Wild horses?

[MountainTi]

Frequently Asked Questions
Feral Horses in Alberta



1. Where are feral horses found in Alberta?

The majority of feral horses in Alberta are found in the foothills west of Rocky Mountain House and Sundre. Herds have also been found ranging south of there to the Alberta/U.S. border


2. How long have feral horses been around the area west of Sundre?
There have been horses in the area since the 1920’s. Some roundups were first done in the 1950’s. Under the original permit system, about 2000 horses were removed from 1962 to 1972. Today we estimate there are about 650 horses in the designated area. It is difficult to obtain a completely accurate count of the horses since most are found in forested areas.


3. Where did these horses come from?

Biologists call these horses feral because they are not true wildlife (i.e. they are not indigenous to the area). It is believed that most of these horses originated from domestic stock that were used in logging and mining operations in the early 1900’s. Horses often escaped from these areas, and when the companies ceased operations, all the horses were turned loose. These horses have now produced several generations of offspring and continue to inhabit the lands around the original operations west of Sundre and Rocky Mountain House.

In the decades since then, many domestic horses have been either been illegally turned loose by their owners for free grazing, or have escaped from adjacent ranches or Indian Reserves into these areas. These horses may also have produced offspring.


4. How many feral horses are currently found in the area west of Sundre?

We estimate there are about 300 horses. It is difficult to determine accurately since these animals exist over a very large area and are difficult to spot in the rugged terrain. However, annual counts since 1982 (in the Sundre area) have shown no significant increase or decrease in the population. These counts are completed at the same time of year over the same area in order to keep the statistics unbiased.


5. Please explain the Feral Horse Capture Program and the intent of the program.

The Horse Capture Program together with the Stray Animals Act helps to protect these horses, and to ensure humane treatment in capturing them. Round-up and roping methods are approved capture methods. Snare traps are prohibited.




Those wishing to capture these horses must apply for a permit. All applicants are carefully screened to ensure that:
a) An operational plan is in place,
b) A satisfactory level of experience in capturing horses is evident,
c) A safe and humane method of capture is stated, and
d) The estimated number of horses in the proposed area is given.

The intent of the program is to ensure humane treatment of the horses and to strike a balance between the desired long-term survival of feral horses, and protecting the public and natural resources from the impacts of these animals.


6. How long has the program been in place?

Legislation was passed in 1993 and the existing program was implemented shortly thereafter. An earlier permit system was in effect from 1962 to 1972 when about 2000 horses were removed over the span of the ten years. Some roundups were done as far back as the 1950s.


7. Are there any concerns with feral horses in this area?

Our concern is for the safety of the public (especially along the highways in the area), for the survival of the horses, and for the protection of the environment.

The program was initiated due to substantial reports that horses were being captured in an inhumane manner, often by use of snares. The program has eliminated this concern. It has also helped to regulate horse numbers and maintain wildlife habitat.


8. How much does a permit cost?

A permit costs $200. The application fee is $50, and the permit holder must pay corral fees (if corrals are being used) at a rate of $50 per metal corral or $250 per wooden corral.


9. How do I obtain a permit?

Licences are issued from the Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) offices listed below. Application forms can be obtained online or at these locations and then submitted at these locations:

a. Clearwater Forest Area Office
Rocky Mountain House – 845-8250

b. Southern Rockies Area Office
Calgary – 297-8800




10. What happens to the horses after they have been captured?

Livestock Identification Services Inspectors inspect all captured horses to ensure that they are feral horses (i.e. no brands) and to ensure that the licence holder adhered to the conditions of capture. Once inspected and the animals are removed, it is difficult to know for certain where they end up. Most are used by the licence holders for resale, as packhorses, or as rodeo stock. Some are domesticated for various recreational pursuits.


11. Once the horses are captured, how is it determined whether the permit holder did, in fact, capture them in a humane manner?

Livestock Identification Services Inspectors inspect each corral site to ensure that each corral meets a safety standard and that humane handling of the captured horses occurs. In addition, local Alberta Sustainable Resource Development’s (ASRD) staff carry out periodic inspections to ensure humane capture methods are being used. Individuals who conduct operations in the capture of feral horses in the designated area without a licence can be fined up to $5000 for the offence.


12. How many permits are issued each year and how many horses are removed?

Since 1997, an average of ten licences per year have been issued. The total number of horses taken annually averages between 25-35.


