land, to amass empires, to fortify kingdoms and expand countries in order to gain a strong, or stronger, position on the totem pole of world power.

And during war there is “collateral damage”...damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. The term originated in the United States military but has since taken on a broader meaning and use.

There is the collateral damage incurred in the aftermath of a terrorist act, during a corporate take over, buy out or merger. There is the collateral damage recapped after terminating a bad love affair or relationship. There is the collateral damage of environmental pollution and human disease caused by industry. There is the collateral damage of a severely depressed economy.

The war being fought for the continued freedom of the wild mustangs is over land. Land where the wild ones roam is rich in uranium, oil and other minerals that are worth billions to enormous corporate entities and governments worldwide. Our mustangs have no money, no lobbyists, no vested interests except for their advocates; everyday people, you and me. To complicate the issue, the “rules of engagement” as delineated in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, “...granting Federal protection to America’s wild horses and burros as living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West […]contribute[…]to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American People” are being ignored along with the voice of the people who oppose these wild horse gathers and long term penning.

Another term has evolved from collateral damage and that is “collateral mortality”, a species that die in pursuit of the goal. As an example, in a tuna fishery the bycatch would be dolphins, who are killed instantly.

We are witnessing our mustangs as collateral mortality. If you’ve been following the Calico gather updates, then you are aware of the horses that were shot dead on the range due to broken legs and other injuries that caused them to go down during the chase or died in the holding pens or the number of mares that spontaneously aborted foals due the stress and duress of the gather. The public outcry has been voluminous over the end results of this removal.

The next BLM gather of wild horses in the Eagle Complex in Nevada scheduled for February 14 has been abruptly postponed by the BLM citing a “lack of time” to coordinate it effectively before the spring foaling season. Sometimes mismanagement works in our favor.

I’d like to think it was partly due to our outcry and continued pressure for a moratorium on all roundups until the dust settles on the R.O.A.M. Act sitting in the Senate and a final, equitable decision is set into law.

Calico Complex Herd captured…photo by Ginger Kathrens

HHHHERD,ERD,ERD,ERD, B B B BUTUTUTUT N N N NOTOTOTOT S S S SEENEENEENEEN

...ELISSA KLINEELISSA KLINEELISSA KLINEELISSA KLINE

Despite my lifelong love of horses, I never set out to be an Equine Photog-rapher. I was managing a ranch in Idaho, taking care of my family and ani-mals, and shooting fine art photos in my “spare time”. My work consisted of abstracts of the natural world around me: about an intimacy with the land and animals, a familiarity of place and mostly about the beauty we all pass by, and maybe, take for granted. I received some attention and had a few exhibits…Then the course of my life, and my work, changed when a friend witnessed a round up. She was deeply upset by what she saw and asked me to help her tell the story of the wild horses of Idaho. What started out as an assignment to deliver ten images for a magazine article, became my passion, borderline obsession, and changed the nature of my photos to a more docu-

mentary style.

When I found the wild ones, I was awestruck by their beauty, strength and self-sufficiency. Their connection to the land, and to each other, was obvi-ous. That first day I made a promise to a gray stallion and to all the horses I’d not yet met. I vowed to tell as many people as I could about them in hopes of helping them stay on the land. I wanted to show people the inti-macy of their family bands, the beauty of their landscape and the intensity

of their gaze. That promise would take me places I’d never imagined.

In 2006, I had my first solo exhibit, called “Herd, But Not Seen”. My wild horse “ghost herd” installation consisted of life size photos printed on cotton voile, creating the illusion of a semi-transparent herd. The sheer fabric sup-ports my belief that if we don’t act now and try to help, the wild ones will disappear. Other solo & group exhibits in five western states gave me the opportunity to keep talking about these horses to anyone who would look and listen. The more I learned about the political aspects of the horse’s plight, the harder it was to turn away. I didn’t intend to become an advocate, or activist, but the trail is blazed and I am traveling on it. Visit Elissa Kline at www.elissakline.com

Copyright 2010 Elissa Kline. All rights reserved.

Do you see us...

...We have always been here

A Horse of a different color...

