[IT’S HERE!] Today is National Help a Horse Day 🐴💞

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

In honor of National Help a Horse Day, we set a goal of raising $30K by midnight tonight to power our fight to defend our nation’s wild herds in 2023. Right now, we’re at $21,548 — within striking distance of our goal — can you help us get across the finish line by pitching in ASAP?

Happy National Help a Horse Day!

Today, and every day, our team is fighting to secure the freedom and safety of wild horses and burros across the West. On Monday, we told you about one avenue of our work — rescues — but today, we want to highlight how we’re helping horses through our legal and legislative efforts.

Already this year, we’ve made great strides for our wild herds both on the Hill and in state capitols throughout the country:

• In North Dakota, we supported a resolution that passed in the state legislature urging the National Park Service to keep the state’s only wild horse herd in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (SCR 4014).
• In Nevada, we rallied public support and testified for legislation that just passed in the state Senate that would make the wild mustang Nevada’s official state horse. (SB90).
• In Colorado, we supported legislation that just passed the state Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that would increase resources to support the work of existing volunteer groups to maintain sustainable wild horse populations through a robust fertility control and stewardship program, minimizing the need for future roundups. (SB23-275).
• And on Capitol Hill, we’ve won the support of nearly 100 members of Congress who are calling for the diversion of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funds away from costly roundups and toward humane management and other important measures in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.

But that’s not all. We’re stepping up for wild horses in the courtroom as well:

• Right now, we’re gearing up to take the BLM to court over its proposed plan to zero-out two iconic wild horse herds in Wyoming and eliminate grand swaths of their habitat, a case with the potential to set a precedent for herds throughout the West.
• We’re also pushing forward in our ongoing legal battle against the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which is sending thousands of wild horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline. In our case, we allege that the agency implemented the AIP without any of the analysis and public comment required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Friend, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this critical work without your support. Your generosity allows us to stand up on behalf of wild horses and burros everywhere. That’s why this National Help a Horse Day, we’re asking you to make a contribution of whatever you can afford to help us reach our $30k goal and fuel our fight to defend our precious wild herds in 2023. As of now, we’re only $8,452 away – so if everyone reading this pitches in, we can hit our goal before the deadline at midnight!

Thank you for standing with our wild herds, and Happy National Help a Horse Day!

AWHC Team