Preserve the unique nature of the Pryor horses

by David Peck, Lovell Chronicle

Every now and then we human beings, as caretakers of the ecosystem around us, have a chance to do something truly special and long-lasting for the betterment of our corner of the world. Given a chance to be caretakers, it is vital that we do things right to preserve a species that might otherwise fade away.

Such is the case with the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustangs. Sixty years ago, local ranchers and community members fought tooth and nail to preserve the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustangs, calling attention to plans by the federal government to remove the mustangs from the Pryor Mountains and the Big Horn Canyon area.

The effort drew attention not only from wild horse and wildlife advocates but also from regional and national media, as well as Congress. The horses were spared, and in 1968 Congress formed the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range – the first public wild horse range.

In the years since, the Bureau of Land Management, charged with managing the horse range, has worked with local wild horse advocates, notably the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center, to care for the horses. It has been a valuable, if not always easy, relationship, a partnership in preservation and management.

From time to time, plans for managing the horse herd come up for renewal, and right now a Preliminary Environmental Assessment for the range is out for public review. The 88-page document includes a revision of the Joint Herd Management Area Plan, which directs management of the range, a proposed amendment to the Resource Management Plan, which governs BLM lands in the region and is closely aligned with the herd management area plan, the 10-year Wild Horse Gather Plan and work to revise and/or adjust the Appropriate Management Level – the number of horses – for the range.

This is all contained in the 88-page environmental assessment.

Over the last 50 to 60 years, advocates like Rev. Floyd Schwieger, John and Lynda Nickle, Hope Ryden, the Tillett family, Nancy Cerroni, Ginger Kathrens and many others have worked and studied and fought for the Pryor Mountain horses. Cerroni and the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center have been at the forefront, recording the horses’ history, following their bloodlines, studying their unique characteristics, educating the public, interpreting the horses for visitors, working with the federal managers and generally loving the horses.

Interest in the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustangs is worldwide, with people from coast to coast, Canada, Europe, Asia, Central and South America and Australia loving, learning about, following and visiting the mustangs. The horses draw huge interest. When this newspaper places a story on the Internet about the Pryor horses, the website hits spike exponentially.

In short, the horses are a huge draw. But even that is not a reason to preserve the horses in the best way possible. The real reason is that the horses are rare and exceptional.

The word unique is thrown around far too often in modern language and has been watered down to mean simply special, when the word should mean one of a kind, distinctive, unequaled. That, in essence, is the Pryor Mountain Horses – unique in the best sense of the word.

As Mustang Center Director of Operations Cerroni puts it, “This is not just another herd of horses.”

As the BLM works to form a new plan for managing these remarkable animals, the agency would do well to consider the very special nature of the mustangs, which have been studied by wild horse experts like Dr. Gus Cothran and are considered to be among the finest examples of Spanish horses anywhere, with their coloration and primitive markings.

Yes, the current proposed alternative in the EA would manage for genetic health, but Cerroni and the Mustang Center worry that the new plan would manage the horses too generally, not leading to managers working diligently enough to preserve the bloodlines and, thus, the unique coloration, markings and family lineage of the various bands in planned gathers and fertility control.

We agree with Cerroni and the Mustang Center board of directors that the horses must be managed carefully using specialized, rather than standardized, management. That means paying close attention to the unique characteristics of the herd and being extremely diligent to not cull the herd too sharply or remove horses that would end family lines.

The great thing is that the people of the Wild Mustang Center have already done all of the hard work, carefully observing, studying and charting the family lines. They are willing, friendly and learned partners in the management process.

We believe the BLM means well in the management of the horses and the range, but care must be taken to do right by this herd beloved around the world. Listen to the people who know the horses best. Use their expertise. And do what’s right to preserve these Spanish mustangs for future generations.

As the king of Pryor Mountain Mustang advocates Rev. Floyd Schwieger used to say, “It is imperative that we work to preserve this herd of horse, because once it is gone, it is gone forever.”

Amen to that.