Solutions & Challenges
Wild Horse Solutions Mission Statement:
To develop and implement solutions to factors negatively impacting BLM horse herds in Oregon.
The wild horse challenges:
BLM Wild Horse Program budget chronically under-funded- Wild horses removed from over 19 million acres of original Herd Areas (HMAs) designated in the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act.
- Focus on gathers forces too many horses in long-term holding (LTH).
- Livestock and wildlife competition on the range.
- Excess emergency gathers due to water and forage issues.
- Frequent gathers damage social structure of herds.
- Low numbers of horses in many Herd Management Areas (HMAs) mean potential loss of genetic diversity.
- Reduced adoption demand.
Wild Horse Solutions priorities:
Solicit private funds to assist Federal partners sustain herds on the range.- Solicit private partners to create more viable, regional long-term holding facilities for wild horses removed from the range.
- Reduce number of emergency gathers by installing or improving water sources on existing Herd Management Areas.
- Partner with other wild horse advocate groups for restoration of original HA and HMA acreage.
- Work toward more balanced use of available forage on federal lands (wild horses consume only 5.6%).
