Wild Spayed Filly Futurity

One of our most successful initiatives so far has been the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity. This program was inspired by lawsuits filed by animal rights extremist groups against the BLM for proposing to incorporate spaying as a tool for population management of wild horses on the range. In response, Protect The Harvest stepped in to offer an opportunity to show that spaying is a viable and humane option. The program also shows the athletic and dynamic ability of wild horses to hopefully encourage more adoptions. In its inaugural year, Protect The Harvest arranged for the purchase and spay of twelve selected rangeland fillies. These fillies were offered for sale at the 2017 Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. They sold with an invitation to compete in their own reined cow horse division at the following Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. Winner of the competition received $25,000 dollars sponsored by Lucas Oil. The fillies competed in all three of the reined cowhorse events: herd work, rein work, and fence work. The event was a huge success and is continuing in its third year now. Since that inaugural event, the program has garnered national attention for its unique approach to wild horse and rangeland education. Additionally, we produced television episodes that aired on RFD TV in 2018 and 2019 that followed the fillies from the beginning of their training to the competition in Reno. These episodes received some of the highest Nielsen ratings for the network and are now available on YouTube and other television networks. Beyond having one of the largest audiences in recent years at the Reno coliseum, the program also reached millions of people over the course of the year. Further proving the program was successful at bringing the public’s attention to the animal welfare crisis on American rangelands. https://protecttheharvest.com/initiatives/wild-spayed-filly-futurity/