It’s probably an isolated case.
Donald Broom is a rancher and Moffatt County Commissioner according to his bio.
He manages Sombrero Ranches, “where he oversees the nation’s largest herd of broke horses, supplying riding stables, movie scenes and outfitters with ridable livestock.”
A search of the Operator Information Report at RAS linked Sombrero Ranches to authorization #0501087.
The Allotment Information Report tied the authorization to West Boone Draw and Thompson Basin, both in the Little Snake Field Office.
The National Data Viewer puts them on the west side of Sand Wash Basin.
The Allotment Master Report puts both in the Improve category.
The Authorization Use Report indicates that most of the AUMs go to domestic horses, with some to cattle.
Broom may not be the owner, but his personal fortune, and the profitability of his employer, may be inversely related to the number of wild horses in and around the HMA.
Thus, they’d want the herd minimized, which may be consistent with the aim of the committee but not the people of Colorado.
Western Horse Watchers does not know if the allotments were always permitted for horses or if Sombrero had to go through the planning process as American Prairie did for bison in Montana.
RELATED: Wild Horse Working Group Will Serve Ranchers Not Horses.
Western Horse Watchers Association 