But when images and videos appear in the media showing herds being rounded up via helicopter, emotions run high. These are called “gathers,” and they occur when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) brings herds of wild horses into a smaller area so they can implement their fertility control treatment plan, which can consist of a vaccination that essentially renders the mare’s heat cycles unproductive.

No Room to Expand

The big issue between passionate supporters of the wild horses and supporters of the BLM is what seems to be dwindling acreage making it difficult for the wild horses to find enough to eat and drink. However, according to the BLM, the acreage isn’t shrinking—the population is outgrowing the land they have.

The difficult position for the wild horses is that the size of their habitat has not grown with time. The 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act says that the BLM can only manage wild horses and burros where they are found when that act was passed. This means that the land inhabited by wild horses in 1971 is the same range they can inhabit 52 years later.

Jason Lutterman, public affairs specialist with the BLM, says that because of this act, the BLM is not able to move horses to areas where they were not originally found back in 1971, and the BLM can’t use government funds to purchase more land.

“There are some public lands where the horses can be found, but those are not federally protected,” says Lutterman. “We have a large diversity of situations that we manage with our wild horses and burros.”

Wild Horse Population Spike

Currently, the BLM manages wild horses and burros in 177 herd management areas that cover 26.9 million acres of public lands across 10 Western states. As of March 1, 2021, the BLM estimates there were approximately 71,735 wild horses and 14,454 wild burros on these lands. This is in addition to the 59,007 (as of December 1, 2021) wild horses and burros receiving care on BLM off-range facilities.

In recent years, the wild horse and burro population has experienced a rather significant population spike. This has prompted more action in regard to gathers and fertility control treatments. If there is no oversight by the BLM, the agency believes that the herds could have a 15-20 percent growth rate, and based on numerous studies, the population numbers are susceptible to doubling every four or five years.

“The population spike is mostly due to the fact that [the BLM] has not been removing as many wild horses or burros, or doing as much population control to help slow that growth,” says Lutterman. “However, if the BLM had not been doing any management at all, this growth rate would be much quicker, thus getting unmanageable.”

Wild Horse Fertility Population Control Methods

Because of the nature of a wild horse, the majority of any vaccination protocol is done much differently than your standard domestic horse’s health care. Fertility control is handled mostly in one of two different ways: darting or catch and release. The BLM explains that each method is chosen based on a local level, because no two herds are alike.

“Whether a herd can be darted depends on different factors,” explains Lutterman. “Some main factors being if there are enough trained volunteers or BLM staff available to do the darting, or if you can actually get close enough to the horses or burros to dart them.”

Lutterman says that the herds that are close to major populations, such as in Reno, Nev., are already used to seeing people, so volunteers can get a little close to dart them. More remote herds can be harder to find, attract and dart, so they must plan for catch and release.

Once a herd is gathered, the horses are herded into corrals, much like cattle on a ranch, where they are given their immunocontraceptive vaccination and marked with a freeze brand that states the year the horse was vaccinated and the type of vaccine. This way the BLM can follow up with the correct booster at the correct time.

The BLM has mainly been using one of two different fertility control methods: immunocontraceptive vaccination or implant. The choice as to which method is used on which mares follows a line of factors, including what has been the current method of treatment.

◆ Oocyte Growth Factor (OGF): An immunocontraceptive vaccine; the BLM is seeking a one-dose vaccine that can cause long-term infertility for multiple years.

◆ Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP): An immunocontraceptive vaccine that requires a booster 4-6 weeks after the initial inoculation and annual booster thereafter to maintain infertility.

◆ GonaCon: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antigen vaccine called GonaCon-Equine. It is injected first with a primer vaccination, then followed up with a booster 30 days after the primer. This particular vaccine can cause four to six years of infertility; however, research is very limited on this treatment.

◆ Intrauterine Device (IUD): Much like a human intrauterine device, the IUD that the BLM uses is a Y-shaped, silicone insert, but it’s specially designed for horses. An advantage to its use is that it provides effective contraception, so long as the IUD stays in the uterus. So far, it appears that it can work for several years. A disadvantage is that IUDs can interfere with an ongoing pregnancy, so they can only be used in non-pregnant mares. According to the BLM, more than 65 percent of wild mares are typically pregnant on any given day—and in some herds, the rate is over 90 percent—so the sheer number of mares that would be candidates for an IUD is a limitation.

The BLM works in partnerships with universities and the United States Geological Survey for research and development projects. The BLM has issued solicitations for research projects — including fertility control treatment — for the wild horses and burros in the past (most recently in 2021). Project proponents may submit unsolicited research proposals to BLM at any time, which are reviewed by a panel and recommended for approval based on funding and agency priorities.