13. Is there a limit on the number of permits issued or the number of horses that can be removed?

ASRD has the ability to limit the number of licences issued. Since the program’s inception the number of licences issued has not been very high, therefore no quota has been established., The total number of horses that can be removed can be specified on the licence and a higher ratio of studs maybe specified. Annual counts appear to support the premise that the conservative number of horses removed annually is sustainable.

14. Is it legal to hunt wild horses?

No, shooting or hunting horses is illegal according to section 444 of the Criminal Code. Specifically, this section says:
"Every one who wilfully
(a) kills, maims, wounds, poisons or injures cattle, or
(b) places poison in such a position that it may easily be consumed by cattle, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.”
In the Criminal Code, "cattle" is defined as "neat cattle or an animal of the bovine species by whatever technical or familiar name it is known, and includes any horse, mule, ass, pig, sheep or goat."


If you witness or are aware of any illegal activities with respect to hunting feral horses, report the information to the local ASRD Office to initiate an investigation. This information will then be turned over to the RCMP.


15. Where can I find more information on feral horses?

Below is a short list of references that pertain to feral horses. This list may be updated from time to time, and further information may be found at Government of Alberta and University libraries.

Garrott, R.A. and L. Taylor. 1990. Dynamics of a feral horse population in Montana. J. Wildl. Manage. 54(4): 606-612.

Garrott, R.A., T.C. Eagle and E.D. Plotka. 1991. Age-specific reproduction in feral horses. Can. J. Zool. 69:738-743.

Mayes, E. and P. Duncan. 1986. Temporal patterns of feeding behaviour in free-ranging horses. Behaviour. 96(1): 105-129.

Rogers, G.M. 1991. Kaimanawa feral horses and their environmental impacts. New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 15(1): 49-64.

Salter, R.E. 1978. Ecology of feral horses in Western Alberta. Masters Thesis. Department of Animal Science, University of Alberta.

Salter, R.E. 1978. Distribution, ecology and management of free roaming horses in Alberta. Alberta Energy and Natural Resources, Alberta Forest Service. ENR Report No. 79.

Salter, R.E. 1979. Biogeography and habitat-use behaviour of feral horses in Western and Northern Canada. Department of Animal Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton. Paper presented at Symposium on the Ecology and Behaviour of Feral Equids, 6-8 September 1979, Laramie, Wyoming.

Salter, R.E. and R.J. Hudson, 1978. Distribution and Management of Feral Horses in Western Canada. Rangeman’s Journal. Vol. 5, No. 6. December 1978. pp. 190-192.

Salter, R.E. and R.J. Hudson, 1978. Habitat utilization by feral horses in Western Alberta. Naturaliste can., 105: 309-321.

Storrar, J.A., R.J. Hudson and R.E. Salter, 1977. Habitat use behaviour of feral horse and spatial relationships with moose in central British Columbia. Syesis, 10: 39-44.

Wolfe, M.L., C.E. Legrande and R. MacMullen. 1989. Reproductive rates of feral horses and burrows. J. Wildl. Manage. 53(4): 916-924.

[walking buffalo]

They are still trapped every year in significant numbers.

I guess that depends on a personal valuation of the term significant.

If you think 4-6 permits for 25-35 horses out of an absolute minimum population of 1000 is "significant", then no one can argue your beliefs.


I do wish Alberta Lands would publicly provide the new survey data. Information regarding Feral horses is referred to be released by the Communications Director.

Comparing Sable Island to Alberta is baseless in basic ecological principles, Unless you consider all of Alberta to be an Island.


Hey TJ, your turn..... I've got to go check on the horse trap.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

And the Merry Go Round goes round.... again....


You post on all the horse threads, it would be progressive for all involved if you would retain the information provided.


So once again,

Horses were free ranged, and used by their owners for the last century. There were no Feral horses in Alberta, just owned free range stock. The number of free range horse livestock was a few hundred. During the 80's and early 90's when the "Wild" horse movement began, the total AB population of Feral horses remained stable at around three hundred, based on Lands aerial surveys, due to an active trapping management plan.

Now that trapping permits have been severely restricted for many years, the population growth of existing Feral horses, along with the new release of unwanted horses has resulted in a predictable population dynamic, the herds are growing at over 20% per year.

The latest survey identified over 1000 individual horses in only a portion of known Feral horse range. The actual number of Feral horses in Alberta is definately greater than a thousand, perhaps several thousand. And this number will continue to grow exponentially without a change in management practices.

