Lynn Watts
Mrs. Brown
English 9 CP
OR
English 9 Honors
25 March 2015
Stop the Mustang Roundups (OUTLINE)
Outline for term paper to prove controversial topic that wild horse roundups are wrong:
1. Grabber quote for beginning of introduction: “They use a stun gun. Supposedly to kill them
instantly. And this black stallion took six shots and still did not go down…he got loose on the kill floor
and they had to get a rifle…” (Stillman 299).
2. Thesis: Wild horses are the symbol of freedom in the American West and should not be rounded up by
the Bureau of Land Management because the process is costly (1), many horses are injured or die (2),
and there will soon be no horses left in the wild due to aggressive land management by the BLM and
cattle ranchers (3).
3. BP1 Topic sentence - The mustang roundup process is costly for American taxpayers and is not cost
effective.
Quote a: “These roundups scheduled by the BLM are costing taxpayers $40 million per year. The costs
are for the holding pens and the roundup removal process using helicopters and select cattle
ranchers…” (“American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign” 2).
Quote b: ”No one can argue that in the current economic situation it makes any sense to spend millions
of taxpayer dollars chasing wild horses around…” (Smith 1).
4. BP2 Topic sentence – Many wild mustangs are injured or die because of the roundups.
a.“Activists maintain that a colt was run also hard and long during the roundup that the hoof walls on its
two hind feet came off, leaving exposed bones and nerves. The colt was euthanized …” (Griffith 1).
b.“…newborn foals run to exhaustion, found hog tied and abandoned on the range, horses and burros
bleeding from the nostrils, broken legs …” (“Unprecedented” 6).
5. BP3 Topic sentence – The roundups of mustangs are often brutal.
a. “…an older mare collapsing after being stampeded for miles in a helicopter chase … steam blowing
from her nostrils…” (“BLM Called Upon to Halt Wild Horse Roundups 2).
b. “Last month at least 34 wild horses died or were euthanized during and after a forced roundup” (Cohen
3).
6. BP4 Topic sentence – Horses often die on the way to and inside BLM holding facilities.
a.“…a mare fell down in a trailer after being driven for miles on the range by a helicopter… and died a
short time later” (Griffith 1).
b.“Of six horses that have died at the Fallon facility, five involved mares thought to have experienced
difficulty making the transition to hay feed” (Griffith 2).
7. BP5 Topic Sentence – The cattle ranchers are using underhand strategies to gain public lands for cattle
grazing.
a.“Ranchers who have exploited public lands for generations are angry that wild horses share the
range…” (Smith 1).
8.
9.
10.
11.
b.“…range damage is caused by privately-owned livestock, which outnumber horses more than 100
to one” (“Unprecedented” 9).
BP6 Topic sentence – The BLM does not follow the recommendations of scientists when planning
mustang herd management.
a.“In Montana this will leave a non-viable herd of only 120 horses” (“Unprecedented” 2).
b.“When they take out the old horses they remove the ones that know the way to water, the good
grass, the way around the canyon-they’re taking all the knowledge of the herd” (“Unprecedented”
2).
c.“California has lost 16 of the original 38 wild horse herds (“BLM” 1).
BP7 Topic sentence-COUNTER ARGUMENT BP- Perhaps the strongest argument for the mustang
roundups is that if nothing is done about horse populations, they may grow out of control and destroy
natural habitats.
a.“Without natural controls such as predators or effective fertility control, populations [of horses]
can double every four to five years” (“Working Toward Sustainable Management” 8).
b.“Wild horses are destroying the natural eco-system for numerous flora and fauna in California
and Nevada” (King, Personal Interview).
BP8 Topic sentence – The wild mustang is a symbol of the American West and should be protected.
a.“The horses have lived here for over 200 years” (“Unprecedented” 2).
b.“At the end of the nineteenth century, there were two million wild horses ranging across
seventeen states” (Stillman 296).
c.“After Bush was elected president, wild horse roundups escalated ferociously” (Stillman 294).
Final strong quote for end of conclusion –“great silent witness” (Stillman 304).
How many quotes do you need? EIGHT BPs x two, two of eight bps x three = 18, plus two quotes (grabber,
end) = 20 (but you gathered 30 so that you had spares, right?)
How many sources do you need to quote from? Book, four internet articles, other such as
newspaper/magazine/youtube video = 6
How many quotes do you need from each source? Numbers will vary, but every source must be used at least
once. You should have at least TWO quotes from the book.
Do you see that I shortened some of the article titles in the citations? The full title must be shown on the Works
Cited page, however.
1. “Ranchers who have exploited public lands for generations are angry that wild horses share the
range…” (Smith1).
2. “No one can argue that in the current economic situation it makes any sense to spend millions of
taxpayer dollars chasing wild horses around…” (Smith 1).
3. “Public outrage over video of a mustang collapsing during the wild horse roundup in northeastern
Nevada” (“BLM Called Upon to Halt Wild Horse Roundups” 1).
4. “An older mare collapsing after being stampeded for miles in a helicopter chase … steam blowing from
her nostrils…” (“BLM Called Upon to Halt Wild Horse Roundups 2).
