CALGARY- There is still no decision from the Alberta government about just how many feral horses they plan to capture this winter, but one rancher is proving they don’t all need to be taken to the slaughterhouse.
Jason Bradley has been capturing horses in the foothills near Sundre for years, including his own wild stud.
“He has no reason to leave, he’s got all the food he wants, all the company he wants,” Bradley says. “My job as ranch manager is to be a steward of the land.”
He now sells dozens of wild studs and their offspring, and plans to be a part of this season’s capture.
“They’ve kinda earned a place in the landscape and maybe they’ve earned a little place in my heart,” he adds. “They’re like a live walking history of this part of the land.”
However, most of the captured animals are killed for their meat.
“Some of them do go for slaughter so they go as a protein source because they’re a horse that’s old, doesn’t have good genetics, they don’t fit in,” Bradley explains. “I always try to find the right home for them first.”
Bradley has sold both feral studs and their offspring to other ranchers, hunters and charities. The RCMP have also expressed interest in his wild cross-breeds.
However, Alberta Environment says there are no promises about how many will be left alone this year.
“We look at the numbers from the previous year and we try to determine where there might be a problem area,” explains Jessica Potter, from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources.
The hunt and capture of the horses usually begins in mid-December and continues into February.
With files from Sarah Offin
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