Forest Service: Please Don't Befriend Oregon's Wild Horses

July 23, 2018

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – A wild mustang entered an Oregon camp earlier this month, and the campers befriended the horse, the USDA Forest Service says.

The story doesn't exactly have a happy ending.

"They fed the horse, petted and groomed him, and the horse followed them on rides with their own horses," the Ochoco National Forest and the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition said in a statement. "It was not the first time this horse had human interactions. He had been coming into the campground for at least a year, receiving similar treatment from campers who wanted to befriend him."

So now that wild horse is no longer wild.

"The mustang had to be trapped because he remained in the campground after the campers departed, seeking food from other campers and companionship with their horses. He lost his fear and respect for humans, and he lost his instincts to return to the forest and forage as he had previously done," according to the forest and coalition.

“When we have a wild horse that has become accustomed to human interaction, we have to remove the horse from the territory for the safety of the public,” said Slater Turner, ranger on the Lookout Mountain District. “This takes a lot of time to plan and execute. My commitment is that my staff will implement the capture and removal in the safest manner possible for the horse, the public, and our employees.”

But even just capturing the horse put the animal in peril.

"The horse was successfully loaded into a trailer last week without injury or incident by skilled employees, but not without several days of work and preparation," the forest and coalition said. "Wild horses may seem calm and friendly in the forest, but their response to captivity and transportation can differ from domestic horses. There is potential for a life-threatening injury when attempting to trailer them."

“This was a very stressful situation for all involved including the horse, which is unfortunate and really unnecessary,” said Tory Kurtz, a Forest Service wild horse program manager. “I’m happy that he will be going to a good home and I appreciate all of the partners who helped make this successful.”

“The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition is extremely concerned about the rise of intentional interactions between public and wild horses in the Ochocos,” said Gayle Hunt, president of the coalition. “There are currently several horses which exhibit all the signs of persons deliberately attempting to tame the horses, and many other cases where persons have been observed doing this or have posted photos.”

Hunt said there are several reasons why taming wild horses is a problem.

“First, the wild nature of these horses is what keeps them somewhat safe, and promotes the level of interaction between their own species needed for immediate survival and long-range sustainability," she said. "More urgently, close encounters with people and with domestic horses will almost certainly result in the injury or death of some or all of the players. When domestic horses are allowed to mingle with wild horses, the risk of disease or parasite transmission is greatly increased, as is the likelihood of loss of fear resulting in aggression or breeding attempts between the horses. One photo taken recently showed the lone stallion in question being stroked by humans while their horses were hi-lined in camp. A wild stallion approaching a tied domestic horse would very likely end in strangulation of one or both animals. Too, this stallion is now fearless around humans and the breeding instinct will be unencumbered by any efforts by the human to protect domestic mares. The only way to resolve this situation is to remove the young stallion to a life of captivity.”

Originally posted by KVAL Eugene Oregon