Dear Editor,
In response to Howard May’s article about the Feral Horse Cull – here are some facts to consider. There is much overblown emotion in some quarters about these equines roaming about in the Alberta Foothills. They are not wild or endemic to Alberta or anywhere else on the North American continent. These animals are the distant relatives of horses brought over with the Conquistadors such as Cortez into what is now Mexico. Yes – there is archeological evidence that a primitive Equid existed pre the last ice age (viz tracks found in the St. Mary’s reservoir in the 1990s during an extreme drought when footprints were seen dating from before 10,000 years ago) but these mammals were NOT like the horses of today.
The lady interviewed mentioned ponies on the Stoney Nakoda Reserve are not included in the Provincial estimates as they belong to the three bands on the Reserve ( Federal lands). I am not sure if she knows the difference between the feral animals in the Forestry and the Stoney ponies.
Equine Infectious Anemia (E I A) was mentioned. It is a very serious disease that can be detected by a Coggins Test. No animal that tests positive is allowed to be transported or compete in an equestrian event. Any horse owner in the province would be very alarmed to hear that a feral animal was a carrier. Indeed, the horse industry in Canada contributes greatly to the economy – both in terms of livestock and for recreational purposes. How can anyone say that there is no case of E I A amongst the feral herds when no testing is done? Then there are the ecological questions.
Horses are very resilient animals and know how to thrive in harsh conditions. This means that they are the first to graze and browse in riparian areas, upsetting the balance of native grasses. Overgrazed areas get overtaken by less desirable vegetation to the detriment of the ungulates that are native (elk and deer). The placing of salt in locations that favour good photo ops as a human intervention leads to unnatural herd dynamics.
Albeit, it is a technique that has been used for decades by those who used to trap these critters for the meat market! And before there is an outcry I am NOT in favour of a meat trade for feral horses just a sensible cull. Rather, let's support the biologists whose job it is to see that the E. G and S (ecological goods and services) are healthy in the foothills where these introduced mammals congregate. If some horse lovers want to adopt one I know they will enjoy the experience of taking a timid colt or filly to turn it – after lots of time and patience – into a useful companion on the trail and elsewhere - they should be allowed to do so. And it does take lots of TIME AND MONEY.
To close- hats off to those in W H O A and elsewhere for the work they do.
S. Leete
Cochrane, AB
