By Hannah Grover
Driving through Placitas, it is not uncommon to see horses in the roadways and signs warn motorists to be aware of the free-roaming equines.
The Placitas herd is one of several free-roaming horse herds in New Mexico and, while many people enjoy seeing these unbridled equines, others argue they are a nuisance and even a threat to public safety.
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday that would require an adopter or sanctuary to be able to take the free-roaming horses before they can be removed from the range. The bill would also make it a misdemeanor to sell these equines to slaughter.
Under House Bill 284, certain conditions would need to be met before free-roaming horses could be removed.
The New Mexico Livestock Board would draft rules determining what qualifications those free-roaming horse experts should have. Once those rules are drafted, people would be able to register as free-roaming horse experts, allowing them to provide herd management services such as administering fertility control drugs and capturing a free-roaming horse for relocation.
According to the fiscal impact report, some of the free-roaming horse herds, including the ones in Placitas, are overpopulated and malnourished. The overpopulated herds have also damaged private properties, led to environmental degradation and competed with livestock and wildlife for forage.
Under HB 284, the Village of Placitas or other governmental agencies would be able to enter into agreements with registered free-roaming horse experts to conduct surveys and determine the carrying capacity of the land.
“They could only remove the horses if there was a home for which they could be adopted or if there was a horse sanctuary where they could be moved to,” bill sponsor Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, said.
McQueen said Sandoval County has entered into arrangements with free-roaming horse experts to dart free-roaming mares with a birth control drug.
The legislation does not apply to horses that are managed by the federal government such as the wild horse herd that roams the Carson National Forest and Carracas Mesa in northern New Mexico.
Rep. Harlan Vincent, R-Ruidoso Downs, told the story of a free-roaming stallion that kept fighting with a high-value stud in Lincoln County. The stud’s owner illegally captured the stallion and transported it 25 miles away to an area north of Capitan. Three days later, the stallion had returned and damaged a gate to access the area where the stud was kept, Vincent said.
McQueen said that while HB 284 is a step in the right direction, it won’t solve all of the problems related to free-roaming horses.
“It’s a difficult issue because horses have a special place in our hearts,” McQueen said. “We want to be kind. We want to be humane.”
He said a lot of people are excited and inspired when they see free-roaming horses.
“But the reality is, we have too many. We have this population pressure. So this is a bill to address that. It’s not going to address every situation that comes up with free-roaming horses,” he said.
This article is wrong, there are no malnourished wild horses in Placitas.
This legislation sounds wonderful. We love the Placitas ponies and want to ensure they have a home on our land and whatever we can do to help keep the herd healthy and present is a real step in the right direction.
What gives you the right to run a ONE SIDED story?! Your opinion is invalid without speaking to THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS or are you just writing bs to fill YOUR POCKETS Too?! Call me 506-553-3858 to get the REAL Story!!!
505-553-3858
What a crock. Taylor Mustang Ranch has had a contract to dart the horses with PZP for at least 5 years for the county. If they’re doing their job then there shouldn’t be too many horses by now. However, the county paid about $400,000 to Taylor Mustang Ranch when two residents of Placitas, Gary Miles and Patience O’Dowd, were , at that time, both licensed to dart the horses and would have done it for free. There are not too many horses. Studies of their numbers are always a lie made up out of thin air. People like Representative McQueen just want to get rid of them but time and again, Placitas residents have s overwhelmingly been in favor of the horses remaining in Placitas. The New Mexico Livestock Board is one of the most corrupt organizations in the state and giving them any say over what happens with the wild horses means they’ll be slaughtered.
I live in Placitas in a small community where many wild horses used to roam. Over the last 12 years there have been periods of them disappearing for a week or two, but they always come back. Not anymore. The previous owners of the SignPost were well known horse haters with a platform. Seems that has not ended with the new owners. There is no “overpopulation”, just horse haters who have been able to reach politicians. Why don’t you do the right thing and address the reason why so many of the horses have unexplicably disappeared in the last 24 months? Do some real investigative reporting and tell us why Placitas Wild has so many horses penned up adjacent to our houses on Windmill Trail? Horse loving residents of Placitas would like to know.
No investigation needed, just ask. Placitas Wild keeps their adopted horses within their fenced boundaries. But they also feed almost 25 horses daily, at great expense, who show up around their property and private road. Those horses are free to go wherever they wish to go. Hoping to keep them deep in Placitas and off the highway when looking for food is why we do that. So concerned citizen like you won’t see horse and car accidents as frequently as happened in the past.
I don’t believe the over population of horses either. How about relocating the people that have issues with the horses. The band of horses that comes around my property is very special to my Mom. They have been coming around for 3 years right after my Dad passed away. This would break my Mom. Is this organization providing financial aid to those that want to adopt but don’t have the money to fence acres or build Barnes? A lot of us are very connected to these horses, they all have been given names, we know their special personalities. It will be as terrible as abducting a family member. These giant gentle souls follow my Mom around while she waters the plants, she sings to them, they love my Mom. We love them. My Mom spends half the day outside with them. It’s what helps her cope. They are our family.These people don’t understand. We have 10 acres where they grace everyday. Will they help fence it? This is very one sided as was the banning of feeding the horses.