The goal of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act is to “maintain a thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands,” yet wild horse abundance is an ongoing management challenge on western public lands. In the arid western states of Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming, almost 90% of horse populations currently exceed the Appropriate Management Level (AML). Gathers, removals, contraception, and adoptions have been inadequate to keep pace with the 15%-20% yearly herd growth rates, making this goal difficult to achieve.  (full article)