More About Me
Hello everyone. Today’s post is going to be a little different and very long. Many of you who follow this page are unaware of who I am or what I actually do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Some are confused, thinking that I am a non-profit because I have a large page. That is not true. I am a private person and have only spoken personally about myself once in the 8 years I have been running this page. I shared with you about my depression and how I use tracking and hiking as a way to help without medication. It took a lot for me to write that post, but it was important for me to share a small piece of myself with you all at that time. Since then, I have shared the horses and my stories with them but often leave out a lot of details of what I actually do and what I mentally and physically go through tracking this herd. So here we go.
To start, I live close to the park, so I can visit it on any given day. I am a park visitor, just like all of you. I met Eileen from Wild in North Dakota ten years ago, and she taught me about the herd and the park. I work with Eileen in certain areas, including foals, but I am not a member of anyone’s board. I am a private citizen who enjoys tracking the horses and volunteering my time. I do not get paid for anything I do out here, and I have never been paid. I also have about as much power with the park as the lady who runs the gas station. Period.
Now, on to what it is I do inside the park. As I said, I live close, so I can track the herd more easily than others. What most of you do not know is that I am the only person who goes on deep hikes to reach ALL the horses’ year-round. Yes, that means I am the only person hiking long distances no matter the time of year or weather continuously. We live in ND. It snows here. So yes, I hike through the snow to get the answers for EVERYONE who loves these horses for at least four months. Occasionally, I have a hiking buddy, but for the most part, it is ONLY ME! We all have our strengths when it comes to what we do for this herd, and my strength lies inside the park. I am not saying that those living here or nearby never hike or help, so please do not misunderstand. They do a great deal, but this is rough terrain, and I am one of the few people who live close by who are physically able to do extensive hikes and searches. So, a lot falls on me.
I am not the type of person who likes to discuss details of my work because I have my ego in check. However, I felt it was time to stand up for the work I have done finally. I work my butt off for this herd inside of the park, literally. Two years ago, I weighed 140 lbs, I now weigh 100 lbs and have no butt. That is not from sitting around and waiting for someone else to do the work for me.
Now, about my volunteer time with the park this past week. I will share what I can but will only share things concerning me. I will not speak for the park, their staff, or any other volunteer. When people choose to speak for others, misinformation is spread, and I refuse to contribute to such behavior.
First, I want to tell you what I did BEFORE the roundup. When the park notified the public of a roundup on September 27th (yes, despite what you may have heard, myself and WIND found out about this on the same day as all of you), I contacted the park with a list of the injured horses and asked that they avoid bringing them in. I hiked to each horse last week to find out their location so they could be avoided. Thirty miles later, I had a list, and the park agreed it was unnecessary to bring them in. Two days before the roundup, I hiked to a horse no one was checking up close to ensure all was well. He has a significant injury to his leg and is struggling to walk right now. I quickly notified the park of this injury, and he was NOT brought in. That was something that, as a concerned park visitor, I was able to talk calmly to the park about, and without hesitation, they agreed. I am grateful for that.
I was asked to help ID horses as they came through because the park is aware that I know the herd well. My only job was to help ID each horse, so it was correctly entered. I stood in the same spot all day and did not move. This was a large operation with many, many people helping. We each had a position, and we did not move from that. I did not place collars. I did not draw blood. I did not give GonaCon. I did not move from my spot ALL DAY except to pee or eat lunch. So, if you think I had some inside scoop as to who got GonaCon or anything that was done in that area, you are wrong. Many of you have never seen the facility’s layout, and if you did, you would realize it is impossible to see and hear everything. I know as much as all of you and will find out just like everyone else when the park chooses to share that information. End of story.
Now, about the collars. Do I like them? Of course I don’t, but if any of you believe I had the power to walk up and say, ‘I do not like those; do not put them on,’ you are greatly mistaken. No one has that power. Not even the non-profits. But what I can do is make sure I check the mares with the collars regularly and report anything I feel is unsafe. Before leaving, I ensured I knew the proper measures for reporting a problem if a collar needed to be remotely removed (yes, they can do that). Any of you can report a problem as well, and I genuinely hope you do if you see an issue while visiting the park.
So, to close, you may disagree with me volunteering, but I did it for several reasons. I wanted to see firsthand what happens in this process. I could not do that from the road. I also wanted to ensure the horses were treated with respect and the best care. If you disagree with my decision, that is fine. You have the right to think and believe anything you like. I am aware that some individuals have based their opinions on what happened based on the small details they have been provided. That is entirely your decision. However, in this day and age, with social media being the way it is, I hope you will first try to find out the truth rather than immediately believe everything you read.
I love these horses. I will never stop loving these horses. No one will ever make me feel like I do not love horses. I will continue to do what I do in the park despite any negativity resulting from this, and if you choose, you can follow along with me. I know I am good at this, and I know we would not have a lot of answers, including where deceased horses are if it was not for me doing what I do.
I have always tried to keep this page a place where you could come and see pictures of the horses without negativity. I plan on keeping it that way. So, while you are entitled to your opinion, I am also free to run my page as I wish, and I will delete any negative comments. I generally do not ban people, either, but if it comes to that, please know that will also happen. I do not have time to deal with drama as I need to get back into the park to check on the horses and continue to do what I do. I will do my best to answer questions, but again, I did not see everything and refuse to speak about things I did not see for myself. Thank you for reading. – Tiffany
Pictured is Band Stallion Frontier from my visit with his band last week.