Broken Horses, Broken

Hearts, Broken Promises The Bureau of Land Management has pulled the plug on the massive roundup of wild horses in the Calico Complex. This remote and starkly beau-tiful area in northwestern Nevada was home to one of the largest wild, free-roaming herds of wild horses in the United States. 39 horses are reported dead as a result of the winter roundup. This does not include the 25-30 mares that have aborted their late term foals in the feedlot style facility outside Fallon, Nevada. The death toll is expected to rise as BLM begins preparing and processing the horses next week (freeze-branding, gelding of stallions, etc.). However, the public may not know what happens from here on out, as BLM has decided not to provide veterinary reports on the cause of death in

the new Fallon facility, according to BLM manager, John Neil.

Despite a public statement by Don Glenn (Dec. 7, Advisory Board Meeting in Reno) in which he said that the public is welcome to view the roundups at any time (hence no need for a humane observer), the public was allowed only limited access to watch the Calico roundup. Viewing was limited to Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays by appointment only. Only 10 observ-ers were allowed on any one day. Even on the days the public was allowed to attend, viewers were required to leave between 1 and 2 in the afternoon, even though the Cattoor contract crew and helicopters continued to round up wild horses. Close access was denied for the last two weeks of the operation and injuries could not be detected or documented. BLM has referred to the visitors as “anti-gather advocates”. The contractors admitted that 30 wild horses captured on January 31 were left overnight in a crowded capture cor-ral without water due to muddy conditions which prevented trucks from ac-

cessing the capture sight.

Now BLM sights are set on the wild horses of the Eagle Complex (since postponed) in the mountains of eastern Nevada. The area is larger than the state of Rhode Island, yet the number of mustangs allowable according to BLM is 100. At the same time, the number of privately-owned welfare cattle

allowed is over 2,700. www.thecloudfoundation.org .

...two viewpoints on the same issue

BLM Concludes Calico

Wild Horse Gather “The gather went well…” said Gene Seidlitz,

BLM Winnemucca District Manger…!!!

The Bureau of Land Manage-ment (BLM) Winne-mucca District has concluded the Calico Mountains Complex gather north of Gerlach,

Nevada. with 1,922 excess wild horses removed. The gathered horses were transported to the Indian Lakes Road holding facility in Fallon, Nev. where they are being prepared for the BLM’s adoption program or for long-term holding pastures. Based on aerial reconnaissance by the BLM, an estimated 600 wild horses remain in the Complex, which is within the appropriate management level range of 600 to 900 established for that area. In late spring, the BLM will conduct a comprehensive post-gather inventory of all the herd management areas (HMAs) in the Calico Mountains Complex and the surrounding area. go to next page

“The gather went well, despite the weather-related delays we ex-perienced throughout the operation,” said Gene Seidlitz, BLM Win-nemucca District Manager. “By reducing the populations now, we can avoid the potential for an emergency gather situation later this

summer.”

The BLM will continue to offer the public observation days by ap-pointment only to view the horses that have been transported to the Indian Lakes Road Facility near Fallon. To participate in a guided tour of the Indian Lakes Road Facility, please contact the BLM at

775-861-6586.

Thirty-nine horses have died since the gather began: seven at the gather site and 32 at the facility in Fallon. Most of the deaths were horses that were in extremely poor body condition because of the lack of forage on overpopulated rangelands. These animals either died or were euthanized by the veterinarian on-site at the Fallon fa-cility.

The Calico Mountains Complex encompasses 550,000 acres of public and private land and includes five herd management areas: Black Rock Range East, Black Rock Range West, Calico Mountains, Granite Range, and Warm Springs Canyon. The BLM manages more land – 253 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and produc-tivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral develop-ment, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands. www.blm.gov

