(Robin at Palomino Valley BLM corral on Saturday, October 5th, 2013)

On Friday, we headed towards Reno, Nevada to check on the 1700 horses at PVC holding facility.

Here is what I found:
I found the gates closed with a notice posted about the government shutdown.

I arrived at feeding time and workers were dropping bales of hay from a truck. The hay looked good, there was no visible mold. (Please note: moldy hay has been documented previously at this facility both in feeders and in hay stacks.)

I was able to see that the piles of dirt that look suspicious from satellite photos are actually much larger in person and most likely piles of manure. (Please note: a 2008 BLM report admitted "most facilities currently use a rendering service, burial at a local landfill, or burial on-site.")

I could not see any new shade structures.

I could not verify that the horses had water, because I couldn't get close enough.

Click here for a video perspective of how many horses are there.

Here is a narrative of what I hear happened:
Water pipe froze, trough didn't get filled.
An advocate noticed the trouble and shared the information.
The situation was remedied.

We applaud Patty Bumgarner for volunteering her time and care.

To truly care for all of our wild horses, we have to work together. The horses need people like Patty.The horses need people to check on them out there on the range and also in the holding facilities.

Going forward:
There is another holding facility in Nevada - one you don't hear about. Why? Because it's CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. Broken Arrow facility is home for 2,500 horses and burros and I am not allowed to go check on them there.

For now, all the facilities are closed and none of the horses will be getting out. The government has also shutdown www.blm.gov. What will become of our horses?

PS We also are doing other things while we are here that I can't wait to tell you about. Thank you everyone for supporting our cause!