Feral Horses in the U.S.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• Under U.S. Department of Interior

• Manages public lands

  • For everyone

Mission: to sustain health and diversity and productivity of public lands for generations

• 245 million acres to manage (most of any administration)

• Most in 12 western states, including Alaska

• 700 million sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation 

What does the BLM do?

• Balance needs of all users

• Energy, fire, grazing, planning, tribal consultation, wild horses + burros

• Weeds, wildlife, botany, cultural resources, mining, paleontology

Brumbies, mustangs, feral horses

• Meaning of wild→they’re feral and domesticated

• Return to wild state does not mean wild

Problem

• Estimates over 100,000/year put in unwanted state

• Portion goes to rescue and sanctuary 

• Funding major hardship to ensure adequate care for healthy but unmarketable 

Land Managed 

• 117 HMAs (herd management areas) 

  • 31.6 million acres 

• HMAs managed by BLM 

  • 26.9 million acres 

BLM Has Feral Horse Problem 

1971: Wild Horse Act 

• BLM charged to manage the population to ensure protection from abuse and death…maintain healthy ecosystems

• ~66,970 live in the 10 western states

• ~56,100 live in holding pens

• They’re dangerous→not trained, competition is too cheap

• We’re “taming” them 

• No selective breeding, no training, etc 

Drought Creates Emergency

Population control is needed

• Birth control? → gelding gets offensive, not facilitated, reducing genetic diversity 

  • tamest aren’t reproducing, wildest are→selecting for feral 

• Round up

• management 

• when do we act? 

  • before a crisis, during, after? 

• Want to feed but who should?

History

Spanish reintroduced them in 1500s, very small # of wild horses that have ancestry 

Other sources: losses from wagon trains, ranchers, pony express, reservation horses

• Intentional turnouts: bankrupt farmers during depression 

Burros: accompanied spanish missionaries, hauled ores in mines, turned loose 

Uses for today

Mustang makeover, endurance

Cost of Feral Horses

• 43 million in tax dollars in 2014 for 46k horses→ 87 were sold through Burns act “10+ year old horses waive fee to adopt”

• 49 mill for 45k →2,600 were adopted 

Estimated it costs ~48,000 to manage an unadopted feral horse to feed and maintain a single horse for lifetime→taxpayer $$

Spet. 7 2016

Elko, NV: BLM voted to cull all 44k off range horses→went to congress but shut down

Pros: solves financial crunch + excess horse issue

Cons: wholesale death of American past, floods horse meat market