Originally posted on 01-04-20.
1. What is the annual forage requirement for horses on an HMA with an AML of 256?
- Wild horse roam freely 12 months per year, 256 × 12 = 3,072 AUMs per year
2. How many cow/calf pairs would that forage support in a six month grazing season?
- The resource requirements of cow/calf pairs are said to be equivalent to those of wild horses, 3,072 ÷ 6 = 512 cow/calf pairs
3. How much would a public-lands rancher pay for that forage (at current prices)?
- Current price is $1.35 per AUM, 3,072 × $1.35 = $4,147.20
4. What is the approximate size of the HMA?
- The aimed-at density for wild horses across all HMAs is one animal per thousand acres, 256 × 1,000 = 256,000 acres
5. Estimate the total forage available to livestock and horses on the HMA.
- If you don’t know the forage allocation on an HMA, assume it’s 80% to livestock and 20% to wild horses, 3,072 × 5 = 15,360 AUMs per year
“But the land was set aside for the horses!” What does that have to do with anything?
Western Horse Watchers Association 