Wild horses By Jessica Groach, Outpost contributor In this package: A natural beauty Pyramid lake Galena creek park   The variance of the Reno area's scenery and wildlife is a constant surprise. I know I will never forget my first week in Reno, in my cousin's Hidden Valley home. We were sitting around the dining room table eating, and I looked up to the window to find three wild horses had wandered into the yard and begun eating her grass. I started noticing that the roadways were covered in horse droppings, and every time we went out, we were on a "horse watch" to see where they had meandered and how many horses there were at one time. Some residents, however, weren't as delighted with the horses as I was, and I soon learned that the issue was a lot more political than I ever would have imagined. "A lot of neighbors get really irritated and angry that no one does anything," says Sally Thomas, a 20-year resident of Hidden Valley. "They drive too fast, without thinking, and you really can't see the horses that way." While some residents see the horses as a nuisance, others question who has the rights to the land. "I have big concerns about their safety," says resident Shirley Springsteen, "and that they'll get onto the highway and be maimed or killed. This was their ground first and they still just think they belong here. They're defenseless." Residents want the situation handled differently not only for the safety of the horses but for the safety of their property. "They urinate, they leave droppings, all over the yards, and they say it burns and ruins the grass," Thomas says. She says if the fences residents use to protect their yards don't work, homeowners become irritated and desperate for a solution. In fact, some residents had taken it upon themselves to "take care of the situation." In November 1996, three horses were found dead in Hidden Valley, at least one shot to death. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is ultimately responsible for the care of wild horses on public lands. The Nevada Department of Agriculture is usually called in to capture a horse when an injured or "nuisance" horse is discovered. Then the BLM is in charge of adopting the horse out from designated land in Palomino Valley, near Pyramid Lake. Capture of a wild horse is not recommended and can be dangerous, but capture by the professionals is an option that some horse supporters are not happy with, fearing that the well-being of the horses is not a consideration of the government. That's where groups such as Wild Horse Spirit step in. Bobbi Royle is the founder of Wild Horse Spirit, a non-profit, tax-exempt advocacy organization which she runs out of her own home south of Reno. The mission statement reads that Wild Horse Spirit is "committed to the humane treatment, rescue and rehabilitation of injured or jeopardized wild horses; to the preservation and protection of wild horses in a free roaming state on public and private lands; to rigid adoption guidelines to prevent eventual destiny to auction and slaughter..."and to promoting education about the role of wild horses in our ecosystem. Horses on the move in Hidden Valley. Photo by Jessica Groach Royle has been nurturing the wild horses for about four years and now cares for 16 horses on her property. Contrary to their nature, they must remain fenced in while in her care to ensure their safety until she can adopt them out. But without her intervention, some of these horses might not make it. A mare, Kitty, was rescued from peril after an attack by a mountain lion. One stallion was rescued from Spanish Springs after a resident called to report that the horse was being harassed by some young men in a truck. One particularly gentle mare, Whisper, has only one eye and yet she does not hesitate to nuzzle into a caring hand. "Some of these horses are abused, and we can never adopt them out," Royle says. "They have an attitude now. They're saying, 'you can't have another crack at me!'" She says that the problem between residents and horses is a people problem, not a horse problem. The wild horse is a naturally gentle animal that isn't at all afraid of people until they learn to be. "There's a lot of political hoorah about these horses," she says. "But people don't realize that they're unique to this area and they are being deliberately destroyed." Wild Horse Spirit has made proposals to Washoe County to "care for nuisance horses," but she says the county will not support them financially, and that the group survives solely on donations and help from supporters. "I can't afford to pay anyone. This is all volunteer." They often conduct fund-raisers such as garage sales, T-shirt drives and calendar sales. But Royle says she loses money any time she takes on a horse. And she insists she is a horse's only chance. The BLM argues that this is not the case. "We adopt all our horses out," says Janet Norton, public outreach coordinator. She says the process is very considerate of the horses and of the adoptive "parents." "We make them kind of a foster parent for a year," Norton says. During this time the animal is still protected by the federal government. If the new owner has proven an ability to adequately care for the horse, only then will the title be passed to the new owner. Of course, she adds, they cannot take in every wild horse. "We only gather animals that are adoptable," she explains. If the animal is too sickly or too old to be adopted, they are left to pasture and allowed to remain there the rest of their days. As far as the horses actually gathered are concerned, they are usually given a minimum of 30 days, and generally an average of 45 days, to be adopted. After this time, contrary to popular belief, they are not slaughtered but are in fact "sent to pasture." The horses under the care of the BLM are nurtured, vaccinated and fed until such time as they are determined to be "unadoptable." Royle, however, thinks the treatment of wild horses in Northern Nevada is far from humane. What Norton at the BLM calls "zeroing a sick herd," Royle calls unfair and unnatural. "We've upset the natural balance now, and there's a shortage of male horses," Royle says. She tells of the time ranchers banded together and slaughtered close to 400 stallions. Even though that was a long time ago, the population of horses has suffered from the loss. "At the time the Virginia range could simply not support the lives of so many horses," Norton says. "But we're talking about 30-year old studs that are sick here." The population may have suffered, but some felt there was no choice but to end the suffering of the horses. Wild Horse Spirit aids in the adoption of horses by caring owners by training them and adapting them to people. But in doing so their inherent wildness is changed and their freedom is hindered, insists Royle. A natural treasure is slowly dwindling, and perhaps the debate over what is to be done may never end. A fence in the hills above Hidden Valley was built in an attempt to protect the horses' lives and residents' lawns, yet now in the cold weather the horses have found a way to wander into the neighborhoods. It seems no one is really benefiting from this solution, and the horses are no longer truly wild and free. There's a horse in my yard! Photo by Jessica Groach "They know they've got a good deal down here," Thomas says. "And when the weather gets cold the food here looks real good to them. I wonder if we have the right to push them off their own land. But they needed a fence, to have their own space." Not only that, but as a valuable part of the ecosystem, horses need to cover the land to keep it healthy, according to Craig Downer in Wild Horses; Living Symbols of Freedom. Most seeds pass through a horse's digestive system, and as they are passed they are distributed along the soil, which keeps it healthy. Their hooves are heavy, and therefore pound the soil, sowing it in dry desert areas. And in the winter they break up the snow and ice with their hooves so that other animals can reach the food on the ground below. Vegetation is not ruined by grazing horses, because their teeth break grass and plants from the ground up, leaving the roots undisturbed, unlike sheep and cattle that tear out the roots, Downer writes. Northern Nevada is one of the most arid, least vegetated areas of the country, and the wild horses along with other animals allow the ecosystem to remain healthy. Not many places can claim such a diverse geography and wildlife population. While the debate continues over what to do with these horses, I cannot help but feel privileged to have a wild horse want to be in my yard. copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost