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

This is an article from the Equine Collaborative International organization from the United States. They are very involved in presenting accurate facts about their wild horses who are up against the same bureaucratic discrimination that our Alberta Mountain Horses are also facing.

Here in Alberta the government is blaming the horses for the deterioration of the rangeland. As we have stated all along and other advocacy groups and professionals have stated that it is not the horses, but primarily the cattle causing the most harm. In the Equine zones this damage is blamed on the horses. This same damage to the rangeland and sometimes even more so, can be noticed in the grazing leases along the foothills where there are no horses, just cattle.

As stated in this article and by our own Indigenous people, the horses have been on the landscape for millennia.

Here is the article. “Invasive Species on Public Land? Just Say No!”

We know that the deterioration of the native rangeland has many contributing factors. Cattle however do play the biggest role by chronic overgrazing. On these foothill cattle leases, the cattle are currently still out there even though in many areas the grass and forage have been eaten down to almost bare ground. The alleged removal of the cattle is usually mid-October but that can be extended if the cattle owner put his cattle out later than June 1st.

What is disturbing to some who appreciate our Alberta foothills is seeing this overgrazing occur and where there are no wild horses. For example in the Sheep River grazing allotment along the valley floors, the grass is gone and we have found the cattle grazing high up on the open slopes such as Windy Ridge. This used to be prime wintering grounds for the bighorn sheep and elk. This area is also designated as a sheep sanctuary. So what is there going to be left for them to survive the winter? The Rangeland Management department of the Alberta government absolutely refuses to acknowledge the destruction caused by the cattle.

Instead of using sound science they have chosen to go on their own biased beliefs and under pressure from the grazing allotment holders to go ahead with a planned cull and also application of a contraceptive vaccine to wild horse mares in some of the equine zones. There is absolutely no reason for this except for greed and money.

In our travels we have noticed throughout wild horse country a great influx of invasive plant species, especially thistle. It is noted that even the government says that these plant species are a problem. They do post the odd sign in isolated areas talking about what we can do to stop the spread. Nothing about the cattle.

We found it very interesting in a trip to the Cypress Hills that in the equine camping area there is a sign advising equestrians to be careful of the feed they bring to stop the introduction of invasive plants. What we found was that in meadows well away from this area and in the open areas where the cattle were, it was thick with Canada thistle. This problem was never there prior to the government opening up the provincial park to cattle grazing. No wild horses here!

I strongly believe that the Rangeland Management department have completely failed in protecting Alberta’s public lands and they serve no useful purpose anymore, except to protect the cattle industry.

We encourage you to keep asking the government why they refuse to listen to the majority of the citizen’s of Alberta and sound scientific research that shows that the Alberta Mountain Horses do not need to be eradicated.