File:My Public Lands Roadtrip- Wild Horses and Burros in Wyoming (19810177868).jpg

Today the #mypubliclandsroadtrip visits areas where the BLM Wyoming and local partners protect and manage wild horses and burros - considered “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” - according to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971.

In Wyoming, BLM manages approximately 3,000 wild horses in 16 different herd management areas or HMAs. In northern Wyoming, the McCullough Peaks HMA, located just east of Cody, is home to a popular, highly visible and easily photographed wild horse herd that attracts local, national and international interest. In spring 2011, the Cody Field Office implemented a field darting fertility control program for the McCullough Peaks HMA. The size of the HMA, the small herd size and the relative approachability of the horses makes field darting a viable alternative here. The success of the fertility control program is made possible by the BLM’s partnership with the non-profit wild horse advocacy group Friends of a Legacy. FOAL was formed in 2005 with a mission to protect and preserve the wild horses of the McCullough Peaks. (Read the BLM’s national news about New Research to Curb Population Growth and Improve Health of Wild Horse and Burro Herds.)

BLM Wyoming is also home to the BLM’s first wild horse ecosanctuary. The Deerwood Ranch Wild Horse Ecosanctuary near Centennial is a 4,700-acre ranch which offers a refuge for almost 300 geldings. Rich and Jana Wilson opened the ecosanctuary in 2012 as a place that safely provides a natural and healthy habitat for excess wild horses where they will be properly cared for, yet allowed to roam freely, while conserving the environment and ecology of the lands. The Wilsons also welcome visitors; tourism is a key component of the ecosanctuary concept. The Wilsons accept reservations throughout the year and visitors can come meet the horses up close and personal.