WINTER HAY FEEDING PROGRAM

Every winter we make sure over 300 wild (BLM mustangs) and feral horses (drop-offs) have enough hay available to them during our harsh Wyoming winters. Freezing temperatures, high winds and deep snow make it hard to get to forage. Small foals have an especially hard time. Horses keep warm by eating and keeping them supplied with hay allows them to conserve energy. We supply between 80 to 100 tons of high-quality hay during the winter months to keep everyone healthy and happy. Liquid water stations are available at various locations throughout the ranch for when all the ponds and lakes are frozen.

Removing fencing that is in disrepair or lose wire across the ranch is one of our biggest projects. Old fence wire is rolled up and recycled. T-posts are removed and reused for other fencing projects. WHPS does monthly inspections of the fence bordering Sheep Mountain (a 8-mile stretch through ravines and other rough terrain).  WHPS assists Albany County Road & Bridge with maintaining fencing along county roads bordering the ranch. Volunteers help us keep down costs.

To manage the equine population of BLM Mustangs and feral horses (drop-offs) living in the Wild Horse Ranch community on approximately 21,000 acres, an annual fertility program is conducted. Horses are "soft-gathered" (hay is used to attract them to enclosures, family units are kept together). Mares are treated with a birth control vaccine and stallions are gelded. All medical procedures are conducted by veterinarians. Geldings are performed under anesthesia and antibiotics and pain medications are administered. After the horses have been treated, they spend some time in a recovery area to make sure there are no adverse effects and are then released back into their grazing areas. Our unique environment allows us to observe these horses daily and collect data such as changes in behavior resulting from the gelding and effectiveness of various birth control vaccines in mares. The results of our study will be shared with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Sometimes foals are abandoned by their mares. This could be because of poor health, weak constitution or they just can't keep up with the herd. On occasion foals fall asleep and find the herd has moved on without them. Once a foal loses its mom, the mare will not return for it. Our residents keep a watchful eye out for the little ones and immediately report any potential orphans. We retrieve the foal as quickly as possible, have it evaluated by a veterinarian and then bottle or bowl-feed milk replacement, as the preference may be, until the little one is strong enough to be introduced to the rescue barn herd. We have several mares that were rescues themselves that are quite good with the foals. Several of the rescued foals have been adopted or fostered by neighbors in the Wild Horse Ranch community who fell in love with the cuties.