TTR: Tell us about some of the horses.
Hyde: We've got a wonderful stallion we call Painted Desert. His mother was a captured BLM [Bureau of Land Management] horse, Painted Lady, just a gorgeous mare. She must've slipped through the adoption program because she was older. She had Painted Desert, a Medicine Hat stallion, by a wild stallion. We've kept him as our principal stud. He sires Medicine Hat foals, and we sell some of them to help support the sanctuary.
TTR: So, you allow wild horses at the sanctuary to breed?
Hyde: Not until about 10 years ago. We noticed that the mares were restive and unhappy. They'd keep looking over the fence and getting out when they could. When we finally put out a stallion or two, those mares would "granny" the few foals born each year, and everyone was much happier. We keep many of the fillies, and when we have colts, we sell them as weanlings or make certain that local 4-H kids have a horse. The young horses adjust very well. Sadly, we've found that adoption of the older wild horses often ends in tragedy. You get a sad-eyed horse who remembers being free.
We've found that when we cross one of our Quarter Horse stallions with one of these wild mares, we get a tremendous horse. And smart! I can train four of these mustangs in the time it takes to train one domestic horse. This mustang blood can improve our domestic breeds.
TTR: How do horses from your sanctuary do in new homes?
Hyde: At weaning, foals leave here, go out into the world, and do wonderful things. One half-mustang we sold to a girl in Ohio just won at the state fair. These horses have stamina and intelligence, and the good trainers that have come into contact with them just love 'em.
TTR: In general, what do you think about what's going on with wild horses today?
Hyde: There's too much emotion and too little knowledge on the part of many of the horse-rescue groups. I often wish they'd learn more before they go on the attack. If they're going to criticize, they should also come up with a solution.
The 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act was difficult for the BLM to deal with and to enforce. In a way, it also removed the main predator - man. If you remove the predators, you doom a species. There are some fine, caring people in the BLM, but their hands have been tied.
There's also a lack of communication between the ranchers and the horse groups. There wouldn't be wild horses today if it hadn't been for the ranchers taking care of the herds in tough conditions. At Yamsi, some of our best horses were half wild.
TTR: Can America's wild horses survive?
Hyde: We need more places set up so wild horses can run free. There's a serious deterioration of range, and it needs to be managed better. There needs to be drift fences, so wild horses can be humanely gathered without helicopters. Helicopter roundups are traumatic to horses and cost about $1,500 per head.
Here, wild horses have a great range, yet they live close enough that people can come and see them running free. Maybe there's a compromise, where we don't have the vast herds of the old days, but small herds on land where they can be protected and preserved. They need a bountiful environment to stay in good condition, and herd management to maintain numbers and good genetic health.
The government spends $30 to $40 million a year on the horse program, mostly on salaries and research. They could take that money and set up wild horse ranges, and private sanctuaries could benefit.
TTR: If you could have four people - living or dead - spend an evening with you around a campfire, who would you invite?
Hyde: Al Shadley, certainly, a good and wise man who worked at Yamsi. Slim Pickens. Mel Lambert, the rodeo announcer who also played the tug boat captain in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. And Dick Blue of Wenatchee, Washington. He's a great horseman, storyteller, and gentleman. If you put them together, you'd have some pretty good stories.
TTR: What's your idea of perfect happiness?
Hyde: Being where I am, working with the wild horses. I wouldn't change a darn thing.
To learn more about the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, call (800) 252-6652 or visit www.wildmustangs.com