We are at the tipping point for ecological impact due to Feral horses. Three hundred horses did not cause a problem for wildlife, range quality or human safety on roads. That has all changed now, and will only get worse unless the government gets proactive and reduces the Feral horse population NOW.

It's not rocket science...... just politics, money, and emotion.

Lucky for me the merry go round ride isn't a loney one
Starting to hit a bit below the belt on your posts aren't you?
Copied above is a bit of info for you from the SRD website. It is a bit old mind you, from 2009 I believe. Check out section 3. From counts dating back to 1982 there has not been an increase or much of a decrease in population.
Not sure where you obtained your figures of an increase of 20% a year. Or the thousands that are now inhabiting the west country

[Thorobreeder]

Speaking of the Sable Island horses, did you know that they are linked (through DNA testing) to a herd that roams in the ghost area?
These horses have roamed Sable Island since the 1500s. They have been protected for decades, and the population has been able to self-regulated at 400-600 on the islands total 34 sq. km.
The more attention that the wild horses get, the more evidence is found to show that they have been around a lot longer than one may think.

Originally Posted by Thorobreeder

Speaking of the Sable Island horses, did you know that they are linked (through DNA testing) to a herd that roams in the ghost area?
These horses have roamed Sable Island since the 1500s. They have been protected for decades, and the population has been able to self-regulated at 400-600 on the islands total 34 sq. km.
The more attention that the wild horses get, the more evidence is found to show that they have been around a lot longer than one may think.

LOL....The DNA arguement is one of the biggest red herrings in this entire issue. Of course any horse can be linked to another population. The fact remains, there were no horses in North America post ice age until the Spaniards showed up with their domestic stock. They are not indigenous....period!

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Not sure where you obtained your figures of an increase of 20% a year. Or the thousands that are now inhabiting the west country

From the most recent population surveys......this info has been previously posted too. I agree, this does feel like a merrygoround!

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Hey TJ, your turn..... I've got to go check on the horse trap.

Taking turns are we? I feel like I'm being ganged up on.

[IR_mike]

Funny how times have changed, I remember being checked by a CO in the "west country" in the late 90's and told to shoot as many "wild horses" as I wanted after telling him about being charged by one the previous day.

[Thorobreeder]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Lucky for me the merry go round ride isn't a loney one
Not sure where you obtained your figures of an increase of 20% a year. Or the thousands that are now inhabiting the west country

Well every time the media does some kind of coverage or feature, they ask a different representative at a different office and they give a different answer. I have no doubt he probably heard it right from them, but that doesn't mean that its credible...they are humans just like us and are subject to bias and emotions.
For some reason I remember that figure being quoted on the last time the show 16:9 did a feature on the horses.

I bring up the Sable Island horses as an example of herds being capable of self regulating, even without predation and capture...am well aware that it is an island, thanks so much. So I think that capturing 20 or 30 horses per year is lots, as long there are stallion ratios that are enforced.

Considering Sable Island has no native ungulates it seems a somewhat poor comparison. They likely aren't affecting the seal population too greatly...I agree.

[Thorobreeder]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

LOL....The DNA arguement is one of the biggest red herrings in this entire issue. Of course any horse can be linked to another population. The fact remains, there were no horses in North America post ice age until the Spaniards showed up with their domestic stock. They are not indigenous....period!

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum: "Wild horses certainly are part of our wildlife today, and the herds that you and I encounter are descendants of the horses the Spanish brought in the 1500s. Horses were indigenous to the Americas, but went extinct on this continent during the Pleistocene Epoch. They looked quite a bit different than the mustangs you see today. I love seeing wild horses and have encountered them in the western deserts. I certainly consider them to be an important part of our landscape". The wild horses found today, are remnant populations of these horses among American mustangs. When the Spanish brought horses back to North America they were simply returning home.


And it seems to me there wasn't much of anything around in North America post ice age. Just sayin.

And sorry, but my American Saddlebred, my American Quarter Horse and my Mustang share no significant DNA... I had him (mustang) tested by the same company does the DNA testing for the saddlebred and quarter horse registries when I had them registered, and there was nothing other than they are all horse....he shares strong Kiger/Spanish Mustang DNA, to the extent that he is eligible to be registered as Kiger Mustang.

Originally Posted by Thorobreeder

[
And it seems to me there wasn't much of anything around in North America post ice age. Just sayin.

.

Huh? How do you think all of our indigenous wildlife got here?

