Are there wild horse herds in Missouri? This was a question asked amongst two friends and me over the weekend.
My friends both responded, “Of course there are wild horses in Missouri. There are wild horses all across the U.S.”
Not so sure of this statement I said, “Well I’ve lived in Missouri my entire life and have never seen a wild horse herd. Plus I have spent many years involved in agriculture, surely I would know.”
The conversation continued and I tried to reason with my friends, “If there are wild horses in Missouri I am sure they are just dumped domesticated horses whose owners no longer choose to care for them.” But my friends weren’t so convinced.
So what do you do when you have a disagreement among friends? You “Google it” of course and Google it we did. And much to my surprise the Internet claims there are in fact wild horses in Missouri.
It’s the Internet and I know you can’t always believe everything you read but several sources seem to claim the same thing. So I guess until proven otherwise I will go on believing that there is one small herd of wild horses in southwest Missouri.
I learned that the wild herd roams freely near Eminence, Mo., along the Current River in the Ozarks Natural Scenic Riverways Park. The Eminence Chamber of Commerce website explained the history of the herd. Maybe many of you already knew this but I certainly didn’t.
These horses have been running free for many years. It is believed that the horses were originally domesticated horses that were set free during the Great Depression after their owners were unable to care for them. (So, I wasn’t completely wrong.)
It turns out that in 1991 the Park Service considered these horses feral animals and wanted them removed from federal lands. As a result a small group of concerned horse lovers formed the Missouri Wild Horse League to protect the animals from removal. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Park Service in 1993. Then in 1994 Congressman Bill Emerson sponsored a bill that was signed into law in 1996 making the herd a permanent part of the Ozarks Natural Scenic Riverways.
The herd is to be maintained at a maximum of 50 horses to ensure there are enough resources for them. When the herd grows too large horses are then capture and put up for adoption. I read one article that ran in the Wall Street Journal explaining if they didn’t control the population the herd would double in size every four years.
Several other articles mentioned that the number of dumped domesticated horses continues to increase as the economy and horse market worsens. (Again, I wasn’t completely wrong.)
I guess it is true what they say; you learn something new every day. Now I am going to have to plan a trip to Eminence to get a glimpse of the wild horses roaming free right here in the Ozarks.
Best wishes,
