University of Wyoming Research Sheds Light on Wild Horse Diets

University of Wyoming research is contributing to a better understanding of how wild horses affect the state’s rangelands. This study provides valuable insights into the dietary habits of wild horses and their interactions with other livestock, offering a foundation for future research and management strategies.

Research Findings on Wild Horse Diets

Derek Scasta, a rangeland specialist with UW’s extension office, released a report from 33 studies of livestock and wildlife conflicts on ranges in 12 Western states and the Canadian province of Alberta. This report provides a quantitative look at what wild horses eat.

The data show a significant conflict in forage selection between cattle and wild horses over the course of a year. Scasta said his study provides a baseline for future, more sophisticated research.

“The data is pretty clear on what wild horses select for,” he said. “Because the data is so clear, I think we need more research that goes beyond what forage wild horses select to how they move across a landscape.”

Dietary Composition

Data show wild horses eat a primarily grass diet with 82 percent of their forage coming in the form of grasses, 10 percent forbs, or herbs other than grass, and 8 percent shrubs. Cattle data showed a 74 percent grass diet and diets of 14 percent shrubs and 12 percent forbs.

The study profiles the ecology of western grasslands, accounting for elk, domestic sheep, mule deer, and pronghorn in addition to horses and cattle. Data was collected from stool samples of the animals through the range of the study.

Implications for Management

Scasta said the new compilation of data brings together several studies and provides a uniform study for wild horse management.

“This was an approach to put all of this information together in a quantitative way,” Scasta said. “We can now say something about dietary composition with some confidence.”

The work and future work of Wyoming researchers could provide better data to a management discussion based largely on emotion.

“To go with the political charge of the national policies, no matter what your interest in wild horses, data should guide those decisions and will be of benefit regardless of your position,” Scasta said.

Originally Posted By Billings Gazette