Feral Horses in Miller Creek
Update 8/25: The county commissioners approved an updated resolution presented at their administrative meeting on Aug. 25. The meeting was recorded and is available on the County's Youtube channel.
Project Background
It is not clear under state law which agency, if any, has jurisdiction to manage feral horses in Montana. After discussing the issue with the Montana Department of Livestock, Missoula County convened the following agency representatives with subject matter expertise in land and livestock management, ecology and law enforcement:
- Dan Bugni, Lindsey Simon, Dustin Datisman, Jay Bodner, Tahnee Szymanski – Montana Department of Livestock
- Chuck Casper – MPG Ranch
- Natalie Sullivan – MSU Extension Office
- Randy Arnold – Missoula County Lands, Culture and Recreation
- Chris Lounsbury – Missoula County Commissioners’ Office
- Paul Pfau – Montana Highway Patrol
- Jeremiah Petersen – Missoula County Sheriff’s Office
- Bryce Christians – Missoula County Ecology and Extension
- Chet Crowser – Missoula County Office of Lands and Communities
- Bart Morris – Oxbow Cattle Co.
The group discussed the following considerations:
History & Biology
Feral horses have been part of the Missoula County landscape for more than a century, with historical accounts dating back to the early 1900s. Private landowners have periodically conducted roundups of feral horses on their properties, The roundups most recently occurred in 1991, 2003, 2012 and 2023 (in the most recent roundup, the horses were sold to buyers interested in their rodeo stock lineage). Horses continue to remain in the area today, and a smaller band has moved closer to residential areas, raising new questions about safety and management.
- Horses require about 35 acres per head for sustainable grazing, based on the Animal Unit Month (AUM) standard.
- Development pressures are reducing available range.
- Populations can double every 4 to 5 years, and gestation lasts about 11 months.
- Several bands exist in the Miller Creek and surrounding areas, with some groups consistently in residential subdivisions.
Health Concerns
- Feral horses pose limited risk to other species, but domestic horses can be affected.
- Diseases of concern include EHV-1, influenza, equine infectious anemia, salmonella, pigeon fever and equine piroplasmosis (which can remain undetected for long periods).
- The spread of disease can impact the livelihood of landowners in the area who depend on domestic horses to conduct business.
- Vaccines exist for some diseases but are not fully preventative. There are also logistical considerations around how to contain and vaccinate the feral horses.
Public Safety
- A documented vehicle collision occurred in September 2025, resulting in the death of one of the feral stallions.
- Horses can weigh up to 1,500 lbs., creating significant hazards on roadways.
- Stallions may be aggressive and territorial, especially near homes.
- Horse bites are extremely strong — capable of crushing bone without breaking the skin.
- Dogs and horses do not mix well; protective instincts around foals increase risk to both animals.
Legal and Jurisdiction Considerations
- Horses are considered abandoned livestock, not wildlife. This differs from urban deer and other wildlife, which fall the authority under Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
- Jurisdiction primarily falls to private landowners, county and state entities, not federal. The horses primarily being on private property is the main complicating factor; if they were on public land, government agencies would have clearer jurisdiction.
- Relevant Montana Code Annotated sections:
- Abandoned Horses: MCA § 81-4-5
- Estray Horses: MCA § 81-4-6
- Herd Districts: MCA § 81-4-3
- Additional legal framework: Title 81, Livestock
Community Perspectives
- Many residents value the horses and want to see them documented and monitored.
- Others express concerns about safety, property damage, and disease transmission.
- Local agricultural producers worry about the spread of disease and other impacts on domestic horses and business operations.
Project Timeline
Commissioners will consider the final resolution at an administrative public meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Residents are welcome to attend this meeting in-person or virtually.
- In-person location: Second floor conference room, 199 W. Pine St., Missoula
- Virtual option: Residents can attend the meeting via Microsoft Teams. To join the call on your phone, call 406-272-4824, Conference ID 467 457 758#. To join the meeting on your device, follow the links on the agenda that will be published at http://missoula.co/bccmeetings
Click here to view our F.A.Q. page to see answers to some common questions.
