WHERE FREEDOM ROAMS
SUPPORT MUSTANGS ON
WILD HORSE RANCH
(Photo Courtesy of Joy Crouch)
About Us
Mission of Wild Horse Preservation Society
Ranch owners of Wild Horse Ranch formed the Wild Horse Preservation Society, an all-volunteer Wyoming nonprofit corporation, with the aim of sustaining a sanctuary for these beautiful creatures and ensuring their continued health and happiness. WHPS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All donations are used for the maintenance of the horses.
History of the Wild Horse Ranch Herd
As per a Star-Tribune Article dated January 18, 2007, wild BLM mustangs were originally brought to this ranch so they could roam freely on approximately 22,500 acres of grazing lands adjoining Lake Hattie at the base of the picturesque Sheep Mountain range. In 2005, 100 BLM gelded wild horses were relocated to the property from Nevada and California. Later, another 200 BLM mustangs were added. These were unadoptable mares. Since then, Wild Horse Ranch has been developed into a community of 370 ranchettes, averaging 40+ acres in size. The horses share the property with humans and a variety of wildlife.
While the original BLM herd was a combination of mares and gelded males, over the years, domestic horses have been abandoned into the resident population by owners who could either no longer take care of them or desired to no longer keep them. In an attempt to control the horse population, five privately-financed gelding operations were performed between 2015 and 2017. These gelding operations were conducted under the direction of Dr. Paul Zancanella (Mountainaire Veterinary Service - Rock Springs, WY) and Dr. Luke Bass of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital - Colorado State University (Ft. Collins, CO). Dr. Paul Zancanella provides gelding services for the BLM wild horses in the Rock Spring's area and Dr. Luke Bass arranged for 4th-year veterinary students to attend the geldings and get hands-on veterinary experience. As a result, 140 stallions were successfully gelded and allowed to remain on Wild Horse Ranch.
Today, there are approximately 320+ wild and feral horses roaming the green acres of Wild Horse Ranch. The Wild Horse Preservation Society has been formed to protect and sustain these horses and ensure they can live out their natural lives in harmony with their human neighbors.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Repair of fencing along the base of Sheep Mountain from the State Lease (Section 36, T55N, R77W) extending to the northern boundary of the WHR property line near Highway 130 (approximately 10 miles of fencing). Without this fencing, the horses cannot remain on the ranch. This project was completed on July 4, 2020. Representatives of the US Forest Service inspected and approved the fence on July 13, 2020.
- Manage the size of the herd through gelding operations for the studs and birth control initiatives for the mares. Mares under our management have been treated with GonaCon (birth control vaccine). Stallions processed through the fertility control program have been gelded. Horses were successfully soft-gathered (corral with hay) and families were kept together resulting in a low-stress environment for the horses (and the humans). Our Fertility Control Program is conducted annually to control reproduction rates and explore the efficacy of birth control vaccines. The results will be shared with the BLM. All treated horses are branded for easy identification.
- Establish supplemental feeding and watering program for horses during severe weather conditions when food and water are scarce. Designated hay feeding stations located across the ranch in the winter provide feed for the horses. Several watering stations provide liquid water during freezing weather or summer heat.
- Obtain emergency medical services for injured horses, where possible. Our foal rescue program has been extremely successful. Foals are reported quickly by residents, allowing for timely recovery of the abandoned babies.
- Establish adoption program with Wild Horse Ranch residents and local ranches to take in abandoned foals. Several rescue foals have been placed with residents and they are thriving.
- Address concerns and issues raised by the property owners regarding the movement of the wild and feral horses.
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