Would you be upset if it was 2,250 cow/calf pairs for six months per year? What would you say if it was 1,800 cow/calf pairs for four months and 5,250 ewe/lamb pairs for six months? Would you feel better if it was 7,500 ewe/lamb pairs for nine months?
All three cases have the same resource loading, 13,500 AUMs per year.
The management plan allows 210 wild horses for twelve months, requiring 2,520 AUMs per year.
How do you make the comparisons simple? Look at the resource allocations.
Livestock numbers depend on livestock types and grazing seasons.
But the forage allocations tell you immediately that the HMA is managed primarily for livestock.
You can also compute the number of horses displaced from the HMA by livestock, the True AML, and, if you know the current population, the number of excess horses.
RELATED: Resource Allocation Quiz, Filling in the Gaps at Healthy Horse HMA.
Western Horse Watchers Association 