December Happy Tails Rescue
Stallion Caught in a Pickle
Wild Horse Connection got a mid-day call about a band stallion with a wire stuck in the frog of his hoof. He was walking on tip-toe on that hoof but still had his band with him. LRTC was called and dispatched members of the TLAR team and their equipment. This issue was complicated a little more by bachelor stallion who was trying to take advantage of the situation to maybe move in on the band mares. Wild Horse Connection brought hay to keep the band quiet and to distract the bachelor stallion. The team was able to build a catch corral and get the entire band inside, then separate the stallion into a smaller holding area within the corral. Willis Lamm was able to use a pole with a hook on the end to “grab” the wire and as the stallion pulled away, he pulled and the wire came out. The stallion was let back into the bigger corral with his band and then the corral calmly opened to allow the band to walk back out. Moments after the band exited, the stallion took one look at the bachelor and took off after him at a dead run to let him know that his mares were not up for grabs. A rewarding sight to see. Volunteers will continue to monitor the stallion for any complications.
A close up showing the wire in his foot.
The trap the LRTC team set up
The macgyvered together tool that got the wire out
The stallion running off after being released.
Wild Horse Relocation
Approximately 20 Virginia Range horses had been repeatedly wandering into the north side of downtown Carson City where they were hanging out on and around E. College Parkway near the on and off ramps of Interstate 580. They had been repeatedly moved back toward the hills, often with the help of Carson City Sheriff’s Office stopping traffic to allow a safe move, but because they were returning, something more significant needed to be done. Opportunity presented itself on Sunday, December 8th. The majority of the horses had wandered through the open gates of Fire Station 52 into their completely fenced training lot. Fire Department personnel noticed and closed the gate. A few stragglers remained on a lot across the street. With a cooperative response from LRTC’s TLAR team, Wild Horse Connection, Wild Horse Preservation League volunteers, and multiple transport trailers, a trap corral and loading chutes were assembled and the horses were slowly loaded into various trailers and relocated deep onto the range. While the majority were being transported, the last few were moved across the street with the help of Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputies, with additional response from NHP and Animal Services. By the time a couple of the trailers came back, the remaining horses had been moved into the trap and were ready to load. They were taken to the same location and reunited with the rest of the horses. This was a big operation that took about 5.5 hours in total. This kind of cooperation between organizations and agencies allowed a successful outcome that was best for the horses and the affected community.
Some of the horses who were relocated.
A caravan of trailers moving the horses to a safe location.
The horses relocated!