Month: February 2025

Key Indicators for New Wild Horse Preserves

Ideally, you’d like to see forage availability above 60 and the stocking rate exceed five, as discussed previously.

Forage availability (AUMs per thousand public acres)RatingStocking rate (Wild horses per thousand public acres)
Less than 36PoorLess than 3
36 t0 60Fair3 to 5
More than 60GoodMore than 5

You also want a land ratio above three.

Land ratio (public acres to deeded acres)Percent public landsRating
ZeroZeroUnacceptable
1:150Unacceptable
2:167Unacceptable
3:175Barely acceptable
4:180Good
5:183Better
6:1 or more86 or moreBest

Sanctuaries consisting of deeded acreage only (no public lands) represent victory for the ranchers and failure for the horses.

RELATED: Scoping Out a New Wild Horse Refuge.

Suitability of Allotments for Wild Horse Preserves

A first-pass assessment can be carried out if you know the forage availability or stocking rate, both of which can be determined from the Allotment Master Report at RAS.

Forage availability = Active AUMs ÷ Public acres × 1,000

Stocking rate = Forage availability ÷ 12

Forage availability (AUMs per thousand public acres)RatingStocking rate (Wild horses per thousand public acres)
Less than 36PoorLess than 3
36 t0 60Fair3 to 5
More than 60GoodMore than 5

For example, the Wallrock Allotment in Oregon offers 6,656 active AUMs on 100,167 public acres according to the report.

That’s 66.4 AUMs per thousand public acres or 5.5 wild horses per thousand public acres, putting it in the Good category.

If the base property tied to the allotment was on the market, you might want to take a closer look.

The allotment supports livestock equivalent to 555 wild horses, which would be the carrying capacity of the new refuge, assuming no on-site hay production.

RELATED: Scoping Out a New Wild Horse Refuge.

What Does Herd Implosion Look Like?

It’s not apparent to the untrained eye.

But it’s occurring across the American west, as the advocates sterilize the mares and birth rates fall irreversibly below death rates.

In this example from the Salt River, the white horse at 1:42 shows a subtle indicator of their involvement.

The Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group works closely with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses.

RELATED: When Will PLC Endorse Salt River and Virginia Range Advocates?

When Will PLC Endorse Salt River and Virginia Range Advocates?

They’re using PZP to reduce wild horse populations, with the inevitable result of mass sterilization.

The technique was pioneered at Assateague Island, where, as of last year, the herd was still shrinking eight years after the darting program was shut off.

Better Way 10-25-23

The advocates sell it as a humane alternative to motorized removal, claiming the pesticide is safe and reversible.

The Public Lands Council represents cattle and sheep producers who hold grazing permits on public lands across the western U.S.

RELATED: Salt River Darting Program by the Numbers.

Colorado Wild Horse Working Group Mulls New Refuge

The agenda from last week’s meeting indicates that Day 2 was devoted to consideration of a new preserve.

The legislature expects the group to identify and pursue long-term solutions for wild horses that are removed from federal horse management areas or held in federal facilities according to the Year One Report.

The best option is to acquire base properties tied to one or more grazing allotments, such as the ranch near Dinosaur, and flip the preference to horses.

The pattern has already been established by the Wild Horse Refuge.

RELATED: Criteria for Colorado’s New Wild Horse Preserve.

Foal-Free Friday, Rangelands and Lovers Edition

Proponents of pesticides, helicopters and livestock will share a special moment today as they renew their vows of ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses.

They may not always agree on fine points but a belief in the overpopulation narrative and the necessity of achieving AMLs helps them overcome their differences.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Science-Based Conservation Edition.

Working Together for a Horse-Free Future 12-21-22

Hinsdale Base Property Available for $10 Million

Black Ranch covers 3,710 deeded acres in northeastern Montana, with grazing privileges on 26,600 BLM acres and 4,680 state acres according to the agent’s listing.

The map indicates the BLM grazing preference is tied to the Upper Canyon Creek, MT04725 and Eagles Nest Coulee allotments, which offer a combined 4,346 active AUMs on 28,661 public acres, according to the allotment master report.

That’s equivalent to 362 wild horses or 12.6 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Your faithful public servants claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The land ratio, using the agent’s data, is 7.2 public acres per deeded acre.

The ranch does not overlap any areas identified for wild horses.

The best option for wild horses removed from their lawful homes is to put them back on public lands at the expense of privately owned livestock.

This can be accomplished by acquiring base properties such as this one and flipping the grazing preference to horses.

Black Ranch Scorecard 02-12-25

The investment ratio would be $27,624 per rescued horse, assuming the ranch operated in self-sustaining mode.

On-site hay production would increase capacity, driving the investment ratio down.

The listing says the ranch supports 750 head for seven months per year but does not give the status of livestock during the off season.  Normally the animals would retreat to the deeded acreage or rented pastures.

RELATED: Starting a Nonprofit That Actually Helps Wild Horses.

Black Ranch Allotments 02-12-25