Let us know what you think by logging in or creating an account and submitting your comment below.
Update 8/25: The county commissioners approved an updated resolution presented at their administrative meeting on Aug. 25. The meeting was recorded and is available on the County's Youtube channel.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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Phone 406-258-3293
Thank you for your efforts to protect the Miller Creek, free roaming horses, as coexisting with the horses is my wish, wanted outcome, and reason for writing. In reading the proposed resolution, it appears to only address one problem and that seems to be the problem of the landowners up Miller Creek with the horses. How many documented complaints/problems have there been? It would be really interesting to have access to what the documented problems are before we make comments on the resolution. The 2025 documented vehicle accident with a stallion seems to be caused by human error, speeding, which was shared at the City Council Meeting on June 11th by the daughter in law of the speeding motorist. Nothing in the resolution proposes anything to address this particular issue and cause of the accident.
I feel, the proposed resolution provides guidelines so roundups can’t just happen without lawful steps (which at least slows the process down on behalf of the horses and someone can’t do a roundup on a whim), but it seems to only give the landowner procedural steps. In reading comments, I like this one best, “I’m glad the county is trying to create a lawful and humane process, but I hope this becomes a coordinated management plan rather than just a mechanism for individual landowners to deal with horses once they become a problem.” Another person noted the horses could leave the landowner’s property before these steps might be able to be followed. Then what? Another comment was that not all parties are represented on the drafting of the resolution. Besides the proposed and needed Miller Creek resident, I feel we need to have a spokesperson for the horses. Someone knowledgeable like an equine veterinarian. Section 6. the “approved disposition methods”, seems to have only four approved possibilities. Who gets to pick the option? Does the landowner have the final say or a person representing the horse’s best interest? What if more options than four become available?
I am taking part in the community efforts that are being done to be proactive in the managed care of the horses and education of the public. I hope you give this committee, (which is not officially named yet but maybe the Miller Creek Horses Alliance) a chance to work on issues and come up with a united effort to tackle such issues as responding to public and horse needs, education, dealing with excrement, fund raising for the horses’ aid, researching other bands of these horses and their answers to community plus horse needs, opportunity to consult with experts on the realities of disease and spread plus population management/care. I feel this committee needs to have access to information to know all the documented issues.
I truly feel these horses grace us with their presence and deserve protection under the law. Horses, in general, have helped humans in war dying beside them, transportation, agriculture, sport, recreation and therapy. I feel it is an honor to live side by side with these wild horses in Montana. I want someone that cares about them to be their voice. It would be great if everyone felt that they are “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”.
Thank you for listening!
Diane Gray
Upper Miller Creek Resident
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The second draft abandoned horses resolution reflects an excellent improvement from the first one. I have some suggestions to make the final resolution better and avoid some complicates legal issues.
First, please the Currituck County, North Carolina Corolla horses ordinance in this link:
https://www.corollawildhorses.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/no-domestic-horses.pdf
It contains very specific provisions prohibiting unacceptable people's behavior towards the horses which Missoula should adopt in the interest of landowners, public health and safety and the horses.
Second, please clear up the statutory definitional confusion between abandoned horses in MCA Section 81-4-501(1), which applies only to horses 1 year old and older; and estray horses, which apparently applies to all Miller Creek abandoned horses regardless of age. The Miller Creek horse band always includes foals under 1-year old. The draft ordinance language Section 2(2) disclaiming application to estrays effectively excludes application to almost all abandoned horses contrary to ordinance intent.
Third, I strongly suggest Missoula County seek an interlocal agreement with the Montana Livestock Department pursuant to MCA 7-11-104 to clear up the above definitional ambiguity problem involving abandoned and estray horses, perhaps by treating abandoned horses as estrays but allowing the County to handle them for the state, pursuant to MCA Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 6. Alternatively, an interlocal agreement could specify the state's explicit approval of how abandoned horses found in Missoula County may be treated by the County.