5. “The BLM will ship captured Antelope Valley horses thousands of miles to Midwestern holding
facilities, at great cost to the taxpayers and the horses themselves” (“BLM Called Upon to Halt Wild
Horse Roundups” 2).
6. “The herd will be left with a predominantly male sex ratio…” (“Foundation Demands BLM Call Off
Massive Winter Mustang Roundups” 1).
7. “Activists maintain that a colt was run also hard and long during the roundup that the hoof walls on its
two hind feet came off, leaving exposed bones and nerves. The colt was euthanized …” (Griffith 1).
8. “A mare fell down in a trailer after being driven for miles on the range by a helicopter… and died a
short time later” (Griffith 1).
9. “Of six horses that have died at the Fallon facility, five involved mares thought to have experienced
difficulty making the transition to hay feed” (Griffith 2).
10. “BLM is creating a paper trail of reports… that will render palatable conclusions for the agency”
(“American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign” 1).
11. “The Antelope Valley Complex roundup aims to remove more than 2,000 federally protected wild
horses from a 1.3 million acres public lands area leaving behind approximately 427 horses” (“American
Wild Horse Preservation Campaign” 1).
12. “These roundups scheduled by the BLM are costing taxpayers $40 million per year. The costs are for
the holding pens and the roundup removal process using helicopters and select cattle ranchers…”
(“American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign” 2).
13. “In Montana this will leave a non-viable herd of only 120 horses” (“Unprecedented” 2).
14. “…humane advocates are currently being prevented from observing this roundup” (“Unprecedented”
2).
15. “Young foals, only days old, will be driven by helicopters and are in serious danger of being hurt or
killed” (“Unprecedented” 2).
16. “The horses have lived here for over 200 years” (“Unprecedented” 2).
17. “The range is still green in late August following three years of above average rain…”
(“Unprecedented” 2).
18. “The BLM plans to remove 17 horses over ten years old, and old, sick or lame horses shall be
destroyed” (“Unprecedented” 2).
19. “When they take out the old horses they remove the ones that know the way to water, the good
grass, the way around the canyon-they’re taking all the knowledge of the herd” (“Unprecedented” 2).
20. “The BLM will destroy this unique little Spanish herd, leaving them well below the bare minimum for
genetic viability” (“Unprecedented” 3).
21. “[a contractor] rounded up protected American mustangs, and hauled them to a slaughter house in
Texas where they lost their lives” (“Unprecedented” 6).
22. “…newborn foals run to exhaustion, found hog tied and abandoned on the range, horses and burros
bleeding from the nostrils, broken legs …” (“Unprecedented” 6).
23. “…range damage is caused by privately-owned livestock, which outnumber horses more than 100 to
one” (“Unprecedented” 9).
24. “Restore protections included in the 1971 ‘Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act’”
(“Unprecedented” 10).
25. “Last month at least 34 wild horses died or were euthanized during and after a forced roundup”
(Cohen 3).
26. “Many of the horses who died as a result of the roundup were forced by helicopters to run for miles in
extreme heat” (Cohen 3).
27. “There are currently more ‘wild’ horses in captive holding pens (awaiting slaughter trucks?) than there
are in the wild” (Cohen 6).
28. “Mares run so hard that they miscarry their foal or the foal is born too premature to survive” (Cohen
6).
29. “The horses’ designated habitat has decreased by 30% since 1971” (Phillips 1).
30. “The BLM must round up at least 10,000 horses every year…” (Phillips 2).
31. “Horses are gelded; unique herds are wiped out…” (Phillips 5).
32. “Heavily pregnant mares had to run for miles chased by helicopters just a few feet from their heads…”
(Phillips 5).
33. “Ranchers and farmers want the land for their livestock, or the land is wanted for mining” (Phillips 6).
34. “In California…the BLM is running wild horses and burros ten miles or more over rough volcanic
terrain with helicopters” (“BLM” 1).
35. “California has lost 16 of the original 38 wild horse herds” (“BLM” 1).
36. “Over 32,000 privately-owned cattle and sheep are permitted to graze annually on Twin Peaks area”
(“BLM” 1).
37. “Revenues generated yearly from livestock grazing fees are estimated at $120,000 … while the cost of
roundups is over $4 million” (“BLM” 1).
38. “At the end of the nineteenth century, there were two million wild horses ranging across seventeen
states” (Stillman 296).
39. “After Bush was elected president, wild horse roundups escalated ferociously” (Stillman 294).
40. “When the colts come in, they’re not worth anything because they’re so small. So they hit them in the
head and throw them in the gut pile” (Stillman 298).
41. “They use a stun gun. Supposedly to kill them instantly. And this black stallion took six shots and still
did not go down…he got loose on the kill florr and they had to get a rifle…” (Stillman 299).
42. ‘The horse is our great silent witness” (Stillman 304).
43. “Without natural controls such as predators or effective fertility control, populations [of horses] can
double every four to five years” (“Working Toward Sustainable Management” 8).
44. “Wild horses are destroying the natural eco-system for numerous flora and fauna in California and
Nevada” (King, Personal Interview).