News

2-1-08 L B Ranch is a privately owned, Florida cattle ranch. The Mustang horses here are privately owned by Larry and Barbara Jones and are in no way owned by the government, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Dept of the Interior (DOI). Most of our horses were purchased from the government in 2005 for which we received a bill of sale, however we have owned Mustangs for many years. All of our horses are registered with the American Mustang and Burro Assn which is a horse and burro registry of member owned Mustang and Burro owners such as we are. We are not representatives of BLM and do not hold BLM adoptions at our ranch. The "Rules of Adoption" listed on our "Learn More" page are the rules of BLM and do not reflect any policy of L B Ranch. We supply this link as well as the "Bureau of Land Management" link in order to be of help to anyone interested in adopting a BLM horse. We do encourage people to adopt BLM horses if they will provide a good home for the horse. We also encourage these owners to join AMBA and register their horse with them. Any rules or regulations, policies, handling, pricing or transportation rules of horses by BLM should not be mistaken as rules of L B Ranch. Any content or comments of any organization found on our "Learn More" page are those of those organizations and not of L B Ranch. We do however encourage people to study these links in order to better understand what is happening to the wild Mustangs and Burros in our Western states. We do encourage you to read our "About Us" page in order to understand our goals here at L B Ranch. We are very thankful to all of you who have showed such great interest in our Mustang and Burro herds and for the many letters from those of you who have visited us to see and study the horses. We are looking forward to 2008 and meeting any who come out to see us.
Larry & Barbara Jones
L B Ranch
Myakka City , Florida

11-7-07 We get a lot of folks who want to know how to train a Mustang so we have decided to post this bit of information concerning the training of Mustangs. We hope it helps. If you are working with a Mustang adopted from the wild you first need to get it familiar with it's surroundings. The horses do not know about people, pens or fences. They do not know about horse feed or halters, lead ropes or horse trailers. You have to be willing to spend enough time to teach all this to the horse before you can even think of teaching it to ride. If you have never trained a horse we suggest that you first talk with someone who has. Perhaps a professional trainer. You can also go to our "Learn More" page and click on "Mustangs 4 Us" or "Wild Horse Mentors" and get a lot of good information about training a wild horse. Training a wild horse takes a lot of time. So make sure you have the time required. We see a lot of horses that people give up on because they misjudged the amount of time it takes to train them. However the time spent can be very rewarding and your Mustang can be a friend for life. Remember. Your horse's future is in your ability to spend the time it takes to learn and train it. If you see you cannot train the horse get help. There are a lot of mentors around the country that are willing to help. You will find a list of these people on the "Wild Horse Mentors" page.

2-12-07 While researching for my book, "Living With Wild Horses" we have found that the very first "wild horses" appeared right here in Florida around 1528. Ponce de Leon brought the first Spanish Barb Horses to Florida in 1521. Narvaez brought horses to what is now the Tampa Bay region in 1528 from Cuba. Because his ships were taking on water, he offloaded and turned loose into the wild 200 Spanish horses, at what is now Port Charlotte. These wild horses multiplied into thousands. They later came to be known as "Cracker Horses" which served the South's ranches as well as the Confederate Army in the Civil War. Wild horses did not appear in the west until the early 1600's when the Indians rebelled against the Spanish and stole thousands of Spanish horses. The story of the "Cracker Horse" can be read by clicking on "The Cracker Horse Assn" on our Learn More page. It is also interesting to note that the first Spanish cattle in this country arrived in Florida about the same time.

12-26-06 We at L B Ranch Mustangs have set a number of goals for the year 2007 that we would like to share with the people who care about Mustangs. We have concluded that the best way to help the horses is to educate the public. After two years of hard work on the part of many organizations as well as individuals, it never stops amazing us how little the public knows about what is happening to the horses as well as America's public lands. After all. Greed for the land is the horses number one enemy. Only a government that is willing to protect the land from money hungry people will in turn help to save the horses.

