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Bureau of Land Management seeks homes for wild horses

The Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro program has been under scrutiny over the last few dozen years, relating to its care of the wild horse population in the western United States. The bureau has taken some criticism from some national wild horse rescue organizations.

"It is a situation where we have to do what is the best thing for these horses," Steve Fluery, national director of the BLM horse and burro program, said. "Adoption is absolutely key in helping with population management."

Wild equine expert Michelle Browning said she knows firsthand how important the wild horse situation is.

"It's important to first educate not only the passionate equine people, but everyone in all walks of life about the American wild mustang," Browning, director of repurposing for WildFire Ranch, a wild equine ranching development group based out Las Vegas and now in Temecula, said. "Human touch is the key to helping these horses through a comprehensive wild equine educational system.

"What is most important is saving the lives of these horses and burros," Browning said. "That's what we do. Develop highly specialized and proprietary wild equine ranches for these horses. It's the only model like it in the world with comprehensive adoption programs and state-of-the-art homes for these horses."

The bureau has had a rough past with some not-so-great ideas to curb the population issue, Browning said. BLM paid people to take some of these wild horses without vetting anyone. The problem was trucks and horse trailers started showing up from across the border to get paid to take these horses anywhere and many of them were sent to slaughter factories.

As of 2020, there were 90,000 wild horses running around in off-range pastures in several different western states in roughly 20,000 BLM off-range acres. That number equals about five horses per acre which is like driving two cars around in your backyard and expecting it to be good as new.

"These wild horses are not pets," Browning said. "A backyard is not a home for these horses. True preservationists get a bad rap when unqualified 'rescuers' attempt to take on a horse, much less a wild one for their backyard."

Some of the problems facing the wild equine herd and its population is a lack of land. Wild horses have been moving into new territories and new habitat. Wild horses are moving toward farmland and domestic small ranches where these wild horses communicate with domestic family horses. Crossing busy roads and freeways have caused the death of many horses and people when they unintentionally hit the animals with their vehicles.

"Temecula and Murrieta just happen to be solid habitats for these adopted wild horses, coupled with highly qualified and responsible folks that have accepted the challenge to adopt these horses," Browning said.

Browning and WildFire Ranch created a quality of life program that is scientifically based through over seven years of extensive research. It takes into account numerous variables, like knowing the horses' wild habitat, its health specs, intake, training and development. Those are just a few constants that WildFire Ranch has applied to create a per-horse-acre equivalence that sets a safe standard for adoption qualifications and health care abilities.

"Our quality of life program puts these horses at a minimum of 5 acres and above per horse for a better and healthy life," Browning said. "This helps save lives in the wild herds."

The Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro program offers an opportunity called Public Off Range Pastures. The program is for ranchers and wild equine specialists with over 1,000 acres to take in up to 150 horses minimum to help quell the population problem.

"The PORP program is fine and dandy, but there are not many 1,000-plus acre ranches in Temecula," Browning said. "There are too many great and qualified horse people in the Temecula and Murrieta valley to shun the PORP program from."

The program, however, requires educational and adoption programs on these ranches. These ranches receive funds per horse from the government for care and intake.

"That's why we have the only ranching system like it in the world," Browning said. "We are a wild mustang sanctuary on steroids. We not only help and design the 1,000-plus wild equine ranches, but we help the smaller ranches with qualified horse people to get funding for wild horses, like here in Temecula and north San Diego County."

 

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