We would like to acknowledge that the Alberta Mountain Horses inhabit the traditional lands of the Stoney lyethkabi, (mountain) people.

Besides these two boys having a scrap, there is a lot of negative things happening around the Alberta Mountain Horses. The government has decided to go ahead with plans to remove a number of wild horses and also to apply a contraceptive vaccine to an undetermined number of wild horse mares. This is despite all the information that has been presented to show that at this time there is really no need to do so. For the last 10 years no capture season has been undertaken and the population of the Alberta Mountain Horses has stayed relatively stable, in fact some years it has gone down. So why now?

Is it because of the pressure from only 33 grazing allotment holders who want all the grass for their cattle? Maybe those opposed to the wild horses who have deep pockets with the government getting their way. There has been so much information to show that no matter what these opponents to wild horses say, it can be proven to be false. To us it is quite obvious that the minister, Todd Loewen, has been very untruthful to the citizens of Alberta and he is in direct conflict of interest.

In order to implement these two programs, the government has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with WHOAS and has effectively shut down any other advocacy group and the general public from having a say in these decisions. WHOAS mission statement – “Wild Horses of Alberta Society’s mission is to ensure the provision of all aspects of the conservation and humane treatment of wild horses in Alberta. We are committed to the preservation of these magnificent animals in their natural environment.” – is no longer true despite them defending their actions on their Facebook page and website. It has always been the goal of the current president of this group to remove horses every year. This individual has even stated to the previous minister and other rangeland officials, that 20 per year should be removed. This is fact, not hearsay. This is so sad and what a lousy legacy to leave.

The target of this MOU is to take little ones like this, because they are supposedly easier to find adoptive homes. It is obvious to some of us that this adoption program has not been that successful since some horses have been sitting in their holding pens for over two years. Why? Because they were holding them for a Trainer’s Challenge event to supposedly sell them for higher prices, to make money off these beautiful creatures! This was never the original plan when WHOAS started the adoption program back in 2013. That is also why they became a registered charity at that time knowing that just to adopt the horses did not cover all the costs of taking care of them. They are planning another trainer’s challenge this year. So individuals who have been donating to WHOAS thinking they are helping to save them are in fact just supporting their efforts to remove the horses from the landscape and thus make money.

This MOU that has been undertaken as of January, 2025, also states that the government will be granting them money to support their infrastructure. Does this mean a new capture pen system? This is your Tax dollars at work supporting a small group of wild horse opponents against the wishes of the vast majority of Albertans.

The other point is that the contraception vaccine that they plan to use has not been approved for use in Canada and thus an emergency drug release (EDR) has to be applied for through the CFIA. The money for this program we believe is coming from the drug company, SpayVac for Wildlife, Inc., and the University of Calgary, where the two veterinarians who will administer the program operate from. Again we find this to be very upsetting because at present it is totally unnecessary to interfere with the natural lifecycles of these wild horses. LEAVE THEM ALONE!

The decisions being made in reference to the carrying capacity of the equine zones under the Feral Horse Management Framework is being done by Mike Alexander, Director Rangeland Conservation and Stewardship, and his staff. Now this is the same individual who told a couple of our members that horses only cycle twice a year. Quite the insight on horses!!

Some of these carrying capacities are the reasons they are using to reduce numbers in certain areas. Again where are these carrying capacities for the number of horses in each equine zone coming from? Could it be from the Rangeland Assessment Reports that they even show that it is not the horses doing the damage to the environment? The horses are being used as scapegoats to appease a very small number of groups who oppose the horses.

This MOU with WHOAS and the decision to go ahead with these two programs was done completely behind closed doors without any consultation with other advocacy groups and our First Nations partners.

This is a disgrace and very upsetting to those of us who really do care about the environment, ecosystems, wildlife and of course our Alberta Mountain Horses that in habitat our public land. The refusal of the government people to accept true and factual information that is readily available to all, acting only on their own preconceived prejudices and the money stakeholders, is truly a shame.

We include this picture that shows damage to a pristine hillside done since 2022 by some ATV users. The damage has gotten much worse through runoff and overuse since last year. Just for a note, there are no ATV trails on the top of this ridge. So why are they going up there? The same rangeland management director, Mike Alexander, was contacted back then and still has refused to take any steps to stop this damage to the environment he is supposed to be taking care of. Instead they want to go after the horses.

So what can you do? Sign the petition if you are against culling of our Alberta Mountain Horses. Sign the petition if you want to see our Alberta Mountain Horses given a “naturalized species” designation and then better protection.

Petition to Save the Alberta Mountain Horses

Continue to email or write the Minister Todd Loewen and the Premier Danielle Smith. You likely won’t hear back from them but we need to keep filling their inboxes. I find it upsetting that they were elected to represent the people of Alberta but are seemingly dedicated to their own self interests and that of their friends. A sad state of our democracy.