2010 BLM GATHER SCHEDULE This gather schedule is subject to change State, Agency, Herd Management Area Complex, Start

Date End Date # Planned Gathered,

# Planned Removed species

NV BLM Calico Mt Complex 1/28/09 2/28/09 3186 2806 Horses

CONCLUDED...1,922 CAPTURED…39 DEAD

UT BLM Confusion 1/15/10 1/21/10 200 185 Horses POSTPONED

CA FS McGavin Peak 1/24/10 1/29/10 20 20 Horses

NV BLM Eagle (WC/DLC) 2/7/10 2/20/10 727 643 Horses POSTPONED

CO BLM West Douglas HA 2/21/10 2/28/10 60 60 Horses

AZ BLM Cibola-Trigo 3/4/10 3/10/10 90 90 Burros

NV BLM Hickison 3/2/10 3/15/10 92 75 Burros

AZ BLM Alamo 3/11/10 3/14/10 35 35 Burros

AZ BLM Black Mountain 3/15/10 3/20/10 100 100 Burros

NM BLM Bordo 6/1/10 6/10/10 147 147 Horses

NV BLM Owyhee 7/1/10 7/18/10 620 520 Horses

OR BLM Stinking Water 7/1/10 7/6/10 100 60 Horses

OR BLM Cold Springs 7/11/10 7/16/10 156 81 Horses

NV BLM Moria 7/20/10 7/22/10 72 72 Horses

UT BLM Winter Ridge HA 7/18/10 7/24/10 200 200 Horses

UT BLM Hill Creek HA 7/25/10 7/31/10 250 250 Horses

NV BLM Lahontan 8/1/10 9/30/10 68 58 Horses

NM FS Jicarilla 200 200 Horses

CO BLM Piceance/East Douglas HMA 8/6/10 8/16/10 280 240 Horses

CA FS Devils Garden 8/18/10 8/24/10 200 200 Horses

UT BLM Frisco 9/1/10 9/3/10 100 70 Horses

UT BLM Conger 9/4/10 9/8/10 110 80 Horses

CA BLM Twin Peaks 8/3/10 9/14/10 156 135 Burros

CA BLM Twin Peaks 8/3/10 9/14/10 1000 649 Horses

CA BLM Buckhorn 8/3/10 9/14/10 596 536 Horses

NV BLM Antelope 8/20/10 9/20/10 932 746 Horses

NV BLM Rock Creek 9/22/10 9/30/10 527 427 Horses

OR FS Murders Creek 9/22/10 9/28/10 100 100 Horses

Winter 8387 6972 Summer 6131 5071

TOTAL: 14,518 12,043

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

www.ahdf.org

The Death of the CalicoColtThe Death of the CalicoColtThe Death of the CalicoColtThe Death of the CalicoColt by Ginger Kathrens

He was wild and free, roaming the vast expanses of the rugged Calico Mountains with his mother and father and the other members of his fam-ily. This would be his first winter, a time when life slowed down for all the wild ones—the elegant pronghorn he watched on the distant horizon, the tiny pygmy rabbits that foraged in the sage brush undergrowth and darted

into their dens when he tried to touch them, the fat sage grouse that were some of his favorites. When he was just days old, he heard their strange, booming sounds and saw the males strutting and displaying for a mate. When he wandered toward them, it was his father who gently guided him home. His mother softly nickered to him. She smelled of sweet sage and invited him to nurse.

Then, one day while his mother and father and the others in his family were quietly foraging, conserving their energy in the growing cold, he saw his fa-ther jerk his head up. Ears forward, the stallion watched and listened and the colt did too, mimicking his father. The colt could hear a rumbling drone. In the distance, he could see something flying toward them. It was even bigger than the majestic golden eagles that soared over his home. It came closer and closer, dropping low over the sage. The drone grew into an ear-shattering roar. His family began to run and he followed, galloping beside his mother where he would be safe. Mile after mile the menacing, giant bird chased them. His legs ached and he wanted to rest, but he could not leave his mother. He kept running, struggling to keep up. Fear gripped the Calico colt.

Then he saw a horse in front of his father and it too began to run. Safety must be ahead. His family followed the stranger and suddenly they were trapped inside walls of steel. His father tried to jump over the wall but it was too high. There were two legged animals running at them with long sticks and something white that fluttered madly. Suddenly, he was sepa-rated from his mother when a two-legged moved between them, striking out at him with the frightening stick and the fluttering bag. He was driven into another corral. When he whinnied for his mother, she answered. He raced around the corral calling for her, but found his feet were too sore to run anymore and he stopped. He could hear his father calling and he knew the proud stallion had been separated too. The colt answered him. He could see his mother through the bars of his cage and this gave him strength and hope.

Days passed. It was cold and there was no place to get out of the wind. In his home, his mother would have led the band below a rocky outcrop that blocked the wind. The colt began to fear he would never again smell the sweet sage of her breath or taste the warm milk she offered to him. His feet, so sore, became worse. Shooting pains darted through his whole body when he tried to walk so he moved as little as possible, hobbling a few steps to eat the plants the two-leggeds had thrown on the ground for them. One frigid morning, the two legged came and drove him into a truck with others that were his age. The pain was constant now and when the truck moved out, he stayed on his feet but the pain riveted him with every jolt and bump. He called for his mother, but there was no answer. Would he ever see his parents again? Hours passed and the truck moved onto smoother ground and it turned into a place where he could hear the calls of his kind. He whinnied as loud as he could, but the answering voices were unfamiliar. The two-leggeds drove the colt from the truck into a bigger cage and he struggled to keep up with the other foals. Some of them were limping too. His eyes scanned the horizon, looking for something familiar but the flat horizon looked nothing like the land of his birth. Days went by and he spent hours laying in the dirt, the pain grow-ing. He could feel something happening to his feet. His once strong, dark hooves were beginning to separate from the bone designed to hold them fast. He laid flat and closed his eyes, imagining the home and family he feared he would never see again. The two leggeds walked toward him. He wanted to jump up and dash away but he could not. go to page 66

Available at www.rtfitch.com

The Silent Language

of Love By Alise Lemoraux

Sage and Beau met when she was twenty seven, he was fifteen. He came to her at a time when she had just lost her companion. Beau moved into the stall next to Sage’s and the connection began; a May-December romance. They spent most days and nights in each other’s company, sometimes pretending to bicker and immediately making up. They were so natural together that nobody thought of their desire to be together. Beau would sometimes leave for a bit, heading off to a lesson or for a ride. Sage would call after him and pace about awaiting his return. Everyone thought they had simple become comfortable together and spoke a special language; one only their kind could understand. It wasn’t until one day when Beau stumbled badly that we began to question his behavior and his dependence on his love, Sage. We will never know if it happened so slowly that none of us realized what was going on or if it happened in an instant. There were no outward signs. The stumble led to the discovery that Beau had lost most of his eyesight. His eyes were perfectly brown, bright and looked full of life, but they were not. The diagnosis was Posterior Uveitis. He was 18 years old and nearly blind. We were shocked, sad, and scared wondering what the future would hold for him. At times, Beau would get very confused and disoriented. The only thing that comforted him was Sage’s touch. As long as she was near, he was fine.

After several months, according to all tests, Beau’s eyesight had failed completely. Yet with Sage by his side, Beau was able to learn his way around their pasture and start to regain some freedom of movement. Beau learned to feel terrain changes in a new way. The water trough, shelter, and gates were all raised to indicate areas of caution. The fence lines popped with the sound of electricity to let him know the fence was nearby. Trees were trimmed to make sure branches would not become obstacles or cause injury. Each day Sage led Beau along a sandy path to the pasture and back to the barn in the evening. Every movement had a sound and he was learning what they meant. Once simple things like drinking out of the water trough on a hot summer day

had to be relearned. Not knowing exactly what surrounded him, he was afraid to touch anything but her. With each passing season new challenges arrived. Falling rain or blowing wind blocked the sounds Beau was used to hearing. Sage’s quiet presence would sometimes elude him. She let him struggle. She was training him like a young colt. When she felt his tension become too great, she would make a sound or touch him to let him know he was safe and she was near. Sage knew someday he would need to go on without her. The balance began to shift and we sensed maybe he was taking care of her as well. Sage reached her 32nd birthday and Beau was now 20. Sage was leaving Beau to find his own way more often now. While they grazed, Sage would stand further away from him, for longer periods of time. Then they would come back together and move as one. Nobody wanted to face what we saw happening; she was training him once again.

Beau’s beautiful brown eyes

A poet must have choreographed Sage’s final day. Warm sun fell on her in the pasture. Her closet friends gathered. Beau stood over her like a peaceful guardian. The sun was setting as she took her last breath. Beau whinnied as if he saw her spirit leave. He stayed with Sage for sometime, knowing she was gone, but being comforted none-the-less. As darkness fell, Sage was not there to guide Beau for the first time since they met. We wondered what to do for Beau. A pasture-mate stepped forward, another mare.

