Advocacy Groups Allowed to Intervene in Mustang Lawsuit

A US District Court has granted wild horse advocates the right to intervene in a case involving the management of horses on Wyoming land. The State of Wyoming initiated the case against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to seek control over the state's wild horses.

The wild horse advocates support the BLM in the lawsuit and will now be involved in the legal proceedings. Ginger Katherens from the Cloud Foundation, one of the advocacy groups now part of the lawsuit, emphasizes the importance of preserving Wyoming's horses on federal land for both their beauty and economic benefits. "The state benefits greatly from having populations of wild horses on public lands. They bring in tourist dollars. That's why Wyoming tourism has actively promoted coming to the state of Wyoming to see wild horses," she states.

Jim Magagna, representing the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, supports the state's stance in the lawsuit. He argues that horses deplete grazing land and are not currently managed properly by the BLM. Many wild horses are now in holding facilities. Magagna suggests that better population control is necessary. "In the old days, that was done through gathering horses and shipping them. Most of those horses went into processing facilities. That clearly appears to be unacceptable to much of the general public today. So the other alternative that makes sense to us at least is more aggressive fertility control and neutering of horses," he explains. Magagna notes that the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, along with other groups supporting the state, will file their own interventions in this case.

Originally Posted By Wyoming Public Media