Therefore in 2007 we are expanding our educational outreach to schools and groups interested in the history of the Mustang and the contribution it has made to this nation. Also we will increase our efforts to make the public aware of what the government is doing to destroy them and why. Our book, "Living With Wild Horses", will be completed and will tell the story quite well.

Thanks to all of you who have visited our ranch, heard the story, and are helping to make change. Thanks to the news people who have been interested enough to put our story in print and on the air around the country. The best to you all in 2007.

Larry and Barbara Jones
L B Ranch Mustangs
Myakka City, Florida

11-10-06   We are happy to say we have two more foals!!
A Bay Filly and a Palomino Colt born on the same night!!  We also have two 18 month old fillies that are now in training. How the government can keep removing these great horses by the tens of thousands is something I cannot understand.  These were the horses that made this nation. If you look at our "Gallery Page" you can see our new fouls and the two that are in training.  We are very proud of these horses and the fact that they have accepted us as friends.

10-10-06 Horsin' around: Larry Jones shelters wild mustangs at his Myakka ranch

Photographers, painters and other artists haven't stopped calling Larry Jones since he got a special delivery in April 2005.

"One lady is working on painting the entire herd," Jones said.

Jones is referring to the herd of mustangs he adopted from the Bureau of Land Management in order to save their lives.

Jones is a quiet family man who is not searching for the spotlight but will take it if he can get the word out about the struggle of wild mustangs.

"They're getting rid of the horses in order to graze cattle and look for oil," Jones said.

The 'they,' in this case, is the federal government.

"In another 10 to 15 years, I don't think there will be a horse left out there," Jones said.

Mustangs used to roam public lands in the West but many of the government-owned parcels are being leased to ranchers and others who don't want the horses on the land, Jones said.

Though he had raised mustangs in the past and they had always been part of life on LB Ranch, this time he had 34 dropped off all at once. Now 54 strong, due to another load from BLM and several births on the ranch, Jones' hobby is more of a full-time job.

"It's a lot of work," Jones said.

His wife, Barbara, shares his love for the horses, although he said sometimes having such a herd limits traveling.

"She enjoys the horses, especially when one of them has a foal," Jones said.

His love for the horses is apparent, though he has no intention of trying to domesticate them. He knows trying to change the nature, especially of the older horses, is not realistic.

"Even if you trained them, you could never fully trust them," Jones said.

Part of the problem would be not knowing the horse's history and what may frighten it.

Mustangs from the first shipment are relatively tame and standing among them, Jones mused that if he was 20 again, he might give it a shot.

At 68, he just wants them to have a safe and happy home where they don't have to ever worry about going to slaughter.

"They are going to live the rest of their lives here," Jones said.

When the mustangs arrived, they were frightened, malnourished and their coats were very dull. Those same horses are no longer scared to get close to humans, are well-fed with shiny coats and quite a few are pregnant.

"He cares about these horses. They are an American heritage," said Chris, Jones' youngest son.

Chris works on the ranch beside his father, where in addition to the mustangs, there are 600 head of cattle.

The early years

It wasn't always the rancher's life for the Jones family.

Born in Tampa, Jones met Barbara at Hillsborough High School.

"We were high school sweethearts," Jones said.

The couple has been married for nearly 50 years and raised five sons together.

The Joneses moved to Bradenton in the 1960s and formed Jones and Sons Pest Control, but he knew his heart belonged somewhere else and so did Barbara's.

"We were years in the planning stages of doing what we're doing," Jones said.

He said all they needed to do was make enough money and wait until the sons were old enough to take over the pest control business. Three of their five sons live on LB Ranch, which encompasses nearly 1,000 acres.

The mustangs' plight

According to numbers from the BLM, 20,000 wild horses have been taken off public lands this year alone.

"If we didn't take them, these horses would be dead," Chris Jones added.

The more time Larry Jones spends with the horses, the more he feels the need to tell their story and their history. He has started a Web site, www.lbranchmustangs.com, telling much of what is going on in the West with mustangs.