She was taking the “reins”. She

would now be the one to guide Beau and protect him. As we walked into the barn, the mare walked past her usual stall and into what had been Sages’. A new relationship was beginning; a new connection discovered and a new love

understood.

Sage All photos courtesy of Alise Lemoraus All rights reserved.

Beau & Sage enjoying a drink together

Getting the Skinny on the

Fur Trade with

Shannon Keith

Director/Producer and Animal Rights

Attorney has always loved animals. Film-making was an art drawn from necessity upon realizing the impact of visual broad-cast media. “Behind the Mask”, Keith’s first multi-award winning documentary from her production company, Uncaged Films, focused on the pro-animal group, the Animal Liberation Front and conse-quential attempted government interfer-ence with animal liberation. Keith’s latest film, “Skin Trade” focuses on yet another

arena of animal abuse, the fur industry. In this revelatory work, Keith exposes the truth behind the fur industry and its inhumane practices in the name of fashion and commerce. On February 25, “Skin Trade” will premiere for an industry screening at Para-mount Studios in Hollywood, California. trueCOWBOYmagazine: It is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to order something before we start? A hamburger? Shannon Keith: And you. I am a vegan. tCm: Firstly, how did you decide to be an animal rights attorney? Was there some big incident that compelled you to protect them legally? SK: No, nothing really. I have loved animals all of my life and as I was studying to become a lawyer, the combination seemed natural to me. My parents were, and are, very supportive. go to page 34

W ww.skintradethemovie.com

tCm: How did filmmaking enter the picture? SK: Well, I had been talking to a small group of friends about vivisec-tion, and one guy didn’t believe me, no matter what fact I quoted. Then, about a week later, I ran into him and he told me that that very night he saw a documentary on animal vivisection on television and was in shock over it. He believed it existed because he watched it for himself. I realized film, the visual medium, was a way to reach a broad spectrum of people with the truth on animal issues, inhumane treatment and current legislation tCm: I know that some animal activists groups are pretty radical, and I understand why, believe me, I’ve seen the gruesome footage, and some have their lives threatened or are even imprisoned. Have you come under any kind of attacks or scrutiny by any individual, group or agency? SK: Yes, that is true and very real. People who protest peacefully are under the threat of imprisonment. That is the very reason good people, with good intentions, go underground and are forced to behave outside of the law to save these animals. JFK said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable”. I have a friend who is currently in jail serving a six-year sentence for his animal activism. He has been accused of violating the Animal Enterprise Protection Act which was later renamed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Basically, he is charged with being a terrorist. Naturally, being associated with him, and his attorney at one point,

I had FBI agents sitting outside of my house 24/7, my trash disap-peared regularly, my phone wasn’t bugged but my friends’ was.

tCm: Are you joking? SK: I wish I were. They were trying to charge me as a co-conspirator but could never produce any evidence. Part of that story is the subject of my first film “Behind the Mask”. tCm: And now, “Skin Trade” delves into and uncovers the inhumane treatment and slaughter of animals in the fur trade industry internationally. SK: Yes, it is a huge industry and one without any merit at all and by that I mean we don’t wear fur for survival against the elements, nor eat the meat for sustenance, we don’t live in Mongolia…its worn for vanity…and at what price? tCm: The bottom line, money? SK: Money. tCm: Fur fashions and the fur industry seems to ebb and tide. Why is that? SK: If a celebrity wears a fur, the sales peak. So celebrities can do a lot to decry wearing fur, dead animals.

tCm: Do you see it as a fashion trend that will go away perma-nently? SK: Yes I do! I don’t say that often enough when it comes to ani-mal issues of this magnitude but I do see an end to it. tCm: What do you think would cause women to stop wearing fur? SK: Skinning their Pekingnese or Siamese, maybe. For more info and to view the trailer for “Skin Trade” as well as the multi-award winning documentary “Behind the Mask” and to learn about Shannon Keith’s non-profit organization ARME Visit: www.uncagedfilms.com www.skintradethemovie.com or www.arme.tv

En Fuego...En Fuego...En Fuego...En Fuego...

