Judge to Hear Arguments in Wild Horse Lawsuit

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by a group of ranchers demanding the federal government remove wild horses.

The Utah ranchers claim that mustangs are overrunning the range, causing ecological damage and reducing grazing for livestock. They are urging U.S. District Judge Dee Benson to order the Bureau of Land Management to immediately round up excess horses.

Attorneys for the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) are asking Judge Benson to dismiss the lawsuit.

The government and wild horse advocates argue that the horse numbers are under control.

A judge in Nevada dismissed a similar lawsuit earlier this month filed by a group of rural counties there.

Originally Posted By Associated Press