He also is writing a book, marrying the mustang's 500-year history in the United States with his personal experiences.

"My dad has probably set [the BLM] up with more people than anybody else," Chris Jones said.

In addition to artists, animal lovers often call or e-mail Larry Jones to find out what they can do to help. The BLM even sends him pamphlets and bumper stickers to help him get out the message.

While Jones and his family enjoy the horses, he wishes for a day when they will be allowed to live free again, but until then, he is steadfast about protecting them.

"I hope people will want to preserve their heritage for their children," Chris Jones said. "That's what my dad and I are trying to do here, on a small scale."

Melissa Followell, Herald reporter, can be reached at
708-7920 or mfollowell@HeraldToday.com

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07-20-06: We have in the past discussed the in's and out's of the wild horse situation in the west. However, we have never talked about Spanish horses in Florida. It is true that the very first Spanish horses arrived in America in the 1500's and right here in Florida as well as Spanish longhorn cattle. One of the oldest horse associations in the united states is the Florida Cracker Horse Association founded in 1989. These men and women have done a great job of preserving this Spanish horse. Their web address is www.floridacrackerhorses.com. We are listing it on our learn more page. It is a very interesting page . No history of the American mustang can be complete without the Florida history included.

04-04-05: BLM SELLS 30 WILD HORSES TO CATTLE RANCHER
(press release from the bureau of land management)

“They are unique – tough, sure-footed, and when you make a friend with a mustang, you've got a friend for life.”
-- Florida Cattle Rancher Larry Jones

The Bureau of Land Management today announced that it is selling 30 wild horses to a Florida cattle rancher who will provide long-term care for the mustangs on his 1,000-acre ranch.

Larry Jones, who owns and operates the Sarasota-area LB Ranch, is buying 16 mares and 14 geldings from the BLM under a new law passed by Congress.

“Our agency is delighted to announce this sale to Mr. Jones, a rancher whose love for mustangs has led him to provide a home for 30 wild horses. The BLM encourages other ranchers who are interested in providing long-term care to consider buying wild horses available for sale,” BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said.

Jones and his wife, Barbara, run more than 500 cattle on their ranch. He says he has loved mustangs since he was a young man.

“I've spent a lot of time with them,” Jones said. “They taught me how to be a cowboy. They are unique – tough, sure-footed, and when you make a friend with a mustang, you've got a friend for life.”

The BLM has sold, or is completing the sales of, more than 1,400 wild horses under a law (Section 142 of Public Law 108-447) that took effect in December 2004. This law directs the Bureau to sell wild horses and burros older than 10, or that have failed to be adopted at least three times. About 8,400 BLM-managed animals became eligible for sale under the new criteria. The sales do not affect BLM's thriving adoption program.

Jones, a member of the Florida Cattlemen's Association, plans to keep 20 of the wild horses and offer the other 10 for sale to other Florida ranchers or others who are willing and able to provide long-term care. Jones said he will require any buyer to sign a contract calling for humane treatment of the animal; if he is not convinced of the buyer's intentions, Jones said he will keep the horse on his ranch, which he has owned for more than 20 years.

Jones said he hopes his purchase will create interest among his fellow cattlemen. “If ranchers have the available land and forage, they should consider buying some of the mustangs that the Bureau must sell,” Jones said. “Those who do will be adding to their ranching experience while giving horses a good home.”

The Bureau's wild horse sales, all of which have been negotiated with buyers committed to long-term care of the animals, have included more than 600 horses to two Indian Tribes in the Dakotas; 200 to a company based in Wyoming; and 13 to a wild horse rescue group in California.

The BLM is urging ranchers, Tribes, wild horse advocacy groups, and humane organizations – as well as the general public – to help the agency find good homes for those horses affected by the new law. The Bureau's toll-free number for those interested in buying a wild horse or burro is 1-800-710-7597. Interested groups or individuals may also contact the BLM at a new e-mail address: wildhorse@blm.gov.