Liz AlvaradoLiz AlvaradoLiz AlvaradoLiz Alvarado A stunning amalgamation of Spanish, Mexican, Italian and Irish, our February Buckle Bunny, Liz Alvarado, possess’ the fire of her Latin heritage with the added kick of Irish blarney in her blood. Alvarado grew up between Chicago and Mexico on her family’s ranch to a cracker jack, fearless, young rider; her mother, who was only 19 when Alvarado was born. “I am fortunate to have such young and passionate parents.”, beams Alvarado, “My mother was a beautiful, adventurous daredevil on horseback and broke a wild mustang named El Diablo as I watched from the corral rail. I swore I’d ride just like her someday.” And ride she does; reining, barrel racing and side saddle. Acting was also a path her mother, a theatrical actress and singer, blazed for her daughter and Alvarado took to the craft as easily as she took to horses. “I have been fortunate,” she smiles, “and have had a good run on a few good television shows. Acting, like horses, is in my blood”. When the issue of the mustang plight arises, Alvarado’s fiery eyes express a compassionate gaze, “It saddens me to hear how, in 2010, animals, and people, are being treated, and treat each other, with such abuse.” says Alvarado, “Animals as beautiful and soulful as the mustangs deserve to remain free. It is important to understand what we choose to do today decides what our world will be like tomor-row. A world without mustangs is not an option. It makes my blood boil.”

Is it hot in here or is it just our February Buckle Bunny, Liz Alvarado. En fuego!

Is Gracie smiling’?

Photographer: Linda Vanoff

www.lindavanoff.com

Wardrobe & Styling: Cate Crismani

Shot on Location at Sapphire Arabians,

Hidden Hills, California

www.sapphirearabians.com

Uber equine: Gracie

Photographer: Linda Vanoff

Stacy Hawkins... One C.L.A.S.S.Y Lady

Stacy Hawkins is the definition of “C.L.A.S.S.Y. Lady” on every level. Beyond her obvious beauty lies a tender heart full of grace and strength. Her support and dedication to Equest®, an NARHA Certified Therapy Program, truly allows those to see her passion for horses and in giving back. Hawkins began volunteering at Equest over nine years ago through the Dallas Junior League and has never left. “Equest provides therapeutic sports riding classes and hippotherapy to over 200 clients every week. Founded in Texas in

1981, Equest was the first therapeutic riding programs there and has become one of the largest, non-profit therapeutic riding centers in the state. They serve children and adults with all types of physical, mental and emotional disabilities. The goal for each rider is to gain self-confidence and take that back into his or her world. The rhythmic movement of the horse naturally moves the body in a manner similar to the human gait, improving posture, balance and muscle control. The lifeblood of Equest is its volunteers. Hawkins and other volunteers work with the riders and horses. They provide valuable administrative help. While volunteers need no previous experience with horses or the disabled, they are extensively trained on an on-going basis. Visit www.classyladiesbydt.com to order your charms.

Only the most qualified instructors and therapists work with Equest®. On their full time staff they currently have two NARHA certified Master Instructors, two NARHA certified Advanced In-structors, and one NARHA certified Registered Instructor. Their staff is nationally respected for its expertise and even their horses must meet rigorous standard.

Hawkins is a highly regarded business-woman and a respected member in her social circles. Her Equest® design charm will benefit those in the program along with numerous other charitable organiza-tions worldwide. “I want to work with horse's because I

love their beauty and splendor but I continue because it warms my heart to see students excel in areas that they were told they could never do! My therapy and my love is Equest.” smiles Hawkins.

