With more than 64,000 wild horses and burros roaming public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in 10 western states and an additional 47,000 living in government-funded holding facilities, the National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition has launched an information and education campaign to provide insights to the general public about the challenges excess wild horses and burros pose to western rangelands.
The wild horse and burro population is more than twice as big as it should, according to BLM. Such overpopulation threatens the health of the entire ecosystem, as well as the health of the wild horses and burros.
With a 20 percent annual population increase, nearly 130,000 wild horses and burros will be on the range by 2020.
"Unfortunately, the government has been unable to manage these horses in a way to keep them at a sustainable level," said Ryan Yates, American Farm Bureau Federation western issues specialist. "It's not good for the horses and it's certainly not good for the rangeland."
Yates said the coalition, of which Farm Bureau is a member, is advocating for the appropriate management of these horses so that all of the multiple users can benefit from healthy and sustainable rangelands.