Horse experts see more unwanted horses, abandonment, neglect (5/7/2008)

Rising costs and other factors mean fewer wild horses are being adopted. These live in the Pacific Northwest. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management).

Horses are being abandoned or neglected because the cost of keeping them has skyrocketed and many people don't understand all that's required of a horse owner, panelists said recently at Montana State University's fourth annual equine conference.

Rising costs, slaughter plant closures and a booming horse population have led to more unwanted horses in the United States, panelists said. Some owners are dealing with hard times by abandoning their horses on federal land. Others are selling their horses at auctions, and the animals end up being slaughtered in Mexico or Canada. Fewer people are adopting wild horses and burros through the Bureau of Land Management.

Maybe it's time for people to start thinking differently about horses, said panelist Lisa Jacobson, a Clyde Park veterinarian, board president of the Montana Horse Sanctuary and long-time horse woman.

"There are a lot of things we need to look at," she said. "I don't think any one person has all the solutions."

Two possible answers are sending more horses to sanctuaries and spaying mares, Jacobson said. She wouldn't have recommended spaying three years ago, but the nature of spaying has changed and pain management has improved, Jacobson said. Cats and dogs are spayed, so maybe it could be acceptable for horses, she suggested. At the same time, she acknowledged that deciding if horses are pets or livestock is an emotional issue.

Panelist Dean Bolstad, wild horse and burro specialist with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, recommended adoption through the BLM's "Wild Horse and Burro Program." The federal government is the largest equine owner in the country and has more horses than it can handle, he said. The BLM estimates that 33,000 wild horses and burros live on 29 million acres of range in 10 western states; that grows by 20 percent a year. The bureau spends 60 percent of its budget on 31,000 horses and burros that live in captivity with no demand for adoption.

The wild horses have no bad habits, Bolstad commented. They weigh between 900 and 1,200 pounds and measure 14 to 16 hands high. They come in every color.

"That's the ultimate in horse behavior and human interaction," he added. "... They will touch your heart."

Sandy Gagnon, panel moderator and MSU Extension Horse Specialist, said the rising cost of transportation, energy, feed and hay is making it harder for people to care for their horses. Hay costs between $300 and $500 on the East Coast, he said. Other factors in the issue of unwanted horses are the closure of horse slaughtering plants in the United States and the tremendous development of breeding horses.

John Grainger, administrator of the Brands Enforcement Division with the Montana Department of Livestock, said he couldn't say that horse abuse has increased, but neglect definitely has.

"Whenever someone abandons horses and can't pay for their feed, that's neglect," he said.

Branding would go a long way toward helping officials return abandoned animals to their owners, Grainger said. Some people don't like the looks of brands or worry about the pain, but brands are more reliable than electronic chips, he added.

Les Graham, executive secretary of the Montana Auction Yards, recommended that horse owners be educated in all phases of horse care. They should not only learn about pastures ,vaccinations and nutrition, but about the eventual disposal of their horses, even if those deaths are 30 years away.

"If someone buys horses, they need to learn what's involved," Graham said.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Montana State University

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