About Us
Mission of Wild Horse Preservation Society
Ranch owners of Wild Horse Ranch formed the Wild Horse Preservation Society, a Wyoming nonprofit corporation, with the aim of sustaining a sanctuary for these beautiful creatures and ensuring their continued health and happiness. Wild Horse Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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.
Our Goals
Primary Goals
- 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. Since April 2021 Fertility Control Program resulted in the gelding of 39 studs and the vaccination of 60 mares with Gonacon (birth control vaccine). 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 will be conducted annually to control reproduction rates and explore the efficacy of different birth control vaccines. The results will be shared with the BLM.
- Establish supplemental feeding and watering program for horses during severe weather conditions when food and water are scarce. We have feeding stations that are being supplied in the winter with hay to feed 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 were reported quickly, 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.
Future Goals
- Develop a foster/adoption program for domestic horses to help reduce unauthorized drop-offs.
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