The Viriginia Range Wild Horses Series

The Virginia Range is one of the most important sights in the history of the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971. The entire process began on this particular range with Velma Johnston in the 1950s when she saw a group of mustangers transporting bloodied and abused wild horses from the range to a slaughter plant. Her life's work became the humane treatment of wild horses and helping to pass laws that would protect these historic wild animals and preserve them for future generations.

Just In case you missed the beginning of the Virginia Range Series On the Mustang A Day Challenge this week here are the links so you can see the drawings and read back:

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Day One: The Deer Run Horses from Pine Nut HMA
Painting #391  Deer Run Mares
http://mustangadaychallenge.blogspot.com/2013/03/deer-run-road-mares-challenge-painting.html

Day Two: Part 1 Early History and why the Virginia Range is so Important to the Wild Horse and  Burro Program and Velma Johnston's Part
Challenge Painting #392 Virginia Range Foal "Running for Joy"
http://mustangadaychallenge.blogspot.com/2013/03/virginia-range-foal-challenge-painting.html

Day Three: Part 2 The Lay of the Land how the private lands and public lands complicated implementation of the Act and why the Virginia Range Herd was not included for protection.
Challenge painting#393  "Virginia Range Youngsters"
http://mustangadaychallenge.blogspot.com/2013/03/virginia-range-foals-challenge-painting.html

Day 4: Part 3 Virginia Range after 1971 (Who Owns the Horses?)
Challenge Painting #394 Virginia Range Foal: Woolly Bear
http://mustangadaychallenge.blogspot.com/2013/03/virginia-range-foal-challenge-painting_16.html

Reference Photography provided by Mikel Ann Hettrick

The Project will continue for another week or two and will cover some of the management issues with the Virginia Range Horses as well as some of the  ways that people can help prevent some of the problems that plague the horses now.

All of the images will be available in the form of signed prints on Etsy by Monday March 18th, 2013 Please check out the Mustang A Day Challenge Store on Etsy for Originals and Signed prints at this link:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MustangADayChallenge

Helping Raise Money for the Wild Horse And Burro Association

This Week: I am offering 4 original paintings of South Steens Wild Horses in Oregon to raise money for the Wild Horse and Burro Association. Several of these magnificent horses passed away in 2012. One very popular band stallions Golden Boy was humanely destroyed after fatal injuries due to fighting. The mare, Jingles, was believed to be aged at 28 years old and produced her last foal,  a beautiful chocolate silver stud colt in 2011. She managed to stay with the colt even through declining conditions until it was strong enough to survive alone in the band. She died of natural causes. These are memorials to these wonderful wild horses.

The Wild Horse and Burro Association offers a number of support opportunities for owners of adopted Wild Mustangs as well as a registration service to help keep track of the horses and potentially reward those in competitions to show chase these amazing animals. I support this fledgling organization because I believe that working together to protect those that have been adopted as well as those in the wild is the best way to preserve our living wild mustang horse heritage.

 To bid ask to join the group via Facebook at this address. https://www.facebook.com/groups/377913412305368/
Thank you for your support.