Pros and Cons

The use of different immunocontraceptive vaccinations are controversial. As of press time, Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC), says her group has given 5,185 PZP treatments to wild horses in the past three years.

“We use the PZP vaccine because it creates an immune response in mares that prevents fertilization, but it doesn’t mess with their hormonal balance,” she says. “The reason we advocate for it is because it’s reversible and it maintains the natural reproductive hormones that drive wild horse behavior.

“Think of it this way: With domestic horses, we geld the stallions because we want to impact that behavior, right?” Roy continues. “But in the wild, we want the horses to maintain as much of that natural behavior as possible.”

Both Lutterman and Roy say that the fertility control treatments have not shown to have any effect on the natural state of the herd or in the livelihood of the treated mare.

“The mares are still cycling,” says Roy. “So there is no change in their behavior, and there’s always some change every breeding season, but nothing like the mares being mistreated or shunned.”

However, Roy states that in one study that was done on a very small population on an island, it was found that treated mares had less fidelity to their bands, so they would leave and join other bands.

“But here’s the thing: Is that because of the vaccine? Or the absence of the foal?” she asks. “Because as most moms know, if you don’t have a baby, you have more flexibility. It was one small study, but we’re seeing so many horses, and we know these bands, and we don’t see anything out of the ordinary in terms of their behavior.”

Ultimately, population growth or decline results from birth rates, survival rates, and movements in and out of a population. Wild horses are the descendants of domestic horses, and they have remarkably high birth rates for an herbivore of their size.

A recent study out of Oregon by Grant and colleagues showed a remarkably high pregnancy rate, even among 2-year-old female wild horses, with some herds shown to have over 90 percent pregnancy rates. Survival rates also tend to be extremely high; it is not uncommon for wild mares to live into their 20s.

“One of the ironic effects of fertility control is that it tends to increase mare longevity,” says Lutterman. “So even in places where nearly every mare has been treated, it does not lead to as rapid of population size declines as one might expect, which is why the BLM must still gather and remove excess horses to reduce overpopulation.”

The Adoption Option for Wild Horse Population Control

As part of the population control, the BLM conducts gathers where wild horses are herded together and taken to an off-range facility. There, each horse is freeze-branded with an identifying brand, given regular vaccinations (much like domestic horses are), checked by a veterinarian, and prepared for a transition to the domestic life.

“We try to find homes for every animal that we bring off the range, but unfortunately that’s not always the case,” says Lutterman. “Those horses are transferred to off-range pastures, which are large pasture facilities where the horses are turned out and cared for.”

These off-range pastures are mostly located in the Midwest and Upper Great Plains (Oklahoma, Kansas, et cetera), where the land is generally more productive and horses can graze the grassland. The BLM has a subset of these types of facilities, called Public Off-Range Pastures, with a dual mission of providing long-term care for the animals while also being open to the public to show how the wild horses live on the pastures as an educational component.

What’s Ahead

The management of the wild horse herds may always be a controversial topic between animal welfare groups and the U.S. government. It’s important to note that both parties understand the importance of the animal, but also the fragility of the environment, the importance of history, and the welfare of the horse.

“It’s important to manage appropriately, because there may be too much control,” says Roy. “It depends on the population. In a population where you’re trying to stabilize the growth, one thing you do is let every mare contribute to the gene pool before treating them. Some programs will dart young horses for two years to keep them from foaling for their health, then let them foal, and then start treating them again. Then each horse has the ability to contribute to the gene pool.”

This article about population control of wild horses appeared in the May 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Population Control of Wild Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

In the sixth episode of The Horse Illustrated Episode of Horses in the Morning, sponsored by Title Sponsor Straight Arrow Products, hosts Glenn the Geek and Sarah Evers Conrad talk to Emily and Sarah Harris of Sisters Horsing Around; Steven Latham, producer and co-director of The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses film; and Colton Woods about the sustainability of the horse industry and his training philosophies.

Hosts: Sarah Conrad, Digital Content Editor of Horse Illustrated & Young Rider and Glenn the Geek, host of Horses in the Morning

Title Sponsor: Straight Arrow Family of Brands

There’s an App for that!  Check out the new Horse Radio Network app for iPhone and Android. Follow Horse Radio Network on Twitter or follow Horses In The Morning on Facebook.

