By the all accounts the herd of wild horses on the Jarita Mesa Wildhorse Territory may actually number between 40 and 100 horses. These horses share the land with elk, deer, and permitted cattle. The elk and deer are legally hunted. Unfortunately there have been numerous stories of people finding horses from this herd shot dead, some left as bear bait. Suspicion falls on the ranchers in the area who believe the land belongs to them.
Truth is the land belongs to the American people and the horses have a right to be there.
It is time for the El Rito Ranger District to do their job and protect these animals rather then 'irradicate' them. They are already on a suitable territory legally designated as a 'Wild Horse Reserve. These La Jarita Mustangs represent one more place where the past is kept alive in the present. We should honor these horses as part of our history as the U.S. government intended. This land has been put aside by our government for these wild horses to be free to roam within.