After the ice age, domestic horses appeared again on the North American continent as a result of Spanish incursions, in the 1500s, to what is now Mexico. The horses gradually moved north towards the American Midwest and the Canadian Prairies. Plains Indians acquired them and called them ‘cayuses;' today the ponies are referred to as mustangs (Spanish for ‘untamed').
The first recorded arrival of mustangs to southern Alberta was as a result of the Gros Ventres Indian tribe, inhabiting an area near present-day Medicine Hat, trading with the Sioux of northern Montana in 1797.
Incoming settlers obtained mustangs from trades with the Plains Indians. The ponies dispersed northwards and were utilized for many purposes including ranching, mining, logging, trapping and hunting. Over time other breeds were brought westward and crossing occurred. Larger draft-type horses became more common and were used for purposes such as cavalry and artillery during the two world wars.
Horses that remained after the wars' end were turned out by breeders who could no longer afford to feed and shelter them. One example was the ‘Ghost' horse, where up to one thousand head were released after World War II, from a ranch located in the Ghost-Waiparous area between Cochrane and Sundre.
Eventually, as ‘horsepower' replaced horses in the 1950s to '60s, there were other turnouts along settled and Crown land between Waterton and Nordegg.
The domestic horses were now in a ‘put and take' situation, and in ever- increasing numbers were forming small herds and bands living a semi-wild existence in the foothills.
Populations were starting to thrive, especially in the Red Deer and Clearwater drainages in the Forest Reserve west of the vibrant town of Sundre. One such location is called Ya Ha Tinda, Native for ‘high mountain prairie-where warm winds blow.' This weather phenomenon is known as the Chinook. These now ‘free-roaming' domestic horses were subject to natural mortalities such as predation, winter die-offs and rustling, which tended to keep their numbers somewhat in balance with the environment.
The horse numbers have increased as a result of close scrutiny by protectionist groups and the Alberta government. The protectionists refer to them as ‘wildies,' and the government calls them feral, a name which presently offers protection under the Alberta Stray Animals Act and the Horse Capture Regulations.
During my 40-year career as an Alberta wildlife officer, and wild-animal health technologist (WAHT), I had occasion to deal with both wild and feral animals.
I investigated situations where cats, dogs, pigs and even horses on the CFB Suffield Range, near Medicine Hat, escaped or were released from domesticity to live a partially-wild lifestyle. In most cases the ‘wildness' only lasted a few generations, the Suffield ‘feral' horses being an exception. Over a 50-year period the population grew to over 1,400 animals.
A 12-member ‘horse management' committee was struck by the Suffield base commander, to which I was invited to be the legal advisor, due in part to my successful efforts in combating wide-scale poaching in and around the army base.
I witnessed the horse population grow from 225 head to 1,248 head during 1979-1993. After six months of assessment and consultation, the committee came to the conclusion that the horses were having a negative impact on the very sensitive and diverse short grass Prairie ecosystem. They voted 92 per cent in favour of removing the horses permanently and in their entirety.
In 1993, a humane roundup-adoption resulted in all but one of 1,248 horses finding homes. In my opinion, this project set the standard, and is a model of how free-roaming ‘or' feral horses can be managed. Following the removal of the horses, wild elk (wapiti) were re-introduced to the area. Unlike the horses, where viewing was almost impossible due to restricted access to the heavy artillery and bombing range, the elk are providing numerous opportunities for both consumptive and non-consumptive enjoyment, due to their far-ranging distribution.
Having observed or participated in discussions involving both ‘wildie' and ‘feral' horses for 25 years, I feel that the two names are polarizing management discussions between the public and the government.
It is, therefore, my respectful opinion that the name free-roaming Alberta horse (FRAH) would be more neutral regarding their management in the province. If the name were adopted, it would necessitate an amendment to the Stray Animals Act and pursuant Horse Capture Regulations.
Murray Bates
Sundre
"I feel that the two names are polarizing management discussions between the public and the government."
