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Wild horse populations on tribal lands are flourishing. And that’s a problem. The horses compete with livestock and wildlife for food and other resources. Tribes also complain the horses consume plants that have spiritual and nutritional importance. The animals contribute to soil erosion that also harms rivers and other waterways. Wild horse adoptions are down and slaughtering the animals remains controversial. We’ll explore how tribes confront wild horse management with limited budgets and cultural constraints.
Guests:
Bodie Shaw (The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – Northwest deputy regional director of trust services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Jason Smith (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – president of the National Horse Coalition & Range Manager for Warm Springs
Moses Brings Plenty (Lakota) – Member of the CANA Foundation, a non-profit wild horse advocacy program
Break Music: Steamboat Akalii Song (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Horses Are Our Journey (album)
Dine’ for wildhorse is also advocating for Indigenous wild horse.
I am someone from the Pacific Northwest who has adopted a wild Warm Springs colt. He is now 2 years old and he actually bears Jason’s family brand. He is excellent quality and will make a phenomenal riding horse. Warm Springs horses are really special horses and the management program has really enabled quality horse’s to exist on the range and throughout our Pacific Northwest communities. He actually won quite a few mustang classes at the Oregon State Fair against other wild horses (including BLM horses). I feel incredibly honored to have such a connection to these horses and I know many people have become interested in the tribal horse’s of Warm Springs since meeting my colt.