NATIONAL TRIBAL HORSE COALITION OPPOSES MADELEINE PICKENS WILD HORSE FLOAT IN ROSE BOWL PARADE
Pendleton, Oregon - The National Tribal Horse Coalition (NTHC) represents member land based Tribal Nations who are experiencing devastating issues with overpopulation of feral horses on their homelands. These feral horses on federally recognized Reservations are free roaming animals, virtually the same as the antelope, deer, elk and moose, and are not mustangs. The reservations have also become dumping grounds for unwanted/abandoned horses; this has caused undue economical stress on the Tribes. The NTHC is working diligently to find resolution to the overpopulation/abandonment problem, the NTHC authored both resolutions for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the National Congress of American Indians to bring focus to the problems being encountered; NTHC has not been dictated by any outside influences (read: Sue Wallis, R-WY)ever and has made public the various possible solutions (we want to build a slaughterplant), in this effort the NTHC has encountered much opposition from animal rights advocacy groups who have freely used the symbolism of the North American Indians and horses.
The NTHC strongly opposes a Madeleine Pickens sponsored float depicting a herd of wild mustangs galloping down the Rose Parade route on January 1, 2011 - under the watchful eyes of a concerned "Native American" . The NTHC is opposed to animal rights groups like the Madeleine Pickens Wild Mustang Foundation who have freely used the symbolism of the North American Indians and horses to promote agendas in direct opposition to the tribes' position, this float is a perfect example of the romanticism affiliated with the North American Indians and their horses, therefore, the NTHC calls on the leadership of the Rose Bowl Parade and any and all other decision makers to prevent this float from being in the parade as it is an abuse of the reputation of the North American Indian.
Update: Since the leadership of the Rose Bowl Parade roundly ignored the NTHC and the Wild Horse float was allowed to participate in the 2011 parade, the NTHC is currently collaborating with Sue Wallis on a float design to represent the NTHC in next year's Tournament of Roses parade.
Kathereene Minthorn Woodchuck, representative for the NTHC, explained the float, to be named "Native American Pride: Turning Feral Into Food" will be designed by Temple Grandin. It will feature a replica of a kill chute, a new state-of-the-art captive bolt gun, and an enormous, larger-than-life-sized pinto stallion, hung from a hind leg next to a Native American in full ceremonial garb wielding a large feather-embellished boning knife. "We will be using rose petals, poppy seeds, and yellow daisies to decorate the float" Kathereene said. "We would have used our sacred medicinal tribal-ceremonial plants, but those feral horses ate them all" she added.