An official count of the free roaming horses west of Sundre and elsewhere along the Eastern Slopes has recorded 880 animals spotted, about 100 fewer than in 2013.
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development conducted the aerial survey in March. Helicopters were used in the survey.
Of the 880 animals counted, 448 were in the Sundre zone, with 242 in the Ghost River zone southwest of Sundre, 50 in the Elbow zone, 51 in the Clearwater zone northwest of Sundre, 80 in the Nordegg zone and nine in the Brazeau zone.
Department spokesperson Carrie Sancartier said the findings will now be forwarded to the multi-stakeholder provincial feral horse advisory committee.
“They will use these numbers as they consider what area to target in terms of management efforts in the future and also help measure the success of the options we've taken so far,” Sancartier told the Gazette.
The committee, which conducts in-camera meetings, makes recommendations to the province about Alberta's free roaming horse population.
Fifteen horses were captured during a recent capture season, all west of Sundre.
The province said the capture season was necessary to relieve pressure on plants and wildlife in the area.
Both the Olds-based Wild Horses of Alberta Society and the Help Alberta's Wildies organization said the 2013-14 capture program was not needed.
The province has not decided whether to conduct another horse capture in 2015, she said.
