Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
November 6, 2019
Page 7
Many horses treated at W.S. gelding clinic
by Beth Matanane
Warm Springs
Horse Network
G elding is a practice
long-entrenched in the world
of tribal wild horse herd
management. However, the
practice of gelding—or cas-
tration—represents far more
than simply a medical pro-
cedure, performed on stal-
lions to prevent future breed-
ing.
The entire equine castra-
tion activity is heavily steeped
in tribal tradition.
Forty of 50 years ago
Warm Springs family mem-
bers practiced equine castra-
tion as a necessity for healthy
herd management.
It was time of celebration
for Warm Springs family
members, as they worked to-
gether for the preservation
of the herds that would also
preserve the tribal traditions
and lifestyle.
Both men and women
rode together, gathering
horses from the wilds, gath-
ering them as selected for
branding and the castration
procedure.
All young men were ex-
pected to participate as well,
learning how to work with
the horses, and become pro-
ductive members of the
family.
The practice still exists,
connecting families and up-
holding tradition.
I was privileged to witness
a tribal castration activity. I
did this in conjunction with
Oregon State University.
I heard many stories of
how the entire family’s men,
women and children would
ride together on their saddle
horses, gathering and bring-
ing in wild horses from res-
ervation lands.
Tribal member Tacu Lee
Wich is proud of his heritage,
ancestry and family. His eyes
sparkled as he shared his own
story with me, “Even my
grandmother Annie was part
of the day.”
Mr. Wich expressed his
pride in family stewardship,
as he explained that the
younger boys were not al-
lowed to play until the day’s
chores were finished.
At the OSU horse clinic
in October, Tacu Lee was a
happy man today, watching
all his family work together.
The Lincoln Jay Suppah
family also rides together,
gathering up wild horses for
many weeks prior to the cas-
Vaccine injection at the Gelding Clinic.
... Once the horse
accepted the seda-
tive affects and laid
down, its legs were
secured with ropes,
the steady tension
skillfully managed
by the mounted
tribal members
surrounding the
sedated animal.
tration clinic. Fay Hurtado
is considered the matriarch
of this family.
Her equine knowledge
and organizational skills are
one of the driving forces be-
hind this family’s successful
place in the equine world.
Most importantly, Fay
has always kept the tradi-
tional tribal ways at the cen-
ter of what is being accom-
plished with the horses.
Fay strongly believes in
the importance of keeping
tribal horse herd numbers
manageable and healthy,
through good practices and
gelding young stallions.
She said that in the early
2000s there were so many
reservation horses that one
stallion could claim up to 35
mares.
Fast forward to 2008—
when in a moment of ‘past
meets the present’—Fay
contacted the OSU Depart-
ment of Animal Sciences
and College of Veterinary
Medicine. Together they or-
chestrated a well-planned
castration clinic in Warm
Springs.
Fay remembers how the
restoration of ‘the lost art
of family gatherings’ was
aided by the Oregon State
program. It was a historical
event that combined tribal
members working on horse-
back and OSU staff and
students, who took turns
gelding.
Lunch was provided to
all, as we formed positive
partnerships.
In 2011 Fay provided
participants with printed
tee-shirts that read ‘I Sur-
vived Dirt, Dust and Drag-
ging.’ That statement
proudly represented that
day’s accomplishments.
The clinic in October was
the thirteenth successful
year for the event: Twenty-
one horses were success-
fully gelded.
This fall’s event team in-
cluded Warm Springs Agri-
culture, Range and Ag and
the Branch of Natural Re-
sources, and the OSU Vet-
erinary School.
Natural Resources orga-
nized and facilitated this ex-
ceptional day of learning,
sharing and communica-
tion.
Among the participants
were Dr. Jacob Mecham,
Doctor of Veterinatary
Medicine, and assistant pro-
fessor of Clinical Equine
Science Faculty; and Dr.
Jorge Vanegas, Doctor of
Veterinatary Medicine, as-
sociate professor of Clini-
cal Science and Rural Vet-
erinary Practice.
On hand was Dr.
Vanessa De Souza, resident,
graduate student in
Theriogenology, specializ-
ing in reproductive medicine
and provided guidance.
Dr. Mecham summed
up the results of this par-
Beth Matanane/WSHN
ticular clinic as a win-win
for students and horses.
“The Warm Springs gelding
clinic is a large portion of
the experience the students
receive regarding gelding,”
the doctor said.
All participating gelding
clinic students were women
this year—A first in its his-
tory.
