in the field sustainability
nutritional supplementation
During the strip mining process, the topsoil, vegetation and vital nutrients are removed along with the coal being harvested, which creates a nutritionally lacking environment for all creatures living in these areas. The horses in these areas have been seen eating rocks, digging big holes to try to find any trace nutrients, eating the bark off of trees, and even eating the bones of their dead herd mates in an attempt to scavenge any scarce, vital nutrients they can.
One of ALI’s major undertakings is the delivery of the vital minerals to the herds to help supplement what is lacking naturally. In 2022 alone, ALI delivered over 100,000 pounds of mineral resources to the horses. These resources are usually in the form of mineral blocks and supplement tubs.
DeWOrming program
Heavy parasite burdens are rampant in many of these horses. Our feed through deworming program was launched in the spring of 2023 and as of September 2023, over 600 doses of dewormer have been administered with great results!
Routine herd checks
Having these minerals and being parasite free allows the herds to better utilize the vegetation they consume and there has been marked improvement in their body condition scores. Their coats are healthier, their eyes are brighter and they have started following more natural migratory patterns like wild horses should.
All year round, our team travels to the various sites to monitor the herds, check on their overall well being and to see if there are any changes to their needs. Every site is different and the needs of individual horses and herds can vary greatly. Our team tailors each program for each site to the specific needs of the horses residing there.
Population control, Targeted Gathers and Removal of Horses
The goal of ALI is not to remove and get rid of all of the wilding herds, but to be able to have them be healthy and thrive in their current homes whenever possible.
We are looking into hormonal birth control options, however at this time these methods are costly and administration can be difficult in this setting.
One method used for population control is to remove breeding age stallions and, after gelding, place them in training to be adoptable partners. We do targeted gathers to help reduce herds to more sustainable populations and decrease the number of breeding age males. The number removed with these gathers varies depending on each specific site and takes into account the number of horses a particular site can sustain, along with any requests from land and herd owners. A low stress gather process, developed by the founder of ALI, is used to make the process as stress free as possible.
In certain cases, individual gathers are also performed. This can be for medical emergencies or, as in the picture above, domestic drop offs. Domestic drop offs, particularly the elderly and broken, have a very low probability of survival in the wild. They usually cannot compete physically with a dominant stallion and lack the natural instincts of a horse born on the mine lands.
Medical and Emergency Care
In cases where it is possible to treat in the field, a veterinarian is contacted. Often however, the nearest veterinarian is several hours away. In severe cases that cannot be treated in the field, our team will remove the horse and take them to medical care; which is often also several hours away. The unforgiving terrain is not friendly and is filled with predators and dangers. We see multiple eye injuries, lacerations, fight wounds, and broken bones on a regular basis.
Emergency Runs
If a call comes in for an injured horse or someone has a concern about a horse, ALI is there to answer!
Outside of medically related emergency calls, ALI also responds to calls for horses that have gotten themselves into a predicament or are in places they should not be.
This has been an issue, particularly in the winter time, when herds have been known to migrate to major road ways to lick the salt/brine laid down in preparation for snow. Not only is this not healthy for the horses, it has led to horrific traffic accidents involving motor vehicles and equines with fatalities on both sides.
Strategic delivery of minerals has played an integral part in helping to eliminate the herds habitual migratory patterns onto highways; lowering the risk of accidents by 99% in regions reached. Our team has studied and learned the herds movements and how to find signs of their routes. This allows our team to place minerals in areas the horses will travel before hitting the road.