Currently more than 1,400 feral horses are located across six equine management zones in Alberta. Some equine management zones are facing significant challenges to the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem because of the number of horses on the landscape.
Alberta’s public rangelands are productive ecosystems that support many land uses, including recreation, forestry and resource extraction, wildlife, livestock and feral horses. All these uses need to be managed and balanced to ensure rangelands do not become degraded.
As the feral horse population grows, horses move from areas with good foraging opportunities into areas that are less able to support them. This puts pressure on other wildlife and livestock and creates challenges for ecological stability.
By establishing and implementing a science-based management framework for feral horses, Alberta’s government can better support the species while continuing to protect rangelands and other animals that live on the landscape.