The trials of partially tame horses.
They've been lured into the human environment. They have become desensitized to many of the sights, sounds and smells of man. They aren't afraid of cars, trucks and school busses yet they are likely to spook if someone directly approaches them or if a dog races towards them. Of greatest cooncern is that many no longer fear automobile traffic. They walk down residential streets and cross busy highways with little concern. The consequences are self evident and most often it is the youngsters or pregnant mares who are lagging behind that are the ones who get hit by motorists.
A band of 13 horses "exploring" a local wood lot
13 horses squeeze past cars to explore a small garden that they just discovered
In talking with a few residents it appears that their intentions were good. After seeing and hearing numerous media reports about the drought and the need for BLM to remove large numbers of wild horses, and observing a few nursing mares that were naturally a bit underweight, they thought that they could "help the horses" by putting out a little feed and water. Unfortunately what they have done is ensure that these horses will have to be removed permanently from the open range.
State Brand Inspector Mike Holmes summed things up pretty clearly. "Once these horses have gotten the habit of getting these easy meals and water, they aren't going to stay away. Even If I relocate them many will simply come right back. I'd rather leave them alone but I have no choice but to take them off the range and this time I'm not going to wait until more get hit and killed before I do it."
In addition to the loss of horses due to road accidents, there is the obcious risk to public safety, particularly since many highway crossings tend to occur at first light or at dusk when visibility is poor and rush hour traffic is at its peak.
Inspector Holmes monitors a band and prepares to stop traffic
"I can't be out here on the highway all day long to make sure these horses get across safely," Holmes continued. "And the sad part is that so long as these people keep feeding and watering horses, they're going to attract more bands down along the highway and I'll probably have to pick them up too."
It is a sad situation. While growing horse populations and urban development are serious issues, the Mound House predicament is not a horse problem. It's a people problem. And it's a people problem that repeats itself in a number of Nevada communities.
In the more rural areas where topography permits, NDOT is installing some wildlife / wild horse undercrossings. They are very expensive but they definitely improve highway safety and help the animals get where they need to go. But people need to stop attracting horses close to the highways. Fencing, undercrossings and horse removals are just very expensive treatments for the "results," not cures for the underlyng causes.
Link to NDOT Installs Wild Horse Undercrossings.
For another related story please see Good Intentions Killing Wild Horses.
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