"Well if we take "Webster's definition of what a round up is we find it is "A gathering together of cattle for inspection, branding, or shipping." I think we would be ok if we change "cattle" to "livestock" and then this would include what we, at the New Mexican Horse Project do also.

The First question that one might ask before we ask "what is a round up" is "why the need for a round up?" A round up to us is in fact the gathering of livestock (horses) but in our case its a gathering of "wild horses" not just horses. The purpose for this gathering is to try and find a very rare type of wild horse. A horse that was thought to be extinct until the year 2000 when the founders of the project found some of these animals roaming the foothills and mountains of the west. Because they were inter dispersed with ordinary wild horses there lives were being threatened by various landowners and individuals who wanted the land strictly for cattle and wanted these animals (wild horses)off the land. This concept even flowed over into the BLM lands and National Forests, so much so that the laws have now been changed to accommodate the concept that any vacant land in the west that can be used for cattle must and will be used for that purpose, even if it is land is owned by the public. The shame of the matter is that the individuals who claim the historical right to the land use are the worst violators of destruction of the heritage of our nation. By eliminating these animals we are saying that this part of our past is not important and "a people or a nation without a past has a limited future." I can't say i have truly answered the question of why we need the round ups so i guess i should go on to tell you how we do the round ups.

So we know the definition, according to "Webster" of a round up and you suffered through a slight diatribe as to why we need to round up these animals, i guess the next thing needed to complete the answer to "What's a round up" is to explain "how we do it."

The most important aspect of a round up of wild horses or a free range horse is the "First constant."

The first constant has two dynamics:

The first dynamic is:

The wild horses desire not to be controlled by outsides forces.

• The wild horses will remain true to their instinctive reactions, the fight or flight syndrome, and because of this their actions are somewhat predictable.
• In most instances the reaction will be that of flight, but in rare instances the fight reactions will come into play, i.e. getting between a mare and her foal or getting between a stallion and his band. Both of these action may cause a fight reaction from members of the band.

The second dynamic is the wranglers desire to control the wild horses.

• This dynamic, at its best, is unpredictable because each round up will be different. This may be that we as human also have an instinctive reaction to the fight or flight syndrome but also have a strong desire to control any creature that we can make into a pet.
• One must consider that the nature of the relationship between the human and the equine (horse) is based on that of a master and pet. Because of this the relationship between human and wild horse becomes blurred. The wild horse on the other hand look at humans through the eyes of a prey animal and in their eyes we are predators.

A note must be made here.

Wild horses are to domestic horses as wolves are to dogs.

We must never forget that these magnificent creature are wild and our relationship with them must be cautious and calm. we tend to forget this and sometimes treat wild horses same as we treat domestic horses. When as a result someone gets hurt, it is blamed on the horse and not the lack of knowledge in dealing with the temperament animal. We of the project have found that when treated with respect and kind hands these animals are the kindest, gentlest and most caring creatures on this planet. We also have seen instances when treated without respect and a kind hand that they have been totally unpredictable and have harmed the aggressor. It must be noted that in every instance it was a reaction to mistreatment that has cause this kind of behavior. As i stated before these horses are among the kindest, gentlest and caring creatures on the planet. I've heard stories about how the wild horse reacts when captured and how they are dangerous and volatile at the drop of a hat but we have not had that experience.

Round up Methods

After trying various methods of rounding up the wilds we have developed or applied what we feel are two non stressful methods of rounding up wild horses. Both are variations on age old methods, modified to suit the project needs. The first is the BAIT and TRAP method and the second which is our specialty the WALKDOWN method.

The BAIT and TRAP method is best used by Danny Elkins of Mount Taylor Mustangs. He has perfected this method almost to an art. We feel this is a great way of rounding up wilds if you have no time constraints and thank Danny for showing us his method and giving us his expertise and time.

The WALKDOWN method is our specialty, we feel it suits our needs the best.

Anyone who has worked cattle or horse round ups knows that the last thing that a wrangles desires is a bunch of spooks on his hands. A spook is the most unpredictable creature God has set down on this earth. Its like dealing with the Bulls that run through the streets of Pamplona, Spain when you deal with a bunch of spooks. The only advantage of being on a horses when in the mist of them is you might have a chance of getting away fast, but even that is debatable. So with that vision planted in you brain let me tell that the way we round up our horses is on foot, not on horseback. We do have three riders that are about an eighth to a quarter mile behind us to pick up any turn backs and sometimes to help drive them to us. The rest is all done on foot. What is so neat about this method of rounding up is that you must take time to learn the band you are dealing with and this gives to time to experience the habits and mannerisms of the particular horses who's band you are trying to are become part of and interact with in a non aggressive way. I say become "part of" because if the horses don't see as a member of the band you will not get the job accomplished easily. I know that you can always force the horses but the only thing you have then is a bunch of scared animals and then you have created a situation for sometime bad to happen to the horses or the wranglers. If, by chance, you have chosen to round up the lead stallion and his band you may have, at the point of force, changed a non eventfully, calm, pleasurable experience into a "spook feast." This of course does give you something to swap tall tales and laugh about while you and other members that were in the middle of the fiasco are waiting to get your casts off. Before i get into the meat of the round up procedures i want everyone who reads to remember one thing:

On the back of the wild horse this nation was built.

These horses changed the Native Americans way of life and redefined their culture.

History tells us that without these horses this The United States of America would not be the same country as it is today.

Imagine

A horseless Native American

A Pony Express walker

A cowboy herding cattle on foot.

the west without the MUSTANG.

Ok the first step when trying to round up a band of wild horses is to learn as much as possible about the band. The way you do this is observe the horses in the field.

Most individuals when seeing wild horses for the first time consider them to be in poor condition and this may be the case because those who generally see them when out on a ride see them near a road or in a field close to a trail that is used by humans. Generally when wild horses or any wild animal for that matter come near areas occupied by humans it means that they are experiencing trauma cause by a change in their environment cause by nature, such as drought or famine, or human interference, such as occupation of their natural living area. This human interference can come from things as simple as people walking through the wilds territory or range area. Most individuals don't want to interferer with the wilds environment but we as controllers seem to feel that we can do whatever we want to the land and if it is not okay with those living there that's their problem, after all we are the humans and they are merely animals and must obey our laws even though we seem to have little respect for theirs. With this in mind we tend to try an dictate, because we know what is best, the terms of what should appear to be right and what should be done about it. We will justify our action, by spouting facts that are from some place other then reality, because we don't find the wilds horses in their natural lean state appealing to the eye. The shame of it is that we think a fat horse is healthy horse when in fact that "well fed" horse when compared to a wild horse is anything but healthy.

In most cases wild horses will not let humans within approximately an eighth of a mile of them, unless their is some kind of enticement and even then maybe no less then fifty to a hundred feet away. An individual on horse back may get closer but their again a boundary line is established and usually can not be crossed without the band moving at least that distance away from the intruder. We have had cases of a bonding of a member of the project with a certain horses but it is a rare occurrence and I know of it happening only once. When you located the band or bands that you plan to round up it is best to observe them for a few days and let them get use to your smell and seeing you around. Don't become a pest, spend a few hours a day with each band and then go away. After you have done this for maybe every day for a week and you can stand up and move around, but not toward, without the horses getting spooked or everyone stopping what their doing you can move on to the next stage. The next stage is called the "push".

To be continued

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