Animals’ Angels investigators arrived at the premises on 5/20/14 at 9:00am. This BLM Short-Term Holding facility is privately owned and operated and can hold up to 2,850 wild horses. According to the BLM’s website, the 320 acre property contains 36 large holding pens, each capable of holding approximately 100 horses. Troy Adams, a rancher who is also in the Angus business, obtained a 5 year contract with the BLM (1/01/2010 to 12/31/2015) to take care of these horses, which will cost the US taxpayer more than 18 Million Dollars.
Broken Arrow is no stranger to controversy. Although hard-working American tax dollars pay for the operations of the facility, after the infamous Calico round-up of 2009/2010 and public outcry over images of emaciated foals, injured or ill animals taken during one of the few public tours, the doors were shut to the public for good.
So what does happen to these thousands of horses, tucked away in a private facility? Based on our May investigation, they appear to get “fattened."
Although the facility is mostly hidden and secluded from view, investigators were able to film the horses in the back pens.
The horses were all of good weight, eating from long rows of feed troughs that seemed to have an endless supply of food. Throughout the 4 days at the property, investigators couldn’t help but be reminded of the Bouvry feedlots in Canada, as the set-up (like a feedlot) as well as lethargic horses lying flat on their sides was remarkably similar. The pens were crowded, and no shelter was available in most of them.
On the second day of documenting, investigators heard what sounded to be a series of six gunshots coming from the pen area, out of sight.
We have requested the mortality and disposal records from the Broken Arrow/Indian Lakes facility and will continue to monitor the facility.
