Feral Horses in Miller Creek

Given the multitude of issues in Missoula County I believe our city and county government representatives have much more pressing matters than sorting out how to manage a dozen horses roaming Miller Creek. Please…focus on the ‘feral’ homeless transient population, our drug infested neighborhoods, affordable housing, reducing taxes, the list goes on and on. These horses have got to be near the bottom of the priority list when it comes to governing Missoula County.

I’m a 20+ year resident of Missoula and have lived in the Lower Miller Creek neighborhood for 8 years. My family didn’t even know the horses existed until the last 2-3 years when they remarkably showed up in our neighborhood. Since then we’ve encountered the horses a handful of times and our family values every experience with them. I would love to hear feedback from Miller Creek residents because I promise you the vast majority of us believe the wild horses belong in our neighborhood just as much as those of us that have chosen to live here.

Post signs to create awareness. Inform the public to keep their distance. But let’s not continue California-izing the state of Montana or city of Missoula with unnecessary government intervention where it’s not needed.

#saveourmillercreekhorses

For years, I've been witness to the roundups by the BLM. Many horses are injured, mares and their foals separated, and many foals dying. After the horses have been corralled, many are transported to the kill pens, waiting for the trailers to take them to slaughter.
Leave the damn horses alone! Please!

These are wild horses, not feral. They do not deserve unfair treatment just because someone decided to build cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods in their ranging area. They are beautiful and a magic part of being a Miller Creek resident. Teach your children that like all things wild, stay away and do not pet, feed or mess with them. The driver who hit the horse was speeding. These animals are not like deer, darting out in from the waist high grass. They are slower, bigger animals. It is not hard to see them. Besides, anyone going over 35 in Miller Creek is asking for it. Just put up signs .

I live in Lower Miller Creek and urge you to leave the wild horses alone and focus on larger issues affecting Missoulians.

Leave the horses alone. They are nice to see in our front yard. They do way less damage than the deer, and it makes people smile. There aren't enough of them that it's a problem. This is the first year they've been around so much. We may not see them as much next year.

People, the difference between FERAL and WILD is huge especially in this case, these are FERAL and don’t fall under any federal jurisdiction not BLM they belong to Missoula City and County, no one wants to eradicate or get rid of, just quietly manage, you can read my opinion down below.
Sincerely
Paula F.

Obviously leaving the heard is instrumental to their culture and ours, foals at weaning (6 months) can be caught and adopted in a silent sale, individually stalled where prospective owners could view them indoors at a horse facility or the fairgrounds indoors like in a building like the old dairy barn, open air stalls would scare them terribly definitely put a min. bid of $700 or higher to weed out people who want a cheap horse and horse traders, with the money being put in horse account for future needs for them. All the horses that appeared on the news, were exceptionally well built and straight legged, and because they are half tame, quietly capturing the offspring in small spots and with just a few horses around would be the easiest and less trauma for all involved, I would love to have that buckskin mare, she looks like a blooded QH, and her color was excellent, but I’m too old now unfortunately, Missoula has a very unique opportunity to not only manage the animals but create bidding wars (I always paid good money for nice looking and well built animals such as these, eventually you could swap stallions out with another quality stallion! You could make this a real draw for buyers and those who just love horses, pictures of foals would spread like wildfire, the sky is the limit with them ( like the wild horses in Europe each fall, they are rounded up foals weaned and sold privately in sealed bids. They even sell yearlings…
Keep us posted on how it progresses.
Sincerely
Paula F.

A very simplistic question to a not so simple answer.
Asking out of curiosity.
Can some be adopted?

The horses should be captured and transported to either wildhorse island or the Pryor mountains. The provide a significant safety risk to themselves and to residents and it would not be fair for them to be involved in a fatal accident when it can be avoided.

The horses are a part of Missoula, why would we want to get rid of them? If people dont know to leave wild animals alone, why are they in Montana? As far as livestock, there are many ways to deter the horses and avoid relocation or culling. This is their home just as much as it is ours. So i say leave them!

Leave the wild horses alone they arent harming anyone. As a resident for my whole life here in the Missoula area they are peaceful animals. That out of towners / staters should just leave alone. These animals should be protected from the public.

The wild horses have survived for years. Humans should leave them alone to survive. They live with all the changes we create and have the right to live free. Please leave alone

It may not be clear "under state law" which agency has jurisdiction over these horses, but it is pretty clear under Federal law. In 1971, the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed, giving specific protections to "ALL unbranded and unclaimed horses and burros on public lands of the United States" and directing the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to protect and preserve them in their "historic range" (most wild horses are managed by the BLM today). Since the presence of the herd in question has been well-documented since the 50's, well before the Act was passed, and their range certainly includes some public lands, they clearly qualify for protection under it. Moreover, under federal law they are considered "wildlife", and it is just as unlawful for an unauthorized entity to "remove" them as it would be to remove an inconvenient herd of elk or bighorn sheep. In other words, leave the horses be. They were there first!

