Source: wildhoofbeats.com

Thirsty wild horses running to the tank at Ranger Pond

Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin Need Your Help With Water Today

by Carol Walker, Dir. of Field Documentation, Wild Horse Freedom Federation

The Sand Wash Basin wild horses are a much beloved herd, and visitors come from all over the world to observe and photograph them. I observed and documented the last helicopter roundup there in 2008 but did not become a regular visitor until 2011. Since then I come 2-3 times every year. This year, there is a horrible drought and heat in this part of Colorado, and waterholes that normally do not dry up in the Basin until late August were empty in late May. Because of the extreme heat (one day it reached 114 there) and lack of rain, the grass did not grow as much as normal, and when the horses tend to stay in just a few areas to be near water and do not spread out, there is even less to eat.

Drinking at the pond at Two Bar

Enter Wild Horse Warriors of Sand Wash Basin, (Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/wildhorsewarriorsforsandwashbasin/ ) who already had an agreement with the BLM to work on projects to improve the range. In late June they decided to to take on hauling water to the horses who were very soon going to be in serious trouble. They requested that the BLM allow them to haul water to the horses and were initially told no “because the horses were not in bad condition yet.”

The giant water tank donated by Bethell Water, used to top off the water tanks by volunteers

Another blow is that the water source they had been purchasing water from could no longer provide them with water. Bethell Water found another source but now instead of paying $3600 per week they will now have to pay $4000 per week. They initially had an online fundraiser, and now they only have enough funds for another two weeks. With no rain coming and the Basin still very dry, the situation is still not good for the horses.

The Sand Wash Basin wild horses need your help now.

Please donate and share the story to your friends so that Wild Horse Warriors can continue to haul water to the horses. Please visit their Go Fund Me page to donate:

https://www.gofundme.com/cm625-water