Challenge Painting #180: Desi of Sands Basin HMA in Idaho

JoAnna Lamb's Desi from Sands Basin HMA  near the Ohyhee Mountains of Idaho.

"Desi"
4 by 6 inch watercolor
by LindaLMartinArtist
$35.00

I was reading up on this particular Horse Management Area and discovered that  part of its "Multiple use" is  as a huge recreational area. That means that they have a large population of humans using the area and interacting with the wild horses. I have a little more research to do on this particular HMA. When I first saw a picture of this pretty chestnut mare and where she was from I thought, she  was Sand Wash Basin HMA .  Sand Wash Basin is in Colorado.  Desi is From Idaho.

Interestingly enough the few  chestnuts of  Sands Basin HMA I have seen all have similar white markings.

One of the things that I have learned from some of the private sources aiding in the management of wild horses in the east coast, is that horses that come into frequent contact with extremely large groups of humans, usually tourists, seem to have some training issues and trust issues when they are removed from the herd.

Quite often if a horse older than 4 must be removed from the herds in the Outer Banks or North Assateague island it is deemed trainable and thus unadoptable. These horses are usually removed because of health or behavior issues caused by human contact. This was another revelation  to me of how the management differs in the West and in the more highly populated areas of the East.

The only resource for  horses over 4 deemed trainable is permanent sanctuary or euthanasia. Most groups have a small farm on the mainland to sanctuary their unadoptatble mares and band stallions.

Although no studies have been published, that I know of,  regarding negative human contact and how it affects the trainability of horses later; there is a lot of data mostly photographic and eye witness that supports it.

Having had to train domestics that were treated incorrectly by people with little or no experience with horses, I do know how difficult it is to over come things like begging food, kicking, biting and even learning to buck, when someone  who doesn't know any better tries to ride an untrained horse, because they think being use to being around people is the same as being tamed and trained. I would image that would be more difficult for a wild horse whose only knowledge of people is those who do not seem to know better.

 I'm hoping to look into this in more detail in the next few months.

There is always a fine balance between maintaining the wild behavior that protects the horses and making the horses accessible to the general public. I feel it is important that  the public can become more aware of  wild horses in their natural habitat and learn human behavior that will protect the horses. Treating wild animals like domestics and pets not only gives them negative experiences with people, but it will eventually harm them..