Legislators Urge Congress to Address Wild Horse Management

Legislators are urging Congress, the President, and local leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to manage wild horses in the state. The issue has significant financial and environmental implications, costing taxpayers $77 million in 2014 alone.

“The BLM doesn’t do a good job keeping the range clear of wild horses like they are mandated to do,” said Rep. Stan Blake of Sweetwater County.

Wyoming has the second highest number of wild horses in the country, just behind Nevada. Nearly 4,000 wild horses roam the state, while over 50,000 are spread across the West, with an additional 50,000 held in corrals and pastures.

“These populations get to the point that they aren’t only destroying their own habitat, but they are also destroying the grazing on those private lands that adjoin, so then it becomes a real property issue for those landowners,” said Sen. Jim Anderson, representing Converse and Platte Counties.

BLM employees estimate the population to be more than 22,000 horses over appropriate management levels. Just over 2,000 horses were placed in private adopted homes in 2014, marking a decline of over 50 percent from a decade ago.

“They need to manage the herd through sterilization, and what they are doing right now is just not working,” said Rep. Blake.

Legislators agree that action is needed urgently, as wild horse populations can grow by 20 percent annually and double in size every four years, posing a significant risk to Wyoming.

“We would like a better response and, in my mind, probably a more collaborative response,” said Sen. Jim Anderson.

BLM staff indicate that rangelands cannot sustain the impacts from these overpopulated herds, which include erosion and damage to sage grouse habitat.

“In the event the Sage Grouse was to be listed as a threatened species, it could be economically devastating to the state of Wyoming,” said Sen. Jim Anderson.

“We don’t want to get rid of all the horses; we just want them to be managed effectively,” said Rep. Stan Blake.

Wild horses or burros that are either 10 years old or have been passed over for adoption three times can be sold to slaughterhouses or kill buyers, but BLM policy states that even though they can, they don’t.

Originally Posted By KCWY