[heretohunt]

Are these horses are mostly just used logging and mineing equipment that has been abandoned? Sounds like it to me. Every time I see old equipment abandoned in the bush I think to my self, "well they sure wouldn't get away with that now" and "how long is it going to take to rust away?" I don't think "hey I wonder if that old machine is an antique, we should preserve this dump as a heritage site!"
When I first saw those horses a few years back, my thoughts were "cool! Wild horses!" After two days of seeing them non stop I realized they were feral horses and they out number the wild life in this area. They are so frequent in the area that it looks like someone is useing this area as a pasture.
I have seen them in the bronson forrest in Saskatchewan and they are a pain in the butt there. Farmers have to close their gates to keep them out of their pastures and if you are baiting for deer (leagaly) you get over run with them.
Bottom line is it is silly to protect a ferral species and yes if I had to choose it would be all ferral species. I love shooting and eating phesants but would rather put every penny that we spend on them into sage grouse or something indigenous.
Wouldn't horses make great wolf bait? Are the good folks that are buying up the feral horses just driving up the sale price by creating a demand?
Please don't hate me for my opinion.

E=Thorobreeder;968919

And sorry, but my American Saddlebred, my American Quarter Horse and my Mustang share no significant DNA... I had him (mustang) tested by the same company does the DNA testing for the saddlebred and quarter horse registries when I had them registered, and there was nothing other than they are all horse....he shares strong Kiger/Spanish Mustang DNA, to the extent that he is eligible to be registered as Kiger Mustang.[/

So your domestic pet is a mustang? Come on thoro, even you have to see the irony in that. I've seen all types of registries invented over the past few decades and at the end of the day they are little more than a piece of paper that someone bought. The fact remains that your "mustang" is the descendant of tame stock brought to North America to serve the needs of man....not to run free.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

Are these horses are mostly just used logging and mineing equipment that has been abandoned? Sounds like it to me. Every time I see old equipment abandoned in the bush I think to my self, "well they sure wouldn't get away with that now" and "how long is it going to take to rust away?" I don't think "hey I wonder if that old machine is an antique, we should preserve this dump as a heritage site!"
When I first saw those horses a few years back, my thoughts were "cool! Wild horses!" After two days of seeing them non stop
I realized they were feral horses and they out number the wild life in this area.
They are so frequent in the area that it looks like someone is useing this area as a pasture.
I have seen them in the bronson forrest in Saskatchewan and they are a pain in the butt there. Farmers have to close their gates to keep them out of their pastures and if you are baiting for deer (leagaly) you get over run with them.
Bottom line is it is silly to protect a ferral species and yes if I had to choose it would be all ferral species. I love shooting and eating phesants but would rather put every penny that we spend on them into sage grouse or something indigenous.
Wouldn't horses make great wolf bait? Are the good folks that are buying up the feral horses just driving up the sale price by creating a demand?
Please don't hate me for my opinion.

Curious as to why you would say the horses outnumber the wildlife. Horses like to hang around the roads, they don't have the natural fear that wildlife has, and therefore are seen much more often. If the wildlife hung around the roads and showed as little fear as the wildies, hunting season wouldn't be much of a challenge

[heretohunt]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Curious as to why you would say the horses outnumber the wildlife. Horses like to hang around the roads, they don't have the natural fear that wildlife has, and therefore are seen much more often. If the wildlife hung around the roads and showed as little fear as the wildies, hunting season wouldn't be much of a challenge

My friend you have got me pegged wrong. I saw them when I was walking. The reason that It seemed that they were ou tnumbering the wildlife is that I saw more of them than everything else and the noticeable impact was far more significant. Just my personal observations with no predjustice.

[MountainTi]

Off topic here SG and WB (maybe not a bad thing ) but what kind of impact do you suppose the planned introduction of bison to BNP is going to have on our ungulate populations? The introduction is planned for a couple of the major elk ranges. I hear tell they actually plan on fencing the valley at warden's rock. Seems like a poor idea to me and any others in the know

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

My friend you have got me pegged wrong. I saw them when I was walking. The reason that It seemed that they were ou tnumbering the wildlife is that I saw more of them than everything else and the noticeable impact was far more significant. Just my personal observations with no predjustice.

Didn't mean to insinuate you were just driving around. Like I said, horses are easy to find, they don't have as much fear from man nor predator, that is why I say the majority are found close to roads.

