BLM trots out its Utah wild horses

A wild horse could end up trotting onto your school's campus.

The Bureau of Land Management is taking a wild horse education program to any school that's interested, said Lisa R. Reid, public affairs specialist in the BLM's Fillmore Field Office. Reid presented the program at the Montessori School at Riverton this month.

"The main thing is to educate people there are wild horses on the range," Reid said. "Many people don't know that."

More than 32,000 wild horses and 4,800 wild burros roam in herd management in Western states including Utah, the Associated Press has reported. Some of the mustangs' ancestors were tamed then set free; some are descendants of the Spanish Barb brought by conquistadors, Reid said.

About 30 years ago, Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act to protect and manage the animals. The BLM rounds them up to control their populations on public lands in hopes of maintaining their balance with wildlife and livestock, Reid said.

BLM officials in Utah gather the animals by helicopter — a more effective but expensive venture at $250 to $500 per horse — and water trap, where herds are corralled when they come to drink, Reid said.

Water trapping costs about $25 per horse but can take all day. Reid recalls waiting hours, crouched low, waiting for a stud to sniff the air, test the water and a potential escape route before giving the herd the signal to drink.

Once captured, the animals are freeze branded with liquid nitrogen, which Reid says is painless. Symbols connote each horse's age (determined via dental exam), area and other information.

The mustangs then are put up for adoption. Buyers pay a minimum $125, plus assurances the owner will have a 400-square-foot area enclosed with a 6-foot panel fence, Reid said. Some horses have gone for $19,000.

In the past month, the BLM had 8,500 horses available for adoption; it found homes for 1,800, Reid said.

The BLM is able to check up on the adopted horses for one year before the buyer receives title.

But past problems have been reported within the program. Some horses have been sold for slaughter.

That has concerned students at the Montessori School, said Suky Stewart, who teaches the fourth- through sixth-grade class.

"These children adore animals," she said, adding they volunteer at an animal rescue in Herriman.

Last week, her students met DaVinci, a gentled, wild horse adopted a couple of years ago by Joyce Smith of Bluffdale.

"We want the kids to learn respect, love, understanding and the value of wild horses," Stewart said.

Reid said schools interested in the education program can call the BLM office in Fillmore at 435-743-3128 or in the Salt Lake area, 801-539-4027.

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