The herd on the Maryland side of the island consisted of 14 bands and 79 horses according to the January 3 inventory, compared to 15 bands and 81 horses in December.
Two older stallions died of natural causes.
One small bachelor band and an unattached mom/baby pair were noted.
No new foals were reported.
Two mares(?) were listed as “presumed missing.”
The safe, proven and reversible darting program was shut off in 2016 but the herd has not rebounded.
Not included in the update:
- Ratio of females to males
- Size of breeding population
- Number of viable mares
The BLM WHB Handbook indicates the breeding population should exceed 50 animals to maintain an acceptable level of genetic diversity.
The herd likely has an abnormal sex ratio, with many more females than males, and this may explain why there are so few unattached stallions.
Western Horse Watchers believes the reports are intentionally vague because the herd has been ruined by Zonastat-H, a miracle drug according to the advocates.
The Assateague Island Alliance updates the lists.
RELATED: Assateague Pony Census, December 2023.
Western Horse Watchers Association 