While submitting S.1273 Senator Reid stated, "Mr. President, today I rise on behalf of myself and Senator Ensign to offer legislation that will give greater protections to our Nation's wild horses and make needed improvements to the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro adoption program." Source: US Senate Thomas Locator Svc.

Shortly afterwards Senator Ensign's office was quick to point out to the D.C. wild horse groups that Senator Ensign was merely "studying" Reid's bill.

After reviewing S.1273 point by point, most of the major wild horse groups took immediate positions.

"When politicians dress up a pig and call it an eagle, it's still a pig." Willis Lamm, LRTC Wild Horse Mentors

"It is interesting that Senator Reid did not confer with some of the major wild horse groups regarding this new bill. If he had spoken to our organization, we could have assured him that this bill is a remake of the late '80s Fee Waiver program where thousands of wild horses were taken by ranchers and sold to slaughter at the end of one year, for enormous profits. Nearly 20,000 wild horses were slaughtered." Karen Sussman, International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros

"It's just as I've been saying all along. They're going to keep taking more horses off the range until there are nearly none left and we'll see livestock grazing rules relaxed." Betty Lee Kelly, Wild Horse Spirit

"If Senator Reid is truly interested in protecting wild horses he would actively work towards ending the slaughter of wild horses before and after they are titled, which engenders the true intent of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses & Burros Act." Karen Sussman, International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros

"The dwindling number of our wild horses and burros, roughly 25,000 (although until there is an objective current national census required, none of us really know), as compared to over 4 million head of private cattle, whose welfare rancher owners pay less than what is costs to feed a hamster to graze on our public lands, will not be safe until sale authority is repealed and an honest, science-based approach to "managing" our wild horses and private cattle is instituted. We need all Americans to contact their US representatives and each of their two senators now"Trina Bellak, Esq., American Horse Defense Fund

"The BLM's numbers simply do not equate. Either the wild horses are starving and dying or they are multiplying so fast the BLM cannot keep up with the increased numbers. Which is it? It's time we see full documentation for the last ten years regarding true figures on these 'starving and dying animals.'" Bonnie Matton, Wild Horse Preservation League

"I wonder how one of these idiot lawmakers would feel if he were heel roped, dragged, castrated and hot-branded "USTS" for "Unadoptable, Send To Slaughter?" Diana Linkous, Wild Horse Advocate.

The Northern Nevada affiliates of the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates held a demonstration and press conference at the state capitol on Wednesday, June 29th. The purpose was to clearly show that the wild horse groups are taking exception to Senator Reid's new "wild horse protections" and provide a means to provide point by point rebuttals to S.1273.

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