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Jack,

Earlier this year, we told you about the heartwarming story of Blondie, a stallion from the Fish Springs Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada. He was torn from his home after he and all 17 members of his family were captured during a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) bait trap operation. Fortunately, AWHC board member and founder of Freedom Reigns Equine Sanctuary, Alicia Goetz, stepped up to provide him and his family a forever home in her refuge.

Today, we write to you with a heavy heart to let you know that our beloved Blondie has passed.

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Video taken by John T. Humphrey

Blondie was a monumental figure in the Fish Springs HMA. Named after his ash-blonde mane, he immediately stood out from other horses. As a result, he was extremely popular amongst not just locals, but people from all over the country – and all over the world – who would flock to the area in hopes of catching a glimpse of his beauty.

But first and foremost, Blondie was a loving father. He was instinctively paternal and deeply protective of his herd. He would often watch stoically from the sidelines as his young ones chased birds, and, seemingly in amusement, welcome them back as they proudly ran to him.

After decades of overseeing the range, Blondie and his family were rounded up by the BLM early this year and separated in holding. Thankfully, our friends at Freedom Reigns Equine Sanctuary were able to take in and reunite all 18 of Blondie’s herd, keeping his family intact.

But last month this elder stallion passed away due to a colic episode and a ruptured bowel. According to Freedom Reigns, his sons Cree, Big Red, and Rustler, stayed with his body for a while, almost as if to hold vigil for the patriarch of their herd.

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Photo of Blondie and his herd by Troy Wright Photography [[link removed]]

Our team at the American Wild Horse Campaign is incredibly grateful to Alicia and Freedom Reigns for providing Blondie a safe home with his family for the last 8 months and for saving him from a lifetime of confinement in government holding facilities. And we pledge to honor his memory by continuing our fight to end the cruel roundup of the thousands of other wild horses like him throughout the West.

Rest In Peace, Blondie.

AWHC Team
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American Wild Horse Campaign
P.O. Box 1733
Davis, CA 95617
United States