I hope these suggestions are helpful. Thanks for considering them.
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I’m glad the county is trying to create a lawful and humane process, but I hope this becomes a coordinated management plan rather than just a mechanism for individual landowners to deal with horses once they become a problem.
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Please listen to the overwhelming number of comments here in support of leaving these horses alone. They have been part of the Miller Creek landscape for decades and are a cherished part of what makes this area special. For many of us who live here, seeing them is a genuine joy and a reminder that we still share this place with wildlife. Based on the comments here, I am clearly not alone in feeling that way.
From a public safety standpoint, we should be encouraging people to respect wildlife, including these horses, rather than treating the horses themselves as the problem. Parents should teach their children to observe them from a distance, just as we do with deer, moose, bears, and other wildlife. Living in Montana means accepting some responsibility for safely coexisting with wild animals.
Concerns about vehicle collisions also seem misplaced. If safety is truly the priority, then slowing traffic in the neighborhood would do far more to protect people, pets, and wildlife than removing a small band of horses. Speeding has long been a concern in Miller Creek, and deer are a much more common source of vehicle collisions than these horses.
Most of us moved into this neighborhood long after these horses were already here. We chose to live in a place where wildlife is part of everyday life, and for many of us, these horses contribute to the character and sense of place that makes Miller Creek unique.
I struggle to understand why the County is treating this as a pressing issue when there are much larger challenges facing our community. If resources are going to be devoted to improving life in Miller Creek, I would much rather see attention given to issues like traffic safety and the cumulative impacts of continued residential development, including concerns about emergency access and evacuation. Those are issues that affect everyone who lives here every day.
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I'm a Miller Creek resident who is such a fan of this herd of horses. When they pay us a visit, they mind their own business and have no interest in bothering humans. They move much slower and are much easier to spot on the road. They just want to co-exist and share space. After all, the space was theirs first. Please do not round them up and put them up for auction. Please do not euthanize them. They have the most gentle presence and it's so grounding. When I'm surprised to go outside and find them nearby, it is such a grounding force. With no exaggeration, it truly makes my day. They help my mental health, which is always a struggle. Why can we not protect them as we protect other wildlife in Montana? Isn't that why we live in Montana? Stop driving them out of their own home. It's baby deer season, and you have to keep a much more careful eye out for them on the road, but nobody's petitioning to try to remove them. We love them. And I've never seen the horses anywhere near a busy road. They bring magic to the neighborhood, and I feel so lucky to co-exist in this space with them. Can we not try other things first, like decreasing and enforcing speed limits, putting signs on the roads, teaching children in school how to respect them, coming up with a coalition of people who want to contribute their time, expertise, and money. I was present at the hearing on June 11th, and it was so powerful to have a room full of people who feel similarly. I'll never forget the story told by the daughter-in-law of the man who had the road collision with one of the horses; she said she was there, that her father-in-law is a menace on the road and was surpassing the speed limit by a lot and was also on his phone. She said she'll never let her kids ride in a car with him anymore, and that he and his wife moved across the country. It was such a brave story to share, and really helped paint a vivid and painful story. None of that was the horse's fault. Can we not assign a group of some kind to be responsible for the horses if something like that were to happen again? I haven't lived in this neighborhood very long, and I've still felt heartbroken that the best neighbors I've ever had might be removed. Please listen to the people. We want to help, and we want to protect the horses and their home. They bring such beauty and wonder and awe and are more than welcome near my home. I've lived all over, but Montana is the only place I've ever been able to call home. I feel grateful every day for the nature surrounding us and the wildlife living amongst us. And whenever I say wildlife, I'm including the horses, even if it's insisted they be called feral and not wild. Thank you for listening and taking us seriously.
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