How to Live with Horses

Horses are majestic and beautiful creatures, but they are extremely curious and can be destructive because of their size. Here are some tips to keep living in harmony with our equine neighbors:

• These Are Not Pets! Always remember that these are wild and feral animals! Exercise good judgment when interacting with these animals. For example, never walk closely behind a wild horse (or domestic horse, for that matter). They kick if they get startled. 
• Horse Etiquette – As the horses become more accepting of humans, several neighbors have been successful in making friends with individual horses. We think that’s wonderful, but remember, these are WILD / FERAL horses and even though they may seem tame and friendly, they will fall back on instinct when they feel threatened. Always practice proper horse management when engaging with your horse buddy. Remember to never, ever approach a horse from behind. If the horse gets spooked, it may kick. Do not let them nip or push you! Safest option, remove yourself from the situation. Mares are quite good at disciplining their foals. If necessary, they will bite or lightly kick to let the little one know that it’s out of line. Horses will always vie for the dominant position (especially stallions), and like a teenager, they will try to see how far they can push the limits. While a small foal acting up may seem precious, an adult at over 1,000 lbs is not quite so cute. So, please, practice proper horse etiquette when interacting with your equine friends to keep you and the horses safe! 
• Feeding. Plan on feeding hay and/or oats? Place food stations away from your residence to avoid having them associate your home with a food source. Just remember, once you start feeding, you've got a friend for life.
• Mineral Licks are an inexpensive treat that provide missing nutrients not just for horses, but also the deer and antelopes.
• Treats & Feed – If you have a horse buddy that accepts treats such as the occasional apple slice or carrot, that’s okay. However, never feed a wild or feral horse anything but hay or oats (no more than 1 - 2 lbs of oats per day) as their main food source. Their digestive systems are not adapted to the high protein content provided by commercial horse feed suitable for domestic horses. Please do not feed a WHR horse alfalfa or feed designed for other barnyard animals! This can cause colic in a wild or feral horse. Colic is extremely painful and can result in death. 
• Scratching Issues. Horseflies, mosquitoes and other biting insects are a big problem for our equine friends during Wyoming summers. To relieve the itch, they like to scratch themselves on anything available, including a conveniently located house or vehicle. Placing a 6" wood post into the ground away from your home will provide them with an inexpensive scratching device and make your residence and vehicle less interesting. A post wrapped with rope is even more effective. Placing fencing directly around vehicles and homes further helps  avoid property damage. Portable or temporary livestock panels can be purchased at any feed & livestock retailer in town.
• Be Considerate. Never pursue a wild or feral horse with an ATV or motorcycle. The horses are terrified of these vehicles because that is how they were  rounded up. Just hearing one approach will  send them into a panic because they think they are being chased. This results in injuries and abandoned foals. If a foal cannot keep up with mom, it will be left behind. Unlike an antelope or deer, a  mare will not return to retrieve a foal. We recommend stopping and waiting until the horses are a safe distance away, then proceed in a different direction, if possible. Chasing or harassing the horses is illegal. Please report livestock harassment to the Albany County Sheriff's office at 307-755-3520.
• Slow Down on The Roads - Open Range. Horses and other wildlife like to stand in the road, especially during fly season. Please be aware and slow down when driving ranch roads to give them time to be able to get out of your way. Also, humans like to walk their dogs on the roads and you could possibly injure one of your neighbors.
• Horses Are Extremely Curious. They are especially interested if they see someone walking with a dog or riding a horse. If you are uncomfortable having them check out the situation, carry a whistle helps to scare them off. Never let a dog chase a horse. If they start to gallop toward you, slowly retreat. Most of the time, they will get bored and turn away. If you get surrounded by a group of horses, stay calm. Avert your eyes - this is a direct challenge. We found calmly talking and slowly moving away, defuses the situation. Slowly move away from the lead horse, which will be the one pawing at the ground and snorting. Mostly this is a bluff, but you don’t want to test it. The horses on the North and Southwest side have been desensitized to dogs and mostly ignore them. However, horses on the East side haven’t had as much contact with humans and their pets. Bicycle Alert - For some reason the horses are fascinated by bicycle riders. Not sure if they think it's a possible new toy, but they may pursue someone riding a bicycle on the ranch.  
• Older Horses. Remember, just like humans, a horse that reaches a ripe old age will start having trouble retaining weight and show bones. The herd will cut out any horse that no longer can keep up with the herd. They will send a "guardian" horse to stand watch over the elder horse until it passes on, at which point the "guardian" horse returns to the herd.
• Injured or Abandoned. If you see an injured horse or abandoned foal, let us know. There has been great success with foal rescues on the ranch over the years where the foal was either abandoned by the mare or the mare had died. See our "Horse Stories".
• Help Horses Avoid Injuries. Remove downed fences and debris where possible. Injuries occur when horses get caught on or trip over downed fences or debris they cannot see under snow or weeds. Ditches for electrical and plumbing should be refilled as soon as possible.
• Wyoming is a Fence-Out-State. This means the owner of the surface grazing rights can graze livestock on any unfenced property on the ranch. Anyone who does not wish the horses to graze on their property, can fence them out. However, if they are not fenced out, no one may interfere with their movement or grazing.