Wild Horse Roundup Halted Amid Tribal Pressure

A roundup of wild horses on the Colville Indian Reservation was halted just before noon on Sunday due to mounting pressure from tribal members. The operation, initially planned to last about three weeks, aimed to gather between 700 and 1,000 horses but was stopped just over a week into the process.

Ralph Moses, from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Range department, estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 feral horses inhabit the reservation, creating "hot spots" of over-grazed habitat. The operation managed to capture a total of 422 wild horses, which were separated from branded horses as they entered the catch pen set up on Joe Moses Road, near a family cemetery east of the Colville Indian Agency.

The captured horses were shipped to Montana, destined for eventual slaughter in Canada. However, the methods used in the roundup have been controversial, involving out-of-state contractors and a helicopter that reportedly scares local livestock.

There are also questions about whether the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are adhering to their own laws or ensuring that the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs complies with them. The tribe annually sets a season from November through February for capturing wild horses. However, a dozen years ago, Congress cut funding for federal inspectors of horse slaughterhouses, effectively shutting them down in the U.S. This reduced the profit margin for local cowboys, who previously earned about $500 per horse but now receive only about $150 per horse and $50 for colts.

Not thinning the herds, which reproduce at about 25 percent annually, has allowed them to grow significantly, impacting the land. Moses noted that areas near last week's activity, which once offered certain success for deer hunters, no longer do.

Several local horse owners agree that the wild herd needs culling, but they fear their own horses may have been caught up in the process. Two semi-loads of horses left the capture area on Saturday, but Moses stated that horses were screened for brands as they were led into the pen, with branded horses meant to be separated out.

The tribes' "2014-2015 Wild Horse Chase and Capture Regulations and Seasons" manual states that horses must be captured by persons on horseback or on foot, prohibiting the use of "motorized vehicles."

Originally Posted By The Star