I want to thank the Missoula County Commissioners for addressing this issue responsibly and now. As a longtime Missoula resident, I care deeply about the health and safety of the Miller Creek horses. I have studied applicable federal and state laws, which on their face offer little or no protection for these horses except to the extent state law allows Montana counties to determine how feral horses can best be protected. I have been advocating the very approach proposed by the commissioners, namely putting together a group of experts to determine whether a viable management plan can be developed. Such a plan should first and foremost ensure that these horses are kept alive, healthy, and preferably together on suitable land where they can continue roaming with permanent food supplies. Although a number of Miller Creek and other Missoula residents advocate leaving the horses alone, I do not share this view unless the county's experts reach a consensus that leaving them alone is in the horses' best interests; or otherwise conclude that no plan is feasible.

Even if the county decides to do nothing for now, Montana law may well require the county to round them up and dispose of them anyway if enough affected landowners petition for this. As I read the roundup and other related statutes, the county may have some latitude in determining the nature of any such roundup, but it seems clear that the horses will lose out if a roundup occurs. For this reason I urge the commissioners to move as quickly as possible, in consultation with its appointed experts, to develop a proposed plan before any roundup petition is filed. Assuming it keeps the horses alive, healthy and together, I expect this kind of plan will get a near Missoula resident consensus.

Thanks for considering my views.

David Aronofsky

Missoula needs to address the urban deer problem as well. It is out of control.

Perhaps someone could round them up and herd them, or otherwise transport them back into the (more) uninhabited Miller creek area. At the very least, no not resort to a round up to sell/auction these animals. Auctions are rampant with abuse and cruelty.
Perhaps, signage and lower speed limits, a funnel to a gate system to safer crossing at more traveled roads or intersections. Think highway 93 north.

I am a horse owner and advocate. My focus is always on educating people about horses. This herd is not a wild horse band under government protection, which in some ways is good, but it also means no one takes responsibility for their care and welfare. We all know how difficult it is to get help for injured deer...these horses have no one when there is an injury or they find themselves in dangerous situations. These horses need an advocacy group backed by a team with knowledge of horses and the horses' well-being in mind. This group is not selfishly trying to remove the horses, but trying to protect them and give the public a place to learn more about horses. I definitely would like to be part of this advocacy group.

I've commented several times on NextDoor, but since this is now officially "an issue", I'll repeat myself.
My grandfather, Walt Peery, originally raised American Saddle Bred horses on a ranch that later became Reg Kessler's rodeo ranch. The feral horses were there then, but stayed well away from civilization. While Kessler's stock may have contributed to the herd, it didn't start it. My grandfather switched to registered black Angus after the depression. I still have posters selling off his horses at auction for next to nothing. I grew up riding horses in Miller Creek, Target Range, and South Hills. These horses have not been a problem until we, the people, moved upward into their grounds.
We have deer, elk, moose, coyotes and, mountain lions in the valley. No one seems to want to manage the hundreds of deer in Miller Creek. We've educated most of the population that they are NOT pets! The deer continue to walk in front of cars, through fences, and challenge pets and people at times. They are WILDLIFE. Eliminate some of them and fill empty freezers. Helena has had a successful program for years. Maybe spend some of that park and sidewalk money on a plan. There was a deer with a mangled leg that was laying in a yard in Lower MC. F, W, & P basically said to call them when he is actively dying. I haven't asked for an update.
I had to laugh at the writer that said she's not buying a house in Miller Creek because of the feral horses. What a blessing!
Think this through, people. Why do you live here?

Commissioners,

Thank you for considering public input on the feral horses in Missoula County. I’m asking the County to take practical steps that improve both animal welfare and public safety.

Right now, there is no clear agency responsible for responding when these horses are injured, involved in traffic incidents, or pushed into residential areas. This gap leaves animals suffering longer than necessary and leaves the public unsure who to call in an emergency.

I am requesting three actions:
1. Adopt ordinances that prohibit feeding, petting, or watering the horses, since human interaction draws them into dangerous situations.
2. Designate a county agency with authority to respond to emergencies involving these horses, including injury, illness, or safety concerns.
3. Support a volunteer community group to help with education, school outreach, and non-harmful methods of moving horses out of neighborhoods, as well as assisting with placement if any animals need rehoming.

Every other animal population in Montana has an established management path. These horses deserve the same level of responsible oversight. Simply “leaving them alone” is not a functional management plan.

We love the wild horses! It is such a magical part of our living experience in Missoula and in the Miller Creek area. Please protect these beautiful animals!