Pryor Mountain in Montana is one of the most beautiful settings to view wild mustangs. Most of the horses there are thought to be direct descendants of the Spanish Barb, dating back to their introduction to the Americas by the Spanish. Currently, the BLM is running a roundup to remove many of the horses and send them out for adoption. The vast majority of horses rounded up in the last few years end up being held in holding pens for many years, as not many are adopting wild horses anymore. It's a sad way for a former wild horse to live, in my opinion. Having visited Pryor Mountain this summer, I also strongly disagree with the BLM's stated reason for removing horses... overgrazing. There are about 180 horses living on 38,000 acres. While one area did seemed overgrazed, a little "management" would easily encourage the horse herds to use other water holes where the grass is plentiful. Wild horses do need to be managed to balance the environment for other wildlife, but more and more often, horse areas are being reduced to levels that may be detrimental to their genetic viability, or in many cases, such as Nevada, the horses areas are being "zeroed out" - removing all of the horses. So if you love wild horses (most of you know I certainly do!), you may not be able to view them in good numbers in the future. You can follow the roundup on the blog of the Pryor Mountain Mustang Center.
Here is a photo of a group of Pryor Mountain bachelor males at play.
Pryor Mountain Roundup
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