Emily and Sarah Harris of Sisters Horsing Around

Emily and Sarah Harris are the sister duo of “Sisters Horsing Around,” which includes their YouTube channel, website, and social media accounts (see below). Sisters Horsing Around is a fun, engaging, informative and educational resource for horse information. As multi-discipline riders, Emily and Sarah have had a variety of experiences, and they are passionate about sharing the joys of horses. They call themselves the “Equestrian Guides” and want to help non-equestrians explore the amazing world of horses. For those that are equestrians, they want to help broaden their interests in different disciplines. They do this by creating content that can be enjoyed and understood by anyone. They also endeavor to bridge the gap between those outside the horse world and those in the horse world and bring equestrian sports into the limelight in an interesting and understandable way.

Additional Links for Sisters Horsing Around:

◆ www.instagram.com/SistersHorsingAround
◆ www.facebook.com/SistersHorsingAround
◆ www.twitter.com/SistersHorsing
◆ www.pinterest.com/SistersHorsingAround

For the article about our Equitana coverage, click here. Facebook Lives from Equitana feature:

◆ Susan Friedland of Saddle Seeks Horse
◆ Heather Wallace of The Timid Rider
◆ Certified Horsemanship Association CEO Christy Landwehr
◆ The Social Responsibility of Equestrian Influencers Panel Part 1 and Part 2 (featuring Sisters Horsing Around, interviewed in the podcast)
◆ Positive reinforcement trainer Shawna Karrasch
◆ The demo from Shawna Karrasch (mentioned in the podcast)
◆ Carriage Association of America’s Publication Manager Kathleen Haak
◆ A demo from Colton Woods (interviewed in the podcast).

Steven Latham with The Mustangs Film

Steven Latham is the producer and co-director of The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses, which takes audiences on an odyssey throughout America to places few people have seen or even know about. There are more than 80,000 wild horses on our public lands and more than 50,000 in government corrals. This feature documentary is executive produced by Robert Redford, Patti Scialfa Springsteen and Jessica Springsteen. The film features songs by Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson and an original song written by Diane Warren and performed by Blanco Brown.

Steven also created and produces the award-winning series, Shelter Me, which tells stories that celebrate the human-animal bond. The episodes have been hosted by John Legend, Jane Goodall, Kristen Bell, Jon Hamm, Hilary Swank, Allison Janney, Edie Falco, Jane Lynch, Wendie Malick, Daymond John and Katherine Heigl.

Steven began his production company with a film series he created with Barbra Streisand called, The Living Century, which focused on people who were at least 100 years old. He also produced and directed for the science series, NOVA, and made the only film about the TED Conference. Prior to launching his company, he worked at Ketchum, Grey, Paramount Pictures, PolyGram Television, and Universal Worldwide Television.

Additional Links about The Mustangs Film

◆ The Official Trailer
◆ The Mustangs Film website
◆ www.facebook.com/TheMustangsFilm

Colton Woods of Colton Woods Horsemanship

Colton Woods is a husband, horseman and entrepreneur dedicated to helping others develop themselves, their horses and businesses to be the best they can be. Horsemanship to him is not just a way to train a horse—it is everything we do with our horses and in our own lives. He grew up in a family of international business, and even lived in China for two years, and brings a whole new perspective and way of building horse training businesses to the horse world. Through his Professional Horseman’s School, his Business Mentorship for Horse Trainers, podcast The Heart of Horsemanship, teaching clinics and at expos as well as training select horses for clients, Colton is truly changing lives in the horse industry. He knows it is time we have the tough conversations, we challenge industry traditions and he lives it out. One of his favorite quotes is, “To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing” by Elbert Hubbard.

Additional Links about Colton Woods

◆ Colton Woods Horsemanship website
◆ FREE BOOK: “Be A Leader Worth Following by Colton Woods” with a SPECIAL OFFER for Horses in the Morning Listeners
◆ The Professional Horseman’s School
◆ www.facebook.com/coltonwoodshorsemanship
◆ www.instagram.com/coltonwoodshorsemanship
◆ www.youtube.com/coltonwoodshorsemanship
◆ TikTok.com/@coltonwoodshorsemanship

Title Sponsor

We want to thank our Title Sponsor, the Straight Arrow Family of Brands, makers of Mane ‘n Tail, Cowboy Magic & Exhibitor’s, with over 100 years of grooming excellence. For more information about your favorite products, please visit www.straightarrowinc.com and find Straight Arrow Products at a tack shop near you!

The “Magic” in Cowboy Magic comes from the bond between you and your horse. Cowboy Magic celebrates every moment with you, from quiet chats in the pasture to the adrenaline rush of competition. We want to invite you to embrace your “Magic Moment” with your horse by sharing your favorite photos with Cowboy Magic on social media using #CowboyMagicMoment.

