I just thought I'd share a passion of mine with you all since I have been getting numerous requests to blog, about ANYTHING! So here is something I thought you might all enjoy (especially my good friend Lindsey) and become a little more educated on. To learn more you can meet with the Wild Horse's of Montana group every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night from 7-10 p.m.

Wild Horses managed by the National Park Service, the Pryor Mountain Horses are Montana's only large free-roaming wild horses and are found in the Pryor Mountains, approximately 60 miles south of Billings. These animals are reputed to be of Spanish ancestry, as evidenced by genetic studies and blood typing efforts done over the past 5 years. Management of this herd is guided by the Pryor Mountain Herd Area Management Plan, which emphasizes preservation of the herd's heritage and attributes of wildness.

The BLM was mandated to manage wild horses and burros by the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. This act states, "It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment or death." It also decrees that the Secretary (of the Interior) "...maintain a thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands." Since horses and burros have limited natural predators, their numbers may increase until the public lands are overstocked and there is no longer "a thriving natural ecological balance." Therefore, the act provides for the removal of excess animals by the BLM or its contractors, and placement with qualified adopters..