Almost 100 horses rounded up in Colorado to ensure enough federal land for herd

DENVER ( KDVR ) — There are only a few days left in the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse roundup near De Beque, as the operation is slated to end by Sept. 19.

Isaac Pittman, local incident commander for the roundup, explained to Nexstar’s KREX how the agency is using a helicopter to herd wild horses into a temporary trap site, then transporting them to a holding pen in Cañon City to await the administration of birth control.

“Our plan is to gather approximately 130 horses and then ship 100 off and keep 30 back, and put 30 back (on the range),” explained Pittman.

The operation has been besieged by wind, rain and technical difficulties, causing the Book Cliff Horse gather to be cut short on its first day. Then, a red flag warning cut short operations again on day two.

“So, we got high winds, so the helicopter can’t operate,” Pittman said.

The horses being gathered are on the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near De Beque. The goal is to ensure the wild horse population does not overtake the local ecosystem and to ensure the herd has proper sex ratios. Before the gather, the Bureau of Land Management said there were approximately 211 horses in the herd.

As of Sept. 14, the BLM has gathered 97 horses from the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range. Of those, 25 were stallions, 57 were mares and 15 were foals. The agency said all foals were reunited with their wet mares as required by the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program, and the foals were also checked by a veterinarian to ensure they were nursing successfully.

Additionally, the agency said there have been no horse deaths in the roundup. However, the horse gathers have been surrounded by controversy as horse advocates argue the use of helicopters to round up the equine animals leads to the horses’ deaths . Some also argue the use of a helicopter to round up the horses causes mental and physical strain on the animals.

However, the Bureau of Land Management is still using helicopters, citing several studies that show that herding by helicopter is the quickest method and produces the least stress on the horses. Pittman said there have been no injuries to the wild horses during this gather.

“We’ve been doing helicopter gathers since the ’80s,” Pittman said.

The horses that are not returned to the range will be placed into the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program . The horses are branded, given vaccinations and then given a fitness exam to determine they are healthy enough for adoption or sale.

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