Feral Horses in Miller Creek
Project Background:
Missoula County is currently exploring options to address concerns around a band of feral horses that roams between the Miller Creek area of Missoula and south into the Bitterroot Valley. The feral horses, believed to be descended from rodeo stock from a former ranch that existed in Miller Creek in the 1970s, have become increasingly present in densely populated residential areas over the last few years.
Residents have raised concerns about the feral horses related to public safety, spread of disease, their impact on area livestock, and increased habituation to people and human food sources. The County has also heard from residents who enjoy the feral horses' presence in their neighborhoods.
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 plans to convene agency representatives with subject matter expertise in land and livestock management, ecology and law enforcement. This group will explore potential options for managing the feral horses and provide staff with their recommendations.
The County will engage the public on any potential recommendations sometime in early 2026. This will likely include a public event highlighting the recommendations and providing residents with a chance to bring any questions or concerns to staff.
The county commissioners would then consider adopting the recommendations at one of their public meetings, which take place most Thursdays at 2 p.m. Information on future meetings will also be posted on this page.
Click the subscribe button to the right to receive updates on next steps when they are determined.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are the people in the advisory group being paid?
A: No, they are volunteering their time and expertise or are participating as part of their regular job duties.
Q: Aren't these horses protected under federal law?
A: No, the federal Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 does not apply to these horses. The band of Miller Creek horses, and the larger herd that roams between Upper Miller Creek and Florence, occupy a mix of private and state land. The 1971 Act only protects mustangs and burros on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Equines protected under this federal law are relegated to federal herd management areas. Miller Creek and the Bitterroot/Sapphire region are not herd management areas. Free-roaming horses that are not part of these federal herds are under the jurisdiction of state law.
Q: Can residents petition to have the horses removed?
A: Yes, there is a process to petition the commissioners under a state law first enacted in 1925: MCA 81-4-503. The commissioners have received no such petition. Missoula County’s goal is to avoid this scenario by exploring a proactive management plan.
Let us know what you think by logging in or creating an account and submitting your comment below.
I half to ask why this is an issue, and I support anyone to enlighten me. The horses aren't harming anything or anyone. The city needs to deal with the deer population before they focus their energy and our tax dollars on eight or nine horses. What are the options, euthanize, tranquilize and relocate? They are wild animals. Good luck getting a 2,500 pound horse into anything if you plan on keeping it alive. Using key words like "risk of spreading disease", "residential livestock" There are two farms on Miller creek that still exist. The rest of the land has been developed and if you read the HOA you're not allowed to have "livestock". So if someone is complaining about their feral chickens like the rooster I saw running up the road this morning. Stop it. What about the fox's, the skunks, etc? If you are concerned for safety, then it is similar to going anywhere else in Montana out of your back door. Don't get close to wild animals. I don't know why people need to get in a stink about this. Just let them be. They will migrate out eventually.
Leave the horses alone. The one horse that died was hit by a vehicle driven by an inattentive driver. We can deal with horses easier than the crooks out here. Put your energy and time into something that matters. This is a riculous thing to waste your time on. What a waste. Oh and mths any workday at 2 pm is a way to keep the working residents unable to have public input.
The horses have bern the there decades longer than the subdivision. They've only had close encounters with people since the people have become so numerous. Horses dont jump in front of vehicles like deer do. If one gets hit, I blame the driver. Ive seen drivers going way too fast, & not sloeing down at all, plow over young deer that are just standing there. The only safety hazard with the herd is (pardon me, but its true) stupid city people who think theyre all pets (remember the Yellowstone bison?) & dont know & teach their kids how to behave around them. Animals speak volumes with body language. Its not their fault if these city slickers are illiterate. There are few diseases that humans & horses share. While you're contacting experts to weigh in...PLEASE get some genuine horse people of good reputation, including a few rescues. Don't depend on government agencies. They know nothing & their first response is to kill. There is plenty of evidence for that. If you need further proof of the incompetence of the government, do a bit of research on what the BLM is doing to wild horses herds in several areas of the country. Our horses dont deserve that.
