The Virginian-Pilot
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Establishing wild-horse preserves in Eastern states, including Virginia, could help solve the problem of too many horses on public lands in the West, the Interior Department said Wednesday.
In a letter to the Senate majority leader and eight other members of Congress with jurisdiction over wild-horse issues, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar proposed a plan with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of foals born each year. The plan includes "aggressive" use of contraceptives, changing the sex ratio of wild herds and possibly having gelding herds.
In addition, the Bureau of Land Management, which manages wild horses and burros, would increase the number of horses held in captivity by establishing preserves in the Midwest and East. The letter describes this proposal as "a truly national solution" to what traditionally has been a Western issue.
"Virginia is certainly a possibility," said bureau spokesman Tom Gorey. "There might be an opportunity for some towns or rural communities to say, 'Hey, this might be an opportunity for eco-tourism.' "
As many as 37,000 wild horses and burros live on public lands in 10 Western states. In 1971, the public lands total ed 53.5 million acres. But public lands also are used for cattle grazing, oil and gas production, mining and recreation. The amount available to wild horses is down to 34.3 million acres. The bureau says the land can support only 27,000 horses.
"Extra" horses are rounded up and offered for public adoption. Because demand has dropped in the past few years, in part because of the recession, the Bureau of Land Management now has 33,000 in captivity. In a recent adoption event in Northern Virginia, 26 of 50 animals went to private homes, Gorey said.
The cost of caring for captive wild horses is increasing and is not sustainable, the Government Accountability Office said in 2008.
Gorey said the goal is to have 17,500 breeding wild horses on public lands. They would produce about 3,500 foals a year, which is about the number adopted each year.
Some of the "extra" horses removed from the range could come to preserves in the East, he said, because years of drought have reduced the amount of grassland in the West.
"They'd be in a location where you don't expect to see wild horses," Gorey said. "These preserves would make horses available for adoption. Maybe we could draw some of the Misty of Chincoteague crowd."
Virginia has two herds of wild horses - one on Assateague Island that is rounded up each year in the internationally famous Pony Penning, and one in the area of Grayson Highlands State Park and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwest Virginia, which has a lesser-known roundup and auction.
Diane Tennant, (757) 446-2478, diane.tennant@pilotonline.com
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In agreement with other comments....
Just agreeing....moving these horses from one climate to an extremely different one is a recipe for disaster. The more I read about the BLM, the less I think they know about horses. They should stick to cattle and mining rights. We need an agency to actually look after these horses.
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Robyn hit the nail on the
Robyn hit the nail on the head--generations of these horses have acclimatized to the conditions where they now legally reside. Abrupt change invites a host of problems, undoubtedly playing into the BLM's plan to extinguish all wild horses but continuing to allow for cattle to illegally graze the wild horse lands. Violent roundups & subsequent transport will take enough of a toll in death & injury which accompany these actions despite BLM claims to the contrary. We should trust an agency whose every released report contradicts the last one? Leave the horses where they stand and investigate the BLM.
wild horses
Why don't they move 5 million cattle out east? That will still leave over 2.5 million cattle and millions of other privately owned livestock on the western ranges.
The public can pay to visit the cattle in the Salazoos and watch them ruin that land like they've done in the west. This will also give the cattle ranchers an opportunity to start running out the horses in the east and take over the entire country. When they’re done with the wild horses, they continue their campaign to slaughter the domestic horses. When all the horses are gone, they can start training cows for law enforcement, therapy and start running them in the Kentucky Derby.
Virginia May Be Home to West's Wild Horses
This is not a good thing. Moving the mustangs from their dry, arid desert environment to one that is wet and humid will be the beginning of the end for them. Those wild horses have lived in the high desert and surrounding mountains for several hundred years, and thrive on the native desert foliage. The lush, sweet grasses in the eastern states will rapidly cause most of them to suffer from severe colic, laminitis, or worse, founder. The dry sand and rocks on which they run keep their hooves naturally trimmed, rock-crunching hard and healthy; so impressive that their hooves have become the universal model for millions of horse owners, natural barefoot trimmers and farriers worldwide. Additionally, wild horses in the western states do not suffer from the skin maladies that attack our east coast equines. Rainrot and mud fever are the most common problems associated with wet ground and humid climates. The painful skin conditions must be kept impeccably clean, treated daily with topical medications, and monitored closely for infection.
The most humane thing to do for these horses is to leave them right where they are. The most economical thing for the government to do is to le
wild horses
After having moved 11 adult horses from Ca. to Va. 2 1/2 years ago, I agree that the change is dramatic. The insects and humidity almost cost me 2 of them. I have very strong opinions about OUR wild horses. They are part of our heritage. Their environment has been mostly destroyed by cattlemen who over graze their nearly free use of OUR land with the blessing of the BLM. The oil companies make millions of dollars on OUR land without paying their fair share. Mining is of course another rape issue on OUR land. The BLM needs to step up and stop the miss use of OUR land and provide a non- hostile environs for OUR heritage. Contraceptives have been used successfully and would help regulate without harming the mustangs. There also needs to be stronger regulations on those adopting the horses, so they do not end up feeding the rich in Europe and Asia. The horses are not at fault, we are. Esp. the We that is big business.