The Virginia Range Wild Horses

By George Yates

 

The Virginia Range is located in the Nevada high desert.  It runs for some 30 miles north to south between Reno and Carson City, and spans of some 40 miles east to west.  The area supports a substantial herd of wild horses (Figure 1); this article stems from our visit to the area for horse-watching and photography.

Spanish settlers likely first brought horses to the Americas in 1519.  Horses escaped, quickly adapted, and spread, and Native Americans began to capture and ride the horses, spreading them further across the continent.  The Virginia Range Wild Horses are descendants of horses that escaped from or were released by ranchers in the 1800s.

In 1955, Reno resident Velma Johnston, better known as “Wild Horse Annie”, led a movement to protest the ruthless manner in which wild horses were being rounded up by the Nevada Department of Wildlife for commercial purposes. The “Wild Horse Annie Act” was passed by Nevada in 1959. In 1971 the federal government followed suit, with the creation of the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 1971.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protects and manages wild horses in balance with other public resource values on 177 herd management areas across 26.9 million acres of public lands.  The Virginia Range is almost completely privately owned, so federal public lands management policies are not applicable. The Virginia Range mustangs are managed by the state of Nevada.

It has been over five centuries since the Spanish Mustangs arrived in North America, but they are technically a non-native species.  The history of wild horses in North America has all the drama to be expected from any topic involving conflicting cultural, economic, and political interests. There is ongoing debate about whether the horses are indigenous or invasive; if they are wild or feral; or if they should be completely eradicated.  Personally, I just like observing wildlife and taking their pictures.

Although the majority of the horses roam areas away from human settlements, this trip gave me a very different take on the Urban-Wildlife Interface. Horse bands are often seen wandering the streets of the small towns along Hwy 50 and are mostly welcomed by the residents. These animals are fully habituated to people.

We drove into a development and spotted a band of around a dozen horses meandering toward a house, so we ventured onto private property to observe their behavior. The homeowner was very welcoming; he told me that he and his wife had lived there for about 25 years and really enjoyed the wild horses.

Figure 3: A small band of mustangs meandering in front of a home, completely ignoring the humans observing them. [ghy]

We watched the band stroll through the property(Figure 4), on their way to a water trough maintained by another homeowner. On the Virginia Range it is acceptable to put water out for these horses, but it is illegal to feed them.

The behavior of wild horses at water troughs is fascinating and I have observed it on at least two other occasions. There was already a band lined up to drink from the trough, each horse patiently waiting its turn. The band we were following simply queued up at the end of the line, as shown in Figure 5.

We were also fortunate to witness another well-known aspect of wild herd behavior. When a male reaches an age where the lead stallion sees it as a potential threat to its dominance, it will drive the horse out of the band. Often the bachelor will attempt to reunite with the band, only to be driven out once again. In the image below the horse on the left had been nudged and forced across a road and left to gaze at its lost band. The lead stallion (left) watched for some time to make sure that the exiled bachelor would stay put.

Satisfied, the stallion took a triumphant roll in the sand. Watching horses roll is always a fun experience. Horses will roll for enjoyment, but also to help with shedding their coats, and to maintain their coat and body temperature. Mud and dust can act as a skin conditioner as well as a natural insect repellent.

 

At Washoe Lake State Park we were fortunate to witness more wild horse behavior. A bachelor stallion decided to enhance his life, and attempted to capture mares from the local band. A large dark brown stallion came galloping up to the parking area, and did what he had to do to protect his band.

The dark brown stallion successfully defended the band, and no mares were stolen. After the skirmish, the invading stallion turned and trotted away, while the dark brown stallion watched the invader depart.

Despite legal protection and public support, these horses still face many challenges. One major concern is the rapid horse population growth, which can lead to overgrazing and damage to the range. Another is the risk of collisions between horses and vehicles on the roads within the range.  There are significant high tech and industrial developments along Hwy 439 (a.k.a. The USA Parkway).  Tesla, Google, and Microsoft have facilities under construction or planned. These will affect local herd behavior, but in an area small compared to the overall size of the Virginia Range.

The Wild Horses of the Virginia Range have a long and rich history, and they attract visitors from all over the world. They are a beautiful sight, and are thought of by many as a symbol of American heritage.  For additional information: The Wild Horse Preservation League and the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association are volunteer non-profit organizations dedicated to keeping Nevada’s mustangs and burros wild and free.