Archaeologist's Insight on Wild Horses at Mesa Verde National Park

Understanding the Role of Wild Horses at Mesa Verde National Park

Joel M. Brisbin, an archaeologist with a decade of experience at Mesa Verde National Park, shares his observations on the wild horses inhabiting the park. His insights challenge common misconceptions and advocate for a humane management approach.

For the past ten years, I have worked as an archaeologist at Mesa Verde National Park in the Cultural Resource Division. My role allowed me to spend considerable time in the backcountry, where I became familiar with the five major bands of horses. Each band occupied one of the five main canyons in the park and the mesa tops on either side.

I had ample opportunity to observe their behavior and any potential impact on natural or cultural resources. Despite numerous reasons given by park personnel for removing the horses, I offer my perspective on these claims.

Addressing Concerns About Cultural Resources

The horses are damaging the cultural resources: This claim likely comes from a non-archaeologist. The two main site types are cliff dwellings and surface mounds. Horses avoid cliff dwellings due to their natural instinct against confined spaces where predators could trap them. As for surface sites, ranging from A.D. 550 to 1280, any animal, whether a horse or rabbit, causes no damage. Damage to ruins comes from burrowing animals like squirrels or badgers.

Safety and Natural Landscape Considerations

Horses present a safety hazard: Each year, tourists and personnel hit and kill over a dozen deer and occasionally an elk. In my ten years at the park, only one accident involved a horse, and it was caused by an employee. Tourists enjoy seeing the horses more than deer or elk. The Soda Canyon band often shades under the balconies at Far View Lodge during summer, delighting tourists who view them from their room balconies.

The horses are not part of the natural landscape: This viewpoint is held by George San Miguel, the Chief of Natural Resources. From my first day at the park, he has campaigned to eliminate the horses by any means.

The Historical Presence of Horses

The horse bands derive from many sources: The most frequently cited claim is that they belong to the Utes. Horses have likely been on Mesa Verde since the Spanish passed by during the Dominguez/Escalante expedition. Additional stock was added in the 1880s when local ranchers ran their stock on the Mesa in the summertime. Early tour guides also used horses to take tourists up and down the Mesa, even after 1906. Horses have called Mesa Verde home long before it was established as a park.

Today, fewer than 100 horses inhabit the 53,000 acres of the park, as far as I have observed. They do not seriously compete with other wildlife. Not providing water during severe drought and allowing them to die of dehydration is not only animal cruelty but outright stupidity. A more sensible approach would be to develop a humane on-the-range management program, similar to what the Bureau of Land Management has implemented, allowing the bands to remain an integral part of the park experience for visitors.

Thank you for your consideration,

Joel M. Brisbin

Delores, Colorado