BLM ~ Kiger Mustang Demo at Equine Affaire

The Curious Thing about DNA

Curiosity is a willing, a proud, and an eager confession of ignorance. ~S. Leonard Rubinstein, Writing: A Habit of Mind

There has been talk going around the Internet of the need for me to DNA Argo, to satisfy others curiosity. I for one am here to say, not ever going to happen!

The following are direct quotes posted on the Internet that are directly related to the subject of DNA from Argo, and my decision not to submit samples of hair for DNA.

"I would be very curious myself to know if he indeed was your stallions sire"

"I'm just very curious and interested in this...I also wonder why you wouldn't have any intention of DNA testing him. Is it just because you cannot yet get hair pulled? I had my mare done.... she is a matriarch in the Kigers and has quite a history. I think she deserves to have her DNA on file for comparison reasons even though I do not expect to get any foals from her. Who knows how many babies she had out there in the wild?"

"I also hope that you might consider DNA testing at some point in the future. It might just provide clues about Kiger herd behavior, history and gentic influences may advance inclusion of grey in the registries. There have been several noteable greys in the breed, and they deserve recognition for their contributions."

My thoughts on the matter of DNA are: it is an invaluable tool to a breeder, whether it is to determine color markers or to verify parentage, this is in my opinion, is the only reason to DNA a horse. As far as the Wild Kiger herds are concerned: they are wild, part of the beauty of owning a mustang is the unknown parentage. Further, I have no plans of breeding Kiger Mustangs so therefore there is no need to DNA Argo. I have no care as to what his parentage is or what he possibly sired. I just truly want to give him a place in the world where he has no worries and can enjoy a peaceful, quiet retirement and be where he is truly appreciated for what he is; a senior aged wild Kiger Mustang. His color is what attracted me to him, when others scoffed at it, and then his soulful eyes pulled me in further.

The world is full of fools and faint hearts; and yet everyone has courage enough to bear the misfortunes, and wisdom enough to manage the affairs, of his neighbor. ~Benjamin Franklin

The history of Argo that has been told to me thus far has been extremely interesting. Stories of the "Gray Ghost" abound in Oregon. Does his DNA have anything to do with that lore, absolutely not, so why on earth would I feel that pulling some hair would somehow complete me or complete Argo? Do you think he really cares? Why does Argo need to be put out there for dissection into an already hugely conflicted Kiger community? I have no desire to enter that arena. I have enough drama in my life as it is and I do not need to invite more of it into my life. The Kiger Mustangs never asked for or wanted the spectacle that surrounds them. Seven separate registries represent a breed of I believe less than 1500 horses. Why do you ask? Got me, no one can seem to agree on anything. Most of the Kiger registries will not even accept Argo, purely based on the fact that he is gray. The KMA though has accepted horses for registry whom aren't even Kigers, who were not born on Riddle or Kiger Mountain, but elsewhere, some even from states other than Oregon, because they had the desired color and markings. Go DNA those horses and find out who their parents were. The KMA is one of the registries who would refuse Argo registry solely based on his color. From their website:

To be eligible for registration in the Kiger Mesteno Association, there are several factors that are considered. First, the horse must be the offspring of a registered Kiger, or must have documentation that it was gathered from the Riddle Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) or the Kiger HMA. Secondly, the horse must then pass an inspection based on both conformation and dun factor, and must be one of the acceptable colors (Dun, Red Dun, Grulla, Bay, Black, Claybank and Roan). There are many Mustangs from other BLM Herd Management Areas, as well as other breeds that have the dun factor but are not considered a Kiger.

But yet it has been proven several times that they have allowed what has been termed "Found Horses" (horses who have been gathered from HMA's other than Riddle and Kiger Mountains) to be accepted into their registry all because they have the right color.

*Note: I have no care either way about the Found Horse issue; it is a non-issue to me. The issue has been literally beat to death and is for people other than me to debate it. I only present it as basis for Argo's exclusion from registry, based on color alone.