Equest Charm

www.classyladiesbydt.com

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Resonate With One

...Andrea Maki

Born on the west coast in 1966, Andrea Maki grew up in an environment saturated with art by her father, sculpture Robert Maki. Growing up in those visually charged surroundings encouraged Maki to look beyond the immediate, to discover and to create. Maki and her father began to work on exhibits together until the time that she branched out with solo exhibits in 1999. Maki’s “branching out” also including designing and creating “TOI”, a Seattle restaurant & bar in 2001. In 2002, Maki was invited to travel to the Antarctica National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, along with a small group that included author Peter Matthiessen, and resulted in a 2003 calendar with proceeds donated to promote awareness and help support the Artic refuge. In 2005, Maki traveled to California to photograph the wild horses for a new body of work, (and a continuation of her 1999 wild horse series) that evolved into “The Wild Horse Project” and a passionate dedication to help protect them. Maki’s mixed media works rely on painting, construction, assemblage, silk screening, photography, collage, lamination, signage and replications that makes each piece of work unique. Maki has collections in the National Museum of Women in Art, Washington, D.C., the Washington D.C. Convention Center, Heller Ehrman and the Swedish Hospital both in Seattle, Washington.

To View more of Andrea Maki’s work visit her at

www.andreamaki.com

I am a horse

by Jim Gath

You know me. We’ve known each other since you were just a child. Remember the pony rides at the Field Days? Remember Fury? And Flicka? And Silver? And Trigger? And Black Beauty? And me and my brothers and sisters at the Fair? And that little figu-rine of me that you kept on the shelf in your bedroom? And do you remember when you got a little older and you came to ride me one day? How scared, but excited, you were when you first climbed up on my back? And how that fear went away when the

two of us marched off? I knew you were a little scared. That’s why I took such good care of you. We ended up having a ball that day, didn’t we? Now you’ve gone and grown up and made a life for yourself. A lot has happened in your life since that day so many years ago. You moved or you got a job or you went to college or you raised a family or a hundred other things. But I know you remember me because I remember you. I’m still here. And I miss you. My ancestors carried your ancestors from the big port cities in the east across mountains and plains and grasslands and deserts to places where they all ultimately settled down.

We’ve always had a great relationship, you and I, going back hundreds of generations. Our histories are inextricably tied to each other. And it’s a bond that can’t – or shouldn’t – be broken. Your ancestors farmed the land and my ancestors pulled their plows and their wagons to market. As a team, your ancestors and mine built big cit-ies. And together, they delivered all the goods and services to the people who made those cities their homes. Together, our ancestors made this country what it is today. My ancestors were big and strong and worked hard for your ancestors. And, in return, they were well cared-for and fed and housed to the best of your ancestors’ ability. They worked and lived together in war and in peace. In good times and in bad. Under the blazing sun and in blinding snowstorms. They were happy together, sad together, scared together and triumphant together. They were brothers and sisters. And neither of them could thrive, let alone survive, without the other. Maybe that’s why Mother Earth put us together in the first place. We’re still brothers and sisters. And when a member of a family has a problem, he or she turns to his brothers and sisters for help. And I’m turning to you now for your help. All across this land, too many of our four-legged brothers and sisters are suffering. Some are starving. Some are in pain. Some don’t have a home. Some are being slaughtered. Too many of us are in jeopardy.. And it pains me to tell you this, but much of this suffering is being caused by our two-legged brothers and sisters. I don’t know why that is – maybe it’s ignorance; maybe it’s indifference; maybe it’s a loss of the sense of the history we share; and maybe – and I hate to say this – but maybe it’s greed.

You see, too many of us are being born. Too many of us are being forsaken because we’ve gotten old or injured. Too many of us are being ignored or forgotten or dismissed in favor of more material things. The reasons are as varied as the colors in the rainbow. I just want you to know it’s happening and I’m scared. And I’m reaching out to you from across the years and across the memories for your help. Don’t worry – I’m not asking you for much. Just a little. I’m asking you to call your representatives in government and tell them to put and end to our slaughter..

I’m asking you to donate a little every month for food and care for our brothers and sisters who live in sanctuaries and rescues. I’m asking you who have the wherewithal to refrain from breeding so many of us. I’m asking you to volunteer your time for us once in a while. I’m asking you to teach your children about us and give them the opportunity to experience the joy we shared so many years ago. I’m asking you to treat our lives with the same love and respect with which we’ve always treated yours. The way we’ve always treated each other. I’m asking you to, once again, be our brothers and our sisters in deed. To be a part of our lives in whatever way you see fit. In whatever way you can. I’m asking you to make me proud, once again, to say: I am a horse.

