Given:
- Wild horse herds should contain at least 150 animals for genetic viability
- Average population density on BLM lands is one animal per thousand acres
Therefore, every HMA should have at least 150,000 acres.
There are a total of 117 HMAs in Nevada, Oregon and Utah (66% of the HMAs in the U.S.) and 67 are smaller than 150,000 acres (57%).
The Pryor Mountains and Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Ranges, which have been in the news of late, have 38,000 and 36,113 acres respectively.
The problem is not too many horses, the problem is not enough land.