No, I will not submit Argo to be the Kiger Communities' sacrificial lamb. Neither he nor I ever signed up for that. I saw a horse that had been ripped from his only home, the wild, at the age of 17, because from what I believe was the greed of breeders worried about their precious dun color being diluted; that being a big part of the reason he had been gathered. I hoped and prayed someone would take him home at the adoption last November. I could not stand by and wonder what his future would hold if he would have stood day after day in long term holding, reduced to a mere number because of human greed. I will certainly not feed into or continue that greed by allowing him to be put under a microscope by pulling hairs so that others can satisfy their own curiosity.

So, in closing, I am sorry that I may have offended some readers, but I have been tremendously offended by the words written about Argo and me, about what I should be doing and what a travesty and shame it is that I will not DNA Argo. To the Kiger owners and Fanciers out there who appreciate what they have without the need to delve into what others should be doing, Thank You for being you.

One Year Ago…

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letters to Lucilius

Happy Birthday Argo! I have made November 7^th Argo's Birthday. This date represents so much. Even though he had already been gathered the month before and his world had been turned upside down, he had courage to survive the un-survivable. As of today, Argo is 18.
The Kiger Adoption weekend started in Hines, Oregon, November 7^th, 2007. Approximately 125 Kiger Mustangs were available for adoption. Argo was there, waiting, watching, and being the quiet, soulful Kiger Mustang that he is.

This is Argo, shortly after he was captured in October.

Argo during the adoption in November, thank you Angela for the picture.

Argo was the oldest Kiger offered for adoption. The next oldest ones were 7 years old. Argo was the only gray. The rest were Duns, Grulla, a couple Bays and Black.
95 Kigers were adopted that weekend. The starting bid on all the horses was $125. The highest bid on a Kiger was $7,800. Those 95 Kigers sold for a combined dollar amount of approximately $95,000. The average price would have been around $1000. The 16 Kigers that were not adopted were offered on an internet adoption in January 2008. There were a few Kigers that were also gathered, but not available for adoption due to health reasons. All 16 horses that were offered on the internet adoption were adopted. Argo was not offered in that adoption. He was by then considered a Sale Authority Horse.

Argo in December.

Argo in May once he arrived here in Pennsylvania.

Here is Argo today.

Argo was offered up in a special Email bid in February. The people at the Burns facility saw something special in Argo that a lot of people missed in November. His structure was the same as it was after the gather, structure never changes, just flesh. In fact, you can see his excellent conformation in the picture after his capture. His strong hip, short pasterns, great neck set and beautiful slope to his shoulder.
I still feel strongly about the fact that he should never have been gathered, only because he was gathered for the wrong reasons. Greed and money, is what I believe, forced his capture. Ron Harding who was influential in the protection of the Kiger herds had often called Argo, "Baby" as a youngster, and had stated that he should never be gathered and offered for adoption. He felt strongly that Argo had characteristics that needed to be passed on to future generations of Kigers, regardless of his color. It was thought for years that he was a claybank, but even when it was realized he was gray, he stayed with the herds. Ron Harding unfortunately is no longer with the BLM. I believe if he had been, Argo would have never been gathered and offered for adoption.

Through Argo, I have met some of the most dedicated and amazing horsemen and women, I am truly thankful for them. Some I have never met in person, only through e-mails or over the phone, have we conversed, but their dedication to the horse shines through. Keep inspiring others to stay on the true path.

I am thrilled though, given Argo's options, that he found his way to me. The journey that he and I have embarked on is one like I have never experienced. I have never before owned a Mustang, let alone one who had been in the Wild for 17 years. He has shown me a side to myself that I had never known was in me. He has taught me patience, perseverance, spirit, and protection. His voice has become my voice. The wild mustangs all over the Western States have no voice, save for the dedicated people who truly appreciate their spirit, not the ones who bicker and fight and will continue to scam and lie and tell half truths to the unsuspecting person who only wants to realize the dream of holding the lead rope of a living legend as it steps off their trailer and into their soul.