These are wild horses that have been here forever! I live in Lower Miller Creek and find this to be part of what makes us Montana!! LEAVE THE HORSES ALONE!! They don’t bother anyone. I agree with everyone else, you have far bigger things to spend your time and our money on than a few harmless horses just trying to live their life in their home that we humans interrupted. Listen to the community for once!!
Why not contact tribes such as the Lakota .. Cheyenne...Blackfeet.. etc.and offer them to tribes so they can live freely on reservation lands. The horse is a deeply revered part of their heritage.
Leave the horses alone. If you do not like the Montana lifestyle, then leave. The horses were here first and they are not hurting anyone.
Leave the horses alone. Slow down and enjoy Montana. It’s neat that people want to live here. It’s becoming less enjoyable because people are wiping out the authenticity. It is a problem that people think the animals are a problem.
It’s a fence out state. Fence them out and have some respect for something other than money and convenience.
You might connect with the town of Ruidoso, NM who has a herd of feral horses who have lived there for years. They might have some advice and insight.
Leave the horses alone, they have roamed around before a lot of people were in this area. we have deer and skunks. raccoons. Foxes, Bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and many other animals that come through Miller Creek. Why are these animals needing to be controlled as well? The animals have lived and died here for a long time, maybe even before you were born. Leave the horses and all the other animals alone, or move somewhere else. Please
The horses are awesome and a unique part of living in Miller Creek. Why would the county waste money studying what to do. Leave the horses alone, and save the tax dollars spent on this unnecessary study.
The folks who actually lived in Miller Creek for decades are saying the obvious: leave the wild horses alone. They’ve been thriving without your “expert” intervention for years. Horse owners may know how to saddle up, but that doesn’t mean they’re qualified to dictate what happens with wild or feral horses. The real issue? A handful of people who can’t grasp boundaries or basic parenting, and somehow that means we should evict the horses? Brilliant idea. Let’s punish the animals for human incompetence. Maybe next we’ll ban trees because someone tripped over a root. Here’s a thought: stop trying to fix what isn’t broken and listen to the people who actually know what they’re talking about.
leave the horses alone they are happy and healthy! they are healthy where as if you catch and move them there is potential for them to not go to a good place. they have been there for so many years. leave them be!
They haven’t hurt anyone and they’ve been around WAY before any of these new developments were. Leave em be.
Let them be, they were their first we just happen to take their land
Leave them alone. Otherwise just pave the entire county over and shoot all the wild animals so no one is inconvenienced. Spend your time solving traffic and budget issues that actually matter!
I appreciate Missoula County communicating openly about the Miller Creek horses. I’ve lived here for seven years, and these horses have wandered through my yard more than once. I have three kids, and we’ve always felt completely safe around them. For many of us, they’re not a nuisance, they’re a unique part of what makes this part of Missoula feel like Missoula.
I understand the concerns around safety and habituation, but removing the horses feels like the most extreme option, not the starting point. Before we talk about getting rid of them, we should be discussing mitigation, education, traffic-calming, and partnerships with wildlife and equine experts who can help the County manage them humanely while allowing them to remain part of the landscape.
Missoula has always balanced growth with preserving the character of this place. These horses are part of that character. I hope the County’s upcoming process includes real community input, transparent options, and a priority on non-removal solutions that respect both resident safety and the animals’ long-standing place in our neighborhoods.
Let them be.
The deer are WAY bigger of. Problem. Leave them alone. They aren’t hurting anything. They are on our property 50% of the time in the summer. Does it suck to clean up the poop or replace a sprinkler if they damage one - yes. But they are fine. Why does the County think they need to control everything, it’s getting ridiculous!
Leave them alone. They are not a problem. They are part of living in Montana.
Been there for FIFTY PLUS years! And SUDDENLY, this is an issue? STOP letting the FEW determine what the MAJORITY are fine with! It's 100% OUTSIDERS complaining about this! Us LOCALS are tired of decisions like this being made by OUTSIDERS
Who's Listening
-
Phone 406-258-3293
Thank you for your contribution!
Help us reach out to more people in the community
Share this with family and friends