How Many Wild Horses Can the Triple B Complex Support?

Table 12 in the Antelope-Triple B Management Evaluation identifies the allotments that overlap the Complex.

The Allotment Master Report at RAS gives management status, public acres and active AUMs by field office (Bristlecone | Wells).

Approximately 90% of the allotment acreage is in the Improve category.

The allotments, which include territory outside the Complex, support livestock equivalent to 6,533 wild horses.

The forage assigned to livestock inside the Complex is estimated to be 44,758 AUMs per year, assuming it’s evenly distributed across the allotments.

That resource would support 3,730 wild horses, on top of the 821 allowed by plan, for a True AML of 4,551.

The pre-gather population is well within this range.

The BLM spends around $6.8 million per year to care for 3,730 wild horses in off-range holding so it can collect about $60,000 per year from the Triple B permittees.

Nobody in the private sector would do that.

BLM allotments in Nevada support livestock equivalent to 173,144 wild horses on 40,194,360 public acres.

RELATED: Triple B Roundup Announced.