On September 21, 2011 I attended my first BLM wild horse gather. I did not know what to expect. I watched a few videos that made it look like it might be a horrific affair but what I saw was all good. The BLM people were friendly, courteous and went out of their way to help us. I was impressed with the helicopter work. The horses looked good, did not seem very stressed at anytime, there were no injuries or deaths. It was overall a pleasant experience. I was a little far away for photos but I was using a 500mm lens with a 1.4 extender and liked that fact that I was far enough back to see the 'whole picture'. Remember that using telephoto will make the elements in a photo look closer to each other than they really are. I will absolutely miss some of my favorite Piceance horses that will not be there but it is crucial to remove some horses to keep the range healthy so there will always be wildlife and wild horses in Piceance.