The post Podcast Episode #6: Sisters Horsing Around, Colton Woods, and The Mustangs film for October 26, 2021 from Title Sponsor Straight Arrow Products appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was given jurisdiction over America’s wild horse and burro population since 1971.
• Mustangs are regularly removed from rangelands due to conflict between the increasing population of horses, ranchers who use the land to graze livestock, and environmental concerns about the horses’ impact on the ecosystem.
• A new plan created by animal welfare organizations, ranchers’ groups, and environmental organizations aims to balance the interests of all parties without resorting to slaughtering Mustangs.
• Opponents of the new plan question whether it will be effective, and whether it actually protects Mustangs.

Free-roaming wild horse herds have long been emblematic of the American West. Though legislation has placed the animals under federal protection, finding the best way to keep them and their ranges healthy has been challenging.

Now, a diverse coalition of wild horse welfare advocates, ranching organizations, rangeland advocates and state governments have come together to create a plan they believe can promote the horses’ well-being for years to come. But not all wild horse advocates believe that the plan will benefit the animals in the long run.

The History of Mustang Management

The Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 protected wild horses and burros and placed them under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Today, more than 80,000 horses reside on Herd Management Areas (HMA) in 13 western states. Nearly 37,000 more roam 289,000 acres of grasslands in long-term pastures, and approximately 12,000 reside in short-term holding corrals.

With some herd sizes estimated to double every four years, some ranching and rangeland advocacy groups have argued that the growing sizes of on-the-range the Mustang herds compromise ranges by competing with domestic cattle, sheep and goats for resources on public grazing lands.

In response, the BLM and some welfare advocate organizations have investigated ways to control herd growth without allowing the BLM to sell gathered horses “without restriction”—that is, to buyers who would sell the animals for slaughter.

Population control measures have included the use of the contraceptive vaccine immunocontraceptive porcine zona pellucida (PZP). The BLM has also investigated surgical sterilization of mares.

Protecting The Mustangs: An Unlikely Alliance

In April, a diverse group that included the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Return to Freedom wild horse sanctuary, the National Cattlemans Beef Association, Public Lands Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Society for Range Management, and other diverse stakeholders announced their support for a “non-lethal” wild horse management plan to be proposed to the BLM.

The plan supports a “robust” fertility control program, including use of PZP to vaccinate 90 percent of wild mares; conducting “strategic gathers” that would target herds in highly populated HMAs in order to protect them from forage and water shortages; and relocating gathered horses and those residing in short-term holding facilities to long-term “humane pasture facilities.”

The plan also calls for increased adoptions to reduce the total cost of the BLM’s wild horse management program and redirecting funds to long-term strategies for the care and sustainability of horse and burro populations.

In the past, those who represent ranchers and range management groups were often at odds with wild horse advocates mainly because of the way the horses consumed rangeland resources.

That’s why support for the plan from those groups is significant, says Ryan Yates, Director of Congressional Relations for AFBF.

“Each of the stakeholders involved in this proposal had to set aside some long-held positions in order to reach this agreement,” Yates points out. “While it was difficult for us to cede some tools authorized by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act including sale-without-restriction, we are hopeful that this good-faith effort will soon be rewarded with healthy populations range-wide.”

Protecting The Mustangs: Another Viewpoint

But not all wild horse advocates believe the proposed plan will fundamentally change the way wild herds are managed. Some argue that if implemented, the plan would result in more wild horse gathers and the total elimination of some herds. Others familiar with wild horse issues believe that the fertility control goals are too ambitious.

“They [the BLM] are vaccinating 1,000 mares a year and those are the ones they can get close to,” says Tom Lenz, DVM, MS, DACT, member of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee. “The proposal is to vaccinate 90 percent of the mares, but some of those herds have never seen a person. How are you going to vaccinate them?”

“If [the plan] can accomplish all this, it would be wonderful,” says Lenz “But I’m skeptical; ultimately, this is an environmental issue.”

Meanwhile, BLM spokesman Derrick Henry says that the agency is committed to working with the public to identify strategies for managing both wild herds and rangeland resources.

“The BLM welcomes the input of long-standing partners, such as the Public Lands Council, the ASPCA, and others who care about the health of wild horses, burros and the range they share with hundreds of native wildlife species,” says Henry. “We look forward to thoroughly reviewing the proposed plan and reaching out to Congress to find consensus on how we can best preserve healthy wild horse and burro herds on healthy public rangelands for generations of Americans to come.”

The post A New Plan for America’s Mustangs appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.