Santa Barbara News-Press: 07 March 2004

Concert rounds up cash for horses
Charity event raises feed money

By HILDY MEDINA
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

About 300 people ponied up $40 each for a live-band-and-barbecue benefit at El Capitan Canyon Campground on Saturday to help feed wild mustangs corralled in controversy.

The "Wild Horses Canyon Concert" is the first fund-raiser for Wildhorses in Need, or WIN, a group formed to care for the more than 100 horses seized by county officials in one of the area's largest animal cruelty cases in recent history. Part of the money raised will go to Return to Freedom, the American Wild Horse Sanctuary, in Lompoc.

The benefit comes less than a month after Buellton rancher Slick Gardner pled innocent to nine felony counts and a misdemeanor charge stemming from his alleged poor treatment of hundreds of wild horses and a year after neighbors and passersby began questioning his care and treatment of the animals.

Those complaints sparked a probe by county Animal Services which eventually led to two large raids in September and the seizure of 167 horses. The wild mustangs, which originally had been captured in Nevada, were taken away by the county, which wouldn't specify their new homes due to the ongoing criminal investigation.

Neither Mr. Gardner, who recently lost his bid for the 3rd District supervisorial seat, nor the raids were on the conversational menu at Saturday's benefit.

"This is a fund-raiser to raise money for feed," said Neda DeMayo, founder of Return to Freedom. "The county was recently inundated with a rescue project and as a wild horse sanctuary we're always going to help wild horses when and where we can."


Natasha Lohmus, an event organizer, said all the money raised will go to pay earlier feed and care bills for the rescued animals as well as future feed costs.

Some people sat in lawn chairs to listen to the band Colorado and Kelp while others kept a close watch on donated silent-auction items donated by local jewelers, vendors and artists. The items ranged from semi-precious jewelry and paintings valued at $1,000 to riding lessons and a Mammoth vacation rental.

Use of the the private campground was also donated for Saturday's event.

"We came up to donate to the cause, listen to good music and enjoy the day," said Dion Tate of Santa Barbara.

Pedro Nava, a coastal commissioner and candidate for the 35th Assembly District seat, said he is a supporter of the wild horses because they "represent the American spirit in their strength and power and especially their purity."

Most of the wild horses seized from the Gardner ranch came from the state of Nevada and arrived over the last three years, though about half of them arrived in early February 2003.

Mr. Gardner struck deals with the Western Shoshone Indians and the federal Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management to purchase them for $1 a piece. He ended up with about 500, and still has custody of more than 300 of the animals.

A petition to protect wild horses draws the attention of Marjorie Carter, above, of Greenfield, Mass. Barbecuing chicken is Martin Martinez of El Capitan Canyon private campground.