Category: Range

On the range

Florence Now Hurricane

The storm is now aimed at Wilmington, NC, according to a story published today in the Charlotte Observer.  The NHC cone appears on this page.

The wild horses of the barrier islands, especially those at Shackleford Banks, would be in the northeast quadrant of the hurricane, based on today’s projections, which brings the onshore flow (storm surge).

These horses have been on U.S. soil longer than the mustangs of the American west and are thought to be descended from those brought to the New World by Spanish explorers.

RELATED: Florence to Drench OBX?

BLM Ends Pancake Gather

Bait trapping ended 09/04/18, with 89 wild horses removed from the Pancake HMA, according to a news release issued today.  Three deaths were reported and no animals were returned to the range.  A foal was euthanized on the first day due to injuries received when she was kicked by another horse inside the trap.

The gather was delayed for several weeks due to unfavorable weather.

Captured animals were taken to the Indian Lakes off-range corrals in Fallon, NV, where they will be placed into the WHB adoption program.

Livestock grazing has not been allowed in the area since 2000.

RELATED: Emergency Gather of Pancake Horses to Begin Next Week.

Muddy Creek Gather Starts Next Week

The roundup originally planned for August will begin on September 11, according to a BLM news release issued yesterday.  The removal target is still 149 animals.  The gather will be open to public observation.  Visitors are advised that low flying helicopters will be involved in the operation

The Muddy Creek HMA covers 283,400 acres in central Utah per the announcement and has an AML of 125, for an aimed-at population density of 0.44 animals per thousand acres.

The HMA description says 208,810 acres.

Captured animals will be taken to the Wild Horse Facility in Delta, UT, where they will be prepared for adoption.

Gather stats and daily reports can be found at this page.

The announcement did not indicate if livestock were present on the HMA.

RELATED: Wild Horse Gather Set for Muddy Creek.

Report Says Shackleford Herd Grew Slightly in 2017

The wild horse herd on the barrier island of Shackleford Banks added 14 foals in 2017, while losing five adults and one foal, for a net increase of eight horses.  The population at the beginning of 2018 was 120 horses.

Fertility control has not been applied since 2009.  The AML is 130 and the area where the horses roam covers 3000 acres, for an aimed-at population density of 43.3 animals per thousand acres.

No roundups are planned.  Livestock are not present in the area.

Refer to the story in Coastal Review Online dated 09/04/18.

The report published by NPS indicated that, of the horses aged twenty years and older, 17 out of 20 are mares (85%).  Assuming that mortality is evenly distributed among genders (p = .5), you’d expect to find between four and sixteen mares in the group, using np-chart limits with n = 20.

That you have 17 mares (and 3 stallions) suggests that mortality favors stallions at Shackleford Banks.  This result should be attributed to a special cause.

The report did not say if any of the three stallions were band leaders.

Wild horse herds on the east coast barrier islands have been on U.S. soil longer than those of the American west.

How Large Should HMAs Be?

Given:

  • Wild horse herds should contain at least 150 animals for genetic viability
  • Average population density on BLM lands is one animal per thousand acres

Therefore, every HMA should have at least 150,000 acres.

There are a total of 117 HMAs in Nevada, Oregon and Utah (66% of the HMAs in the U.S.) and 67 are smaller than 150,000 acres (57%).

The Pryor Mountains and Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Ranges, which have been in the news of late, have 38,000 and 36,113 acres respectively.

The problem is not too many horses, the problem is not enough land.

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