Horse Advocates Seek Bidding Opportunities for Future Horse Sales

After 41 horses abandoned on public land were sold to a Canadian slaughterhouse, local horse lovers are advocating for the opportunity to bid on any future sales. This move aims to protect wild horses from being sold for slaughter.

Advocacy for Change

Patricia Fazio of Cody, the statewide coordinator of the Wyoming Wild Horse Coalition, expressed her concerns in a letter to Michael Stewart of the BLM Cody Field Office. She stated, "I would like to see a memorandum of understanding drawn up to include the BLM, Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB), and horse protection groups that gives clear and timely notification to horse rescuers, horse sanctuaries, and reliable individuals to either make bids on estray/impounded horses or (if possible) to give outright authority for sale to protection groups outside the bidding process."

The Auction and Its Aftermath

The horses, originally kept for rodeo stock, ran wild on BLM land north of Greybull after their owner passed away about nine years ago. On March 18-19, the horses were rounded up and turned over to the Worland Sale Barn. Following public notice, the herd was sold at auction by the Wyoming Livestock Board.

The highest bidder among three was the Alberta-based Bovary Exports, which slaughters horses for meat. Fazio criticized the notification process, stating, "The notice is just so poor that nobody knows about it, including myself sitting here in the Big Horn Basin."

Support from Rescue Groups

Fazio mentioned her connections with well-funded rescue groups such as the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), which have supporters willing to bid on and find homes for horses. Suzanne Roy, director of the conservation campaign, confirmed there was a supporter willing to bid on and find homes for all 41 horses.

"This was a very suspicious deal that was orchestrated long in advance of the horses being captured," Roy said. "It was completely unnecessary; we had people ready to rescue them. The fact they were shipped off within a day of being captured raises all sorts of questions."

Official Response

Douglas Miyamoto, interim director-in-chief of the WLSB, stated, "The livestock board followed the statute on how we’re supposed to handle estray horses to the letter." He added that he has no problem creating a mailing list to notify rescue groups, though he expressed concerns about expense and inclusiveness among groups that might feel left out.

"We don’t have a problem with that," Miyamoto said. "Certainly in a case like this, if we’d known horse rescue groups were interested, it’s in our interest to have as many bidders as possible. But rounding up unbranded horses on BLM land is not something we do very often."

Originally Posted By Cody Enterprise