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Off topic here SG and WB (maybe not a bad thing ) but what kind of impact do you suppose the planned introduction of bison to BNP is going to have on our ungulate populations? The introduction is planned for a couple of the major elk ranges. I hear tell they actually plan on fencing the valley at warden's rock. Seems like a poor idea to me and any others in the know

Why do you think it's a poor idea Ti?

[Thorobreeder]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

So your domestic pet is a mustang? Come on thoro, even you have to see the irony in that. I've seen all types of registries invented over the past few decades and at the end of the day they are little more than a piece of paper that someone bought. The fact remains that your "mustang" is the descendant of tame stock brought to North America to serve the needs of man....not to run free.

My point was the DNA comparison not the ability to register a horse.

If they haven't been out there all that long then why do they have so much spanish blood?

While mining & logging horses had some spanish influence, they would prefer a more cold-blooded, stocky type like a short draft horse.

I'm not arguing the fact that people have turned out horses or horses have escaped. But that doesn't take away from spanish-bred horses that have been out there for many generations before that point.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Why do you think it's a poor idea Ti?

First off I doubt bison and golfers would play nice together on the back 9. Not sure how fencing off the river valley is going to allow for free travel of the elk, doubt if they will have a toll gate
( I do like what you were shooting for though)

[Thorobreeder]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

First off I doubt bison and golfers would play nice together on the back 9.

oh could you imagine the priceless "wildlife interaction" opportunities that would present themselves?

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Thorobreeder

oh could you imagine the priceless "wildlife interaction" opportunities that would present themselves?

I'm sure there will be many Kodak moments to be had

Originally Posted by Thorobreeder

My point was the DNA comparison not the ability to register a horse.

If they haven't been out there all that long then why do they have so much spanish blood?

While mining & logging horses had some spanish influence, they would prefer a more cold-blooded, stocky type like a short draft horse.

I'm not arguing the fact that people have turned out horses or horses have escaped. But that doesn't take away from spanish-bred horses that have been out there for many generations before that point.

Thoro I fail to see your point about the DNA. Regardless if they can be traced back to Arab, morgan or quarter horse bloodlines, the fact remains they were all introduced to North America by man as beasts of burden. Regardless of DNA they all can be traced back to domestic stock. There's little doubt that the Spanish bloodlines have been in North America the longest as the Spanish were the first to bring horses to North Amerca but I faill to see how that now gives them some special "mustang" status. They were riding, and pulling and packing horses....no different than the other breeds that followed. Being first here doesn't change the fact they were domestic animals and give them some special status. At the end of the day they are all horses. So what if some Spanish horses have been in Alberta for a couple hundred years and draft horses have only been here for 120 or so......I still fail to see how that makes them any different. They ended up here as a result of man bringing domestic stock to North America.

Now if we had Przewalski's Horses or zebras here, you might make a point that DNA meant something but all the "mustang" DNA means is that they orginate from horses that escaped from or were cast aside by man a few years earlier than others were.

Thoro, at the end of the day, mustang is a phoney baloney term used to describe some feral horses of a certain bloodline. The ironic part is, there are hundreds of times more domestic horses that come from bloodlines that have always been domestic that share this "mustang" DNA. Just because someone couldn't be bothered to deal with them doesn't make them any different than the ones that had owners that cared. I'm guessing my neighbour's Arabian show horses have far more familial "mustang" DNA than any feral horses in Alberta's west country.

[aulrich]

To many golf corses anyway , Darn golfers

[heretohunt]

I am clearly not a golf guy so I ask, how does golf and the national parks objective of preserving/protecting natural areas go together in the first place?

[MountainTi]

http://www.bisonbelong.ca/en/news.php



Bringing bison back to North America
The next 10 to 20 years could be extremely significant for restoring wild populations of plains bison to their original roaming grounds. But for this to happen, more land must be made available for herds to roam free, government policies must be updated and the public must change its attitude towards bison. We can start right now in Banff National Park.

The above is a little exert from the link above it. To me this is concerning, an increase in park size maybe? Surprised this hasn't been brought up before.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

I am clearly not a golf guy so I ask, how does golf and the national parks objective of preserving/protecting natural areas go together in the first place?

I think we as a feral species are doing the most damage.

[heretohunt]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

I think we as a feral species are doing the most damage.

check mate!

Originally Posted by MountainTi

First off I doubt bison and golfers would play nice together on the back 9. Not sure how fencing off the river valley is going to allow for free travel of the elk, doubt if they will have a toll gate
( I do like what you were shooting for though)

So do you support the bison introduction in principal...without the fences? I'm sure neither of us is too concerned about golfers