Wild Horses: McCullough Peaks Shake Up After the Roundup

Last week I made my third trip to the McCullough Peaks Herd Area in northern Wyoming since the roundup last October. The herd area is 110,000 acres. At the roundup, 92 horses were removed, leaving about 125. This is significantly below the number of 150 breeding age adults which is the minimum recommended by Dr. Gus Cothren to insure genetic viability of a herd. Complicating this issue, the herd had been in a experimental birth control program using 2 year PZP as birth control, leaving 15 mares permanently sterile. This further decreases the size of the breeding population and the possibility of maintaining genetic viability for this herd.




Like every other herd except the Pryor Mountain herd, at the roundup, horses were not kept in their family bands, and so mares were separated from youngsters, stallions from mares, and families that had been together for many years were torn apart. The stallions were released together, and the mares were released together. But nothing will ever be the same. This is especially true since the decision was made to skew the sex ratio in this herd, leaving more stallions than mares, instead of roughly 50-50. The idea is that less mares and more stallions means less babies, less population increase. But it totally discounts the effect on the family structure, the heart, soul and glue of the herd.



What I found all over the herd area was single bachelors, bachelors in twos and threes hanging out together, and circling the family bands like sharks.







Two of my favorite stallions, Warbonnet (aka Medicine Boy) and Washakie (aka Rerun)who both had large family bands before the roundup I found with no mares (Washakie) or one mare (Warbonnet).



Indigo, the stallion who fathered my two cremello colts, who had one of the largest bands in the area now had two mares and a foal, and signs of recent battles on his body.





I was happy to see the late season foal of last year, Tall Socks who was one of the few foals left in the area after the roundup. He is growing up to be a handsome and outgoing colt.





Surprisingly, Tecumseh, a young stallion who had only had a family band for 1 year before the roundup had his family intact.





I was wondering why Washkie, who clearly outweighs him by quite a bit had not stolen his band, or some other older, more experienced stallion. In fact one evening by the waterhole, Tecumseh seems unconcerned by the proximity of Washakie to his band.





As I watched over several days it occured to me that Tecumseh was staying close to his father Tucson's band, and Tucson spent a lot of energy chasing off bachelors who got too close. This alliance is clearly working for both stallions.



Another surpise I found was Signal, the bachelor stallion who had been such a troublemaker last year had muscled up and gotten a family for himself, including some of Warbonnet's mares. He even chased Warbonnet far from his band, a real change of status for the two stallions.





Were there more skirmishes than normal? I don't think so right now, but I cannot image that some of these senior band stallions who lost their mares will let the situation stand for too long. With more and more stallions reaching maturity and less mares to go around, this situation will only worsen. It is not good for mares and foals to be constantly in the middle of fighting stallions, nor is it good for mares to be chased and stolen by stallion after stallion.







This is another example of BLM's mismanagement of wild horses. This is a small herd, so why can't the contractor keep the horses in their family bands as they do in the Pryor Mountains? Why must they mess with the sex ration of the horses, without any prior field studies on the effects this manipulation might have, instead just contributing to the turmoil the horses went through at the roundup?




This is one of my favorite wild horse herds, and it was painful to see it is this fractured state. Of course the horses are beautiful, and wonderful to watch, and even Washakie has gotten fat in his new bachelor lifestyle, but as he looks out after the families that are not his, I am sad.



I remembered at the roundup in October 2009 one of Indigo's buckskin mares looking back over her shoulder as she was released, never to see her foal or yearling or sister again. It breaks my heart.



At the meeting with the BLM in Denver all of the wild horse advocates repeatedly called for a moratorium on roundups until an actual workable plan can be put in place to properly manage the wild horses. These requests still go unheeded, and more and more horses continue to lose their freedom this summer.
Please go here to sign the petition for a moratorium on wild horse roundups:
http://www.environment.change.org/petitions/view/stop_the_summer_roundups_of_americas_mustangs_burros

New YouTube video by Carol Walker of the McCullough Peaks Herd at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydxygQto7SE

Why Wild Horses? Back to the Peaks.

Why Wild Horses? Why not remove all of them from our public lands and keep them in "Salazoos" in the Midwest and East Coast? Why not geld all the stallions and stop their populations from growing? And then in 15 years, there will be no more wild horse problem. Well, I say we cannot do this because we need them.

This weekend I have been spending time with the horses in the McCullough Peaks Herd near Cody in northern Wyoming. Last October almost half of the herd was removed in a roundup because the BLM contended that 225 horses were too many for 110,000 acres. I have found most of my favorite horses that were left on the range, but both Washakie and Indigo now have 2 mares each in their bands. Before the roundup there were over 30 horses in those 2 bands. I was delighted to see the young pinto stallion Tecumseh who had just won a family band this year back with his mares. But two gorgeous palomino mares, probably mother and daughter, and favorites of people in the area who come to see the horses, have been split up, in bands in very different areas.



And two of my favorite horses, two lovely creamy colored two year old colts in Indigo's band, Crispy Creme and White Lightning were removed, never to play together again, never to grow to their full strength and vie for mares.
But there are many horses left and soon there will be new foals.



When I go out with the horses, I usually go alone. It is quiet, peaceful, and I often sit and just watch for hours. It is the most peaceful time I get to spend. Spring is here, and this morning there was sparring going on between stallions. When I first arrived near several bands, the horses took off running and bucking in the cold morning air, just for the joy of being alive and free. This afternoon, it is warmer, and the horses have spread out grazing, some are snoozing, and they look up briefly as I take my camera out of my car, but do not move.



One stallion looks up periodically to check if I have moved (I haven't). I see a band a long way off making its way toward the other horses. A striking grey stallion, a ridiculously beautiful black and white pinto foal, the latest foal of last year, and a pinto mare with a blue eye and very long ears are slowly moving this way. I relax and wait. The magnificent Bighorn Mountains, still capped with snow form a wonderful backdrop.



As the band gets closer, the grey stallion snorts at me, a long abrupt breath. He lifts his head. We are not familiar with each other. I am absolutely delighted as he moves toward me at a stiff legged, alert trot. He is so beautiful. He stops again, then starts to move at a trot then a gallop as he runs past me, mare and foal following behind him. It is the most gorgeous stirring sight, and my heart is full of joy. As he reaches the other bands of horses, he stops and snorts again, looking at me. I say "thank you" quietly and consider myself the luckiest of people. The horses touch something in my soul. Their joy in life, their beauty, their sense of family, their strength, their wildness - these qualities are unique to wild horses. And it is one of the very best parts of my life to be able to witness this and to share it.




We need wild horses. They speak to the very best part of all of us and preserving their right to roam free is essential.
The wild horses normally don't need anything from us - except now they need our help so that they can remain free.
In Defense of Animals has an online form that you can end comments on the proposed Adobe Town and Salt Wells roundups where the BLM plans to remove 1000 horses from 1.5 million acres. Comments are due by April 2: http://bit.ly/chE8Ko