Seeds of Faith

“On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey and it is the greatest property.” ~ Buddha

The above photo of Argo was sent to me by Suzy Johnson. She took this last November at the adoption in Burns, Oregon. Thank you Suzy!

Just so everyone knows, I have borrowed a tripod from a friend to video my evening time with Argo. Most of it is us staring at each other, but every time I pull the camera out we get a few moments of interesting video. I will compile it all and then edit it into to one video. I’m hoping to have something in the next month or so.

Never in million years would I have thought hand feeding a horse would be such a rewarding experience. Over my 25 plus years with horses, I have rescued quite a few horses that were fearful of people, had been neglected and/or abused. I took my time and learned from them the importance of touch. I have always had an extreme compassion for these horses. It is from most of those horses my foundation in learning how to live with and care for them was learned. Argo, though never abused or neglected, is quite similar in some ways and a perfectly clean slate in others. I learned at a young age that every time we interact with the horse, we are training him. Whether it is right, wrong or indifferent, they are learning from us. I guess in knowing that, I try almost too hard to make sure everything I do with Argo is correct.

When I sit with him in the evening, he will step back if I move my hands. He is not worried about my legs or my head turning, just my hands. My answer to this was to offer good things that he likes with my hands so a few weeks ago I began offering my hand to Argo while he was eating. At first he snorted and backed up and I just kept my hand there about six inches from his food. He became used to it after a while and even managed to get a little closer to my hand. After a few days of just my hand being there, I had hay in my outstretched hand. I had no illusions of him actually taking it, but I wanted him just to be comfortable with my hand. I did this with him for about three nights. On the fourth night, my husband came into the barn and asked if I had given Argo his evening hay. I replied I hadn’t yet; I was still working on barn chores, so he offered to take out his evening meal.

Now just to give you a little history on my husband, he was raised on a dairy farm, his experience with horses did not start until he met me. Jeff is a very gentle man when it comes to the horses. He has been invaluable to me when I have a difficult mare in for breeding, I can always trust that he will be on the end of the lead with that mare and talking to her and being kind, but yet firm when needed. He always has been good with the horses in our care, sometimes a bit naïve, but always gentle and never has he even thought of manhandling a horse, like some men do. He rides about once every two years and I really wish during those times that osmosis would work with two people, who sleep in the same bed next to each other, but my senior stallion, Malarky is very good to him and Jeff appreciates it. Jeff is not in the barn on a daily basis, but he does help when needed.

Anyway, back to the night in question. Jeff takes out the evening meal. He knew I had been offering my hand with hay in it, and he decided to do the same, but instead of giving the hay to Argo and sitting next to it, Jeff sat on the hay and offered a handful of it to him. I guess Argo was not impressed, but Jeff just held it out there for him. After a few minutes Jeff casually dropped it a few inches away from him. Argo happily reached down a picked it up. Jeff did this a few more times with him and then to Jeff’s surprise on the 5th or 6th time of offering the handful of hay, Argo took it from his hand. I wish I had been there to see it, or at least have the video camera set up to “catch the moment”. Jeff hand fed hay to Argo for a few more minutes and then on the last handful Argo’s lip brushed over Jeff’s thumb. I guess the “touch” was just too much for Argo and he stepped back from Jeff. Jeff again just dropped the hay for Argo and he eventually came back in and took the hay.

When Jeff came back into the barn and excitedly told me what had happened. I couldn’t believe how extremely jealous I was that it was anyone but me who had had that first moment with Argo, but I was. I did my best not to let it show to Jeff. He was so very proud oh “His” moment as he should have been. It made me sit back and think though as to how perfect I try to be with Argo, and here comes Jeff with no significant experience in training a horse, just a gentle nature about him and Argo takes hay from his hand. Ughhhh!

I am extremely happy to say though, that for the past few days Argo has begun taking hay from my hand, it has been extremely rewarding to me. I know I have said this before, but looking into Argo’s eyes, there is such wisdom there. I am so honored that he decides on a regular basis to share space with me. The seeds of faith are slowly sprouting.