Wild horses versus wildlife

But aren’t wild horses wildlife? Wild horse managers often point out that a more correct classification of mustangs would be “feral horses.” Many believe wild horse herds to be nothing more than once-domesticated horses turned out by ranchers throughout the 1900s. However, DNA testing has proved some isolated herds in the Western U.S. possess fairly pure bloodlines tracing back to the 1800s and earlier. While these horses may be linked to the Spanish barbary horse, treasured by Asians and Europeans centuries ago, arguments are often made that no horse is ‘native’ to America. Today, the przewalski horse, native to Mongolia, is considered the only truly ‘wild’ horse that has never been consistently domesticated. All horses in the world are thought to be descendents of the 54 million-year-old pliohippus, which roamed North America until the last ice age. Whether it is more desirable to have elk, mule deer, wolves, horses, or cattle roaming freely in the great American West is a subject of everyday debate amongst ranchers, politicians and plain old folks sitting around the barbershop. Elk hunting tags bring Wyoming money. Wolves probably attract some tourists with money. Cattle grazing permits make money for the BLM. Mustangs, on the other hand, cost the government money. Competition between the wild horse and cattle for forage is of concern to politicians and even more grating on ranchers. Biologists point to the fact that most horse herds live in arid areas that cattle don’t fully utilize due to a lack of available water. Horses are better suited for these climates, ranging up to nine times as far from water sources as beef-on-the-hoof. Horses are also more efficient digesters of nutrients, allowing them to survive in areas of poor forage where cattle will starve...more