Wild Horses: Are These Symbols of American Spirit Trampling the West?
By: Schyeler Gilman
In 2019, there were an estimated 88,000 wild horses in the United States. While the flourishing population of such a beautiful animal may seem like good news, it is actually causing harm to the environment and the horses themselves. With the wild horse population on the rise, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is struggling to find solutions to this growing problem. There are approximately 61,000 more wild horses roaming the United States than what the BLM considers to be an “Appropriate Management Level” of 27,000.
The population of wild horses in the U.S. was not always thriving. In 1971, the intrusion of man and mustangers pushed the population of wild free-roaming horses to its brink. With the wild horse population in danger, Congress enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA). The Act made horses a status symbol of the American West. In an effort to protect these “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit,” the WFRHBA made it illegal to capture, brand, or harm wild free-roaming horses and burros. The WFRHBA declared wild free-roaming horses and burros to be an “…integral part of the natural system of the public lands,” which is ironically the very natural system wild horses are destroying.
Wild horse overpopulation is a drain on resources necessary for the species’ survival. The picture Congress created in the WFRHBA was that of horses running free, galloping across meadows and roaming from stream to stream. However, in reality, wild horses are drinking from nearly drained ponds—if they manage to drink at all before dying from dehydration. Even herd management areas controlled by the BLM are forced to refill wells for horses to drink from because these areas are unable to control the growing population which eat and drink more than the land can sustain.
With such a large population of horses controlling a select area of land, overgrazing becomes a serious problem as well. Much of the public land dedicated to herd management consists of mud, sand, and dirt because the grass has since been consumed by the wild horses. The scarcity of edible vegetation causes many of the animals to starve. This reality can also lead to dehydration since the horses are forced to travel away from nearby water sources to find food.
Ecological risks have continued to increase because wild horses’ grazing patterns are difficult to manage. In order to execute the WFRHBA, the BLM created the Wild Horse and Burro Program. The Program’s primary mission is to help keep both the species and land in good condition by controlling horse and burro populations. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to manage the grazing patterns of over 88,000 large omnivores that can go wherever they want, whenever they want. Regardless, the Program continues to make efforts. Round-ups, adoption, and contraception are just a few ways that the BLM plans to humanely deal with the wild horse population problem.
BLM officials estimate that it will take billions of dollars and close to 15 years to rein in the horse population. Until scientists develop new forms of contraception for the animals, nationwide adoption seems to be the best option. For an untrained, wild horse the BLM’s minimum going rate for adoption is $25.00. Even for a trained equine, the fee is only $125.00. Compare that to the average cost of a domestic horse which can cost several thousand dollars. However, not just anyone can buy a BLM horse. Purchase requirements are fairly stringent as a result of prior abuse from purchasers who were buying and reselling the animals for slaughter.
As of March 2019, the BLM is now paying people $1,000.00 to take a wild horse off its hands. The Adoption Incentive Program permits two separate payments of $500.00 to qualified individuals who adopt a BLM horse. However, the Program has raised concerns from equestrians who are worried that horses will be sold to people who do not have the necessary skills and experience to care for the animal. Such concerns are somewhat ill-founded given the requirements adopters must meet.
It is almost impossible to picture the American west without horses. But even with millions of acres dedicated to wild free-roaming horses, public land cannot continue to sustain the ever-growing equine population. Luckily viable and humane options exist to allow these symbols of the American spirit to thrive without destroying the land they roam freely on.