Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/67357
photography by jennifer esperanza Under the 1971 law, BLM gave wild horses 40 million acres of public land to live on. These lands have since been reduced by 15.5 million acres. As a cautionary tale, Anaquad-Kleinert points to the Naturita Wild Horse Management Area that neighbors the Spring Creek Herd Area. All the Naturita mustangs are gone; they were zeroed out in 1980s when the area became the site of intense uranium mining, leaving contamination that lingers today. The Naturita mustangs had a different fate than those at Little Book Cliffs, where a vibrant herd of 140 roams on land that is the site of resource development—but not one that has the look of a toxic Superfund site. In response to these claims, the BLM takes the official stance that the 1971 law does not stipulate a set number of acres guaranteed to wild horses. Their specific explanations for the decreased acreage include: population growth in the West, conflict with other resource values, and water issues that make management infeasible. The BLM also says it actively monitors the health of the herds by sending genetic samples to Dr. Cothran. In a recent interview with Dr. Cothran, he confirmed that he had received samples from the Spring Creek Herd both in 2000 and 2007. "In 2000," Dr. Cothran explains, "the samples were just below the level needed to main- tain a viable genetic herd, and in 2007 they were at a level to be considered W hen Stefanie Reinhardt was just 10 years old, she heard you could get a mustang for free. She tried to convince her dad, but he said a wild horse wouldn't be a good idea right now—maybe when she got older. But the seed had already been planted. Growing up, Reinhardt was surrounded by horses. She got her first pony, Doc, when she was two. She had horses all through high school and competed in shows. After college, to make extra money, she trained horses until it became her real job. A fan of what she calls "horse-geek TV," Reinhardt, who lives in Almont, Colorado, cites the since-cancelled Extreme Mustang Makeover as one of her favorite shows. "When I saw the show [on RFD-TV], I knew I had to do it. They say training a mustang is the ultimate challenge." At 37, Reinhardt finally felt up to the test. She auditioned and was accepted as a contestant in the 2008 competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Extreme Mustang Makeover, which will hold its 2012 Colorado compe- tition June 8 through 10 in Fort Collins, is an example of the BLM's successful adoption program, which partners with private organizations to critically low." With this information from its own science expert, the BLM find good homes for horses they've removed from the range. The rules for went ahead with roundups in 2007 and 2011. In response, BLM public affairs specialist Deanna Masterson explains, "We introduce horses from other herd areas about every eight years to ensure genetic viability." the show were simple: The BLM randomly selects a horse from one of its holding facilities; a contestant picks it up and has up to 100 days to train the horse before a competition. At the contest, the horse is auctioned off to the aspenpeak-magazine.com 129