The Future of Wild Horses in America

At a recent art show, a gal came into my booth and asked "are all of these horses yours?"

I replied that they were all wild horses. She snapped her head around to look me in the eye and said "I had no idea there were any wild horses left."

Wild horses living in the wild are made up of family units called bands. Each band has a dominant stallion and at least one mare, their foals, yearlings, two years and some times three and four year olds. The band stallion is the protector of the family. He plays the role of disciplinarian to foals who wander too far from the family unit by snaking them back to the group. The stronger bands will have a lead mare who determines where and when to go to water. She also decides when to nap. It is in a band stallions' best favor if his lead mare accepts other mares that he brings to the band. If she rejects other females, the band stallion will have a hard time keeping his unit together. On the Pryor Mountains, there are approximately 30 bands. Each band has it's own ranking with the most dominate stallion having the most privileges. There are also bachelor stallions who have been kicked out the band anywhere from age two to four. They generally hang out together and practice band stallion techniques on each other. Their ultimate goal is to have a mare so he can start his own band. That means he will have to challenge established band stallions for mares. He does this by dogging the band and when he sees a weak moment in the band, he will try to steal a mare. If he is successful and the mare accepts him, he can start his own family. It takes years for a bachelor to succeed in having his own band.

In order for wild horse herds to continue living in a healthy group, they must maintain viable herd numbers. If not, they risk inbreeding and extinction. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for managing our wild horse herds on our public land. Their current practices of herd management could use some improvement. They state that their main goal is to manage the wild horses in the most natural way possible. Really? Then why do they advocate the hunting of mountain lions? (Mountain lions are a natural predator of wild horses.) Why is the BLM using PZP (birth control) on the Pryor Mountain herd? Wouldn't it make more natural sense to let the mountain lions be and forgo the birth control? Would that not lead to a more natural approach?

A few years ago I had the honor and privilege of meeting Ginger Kathrens. She is an Emmy winning filmmaker and wild horse advocate. She is our modern day "Wild Horse Annie." You may be familiar with Cloud, wild stallion of the Pryor Mountains. Ginger has followed and filmed Cloud sinse his birth nearly 13 years ago. Ginger has founded The Cloud Foundation out of knowledge and fear of losing America's wild horses. The Cloud Foundation is dedicated to protecting Cloud's herd and other wild horse herds in America.

I am giving 5% of all sales to The Cloud Foundation . Please do your part and help Cloud and his herd.