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Linda Vanoff, Our Buckle Bunny Photographer

Linda Vanoff has worked as a professional portrait photographer for over fifteen years. Vanoff’s photographs have appeared on book covers, CD’s and greeting cards for a broad range of clients including Simon & Schuster, Avanti Press, Amnesty International and the late Ray Charles. Vanoff is currently working on a exhibition of New Orleans photographs that look at every day life in that city before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Vanoff took time from her busy schedule to contribute to trueCOWBOY-magazine and shoot our February Buckle Bunny, Liz Alvarado. We are greatly appreciative of her contribution in tCmag and to help raise awareness of the plight of the mustangs.

Feel free to contact Linda Vanoff at Linda@Vanoff .com

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An Open Letter to Our Readers

The Slaughter Issue,

Confusion Reigns Dear Readers, An organization named The United Horsemen's Front claims to “…promote(s) horse welfare and the health of the horse industry by

providing accurate, timely information about the unintended conse-

quences of the ban on equine processing in the United States.” I find this a confusing goal.

First, there is no ban on equine processing in the United States. Currently, there are no equine slaughter plants in the United States processing equines to produce horsemeat that is exported for human consumption abroad. The last such processing plant closed in 2007. However, there are processing facilities currently operating that serve existing domestic demands for horse products (e.g. horsemeat for zoo animals), and there is no legislation pending – nor, to my knowledge, has there ever been legislation proposed - to force their

closure.

Second, since the closure of the last foreign owned equine process-ing plants on US soil, American horses have been exported live from the United States to Canada and Mexico, and processed for human consumption there - rather than in all three countries - in almost identical numbers to the American horses processed for human con-sumption prior to the closure of the plants. Aggregating accurate, timely sectoral production data on equines slaughtered from the Bu-reau of Economic Analysis, with accurate and timely six digit slaughter equine export data from the International Trade Commis-

sion,

shows that the total number of American horses slaughtered for hu-man consumption in 2006 (in the US, Canada, and Mexico) was

146,265; in 2007, when American based foreign slaughter plants operated for only part of the year, the number was 149,131; in 2008, when the only processing for human consumption occurred in Can-ada and Mexico, the number exported for slaughter was 144,844; and the most accurate and timely data available for 2009, which omit data not yet available for the entire fourth quarter of the year,

show that already 112,927 horses had been exported for human

consumption slaughter to Mexico and Canada.

In short, if the cessation of equine processing for human consump-tion on US soil has had “unintended consequences” since 2007, those consequences do not include a) any discernible change in the availability of processing for domestic uses, and b) any measured change in the rate of American horses being slaughtered to satisfy foreign demand for horsemeat.

The United Horsemen’s Front website claims, largely on the basis of anecdotal evidence from journalistic reports, that the “unintended consequences” of closing equine slaughter plants in the Unites states have been a) a depressed horse market, b) an increase in horse aban-donment, and c) an increase in neglect, during 2008 and 2009. Per-haps, given that published government statistics show no impact whatsoever of these closures for the rate of American equine proc-essing, the United Horsemen’s Front should take a look at the condi-tion of all markets in 2008 and 2009 to explain their “data” on the state of the horse industry (I have added a suggestive footnote to this end - accurate and timely data are publicly available on multiple fed-

eral statistical websites).

Thank You,

Caroline Betts, PhD.

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Cont. from pg 27 Calico Colt

Over the next few days he grew too tired to move at all. The wind howled and as it began to snow, he closed his eyes for the last time and dreamed of his family. Then two leggeds came again and killed the Calico Colt.

In death, the lively spirit of the Calico Colt was released to roam free once more. He has returned home to his family and the land of his dreams. He is not just a statistic. Neither he nor what he symbol-izes will ever be forgotten.

About the Author: Ginger Kathrens is a filmmaker, author, and founder of The Cloud Foundation, dedicated to preserving our mus-tangs on public lands. The Foundation is calling for a stop to the roundups that are robbing public lands of our legendary, native wild equids—the very embodiment of freedom for many Americans. The Calico colt is only one of many who have died as a result of the ongo-ing roundups this year alone. Find out what you can do at www.thecloudfoundation.org Photo: Living Images by Carol Walker

www.thecloudfoundation.org

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