Wild horses spared starvation

I am responding to Lorna Moffat’s letter (Dec. 26) regarding wild horse gathers and the Bureau of Land Management. 

We have been volunteers with the BLM and the Wild Horse Program about 12 years. Never have I seen or heard of them doing anything criminal. We personally know many of the BLM workers, and they love the horses and do all they can to keep them healthy. If the wild horses were not gathered at periodic intervals, every herd about every three or four years, the horses would starve to death.

The land is shared with all sorts of wild animals to the small ground critters, birds, elk, deer, bighorn sheep and cougars. The cattle are a nonissue. They are only in certain areas for short periods of time. Contrary to people’s opinions.

They do castrate the stallions when they are gathered. A gelding is more adoptable than a stallion. Yes, they do break up the family units. That keeps the horses genetically sound.

I would love to see them remain in the wild, but the idea of them starving to death because they multiply by 20 percent a year makes me sick.

And it wouldn’t take long for that to happen.

Lea Williams

Medical Lake