Discover the Descendants of Colonial Spanish Horses on the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, established in 1968, spans 38,000 acres of Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service land on the Montana-Wyoming border near Bighorn Canyon. This unique range is home to about 160 wild horses, many of which are believed to be descendants of colonial Spanish horses.

Most of these horses reside high in the Pryor Mountains, accessible by rough dirt roads. In 1968, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall designated 31,000 acres in the Pryor Mountains as a public range for these wild horses. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 later expanded the range to include areas where horses were 'presently found.'

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is notable for both its setting and its inhabitants. Many horses exhibit primitive striping on their backs, withers, and legs, a characteristic attributed to their Spanish ancestry. American wild horses are generally descended from domestic horses brought by European explorers in the late 15th and 16th centuries, as well as others that escaped captivity over the years. Over 500 years, these horses have adapted to the Western range.

To educate the public about the Pryor Mountain wild horse herd, the Bureau of Land Management collaborates with the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center in Lovell, Wyoming. For more information, visit pryormustangs.org.

Originally Posted By Independent Record