Undergraduate student
Jaymie Belcher owns a mus-
tang and she would always
own a mustang. Jamie is
now considering a Warm
Springs tribal horse as her
next horse.
At the clinic safety was
of the utmost importance,
and clear instruction was
provided to all on the ne-
cessity of being alert, and
having a conscious and con-
stant awareness of their sur-
roundings and activity.
A variety of techniques
and procedures were taught
and implemented by stu-
dents, including the use of
the ‘Henderson tool’. This
tool is a specialized, stateof
the art castration clamp,
aiding in minimizing blood
loss for the animals.
In addition to gelding
processes, some tribal mem-
bers branded their horses.
Vaccinations were adminis-
tered by OSU students, in-
cluding the West Nile virus
vaccine.
Dr. Mecham’s assistant
and OSU Veterinary Tech-
nician Kim Veldman pre-
pared and dispensed vac-
cines and sedation for ad-
ministration.
Each horse was given
appropriate sedation ac-
cording to weight approxi-
mation, plus temperament
assessment. Kim spent
The Warm Springs gelding clinic saw many participants, and more that 20 horses treated.
many hours preparing for
this event.
One tribal member
asked to have his mare
branded and vaccinated,
and mentioned she might
possibly be carrying a foal.
When palpated for preg-
nancy by Dr. Vanessa De
Souza, the beautiful bay
mare was confirmed to be
at three months gestation.
This discovery added to the
excitement on Gelding
Clinic day.
Another horse was
found with an injury. While
sedated the animal under-
went a tooth extraction.
I liken the entire opera-
tion I witnessed to be ‘a
dance as old as time—A
precision dance that incor-
porated traditional meth-
ods, skilled hands and ex-
perienced riders on proven
saddle horses.
It was obvious that the
tribal members were en-
tirely familiar with the op-
eration unfolding before
me. And they understood
the necessity of carefully
orchestrated teamwork.
It was a dance, a song
of precision with all danc-
ers proficient in the steps
of accuracy and history’s
melody. The teamwork
among tribal members,
OSU and the other partici-
pants was astounding.
Each horse was initially
guided into a hydraulic
chute, front and rear gates
were closed with the horse
standing inside. OSU stu-
dents then expertly admin-
istered sedation, medica-
tions, blood draws and vac-
cines.
I remember hearing the
harsh, metal-on-metal
sound of the release gate
opening, seeing the horse’s
first preliminary reaction,
indignant steps towards its
perceived freedom.
A single, mounted tribal
member would shadow the
horse, watching carefully as
the horse became woozy
under the sedation, as its
hoof placement became
less accurate.
Once the horse accepted
the sedative affects and laid
down, its legs were secured
with ropes, the steady ten-
sion skillfully managed by
the mounted tribal members
surrounding the sedated ani-
mal.
Steady pressure on the
ropes was applied from
their saddles, with each man
... the cherished
Pacific Northwest
American Heri-
tage horses from
the Warm Springs
Reservation...
and his saddle horse literally
locked onto the job they
were performing.
Another tribal member
would sit at the horse’s head,
holding it and covering its
eyes.
Each person was affixed
on the timing and the preci-
sion needed for the process
to be successful and without
incident—It was a true
dance to behold!
The day’s experienced
tribal members, working
alongside the skilled OSU
veterinary team and stu-
dents, made this clinic a well-
planned and very successful
event.
There were no injuries to
either human or horse. The
impact of stress to the horses
was at a minimum; and all
horses were up and walking
within a short time.
Special recognition goes
to Avon ‘Von’ Garcia, a
young man 14 years of age.
Von made sure the leg
ropes were secure on the
horses as they lay down un-
der sedation. He assisted in
meeting any need his team
requested.
Von has learned the tribal
way, and observed the pre-
cision and compassion in
which the OSU students ap-
plied their own skills to the
work. Von has proven he is
a valued team member for
tomorrow’s future.
He and his uncle Dustin
Suppah were recently fea-
tured in an OPB news article.
See it at:
opb.org/news/article/
wild-horses-warm-springs-
oregon-chase/.
The tribal members and
their roles in the Gelding
Clinic were many and var-
ied:
Jay Suppah, Range Man-
agement ride boss for the
Simnasho Grazing District,
oversaw all the tribal men
who participated. Terry
Stradley, Maynard Jim and
Terry Squiemphen operated
the panels that guided the
horses into the chute.
See HORSES on page 8
Beth Matanane/WSHN